New site - Katie Mac is Back

Hi folks - I have created a new blog based on my adventures after Iraq.  The new site is:

katiemacisback.blogspot.com.  

Enjoy!

Pics from my adventures!

The Anne of Green Gables house!  Technically this was not the house that the author grew up in.  BUT, this was the house of her cousins that she spent most of her time at.  So she modeled the house in her book - Anne of Green Gables - after this house that she practically grew up in.  The house is surrounded by all this beautiful land that includes "Lover's Lane" and "The Haunted Forest."  So most of the stories and places from the book were based off of LM Montgomery's (the author's) life growing up on Prince Edward Island.

Lover's Lane

The Haunted Forest (below)

Prince Edward Island coastline - near Cavendish

Ok, first of all, when you travel by yourself, you're stuck taking pics of yourself....so, please no commenting on how lame I look in my pics.  Yes, I look stupid, I know.  But I didn't know what poses to do for a camera with no one standing behind it.  So please just appreciate the pics.  

Can't you just see Anne frolicking on the cliffs.  I could have sat looking at these cliffs forever.  The weather was just perfect.  I wouldn't get in the water though - brrr!

Charlottetown, PEI - the capital

View before leaving PEI on the car ferry

So after driving off of the Ferry that ended up costing me $73 (yes, I'm sorry, but someone could have told me it costs an arm and a leg to leave the island.  It's free to get on so I was not expecting a $73 charge to leave.  But alas, I racked my brain and could not figure out another way to get back to Halifax without paying the price.  I could have backtracked - fyi, I HATE backtracking - and taking the bridge back but that would have added an hour on to my trip, I would have seen the same sights and it cost $46...so I sucked it up and paid the $73), I proceeded to drive south toward Halifax.  I decided to take a side trip and go by Peggy's Cove which is the most photographed spot in Nova Scotia.  It is just a small (and I mean SMALL) fishing village outside of Halifax.  It is adorable.  

Back on Nova Scotia - Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove

Peggy's Cove - it's a quaint little fishing village about 30 mins outside of halifax.  

Look at me with all my friends in Peggy's Cove

Then I drove back to Halifax last night arriving about 7:30pm.  Lindsay and I returned the car and then went to dinner at this awesome restaurant called the Economy Shoe Shop.  It was so yummy!  Then we got drinks at an Irish Pub.  The thing about Halifax is that all the bars and restaurants have awesome names and are decorated amazingly.  Every pub or eatery beckons you in b/c the outside decorations are so beautiful.  And they all have outside seating.  It's just such a beautiful town.  And EVERYONE was out and about today - that's the thing about Halifax - people walk everywhere and they're always outside doing something.  Another thing is that Nova Scotians have a very strange sense of style - it's very punkish with none of the clothes matching and lots of tattoos.  Not my cup of tea.  Also everyone recycles which is really cool.  Even in the hotel I stayed at Thursday night, they had a recycling trash can and a regular one.  Everyone recycles - it's awesome.  

Saturday (today):  went running in Point Pleasant Park, Halifax this morning.  It's a park in the south of Halifax and it is absolutely breathtaking.  Beautiful views of the harbor and just absolutely gorgeous.

FYI - I'm getting pretty decent at taking pics of myself now.

Aha!  My first photo that a person actually took (thank you Lindsay), yet I look the exact same as if I took the pic myself.  Lindsay and I took a ferry across the harbor in Halifax to Dartmouth and then hopped a bus south about 10 mins to Fisherman's Cove - an adorable fishing village very close to Halifax.

  Fisherman's Cove - South of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

After Fisherman's Cove, we took the bus and ferry back and then rested before our 8:30pm showing of the play "High School Musical."  yes, I saw the play - see Megs, you can tell your kids and then they'll love me even more.  It was pretty good.  Now I'm packing and heading back to the ATL tomorrow morning.  I loved Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island but I can't wait to get home!  Thank you Lindsay for hosting me and putting up with my weird tastes, complaints about the cold, and blunt opinions.  Enjoy the rest of your summer in Halifax!!!!

