2015 in review.

2015!! You guys, I fucking loved 2015. 

Last year, I couldn't wait to see the calendar change. 2014 was a year I just wanted to put to bed. This year, I'm sitting here staring at my calendar wondering where the heck the year went. Answer? It blew by in a crazy-busy, exhausting-but-magical blur of travel, weddings, friends, family, cocktails, theater, and adventures. I've been extremely cognizant this year of how lucky I am to be as happy as I am, where I am...if that makes any sense.

At the same time, though, I think it's hard for any twenty-something to shut off the "What's next?" part of the brain, and I include myself in that. I constantly find myself mulling over the future in the back of my mind...waiting for the next promotion, the next crush, the next big weekend or trip or event, and always wondering in the larger sense what the heck is going to happen to me in my life. 

One of my most vivid memories of this year is from my Boston trip in November. Kait and I were on the highway and Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" came on. We turned the volume in my crappy rental car up to full blast, rolled down the windows, and all of a sudden everything kind of clicked into place for me. I'm living in my own "middle," and it's a pretty damn great place to be. Since then, I've found myself looping the song, and have particularly come to love this phrase for all it encapsulates about my life and my year this year: 

You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in.
Live right now, yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else.

Holy lightbulb moment, Batman! My 2014 was all about trying to be good enough for someone else...and in 2015, I just completely stopped caring. Instead I focused on myself and the amazing people and experiences in my life, and doing that has been so incredibly rewarding. That rental-car jam session remains one of my favorite moments of 2015. Without further ado, a few more:

Traveled

--Mexico in late March/early April, for a quick sun-and-sand getaway with my beloved Kels and her friend Ellie. We enjoyed way too many swim-up bar shots, partied all night with fun wranglers, and became pros at the "ocean in the morning, poolside cabana in the afternoon" lifestyle.

--Paris in May with my mom and Em! Our ten-day trip will forever remain one of my most cherished memories. We day-tripped to Versailles and Giverny, took a tour of Champagne, shopped, ate, and drank to our hearts' content and got our fill of museums and churches and monuments for at least the rest of the year. Les vacances les plus belles!! 

--Kansas City, Chicago, South Bend, and Iowa, for this year's batch of crazy out-of-town wedding action! Friends tying the knot in such lovely places provided great excuses to road trip with Kels to Kansas City and play in Power & Light...visit Laura, Drew and Fi and drink and eat our way through Chicago...pretend to be an undergrad again with all my Lakeville crew at ND...and frolic in a cornfield in Iowa like I'd never seen one before. Such fun memories! 

--Toronto in October for a quick work trip. The combination of its amazing cosmopolitan and international air with the insane niceness of its residents made it a trip to remember...as did the gorgeous views from my office for the week! 

--Columbus in early November for a to-die-for (almost literally) Buckeye football pilgrimage. Totally got to experience student life with David and all his grad school buddies, and watched the marching band I've been obsessed with for most of my adult life (finally) dot the I! 

--Hartford, Connecticut for another work jaunt. While I literally did nothing but go to work and go to bed, staying in the heart of "downtown" was pretty and I loved getting to see the places all my Connecticut-based colleagues always talk about--not to mention finally meeting all those colleagues for the first time! 

--Boston for the Shamrock Series and, more importantly, to see Kait! I haven't even recapped this on the blog yet, but it was a great trip. From crashing a class at Harvard Business School to wandering the North End and Boston Common, exploring the South End and making a pilgrimage to Walden Pond, it was absolutely my favorite city I've ever been to and stole my heart so hard. 

Celebrated

--Claire's and my 26th birthday, in "Adult Disneyland" style, with a big old party on my roof! We took way too many jello shots, almost as many photos, and discovered that partying with our parents is legitimately the best way to celebrate a birthday. 

--Endless weddings!! So many friends said "I do" this year, and getting to attend eight in the last twelve months was such a privilege. I am such a sentimental fool and absolutely adored witnessing so many unique, personal, beautiful celebrations. Congrats again to all these happy couples! 

