Robert's First Week of Law School

Well, I am still alive! I have survived my first week of law school. It has been a completely new experience. It is nothing like undergraduate school. Before class, I usually read 2 to 3 cases and have what I think to be a solid understanding of the cases. Then I go to class and quickly realize that the professor took a totally different take on the cases than I had. In many of the classes this week, I left class more confused than when I came into it. However, I have been warned that this is normal and that I should not stress about it. Overall, it has been enjoyable though. I have met quite a few kids and will get to know them very well as the year goes on. In case you were wondering, my classes are Torts, Real Property, Civil Procedure, Contracts, and Research and Writing. I will continue to give updates when I can. Think of me when you are having fun because I probably will be reading.

I can't help it...

I am in love with our view/location! As you can probably tell, I cannot stop taking pictures. Each night is so beautiful and different! Here are a few of my shots from tonight's sunset. I am glad our balcony faces west.

Gorgeous!

Because I have fallen in love with our balcony, it became one of my priorities to furnish it. So, we went out and bought ourselves a nice bistro set and a little foliage to add to the mood.

It is now our only completed "room." Well I guess it is not entirely finished since we need to replace our balcony carpet, but close enough right? Lately, there always seems to be "one more thing to do."

Right after assembling our new bistro set, I decided we were having dinner outside. And that is exactly what we did! It was perfect.

Of course the food wasn't too shabby either. I tried out a new pasta recipe tonight that turned out to be delicious!

This week Robert has his orientation. He went in on Monday all dressed up in a suit and was introduced to the Dean, some professors, and a group of mentors. He said it was a long day, but he really enjoyed it. He really likes the school a lot, and he is glad he decided to come here. He thinks it will be a really great fit for him. He has to go back for another full day of orientation on Thursday. Then he starts school on Monday! He is already preparing for his classes. They have assigned him a lot of reading for his first day. Here it comes!

Oh what will the future hold?

A Sunday Visitor

After we got home from church today, we noticed a visitor outside in our lagoon. It was a manatee, actually three of them. I only caught one at a time on camera. It was awesome to watch them swim around together. They were probably about 7-10 ft long. You can't really tell because I am 15 stories above them when I took this photo, but they were big. I love that we are able to watch all the wildlife from the comfort of our balcony! We see dolphins almost every morning out in the bay. It is unreal! I love it!

I also love the beautiful clouds. Especially when the rain starts to roll in. I couldn't help from taking a picture of tonight's sky. It was beautiful! It's like a little piece of heaven.

All is well here, just still unpacking and trying to get more settled in.
Well time for bed, it has been a well rested day. Back to work tomorrow.
Good night!

All Work and Some Play

The unpacking, shopping, and furniture assembly continues, but tonight was different. Robert and I decided it was time for a break! A baseball game was it! We caught a Tampa Bay Rays' game (which happens to be just down the road from our house) versus the Toronto Blue Jays.

Before the game started, we went over to the ray tank to pet the rays they have swimming behind centerfield.

They were very slimy!

Well we weren't quite celebrating like this because the Rays lost, but it was such a fun game! There was tons of hits and great plays. We are excited that we live so close. We are ready to catch another game.

First Night In Our New Place

I am sorry I have not posted anything in the past couple of days. I just have been so busy these past couple of days with moving in. I have not even had time to take any pictures, except for these few below.

This was on Friday, August 7, 2009, the day we first arrived at our new apartment. We were pretty excited to have finally reached our final destination.

Shortly after arriving, the hard work began! Moving takes a lot of work. This is our new entertainment center and TV that Robert's parents helped us put together. They stayed all weekend and helped us with lots of touch-ups and cleaning! It was wonderful to have such great assistance from his parents and grandmother. We were able to get so much accomplished while they were here.

However, as you can see, I am so ready for it to all be over! I cannot wait until I can show off the new place.

WE ARRIVED!

Well, I just wanted to give everyone an update on our status. We have made it to Florida! We are in the area that we will be living in for the next three years, but we are staying at Robert's grandparent's home until all of our stuff arrives on Monday! After that we will unpack for days I am sure. :) This past weekend we have been super busy trying to get ready. We are cleaning the apartment and taking a good look at what we will need furniture wise, etc. Today we went shopping with Robert's parents. We were looking for a new laptop for Robert to start school with and a new TV. Of course, we came back with some nice new toys. We are definitely ready to be settled in somewhere again, but we are not excited for the work and MONEY it is going to take to fill another apartment. However, I do like the idea of redecorating and shopping for the fun things!

The apartment is really nice. Definitely a step up from our last apartment, but there are always things you still miss. For instance, we found out today that there are no ceiling lights in the living room or bedrooms...oops! :) So, now we need to get busy finding some good lamps, so we are not sitting in the dark our first night. However, on the positive side we doubled the size of our living space, we now have a dishwasher, lots of storage spaces, and many fun amenities to utilize. I think with some fine touches the apartment will really come together! We have the most beautiful view ever, so what more can you ask for!

Day Four, Five, and Six...

Now we have really slowed down our trip. On Monday, August 3, 2009, we left Nashville, TN and headed to Atlanta, GA. It was only about a 5 hour drive, but we decided to stop in and visit my brother and his family for a couple days.

Here is my first time driving since I was sick for most of the trip. I am glad I finally was able to help poor Robert out who had been driving most of the way. I am so glad I am finally feeling well! It is not too much fun to be sick and on the road.

On Monday, we made it to my brother's house by dinner time. Lori made us a delicious roast and we stayed up talking, playing basketball, and Kayla and I did a lip singing dance and show from Mamma Mia for the family. It was good to be back home.

On Tuesday, the next day, we went to watch my nephew Keaton at his tennis practice. He did awesome! Look at his focus and form!

Kaden and Robert trying to steal some shade.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this cute face!

After Keaton's tennis practice, we headed into Peachtree City where I grew up and took a golf cart ride to Cafe Pig. It is a classic Tolsma pit stop! We always want to grab a bite at the Pig if we are ever in town. It was yummy!

Kayla and I having so much fun together!

While on our ride, we ran into some deer who were feeding in the woods.

It was a fun classic Peachtree City visit. After we got back home, we had another wonderful dinner cooked by Lori and Jason. This time grilled chicken! Once we were stuffed, we played some video games on the X-box. After Robert and Jason dueled it out at Mario Soccer and our stomach's had digested we went out and played some Canadian tennis together. It was a lot of fun!

On our last day, Wednesday, we went swimming at their neighborhood pool then packed up and headed out. We left and headed to Jacksonville, FL to stop in and visit Robert's family before we head down to St. Petersburg.