lately: installment 2

So, just a small wee thing happened recently--I graduated from law school (also known as law schi-zool).

I am a law school graduate!

(Here I am, being a law school graduate.)

Wow! I woke up the morning of graduation and just sat there like, "Wait, it ends? It's over? I am done? Did I really do that?" It was like I expected sometime along the path to be told I hadn't made it, nice try, but this just isn't working out. But, it's done! Fine! Over! Done! I am grateful and happy. I had a total happiness breakdown before graduation. I was so glad to be done and I was so grateful for everyone who helped me along the way. Especially Mark.

(Mark gets so embarrassed about these kinds of pictures, but he happens to be out of the country right now and I am totally putting this picture up! Ow ow!)

This last year with Mark was so fabulous. We were able to go to school every day. We would have make our lunches for the day, eat oatmeal every morning, sing and dance in the car on the way to school, study at our neighboring carrels, leave each other notes, eat free pizza and J-Dawgs at law school events together (and suffer the subsequent stomach aches), participate in 5th grade mentoring together, and feel all the wonderful stresses that come with law school. My classmates would tell me how much they liked Mark and I was so proud of him.

This is me taking all of our bags to school (lunches, dinners, workout clothes, backpacks). Mark would help carry them too but I thought it'd be funny to show the enormous amount of bags we would lug to school each day.

Barrister's Ball photo shoot - so "profesh"

As I reflect on my experience in law school, it is hard to do a "law school in review" because it is pretty lengthy and there are lots of ups and downs. I'll just say this: I learned a lot about myself. It felt a lot like my mission in a way because it threw me into a challenging situation that exposed me to a lot of my weaknesses. But I feel like I have been given a broader perspective on life. I have an improved vocabulary. I better understand how the legal system works. I have a new respect for the law and the people who work in it, and although I cannot say even at this point that the study of the law is what gets me up in the morning, I have learned to enjoy studying the law. I have tools that will help me increase my literacy in the law and help me use it to better the world around me.

I made some of my greatest friends in law school.

Law School Familia - Emily, Christy, and Brad

I was astounded by the amazing people I went to law school with. Not only were they in law school and you assume they all have done well up to this point in life, but you learn all sorts of specifics about these people. For example, some have five kids, some (well one person I know) are "tight" with President Reagan's best friend, some are incredible musicians and artists, some speak three languages, some are nurses, engineers, chemists, authors. Holy cow, my classmates are awesome.

Graduation was so great.

I got to sit up front on the podium because I was leading the choir and the music. (The choir sang, "Choose Something Like a Star," which is an awesome song and they did great.) As I was sitting there, I got to see each of my classmates come up and get hooded. It was so cool to see each of those people who I had been with the first day of orientation and feel like we've traveled a great journey together. I wasn't sure about going to BYU Law School until the first day of orientation, I was sitting in the moot court room, and I felt like I was with good people and in the place I needed to be. At the end of convocation, I led the congregation in "America, the Beautiful." What a great hymn. I was feeling very patriotic and was convinced I had the best job that day in leading everyone in singing, "Thy liberty in law." A great moment.

I am so grateful I was able to go to BYU.

I was able to do some really meaningful things. I helped with 5th Grade Mentoring and helped write a chapter about it for publication; I started the Immigration Law Forum and we hosted some killer events/debates; I helped with the Law School Recital for 3 years and had a wonderful time; I competed with the Vis Moot Court team in San Diego and Hong Kong and learned A LOT about oral advocacy; I was an editor on Law Review and read a ton of citations over the past couple of years.


I went to school with my best friend, Mark, and loved to share the experience with him; and I made good friends with others. Throughout law school, I lived with my bestest friends in the world for the first two years and my best friend in the world my third year.

Here are my dear, dear friends Cath, Eve, and Linds.
Love these girls. We all shared our grad schools years as roomies.

My current roommate.
(This is the night we got engaged and I just found this picture! Happiness!)

I went on internships to Salt Lake and Phoenix, got engaged, planned a wedding, got married, performed in Martha Graham's Panorama in the De Jong Concert Hall, played piano for ballet classes, went on camping and hiking adventures, and was a member of Kinnect dance group.

I owned a scooter, learned accounting (accounting for lawyers was a great class), helped with religious freedom symposiums and family symposiums, had some amazing bishops at BYU, lived by the Provo temple, and enjoyed various BYU moments (the library, the plays and shows, the Cougareat, fall in Provo). Pretty sure I can't name all of the events of these three years, but many great experiences and I'm sure I'm leaving things out.

I found things that I loved about the law--understanding how I could help people, knowing the social problems that need to be addressed in our families, schools, and communities, and feeling the power to solve these problem and make a difference.


All in all, it has been a great three years. I accomplished something that I didn't really know I could do. And, I didn't really do it--on my own, that is. So many helped me on my way. The Lord is the One who has graced me with this opportunity and this success.

Thanks for the support, my friends. This blog's representation of my time in law school is evidenced by the lack of entries during the last three years. But, I plan to post more often and I plan to become something great. So, stay tuned.

lately: installment 1

My computer has been staring at me all day saying, "open me and update your blog." So, here I am! The long, lost Jana B. (now E.) has come back to blogland. I have missed so much! I am seeing all sorts of great posts on people's blogs and then see my half-finished post from my New York trip with Mark last year... hahaha! Okay, so bear with me as I try to put into words thoughts that have been piling up for the last little while.

First and most important thing in the last while/year/years of my life:
Mark Eliason

He is my favorite person in the whole world and my better half.
Happy 1 Year Anniversary, Darling. I love you.

Mark and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago. One year! It's hard to believe and frankly hard to write this because the day of our anniversary was the day I dropped Mark off at the airport. But, the few days before we were in Park City having a great time spending time together. Of course, we forgot to take pictures (classic us) because we always just have so much fun we forget to record all of the adventures we are having! So, my blog friends, we will remedy that ASAP so we can have an honorable showing on this blog here.

Mark will be in Uganda for two months - without me! So, talking about Mark is hard because I miss him so! I was going to go with Mark to Africa originally, but in January I got a job and the mandatory weeks of training overlapped with Mark's trip. But, he is doing well and learning a lot of good things. He is working for a non-profit called International Children's Legal Aid. He and his crew write wills for AIDS victims to ensure that the surviving spouses and children get the property. It's a great service.

A year of marriage. I wish I could explain how great the past year has been.


Mark is incredible. He has been a rock-solid friend and companion. We have laughed and played and worked and studied and cooked and hosted parties and traveled and camped and taken law school finals and spent time with family and it has all been a grand adventure with Mark. I am so grateful for his perspective on things. I am grateful for the balance he brings to my life. I admire his discipline and his work ethic. He is sweet and thoughtful and he always treats me with respect. And, he treats others with respect too. That is important. He is just an amazing guy. He is so dedicated to doing the right thing and staying close to God. I love him. He is the best. He rocks. Literally.