--Engagement parties, in keeping with all those weddings! My book club threw Anna and Kevin a bash on my roof in early July, and we upped the ante in October when Claire, Kyla and I pulled off an epic surprise bash for Eva! I loved getting to mark such a special milestone with both these amazing ladies. 

--The Guthrie Theater's Dowling Gala in June with my mama bear! I adored getting all dressed up and celebrating Joe Dowling's twenty-year tenure at the Guthrie as he prepared to end his run. From the heartfelt, high-octane revue to the gorgeous multimedia installation (and of course the free champagne!), we had a ball! 

Favorites

--Adventures with Hannah! One of the common themes of our friendship, especially this year, is having so much fun with her--I will forever be grateful that she is always willing to go along with my harebrained schemes! From cooking class and goofing off at the Guthrie to a subzero hot air balloon excursion and endless lake walks, I cherish every one of our out-there, awesome experiences.

--Throwing myself into service this year: from mentoring St. Paul high school students, to getting involved with the St. Paul Public Schools Foundation, I spent my year seeking and embracing causes. My very favorite? Running our company's employee giving campaign for the second year in a row, which culminated with a visit to the United Way a few weeks ago. We were recognized for our huge success in increasing participation and dollars raised, and it felt wonderful. 

--Arts experiences! I've loved getting more involved in the Twin Cities music and theater scene, especially through Open Call at the Guthrie. Backstage tours, the Midsummer Night's Ball, and of course their fantastic shows always make for memorable evenings. The Minnesota Orchestra also kept me applauding all year with fantastic orchestral offerings and, of course, their amazing holiday performance of "Home Alone!" 

--Finally, not an event per se, but my absolute favorite part of 2015 is for sure being so incredibly happy in my new start, new home. After my October 2014 move, I've spent the last year adjusting to and cherishing my beautiful Loring Park apartment and loving the independence and peace of being on my own for genuinely the first time in my life. It's so deeply satisfying, and I attribute a lot of my general happiness to being so happy with where I am. 

Family

--Most notably this year, we said goodbye to my beloved Grandma Lo, and her loss is still so deeply felt. I don't think I'll ever stop missing my afternoons with her or cease to cherish the memories I was so lucky to make with her in the last few years. 

--On a nuclear family level, the highlight of my year was our girls' trip to Paris! My mom, Em, and I had an absolute riot experiencing and adventuring through the city together. From lost umbrellas and aggressive cab drivers to all-day Sancerre binges and mild (accidental) shoplifting, we created inside jokes and anecdotes that will never get old. 

--Being the only local Schwegchild meant I got to enjoy a lot of mom-daughter and father-daughter dates all year! From the Guthrie gala above and shopping days with the Jodester to brewery-hopping and adventuring with Papa Bear, there was never a dull moment when I got time with a parent one-on-one. I love the adult relationships we've got with each other. They're my favorites. 

--And of course, the fact that we had THREE SchwegFive reunions this year was completely wonderful! Emily and Jonathan were both home for hefty chunks of time around Father's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and we did so many amazing things together--trying distilleries and amazing new restaurants, hitting up old favorites like the Stone Arch Art Fair and the St. Paul Grill, and getting into plenty of Schwegmanigans at home. I absolutely adore every time we get to assemble the whole cast and crew of our crazy wonderful family...they make everything more special. 

In summary...

All things considered, if this is my "middle," I'm pretty damn pleased with it, and am content to stay here for awhile. 2015, thank you for being exactly what I needed--my personal renaissance, the rediscovery of my own happiness and the genesis of so much magic. While I may have doubted it after getting my proverbial teeth kicked in in 2014, 2015 proved that, just like Jimmy Eat World so eloquently stated, "Everything...EVERYTHING...will be all right." 

For more 2015 highlights and memories, press play! Love you all and see you in 2016!

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

I’m ringing in the New Year on everyone’s favorite deep deep discount airline!

