For those of you still following this blog, you're used to our random and sporadic updates. I can promise to keep giving those, occasionally, but I can't promise more than that. Life has taken us in its grasp and, while we're loving it, we've just grown extremely busy! Between concerts, networking events, work, school, taking care of the house, hanging out, business travel, interviews, and everything else...there are simply not enough hours in the day!
I'd like to start out with updates about the house, but I don't have pictures to post so I won't bore you with descriptions. Sometime, out in the nebulous future, I will try to post those.
Todd's sister, Sonya, is flying in Thursday evening. We're running the Color Me Rad 5k on Saturday as a team. Our team name is "Get Wyo'd" and we have cowboy hats as part of our costumes! Despite my best intentions to train for this little jaunt, I never found the time (or energy). So it's a leap of faith. I think it's going to be a lot of fun though. Once more, I'll tentatively promise pictures, with the understanding that I could entirely forget. Maybe Sonya will keep me accountable.
Next, onto some whirlwind updates on life. Todd is now working at Freescale, after leaving Amkor. He's enjoying his work and is definitely keeping busy during the days! He's also contemplating buying a bicycle so that he can ride it to work. Maybe he'll post a bit more about his work sometime. I would try to explain, but I think we all know how that would turn out... anyway!
I've been busy with school. After fall break, I started a study regime to help prepare for finals. Registration for the Spring semester is in mid-November, so I'm also trying to figure out what I'm going to do. I have an interview for a Legislative Legal Internship, which I'm really interested in. The internship would involve spending 20 hours a week at the State Legislature, doing research on proposed legislation, drafting legislation, and other similar tasks. From everything I've heard, it sounds like an amazing opportunity. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
This semester I'm working at Community Legal Services as an extern. I'm in the Housing Division and, despite my concerns that I might not enjoy the work, I'm loving it. My supervising attorney is really making me feel a part of the team and I'm doing work that I feel is important.
As for summer plans...I was recently offered a Summer Associate position at Modrall Sperling, a firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Albuquerque and meeting the attorneys at the firm. Todd and I are discussing the opportunity and the implications it could have, but we're both extremely excited about the chance. I'll keep people updated on where that leads.
For now, it's time to run off to the next class!
Oct 31, 2012
Aug 2, 2012
More From Germany!
I'm behind in updating the posts! That's alright though since we have a little bit of time this morning. We'll just -pretend- I'm packing up my stuff while I actually update posts. Besides, most of it is packed anyway! (Sorta...).
I don't think that I'll be able to upload pictures here since they upload so slowly. But I'll be putting some albums of our trip up so that people can see all that we've done! Now, onward with the brief overview - and yes, it has to be brief since breakfast is waiting for me downstairs.
Day 2 in Germany consisted of a LOT of walking. We toured the shopping district of Munich and saw the Marienplatz with its iconic tower. On the hour there were figures in the tower of the building that moved around, like a giant cuckoo clock. It was definitely a sight to see. There were some churches that we were able to walk in and see and they were stunning. The amount of work that must have gone into those creations is mind blowing. We saw numerous German shops and made our way over to a beer garden (Biergarten in German) for lunch. We bought some food and beer and enjoyed the beautiful weather. And then we were back on our feet, touring some more. We went to the Englischer Garten, which is absolutely huge. It's very beautiful though - green grass and trees. There's even a little spot in the river that creates enough waves to allow people to surf on them. We watched people surf for a while there and then we were off again to see the pavilion in the garden. After that, we walked to a little restaurant near our bed and breakfast, where we all sat down to...you guessed it, more beer and food!
After that, we wandered to a little ice cream shop and had some delicious icecream before bed. Exhausted, I went straight to bed. Some of the others went out for another drink before calling it a night.
