Baby Liz 2017!

Jane and Rob had a third baby, a girl this time! In addition to her wonderful parents and brother, Elizabeth has wonderful aunts and cousins that are so happy she's here. Liz is adorable and is lucky to be joining this big and very close family!

Baby Liz

Daddy excited for a daughter

Jane and her 3 little perfect ones

Baby Wesley 2015!

Jane and Rob had a beautiful son, Wesley last week! We didn't even know she was pregnant! Two children is more than twice the fun because seeing them love each other is so amazing! Congratulations Jane, Rob, and Luke!

Pretty much the definition of scrumptious!

Baby Luke 2013!

Jane and Rob had a beautiful baby boy Luke this week! They waited to find out if they were having a boy or a girl so it's kind of a fun surprise for everyone. He's is beyond adorable! Look at that full head of hair. Absolutely everyone is already in love with him.

Baby Luke on the day he was born

Congratulations, Jane and Rob! He is quite the treat!

A Look Back: UVA Law 2L Year 2006-2007

To celebrate the five-year anniversary of my law school graduation on Sunday, I've been reviewing  my three years there. I already did my 1L year, and this post is my second year.

August 2006
The summer before my 2L year, I lived in Charlottesville and worked for Legal Aid Justice Center.  I started applying for jobs at the end of the summer through our on grounds interview process. I applied to jobs in New York, DC, Boston, and even Miami. Shortly after I met Kevin, I had 27 interviews that would determine where I would live in two years. Our seventh date was quintessentially Virginian: we had a double date with Brandon and Becky to Ash Lawn-Highland and Jefferson Vineyard.

First picture with Kevin at Jefferson Vineyard 2006 

Sarah W., Alissa, and I went to the Rockingham County Fair, where I finally made peace with goats. I had hosted Sarah W. the previous year when she was looking at law schools and I'd put on the hard sell. I was thrilled to see her come back. I had tons of law firm interviews on campus before the semester started.

Sarah W. at the Rockingham County Fair

September in 2006

Brian, Katy, Sarah, and I went to the opening of the JPJ arena to watch the UVA v. Pittsburgh away game on the big screen. Kevin went with Cory and Brady but they weren't students then so they were in a different section. Afterwards, I met Cory and he tried to scare me away by telling me Kevin's more scandalous undergrad stories. (Not cool, Cory, not cool.) Cory also gave Brian a fun little nickname that has stuck all these years.

Katy, Sarah, Brian, I mean CavMan, and me at the UVA v. Pittsburgh game 2006

I had law firm interview callbacks in New York City, so I was able to spend a little time with my parents. 

My gorgeous parents, Ramsey 2006

Kevin and I went to a Jose Gonzalez concert, and Jose slipped on an ice cube I dropped. The Latin American Law Organization threw its first party, Fiesta de Otono, and Kevin and I attempted to salsa. My law school friends and I went to our second Fall Foxfield, with our church hats and all. Brian threw a coffee party-- fun! Kevin and I went on new hikes.

Rob, Jane, Audra, Sarah, me, Katy, and Brian at Fall Foxfield 2006

October 2006
This was a great month.  Kevin and I had only been dating for a short while. Cathy came to visit us, and we went out on an accidental and rainy Charlottesville crawl to South Street Pub, X-Lounge, Millers, C&O, and back to X-Lounge. It was a lot of people too: Becky, Brandon, Sarah, Donald, Josh, Jon, and later Roger. Though I think only Cathy, Jon, Kevin, and I made it to all the locations. For a Thursday night in Charlottesville, it was epic.

Cathy, Kevin, me, Sarah at X-Lounge

I went to DC for a call-back interview. Jon and I went to an Eric Clapton concert. Kevin and I went hiking at Ivy Creek. Kevin, Brady, Nick and Emily, and James W. and I went to an Islands concert. A bunch of us went to a UNC v. UVA football game.