Lots of teachers in the family

On Tuesday, the day before I left for Canada, I stopped by my cousin's 9th grade Math class - he is a math teacher at North Springs High School.  Note to self - never stop by a 9th grade class on the last day of class.  The class was horrible!  Now, my cousin did manage to control them very well but man, I'll tell you something - I lived a very sheltered life at Marist.  A kid wouldn't dream of acting the way some of these kids were acting.  I remember in one of my classes at Marist, we weren't even allowed to doodle!  Do you know how hard it is to sit in class for 55 mins and not doodle?  It's torture.  Those kids need to be put in their place!  Now, some of them were good kids but some of them were not.  

Then after I visited Josh's class, I visited my sister's 1st grade class down the road at Spalding Drive.  Her kids were angels!!!!  Wow, what a difference 8 grades make.  And my sister is so amazing with them...so patient yet so authoritative and man do they listen to her.  She even got on to me at one point!  I felt quite .... repremanded.

Here's a pic of Megan and her "kids" on their 4th to last day of class.

And here's a pic of me with them - they loved me once I told them that my favorite band is Hannah Montana and my favorite movie is High School Musical.  :)

Out (*oat*) and About (*a-boat*) in Canada

I decided to visit my law school friend Lindsay in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) before I fly to Spain.  She is clerking for a canadian judge.  So I've been "in-country" for 2 days.  Yesterday (wed) I spent recovering from my 6am flight.  I napped first.  Then I went for a run around the city.  That's how I saw the sights when I traveled for the govt.  We wouldn't have time to sightsee so I would run either before work or after work (when traveling) and that's how I saw cities like Canberra, Tokyo, Sydney, Denver, etc.  I ran along the waterfront, up to the Citadel, and through the shopping district.  Then after a quick shower, Lindsay and I went to dinner and had fish and chips - yum!  And the best part is the exchange rate.  I think it's like $1 Canadian dollar to $.8 American dollar.

Then today (thurs) I rented a car and drove to Prince Edward Island.  I did the whole Anne of Green Gables tour...it was awesome!  I walked through the Haunted Forest and Lover's Lane and walked through the house that the author (L.M. Montgomery) based her famous novel on.  Prince Edward Island is absolutely gorgeous.  I will post pics when I get home and can move the pics to my computer.  I could just feel how LM Montgomery felt when she wrote Anne of Green Gables.  What a wonderful place to raise a family.  Since it was about 5pm when I finished up touring Cavendish and all of the Anne of Green Gables stuff, I drove on to Charlottetown, PEI.  I figured I could easily find a cheap room for about $60 Canadian dollars.  Um, I was sorely mistaken.  The first place I went to (in the heart of the famous historic area) had a room for $350.  That was their cheapest room.  They said they knew of one place that was charging $100 but it was out of the city in the commercial area - yuck!!!  So I drove around the downtown area and stopped at a nice looking motel.  Their cheapest room was $140.  Ugh, I decided to just go to the cheap place b/c this trip was already costing me an arm and a leg.  So I started driving away from town and went about a block until I stumbled upon this beautiful hotel - Rodd Charlottetown.  I said what the hell and went in.  I asked what the price was for their cheapest room - the girl looked at me funny so I then said - what is the price for your lowest costing room.  She responded better to that and said $140 and that it was their last room.  Apparently there were a lot of conferences in the area and that's why rooms were hard to find.  Obviously disappointed, I then asked her if she knew of any place close by that would be cheaper.  Then her boss came up and asked me what I wanted to pay.  I said around $100.  She said I'll give you a room for $110.  I said "I'll take it!" 

 So now I'm in this beautiful room in downtown, historic Charlotteville.  I then walked about 7 blocks to the waterfront and to a Lobster restaurant on the water.  I decided that I was a big girl and had enough confidence to eat by myself.  So I got a table for 1.  After I ordered, I was looking at my PEI map, and this couple at the bar started asking me questions.  Apparently they're from Michigan.  So they told me to join them at the bar.  So my attempt at eating by myself lasted about 5 mins - yes, in case you were wondering, I'm sure that I looked utterly ridiculous b/c I was feeling a bit self-conscious.  At one point I could have been seen talking to myself.  Yes, I am a strange one.  Anyway, I'm sure this older couple noticed me looking awkward...so I joined them and they bought me a beer.  

