It's Been a Long Time

A little over 2 months have past since my last post, which simultaneously seems like too much time and not quite enough. Although "too much" and "not enough" for what, I'm not exactly sure...

All I know is that these past few months have brought me both amazing joys and unbearable sadness. And because I don't know where to begin, I'll just go ahead and start.

At the end of September, CH's mom passed away. It crushed me in a way that I can't even begin to explain, and I obviously don't need to tell you how difficult it has been for CH's family... I wrote a bit about what was going on with her in my last post, and honestly, I don't want to say much more about that.

What I do want to share is that Suzanne fought with more strength and more determination than anyone I have ever encountered in my life. Her quick wit, brilliant vocabulary, and "matter-of-fact" attitude stayed with her to the very end, which created some much-needed bright spots for all of us.

And while it was terribly difficult to be there during Suzanne's final few weeks, the fact that she allowed me in during such an intimate time is something that I will be forever grateful for. I've never witnessed such unyielding devotion from a husband, such sincere admiration from two sons, and such perpetual and unwavering love from a wife and mother.


(Those are the things that I'll never forget...)

Just a week and a half after Suzanne passed away, and when good news seemed very, very far away, I finally got some amazing news. I found out that I passed the Bar Exam!

It was just after 2am when I found out (via the Bar's website), which required that I read the "You passed" sentence about 100 times before it finally began to sink in. I even printed a copy of the screen, just to make sure that the word "passed" didn't not-so-miraculously change to "failed" when it ended up on paper.

It didn't.

As CH can confirm, I alternated between screaming, crying, and laughing hysterically when I go the news. The most fantastic part was when CH told me to be quiet so that I wouldn't wake up the neighbors, and I got to yell - "So what, I'll sue 'em if they complain!" Yes, it was pretty ridiculous, but it sure made me feel lawyerly.

And, speaking of lawyerly, I was "sworn in" to the Illinois Bar at the beginning of November, just 2 days after BARACK OBAMA WON THE ELECTION! (Is it crazy that I'm just as giddy today as I was on Election night?!)

However, I'm still looking for work - gotta love the economy right now - which means that any of you who know criminal defense attorneys that practice in the Chicago-area will be getting cookies from me asap. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink...

Anyway, from this point forward, I'll do my best to keep up with Veggie Terrain a bit better. I always feel like something's missing when I'm not posting pictures/recipes on my site or commenting on other people's blogs, but sometimes life throws a lot at you at once.

So, thanks for letting me get away with skipping the food during these last few posts - I'll be back to it before you know it.