Highlights of 2009

A decade has ended, and I am actually quite okay with that. I am more excited to start a new chapter of my life, and what seems more appropriate than starting a new decade at the same time. A fresh start, and a clean slate sometimes is just what you need. I do get a little sentimental (no shock to those who know me) but rather than bore you with a recap of my entire life over the past decade, I'll just hit a few highlights from the past year, which has been a memorable one indeed.

JANUARY

January was Mr. Darcy's 5th birthday!!!! Oh wait!!! I mean 4th!!!
Unfortunately, a recent unexpected discovery was made. Last year's 5th birthday party bash for Mr. Darcy was really only his 4th. Surprisingly, or perhaps maybe not so surprisingly, I can't do math. Needless to say, we had a good laugh over it.



FEBRUARY

A final winter in Cincy....hopefully won't be having any more of these
anytime soon.


APRIL

Girls weekend in Chicago to do a little retail therapy and see Lily Allen!



I also kicked off the 30th birthday celebrations a little early with my first ever sky-dive jump. AMAZING!!!!!!!!! Talk about taking your breath away.



FOR SALE: Sadly, put my beloved house up on the market. Please, please, somebody buy.



May

Flying Pig Marathon
I completed my first ever half marathon!



I also celebrated new-found singledom as my divorce was FINALLY finalized!
A momentous year indeed.

Ended the month with a Memorial Day trip w/ the girls. We went back to M's roots in good ol' Newton, IL.
Small town America at it's finest!





JUNE

Turning the big 3-0
A surprise day trip to KY followed by a night on the town in Cincy with good friends.




JULY

The Korecki Klan reunite for 4th of July up at the lake to celebrate Grandpa's 80th birthday!



The big move west! After seven years in Cincy, it was to time to head back to
Arizona and make the 2500 mile trek back to the desert. Thanks to JAK and DJK
for helping me with my cross-country road trip adventure.



AUGUST

After arriving in Arizona, I enjoyed a much needed break from work
and concentrated on school. It was fantastic! After about a month though,
it was back to the grind. Gotta pay those bills.



OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

The RPR took up much time in these months. Passed the written,
will have to try again on the skills portions. Also, finally upgraded
my machine!!!



What a year. Much has changed, but I am blessed with wonderful friends, an amazing family,
and an exciting new profession to look forward to. I look forward to 2010 and all it holds.

"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction."
Winston Churchill

Try, Try again

I would first like to state that, unless they are the bearer of good news, I firmly believe test results should NEVER be delivered on Christmas Eve. You can probably see where I am going with this already. Yes, the long-awaited RPR test results arrived on all days, Christmas Eve. I had a pit in my stomach as soon as I saw that they were in the mail. I have been waiting for these results for the past two months, and by this point I honestly had no clue what to expect. I believe I already told you I was only waiting for the Jury and Lit results, as when I took the test, the QA was a total bust. Well, my Lit was a fail. They do not give you the exact score unless you are within 15 errors of the test pass, so I only know I failed. Perhaps I should twist that a little more positively. Let's just say it was not a pass. Anyway, the Jury results came back that I was 8 errors over the limit for a pass. Only 8 errors! Whenever you miss a test by just a few measly errors, it somehow seems painfully worse than if you had just totally botched the test all together. So attempt #1 of the RPR was only mildly successful as I did pass the written, but sadly no portion of the skills exam. I must now wait until May for my next opportunity to take the RPR. To say I was thoroughly disappointed would be a enormous understatement. I really thought I had the Jury, and I was desperately hoping that I would have at least passed a portion of the exam. So my tears have been shed, my Christmas Eve depression has passed, and I must remember that at least now I have my brand, spankin', new machine for the next time. I will just have to get myself in that motivated zone I need to be in, cut out all distractions, and work really hard to be prepared for the May round when I will try, try again.

