Some of you already know this, but I found out on Friday that I passed the Arizona state bar exam. I waited over two months to get the results, and I actually did very well on it. So well, in fact, that I now feel like a fool for even thinking I could fail. lol

The fact of the matter is, though...I *did* think I might fail. And as a result, I was very, very nervous on Friday as I awaited the results. I knew for a fact they were going to come in that day, yet I had to wait until 4:45 PM for them to get posted online. I felt so bad in the morning that I had to cancel the doctor's appointment I mentioned in my "fear" blog. I managed to make it in to work, and spent a lot of time talking to an attorney I work with. That helped me take my mind off the exam and made time go by faster.

However, once I got home at around 12:45 PM, I had nothing to do. Yet I still had four more hours to wait. I was so nervous that I couldn't eat. I felt much like I felt on May 21st as I waited for the AI finale. So I came on the computer and started listening to my David Cook collection. Listening to his voice really soothed me and helped me calm down. I even sang along on some of the songs, which I almost never do. I honestly don't think I could have gotten through those four hours without his help. So thank you, David.

And for the record...I was in the middle of "Leave Behind" when I got my results. Now every time I listen to that song, I think of the bar exam. lol

I also have to give credit to David in the sense that my experience watching the AI finale helped me deal with my last-minute jitters about the exam. As I watched the AI finale on May 21st, I was very, very nervous about the results. But in my *heart,* I knew David had won. I just needed that confirmation. It was much the same way with the exam. In my heart, I knew I had passed the exam. But my brain wanted confirmation. So as I sat at my computer worrying, I often thought to myself: "Remember what happened on May 21st. You were really, really nervous...but you knew. You KNEW. This is *exactly* the same. It's not that you didn't pass...you just want the confirmation." Having another situation with which to compare *this* situation was really helpful. So again...thank you David!

As the title of this blog suggests, though...I also have another group to thank. While I was listening to David, I was also here at DCO, reading and posting in various threads. I spent a good amount of time in the "Shackettes" thread, and several of them were there with me, "holding vigil" while we waited for the results to get posted. Talking to them really helped me take my mind off what was to come. And then after I got my results, all of them were so excited for me. Three of them even made me graphics that said "congratulations." I printed them out and have them taped up on my monitor and on my desk.

All of this really meant a lot to me, especially considering the fact that I've only spoken to these people for three weeks. They hardly know me, yet they were willing to stay with me and talk to me as I went through this stressful time, and shared in my joy as if they'd been my friends forever. For that, I thank them.

I'm going to end this blog with an interesting tidbit of information. After only two days, it's already sunk in that I've passed the exam and can soon practice law in Arizona. Yet after five months, it still hasn't sunk in that David won AI. Someone explain *that* to me. LOL.