My first ticket.

Thats right I got a ticket. You know whats awful about it....knowing you could have done something about it.  In the middle of Omaha, on the busiest street in the entire state of Nebraska, at 5:45 rush hour, I got in a car accident. Yep. I rear ended a guy. 

(its a little worse than it looks in the photo- just because you cant see the serious dent in the front where my car sorta slid under his)

On one hand, I'm glad he didn't have much damage, and no one was hurt. On the other, in my head I was thinking "I hate your stupid impenetrable CR-V." 

Again, on one hand, I'm glad he decided not to turn it into my insurance. On the other, I'm really thinking "If you weren't going to turn it in, why did you call the cops....now I have a ticket to pay for as well" 

The law student in me wants to go argue that the Nebraska statute that says a drivers should stay a "reasonable and prudent" distance away from vehicles (or in the cop's works "two car lengths behind") is quite objective, and I find myself a reasonable and prudent person, and that was the distance I was following until the genius ahead of me slammed on his breaks. On my side, is also the cop...who said HE doesn't follow the distance the statute required. And if the cop doesn't follow that distance, that either means:

A. The cop is a reasonable and prudent person, and therefore the distance I was following was within the statute. 

OR

B. Nebraska hires UNreasonable and UNprudent cops. 

So that is what I think of that. 

Now to the dilemma.

 Do I:

 1) Do the stubborn law student thing and go down there and plead "not guilty" and really just get stared at by a judge who thinks I'm an idiot,and probably end up in the same position, just wasted more time. (but possibly get a little personal pro se experience?)

2) Pay the dang thing

3) Sit through a stop class...which will probably cost just as much, but may keep my insurance down (and will certainly waste my time)

I'll probably pay it, but I'm going to wait  and sit on it a while....just to silently protest my frustration. 

One of the other frustrating parts of all this...is I've been waiting for years until I turn 25 and my insurance finally goes down. Well, I missed it by 2 weeks. 

Shucks. 

Thankfully dad helped me reform the hood of my car, to see how it holds up for the time being. 

 The damage ended up being much less worse than it sounded and looked at first glance. Phew, I was not budgeting for a super giant expense right about now (but who ever is?)

What have I learned? 

Well as my loving father put it...
"So....you could've stopped faster" 

Yes dad. Thank you :) 

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Bars are just too old fashioned....now bars made in individual cupcake wrappers...much more fun! Here is an easy no-bake Peanut Butter Bar Recipe. I found the idea for the bars here, but changed it up just a little!

Ingredients

1 cup butter

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (crushed or crush them yourself)

2 cups  powdered sugar

1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth!) 

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 box of reeses pieces

Directions

Mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs (smash them or buy the pre-smashed), powdered sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. 

Spoon the mix into a cupcake wrapper. 

Then melt the chocolate chips and left over peanut butter in a bowl in the microwave. 

Spread over the peanut butter layer.

Smash up the Reeses Pieces, and sprinkle over the top. Use a spoon to smash it into the mixture to keep it stuck 

 Refrigerate for at least one hour before eating!

Yum Yum Yum! Delicious and extremely easy! 

Riding Bikes

There are a number of things I do not prefer about Lincoln...but I'll be the first to admit, their bike paths are amazing. My sister and took a Saturday morning bike ride down to the farmer's market, where we met our cousin and uncle who were in town for the weekend. 

It did make me a little sad, thinking I didn't have a booth this year. I loved doing it last year, but I knew I had a few too many things going on to try to work that out. 

Then on our way back, we decided to do a little exploring on a recently renovated part of the path, to find out where it lead. We ended up at Holmes Lake. Sadly nothing around Lincoln has looked very green this summer, due to our extreme lack of rain (except for today as you can see...my glasses are a little rained on)

My sister just moved to Lincoln, with a new job...so we are loving our bonding time! Too bad I'll only be here this year until I finish up my schooling.

(showing off how gross I sweat)

My sister and I especially love biking together, since we have matching bikes.  (sarcasm) We've had the same bikes since middle school, and haven't looked into getting anything more adult sized. Although my sister may be fine, my legs have grown since then (Yes sister, that was a remark on the fact that you are more vertically challenged!)

I don't bike enough, and with such a bike-friendly city, I know I need to take advantage of it while I am living here. I did walk to the grocery store on Sunday, which was a big accomplishment for me. It is only about 2 blocks, but it had never occurred to me to walk. (In my defense, it is across a highway....even if it isn't a very big highway) I guess its just one of those things where I didn't live in a very pedestrian friendly city growing up (too big to feel small-town, not big enough for good public transportation--I grew up in Omaha). It was exhilarating. I am now determined I will be biking and walking more this year. 

New editions to my Camera Family

I finally splurged. After being extremely careful with what I purchased this summer...I've decided I have enough money to pay my tuition this semester, and my tuition next semester. Therefore, I rewarded myself with a new toy. Two new toys to be exact. 

Here is my new family

I bought a "new" camera and "new" lens (new to me that is)

My camera was made in 2005 (I've had it for 4 years). So in camera years....its practically ancient. I've loved it. It was my first and only DSLR...until now! 

I found this beauty on craigslist, and decided it was time. Let me just say, that if I were to buy these separately, new on amazon...it would have cost me $2,000. Instead, I found a wonderful graphic designer, who had two of theses and decided it was time to give one of them up. I tested them out, and really they were barely used. I scored these together for $500. I could not be happier. 

These are the lenses I have now. All of which are near and dear to my heart. 

(I'll most likely do a post later to go more in depth with the equipment I use in case readers are interested!) 

