The Life of a Law School Widow: Just Married

Many of you probably forget that I had a blog or figured I would not update it. I apologize for taking so long, though there has been a lot going on in the Dunlap household. I think we are now adjusted to a new routine...as two working adults!

On May 13th, I felt like I got engaged again. Russ officially graduated from Georgia State School of Law. After three years of law school, two summers of summer school, six unpaid internships, three moot court competitions, law review officer duties, IPLS officer duties, and passing the Patent Bar, Russ is finally done. He finished 10th in his class (out of 175) with magna cum laude honors (sorry for bragging). The day he walked across the stage to be hooded, I felt excitement, I knew I was so close to getting him back in a part of my everyday life. It was not an easy past three years.

The next day we had a graduation party for Russ. We had 40 people join us at our home to celebrate Russ's success. This could be considered our engagement party if you think about it. All of those that attended supported us over the past three years and were there for us when we needed them. They understood when Russ would miss church, called me to come over while Russ was studying for exams, completed home improvement projects for us, and kept me busy. They all showed their love and support for us during that time. The party was a celebration for Russ and his accomplishments in law school but a thank you to everyone for their support. We held a BBQ in our backyard and enjoyed each others' company.

The next two months were the planning months. Russ started studying for the bar, attended classes each day, and did practice problems and reading at night. I continued to work and planned a trip for us to Aruba.

The big day - The Georgia Bar Exam....Russ took the bar exam July 26th and 27th. It was like the rehearsal night and wedding day. After the first day when Russ called me to let me know how day one of the test went, I started to count down the hours and minutes until he was completely done with the test. He finally finished on Wednesday, July 27th at 5:00 PM. It was like saying "I Do" all over again. Okay, don't get me wrong, our wedding day can't be replaced and I don't think I will ever feel so pretty and happy again but 5:00 on July 27th had a lot of the same emotions go through my body. I am not going to lie, I might have teared up driving home from work to see him. I had him back! We finally got to start a life together: a marriage of just the two of us with a home to maintain, a dog to keep up with, jobs to work, and trips and holidays to share - without the nag and excuses of law school!

Finally, the honeymoon: the following week we took a week-long trip to Aruba to celebrate! Russ will find out if he passed the bar on Friday, October 28th at 4:30 PM. Now we are adjusting to life of both of us working, splitting the responsibilities at home, and figuring out our new routine. It is like being married all over again and I love it!