That’s right, I’m really getting in the “Spirit” of things this year…HA! You know you laughed. We’re headed to Phoenix to kick 2016 off in the best way imaginable…with an Irish win in the Fiesta Bowl.

Then again, “we” is David, his girlfriend Kelli, their friend Andrew, and me. So do the math on that one. Three Buckeyes, and one lone Irish fan…maybe I’m the only one who thinks a Notre Dame victory would be the best way to start this year, after all!

The second I saw that Notre Dame played Ohio State in this year’s bowl matchups, I texted David:

After a week of waiting, trying to work out logistics, and gasping in horror every time I checked flights only to see a $100 hike in price since the last time I checked, I got this text:

And then we started booking things, Andrew and I bought tickets too, and I officially committed to ringing in 2016 with Spirit. We land in Phoenix at 1am on January 1, 2016, and from there on out it’s a whirlwind of football, drinking, and soaking up sunshine. I have fond memories of Phoenix from going out there as a little kid to visit my grandparents, and can’t wait to experience it as a grown-up. We’re throwing a road trip to the Grand Canyon in for good measure, and if Columbus this November is any indication, I’m sure to have a ridiculously good time...although I'll be switching out my temporary Buckeye allegiance for my usual die-hard Irish fandom!

While I’m sad to miss the traditional New Year’s rager in the Twin Cities, I know this will be such a memorable, crazy-fun getaway that it’s more than worth it. What a great way to start off what I know will be a great year…

Go Irish, beat Buckeyes! 

Lately I'm Loving

Things making me smile/on my mind/causing distraction these days:

DJ Earworm’s United State of Pop 2015 is out, and I can’t stop looping it. It’s lush but EDM-y in such a fresh, interesting way…and definitely threw me back to some of my favorites from this year’s Top 40. Loving the combination of “Shut up and Dance,” “Sugar,” and “Sorry” in the first minute, and the combo of the violin arpeggio from “Love Me Like You Do” and the trumpet from Omi’s “Cheerleader” in the last minute or so.

I have a weird, completely nerdy sense of humor. Random, arcane, literature-and-history things like last month’s “How to tell if you are in a Jane Austen novel” reduce me to tears of laughter on the regular. This week it was “If George Washington Paintings Could Talk,” which, at first, made me smile quietly, then do that little silent laugh thing, then eventually laugh so loudly and uncontrollably that my bitchy neighbors banged on the wall to quiet me down. Oops. Check them out for yourself, Martha’s apparently quite the saucy minx. 

I will always and forever stick to my Sunday morning fall tradition of cereal and the Notre Dame Band’s halftime show, specifically because it ensures I never miss total wins like the halftime against Wake Forest on November 14th. Um, hi, “Frozen?!” Excuse me while I jump up and down shrieking with excitement like a four year old in an Elsa costume. They also did “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” and my poor Backer-deprived heart almost exploded in nostalgia and happiness. 

The vast majority of my friends are just as into small, local breweries as I am, and finding the newest has become an ongoing adventure for some of us. Thanks to Thrillist's updated list of best new breweries in the Twin Cities, I've got a few more on my agenda in the next several months. I'm particularly excited about Lakes and Legends, which is less than 100 yards from my apartment's front door and apparently is serving a cranberry saison...yes please! 

Last but absolutely not least, Humans of New York is absolutely blowing my mind with their coverage of the Syrian-American refugee situation. I refresh my Facebook way more often than is respectable hoping to see updates on the stories that suck me in from the beginning with so much hardship and hope. What a beautiful and heartbreaking way to humanize a situation that, to many, is simply a reactionary numbers game. 

101 in 1001 #39: Attend a lecture or seminar at work.

I rarely say this, but sometimes I do miss aspects of my old, Big 4 accounting firm job. I loved working with a team of people who were predominantly my age, it was great to be able to coach, teach and mentor on a daily basis, and the mileage reimbursements for driving to client sites didn’t hurt either. I’ve also found myself wishing that I had more opportunities for good professional development and continuing education in my current role. In public, there’s so much emphasis on continuing professional education (CPE) because it’s required to achieve a certain number of hours annually to remain an active CPA. Here, employees pretty much have to go outside the company to achieve it, or rely on a limited number of offerings throughout the year.

