Today is the very last day of 2019 and I think this year might have been one of the best years of my life. Don’t get me wrong. There were definitely some low points but overall I have to say it’s been a win.
Let’s do a quick month by month overview. In January of 2019 it was a rocky month but it was a lot more of a miracle that I would’ve expected. My mom had open heart surgery in December of 2018 so when we rang the bell in 2019 and mom was doing better than ever I couldn’t have been more thankful. She is my rock. That being said I caught a sinus infection I couldn’t shake and it actually got me banned from the office for a few days! I recovered though!
Then in February I had my birthday month. Bridget came up and spent the week with me. We did manicures, pedicures and I got to celebrate Princess Monica in full swing. Plus I got an unlimited car wash pass for my car. Trust me, if you knew me you would know that a car wash pass might be the greatest thing in the world for me.
When March rolled around I was getting really sick of winter but it wasn’t going away anytime soon. I slowly started discussing the option of maybe taking the bar again. I hadn’t decided anything yet but it was my moment when I realized that if I wanted something badly enough I should do it. I talked with my boss at work and she agreed. She supported me in taking my exam again, see how it went and that I had an entire work family behind me cheering me on.
In April we had Bridget and Grants birthday and for his birthday we got tickets to go to a music festival and got to go home and spend time with the family bit was great to just take a break. I also started preparing for the bar; buying the course and making reservations, it led me to start studying for the bar slowly at first but getting my head into study mode.
In May we had a lot of ups and downs. I started to study for the bar exam. It was a big struggle trying to study full time and work full time. I got a mini weekend off when we went home to see Bunberry. It was a three day long music festival. I loved every minute of the stress free weekend. It also gave me the clarity I needed to make a really hard decision in June.
When June started it was with a bang. I drove all night from a music festival back to work for our annual conference. It’s at that point I realized how far behind on bar prep I was getting… I knew I needed to make a change or I wouldn’t pass the bar… With a very heavy heart I gave my two weeks notice and met with a former professor at Law School who helped me come up with a plan to study and ace the bar.
July was dark; like really dark I’m not sure what day it was for most of July with studying (I want to give a huge shout out to my family, Priya, Grant and Bridget for supporting me, letting me miss everything and talking me off the ledge daily.) I also developed a great friendship with Karen and Sarah over occasional dinners (this continues after the bar too!) At the end of the month was the bar!
The bar also continued into August which felt too good to be prepared for and ready. I felt like it went really well but after the bar it was all about me, a book and a baby pool! I spent most days laying around in the pool soaking up the sun with minimal cares in the world. It was fantastic!
When September rolled around it was back to reality. I emailed my Concorde Family and asked to come home and they said of course with open arms. I resumed working as an independent contractor. It let me have the flexibly to create my blog and I am very very thankful for that!
Since I started this blog I know you know all about my October but I was able to give my mom the best Birthday present I ever could. We passed the bar! I have never been more anxious and ready for anything as I was opening up the web page that morning than to see my name on the list!
In November it felt all about the travel. We have been to Canada, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky all in one month! It was worth it though to spend time with our loved ones. Plus we got to come home for a week (something we haven’t been able to do since high school) and actually enjoy home.
That leads to here and now I’m kicking ass at my job, loving my blog, and making the best friends a girl could ask for. This isn’t how I saw my year going but it’s been better than I could’ve expected. I’m really eager to see how 2020 is going to shape up for me. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!
The Real Elle Woodz 