Going back to school

Have you ever decided to do something that initially seems completely terrifying, but the more you let your mind ruminate on the idea, the more excited you become?  That is a fairly good description of my state of mind right now.  For the better part of this year, I have been thinking about going back to school. And I think I am finally going to go for it. 

My initial hope was to get an advanced law degree, or international LLM (masters of laws), at a university here in Germany.  The closest university is a good 45 minute drive from here, which creates logistical and timing issues with having only one vehicle, and the timing for admissions would have made it difficult for me to have completed the degree before it was time for us to leave Germany.

My sights are set on another goal now.  Vermont Law School, where I received my law degree, offers an LLM in environmental law.  In fact, it is currently ranked #1 for its LLM program.  The additional reason this degree is attractive to me is that the school offers the program online, which makes it available to those unable to move to Vermont on a semi-permanent basis for school.  It also, consequently, makes it available for me to do from Germany.  In fact, I could technically start school in January 2013 and complete the degree the summer we head back to the States. 

Going back to school is both frightening and exhilarating   The work will be no cup of tea as the classes will require a minimum of 20 hours of work a week.  However, it will be an excellent way for me to reconnect with the environmental law world, reconnect with Vermont Law, and hopefully re-establish some strong networks.  More important to me though, it would give me an opportunity to start writing again and hopefully to finally publish.

The application is due in less than a month, so I'm scrambling around a bit trying to get everything turned in.  I hope to be telling you all soon though that I have completely gone off my rocker and I'm officially registered for school again.  For now though, I need to get back to writing the required essays for my application.  Yikes! I really never thought I'd be doing this again.  I guess you never really know where life is going to take you.

A Great Trip with Friends and Family

What can I say?  We had a fantastic trip stateside.  Green Mountains, family and friends, VLS, apple picking, hiking, birthday parties, date night... It was a very full trip with nonstop activity, and we loved every minute of it.

After our crazy adventure getting here, we made our way up to our home away from home - Vermont!  We have missed Vermont so very much, and Vermont Law School has and will always share a special place in our hearts.  We couldn't wait to pull into campus and see old friends and explore our old stomping grounds.  Big R's parents so kindly took care of little r for us so that we could enjoy our reunion without the worry or distraction, and that was an amazing treat.  Little r did make a debut for the Reunion BBQ, though, so that friends could see him, and he made his usual impression on everyone.  The school recognized us playfully for having come the farthest to attend the reunion.  To others it seemed a little crazy that we came all the way from Germany for a simple gathering.  To us, though, we wouldn't miss it for the world, and we are hoping to always attend our reunions in the future as well.

We didn't keep the camera handy much when we were socializing at events with friends, so sadly we got very few pictures of the reunion itself, but we did remember to bring the camera on our hike up to Kent's Ledge.  This hike originates in South Royalton, and we hiked at least the lower portion of it daily while we attended law school.  Here are some of the pictures we captured from our hike.

View from Kent's Ledge

Big R and me :) 

More pretty views

It was a great reunion weekend with friends.  I loved seeing everyone and being able to talk with professors that have become great friends over the years.  Our connection with VLS seems to only get stronger with time.  But alas, the weekend had to come to an end.  After a busy weekend and some very late nights, we had a relaxing day in Vermont on Sunday.  Big R and I enjoyed a run through the hills before we visited the Grafton store for cheese and maple syrup, and little r enjoyed visiting the petting zoo.  We finished off the day apple picking including a fun ride touring around the apple orchards by a couple of Percherons.  It was a beautiful day.

little r made me promise him we would own a goat one day

the donkey was his favorite

fuzzy cows!

bonding time with Grandpa Pete

we really enjoyed our ride through the orchard

I love this man

he wanted to take a bite out of every apple!

little r had a blast picking apples - there were so many to pick right at his height

mommy helped reach for some of the higher ones

Time finally came for us to say good-bye to Vermont.  We finished off our visit with a stroll around Brattleboro browsing through all the boutiques full of natural goods and organics.  The new co-op in town was enough to make this mommy giddy.  I keep telling Big R, we might just have to move to southern Vermont afterall.

Our time in Connecticut was full of family time and visits with old friends.  This was invaluable time that we were so glad we were able to fit into our visit.  There were so many friends we didn't have time to see though, and that makes us infinitely sad.  This is definitely the hardest part about living so far away.

And I can't forget the awesome birthday party we had for little r.  I think the whole family was here, and little r loved every single minute of it!  It's so fun when your kids reach the age when they understand things like birthdays.  He has been so excited to eat cake and open all of his presents!

little r couldn't wait to blow out his candles

playing with daddy

the birthday boy and his daddy!

eating the icing off of the candles - yum!

birthday kisses

so much fun!

little r got the best gifts from everyone!

sharing his gifts with the cousins

 Our visit ended with a perfect date night with the hubby.  We got dressed up and went to a fancy French restaurant as a belated anniversary celebration. It was a perfect night out.

date night!

The time has come for us to make our way home.  The Space A adventure awaits! Stay tuned for updates on our trip home.  There is no doubt there will be at least a few stories to tell.  Hopefully the next time you hear from me we'll be back in Germany in the comforts of our home. Our fingers are crossed we have a little less adventure getting home.