Inspiration Needed

I presently find myself only a few short steps away from the doorway to my future, yet somehow I have again lost that much need motivation to keep going. (Why do I do always do this to myself?) I also find that the quickly approaching holidays are not helping this matter in the least. I have a history of being a bit too eager to check out for holiday break prematurely, and so is the case this year as well. I’m nearly done with the semester, one in which I was hoping would be my last, yet I find I am still in need of those last 225 QA test passes. Any fellow court reporting student can attest to the never-ending battle we face with motivation. I know that I MUST rally, but somehow I still am unable to find the will to do this. I am in desperate need of some inspiration.

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they are a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.
- Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Randomness

Disclaimer: No rhyme or reason to this post. Just thought I would post a couple recent pics I took that I especially liked. One I took at a recent PowWow. (Yes, I finally had some of that oh-so delicious Indian Fry Bread. Yummo!!! I think I had been craving that since Christmas.) The other is of D at Thanksgiving. Isn't he just so handsome?!

I'm a big kid now!!!!

My new machine was finally delivered, and I'm now the proud owner of my very own professional writer. I feel like such a big girl now.

RPR Update

After practicing much patience, the long awaited “skinny envelope in the mail” has arrived. I have been waiting over five weeks for this and alas it is here!!!! Thank goodness all that studying paid off. The results of my Written Knowledge Test for the RPR finally arrived and with good news. I passed!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!

Test Day...Part 2

Those who know me best know that I have been relatively preoccupied lately with the RPR, hence the lack of updates. However, last weekend Day 2 of the RPR test FINALLY arrived. This portion of the test was the skills portion, which consists of three timed tests on your machine followed by a timed transcription time for each test. The end result is to hopefully turn in three transcripts that are 95% accurate or better. The total amount of time for the test ends up being about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. I was feeling relatively calm, cool, and collected about it right up until the day of. I felt confident I had done just about all I could do to prepare for it. However, that all changed the morning of the test. I woke up and was suddenly plagued with nerves. I thought I might actually be sick due to my nerves. But I got myself together, loaded up all my equipment, quadruple checked all my needed supplies, and hit the road for Day 2.

When I arrived, the room that was offering all three legs was packed. There were about 25 people total in my room and I quietly found a space for myself and set up my machine, laptop, and printer and proceeded to warm up. I was starting to feel little calmer. I am soooo glad I practice a lot with my eyes closed. I simply closed my eyes, and it helped to shut out the nerves, all the other people around me, and the uncomfortableness of a new testing environment. I was starting to feel a little more upbeat about the test. When the test officially began, and the literary warm up started, I was dead on. I nailed it. I knew I could do this. After the warm up the literary portion started.....WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!! As soon as the first words of the test were spoken, my fingers immediately turned to jello and I noticed they were literally trembling. I was writing, but I was feeling like I was hitting a lot of extra keys because of my newly acquired jello fingers. After about a minute, I noticed...I"M NOT BREATHING!!! (You always forget those darn simple things.) I quickly pulled myself together, regained my focus, and the rest of the test was actually pretty good. The jury was way better. I feel pretty good about that as well. Thankfully, the jello fingers that had plagued me on the first test, were not nearly as bad. Lastly, the Q&A....well, let's just say, it was your typical Q&A. I hated it and I know it wasn't a pass. Although my Q&A was no doubt lacking, I am feeling pretty hopeful about the lit and jury. Hopefully the jello fingers didn't mess me up too much.

So now I wait...and wait....and wait for my test results. Six to eight weeks to be precise. All in all, I think my first RPR experience was pretty great. I choose to celebrate that fact that I have made it as far as I have, and that I'm even at the point where I am allowed to take the RPR. Pass or fail, cheers to me! (of course, I would much rather have some passing going on than failing.)

And the winner is.....(drumroll)

Yep! My new machine is officially on order. After prolonged indecisiveness and contemplation, I have FINALLY made a decision. I have parted with the $5,500 necessary to call this puppy my own, and now the writer is currently being built. I should have it in about three weeks. Sianara my little Stentura friend; this cookie is moving on up to a big girl's machine. Although I AM sad to say goodbye to my faithful SRT200, it's time to move on.

