Happy Birthday Mom!

Hey there!  Just wrapping up another week and thought I'd send a quick update...and as you can see it includes a (belated) birthday wish for Momma!  Although life this past week has been pretty boring between work and school, Mom's birthday celebration this past weekend provided us with something fun to do (and to blog about!)...although luckily for me, I've got some less monotonous things coming up soon :) But I digress...

As I said, the highlight of our week was spending Saturday night with Mom (and Carol, Skeeter, and Marge of course) at the Riverside Dinner Theater.  We saw "Dreamgirls" and enjoyed a fun night celebrating Momma :)  The show was great, and the company was even better...and we consider ourselves lucky to have so many wonderful people (and opportunities) in our lives!  Check out the fun:

The audience sang to Mom for her birthday :)

Carol, Marge, and Mom before the show.

 Well, that's about all she wrote...and I'm off to bed for my early AM interview...and in case I get nervous, I'll substitute picturing people in their underwear for the image below :) 

Honey in her Thunderjacket...it keeps her from getting scared :)

Autumn is Arriving

Well, helloooo there!  Hope all is well with you - things are crazy around here (as always), but life is still good! :)

The past couple of weeks (gasp - it's been more than a week since my last update!) have been sooo busy I have barely had time to breathe, but hopefully things are about to settle down a little bit!  Balancing school, work, and the JOB SEARCH have been basically all consuming... but it seems to be paying off!  Last week, I had my first callback interview with a firm here in DC.  Basically, that means six interviews (each thirty minutes) for the first half of the day.  It went really well, so let's hope for good things!  Speaking of hoping, it's funny how when you think positive thoughts, you draw in positive things.  On Friday, I was kind of having a freak out moment and stressing about how hard the job search is, and I decided to just be positive and believe that it will all work out for the best.  Literally, about a half hour after making up my mind to stay positive, the phone rang and I was offered another callback with a firm in Baltimore - hooray!

With all else going on, I also always keep in mind one motto: All work and no play makes Brandon a dull boy - i.e. Friday we met some friends downtown for a fun night of dinner, dancing, and good times!  Then, yesterday, Mega Seth and I headed off to Mt. Airy, Maryland to do a wine tasting at Liganore Winery - and boy was it yummy!

Our wine and cheese! Yummmm!

Mista Seth in front of the winery.

Yours truly after a great day at the winery.

So pretty, I hope you can all come and visit with us :)

Our trip to the winery sort of symbolized the end of summer (well, at least in Groupon's eyes!) and this week we officially move from summer to fall.  I can't believe that summer flew by so fast, and that my favorite time of the year is fast approaching.  But never fear, we won't let summer's end stop us from having fun...there is lots more in store...and that means lots more fun to share with you on the blog!  But until then, it's time to go for our run and keep on pace with our Urbanathalon Training :)  Much love and hugs until the next time!

So Long Summer!!!

Hey there!  Well, it's been two weeks since school started back and we are back to the grind...but not without some noteworthy and interesting events!

Earthquakepocalypse and Hurricanepocalypse:
For those of you who have been hiding under your beds, the East coast had some odd run-ins with Mother Nature recently.  First, two weeks ago, I was in our bedroom, getting ready for school, and all of a sudden I felt shaking.  At first I thought it was a truck, then I thought the world was ending, then I thought the Metro trains had crashed, and then I realized: it's an Earthquake!!!  It was crazy!  We rarely get earthquakes back here (at least one's that we can feel), so I was quite taken by surprise.  Actually, the last earthquake I remember feeling was when I was little - I was at my grandma's house and we thought a helicopter was flying too low...but it was nothing compared to what we had the other day!  Things literally shook so hard that wall hangings fell, things got knocked off shelves, and Honey got scared :(  Luckily, no severe harm was had, and I even got to meet Wolf Blitzer doing his report from downtown.

That's Wolf Blitzer, under the umbrella.

Not too long after things settled down from the earthquake, things got crazy, thanks to a little lady named Irene.  Hurricane Irene (as I'm sure you heard about on the news), was supposed to be this huge hurricane that would devastate the East coast.  Luckily it didn't, but since we didn't know what would happen, everyone was freaking out: stores were crowded, gas was hard to come by, and all that was on TV was weather!  By the time the storm got here, it had weakened significantly, so we only got rain and winds...although strong enough to knock out our power (see the photo below) and cause a delayed opening for school.

The tree by these apartments got knocked down by Irene!

All the rain caused some interesting mushrooms to sprout!

Since all this crazy weather, things have been pretty calm and things have gone back to normal.  My theory behind it all?  The law Gods aren't quite ready for us to rock it this year at school ;)


Back to School
Speaking of school, we started back two weeks ago now.  Since being back, things have been busy (as usual!) but really great!  In addition to school, I'm working with a judge on the DC Superior Court on Tuesdays and Thursdays, working as a Dean's Fellow for the Integrated Curriculum Program (a.k.a. I'm a mentor/help to new students and get to take them to coffee/lunch on the school's dime!), and (of course) on the job hunt for a summer associate position for next summer!  It's crazy to be applying for jobs already, but in law school, that's how you gotta do it to land a job (thank you job market!).  Luckily, I have second round interview next Wednesday with a great firm in DC, so wish me luck!

