Mom, Dad, Weed Head Harry, Coconut Joe and Ed

WOOHOO!!!!!! Finally done with school, time to celebrate.

Well, it has been a long couple of weeks. We spent one morning just getting the leaves out of the backyard. I had no idea we would actually end up with so many leaves. Of course, after the high winds on Sunday, you could not even tell that we had raked the yard! Justice graduated from Obedience School on November 7th. He did a great job and has quite a few commands that he knows, and sometimes listens to. School is very busy. I had part one of my 2nd trial this morning. It went very well. I am also attending a Michigan Essay Workshop that is going over subjects for the Essay portion of the Bar Exam. That was 9-5 Wednesday, 9-4 Today and 9-3 tomorrow. I feel like my brain is in overdrive because after the trial this morning, the essay workshop the rest of the day, I had to still go to class until 6pm tonight. I am planning on an early bedtime. Take care and we will see everyone soon.

The pile of leaves from the front yard

Graduation Night - too much partying!!

Let's play "Find Justice"

My new pillow

It has been awhile since we have updated - sorry. As usual, it has been very hectic around here. I just finished one trial on Thursday, and have another next Thursday. One of my classes is based on three trials for the term. We only have one week between 1 and 2, so this weekend is pretty much gone. Ed and I tried to clear the yard of leaves yesterday - that was a chore. I have never seen so many leaves in one spot. Justice had a BLAST playing in the big piles of leaves. Pictures will follow soon. Justice is graduating from Obedience School this Monday night!! He has done really well, and I plan on taking pictures of the last night. Sad news to report. We have had a death in our family. Great Aunt Marie, Grandma Meinema's younger sister, passed away on Thursday night. The funeral is scheduled for Friday, November 11th at 11:00-am. We are looking forward to the holidays. Just five more weeks, and we will be in the Bahamas!!!! Ed and I are definitely going to need the time to wind down before I start studying for the bar. It will be our one chance to spend some time together before I am locked in the office until February 21st and 22nd. Later days, Stacy

WOOHOOO!!!! The office is finally ready for to move into. It took Ed a lot of time and a lot of hard work, but he finally did it. We just bought a light fixture to install, as there is no light in the room. The floors look amazing - I am so proud of the work Ed did to make my office look this beautiful. We want to say "Happy Halloween" to everyone. Hope that all is going well. Our hearts are with those affected by Hurricane Wilma. Love to all!!

Happy Halloween!

After - Stacy's workcenter

During the rehab

Before empty

Well, Justice had another vet appointment this week. At 4 months and 1 week old, he is at a hefty 46.7 pounds!!! The little puppy is not so little anymore. However, he loves to play like he is still a puppy. Enjoy the new pictures. School is winding down. We are in week 7 and I am done week 14. I cannot wait to be finished. Graduation has been changed from Saturday, January 21, 2006 at 3pm to Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 1pm due to the size of our graduating class. We have sad news - Erin, the lovely girl who made our wedding cake - passed away Saturday in a motorcycle accident while on a color tour in Traverse City. She was the niece of my best friend Kimmer, whom I have known for 18 years. We will all be affected by her death in more ways than we can see at this time. She was a vibrant and compassionate young lady.

I love piles of leaves!

Playing with my leaf friends

Sorry - we have gotten a few complaints because we have not updated recently. Ed is still working hard, while the weather is still nice. I am still at school seven days a week, work 4 afternoons a week and we have Justice in Obedience School every Monday night. I am participating in a National Trial Competition, as a witness, this weekend. Once this is over with, I will only be at school 3 days a week!!!!!!!!!! It will be nice to get part of my life back. Justice is 4 months old now, and still growing like a weed. He has his next vet appt on the 17th where he will get his last distemper shot, his first rabies shot and we will make an appt to have surgery to avoid little puppies showing up. We purchased and installed an electric/invisible fence last weekend. It took us five hours to dig the trench and bury the cable, but it is so worth it to not have him running off everytime he is outside. He has already learned that the flags are the outer limits or he gets a little shock. His collar beeps and vibrates first and if he crosses the line, he will then get the shock. The literature says that it is nothing more than if you were shocked by your television. Oh, I made the Dean's List for the 2nd term in a row!! Now some sad news, our brother-in-law, Dave, got some bad news. It looks like his mom may have pancreatic cancer. It is a disease that moves very quickly. Please keep Dave, and the rest of the Kurts, in you prayers.

