This Week

So this is just a quick update on how this week went from my (Tim's) perspective. Here goes:

First, can't say enough how much I LOVE Vanderbilt! I LOVE IT!!! They really go out of there way to make sure that the life of their law students is comfortable.

For example, I ate free Papa Johns pizza for lunch everyday this week because the different student organizations actually had money to feed us at their events. Also, every morning from 7-9am there is free coffee and orange juice for law students. Finally, every Friday from 4:30-6pm they feed us again at an event called Blackacre. It is usually cheesy artichoke dip, beer for the boozers, other drink for the LDS students, and something sweet like a brownie. But it is really cool because the professors and faculty all go, so it is a really great time to get to know them.

And speaking of the professors: it is really cool to have classes from the people have written text books used by many other law schools across the country as my professors. In fact, Vanderbilt and Harvard started a national trend by introducing a new class into their 1L curriculum. The class is called The Regulatory State, and it is all about the different government agencies, their policies, and how they affect the legal community in our country. It is expected that in the next 5-10 years this class will have become standard first year curriculum for all law schools.

In addition to loving Vanderbilt, there is the city of Nashville itself to love. Every morning I get to walk 7 min to campus. On my way I pass two gorgeous churches with giant trees outside of them. The architecture on them is stunning! I walk through the grounds of the churches, in the middle of a big city, and I feel like I am out in a quiet suburb somewhere. Very therapeutic after long hours of studying. Also, in between our apartment and the law school there are a bunch of place to stop in and grab a bite to eat. We already tried Taco Mamacita. Delicious.

This last Thursday night, Dani and I went to the historic Bluebird Cafe with a group of friends from law school. I was STUNNED at the amazing talent! I bought the CD of one of the performers, AJ Roach, because I was so intrigued by his lyrics. If any of you that read this ever come and visit, make sure to let us know and we will make reservations. You have to make them at least a week in advanced or you wont get in. The food is okay (not bad, but also not the reason you go), but the entertainment was phenomenal.

Other things you may want to know include my weekly basketball group. A group of us 1Ls have designated every Wednesday at 4 our pickup basketball time. I always get nervous playing with a new group of guys, thinking that I might not be as good as they are. As it turns out, I am one of the best players. It is a cool feeling to play ball with such an accomplished group of guys. They have gone to all the top schools in the country (Harvard, Columbia, Penn, etc...) and are very accomplished. I was really nervous about taking time out of my week at this time to go and play some ball, but I actually think it may be one of the most important things that I do at Vanderbilt because of the network of close friends I am forming. These are very smart guys who are going places. We all get along really well, and I think that it is going to be a really valuable asset come time to form study groups, or after we leave law school and are looking for a friend to put in a good word for us.

On that note, I am part of a study group. I was actually the one who started it, and now we have a big group that comes to participate. We sit out in the common area on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings to discuss the things we read for that day. This week, one of the girls that attends regularly told me that I am really good at asking penetrating questions, and thinking through the readings in the way that the professors present them to us in class. I think that this type of knowledge actually comes fairly naturally for me. Because of my Literature experience at BYU and my scripture study I have learned to process things I read very thoroughly. I can see how the different judicial holdings that we read are going to apply in the real world, and how they will affect cases that may be brought in the future. I really feel like I am in my element in a law school environment.

Having said that, I need to be honest about how hard it is. It is REALLY tough to keep up with everything. The readings are VERY dense. I spent all day yesterday (Sat) reading, from about 9:30 am until literally 8:00 with two small breaks for lunch and to catch the last 7 min of the BYU game. (GO COUGARS!!!)

Finally, I have to say that it has been so much fun to live here with Danielle. We have discovered the best frozen yogurt in the world together. We are both having the same reaction to this part of the country. She has been SO GOOD to me while I am adjusting to law school. She does all the cooking, and she gives me all the time I need to finish my homework. I am so proud of all she is doing to get a job and to make our apartment feel like a home. I love her so much! And in case you didn't know, she applied to Apple to work. They called her this week on Thursday to tell her that they wouldn't be interviewing her for the position she applied for. BECAUSE!!! they wanted to interview her for an Expert position because they were so impressed with her resume and work experience! Instead of having the group interview first, she has been pushed through to meet with the store manager this Wednesday. If they like her, they told her that is all she will have to do. HUGE answer to our prayers.

Sorry this is so long. I am going to try to write on Sundays form now on so that everyone can just read our blog if they have questions about how law school is going.

Miss you all!