Other than school, Seth is continuing to love his new job and is keeping busy with freelance work.  We're both pretty amazed that summer flew by so quickly, but we are in the process of planning some fun getaways for the Fall.  In the mean time, check out the pic/video below of some of the fun we've had here in DC!

Street band playing downtown - they were great!

Labor Day Weekend
Luckily for us, school didn't get too far into full swing before we were blessed with the Labor Day holiday weekend!  Seth and I headed to Fredericksburg to meet Mom and Skeeter for a road trip to see Aunt Peggy and Glen in Buena Vista.  As always, it's fun to road trip with those characters, and we had a nice trip.  After crashing at Mom's and having lunch with her and Dad at La Pizzeria, it was back to DC for a weekend of school and work!  Unfortunately, the weekend has already come to a close (booo!) but it's OK, because life is good and "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" is on in 5 minutes!!!  Until the next time, much love and hugs...and hopefully laughs (see below!):

Finally the answer to the question:
What happens when a gay man changes a lightbulb?

Back to School, Back to Blogging

OK, so summer is winding down and school starts tomorrow, so I figured it would be a good time to re-launch this Blog and get it going for real!  My excuse?  See the link :)

My Excuse

More to come soon!

Fall Madness

So, you may have heard of March Madness, but I bet you've never heard of Fall Madness!  Well, there are two reasons for that: 1) I just made up the term and 2) you're not in law school.  (Insert sigh of relief/craziness here!) For those of you who aren't aware, fall is a craaaazzzzayyyy time for second year (2L) students because of fall recruitment.  Essentially, you apply like mad to all of the law firms you want to work for (as a summer associate in 2012) and start interviewing with those firms who are interested in you.  If you are lucky enough to get an interview, it is not a very carefree process (preparing for an interview is kind of like studying for a final, but a little more intimidating because you have no idea what's on the test and you have to ace it!).  The first interview is a rough go, because it's only 20 minutes, and the interviewer have about 20 interviews in a day, so you realllly have to use that as a chance to set yourself apart.  If you get past the screening interview, it's then on to a day of interviews with 5-7 lawyers at the firm, with a lunch/interview to break up your day.  Two words: stress-ful!

Right now, I'm on the application/screening interview steps.  Yesterday, I took the bus to New York and interviewed with Arnold & Porter and Chadourne & Park.  The interviews went well, but apparently Chadbourne wasn't feeling me (I kind of expected that since I was originally an alternate for them, and only got the interview because someone else dropped out) and already sent me an e-mail this morning saying that they wouldn't be pursuing anymore interviews with me - ouch!  One things for sure, you learn to take rejection  as a law student (and it gets easier with time, because you get lots of practice haha!)  On the upside, A&P is still pondering whether or not to offer me further interviews (fingers crossed!) and I'm currently at 30,000 feet on my way to L.A. for an interview with Mitchell, Silberberg, & Knupp (wish me luck!).

After this meal, I was ready for my flight :)  

Aside from interviews in NYC/L.A., I'm about to begin 13 weeks of interviewing in D.C. (I got an interview next week, and find out each Friday whether I'm offered interviews for the firms that are interviewing the following week - it's a crazy, long, detailed [but helpful!] process).  In addition, I'm also going to reach out to contacts in Utah and send in some direct applications for a summer associate position (so hook a brotha up if you're in Utah and have any attorney contacts with whom I could speak!)  And, lets not forget that I have a wonderful contact in my Judge from this summer who has promised to help me in finding a firm job in Baltimore.  So, all things said and done, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic :)  And, worst case scenario, if I get lots of rejection, I will just pick up my trophy from the Judge (see below) and smile :)

Awarded to me by the Judge and it says:
Gay, ex-Mormon, Hispanic Attorney Category
Best Intern in the World - 2011.  <3

With an award like that, how could I ever not have a smile on my face :)  Speaking of smiles, I hope you all have one on your face and keep it there forever :)  Love you lots and, until the next time, hugs to you!

Opulent Open House

Hi there!  Well, it's hard to believe that the wedding that goes on and on is officially over now that the Open House is over :-(  But don't fret, that means we can start planning Anniversary parties :-P  Anyway, back to the Open House, we owe a TREMENDOUS thank-you to Mom for hosting such a nice, fun, and packed open house!  It was great and everyone had a good time!  Also, thanks to Aunt Carol and Dad for there help and contributions to the shower - the cake-pops were amazing, as were the meatballs (as always!)  It really was nice to be able to share a little bit of our wedding with so many of our loved ones back East, so for those of you who made it, THANK YOU!!!

Pre-Party: Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Feta Cheese - yum!