I write 225!

With the skills portion of the RPR just 17 days away, I have suddenly found myself plagued with anxiety and fear over my impending doom. The little voice inside my head is reminding me daily of unnecessary little facts that I would rather it not mention. Thoughts like, "You know you can't work without your RPR" or "So what if you graduate? If you don't have your certification, what good will it do you?" My personal favorite is "If you fail, you won't even be able to try again until May". So as you can see by the little voices in my head, I have come down with a nasty case of test nerves. I will admit, I have already shed a few tears; I have laid on the couch contemplating my future career, wondering if I am actually going to be able to do this. I have even been tempted to toss my machine out the window (of course anyone who has done court reporting knows that the desire to toss your machine out the window comes around just about as regularly as the 20% off coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond). But I can no longer crawl under the covers and pretend the RPR isn't just around the corner. I must buck up, get back on my machine and suck it up. No time to waste. Whether or not I pass or fail, I only have 17 more days to prepare for my fate. So, alas, I take the advice of my dear, sweet, yet slightly quirky instructor, and tape a post-it note to my desk that says, "I write 225!" Her unwavering belief in the power of positive thinking is constantly being hammered into our heads. If only I could learn to believe in myself ALL the time, not just every now and then. So today I detox myself (yet again) off all the negative thoughts that plague my mind. I will solemnly vow to discontinue use of words like can't, won't, and hopefully, as they will only initiate the the vicious cycle of negativity and self-doubt yet again. So as I practice, I will look at my post-it note. I will remind myself that I too can write 225! I will believe it, and I will do it on November 7!

Test Day...Part 1

7:00 am - Wake up and have a cup of joe pronto.


8:15 - Take my morning walk with Darcy.


8:29 - Darcy attempts to sniff a cactus. Thankfully, no needles wound up
stuck in his nose.


9:35 - Vegetarian Pita Sandwich, breakfast of test champions...okay so it was
also followed by a breakfast burrito around 10:30 (sorry not pictured). I can't help it...I'm a big eater.


11:17 - On my way to start the first leg of certification.
As a kid, I always held my breath and made a wish when driving through the tunnel. I don't think I'll do it today. Purely precautionary. Would hate to lose valuable brain cells on test day.


11:45 - Arrive at the testing location. All my belongings were promptly confiscated, I had a mugshot taken of me (yes, quite possibly the worst photo ever), as well as a palm scan completed. Hello! I thought I was just taking a test. Really, do we need a blood sample and a strand of hair too?

1:49 - RPR Written test completed. Now to wait 3 to 4 weeks for my official results. Fingers crossed! On to preparing for the skills portion in a few weeks, so stay tuned for Test Day Part 2.

Only six days left until the RPR Written exam. Study. Study. Study.

Hello to my sassy, I just passed SH230 shoes!!!!

Success

Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

I am celebrating the end of yet another semester. What, you ask, is so different about this one? Well, let me tell you. I find myself at the very point I have so longed to be at. Finally, success and the future is on the horizon. My goal for the end of this semester was to pass my exit level speed tests for both Lit and Jury. My reward to self was going to be a new pair of deliciously sassy shoes. After all, what makes you feel more fantastic than a great pair of shoes. Anyone in court reporting knows the only way to reach success is by completely failing tests time and time again, until that one magical moment comes along when it all of the sudden it just clicks. It is as if your mind and your fingers suddenly decide to cooperate with one another, and the result is pure magic...I mean a test pass. I am happy to report that this semester I successfully reached my goal and them some. Hence, celebrating must commence. In addition to these test passes, I also (completely out of the blue) passed all my 200 QAs, as well. I was completely shocked and obviously ecstatic about this accomplishment. So I find myself at the end of this semester officially at 225. I am also officially registered and preparing for the upcoming RPR in October and November, and the only things standing in my way of graduation are passing my 225s, finishing my internship hours, and one more academic class. Let the shoe shopping begin!