On day 3 in Germany, our little group decided to split up. Tom, Sonya, James, Katie, Todd, and I all went to visit Dachau. For those that don't know, it is one of the concentration camps in Germany. We all felt that while we were here, a visit to one of the concentration camps was appropriate. You can read about Dachau on the wikipedia page and there will be pictures later. The museum was quite large and had a lot of panels to read. We walked through the maintenance building where prisoners were first brought in and had their possessions taken away. It also served as the kitchen for the camp. We were able to walk through the barracks. Two of them were reconstructed and the other 30 or so just had their foundations laid out. There were a lot of little memorials around the camp. I think that the crematorium, where they kept the ovens that burned all those bodies, was the most emotional site we saw. During our tour of the museum, we saw pictures of the bodies piled in those rooms...and then walked through the empty rooms. We also saw the gas chamber, which we were told was never used in Dachau. The camp was extremely large and after spending hours there we had only covered the prisoner section. We left after that and didn't see the SS part of the camp, the execution grounds, or the cemetery. We had neglected to bring lunch along with us because I don't think any of us realized how large the camp was. You can certainly spend all day there.
We made our way back to Munich by train and met Eric at the train station in town. We all got our lunches to go from various little shops and headed to a beer garden to eat (and drink, of course). While there, we decided that Nymphenburg Palace would be a great place to spend the rest of the afternoon. The grounds were absolutely huge, with stunning views. We also were able to tour some of the rooms of the palace. The pictures are definitely something to see.
By the time we finished touring Nymphenburg, it was dinner time. So we made our way back to the Englischer Garten - this time to the Chinese Tower. We had more food and beer there, yum! By that time, some of Eric's friends had gathered around. They had planned on going out with Eric for a little bachelor party. So all of us girls said goodbye to the menfolk and made our way home (with a stop by the icecream shop first, of course!). And the men...well, we heard stories (and maybe some groans) the next day. Needless to say, they were out late and had quite a bit of fun.
Whew! Now onto day 4. We woke up and prepared ourselves to take the train to Salzburg, Austria. It is a simply gorgeous little town that was the birthplace of Mozart. We walked through the town and to the gardens at the Mirabell Palace. The flowers and gardens there were amazing to see and we took plenty of pictures.
After the beautiful flowers, we made our way towards Hohensalzburg Castle. It was truly amazing! The view from the castle towers is like nothing else I've ever seen. And you were allowed to tour the castle, which we did extensively. I think that the visit to Salzburg and the castle were my favorite part of the trip. We then caught the train back to Munich, which took about 2 hours. Once we arrived in Munich, Todd and I decided to wander around and find a place for dinner. We found a nice little pizza restaurant a few blocks away. The waiter didn't speak English and we didn't speak German, but we were able to order pizza, beer, and dessert without a problem!
Then it was back to the bed and breakfast to fall into an exhausted sleep again. Now we're awake, on Day 5, and getting ready to leave the bed and breakfast for the wedding site. We'll be there until Sunday! I don't know what our internet situation will be like, but you might not hear from me for a while if there's no internet there.
I apologize for glossing over so much. Truly, each day has been packed full of sights to see, pictures to take, and places to visit. But right now I need to rush to get ready, pack up, and move on to the next leg of our trip.
Besides, I'm sure that you'll get a better taste of what we've been doing once you see all of the pictures!
I don't think that I'll be able to upload pictures here since they upload so slowly. But I'll be putting some albums of our trip up so that people can see all that we've done! Now, onward with the brief overview - and yes, it has to be brief since breakfast is waiting for me downstairs.
Day 2 in Germany consisted of a LOT of walking. We toured the shopping district of Munich and saw the Marienplatz with its iconic tower. On the hour there were figures in the tower of the building that moved around, like a giant cuckoo clock. It was definitely a sight to see. There were some churches that we were able to walk in and see and they were stunning. The amount of work that must have gone into those creations is mind blowing. We saw numerous German shops and made our way over to a beer garden (Biergarten in German) for lunch. We bought some food and beer and enjoyed the beautiful weather. And then we were back on our feet, touring some more. We went to the Englischer Garten, which is absolutely huge. It's very beautiful though - green grass and trees. There's even a little spot in the river that creates enough waves to allow people to surf on them. We watched people surf for a while there and then we were off again to see the pavilion in the garden. After that, we walked to a little restaurant near our bed and breakfast, where we all sat down to...you guessed it, more beer and food!
