Law School Life

January 2021: I have a dream! by Hunter Schenewark

Too much has happened, and too much is staying in the sealed portion of my plates for now, making a full update impossible, soooo here are some pictures and captions:

I started the year off with covid. Thankfully, my symptoms weren't bad at all. I had a minor sore throat for two days and felt fatigued. And my nose burned in the most unnatural way. That word, unnatural, is the best way to explain this whole illness. (While I never had any respiratory issues, it has been unsettling trying to run since then, and struggling to get air. I haven't made it past 1 mile yet...) And those two days were wonderful, as I had the cutest nurse caring for me. She kept me well fed, attended to any request, and was so sympathetic.

(Personally, the worst part of covid was being in quarantine for days upon days, unable to go out anywhere. My first week of school I attended to via zoom and that was terrible. Plus, when I returned, I was relegated to sitting in the back of every classroom as the front seats were all taken.)

Finally out of quarantine, this is me with my partner Dallin Checketts. We teamed up for an advocacy competition for first-year law students. We had high hopes, and were disappointed to not bring home first place. We did learn lots, and I had a blast preparing and being in front of a "judge." Porter was one of our witnesses for the trial, and he stole the show, doing a remarkably fantastic job, and portraying an old Texas rancher astoundingly well.

Friday January 22nd: Dinner party with some law school friends. We had baked and breaded haddock that was mouthwatering. Maybe the best fish I've ever had.

Dinner was at 5, but the fun went past 11. I had never spent time with any of them outside of school, and it was incredible to see all of their talents. They played piano and sang for hours. Here, Sarah and Maren are doing a Les Mis duet with Cris at the piano. The three of them did an impromptu improvised show after dinner. They made up the words and music on the spot, and honestly, I think it could have been on Broadway. I was crying it was so amazing.

The inside of a birthday card for someone special. Delivered with giant, gooey chocolate chip cookies.

Friday January 29th: Game night with lots of food. Turnout was good, and we played games and talked until 1 a.m., when I politely thanked the last few remaining for the fun times, and remarked it was my bed time. Really fun night, and one that reminded me of what I term, "the miracle of Provo." Some of the people who showed up, I had never met before, and it is always inspiring to meet so many truly good people. I love that about living here. I meet people everyday who are service-oriented, and enjoy good, clean fun, and sincerely want to see others succeed. It's a remarkable place.

Other highlights from the month that was:

MLK Day: This is two celebrations in one. Kevin and Trevor introduced me to MLK day, "Most Loved Kid Day," in which parents call their favorite child. I left my phone on all day, but heard no ringing....maybe next year 

And for the actual MLK Day, Andrew, a friend at school shared how his wife and him go to Chick-fil-a every year as Martin Luther King was from Atlanta, and so is Chick-Fil-A. I immediately thought that was a fun tradition I could get behind, and so made this year one, ordering a couple sandwiches and sharing with Jules.

The Netflix show, "The Queen's Gambit" has brought chess more mainstream, and I've had more friends picking it up. The 19th, John Carlson was in town visiting and we had spaghetti and played a few games, and then I played with Lawson and Bryce at their house. Don't worry, I'm staying undefeated.

I had a wonderful conversation with Pres. Young.

Reigen, Kobe, Dillon, Aaron, Ethan and Porter came over for a chicken and gravy dinner. Everyone's chicken was done, except for Reigen's. For some reason, his was dripping blood. When I noticed that, I freaked out and told him to stop eating it, but he insisted on continuing. It was a tense night, as we waited to see how he'd fare, but his statement that he had a very strong stomach and had eaten plenty worse before was apparently true, as he had nary a problem.

In quarantine, I stayed grilled to the news as the Capitol was overrun. It felt like a true shift in the psyche of the nation.

I watched the inauguration of Pres. Biden.

I was called to serve as a Sunday School Teacher. Which is like a dream come true, and the Bishop loved how happy I was to accept.

My new deadlift record is 345.

Eating at Waffle Love, I had my first savory waffle, a delicious concoction of chicken sandwiched between two Belgians.

And getting kolaches was fun!

Mickala and Kyle came over for dinner. They are so much fun to be with. We had fajitas and next thing I know, I'm saying goodnight and buying flowers to gift.

I have had some especially memorable conversations with Mimi this month. I've shed lots of tears with her, and shared even more laughter. I am so blessed to have her as my grandmother. I love listening to her stories and bathing in her wisdom. The Bach's too, have lent a listening ear and helped and comforted me as I've struggled with much this year. I'm so, so grateful they are part of my life.

Genealogy - I went online and clipped obituaries from dearly beloved departed friends. Doing so, I learned lots of new things, like one former Sunday School teacher was a mother of the year in West Virginia, and hosted a locally broadcast cooking tv show. I appreciated remembering them, learning about more of their lives, but also wished I had a chance to talk to them again.

10 days after leaving quarantine, and nearly 3 weeks since any symptoms, I suddenly lost my sense of smell. I could still taste some things, especially fatty foods. However, I discovered my smell was gone as I severely burned my food while cooking. I never set timers and am so used to going by smell to know when something is done cooking. Thankfully one of my roommates was home, as I turned the stove on, went to my room, and didn't have a second thought until that roommate left his room due to the smoke that was starting to fill the house. I didn't smell a thing. Despite trying to be careful, for the week that my smell was gone, I burned a few additional dishes (not nearly as bad though).

Ingrid was born!!!!! January 17th, 2021. A day to remember.

I love this invitation and promise from Pres. Russell M. Nelson:

"Ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, how He feels about you and your mission here on earth. If you ask with real intent, over time the Spirit will whisper the life-changing truth to you. … I promise you that when you begin to catch even a glimpse of how your Heavenly Father sees you and what He is counting on you to do for Him, your life will never be the same!”