Kevin, me, Audra, Jon, and Roger at the UVA football game

We went out for Brian's 23rd birthday at Flaming Wok, and after-partied at Jane's while she reveled in the St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series (her great-grandfather is Branch Rickey).  Finally, we closed out the month with a two crazy Halloween parties in one night.

Brian's 23rd birthday: Audra, Donald, Sarah, me, Katy, Brian, Jane

Halloween 2006!

November 2006
We had our 2L PILA semi-formal dance.  We went to many UVA football and basketball games.

PILA Semiformal Dance 2006 

Katy, Brian, Ericka, and Audra at the UVA v.Miami Football Game

For Thanksgiving, Kevin's mom Kathy, her roommate Dayami, and Kevin's brother Andrew came up from Florida. Kevin's cousin Katie came down from Maryland. It was the first time I met his mom, and the first words out of her mouth were, "So do you want kids?"  Haha. True story.  She made all the food because she's awesome and the next day we all went hiking in the George Washington National Forest.  After they headed back home, Kevin and I went to UVA's Lighting of the Lawn ceremony.  It was a really pretty ceremony that for some reason involved hundreds of al capella bands. It was nice to experience part of the UVA undergrad experience.

Lighting of the Lawn 2006

December 2006

Kevin and I threw a big Christmas party for our friends at the end of the semester. We celebrated our first Christmas together a little early in Charlottesville, then separated to go to our respective families for Christmas. It was the only holiday we ever spent apart after we met.

 

Kevin and Ericka under the mistletoe

Jane, Roger, and Audra at our Christmas party

Jackie, Jinsoo, and Brian

Donald, Sarah, me, and Josh

January 2007
Kevin and I celebrated New Years with our college friends at Ireland's Four Courts Restaurant in Arlington, Virginia.  It was warm enough to go hiking in Shenandoah so we did at least twice that month. My friend Katy and I went to a resort in Costa Rica for winter break, and Kevin went with his friends to Ireland.  When we got back, Kevin and I took daytrips to Scottsville and Richmond.  We went to a Camera Obscura concert.  It was before the market crash and recession, and things were crazy back then, so my law firm raised all our starting salaries a full year and half before we started work. (Yeah....)  Brian, Jackie, and I went to a Feb Club's Eve party.

Me and Kevin at Jabberwocky in Charlottesville after the Camera Obscura concert

February 2007

I encouraged Brian to run for president of the law school (he wanted to anyway) and became his campaign manager. He was victorious!

Student Bar Association Presidential Debate 2007

 

Katy and I working on Brian's campaign

UVA beat Duke at basketball and stormed the court.  I was there, dyed-orange hair and all, but failed to storm the court.  That same night I went to a prehistorically-themed Feb Club party dressed as one of two Betty Rubles.  I lost my camera on some random lawn, and the lawn's owner reviewed my photos and decided some drunk law student had lost their camera-- luckily the lawn owner knew a law professor and I got my camera back. Only in Charlottesville!

Two Betty Rubles, Feb Club 2007

The following night, I went to another Feb Club Party that had a "Welcome to the Jungle" theme.  I made myself a "jungle" costume.  I went as the actual foliage, though there were many people dressed as Guns N' Roses band members.  It worked both ways.  There were more Feb Club parties: "Snow Pants or No Pants," Kegs and Eggs on Sunday morning, "Old School" on Katy's 29th birthday, "The Breakfast Club," begrudgingly hosted by Jane, and the "Fiesta Muy Grande" hosted by me and the rest of the Latin American Law Organization, and "Sports Stars" to close out the month.

Welcome to the Jungle: Brian, Josh, me, Roger

Feb Club- Old School!

We had our 2L Barristers Ball at the Omni Hotel. We celebrated Donald's 24th birthday at Thai 99 with his siblings and friends, and Roger's 27th birthday at Basil Restaurant with a different group. Kevin and I went to a Deerhoof concert with Nick, Emily, and Brady.