After that, we wandered to a little ice cream shop and had some delicious icecream before bed. Exhausted, I went straight to bed. Some of the others went out for another drink before calling it a night.
On day 3 in Germany, our little group decided to split up. Tom, Sonya, James, Katie, Todd, and I all went to visit Dachau. For those that don't know, it is one of the concentration camps in Germany. We all felt that while we were here, a visit to one of the concentration camps was appropriate. You can read about Dachau on the wikipedia page and there will be pictures later. The museum was quite large and had a lot of panels to read. We walked through the maintenance building where prisoners were first brought in and had their possessions taken away. It also served as the kitchen for the camp. We were able to walk through the barracks. Two of them were reconstructed and the other 30 or so just had their foundations laid out. There were a lot of little memorials around the camp. I think that the crematorium, where they kept the ovens that burned all those bodies, was the most emotional site we saw. During our tour of the museum, we saw pictures of the bodies piled in those rooms...and then walked through the empty rooms. We also saw the gas chamber, which we were told was never used in Dachau. The camp was extremely large and after spending hours there we had only covered the prisoner section. We left after that and didn't see the SS part of the camp, the execution grounds, or the cemetery. We had neglected to bring lunch along with us because I don't think any of us realized how large the camp was. You can certainly spend all day there.
We made our way back to Munich by train and met Eric at the train station in town. We all got our lunches to go from various little shops and headed to a beer garden to eat (and drink, of course). While there, we decided that Nymphenburg Palace would be a great place to spend the rest of the afternoon. The grounds were absolutely huge, with stunning views. We also were able to tour some of the rooms of the palace. The pictures are definitely something to see.
By the time we finished touring Nymphenburg, it was dinner time. So we made our way back to the Englischer Garten - this time to the Chinese Tower. We had more food and beer there, yum! By that time, some of Eric's friends had gathered around. They had planned on going out with Eric for a little bachelor party. So all of us girls said goodbye to the menfolk and made our way home (with a stop by the icecream shop first, of course!). And the men...well, we heard stories (and maybe some groans) the next day. Needless to say, they were out late and had quite a bit of fun.
Whew! Now onto day 4. We woke up and prepared ourselves to take the train to Salzburg, Austria. It is a simply gorgeous little town that was the birthplace of Mozart. We walked through the town and to the gardens at the Mirabell Palace. The flowers and gardens there were amazing to see and we took plenty of pictures.
After the beautiful flowers, we made our way towards Hohensalzburg Castle. It was truly amazing! The view from the castle towers is like nothing else I've ever seen. And you were allowed to tour the castle, which we did extensively. I think that the visit to Salzburg and the castle were my favorite part of the trip. We then caught the train back to Munich, which took about 2 hours. Once we arrived in Munich, Todd and I decided to wander around and find a place for dinner. We found a nice little pizza restaurant a few blocks away. The waiter didn't speak English and we didn't speak German, but we were able to order pizza, beer, and dessert without a problem!
Then it was back to the bed and breakfast to fall into an exhausted sleep again. Now we're awake, on Day 5, and getting ready to leave the bed and breakfast for the wedding site. We'll be there until Sunday! I don't know what our internet situation will be like, but you might not hear from me for a while if there's no internet there.
I apologize for glossing over so much. Truly, each day has been packed full of sights to see, pictures to take, and places to visit. But right now I need to rush to get ready, pack up, and move on to the next leg of our trip.
Besides, I'm sure that you'll get a better taste of what we've been doing once you see all of the pictures!
Jul 29, 2012
We're in Germany!
(Pictures will be forthcoming. We don't have time to upload them since we're on the go!)
For those that don't know, we're in Germany! Okay, okay, you probably did know that. I'm writing an update form a little coffee shop in Munich right now as I drink a latte. I feel like I should be in some sort of movie or something.
We're going to be meeting with the rest of the Hoffmanns here shortly, so this update will have to be quick. But we're in Germany and enjoying it immensely!
