1098, You're Good to Me

Last night, I found out (from my younger sister, no less) that there was a magical form called a 1098 that details how much money you've spent on school, including tuition and loans and all of those depressing details that I usually decide to defer until tomorrow.  Apparently, when you include that form with your tax return, you can get a tax credit of up to like $2500.  Even though I'm in law school, I don't typically concern myself with extra details and, since my parents have a financial planner/accountant who takes care of the tax details, my personal taxes generally qualify as extra details.  That is, until I get a refund.

Tax refund time is one of the best times of the year and, I have to say, now that I am faced with the prospect of a much larger than expected refund, I am awfully excited about that.  There are a number of very uncomfortable and inconvenient things that I associate with my time in law school, but $2000 (or more) could certainly make things easier on me.  It would pay for my bar application (that's $775 right there), birthday presents for Andy and my sister, and frames for diplomas for both my undergrad (still sitting in the tube I got it in) and law school.  Not to mention a lot of puppy-related goodies.  I know it's a little silly, but I decided yesterday that Puppy absolutely HAS to have the stegosaurus shaped nylabone I found on Amazon.com. 

This has been a week full of good news.  Today, I turned in my application for graduation, including the name I wanted to have put on my diploma.  I also got an email from a lawyer at my favorite law firm back home actually congratulating me for how good my resume and cover letter to his firm were.  I also heard that I have an interview.

Andy's interview also went pretty well--he will know by Monday if he got the job.  If he did, I have to say, we will be much more well off than I thought I would be immediately after law school.  Andy also keeps saying that he plans to get married soon.  Within a year were his exact words.  I am praying for this job like I've never prayed for anything ever before.  I can't imagine anyone would be better suited to this job than he is--and he had some recommendations from some pretty awesome people in very high places, so I feel optimistic.  He says the interview went very well and that the interviewers even commented that they were impressed that he has had so much experience and is only 27.  What a relief.  I can't tell you how anxious I was yesterday waiting to hear from him about how it went.  I think that is probably one of the most difficult things--just waiting, knowing that there's nothing I can do, and whether it goes very good or very bad, I have absolutely no role whatsoever.  If I could have run a marathon and helped him, I totally would have--and at least I would have been actively doing something to help.  But instead, I just had to wait.  And wait.  And wait.  And now I have to wait some more.  Come on, Monday.  And bring some good news with you when you come. 

As if I needed one more thing to make me totally excited, one of my sorority sisters is having a baby and her baby shower is this coming weekend.  I will get to see her, my little, and my BFF all in one day--and I haven't seen them in months and months.  It really sucks how not being in the same city or at the same school means that it is virtually impossible to keep up with so many people, but it also does make the time when we do get to see each other about a million times more exciting.  Thank goodness Lohryn is having a baby!  It's hard to believe I'm at the age where my friends are having legitimate children.  I've been at the age where people I know have been having illegitimate children for years now--but legitimate ones are a different thing entirely.  Either way, though, a baby shower is super fun, and a baby shower full of people that I haven't seen in a pretty darn long time is even more exciting. 

I wish I could sing.  And dance.  Unfortunately, I have no talent for either.  But if I did, I'd set my life to music and dance to it down the street and through the hallways at the law school.  Totally not kidding.

Either way, it looks like a lot of fun!  I can't tell you how many times I wished that in real life people just burst into spontaneous song and dance.

Matches my mood today.  Maybe it's a spontaneous dance party kind of day.  It won't be choreographed and it won't be with an entire ensemble of other people, but it will still make me happy.  Sometimes I really feel like nothing makes me quite so happy as a musical. 

Yeah, today is definitely a dance party kind of day.  Hope you're enjoying your Thursday, too!