My new boss recommended that I enroll in a “Principles of Insurance and Risk Management” class offered every fall that he took in his early days with the company. He thought it would provide a solid foundational knowledge of both the insurance industry and of my company, so I signed up along with another new-ish employee in my department. The class met for ten Mondays from 7 to 9 am and covered fundamentals of risk and insurance, with a lot of editorializing by my professor (HA) on how it all applied and was interpreted at my specific company. I was cautiously optimistic at first, and then my attitude (and motivation) took a complete nosedive when I realized that the entire course’s worth of material consisted of information I covered literally in my first insurance-specific training at my Big 4 job.

Unfortunately, I think the selection of this class in particular for me was a mistake given the fact that I came out of insurance audit and already had close to a hundred hours of industry-specific training. The majority of my classmates were fresh-out-of-college hires participating in our company’s development program, and the class was very much geared to people who didn’t know anything about insurance in the first place. While this did mean that certain sessions bored me to tears, it also meant that I could tune out to a degree on the basics, and focus in on the company-specific information that added value for me.

We had our final yesterday morning, and while the extent of my “studying” consisted of skimming the textbook while drinking a glass of wine on Sunday night, I am thrilled to officially put this seminar to bed. I’m glad I took it for a variety of reasons…curried a little favor with the boss, met a few new people in the company, blah blah blah. I do regret wasting twenty hours of my life covering material I already knew, though, and I feel like, given the option, I could have found a much more value-adding alternative. That said though, it never hurts to try something, and if that’s the only true knowledge I’ve gained from Principles of Insurance and Risk Management, hey, I’ll take it.

Sorry for the downer post! If nothing else, I guess it proves that not all of my bright ideas always pan out into something awesome. Oops! Go take a peek at my 101 in 1001 list to find a ton of other, way more fun things I’ve done and am planning on doing before 2/11/17 here!

Miscellaneous merrymaking...

It’s been one of those stretches where there’s so much going on that I feel like I should be writing approximately one million blog posts, but instead these fun and fabulous occasions are going to get tiny snippets here. Hold onto your Santa hats campers, it’s about to get festive.

Claire and I got the coveted pink hearts on Snapchat a few weeks ago…

And Kels and I hit the 100-day streak this fall and I never shared that critically important fact!

I started keeping a “Gratitude Lists” journal in my purse because sometimes I struggle to remember how awesome I actually have it, and it’s one of my new favorite things I do.

Stumbling on Free Hugs signs in St. Paul.

And of course enjoying St. Paul’s gorgeous juxtaposition of old meeting new on a daily basis.

An official look at the haircut I've referenced a couple times...done up all nice! It's such a huge difference (to me) but I'm still loving it so far, even if it's made my trademark messy up-do thing impossible. (I promise it isn't always hanging in my face like that...this was a half-assed Snapchat to a few girls to show it off!)

Hanging out with a cute little bird in the airport en route to Toronto awhile back! She hopped around and eventually headed in the direction of Chick-Fil-A, like any smart bird would.

Fur cuffs on my coat and a fresh manicure, plus that class ring I love so much.

Dad getting absurdly excited about giant pies and bottles of wine at Costco (photos courtesy of Em). I should start an Instagram account: @ShitMyFatherFoundAtCostco. It’d go viral, hmm?

A fantastic Saturday afternoon at Summit Brewing with Kels and friends! We took a few selfies…

…and posed by their cute Christmas tree, covered in beer bottles and planted in a keg of course.

A few fun photos with my Notre Dame-Minnesota faves at Rachel and Brian’s lovely housewarming party! So glad Zach is back in the Twin Cities, and counting down the days (single digits!) til Colleen’s return!

Mimosas and Bloody Marys with my dad on an all-day holiday shopping spree. He’s so much fun to hang out with.

Re-reading my family’s two years’ worth of group text and laughing at our lovable insanity.