101 in 1001 #3: take a family vacation!

Bless, Adjö, Ha det bra så lenge--Scandinavia here we come!

The Five Schwegs are hopping a plane tonight and jetting off on our first full-family vacation since I was in high school...NINE years! How has it been that long?! With college and school breaks, full-time jobs and busy seasons, and Em not living local, it's been so hard to coordinate getting everyone together and finding a time that worked. What better window than after Jonathan's graduation?! 

Our first stop is Iceland! 

We'll be stationed in Reykjavik for a few days and are hitting up the Blue Lagoon...

...and exploring the Golden Circle with a guide. I can't wait to see the country - everyone I know who has been says it's one of the most beautiful places they've ever seen! 

We have an early flight Sunday to destination #2, Stockholm, Sweden! 

We're staying in Gamla Stan, the "Old Town," and it looks absurdly picturesque. 

While we're there, we'll be taste-testing reindeer meat, exploring the royal palace and Djurgarden, and visiting the Vasa Museum to see the famous Viking ship: 

We also happen to be there over National Day, the Swedish equivalent of the Fourth of July, and from what I've read, the celebrations are a sight to behold. 

Our last stop after Stockholm is Norway! We're spending a couple days based in Oslo...

...exploring the city, which is about the size of Minneapolis, visiting a couple museums and the Vigeland Park. 

Then we're hopping a train for a few days of exploring the beautiful fjords of Norway! We'll be sailing the Sognefjord, Norway's largest...

Then from the mouth of the Sognefjord we head out to the ocean and sail along the coast to Bergen! 

I cannot wait to explore three countries that are totally new to all five of us, and spending time with the entire Schwegfam is going to be absolutely ridiculous and wonderful. To follow along, check me out on Instagram (@missschweg), where I'll be hashtagging trip pics with #SchwegsinScandinavia! 

101 in 1001 #100: Go to the St. Paul Winter Carnival.

It seems incongruous to be posting this 101 in 1001 as the temperature outside nears sixty this week, but I can't help it. It has been, for the most part, a gorgeously mild winter in the Twin Cities and that made it so much easier and more comfortable to check this one off the list! 

The Winter Carnival is the stuff of Minnesota legend. Call us crazy, but something about subzero temps makes everyone want to get outside and throw a party. This year, I wrangled a few good friends and took full advantage of our temperate weather to join in!

Although not officially part of the Winter Carnival, this year's Ice Castle out in Eden Prairie soared to the top of my list as soon as I saw gorgeous photos of the icicle walls collecting in my Instagram feed. Kels and I hit it up at the end of January and it definitely didn't disappoint! 

I was so blown away by the crazy, dripping towers of icicles that made up the walls. Eventually we figured out that the entire thing was built around hoses that trickled water down the walls, eventually freezing into the craziness that became the "castle."

Below, a Kelsie for scale. 

Also, the snow was like shin-deep in a lot of places and where it wasn't, it was packed down into ice. Knowing my trademark grace and ability to stay on my feet in any given situation, I was apprehensive. (Please note: I made it through fall-free. WIN.)

Selfie game on point. 

Once we navigated through the mazelike entrance, the whole thing opened up into a series of courtyard-ish rooms with fountains, smaller tunnels for kids, and even slides. It was really cool to walk around and just explore it, and to people-watch. 

Being the twenty-seven-going-on-seven-year-old that I am when it comes to anything "Frozen," I immediately freaked the everloving eff out when we came upon an Olaf in the maze of the inner castle. 

I freaked out even more when I realized that there was a REAL OLAF doing appearances...

AND EVEN MORE when I saw that Elsa and Anna were also there. Fortunately, I retained enough of my (almost non-existent) dignity and refrained from joining the absurdly long line of children waiting to hug the princesses. I'm pretty sure Kelsie was grateful for that fact. 

After about twenty minutes of exploring the castle, it started to rain (because rain in early February in Minnesota is totally not a sign of global warming or anything, duh) and so we went and had a margarita. It was okay...because my margarita was frozen, so we were on-theme. Right? Right. 

