I'm back and thought I'd post an update.

I can't say just how much being around my Mom for these past few days has helped. Just being around her is enough to cheer me up and make me feel happy.

Sunday we headed out to Madison and checked into the hotel. We had a suite at the Best Western that's right across the street from the capitol. We could see the capitol (it's gorgeous when it's all lit up at night) from our hotel room window. We ordered up room service for dinner and let Gabriel be his usual spazzy self and run all over the hotel room. His new obsession is bottle caps and whenever any of us opened any sort of bottle he would ask for the cap. If he didn't get it, he'd have a tantrum. *sigh* After the room service we watched some TV and went to bed early.

At one point, he was so damn cute. My Mom was hanging up her garment bag and Gabriel kept trying to play with it. She told him that it needed to go into the wardrobe and so he asked "why bye-bye?" and she told him that she wasn't going to wear it until tomorrow. He said "oh" and jumped away.

He also insisted on playing with his bottle caps all night long and wouldn't even let go of them for his bath time. That's one persistant Poopchuck.

During the night Gabriel peed through into the hotel crib and so we changed him and let him sleep the rest of the night with us.

The next morning we got up super early (5am ugh) to get ready and head over to the capitol. We got there a little before 7:30 (which was the start of the check in time) but weren't even let into the building until close to 8am. My shoes were violently uncomfortable and by the end of the day I had some nasty blisters on my feet.

We headed in and I checked in and was given my number. Mom, Rob, and Gabriel headed to the visitor area and I waited around to be lined up with the others. Eventually we were all lined up and brought into the state Supreme Court.

As a side note, I noticed something really cool. There's a giant badger statue (of a badger crawling out of a hold) over the doors to the state Supreme Court.

The swearing in ceremony itself was very cool. The oath was really long (a lot longer than the California one) and we listened to various justices and members who work for the state bar give speeches. The only thing I didn't like about it was the seating arrangements. They had us crammed in together like sardines. I had to fold my body in on itself so I wasn't sprawled onto the people sitting next to me. I think they expected us to be about 90 pounds or something because there was no room and the seats weren't made for larger people. I kept thinking that mine was about to give way at any moment. Even with the uncomfortable seating, it was so worth it.

There was a reception being held at a convention center that was quite a walk away (not fun in uncomfortable shoes) and it was mandatory. My Mom and Gabriel headed back to the hotel and Rob and I headed over there. The reason it was mandatory was because we needed to pay our bar dues and turn in a form, pick up our licenses, and sign the roll of attorneys. I don't know why they couldn't have done that at the capitol. We went over there, I did what I needed to do, and then we got the hell out of there. I'm not one for social events and I really didn't feel like sticking around with a bunch of people I don't know.

It was so crowded at the convention center because there was a Barak Obama campaign thing (with him there) going on at the same time as our reception. I noticed that the majority of Obama supporters there were white girls.

After doing what I needed to do, Rob and I ducked out of the reception and headed back to the hotel to meet back up with my Mom and Gabriel. Right when I walked into the hotel lobby I took my damn shoes off. When I got back to the room to change I noticed blisters forming on my feet. Yuck. They're still there today and hurt like hell.

After changing clothes we hung out in the hotel room for a bit and then checked out and headed back home.

Once we got home my Mom headed to visit my Nana and I took a nap. I was exhausted and didn't sleep well at the hotel.

Later on my Mom came back over and we all headed out to get some dinner to bring back home with us. We spent the rest of the night around the house and watched Heroes. Eventually we all passed out, completely exhausted.

This morning we all slept in. Even Gabriel. My Mom headed over to see my Nana before heading back to her place. Rob, Gabriel, and I just chilled out around the house during the day and only left the house for a foodage run. We did some gaming tonight.

Eleanor's memorial service is on Thursday. My Dad is getting worried because he still hasn't gotten her cremated remains back yet. I don't think I'll be on here Thursday. I don't know if I'll be in any condition to do anything on the computer that day.

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Your Karaoke Theme Song is "I'm Too Sexy"

You're a total goof ball and a bit of a nut job. You don't take yourself seriously at all. And while you may not be the greatest singer, you're the first to volunteer for karaoke. You have a wild and unpredictable sense of humor that always gets people cracking up. Irreverent and rebellious, your humor knows no bounds or limits. You enjoy shocking people. You might also sing: "Like a Virgin," "Ice Ice Baby," and "Hey Ya!" Stay away from people who sing: "Sweet Home Alabama"

What's Your Karaoke Theme Song?