Life is Beautiful

Without free time at work, I fear my blog is feeling neglected. There's just so much to do now that I actually have to work at work! There never seems to be time for everything I had planned to accomplish.

My bike ride home from work remains one of my favorite parts of the day. There are always people out and about, and I ride across the beautiful Willamette river. Today it was just beginning to sprinkle on me as I rode home and it felt so refreshing. Mmmm, I love Eugene.

I recently found this great park about two blocks from work where I can eat my lunch. The park has both covered and uncovered areas with tables and benches, great for rainy days and sunshine alike. I think my favorite part is that on Tuesday and Thursday the Farmer's Market is hosted in this park, just the next block over. So, there are lots of great vendors selling fresh flowers, fruits, veggies, and home made wares. I love how close work is to this fabulous local market!

My Spanish is improving by leaps and bounds, though I'm still far from satisfied with how far I've come. One of the partners in the firm overheard me speaking to someone on the phone and complimented me on how I was sounding. That was sure a boost to the 'ol confidence!

Aside from work... I recently went to a friend's wedding back home and enjoyed seeing several of my friends from high school. What a fun night!

At Lacy's Wedding with Julie, Adie, Ashley, and Jackie

Tim and I also got to see the progress made in the barnyard at my parents' place. My how far it has come! I'm so proud of all the work my parents have done. I'm excited for the first couple who decides to get married at the Winn Homestead. It's going to be such an amazing venue!

We also made a quick trip to Portland on a Thursday night for my cousin Forrest's wedding. It was great to see my mom's side of the family, if only for a few hours.

At Forrest's wedding with several of the girl cousins!

Last weekend I kayaked the Rogue River with some friends, just relaxing and having fun; then Tim and I went boating with friends, and I got to use my wakeboard for the first time! I also tried wake surfing for a second time and I actually got up and surfed the wake for quite a long distance! For anyone who has not tried it, I highly recommend wake surfing. I think it's my new favorite water sport.

I think that's all for now.

I can never tell what Tim is doing...

We've Only Just Begun

I remember my mom singing that line from The Carpenter's - "We've only just begun......" throughout my childhood and it perfectly describes how I feel this evening.

I've now spent two days at Hecht & Norman learning the ropes, and there is A LOT to learn, as I expected.

So far:

Biking to and from work has been great. I have a fantastic little 15 minute ride each way on the South Bank bike trail to work. It's been super warm on the way home, and I will be dealing with rain when summer ends, but I have vowed to not let the rain or the heat dampen my spirits!

I have learned how to answer and screen calls in Spanish and English based on whether the person's case is one we handle. This task truly scares me. I have only been shadowing for the last two days. Tomorrow I will begin taking calls and attempting to direct these people correctly. Thankfully I’m not allowed to give out legal advice (which I know nothing about)! ☺

I laughed out loud when I heard that the person in charge of installing our new phone system is Bob Vance **Vance Refrigeration, my mind added**! (Those of you who know The Office will appreciate that.)

I attempted to memorize what seems like millions of acronyms, names and numbers of forms, filing systems, what each of our attorneys do and what their quirks and preferences are etc.

Thankfully, tonight I am less overwhelmed than I was last night. This is a good sign. I also consider this feeling of being in over my head a good thing. I have a lot to learn and room to grow here; just where I need to be at 22 going on 23.

In other news, Dean Barnes (Tim’s old youth pastor) was in the area last week and stopped in on Sunday night for a wonderful visit!