Sufficiently tequila'd up, we headed to actual St. Paul to take in the actual carnival...and thank goodness we parked at my office for free, because St. Paul was a madhouse. 

We took a photo with yet another ice castle (that was a bit more conventionally castle-like than the Eden Prairie one!)...

...I noted that my employer sponsored the carnival, woo-hoo!...

...we wandered around, admired a few booths, looked for and failed to find the Summit Ice Bar, discovered that the ice sculpting didn't start til late that night, took one more selfie, and left. I'd say more points to us, because St. Paul was crazytown and there was honestly not a ton going on at that point. 

I also took advantage of unseasonably warm temps to spend an evening after work rambling through Rice Park admiring the finished ice sculptures! None of my iPhone photos turned out (shocker/story of my life), so I'm sharing these beauties by Kelly K Photography of my favorites. 

Although it's not technically part of the Winter Carnival, Red Bull Crashed Ice has become such an iconic part of winter in St. Paul that I had to finally make it over when Laura came to visit! For those unfamiliar, you'll understand it best if you go here, but in a nutshell, it's basically a luge course with obstacles on hockey skates at around 40 mph. And it's COMPLETELY insane. We scored with temps in the 50s for the Saturday night finals, and the scene was an utter madhouse, with over 150,000 people packed on Cathedral Hill. 

We moved around a lot and checked out several different vantage points...there's legitimately nowhere where you can see the whole course, so we wanted to see as many different spots as we could! Watching the racers launch essentially out the Cathedral door under that gorgeous stained glass window was such a cool juxtaposition. 

We also got right up against the glass just after the first bend. Seeing how fast these guys went blew my mind. I couldn't imagine trying to navigate downhill and stay on my feet on ice skates...then again, staying on my feet when it's icy isn't exactly my strong suit even on flat ground. The video below shows one heat of the quarterfinals...ignore my dumb "whoop" every time a skater passes us, I was so into it I almost knocked the teenage boy next to me over. Oops. 

We worked our way down to the bottom of the course right in time for a complete clusterfuck of a run where a guy actually hiked up the "Mount Everest" hill thing after a crazy disqualification and massive pileup wipeout. We also caught Minnesota local Cameron Naasz's quarterfinal run. He ended up winning the whole thing in absolutely spectacular fashion...watch the final here and die over his absurd athleticism and total cool-guy flair. 

I had the best time watching with Laura! Such a fun, "only in Minnesota" way to spend an evening. 

And now I can officially (at least in my mind) put winter to bed...here's to sixty-degree temps and pushing the North Faces to the back of the closet for now! 

For more 101 in 1001, go here, duh! 

101 in 1001 #57: Grow some succulents/flowers.

I've written extensively about how incredibly grump-faced I get every January, pretty much since I started this blog. It's an established fact: short days, lack of holidays/birthday fun, and disgusting weather combine to make me a highly unpleasant person to deal with from time to time. One of the best ways I've found to counteract that is having plants or flowers around. Problem? I have, if not a black thumb, definitely not a green one. 

I'm that spaz who will buy myself a plant or something and then forget to water it until it's drooped down to the tabletop, or who won't change the water in flowers like...at all. And it's so terrible, because I absolutely adore flowers! I buy them for myself all the time. It's just the care part that I tend to forget about. Given that, to me, growing something "from scratch" seemed Herculean in difficulty. I feel like I kind of cheated on this one, because I let Bachman's do all the work for me and got a pre-potted spring bulb garden. Isn't it cute? 

This is what it looked like when I got it in mid-January...not much going on, but I was so shocked by how fast everything started sprouting as soon as I put the pot on my south-exposure windowsill. (I realize, now, that it looks incredibly dorky to leave the little stick-in thing sitting in the pot. I used it to remember to rotate it, because my inner control freak can't handle when a plant leans one way toward the sun. Excuses for my moderate idiocy!)

Less than a week later...

Seriously though, these things are idiot-proof if they are Lizzie-proof. I almost feel like this shouldn't merit checking off a goal. But it makes me incredibly happy, so I'll go with it. 