Our trip began yesterday (two days ago per Germany time?) on July 28th. We woke up early, got ready, and had the Flying Scottsman pick us up for the airport at 6:45am. Our plane to Philadelphia was scheduled to leave Phoenix at 8:55am, but we sat on the tarmac for about 2 hours...which meant that we arrived in Philadelphia at 6:30pm...The same time that our flight from Philadelphia to Germany was supposed to depart! Todd and I knew that it would be a close call, but we were determined not to let it stress us out. As soon as we got off the plane, the agents told us that the plane to Munich was being held, but we needed to hurry.
Thus began our mad dash through the Philadelphia airport! We were those people that you always see sprinting like crazy through the airport. Except I was in heels. I know, I know, silly me! But they were easy to slip on and off for security, so I wore them. Anyway, we arrived at the gate right as they were closing the door. One of the ticket agent guys said "Close the door, these people should have been here a long time ago."
"But we're here now!" I said, with a pleading look at the lady who was scanning the tickets. She motioned us forward and let us on the plane. We weren't quite the last ones on the plane, but it was a close thing. As we made our way to our seat, the Hoffmanns gave us a high-five for actually making it.
The flight to Munich turned out to be delayed by an hour or so. So we had some time to recover from our mad dash while the plane waited in line to take off.
The flight was nice. I've never been on a trans-atlantic flight before. We watched a few movies, had dinner, and tried to sleep. The key word in that last sentence is tried. It was hard to sleep on the plane though. Oh well!
We arrived in Germany in the morning, which meant we had to stay awake all day during our first day here. We had some coffee to help us along and off we went to the train station!
We rode the train into Munich, which was nice. It reminded me a lot of Phoenix's Light Rail system (though, of course, this system was much more developed and had more than one route!).
After departing the train system, we made our way to Eric and Margit's apartment. They're the whole reason we're here, for those who don't know. They're getting married later this week here! Congratulations to them again.
We stowed our luggage in their apartment for a while since our bed and breakfast wasn't yet prepared for us. After enjoying some time to rest, we headed to the bed and breakfast and got moved in. And then our trip began! We walked around Munich and saw the office at the University where Eric worked. Then we had a nice little lunch (with beer, of course!) at a cafe nearby. More walking ensued and we toured around a church, the streets of Munich, and one of the gardens.
Then we made our way back to the bed and breakfast since we had an hour or so before we needed to leave for dinner. I think most of us, exhausted from not getting any sleep on the plane, took a nap. After waking up and refreshing ourselves, we made our way to a nice little Italian restaurant in order to celebrate Tom's birthday. Dinner there was a lot of fun and the dessert that Todd and I had (Panna Cotta?) was delicious!
Then it was back to the bed and breakfast to fall into an exhausted sleep.
And here we are again, the next morning! Plans for the day depend on the weather, but I'll try to wake up early again tomorrow to come down to this little cafe and make another entry. If not, you can expect some pictures another time.
For those that don't know, we're in Germany! Okay, okay, you probably did know that. I'm writing an update form a little coffee shop in Munich right now as I drink a latte. I feel like I should be in some sort of movie or something.
We're going to be meeting with the rest of the Hoffmanns here shortly, so this update will have to be quick. But we're in Germany and enjoying it immensely!
Our trip began yesterday (two days ago per Germany time?) on July 28th. We woke up early, got ready, and had the Flying Scottsman pick us up for the airport at 6:45am. Our plane to Philadelphia was scheduled to leave Phoenix at 8:55am, but we sat on the tarmac for about 2 hours...which meant that we arrived in Philadelphia at 6:30pm...The same time that our flight from Philadelphia to Germany was supposed to depart! Todd and I knew that it would be a close call, but we were determined not to let it stress us out. As soon as we got off the plane, the agents told us that the plane to Munich was being held, but we needed to hurry.
Thus began our mad dash through the Philadelphia airport! We were those people that you always see sprinting like crazy through the airport. Except I was in heels. I know, I know, silly me! But they were easy to slip on and off for security, so I wore them. Anyway, we arrived at the gate right as they were closing the door. One of the ticket agent guys said "Close the door, these people should have been here a long time ago."
"But we're here now!" I said, with a pleading look at the lady who was scanning the tickets. She motioned us forward and let us on the plane. We weren't quite the last ones on the plane, but it was a close thing. As we made our way to our seat, the Hoffmanns gave us a high-five for actually making it.
