This year has gone by fast, and I have barely updated this blog. It is harder to find time to write this blog than I thought. Well, the first picture is of my roomie and me before our Christmas Party and the second picture is her and her boyfriend (aka My Landlord) setting up our Christmas tree. This year has been filled with travels and adventures. Now I am half way finished with Law School, and I feel like my life is going great. This year was far different than last year, since I was far less social this year. I guess once I met so many people at my school the newness of being social wore off. I am currently training for my first 1/2 marathon, and if that goes well...it will mold nicely into my first marathon training. I guess that's it!!!

This semester has been fast, slow, long and short! Above is the picture of some of my closest friends hanging out at the house. We have people come over frequently, and it's great having such a big, warm, and welcome house! The semester is quickly coming to an end...and to top it off (in a good way), I get to go to FLORIDA for Thanksgiving. The family will all be there! That's about it for now!

BACK TO SCHOOL!!! Well, I'm all settled into the new house (with my two roomies, one dog and one cat)! We are having a housewarming party this Friday...just in time for the HURRICANE to hit San Antonio. Oh well, we are still having people over. I'm looking forward to a GREAT semester and 2nd year of Law School!!!!

I'M BACK!!! Now that I'm back at school, I think it's time to post a few final pictures! The trip was amazing, and now it's back to the "real world." This semester has already been busy, but I will still try to update this blog!!!

Since I posted where I was last weekend....I figure that I'd at least post a picture of where I went today! This picture was taken in Igles (which is a VERY short distance from Innsbruck). It actually is just one of the towns that is on the mountains surrounding Innsbruck. I had an amazing hike and lunch up there...

This is in Front of St. Peter's Basillica. I have been incredibly blessed to attend Mass at some the world's most amazing Basillica's and Cathedrals!

On my way to the top of the Cupola (St. Peter's Dome ). The view of Rome from the top (pictured below) was brilliant. It was even worth the dizzying walk to the top!

Haha...in Front of the Colosseum (kissing a Gladiator!!!)...he told me this was normal for Rome, so "When in Rome...."

Here is a picture of me in front of the Colosseum (what an amazing building!)

Here is a picture at one of the receptions with a few of the students and Chief Justice John Roberts. Meeting him was one of the most memorable experiences of my life!

Innsbruck

We are in Innsbruck finally!!! Chief Justice John Roberts has been teaching our Supreme Court class, and he is a wonderful instructor (and probably the most well qualified)! I had the honor of meeting him and having a discussion with him about law school, and he gave me some really great advise. It has been such an honor to have him call on me and my friends during the week. On Monday, he will open up the discussion for questions about the modern court. The first picture was taken at a Castle here in Innsbruck. We had a reception and meal with the Chief Justice.

Out side of the class room we have been experiencing the many wonderful places around Innsbruck. The second picture was taken on a long walk up into the mountains. It was taken late in the evening as you can tell by the dark colors!

I miss everyone!

Greeting From Europe!

HELLO EVERYONE!!! I am finally in Europe. I landed in Frankfurt and got on a train and traveled to Paris.

Here are a few pictures from the stop in Paris. We spent the first few nights in hostels and the last night in a hotel. The first picture was taken from that hotel room. We had planned on spending some time at Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart), because it is the best view of the city (except from the Eiffel tower), so we took the metro to the closest stop and went to the first hotel we saw. It was VERY inexpensive, and we walked up stairs to get to the 6th floor. When we got to the room, we were suprised at how nice it was! Then we noticed a balcony (not knowing how close we were to the church). When we opened the balcony we were shocked to find ourselves with an amazing view of this famous church! We had a great evening relaxing with some wine, bread, and brie.

The next picture is me sitting in a cafe after lunch. Paris is a relaxing place to eat (American's sometimes complain about the service, but my french and our laid back attitudes made dining no problem). There is no rush for the waiters to get your order, your bill or your money. At least, the food never took long. You can see that I am wearing a green scarf. I bought it since one of my life long dreams has been to buy a scarf from Paris!

The next picture of me is pretty obvious! It's me at the base of the Eiffel Tower. My friend, Jacqueline, and I sat down in the grassy area in a park and relaxed for a few hours. We spent time journaling, talking, and resting our tired feet! The next day we did go to the top, and the view was AMAZING!

The final picture is with the Venus De Milo (which is dated around the 2nd century BC). She is amazingly beautiful in person! This was taken in the Lourve, where we spent most of our first day. We saw the Mona Lisa, Medusa's Raft, The Marly Horses, The Code of Hamurabi, Michelangelo's Slaves, and several other amazing works!

We also went to a Mass at Notre-Dame. It is always powerful to go to a service in an amazing church, and I was especially moved at this church. It is not as big or glamorous as the Bascilla in Washington, DC, but the history is undeniably impressive. We also took pictures at the Pantheon, Hotel des Invalides, Arc de Triomphe, and along the Champs-Elysees.

Right now, I am in Innsbruck, Austria. I will post a few pictures and stories in a few days! I will leave you with this, The Alps are SPECTACULAR!

I am currently visiting Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Myself, along with four of my fellow students, were selected to travel up here to study the Restorative Justice Programs that Marquette is using in there community. Today we spent the whole day with a former Supreme Court Justice for the State of Wisconsin, and she shared some amazing spiritual and practicle legal concepts with us.

The Law School is situated in downtown Milwaukee and consists of several, enchanting historic buildings. Today we visited the Chapel of St. Joan of Arc (which was built in the 15th century and transferred here from France, making it one of the oldest structures in the U.S.) There is a church on almost every corner, and I feel like Marquette (being a Catholic Institution) mirrors St. Mary's community and spirit.

We are also having a GREAT time enjoying fellowship (and beer sampling) in the evenings.

Big Travel Plans

Hey everyone...it's my first blog, so I'll use it to update everyone on my travel plans! I recently traveled to Florida to visit my little sister, her husband, and their baby!!! I leave for Milwaukee in less than a week. After Milwaukee, I am going to visit my family in Dallas. Finally for the whole month of July and half of August I will be traveling around Europe. The focal point of my Europe trip is meeting Chief Justice John Roberts (trust me there will be a photo!). As you can see, my life is pretty exciting right now, but I still have lots to look forward to!