Personal Stuff

Why aren't you practicing law full time (how can I escape, too)? 

I'm proud of my accomplishments as a Texas attorney, especially as a female lawyer with an AV Preeminent Rating in Martindale. I'm proud to have graduated from the University of Texas School of Law and of working with some of the top lawyers in the state on some very, very big cases. I'm honored to have been mentored by Luke Soules. I'm especially proud of the work I did while representing abused and neglected children in the local CPS Children's Court.

However, I have always known that my life's purpose was never to be a lawyer. My dream was always to write -- I've been reading since the age of 2 and I've been writing stories since my fifth birthday, when my Aunt Virginia gave me a battered, ancient Underwood typewriter that must have weighed 845 pounds. Boy howdy, how I loved that thing.

Changing Careers - Taking On a New Adventure 

Several years ago, a series of personal events led me to reevaluate my life. Nice way of saying I got blindsided. I prayed, I pondered, I listened to advice, good and bad, from friends. I began simplifying things as part of my search for a quality of life that I was missing. I found some answers with voluntary simplicity. There were those that thought I was crazy. Maybe they still do. Maybe I am.

I only know that today, I live a much different lifestyle than I did as an attorney. I may joke about shopping at Sam's instead of Sak's, but that's also very true. I know how to cook now, I clean my own home, and I happily drive a Ford instead of a Lexus. I take my faith seriously, and with a goal of hearing "well done, good and faithful servant."

My values aren't the same now. I may work as many hours, but I don't keep billable time and I take naps when I need one. I consider learning life lessons like approval and love are not the same thing to be major life accomplishments, right up there with those things on my legal resume.

And, while I may not have marked everything off my Bucket List, I'm excited to be zipping through things off the list pretty darn often. Having the Dream of Being a Writer Come True Today, I'm happy to say that my dream of being a full-time published writer has come true.

While my writing career continues to evolve, I can report that I've never been happier. Yes, I do write under more than one name. No, I'm not telling you my nom de plume(s).

Living a Life of Voluntary Simplicity

I choose to live a simple life, and I've blogged about that journey over at Everyday Simplicity for several years now (my first post was in January 2006).  I try and go green, eat real food, cook my own stuff, believe that it's better to buy things that are already there than go get new stuff, etc.

More About Me

I'm a dog lover. I love my pups!  I'm a Baby Boomer.  I am a Christian.  I love murder mysteries but I'll read a thriller pretty darn often, too.  I think Nelson DeMille's The Gold Coast should be required reading right alongside The Great Gatsby.

I haven't had cable TV since November 2011 and I don't miss it -- I have a ROKU (which I highly recommend).

I am still sad that there will be no more seasons of Justified.

Thanks to the Food Network and the Cooking Channel, I've learned to cook at home.  I love to make one-pot wonders that can serve me through the week when I'm on a fat writing deadline.  My Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe was published in Cook's Magazine - so I guess I know what to serve if Queen Elizabeth ever comes to visit.  Ha.

I drink coffee in the morning spiked with stevia and cinnamon and sometimes butter.  I drink limeade and all kinds of iced tea sweetened with stevia, too.  No sugar for me!

Growing up, Scarlett O'Hara taught me that a strong woman could work hard and reach goals and when I was an adolescent in the 1970s she was one of the few role models out there that gave that lesson.  Jane Eyre was another one for me, and I was inspired by Bette Davis'  Charlotte Vale in Now Voyager, too.

I think cheeseburgers > hamburgers; Star Trek > Star Wars; Kirk > Picard; Keaton > Bale; and that San Antonio > Austin.

Hey, Lawyer, Are You In a Bad Spot?

If you are an attorney desperate for change and feeling stuck, I'm happy to chat with you.  If you are a lawyer in crisis, then don't wait.  I get it, and I would be honored to be of help to you.  Send me an email at reba@rebakennedy.com.