(Because Papersky did it and it seemed like a good idea, especially with my memory like a whatchamacallit.)
January: Rang in the New Year with friends in a rented house in the D.C. area. Came back to exams (Tax, Criminal Procedure, and Convicting the Innocent (not a how-to)), then went off to spend break with the family and Chad, separately. Classes started up again: for my last semester, I took Property; Wills, Trusts, and Estates; Sexuality, Gender, and the Law; and Bioethics and the Law. Also, I was still working on two law journals and doing the long-distance relationship thing: it would be a busy semester.
February: Finished the second long paper required for graduation, from my fourth class of the prior semester (The Criminal Jury); this would eventually be accepted for publication in a law journal (the issue is coming out this month). Went to and enjoyed Boskone; this time I went to more readings than panels, which worked well for me.
March: Spring break. Still didn't get picked for jury duty. Went to a pre-martial instruction meeting with the priest who was planning to do the wedding ceremony, and managed not to strangle him.
April: Two bridal showers, both of which were quite nice, exceeding my expectations considerably.
May: Wedding preparation and exam preparation went into high gear at exactly the same time, which was inconvenient. Got my first speeding ticket on the trip home to get a wedding license. Mid-month, went to a friend's wedding in Kentucky. Graduated on Memorial Day, cleverly falling down the stairs while leaving the dorm.
June: Got married (yay!). Started bar review immediately thereafter (boo). Got a job (yay!).
July: Kept studying for the bar. My stress levels were not helped by the fact that it was extremely hot in Schenectady and our apartment was not air-conditioned, but with lots of orange sherbet, a weekend escape to Chad's parents, another weekend escape to Six Flags for roller coasters, and a ceiling fan in the living room, I survived. Went to another friend's wedding and saw a lot of people I used to work with in D.C. Took the bar at the very end of the month.
August: Went to Massachusetts almost immediately thereafter for a relative's surgery (which went well). Came back and moved apartments. Went to Montreal at the end of the month for a belated mini-honeymoon. The first several hours were terrible, the rest was lovely. Spent a couple days with papersky,
rysmiel, and Zorinth while we were there.
September: Started work, and enjoyed it right away. At the end of the month, went to a trial of my boss's in Utica, just to watch and help with documents. (We won.)
October: Signed a contract to buy a house.
November: Down to New York City to have lunch with the boss, along with a number of other Honors Program hires. Split Thanksgiving between our families; my folks were going to come out to Chad's parents, but health problems interfered.
December: Vegas with friends. First court appearance, an oral argument in an Article 78 proceeding. Closed on the house. Discovered that spackling appears to be a never-ending process. Split the holidays again; the tradition of throwing oyster crackers at each other at Christmas Eve dinner appears to be at an end, not that I blame Chad's aunt and uncle for not wanting to vacuum up the crumbs. Watched a heck of a lot of snow come down Christmas Day. Quiet New Year's at home, breaking the D.C.-area tradition.
Overall: It was a good year, but I'd like 2003 to be less busy, please.