May 06, 2011

Mandatory: Participated Required

I've only belonged to a couple clubs in my life. For the most part, clubs are lame. Dorky. But there is one club I am proud to be graduating from. 

The Law School Widows Club

Entering the club, I was terrified. What was the initiation process? Is there hazing? And who wants to belong to a widows club? That just sounds mortifying. I hope this is the only one I ever belong to. 

Well, with KC in his last week of finals, it's interesting to look back and fully understand what membership to the law school widows club means.

Club Membership Includes:
  • All the personal/free time you could dream of. Including, but not limited to, nights & weekends alone.
  • Every evening out with friends will consist of 97% discussion of court cases.
  • Attendance to the Barrister's Ball.
  • Increased viewing of legal television shows and plenty of interruptive commentary.
  • The pressure and stress of bearing the majority of husband and wife responsibilities.
  • A stressed and often ornery spouse.
  • Reduced budget for fun items, increased expenses and debt.
  • Often going to bed alone.
  • Often eating dinner alone.
  • A person who can answer legal questions for you on the spot. [Who knew I had so many legal issues in my life?]
  • A more mature and intelligent spouse.
  • Life in a foreign place. 
  • A group of great people who understand your situation and offer support.
As part of the club you also learn the following:
  • Letting your spouse talk, even if you aren't listening, goes a long way in helping them memorize for their finals.
  • Nagging is a positive attribute for a wife to have. Otherwise, work doesn't get done and scholarships don't get renewed. I was good at nagging. Scholarships were renewed year after year. [K, KC really gets the credit for that, but I like to think my nagging helped].
  • There are a lot of hobbies to participate in to fill up free time.
  • Kitchen tables are not for eating on, they are a hot spot for studying and storing law books.
  • One household can go through a lot of highlighters.
  • There is a lot of drama to gossip about at law school.
  • People do actually pull all-nighters for school. [I always thought that was just a exaggerated portrayal in the media].
  • Legally blonde DOES exist. I know her name. It isn't Elle Woods.
Luckily with my membership I got some additional perks:
  • Vacation in Cincinnati for a Legal Tournament.
  • A paid internship for KC for one year that took off some of the stress of bearing the financial burden.
  • A husband who made being in this club much easier than is probably should have been.
  • A really awesome set of new friends.
Me and Corissa at the Barristers Ball 2010
Now this club doesn't give out awards. It isn't even and actual club. It's an unsaid club. But if we were really a society and gave out awards. I would demand the award for "Miss Congeniality" would go to Corissa Tripp. Her husband was a year ahead in school and graduated last year. But as an alumni of the club she could receive the award still, right? I am making this up anyway, so I'll make up the rule that she could receive this award. Because I couldn't have survived this experience with out this fabulous gal.  I will never be able to fully express my gratitude to this sweetie for changing my attitude and making Massachusetts a positive experience. 

Corissa and I became friends through the SPA [Spouse and Partners Association...that's a real club. But we only had one event]. We talked through the forum and emails before KC and I moved out here. Her and her husband were married only a few weeks after KC and I wed. We shared all the details of our wedding and concerns about law school and moving stress. [Since she moved out to Springfield from Albany for Nate's 2nd year of school.] It was a slow start to a friendship as we met at the cocktail party and then didn't really do anything after besides one double date, until January. 

I went home for Christmas. Miserable. I didn't want to come back. My mom told me I had an assignment to find one friend. It sounds sad. But really, I hadn't clicked with any of the girls we had hung out with prior to Christmas. So when I got back to Mass in January, Corissa and I set up a scrapbook night every Tuesday. And that's when my attitude towards Springfield changed. Husbands are great. But every girl needs a good girlfriend. Corissa has been a great girlfriend. 

So Corissa I am bad at goodbyes. And I have a hard time with direct sentiment. But I want to thank you for being just the sweetest gal ever. You are an amazing person. Probably the most genuinely kind and classy woman I know (and a great mom and teacher, to boot). Thank you for the shopping, scrapbooking, canning, ice cream, walks in the park, venting sessions, dancing, card games, camping, dinners, nights of just hanging out, and for letting KC have 2 cats and a chinchilla to visit. You will be a friend for life. I will miss having you, Nate, and Isaac close by, but I do expect you to visit for ski season, or any season, I am not picky. And I insist we stay in contact. (Oh and Nate thanks to you for putting up with "ALL THE DRAMA"). I love you guys!

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