No Longer BARred From Having FUN!!!

Why hello again…remember little old me?!  I sure hope you do, even though it’s been a few long months since I last posted anything – but I swear, I have a good excuse J  After two and a half LOOOONG months of studying, I took the Virginia Bar Exam at the end of July and am currently awaiting my results (we find out October 31^st, so it’s going to be the best or worst Halloween of my life!).

So as not to bore you too much with bar exam talk (and TRUST me, it’s boring – just ask Seth!), I’ll start by sharing some highlights from the summer that I somehow managed to fit in despite my all-day study sessions J 

Before the bar kicked my but into hyper speed (a.k.a. 16 hours a day of studying) for our post-July 4^th final review, we were lucky enough to have most of our good friends stick around for the summer for some fun!  Between pool time, cookouts, and visitors (and studying, of course!), this summer FLEW by (except July, when life seemed to move slower than a freaking tortoise!).

Me and V post our unsuccessful attempt to move in her couch :-/

Clam Bake at Brooke's - YUM!

Pool Day (sans the sun - boo!) with friends.

Fun on the town with Matt, Em, V, and Audrey post-Mary Kay par-tay!

Celebrating Maggie's Birthday (courtesy of Grandma Roman)

Maggie LOVED her treats - thanks, Grandma!

Celebration at Nellie's to celebrate the end of DOMA!!!

Me, Seth, and Whitney celebrating #marriageequality!!!

Em and I at Nellie's after a historic ruling at the Supreme Court :)

FRONT PAGE = EQUALITY!!!

With my incoming co-workers on the Patton Boggs riverboat cruise!

Whit paid me a surprise visit over the 4th of July weekend!!!

DC always goes out with a bang for the 4th!

Our house the morning after the 4th...I guess we had a good time :)

To wrap up July, a very happy 2 year anniversary to me and Mista Seth <3 td="">

In addition to fun times in D.C., we had two weddings that beckoned us out of town during the first two weekends of June.  One of my close friends/Brooke’s cousin Kristin married Rob in New York – and I was lucky enough to be part of the bridal party J  It was a blast!  They are Italian, so the food was out of this world, plus we all love to dance, so I worked off SOME of the calories on the dance floor! 

The Franklins at Kristin and Rob's rehearsal dinner.

The Three Musketeers: Me, Kristin, and Brooke

Kristin and Rob's first dance :)

Franklins + Photobooth = Trouble!!!

Seth and I boogying down!!!

The very next weekend one of Seth’s best girlfriends, Emily, married Ryan in San Clemente, California.  We got to ring in our visit by celebrating Emily’s bachelorette party and soaking up some southern California sun J  The wedding was also amazing, right on the beach with quite the handsome minister (hint hint, Mega Seth!).  As with Kristin’s wedding, we rung in their marriage by dancing til the sun came up!  We sure are lucky to have such amazing friends are happy for both of the new married couples!

Whitney, Sarah, and Emily at Em's bachelorette party!

A view from the ceremony...b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!

Emily, Reverend Seth, and Ryan :)

Sadly, once July 4^th hit it was all study and no play for this dull boy (although luckily July is now OVER!).  Honestly, I’ve done many challenging things in my life and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that taking the bar exam ranks at the top!  It’s a 2-day test (6 hours of essays one day, 6 hours of multiple choice the next day) and really puts you through the ringer! 

In Virginia, all test takers take the bar exam at one location: Roanoke, Virginia.  It’s about a 4-hour drive down, so I was glad that one of my co-workers to be, Sunitha, rode down with me.  She and I were actually good study buddies this summer and I’m so glad I had a friend there going through the same hell as me J  I’m also beyond grateful to Seth, Mom, Dad, and all my other family and friends for their love, support, and encouragement throughout the entire process  - I LITERALLY couldn’t have done it without you all!!!

My sentiments during July...

But Seth and the pups were there to cheer me on!!!

My study corner :-/

1,000 pages of outlines, 2,000 notecards, and hundreds of hours of study later...
hopefully I passed :) :) :)   FINGERS CROSSED!!!

Now, with the bar exam behind me (hopefully for good!!!), I’ve been playing catch-up on real life and enjoying some MUCH needed downtime.  I’ve had the chance to spend some time with friends before they head off on their next journey, enjoy some QT with Seth, the pups, and other family, and even managed to try and get my fitness back on and catch some rays J  One word: AH-MAZING!!!

Me and V = FREE!!!

Seth and Whitney at Larry Lounge celebrating Whit's last night in DC :(

Yas and I at a BBQ before she leaves for Philly :(

Happy Birthday to my cousin Maritere and her daughter Sofia!

Much of the Roman family at Maria and Jay's!

After such a busy summer, this about sums up our feelings...

THE END :)

And that about catches you up on the goings on of the Romanhurst family since my last post…but never fear, the adventures won’t stop here J  With all this behind me I feel a mile high (literally, since I’m writing from Denver haha) and ready for some more fun…so it’s off and away for us – next stop: UTAH!!!

GRADUATION!!!

Hi there!  Well, I can't believe I'm finally writing this, but I am OFFICIALLY A LAW SCHOOL GRADUATE!!!  The week leading up to graduation was really fun, but also filled with hard work, as studying for the Bar Exam has already begun...but instead of talking about that, I'm gonna focus on all the fun I've had...as that fun is mostly coming to an end for the next two months :(  

To kick start Graduation (and in honor of Emily's birthday!), she and a few friends threw a celebration at MOVA Lounge....and oh what a celebration it was!  But never fear, the fun didn't stop there, as the school hosted a Potomac River cruise for the graduates - good times!