ACRA Conference

The Arizona Court Reporters Association held their annual conference in Tucson, AZ over the weekend and so I decided to drive to Tucson and participate. After all, what better way to spend my Saturday than with a room full of perfectionistic, Type A personalities. It was fantastic! I woke up bright and early and hit the road around 6 am. I totally forgot how much I loved the drive between Phoenix and Tucson. (Okay, to be honest, I never remember finding it that exciting. However, for some reason, this time I totally enjoyed it.) I am certain it is due to my long, 7 year absence from my beloved desert.


A picture of Picacho Peak which is about half way between Phoenix and Tucson.

I arrived right on time at the Hilton El Conquistador which was where the conference was being held.
It was nice...your typical desert-oasis type resort surrounded by mountains. (Sorry no pics.) The conference was fantastic and I learned some helpful things, made some excellent contacts, and was able to check out some of the latest writers. I was hoping that by checking out the machines in person, I would be able to narrow down my search, and finally be able to make a decision on which one I want to purchase. Some things never change though....I still can't decide. I think I have narrowed it a bit, so I'm making progress. All-in-all, it was a great way to spend my weekend. I've just been completely exhausted ever since. And now to start another week....

My Martha Stewart Moment

Thanks to a poor memory, I have no recollection of how I discovered my new found love for strawberry cake. I highly suspect a baby or bridal shower may have been involved, but there is no way to be sure. Although I am uncertain how this sudden passion for strawberry cake developed, the only thing I am certain of is that I have been craving a piece of moist, creamy, strawberry goodness ever since. This morning, out of the blue, I came across a recipe for Strawberry Pie, and although it wasn't quite strawberry cake, I was unable to resist the temptation any further. I immediately ordered my ingredients (yes, one of the advantages of living with the parents) and gave in to my persistent cravings and created a little taste of strawberry delight. I would, however, ask you to ignore the fact that I spent my Saturday evening in a kitchen. That fact alone has suddenly made me feel aged enough to be living in a retirement community. So I will push that notion right out of my head and remind myself that I too deserve to have a Martha Stewart moment, even if it is at the expense of a Saturday evening out. So without further adieu, I give you my deliciously, tasty, mouthwatering good, homemade Strawberry Pie...

It's about time!

FINALLY, after being forced to practice much more patience that I feel is really necessary, I received the official results of my 180 Literary test that I was feeling quite confident about. I received a solid 97.2% and I am thrilled to have passed the first of my exit-level Lits. I now have four more weeks before the semester ends to pass a second Lit. WHEN I do (yes, that's right, only positive words allowed) I will have reached my goal for the semester of passing all my exit-level speeds test for both Jury and Lit, as well as my mentor tests. I'm so excited! Only those dreaded Q&As will remain.

I also just registered for my final academic course for next semester! The end is FINALLY starting to feel like it is just around the corner. It's about time!

Update

I am feeling rather uninspired, so here is a brief, yet random rundown of my very unexciting life:

Temperature: Still hot!
Mood: Adjusting, but optimistic
Health: Experiencing surprising relief from all those darn sinus headaches. I knew there was way too much mold in Cincy.
Job: Still unemployed (but then again, I really haven't put ANY effort into that either)
Internship: 20 hours down, 40 to go
Test Pass - Had a "close, but not quite" 180 Lit. with a 94.4%. Seriously?! Waiting...Yes still waiting to hear on another. Patience is not my virtue.
Bank account: dwindling
Shoe Shopping: On hold as a result of the previous.
House: Unsold (boo!)
Mr. Darcy: Casually employed...see below.


Whenever D feels up to it, he goes to work at my mom's office.


Sniffing for treats in the kitchen (one of his main responsibilities)


Charlie, one of D's co-workers.


D doesn't think this work thing is so bad. Now if only he got a paycheck!