We talked for the rest of my time there.  They were quite nice and I entertained them with my stories.  I also thoroughly enjoyed my lobster dinner.  However, please note that when they say the going price for lobster is $6.50, that does NOT mean, that your dinner will cost $6.50.  The waittress told me that lobsters were going for the lowest amount ever - at $6.50.  So I figured that when I ordered a 1 lb lobster at market price, that meant it was $6.50.  Um, apparently I was VERY wrong.  $32.00 later, I left the restaurant feeling very stupid.  They swindled me!

Things I have learned in my 2 days in Canada:

1.  If you rent a car, you will have NO idea how fast you are going.  

2. It was 26 degrees celsius today - I know I got hot, but I have NO idea how many degrees in fahrenheit that is.

3. Every SINGLE house in Canada (that I've seen so far) is made of wood and decorated in different colors.

4. Every car stops for pedestrians...I mean, EVERY car...and pedestrians follow the rules of the road.

5. There is no place in Nova Scotia that is not within 35 km of the ocean.  Course, no idea how many miles 35km is.

6. On PEI, a lot of the signs are in english, french, AND japanese b/c apparently the japanese love Anne of Green Gables.

7. Canadians sound like Americans except they say words like "about", "out", "boat", etc funny.

More tidbits to come later.  Now I'm in bed, watching CSI, checking email, and then tomorrow I will run around Charlottetown, and then head back to Halifax.  Fun times!

Fiesta en Espana!

Well hello there people (ok, so is anyone actually still following my blog?...that is, besides Bob)!  So, I just completed my first year of law school.  What an interesting experience.  I think I got way too spoiled while working for the govt b/c I'm used to finishing work at 5pm and then having the entire night to do whatever I wanted (i.e. softball games, happy hour, wine after dinner, etc).  Well, law school was a rude awakening to that.  Let's just say my alcohol tolerance is WAY low now which is a blessing and a curse.  I literally spent the last 3 weeks of school in the library.  I would get there about 11am (after hitting the gym in the morning) and not leave until 1 or 2 am.  I would pack lunch, dinner, and dessert.  Anyway, my first year is done and now it's time for summer!  

So I decided after 6 years of working in the "real" world, I would actually enjoy my 3 months off this summer.  So instead of getting a boring job in Atlanta, I chose to get an internship in Spain. So I will be spending my summer in Pamplona, Spain.  I'm not stupid :)  I leave for Spain on May 26th and won't be returning to the US until Aug. 5th.  I will be spending a few days in Barcelona before I head to Pamplona.  Then I'll be "working" there for 7 weeks.  Now notice I use the term "working" very loosely.  First of all, I'm not getting paid.  Second of all, the last spanish class I took was back in 2001...so I'm not really sure I'll actually be able to communicate with my co-workers.  And thirdly, I will be bouncing around from the spanish military, spanish public defender's office, spanish parliament, spanish admin agency, and a spanish criminal law firm over the course of the 7 weeks - so not sure how much actual work I will be doing.  Anyway, can I even do work if it's in spanish legalese talk?  Um, probably not.  I still remember how to order a beer though!

So it would be great to be able to meet up with anyone who happens to be in Europe this summer.  Note - I do NOT believe in the running of the bulls so will not be partaking in any of those events.  So no point in visiting me during this time because I will be hiding.  Anyway, after I finish "working" on July 17th, I will be traveling around Europe until Aug. 5th.  Any suggestions of where to go?  I will definitely be visiting Stuttgart, GE b/c I have a friend who lives there.  I'm also thinking of visiting my cousins in Dundalk, Ireland.  I will definitely be visiting my relatives in Lyon, France.  But besides that, I'm not sure.  

I guess that's about it for what's been going on in my life.  I am submitting my application for the Navy JAG program in 3 weeks.  It's extremely competitive so I'm not really expecting to make it in.  Luckily I have another 2 years to keep applying.  What can I say, I really miss working with the military.  Thank you to all our service men and women for their service!  

Keep in touch everyone!  Happy summer!

Katie

Texys - my law school best friend :)

Law school prom!

Happy New Year!