The flight to Munich turned out to be delayed by an hour or so. So we had some time to recover from our mad dash while the plane waited in line to take off.
The flight was nice. I've never been on a trans-atlantic flight before. We watched a few movies, had dinner, and tried to sleep. The key word in that last sentence is tried. It was hard to sleep on the plane though. Oh well!
We arrived in Germany in the morning, which meant we had to stay awake all day during our first day here. We had some coffee to help us along and off we went to the train station!
We rode the train into Munich, which was nice. It reminded me a lot of Phoenix's Light Rail system (though, of course, this system was much more developed and had more than one route!).
After departing the train system, we made our way to Eric and Margit's apartment. They're the whole reason we're here, for those who don't know. They're getting married later this week here! Congratulations to them again.
We stowed our luggage in their apartment for a while since our bed and breakfast wasn't yet prepared for us. After enjoying some time to rest, we headed to the bed and breakfast and got moved in. And then our trip began! We walked around Munich and saw the office at the University where Eric worked. Then we had a nice little lunch (with beer, of course!) at a cafe nearby. More walking ensued and we toured around a church, the streets of Munich, and one of the gardens.
Then we made our way back to the bed and breakfast since we had an hour or so before we needed to leave for dinner. I think most of us, exhausted from not getting any sleep on the plane, took a nap. After waking up and refreshing ourselves, we made our way to a nice little Italian restaurant in order to celebrate Tom's birthday. Dinner there was a lot of fun and the dessert that Todd and I had (Panna Cotta?) was delicious!
Then it was back to the bed and breakfast to fall into an exhausted sleep.
And here we are again, the next morning! Plans for the day depend on the weather, but I'll try to wake up early again tomorrow to come down to this little cafe and make another entry. If not, you can expect some pictures another time.
Jul 8, 2012
Poor Titus
It's summer in the Valley, which means that it is incredibly hot. On my most recent visit home, Todd and I got the idea that....maybe we should cut some of Titus' hair for the summer. A little shave to help stem the tide of shedding fur all over the house and to cool him off a bit.
I promise we weren't drinking when we came up with this idea.
So yesterday Todd went to Wal-Mart and bought a shaver. And last night, once it got dark, we set up our little barber station outside.
Before going out, we took some pictures of Titus with all of his long hair.
Isn't he absolutely fluffy?
Then we took him outside for his adventure. He wasn't exactly thrilled with it.
This is him wanting to go back inside after we brought him out to the back porch.
But at least he didn't try to kill us with his claws. Occasionally he'd let us know he was unhappy by sitting in our laps and growling. But other than that (and his few frantic bids for escape), it went pretty well.
At least it went. I swear we shaved enough hair off of that cat to make a whole new cat. But you could hardly tell a difference! Sure, the hair on his back is a little less shiny and you can tell that it's shorter...but as for the rest? Well, it looks almost the same. By this time, Todd and I were covered in cat fur, sweating, and ready to call it a night. Titus was ready to call it a night too (he's hiding back by the wall).
So we hosed off outside before heading to the shower. With Titus. We hadn't given the poor guy a bath for a long time, so tonight was his night.
Here's some pictures of little wet-rat looking Titus.
He's so funny looking after his baths!
And here's some pictures of Titus today, all clean, somewhat-shaved, and shiny! (Yes, we know that it's hard to tell that we shaved him. He still has soooo much hair)!
Oh, and a random 4th of July picture! Todd and I went to Tempe Town Lake and watched an absolutely amazing fireworks show! There were a ton of people there, but it was a beautiful night and a perfect way to spend 4th of July.
I promise we weren't drinking when we came up with this idea.
So yesterday Todd went to Wal-Mart and bought a shaver. And last night, once it got dark, we set up our little barber station outside.
Before going out, we took some pictures of Titus with all of his long hair.
Isn't he absolutely fluffy?
Then we took him outside for his adventure. He wasn't exactly thrilled with it.
This is him wanting to go back inside after we brought him out to the back porch.
But at least he didn't try to kill us with his claws. Occasionally he'd let us know he was unhappy by sitting in our laps and growling. But other than that (and his few frantic bids for escape), it went pretty well.