And then they bloomed! 

Daffodils are 100% indisputably my favorite flower (which I've mentioned before). Needless to say, I gasped like a small child on Christmas morning when they were the first thing to bloom. 

And of course the damn thing chose the week I was gone to go absolutely full-blast...here's the current state of things! 

There's a purple-pink hyacinth hiding on the other side, but I'm just completely head-over-heels for those weird little bluebell things and the gorgeous red tulips. There are yellow tulip buds coming up too, and more daffodils on their way (my excuse for ignoring the slightly crispy ones, I've never figured out how not to kill the plant when nipping off dead blooms!). Bottom line: best $12 I've spent in a long time. 

There you have it: a 101 in 1001 that totally delivered on the "life-enriching happiness" front! See more here. 

101 in 1001 #11: Go 30 days without eating out.

1/4/16: 

I know I’m not the only person who has essentially spent the weeks between Thanksgiving and, well, today on a moderately tipsy, cheese-covered sugar high. Every time early January rolls around I end up a little depressed and angsty, and although I usually blame it on the holiday season ending, part of me knows that it’s also largely due to the fact that I have put nothing but crap in my body for the last month-plus. This year it feels even worse, fresh off our Arizona trip where we played my favorite game, “Take ALL THE SHOTS,” and chased them with In’N’Out (oh my god, so good, SO good!). Add to that the fact that I've spent an absurd amount of money lately, and a lot of that has been on food and, worse, alcohol. Long story short, the minute my plane landed in Minneapolis tonight, I knew I needed to make a major reset in that department. 

January is always a kind of odd month for me. It’s the busiest time of year at work, it’s dark and cold and miserable, and it falls between December (holidays, duh, I love) and February (my birthday, duh, also love). What better time to go hardcore on checking off a goal? Last year, I didn’t shop for a month, and it felt really good financially and sartorially to check out for a little bit there. This year, I’m giving up eating out for 30 days, and am planning to chronicle it in the same way as last year…day by day, as interesting things happen. I started a bit late due to the aforementioned Phoenix trip, but am planning on eating in from January 5 to February 4 to make up for it. Hopefully by February 5, things will be feeling better (my skinny jeans) and my bank account will appreciate the lack of appetizers and alcohol!  

1/9:I'm realizing just how much of my social life centers around eating out...specifically, brunch and happy hour. I'm very guilty of doing the whole happy hour "apps for dinner" thing, and obviously I have a serious love affair on with brunch. 

1/10:Cooking! It's a good thing to do, as atrocious as I am at it. I think I'm going to take this opportunity to check off my crockpot challenge as well, starting today with stuffed peppers. Here goes nothing! 

1/12:Planned an alternative to brunch/happy hour with Hannah...watching "The Bachelor" with wine at my place! It'll be nice to catch up with her and stay in doing so. I also need to get something on the calendar with Claire and Kelsie...I haven't seen either of them forever. 

1/14:Funny thing I noticed this morning while getting ready: my skin is WAY clearer than it would normally be at this time of the month/year. Winter wreaks havoc on my face at all times and I am wishfully attributing the change to less gin/restaurant food and more fruit/veggies. Interesting side effect of eating in is that my dairy intake is way down too...I use almond milk for my smoothie every day and haven't been adding a ton of cheese to what I'm cooking. Maybe that's it? I don't know, but either way, I'm liking it! 

1/17: I cheated. My mom and I had tickets to the Guthrie to see "Pericles," and we went to Parlour for cocktails and split a burger. Oh the shame and ignominy! I'm justifying it by claiming that since I didn't foot the bill, I technically am still holding to the financial side of things, if not the "make healthy choices" spirit I struck out in. Shameful. That burger, though...worth it! 

1/19: I'll be going out tonight, but not eating out, as part of the Notre Dame Club of Minnesota's "Pericles" outing (that's right, I'm seeing it twice in three days!). The club is hosting a pre-show get together at Day Block Brewing, so I'll plan to head over there to socialize without falling into my usual happy hour habits. I'm finding it much easier than I expected to strike balances like this, and that's gratifying. 

