November (in Short)

This month, I had a mediation, several depositions, and a hearing at work. Rod was also out of town nearly every week for work. When we were home, we spent so much time at fundraisers and award dinners during the week that most of our weekends were spent hibernating.

The first weekend was the annual Women Lawyer's Retreat at Deer Valley. I stayed overnight on Friday and shared a condo with Cheryl. We ended up hosting the after party. When lady lawyers let loose, it really gets crazy! :)

Saturday night, Toddy introduced me to the joys of Wendover. It was a lot more fun than I expected. I spent most of the night playing video poker and being confused by the craps table. Does anyone really understand how that game is played?

The next week I spent preparing for my mediation, but I managed to fit in a night at the theater--the PTC version of Is He Dead? was hilarious--and the Utah Aid's Foundation Red Party Fundraiser. The Fundraiser was a blast. Everyone was dressed in crazy red outfits. I had my palm read (by someone who clearly was not psychic) and got asked for my phone number by a guy selling boas in his boxer briefs. HA!
My mediation was in San Francisco with the famous Tony Piaza. The first night there, the second Sunday in November, my friend Ryan and his friends showed me around the Castro neighborhood. They introduced me to a very hip bar, The Blackbird, and one of the top five best drinks I've ever had, the Early Bird. It has St. Germains, an elder flower liquor, in it. Yummy! I also could not help but check out the macaroons at Hot Kiss.

The next day, Piaza helped us get a fantastic result for our client. We were finished by midday and spent the rest of the day celebrating. What trip to San Francisco would be complete without a trip to Fisherman's Wharf? Then we wined and dined, finishing the night with jaeger bombs at an Irish pub.

Back in Salt Lake, on Tuesday, we took dinner over to Keli and Dave to see their adorable new son (little A). He was just a few weeks old and SO tiny.
The next night was a bit nerve-wracking. I was a pupilage group leader with Judge Kate Toomey for Inn of Courts, and our topic was dress, demeanor, and candor in the courtroom. We did "No Exit: A Judges Hell." It was basically a day in the life of a judge with lawyers behaving badly. Think lawyers dressed in short skirts, tank dresses, birkenstocks, etc., badmouthing each other and disrespecting the judge. It was quite entertaining, but a lot of work.

The next night, Thursday, was the FBA awards dinner. I had the honor of presenting the Pro Bono Award to Holland & Hart and the four attorneys that accepted and won a case through the FBA's Pro Bono Appointment Wheel. The case involved a constitutional challenge to a sex offender registry statute. The Court found that certain portions of the statute were unconstitutional, and, while the case was on appeal, the Legislature amended the statute to remove the disputed language. I was proud to be a part of the appointment wheel and all of the good results it has had during this last year. The awards dinner is one of my favorite legal events. It is so fun to see so many of my friends in one place. The honorees are always very inspirational.

After such an exhausting week, we wanted to spend the whole weekend in bed. And we did, literally. We bought a new tempurpedic mattress. And we were so excited about it, that we made Digiorno and cut and bake cookies, rented a movie, and ate and watched the movie on my laptop in our bed. Ha! Yes, we are easily amused. Here is a pic of Rumba helping me break in the bed (by walking on it for 10 minutes).


The next week was Thanksgiving, which we spent in Idaho. We spent most of our time with my mom, who came all the way from Denver, and grandparents. We had such a good time. Grandma was feeling better than I had seen her in a long time. We spent a lot of time playing Rummikub and with Zach, my new little (second) cousin.







I also started a project that I have been wanting to do for a long time. I videotaped my grandparents talking about their lives, their courtship, and their children. I filled one 90 minute tape before the battery ran out. I just hope that I get a chance to finish it.

After Thanksgiving at Grandma's, we had dessert/late dinner at Mom Dena's house.
The next night we had dinner at Dad's. I took advantage of the good light to get a few pictures of Riley and Dustin playing in the yard.



On Saturday night, Jayde, Ryan, Rod, and I did a very lonely pub crawl in Rigby, before ending up at the Ririe bar. Who would have thought that the Ririe bar would be the happening place to be? Ririe is half the size of Rigby and Rigby is a one stoplight town. Too funny!

Not to sound too cheesy, but this month presented so many opportunities for giving thanks. We are truly surrounded by so many wonderful friends and family.