At least it went. I swear we shaved enough hair off of that cat to make a whole new cat. But you could hardly tell a difference! Sure, the hair on his back is a little less shiny and you can tell that it's shorter...but as for the rest? Well, it looks almost the same. By this time, Todd and I were covered in cat fur, sweating, and ready to call it a night. Titus was ready to call it a night too (he's hiding back by the wall).
So we hosed off outside before heading to the shower. With Titus. We hadn't given the poor guy a bath for a long time, so tonight was his night.
Here's some pictures of little wet-rat looking Titus.
And here's some pictures of Titus today, all clean, somewhat-shaved, and shiny! (Yes, we know that it's hard to tell that we shaved him. He still has soooo much hair)!
Oh, and a random 4th of July picture! Todd and I went to Tempe Town Lake and watched an absolutely amazing fireworks show! There were a ton of people there, but it was a beautiful night and a perfect way to spend 4th of July.
Jun 28, 2012
Woah Pictures?!
Yes, that's right! I can easily take and upload pictures with my awesome new camera that Todd bought me for my birthday! So here's a few pictures, along with pertinent updates:
So, when I first started working at the Public Defender's office, there was talk about a softball team...and I was conscripted to it. I don't think that they realize that I never played softball. But thanks to both of my brothers playing baseball throughout their childhoods, I know the basics! I kept repeating little pieces of cheering advice to myself ("Way to get a piece of it!" "Choke up!" "Good eye!" "Call it!" "Don't let the ball smash your face and break your glasses!") ....Okay, that last one was my own. All in all though, I did pretty well. I can hit the ball! And catch it sometimes. We have two games tomorrow night, so I'll let you know how it goes.
Oh, another thing I'm good at? Losing my wedding rings in a field after playing softball. That's not something that I really wanted to share with Todd during our nightly phone call though. I had finished my turn batting and realized that my left hand felt strange. There was a moment of blind panic...and then we started searching. All eight of us were out there combing the field for two little rings. We thought that they might have come off when I gave my glove to another girl before I went to bat. After about a half hour, Nicole (pictured on the right) found them. They were in the dirt near my purse. I guess they came off when I went over to get a drink of water some time? I'm still not sure. My rings have never really fallen off easily, but now I know to put them somewhere safe when I'm playing softball. I'm just thankful that I didn't have to start my nightly conversation with "...Hey hunny...You didn't happen to take out insurance on the wedding rings, did you? ..."
Moving on!
Today was the day that the office celebrated the June birthdays. We had cake, icecream, and tortilla chips. They sang happy birthday to us and we all got a card.
Here we are, enjoying our little party! And then... a surprise. For me.
Brad started a little game with Nicole. He would show her pictures and she was supposed to answer what the pictures were. I feel like a little background is in order before we go any further though. Brad is from Wyoming. Thermopolis, to be precise. And when he found out that I was also from Wyoming, an inter-office rivalry was born. I told people what I remembered about Thermopolis (hot and stinky water). They confronted Brad with this information since, according to him, Thermopolis was paradise on earth. Brad, astonished that the truth was known, responded with an email that slandered Sheridan and praised the beauty of Thermopolis (complete with pictures). I responded with a PowerPoint presentation on the many things that Sheridan has to offer. He responded with an email noting that the idea for Brokeback Mountain came from the writer's experience in the Mint Bar in Sheridan, Wyoming. And he also responded with this little game...
So, we're sitting in the office birthday celebration and he starts this game. Right away I know that it's meant to slander Sheridan. So I sit back and laugh. He shows the pictures and Nicole responds. Here are the pictures:
And here's a close up view of the cheat sheet that Nicole was reading from:
Now it's my turn...I just need to think of how I can get this poor, misguided soul to realize the true beauty of Sheridan Wyoming....