1/22: I hosted Eva last night and am having Hannah over tonight for an evening in featuring a taco bar and homemade margaritas! Proof that I don't need to go out to maintain a great social life. Plus, with temps as cold as they've been lately, it's well worth it to stay in. 

1/27: An uneventful but lovely week of staying in and doing a ton of cooking. I'm making lunch every night for the next day before bed...which is such a little thing, but it's so great to just grab it and go in the morning. Instead of my 2015 "mid-morning coffee run" habit, I've been drinking smoothies at work with protein powder and a shit-ton of spinach in them. They look gross but taste really good...if I close my eyes! 

1/31: I cheated, again, but have absolutely zero shame as it was my early birthday brunch with my parents! They'll be in Florida on the 11th, so they took me to my very favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities, Spoon and Stable. Again, I didn't foot the bill, and the croque madame and pastries were so over-the-top delicious that I have NO REGRETS. 

2/2: Went home from the office early in a blizzard and cooked a giant crockpot of soup for the next week's lunches! I think that, even though I'm excited to give myself the option of brunch and happy hour again, the "no lunch out" thing is going to be a great change for me. Hopefully this habit sticks! 

2/3: MADE IT. Celebrated by going out to a pre-Anthro birthday party dinner with Jodester at Mozza Mia for sinfully delicious caprese and panzanella. 

Lessons learned: 

--Preparation is key. I found that having a ton of food on hand and ready to go at home made going out way less tempting...especially thinking about food spoiling after spending so much to have fresh produce on hand. 

--Similarly, variety matters. I started the month eating the same lunches and dinners repeatedly and got really bored. It was fun to strike out of my kitchen comfort zone and try new things--I found a few fantastic new recipes that will be in rotation going forward for sure! 

--Be up-front with friends. I just told the people I wanted to see that going out to eat wasn't an option, and everyone was lovely about it (and more than willing to stay in!). I think often I choose the convenience of meeting up with someone at a bar or restaurant over the perceived hassle of hosting, when really, it's absolutely heavenly to be able to stay in, wear leggings and drink my own wine with my favorite people. 

All in all, great success! Eating out just twice in 30 days is a massive, major change for me and I'm really glad I checked this one off to start 2016 off on the right foot. For more 101 in 1001, head here, and if anyone's in the mood to stay in with me, I'm totally up for keeping the stay-in train going! 

101 in 1001 #62: Frame and display my college diploma

So, better late than never, I guess? 

I'm celebrating my five year reunion this June, and since I graduated, my diploma has been safely tucked away in the drawer of my nightstand at home in a dust jacket, plastic sleeve, and envelope for safekeeping. I've also had a display-quality frame for it sitting in my closet for all those years...and there's really no excuse to not be showing that baby off! It represents four years of hard work and achievement, after all. 

This weekend I went home for family dinner, dug the frame out of my closet, and said to my Papa Bear, "Dad, it's time we finally hang my diploma." Having financed my education (thanks Dad!), he was obviously as excited as I was. We headed up to my room and, less than ten minutes later, it was on the wall! 

We ditched my middle school Pottery Barn Teen galvanized metal magnet board (oh yeah, I was SO cool)...

...and framed my diploma VERY carefully. Fun fact: Notre Dame was one of the last remaining schools to use actual sheepskin for diplomas, and my class was the last to receive them before they switched to regular parchment! That means my diploma is extra-delicate and needs to be handled with care. 

Not so fun fact: my dad sliced his finger open trying to get the back off the frame. Thanks for making yet another sacrifice to my education, Papa Bear! 

It's almost like thirteen-year old me knew that there would be blue and gold in my future when I picked that Goldenrod paint color for my room. Sure looks good to have my beautiful diploma up! Can't wait to someday have a home office to show it off in, but for now I'll take it hanging out on that perfectly matchy wall. 

For more of my home improvement/"domestic goddess" (HA) goals, check out my 101 in 1001 here! And as always, Go Irish, love thee Notre Dame!