Me and the ladies at MOVA Lounge!

On board the Spirit for our cruise :)

Seth, EmBar, Veronica, EmDem, and me on the Potomac!

With all the fun we were having, graduation seemed to sneak up on us and, before I knew it, the big weekend was here!!!  In fact, the whole weekend was a blur...between family time, a dinner at the Organization of American States, and the graduation/post-graduation parties, I'm still trying to recuperate!

My uncle, Glen, is an alum of my law school...so we all got
invited to a VIP pre-graduation brunch with the Dean :)

Tensie, me, Yasmine, and Shannon in full regalia!

The fam was front row and center to see me graduate!!!

This Irish band was an amazing touch! 

Seth and me: I couldn't have done it without him <3 td="">

Me, EmDem, and Veronica at the post-party...so fun!

With graduation behind me, it was time to say goodbye to some really special people...the hardest of whom was Tensie and EmDem...but after a few tears and lots of hugs, we said our "see you laters" and have already started planning our reunions :)  Luckily (or unluckily) I will be too busy over these next few months to really think about it...speaking of which, it's time to get back to my studies...so until the next time (whenever that may be), much love, gratitude, and best wishes to all of you!!!

MIAMI!!

Hi again!  I can’t believe it’s already time to report back from Miami and that our vacation came and went so quickly :(  Alas, we had such a great time, and time always flies when you’re having fun, so I guess it makes sense :)

We last left off as Seth, Emily, Matt, and I were on our way to the Sunshine state for a much needed vacay.  We arrived on Friday night and hopped on a shuttle from the airport to South Beach to get the fun started!  After arriving at our hotel and dropping off our stuff, we headed out to Ocean Ave. (the main boardwalk by the beach) for some dinner and drinks.  As we were eating (and people watching – it’s a great place for it!), I was surprise to look over and see my friend Lynden from D.C. strolling by!  He was in town with some friends for the weekend (small world!), so we ended up getting to hang with him a couple of times during the trip, which made for a fun and unexpected addition to the trip!

A view of Miami from the plane...start getting excited!!!

Emily and I were excited...

Matt and Seth were a lil tired :) 

Seth, Em, and Matt outside Haddon Hall.

Dinner - a.k.a. a pitcher of Sangria and paella...YUM!

Saturday was our big beach day, so our friend Mike came down from Ft. Lauderdale for a day of fun in the sun!  We kicked the day off with a much-needed drink (and for those who have never been to SoBe, the drinks are HUGE!!!) and some grub before making our way to the beach.  After a few hours in the sun we headed home for a little nap before meeting Lynden and his friends at MOVA Lounge (which funny enough has a location in DC where Emily will be having her birthday party on Friday!) for some drinks.

Me and Mike at the Clevelander for some pre-beach fun!

An early b-day for Em = free cake :)

At the gay beach...literally haha!

Me, Seth, Mike, and Garrett getting some much needed sun!

Me, Mike, Garrett and Seth post-beach and ready for a nap!

Me and Lynden at MOVA Lounge Miami.

The next day turned out to be true to its name: Sunday Funday!!!  We started the day off with brunch at Khong River House (I had just read about that in Conde Nast during the flight down) and filled up on a Thai take on brunch and Bloody Mary’s :)  Sunday also happened to be Cinco de Mayo, so we ended up meeting Lynden for dinner and then (after stopping by his friend’s amazing condo right on the beach for a pre-party) headed out on the town to Twist where we got our dance on in honor of the festivities :)  After a bit too much fun we made our way back home via Dash (the Kardashian boutique) and Pizza Bar for a late night snack - yum!

Brunch = AH-MAZING!

Seth, Em, Matt, and me with Wet Willie's...so refreshing!!!

Española Street on Cinco de Mayo.

Em outside of Dash, the Kardashian's store.

Pizza Bar...especially tasty at 2:00AM :)

Seth and I loooove pizza!!!

After some much needed rest, it was up and at ‘em to get some more R&R at our pool.  The day seemed to fly by and (sadly for me!) Seth had to head home to get back to work…but luckily for me, I had Em and Matt by my side for one more night and day in Miami :)  So, after a pretty low-key day, the three of us headed to dinner and stopped by a microbrewery to top off the night.

Sethy poolside...ain't he cute <3 td="">

Me and Em loving the Sun!!!

To wrap up the trip, we spent most of today eating and soaking up some rays at a (really nice) neighboring hotel pool.  We stopped by for a drink and took advantage of our visit (and their nice lounge chairs) to enjoy some last moments by the beach!  With tons of time left, we decided to catch a movie and then grab one last dinner on the Lincoln Ave. Mall before heading off the airport and back to reality!

A view from Deco Blue's poolside deck...so pretty!!!

One last drink for the road...bless you, Miami :)

Although the trip is almost over and it’s soon back to the grind, I had a blast and now feel recharged and ready to graduate and tackle the bar exam…welllll, maybe that is a little ambitious, but it sure was fun and I am very much looking forward to the next adventure with these wonderful peeps :)   Until the next time, much love <3 o:p="">