Newman & Sadie

15 Weeks

Oops, Fell behind again

Vicky and Andrea came up for a visit last weekend with their new dog, Mel. She is a beautiful, large dog. They got her from a rescue, and she is part American Pit Bull. We had a lot of fun while they were here. The girls did some shopping while Ed worked and then we met up with Mom and Dad Lebbon for a leisurely dinner. It was the most fun that I have had in awhile. It was nice to not have to worry about school for a couple of days. Then on Sunday, they left and Amanda & Barb came over to BBQ and watch some football. Obedience school is going well. Justice is always distracted at the beginning of class because of the puppies, but he starts to pay attention and learns something. I work with him in class, and then both of us work with him during the week. He went to his 3rd vet appointment today and...wait for it....he has gained 11.2 pounds!! Our "little" puppy now weighs 36.6 pounds. We think he will be about 90 pounds when full grown. Enjoy the pictures.

13 Weeks

Justice & Mel

Are you looking at me?

12 Weeks Old

Well, Justice is now 12 Weeks old, and growing every day. We started obedience school last night. I think he enjoyed it. He was so excited to be around other puppies. He is not used to that, and it was quite difficult to calm him down. Will the school work? Only time will tell.

Way to go STEELERS!!!! Game 1 was in the win column. Undefeated season??? Ed missed the last quarter since he fell asleep. However, by then, the game was a win. The newest member, Parker, did a great job in his debut. Well, I am getting ready to head to school for yet another practice.

Our little Avery

Classes started this week. It is going to be a very busy semester, but it is the last one!! We have sad news to deliver. Avery, our gray & white hamster, passed away yesterday. We buried her in the backyard last night. We bought Avery and Wiskars soon after we got married. We are sad and will miss her.

Cutest Couple

Who wants another?

My pillow

Go Blue!

Well, Justice managed to gain 10.2 pounds in 3 weeks and is up to 25.4 pounds. The vet said that if he continues to grow at this rate, he will be between 80 and 90 pounds when full grown! Ed has already turned Justice into a Michigan fan, as evidenced by the pic below. Also, as you can see, Justice loves to take his naps on the couch. Pretty soon, there will be room for no one but him. We went to Cathie Kurt's Surprise 35th Birthday party on Saturday. We had a fabulous time and met some really great people. Thank you to Bob Ray and Ann for hosting the bash at their beautiful home. We rode down with mom and dad - that is an experience in itself. Just kidding. I got to witness mom doing shots of tequila at the bar with all the fellas. That was an eye opener! Ed enjoyed himself and decided that little drink umbrellas made a great accessory to his outfit. Check out the pic below.

Hello

Time for another update! Justice is now 10 weeks old and he will have his 2nd vet appointment tomorrow at 10am. The office is getting closer to being done. I am looking forward to the finished product. Classes start next week. I am in class, at practice or at work seven days a week. I will apologize now for not responding to emails or answering the phone or not showing up at events. Please know that I feel terrible, but also be aware that the end is near. Graduation is January 21, 2006 at 3pm!!!!! I will take the bar exam February 21st and 22nd and then I will be working - HOPEFULLY! Ed is working six days a week. He has been everywhere - Flint, Saginaw, Dansville, Portland and here in Lansing. They are staying very busy, which is good. The weather has been very cooperative for work, but not so much for our lawn. We need rain and are not expecting any until some time next week. All we got from Katrina was high winds. Speaking of Katrina, let us all remember to pray for the health and safety of all of those affected. If there is any way for you to help out, please do so. The images on the television are heart wrenching, and I just saw that New Orleans is going to pretty much disappear by the end of the day. They are evacuating the rest of the residents and are saying that they will not be able to return for at least 4 months. I am thankful that our friends and family are not directly affected - that I am aware of. Take care of yourself and eachother.