Back at it.

I have been settling in and adjusting back to life in Arizona and now I find it time to get back into a routine and start focusing back on the things that matter most: money and school. Okay, so I'm still delaying the money thing, just a little longer, but only in hopes to get some internship hours out of the way first. I met with an owner of a court reporting firm here in Phoenix for about an hour and a half yesterday, which was fantastic, and I will start shadowing with that firm next week. I also went back to the federal courthouse today. My experience today was quite interesting. The first part of my day was shadowing a reporter who had an Evidentiary Hearing for a high profile case here in Phoenix. They even had extra security beyond the routine security to enter the courthouse. There were additional security guards and another metal detector just outside the actual courtroom. They also had a sketch artist in the courtroom, as there is no photography allowed in federal court. Hmm...who knew I was going to make my sketching debut?! The hearing was in regards to a bombing here in Scottsdale back in 2004. The man accused of being responsible is tied to a white supremacy group. The victim was present to speak to the judge and the purpose of the hearing was to hopefully overturn a decision by a magistrate in Illinois to release the defendant on a cash bond. The trial is scheduled for the fall. I have attached a link for a local article on the hearing today.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/homepagetopstory/stories/phoenix-scottsdale-news-081109-bombing-suspect.ccf720d4.

The other hearing I went to was a complete nightmare. It was a Final Pretrial Conference with eight attorneys present. The case was quite contested and heated, and the material was thick and difficult. There were four companies being represented and trying to keep all my speaker designations straight and trying to write all the thick terminology was quite difficult. The reporter warned me it would be difficult, as the case itself was quite involved. I was completely spent by the end. Both hearings were non-stop writing and to say the day kicked my butt would be an understatement. Tomorrow I will return to the courthouse and continue on with the copyright case. It will be going to trial, so I will be sitting in on the Jury selection and opening statements. I'm hoping it won't be quite as intense as today.

Road Trip: Day 7: Home Sweet Home

Alas, 2,000 miles later I finally made it to Arizona! The desert welcomed me with 113 degree weather and it was roasty toasty indeed. Not exactly ideal moving in weather. It does feel good to be home though, and it especially feels good to be done with all that driving. Now I am just busy getting settled in and attempting to adjust to the summer heat. (Note to self: NEVER moving in July again! Thought I was going to die of heat stroke on my first day back.)

Road Trip: Day 6

We hit the road again this morning for another long day of driving.

Driving through Denver.

More Colorado scenery.

I FINALLY got another state sign. I was only able to get one other state sign. I always seemed to miss the signs for some reason.

We passed through Santa Fe. I had to stop and take a pic for my pal, Greg. He is always joking he is going to retire in Santa Fe, so I couldn't resist sending him a pic.

D rode in the truck for the first time today, and loved it. He enjoyed seeing all the sights along the way.

Another New Mexico pic.

I am happy to say, tomorrow we cross the border into Arizona! I can't wait to be home and done with all this driving. I am not sure I am prepared for the heat though. We shall see.

Road Trip: Day 5 Colorado

We drove up to the Rocky Mountain State Park for the day.

The drive was gorgeous. We did a little hiking as well, but it started to rain and we got soaking wet.

The views were so beautiful, even with all the gloomy weather.

Aww...sibling love.



On our way back from the mountains we stopped along the road at the Colorado Cherry Company. Road trips are great because you always stumble upon the most random and unlikely things to do.

We sampled all things cherry and purchased a jug of cherry cider.

Sitting outside the shop with our jug of cider. I felt like a regular mountain person. lol.


Later in the evening we went to the sculpture park with the dogs.

A sculpture entitled "Fiesta."

Me and the pups in front of the William Shakespeare sculpture.

See, I'm still a kid at heart.

The weekend was busy but fun, and it is hard to believe that tomorrow we have to hit the road again. I am not looking forward to more driving. I think I may be getting too old for this cross country stuff, but either way I have 1232 miles down, 910 miles to go.