Oh, another thing I'm good at? Losing my wedding rings in a field after playing softball. That's not something that I really wanted to share with Todd during our nightly phone call though. I had finished my turn batting and realized that my left hand felt strange. There was a moment of blind panic...and then we started searching. All eight of us were out there combing the field for two little rings. We thought that they might have come off when I gave my glove to another girl before I went to bat. After about a half hour, Nicole (pictured on the right) found them. They were in the dirt near my purse. I guess they came off when I went over to get a drink of water some time? I'm still not sure. My rings have never really fallen off easily, but now I know to put them somewhere safe when I'm playing softball. I'm just thankful that I didn't have to start my nightly conversation with "...Hey hunny...You didn't happen to take out insurance on the wedding rings, did you? ..."
Moving on!
Today was the day that the office celebrated the June birthdays. We had cake, icecream, and tortilla chips. They sang happy birthday to us and we all got a card.
So, we're sitting in the office birthday celebration and he starts this game. Right away I know that it's meant to slander Sheridan. So I sit back and laugh. He shows the pictures and Nicole responds. Here are the pictures:
Jun 22, 2012
Time Flies!
Life has been incredibly busy for me (Ashlee) lately. My internship in Yuma continues to fly by - I can't believe that I'm halfway through it already! It's been such an amazing experience so far. The attorneys in the office are a great group of people to work with and they're more than willing to give you plenty of hands-on work to do. I've been writing motions and memorandums for the court, attending trials, voir dire, and hearings, and going to the numerous presentations they've so graciously set up for us!
We went on a jail tour last week. It was so interesting to learn about the Yuma County Detention Center. We were able to learn about the daily routine at the jail, what services are provided, and various challenges faced by the staff and inmates there. I can tell you one thing - It's not a place I would want to visit involuntarily! I did get a free lunch on the tour though - sandwich, orange, and two cookies.
After the tour, some of the staff from the Mexican Consulate in Yuma gave a presentation about the services they provide to the community and some of the most common issues they deal with. It was very insightful.
And now I'm in Phoenix again! The Arizona Public Defender Association held its 10th Annual Conference in Tempe, so I've been able to spend a few extra days in Phoenix while attending that. Our first night back, I met with Todd and some of the other attorneys and interns at Rula Bula for a little birthday celebration! It was a fun time out and a great way to spend my birthday.
The conference has been a great learning experience! I attended sessions on Basic Capital Case Investigation, Rule 11 (Competency to stand trial rule), Domestic Relations Law Basics, and Social Media's Impact on Investigations. I learned such a variety of things over the past few days - from tracking people via twitter, to what contact gunshot wounds look like, to questioning tactics, to the amazing pride that the public defenders have in their work.
This morning, as those of you who check my facebook updates will know, I was invited to attend the Judge Mary Anne Richey Scholarship Breakfast. It was such an honor to be there with all of the other amazing ladies! They graciously seated me next to the Honorable Rebecca White Berch, the current Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. She is a wonderfully kind individual and it was a delight to have breakfast with her. She was the recipient this year of the Sarah herring Sorin Award. I was also introduced to the Honorable Ruth V. McGregor, the previous Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. This is a picture that I was able to take of Judge Berch receiving her award (she's the one on the left!).
It's been a great birthday week, that's for sure! My wonderful husband bought me a new camera (which is why I was able to take the above photograph!) and tonight we're going to a dinner....somewhere. He won't tell me anything except that he's made reservations for somewhere for 5:45. I love surprises and I can't wait!
I'm here for the weekend and then I will head back down to Yuma on Sunday. My next two weeks will be working in another office - the Juvenile division of the Public Defender's Office! I'm excited to learn more about this area of the law.
That's all for now. Except I'll leave you with this....
My first homemade batch of guacamole! I made it for a little get-together we had with attorneys from the office last night. People seemed to enjoy it, so I must have done a decent job at least!
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Resurrecting the Blog -- and Going International!
It started as an idle question. "Why can't we do that?" I had asked, somewhat jokingly. "We can," Todd had repli...
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The QWERTY keyboard layout was not designed for comfort, but instead was designed with the mechanics of early typewriters in mind. See this ... -
People are always asking about what I actually do at my job at Sandia National Laboratories. I could claim that my work is too sensitive to ... -
This summer, I called Albuquerque, NM home, and Sandia National Laboratories work. I can honestly say that it's the best job I've...