Hosted a Pre-Open House Party the night before :)

Me, Amy, Brooke, Kristin, and Seth at the Open House.

Wish I had more pics of the Open House to share (I only got the one with the girls because some of us are vain hehe!), but it will have to suffice by my description of the night: awesome!  Anyway, that's about all I got for now, but again, thanks to EVERYONE who has been so loving and supportive throughout all of our wedding festivities - we really appreciate it and love you all more than words can say :) xoxo

Wonderful Wedding Weekend

Well heeeelllllllllooooooo there!  It has been way too long since I've blogged, but I have a good reason...our wedding :)  Dad, Seth, and I left for the Thursday before the big day and made it safely to Utah for a weekend of busyness but good times!  So, to save time (and space), I'm just gonna jump right into a recap of all the festivities:

Shower/Bachelor Party:
On Friday night, our SLC friends organized a really nice shower with good food/drinks, fun games, and lots of memories!  This was actually perfect timing to have a get together with all our friends (a lot of whom came in from out of town) because in the coming months, several people will be moving away for school and such.  We started the night with a delicious BBQ and then moved on to our shower game: designing wedding gowns out of toilet paper - too funny!  Needless to say, our friends got creative and, by the end of the night, the yard was draped with the toilet paper :)  To wrap up the night, we moved it downtown to Bar X (a random bar that is owned by the guy who plays Phil on 'Modern Family') and met up with Andre and some other friends who were awaiting us downtown....good times!

Vera Wang, eat your heart out!

The whole gang together again!

The aftermath :)

Rehearsal/Rehearsal Dinner:
On Saturday, the wedding party met at the Grand Summit Hotel and, much to Mom's chagrin, took the gondola up to the Red Pine Lodge for a quick rehearsal.  With Brooke and Rev. Anita running the show, all went super smooth and soon it was off to our dinner at the Wasatch Brew Pub - yum!

Dinner was nice - we finally got some one on one time with the family!  It was a cool place to go, especially because it's a well known place in Park City (they brew local beer) and allowed us some time away from the resort to play some on Main St.  Dad, Mom, and Jack gave really nice toasts and Seth and I gave a quick thank-you speech to wrap-up dinner.

Luckily for us, Marita, Joesph, Marissa, and Peter offered to host the after party at their place just down the street.  As you will see from the pics, my siblings don't mess around when it comes to their lodging :)  They actually kind of lucked out thanks to a hotel error, and got the penthouse (a.k.a. the entire top floor of the hotel) with two hot tubs, two fire pits, and more amenities than you can shake a stick at :)  Needless to say, we let the good times roll before we rolled out and off to bed to rest up for the big day ahead!

The view from the top of the penthouse - sweet!

Us boys and our Mom's rehearsing our walk :)

Andrew and Seth at the Rehearsal Dinner.

Jack, Me, and Mindy at Wasatch Brew Pub.

Wedding Day
Wedding Day was perfect - even more than I could have hoped for!  We had an outdoor wedding and, despite my fears, the weather was just right - sunny and not too hot!  After a morning together, Seth and I separated to get ready for the wedding with our families.  Dad, Mom, Andre, Carol, and Lois helped me get ready and lookin' purdy - it really does take a village :)

Once everyone was all ready to go, we headed up the mountain on the gondola and waited for guests to arrive.  With the exception of a few special people, all of our family and loved ones were present to share in our special day.  (We had people come from near and far and appreciate you all so much for making the effort, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts!)  And for those who weren't there to share in the day, my words can't do justice to the wonderful memories: good food, moving toasts, and fun times that were had, so I'm gonna let the pics do the trick!

Seth and I at the base of the gondola.

The Roman-Longhurst Wedding Party!

Me, Rev. Anita, and Seth during the ceremony.

True love <3

Sealing the deal with a kiss :)

Mother-Son Dance to "Mama" by Boyz II Men.

Gettin' down!!!

Our grand exit from the Red Pine Lodge.

Aftermath:
After the wedding, we had all had such a good time that we rented a 32-passenger shuttle to take us to Main St. Park City for a post-party at Downstairs.  And the festivities didn't end there - we hosted a breakfast in our suite the following morning to say our last good byes and soak up the remaining moments of an amazing weekend!  And then, before we knew it, a year's worth of planning had come to a close and we were on our way back to DC to get back to reality!  But you know what, when you love life, reality isn't all that bad to get back too :)

The crew came over after a long night to say goodbye...and for bagels :)

Since being back, things have been busy playing catch up from a few weeks of doing nothing but wedding stuff.  Seth is still loving his new job, and I am starting the last week of my clerkship tomorrow.  With job interviews already lined up for a summer associate position next year, things are looking good :)  We are so lucky and blessed and recognize that every day...but mostly, we are blessed in the friendship department to have as many wonderful loved ones as you :)  Speaking of which, this Saturday, April 6, we get to see even more of our loved ones at the Open House that Mom is throwing!  Can't wait to see you there or wherever out paths may cross...but until then, just know you are loved very much by us :)  xo