Barristers Ball 2007


Fiesta Muy Grande

March 2007
Some friends from law school and I went on an amazing Caribbean cruise for Spring Break.  As a result, I celebrated my 28th birthday in Cozumel. We also went to Guatemala and Belize.

High Temple at Lamanai, Belize 2007

In our 2L year of law school, a bunch of us went to the libel show.  My pre-party included shooters because that's how I rolled back then. I helped with the multi-law-school Softball Tournament.

Libel Show 2007

April 2007
My friends and I did Relay for Life and fund-raised money to fight cancer in honor of my dad and Kevin's mom and grandmother who were all cancer survivors.  As far as I knew, my dad had been cancer-free for 8 years at this point.

Jenny, Sarah M, Ramona, Roger, Brian, me and Audra before walking all night

May 2007
After my spring finals, Kevin and I moved to Brooklyn together for my summer associate job at a law firm in Manhattan. In the pre-crash days they wined and dined us. We had to go back to Charlottesville a few days later for Brady's graduation.

Kevin, me, Brady, Dan, and Kelly at Brady's graduation

Back in New York, Kevin and I had an apartment-warming party, went to see Moon for the Misbegotten at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

 

I take over NYC, May 2007

• My 3L Year at UVA

A Look Back: UVA Law 1L Year 2005-2006

Last weekend was my five-year law school reunion, and while I had some small desire to go, I just  wasn't ready to face all the people with whom I don't already keep in touch. Probably, maybe, the ten-year. Maybe I'll even have paid off my debt by then, and can actually feel good about the whole thing.

I do feel good about my choice to go to UVA in particular. I feel lucky that I was admitted to this historic university that really values learning. They took pains to nurture good relationships between the students, and between the students and faculty. Everyone in the administration from the Recruitment Director to the Director of Financial Aid got to know us personally over the three years we lived there. Reports from other law schools don't live up to the lovefest that was UVA Law.

 

UVA Law!

And of course, this lovefest often led to some wonderful memories, especially in the month of February, when students   hosted a costume party every night. Costume parties! Unless Hogwarts has a law school, you really can't do any better than to get your JD here. And talking about how wonderful a place Charlottesville is to live might actually make me cry, so I'm going to skip it.

In honor of the reunion last weekend and the five year anniversary of our graduation this Sunday, let's relive my 3 years at law school.

August 2005
My dad ended up helping me pack almost everything and helping me move from Arlington, VA to Charlottesville, VA.  I would have been lost without him. I started law school, and I met everyone in my section by way of the "name game." I was already 26 years old and this felt unbelievably juvenile, but I still remember what most of my section brought to the fictional island. Our "sections" were groups of 30 students who took all their 1L classes together. Some classes we took with other sections as well, but there was no avoiding each other. In my section, I met some people who would become some of my closest friends: Audra, Brian, Donald, Jane, Josh, Katy, Roger, Sarah.

First day of law school! I'm a dork.

September 2005
We were all studying Civil Procedure, Contacts, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing, and Torts. Septemberkicked off with the Dandelion Parade, an embarrasing tradition to make the 1Ls bond and give the rest of the school an opportunity to get to know them. My section's theme was the Big Lebowski, and our section professor, Professor Leslie, generously participated in it as well.

Professor Leslie as The Dude

My law school classmates Justin and Aaron had two parties- a house warming and a couple weeks later an "underwear party" which is a fairly self-explanatory concept. The same weekend there was a section mixer for sections B, E, and D, with a pajama theme. It was going to be that kind of law school.  My classmates spent a lot of their free time playing softball in a section-against-section league.  I attended my first Fall Foxfield horse race and fell in love. I was going to fit right in here at law school.

Some sectionmates at Fall Foxfield 2005

October 2005

We were still pretty new to law school and to Charlottesville. We had a softball tournament where the sections played each other. I didn't play since I'm not even coordinated enough for kickball, but I went watched lots of the games and took pictures.