Look closely

10 Weeks Old and Jumping on Everything!

Just look at that face.

A Late Post

Well, this post took a little too long to get up there. We went to the Game 3 of the NBA Finals - Spurs v Detroit! And there was victory, of course! The crowd was out of control and so LOUD!!!! I could not believe it - it was my first NBA game ever, and it was amazing. I loved the thunder sticks and so had to have them in our picture - even took them home so I can put one in our scrap book. Ed bought the tickets on e-bay that afternoon. I was in Ann Arbor, preparing for a jury trial when Ed called me up and told me what he had done. Luckily, the guy selling the tickets lived in Ann Arbor and was willing to meet me at the courthouse before my trial. Once again, a spur of the moment idea from Ed turned into a phenomenal experience!! Also included in the pics below, is one that I took when I was in Miami. A little odd, but I really enjoy the way this pic turned out. I went to Miami with Cathy, and we met up with Laura. It was a great girl's weekend, and I really needed it after finals. This was in April, so the timing, and the weather, were perfect. We went to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe and at Bubba Gump's. Both restaurants are in the same area - an outdoor mall. There was a guy with big beautiful birds who would take your pic with the birds. I just took a pic of the birds by themselves. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Sorry it took so long to get them up for all of you to see.

Me in South Beach, Miami

The boys in action!

The Crowd went Wild for Victory

Our usual game day pose

Is there really anything to say?

Could the rainbow be an omen?

Busy Weekend

Well - I finally went to a professional football game. It was just pre-season, but it was pretty great. We went to see the Cleveland Browns play the Detroit Lions on Saturday. We had a blast!! Cleveland WON!! Braylon Edwards, who used to play for U of M, made a tremendous and GAME WINNING touchdown. We went nuts. We went to the game with a couple of friends, Mike and Amanda. Amanda's dad is an Assistant Defense Coach with the Browns. Today, Sunday, we are finally getting some more work done on the house. The office is our primary target, since school is starting in two weeks. I need to be able to have somewhere I can go without Justice jumping on my lap. Ed had to sand the ceiling and prime it. I am going to do the edges with primer and then we are painting the office. Once Ed paints the walls and the ceiling, I will paint the trim and the built in drawers and then attach the new hardware to the drawers and the closet door. AND THEN, I will finish sanding the floors so we can finish them this week, maybe even tonite. I cannot wait to finally have this office done. It is going to look amazing. I included another pic of Justice. He is another week old and growing like a weed. He now takes up an entire couch cushion and his legs are getting really long. I am hoping to get a picture of him standing up so that you are able to see his growth. I will also have a pic of me holding him so that we can all monitor his growth spurt.

Coach Trott - Amanda's Daddy

FINALLY - Priming the Ceiling

Ed Sanding the Office Ceiling

Stacy & Ed - Game Over

Mike, Ed & Amanda - Corner Lounge

9 Weeks Old and Growing

New Pics

I am trying to keep it updated, so here are some more pictures. We took Justice to his first vet appointment on Monday. She said that according to his teeth, he is 8 weeks old. He received his first distemper shot and weighed in at 15.4 pounds! We will be able to estimate how big he will get when we go to his next appointment on September 6th. The vet will see how much he has grown and be able to give us an approximate idea of how much of a giant he will be. Our vet is fabulous, and Justice loved her. He falls asleep every night around 9pm, and it is usually with the giraffe that is in the picture. I am sure you are all wondering what the heck is in the aquarium. We are not exactly sure about the worms/snakes. Princess is an angel fish, and she is great - will even eat out of our hands. Arthur and Gwenevere are underwater worms, or snakes. They have rings like worms, but they shed their skin like snakes. They enjoy being handfed, as they are blind and it is easier for them to find the food. The food?? Frozen Red Mosquito Larvae - how disgusting is that??!! The aquarium was a gift from my friend Rich. He has finished law school and was moving back to Colorado. It would have been difficult to move the aquarium, as he was already transporting three rambunctious dogs. He asked if we wanted the aquarium, and we jumped at it. They are really great to have around. We are going to a Detroit Lions game on Saturday, so look for pictures on Sunday. See you later.