Sorry for the lack of posts but I've been busy studying. Yuck! So starting at Thanksgiving until Dec. 15th, I literally studied every day from when I got up until I went to bed. It was weird studying that much. I didn't mind it too much although I did miss my shows. I took some breaks....I enjoyed some sweet potato suffle at Thanksgiving, went shooting at the Shi's farm a couple days later, and went to the gym a lot. I had 5 exams and they spanned 3 weeks....that is a lot of studying! Luckily though finals are over. I don't think I did well though. But nothing I can do about it now accept work harder next semester. I still have a few more days of freedom!

I have been enjoying my 3 weeks off from school though. I visited Davidson, NC a couple times. That city is beautiful! It is such a small town with only one main street and the school of Davidson is so small. I also got to visit a lot of farms around the area. I visited an ostrich farm and got a mating dance from one of the male ostrich's. That was hot! I also visited a farm that had lots of beehives and learned all about honey bees (very interesting!). I got to visit a pig farm that smelled awful! But the two owners gave me a gift of some pork loins and we cooked them that night and it was one of the best meals I've ever had! The next week we made some ostrich steaks that were pretty darn good too. Anyone ever had ostrich? Tastes like chicken! Haha, j/k...it tasted like steak.

I also got to bring home the new boy to meet the parents. It went pretty well. Now both sets of parents are meeting tomorrow and my dad is gonna do some shooting on their farm. Should be interesting.

My 10 year HS reunion was this past weekend. It would have been better if I hadn't had so much white wine. Oops. Also, none of my good friends were there except Sarah Williams (Jump) so we didn't have many people to talk to. It was nice to see everyone after 10 years though...they all pretty much looked the same. I can't wait for the next reunion in 10 more years!

My sister and I also ran a half marathon (13.1 miles) Thanksgiving morning. It was actually a lot of fun! The morning was freezing but it warmed up later on (yea, it was a long run). Two hours and 6 minutes later I crossed the finish line!

Oh, and also over the break I painted my bedroom bathroom in my condo. I have to say that it looks pretty good. Happy New Year everyone!

I'm a dork!

So, yesterday (friday) my parents attended my law classes with me. Yes, I am 28 years old and my parents came to class with me. I asked my friend why her parents weren't there and she said "well, I don't know, I feel like I'm too old to have my parents come to class with me." Well, it's a good thing that I have no shame! Not only did my parents come to class with me, but I gave my dad the assignments the night before so when class rolled around, he had all the cases printed out complete with highlights and comments. I guess I'm just lucky that my parents are so supportive of my law school education and are so interested. It was funny b/c my dad kept running into people he went to law school with back in the day. I guess it's a good thing that my dad is friends with the Dean but it's weird too. And did I mention that he had the same teacher that I currently have for Criminal Law? Quite strange. Luckily, like me, my dad was older when he attended school (he was 31 when he started) so at least I have that comfort. Although, he was dating my mom at the time so I guess I'm a little behind. Oh well.

I have realized that my house has turned into a hotel. When there is a UGA home game, chances are that I have guests. Last weekend for the "game that shall not be mentioned", I had 3 people crashing at my place. Next weekend for the TN game I know I have at least 3 people crashing again. I have to say that it's nice to have a place for people to use when they're in town. And of course I love seeing my old friends when they come to visit! And luckily my friends tend to be freaking cool.

So today (saturday), I spend most of the day studying. For first year law students, weekends are not times to relax and goof off. They are times to catch up on sleep and work. In fact, I didn't go out last night and I am not out tonight b/c honestly, I just don't have time to. I'm sure this is a hard adjustment for the law school students straight out of college to make...the not being able to party on the weekends. But honestly, I don't mind that much. I enjoy drinking a beer with my studying every now and then. I will say that it helps a lot that my roommate who is getting a PhD in Plant Biology has about as much work to do as I so she's up late studying on the weekends with me. Have I mentioned lately how cool my roommate is? She's pretty cool.

Well, it's late and it's about my bedtime (my usual bedtime these days is 2am). I miss all my DC friends so much! I hope you're doing well and I can't wait to see Austen, Julie, and John L next weekend for the TN game!






Kev and I (and his dad and his dad's friend) at the game.

My new friend Texys, Megan, and I at the...game that shall not be mentioned.