Section B in our softball shirts

There was a Rolling Stones concert at Scotts Stadium, that was evacuated in the middle because of a bomb threat. (Kevin, his uncle George, and cousin Mike were there too, but I wouldn't meet Kevin for another 9-plus months.) I threw a super fun Halloween party, but I also learned never to throw another party for law students as they are the worst behaved people in the world.

Halloween with law school friends 2005 (mostly the good ones pictured)

I went to my first law school dance, PILA, the Public Interest auction and semi-formal dance. Afterwards, one of our sectionmates had rented a stretch limo for us to take to us to Richmond, but due to circumstances out of his control, we never made it. We would like to forget about that ride, but we can't. The next day we had dinner at Professor Leslie's house.  None of us were in good shape.

I think you can see how my friendship with Brian is developing in this one.

November 2005
Aside from one keg race party at the beginning of the month and applying to 80 summer jobs in New York (none of which I would get), I didn't do much this month.

At a Keg Race, November 2005

December 2005
We studied for our law school finals ever. There were crazy study groups. We had some blackouts in town during the study time, and persisted in studying by candle and fireplace light. We had no idea what to expect grade-wise, and everyone told us our entire future hinged on the first year of law school. Everyone went out on the last day of finals to celebrate before going home for the holidays.

Out with Sarah and Audra on the last night of 1L Fall Finals

I came home from my first semester to spend Christmas with my family in Ramsey.

Christmas Eve 2005 with my parents

January 2006
Some of my law school friends came to my college friends' New Years Party. When we returned to classes for the Spring everyone was in a pretty festive mood. Wewere all studying Constitutional Law, Legal Reasearch and Writing, and Property.  We could also choose two electives. January 31st signaled Feb Club's Eve, the pre-party to the month of costume parties in February.

Me, Roger, and Akure at Janice's New Year's party

Karaoke at Tokyo Rose with some friends in Section L

February 2006

My first ever Feb Club! At UVA Law, there's a theme costume party every single night of February.  Only the brave attend all of them. I went to a few: Feb Club's Eve, Grey's Anatomy, Hawaii 5-0, Coyote Ugly, and Barrister's Ball, which is actually the school's formal spring dance. As a part of a student group fundraiser, I started playing a super intense live-action game of Assassin with law students in every year. I made it to 3rd place.

Grey's Anatomy theme party

Barrister's Ball 2006, Section B

March 2006
I spent three long sleepless days, including a Friday with classes I wasn't allowed to skip, applying to law journals. I got on the Virginia Tax Review. After turning in my application, I took a big long nap before heading off to Spring Break at Katy's beach house in South Carolina with Katy and Sarah. We had a relaxing break, and we celebrated my 27th birthday in Charleston. That was the year that Sarah taught me that you're supposed to do as many fun things as the age that you're turning. The idea appealed to me because that meant that getting older would mean more fun each year.

 

Sarah and I in Charleston. I am enjoying one of my
"fun things": a birthday peanut butter mudslide.

April 2006
For Audra's first birthday on the East Coast, a few of her friends came over from California, and we all went to DC to celebrate in style.

In DC for Audra's 23rd birthday  

We finished our first year of law school, and had a little party in Legal Research and Writing to commemorate our only year-long class with just our section. We buckled down to take finals.

Section B photo at our last Legal Research and Writing class

May 2006
After finals, we all went out to celebrate being done with our first "and most important" year of law school! , Many people departed for their summer associate jobs around the country. Some stayed in Charlottesville to work mostly as professors' assistants. I stayed and started my job at Legal Justice Center and another legal position at Albemarle Department of Social Services in Charlottesville. I spent a lot of time that summer with Sarah, Donald, Josh, and Jon.

Last day of 1L year: Brian, Donald, Brooks, Selina, and Elizabeth

• My 2L Year at UVA
• My 3L Year at UVA