Stacy handfeeding Gwenevere.

Princess and Arthur, Gwenevere is hiding.

Justice and his favorite nighttime toy.

Not done

Well, we were unable to get the office done this weekend. I ended up with a summer flu bug and stayed in bed most of the time, which meant Ed had to pay attention to the dog. It seems that the previous homeowner did not use primer when doing the ceiling, so when we went to prime, the ceiling paint started falling off. Ed scraped and more fell off, so now we have to strip the ceiling paint before we can go any further. Also, we found that there was masking tape painted over - it was used to cover up cracks!! What in the world were they thinking??

I am back to work this week, and already studying for next term. It is going to be very busy. Ed may feel like a bachelor by the time December rolls around. Thank goodness he will be working a lot. I feel bad for Justice, but I will be home studying and he can hang out with me. Today, he is by himself for the first time. We do have him in his cage, so no free run of the house. And, he has his first vet appointment today at 3pm. Take care.

Say "hello" to Justice!

Justice has arrived!

Our newest family member has arrived. His name is Justice and he is a 7-week old black lab. Ed brought him home last night, much to my surprise and excitement! He is a handful, and we can see that he is going to be quite large when full grown. We cannot wait for you all to meet him. He belonged to Dennis, Ed's boss, but the family decided they wanted a lap dog, which he definitely will NOT be. We are also making progress on the house. We have sanded the floors in the office and primed the walls. I have bought the paint and hardward for the built in closet. Now we have to finish the floors and get it painted. I am going to be optimistic, and say that the office will be ready this weekend. I cannot wait to get moved in and get organized.

A portion of our backyard and the rear view of the house.

The front view of our new house

New House

Well, first I would like to apologize for taking so long to get this info on the site. Ed and I bought a house and moved in the weekend of June 24th! It is wonderful - 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, 2 fireplaces, basement (1/2 finished), 2 car garage and a screened in breezeway between the house and the garage. Our yard (back and front) are both quite large with a lot of flowers and bushes already in. Apparently, the lady that lived here before was the President of the Lansing Garden Club. We have 4 black squirrels that run around the yards and they LOVE peanuts - we put some out everyday and watch them eat/bury them. The house needs quite a bit of work, but it is fun. We pulled up the carpet in the office and found hardwood floors, so that is the project we are working on at this point in time. Ed is working 6, sometimes 7, days a week. I just finished the summer semester at school. This past summer I spent 2 days a week working at the Washtenaw County Public Defender's Office in Ann Arbor. I got to actually represent clients and participated in a bench trial and in jury selection!!! It was really great, tho the drive sucked. Now, I am studying for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, which will be on the 12th of this month. It is a requirement to pass before being admitted to the state bar. Then classes start again the day after Labor Day and that will be my LAST SEMESTER! I will be studying for the bar exam also, while attending my classes. Graduation is January 21, 2006 at 3:00 p.m., so I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, if I could just find a job. We love you all, please feel free to contact us whenever. Do not forget that you can make comments to this site and we will get e-mail notification.