The difference in photos. Both shot with a basic lens, same settings, no photo editing

(without cropping, to show the difference in megabytes) 

50D is new, XT is old

Sized the new camera down to be the same as the old one

This doesn't even begin to cover the difference in cameras.  The settings on the newer one are incredible. I can't wait to play with it more!

I've been debating- do I sell the old camera to someone looking to get a great deal on their first DSLR? Or do I keep it as my backup? I'm torn. Right now, I just can't bare to give it up. 

T-Shirt and Lace Scarf Upcycle

Just another lace project today! This takes an old tshirt, and some lace scraps. I got the idea from a pinterest pin here but actually couldn't find the link associated with it? Here we have a wonderful summer/fall scarf!

Take your tshirt, and cut under the armpits and the hem at the bottom. If you want it extra long, you can cut two pieces and sew it together and make it skinnier and longer. 

Then cut the fabric so it isn't a loop anymore. This is best with tshirts that dont have a hem down the sides. 

Now simply sew the lace pieces to the end of each of the fabric scraps! And that's it! 

Feel free to check out my other lace projects that I've been doing with my grandma's tablecloth here here and here

Oden Wedding

This wedding was beautiful. The ceremony and reception were both held out at a vineyard outside Lincoln, Nebraska. The bride was someone I'd grown up with, and I was just thrilled when she asked me to help photograph her wedding. 

These two are both wonderful. The whole event was stress free, the bride was happy, and everything went smoothly. 

The bridesmaids got a little out of hand...but that was to be expected :) 

Congrats to you both!

First Day of my Last Year as a Law Student

Its finally here, the semester starts today! This is my last first day of law school....ever. More than likely, this is my last first day of school....period. (I cannot imagine wanting to go to school more after this). Between studying and work, the time has flown by. No first day jitters today, just antsy to get this year over with! 

In other news, allow me to post one of my favorite pictures from the wedding I was assisting as a photographer at last night. 

More pictures to come!

Panera's Low-Fat Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Last week my mother and I enjoyed lunch at Panera, where we both had some delicious  Low-Fat Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. Yum. At home, we found this recipe, and it was just delicious. 

Absolutely perfect! Because it is perfect just the way it is, I'm copying it straight from the source, and just adding in my own photos from when we made it! 

• 8 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (6 ounces)
• 1 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 medium celery stalk, sliced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped spinach
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup orzo (found in the pasta aisle! We picked it up at walmart) 
• Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 1/4 cup)

1. Place all of the ingredients except the lemon juice in a 4-quart pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the orzo is cooked al dente.
2. Remove the chicken breast from the soup, slice into strips, and return to the pot. Add the lemon juice, stirring well to mix. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
3. Ladle the hot soup into individual bowls and serve immediately.

Really, this turned out WONDERFUL. Now if only I knew how to make those yummy Panera Bread Bowls....I'd never eat out again. 

About Me Update

I've been inspired. 

My "About Me" section of my blog has shown the laid back attitude I've had about law school the past two years. And honestly, I felt that way for a long time. I didn't know why I went, if I would finish, or if I even thought I'd use my degree later in life. 

I'm proud to announce I feel that way no longer. 

Allow me to announce my most recent change to my "About Me" section. 

I feel so blessed that I felt the need to go to law school. My whole life has changed. As I write, I am in the summer between my 2nd and 3rd (in other words, my LAST year of school). I've never felt more sure that I should become a lawyer. Its amazing how I had gone through two years, feeling wishy washy about the whole situation, and then one day I realized I loved my classes. When I finally started working as a law clerk this summer, in the real world, I realized I will love my profession. I love going to work every single day, and I find what I do fully interesting. As a lawyer, I know I will never stop learning, and I hope everyone will have that feeling someday.

It is true. All of it. 

I get excited to learn new thing at work, and I find everything fascinating. No matter who I talk with, I am always wanting to share some new bit of information I found out that day (not about clients, I mean about the law)

This is my "coming out"

My name is Kitty...

 (well, at work my name is Kaitlynn since I feel my real name is the appropriate title for a professional. It has taken alot of getting used to, since I have honestly NEVER gone by my real name before. Like EVER. I've slipped up a couple of times at work, but people usually just laugh it off) 

....and I am going to be a lawyer

Starting Law School? In Law School?

Just wanted to share this link for any of you readers starting law school this fall! I've recently found this website with all sorts of helpful tips for every stage of your law school career. For you soon to be law students (also known as those of you soon to hate your life...just kidding!) check out this insightful article here

DIY Lace Top/ Swimsuit Coverup

Well I'm still working on the lace table cloth my grandmother gave me to craft with (projects here and here). I found this idea for a lace tshirt here on pinterest...and decided to give it a try!

Her instructions were great, you take a shirt, fold it in half. double up the fabric, with the fold where the tshirt is folded. Cut around for a good pattern (leave an inch or more around the tshirt). 

Then sew the hem at the sleeves and neckline. And sew up the shoulders and the sides of the shirt. I used the natural hem for the bottom of the shirt. Wear it over whatever color tanktop/tshirt you'd like. I feel like lace style shirts have been so popular lately, why not make your own?

The photos above I made one small shirt, which I made the mistake of using on my my stretchy tshirts. This fabric doesn't stretch...so it was too small :( Thankfully, once I saw the finished product (and loved it) my mother gave me the great idea for a swimsuit cover-up. So I tried one more time. This time I used a large tshirt as my pattern. 

For the swimsuit coverup, just use a shirt a size or two larger than you usually wear. Make sure its a little longer as well. But its the exact same concept! I made both of these in under an hour, so one may take you about 30 minutes. This is still one of those beginner sewer projects (I wont do anything above beginner!) 

Clearly I was having a windy day problem with my hair in these photos...but you get the idea!