Life in Lansing

Okay, life in Lansing has become quite hectic. Unfortunately, our lives are being lived in other places. Ed is still in Missouri - hating life. The town is so small, there is no place to go shopping except to get groceries. Apparently, it takes 20-30 minutes to get to the nearest Wal-Mart or K-Mart. He did, however, get a chance to go disc golfing over the weekend in Iowa. I guess he is not too far from the border. He found a private course and played with the owner. He said he had a really good time and the scenery is beautiful. My life is revolving around work, school, and my externship in Ann Arbor. Court was cancelled last Friday, so I got a 4 day weekend. I guess our Judge was sliding into home during a softball game and broke his leg in a few places. Looks like it will require surgery, so we are going to get a visiting Judge. Today, I spent the day doing legal research for a case that we are trying to keep something out of evidence. I also made a couple of client phone calls. Finished up early, so was able to avoid traffic and head home about 2:30 p.m.. My only free day is Sunday, so I drove to Kalamazoo to see the family. It was Gramma's 93rd birthday on Saturday and Uncle Henk & Aunt Rika are visiting from Canada. Daddy and I then headed back here to Lansing to spend some time together. We went to dinner, and the pet store. I played with a Chocolate Lab puppy - she was so CUTE!!!! I wanted to bring her home so bad, but we have not heard yet on the closing date for the house. Speaking of the house, daddy got to see the inside and the outside - one of few people to make it through the front door. I should be hearing about the house this week, and will keep everyone informed. Hopefully, Ed will make it back soon so he will be here to help me move. I love you all. Stacy

Update on the Lebbons

Okay, I know what all of you are thinking...what in the world is going on with Ed and Stacy???? Well, here is your update on our life. Final exams went great, I ended up with an A- in Labor Law, a B in Moot Court, and a B in Secured Transactions. I was THRILLED with the Secured Transactions grade, as that is known as the hardest class that Cooley has in the curriculum. After my exams, I spent a weekend in Miami with Cathy and Laura. It was a lot of fun, and it was great to just relax on the beach and not worry about studying.

Ed left for Missouri on May 9th to do some work in Trenton. It is a town of about 6,000 people, so not a lot of fun when they are not working. They are re-roofing a strip mall. So, he has been gone for a week and a half and when he called he let me know that they would be gone for at least another 5 weeks. And that is only if the weather holds up. They have lost a few days due to rain, hail, and tornado warnings! Needless to say, it is a little lonely at our house. I am definitely keeping busy, though.

On Mondays, I am at work from 8am - 5pm; Tuesdays I am in Ann Arbor interning at the Washtenaw County Public Defender's Office 8:30am - 5pm; Wednesdays I am in class from 3pm - 8pm; Thursdays I work from 8am - 5pm and have class from 6pm-9pm; Fridays I am in District Court in Ann Arbor from 8:30am - until the docket is done; Saturdays I am in class from 6pm-9pm. I do have Sundays free, but I use Saturday during the day and Sunday to catch up on all my reading and housework that I am unable to get to during the rest of the week. My work at the Public Defender's Office is great. I am working in the Misdemeanor Non-Domestic Violence section. On Tuesdays, I do client interviews and get files ready for the following day. On Fridays, I am actually in Court defending our clients. I am allowed to practice under Michigan Court Rule 8.120 under the supervision of a practicing attorney. The attorney I have been assigned to is Stephen M. Adams and we are in Judge J. Cedric Simpson's Court in Washtenaw County. I am learning quite a lot, and it is great experience to get in front of a judge and learn how the system actually works.

So, that is our update. Please feel free to make comments or just give me a call. I will try to keep this up-to-date.

Christmas Dinner at the Lebbon Household

Apology

Hello to everyone. First off, I want to apologize for us taking so long to add anything to this site. I feel terrible about it. Things have been so busy here, but will just get worse this summer. Finals are the week of April 11th, and then I have two weeks off before the next term. Starting on May 2nd, I will be in my next to last term, with graduation looming in December. I will be working on Monday and Thursday, in Washtenaw County in Tuesday and Friday working at the Public Defender's office and will have class on Wednesday and on Thursday nights. I will also have class on Saturday nights from 6-9pm. YUCK!! I will have one day a week where I do not have anywhere to be, that will, obviously, be on Sundays. Therefore, I am apologizing now if I ignore anyone from May through August. The good thing???? NO MORE FINALS EVER!!!!! The only exams I will have will be the MPRE, multi-state professional responsibility exam and the Michigan Bar exam. The MPRE is in August and the Bar will be taken in February. We will get photos up soon, I promise. Please take care of eachother, and do not hesitate to contact us. Our love to all.