Alila Settling In

Once we got back from Paris, we wasted no time in bringing this little one home! The next day I went out to Long Island to pick her up. She is already settling in so well! At first Siena was a little wary of a new visitor, especially such a little one, but she adapted quickly to her role as big sister. Siena has been a huge help - Alila has already taken after her and is learning things like house-training so much faster than it took us to train Siena. They also play together so cute. Alila is sleeping through the night, snuggling, and learning what to chew and what not to chew (she really likes to chew my hair, and pillows... we're trying to stop those habits ;). Her personality is a little different from Siena already. Alila doesn't like to be picked up, and she prefers sitting next to us to sitting on our laps. She seems to prefer Siena to both Nate and I... but Nate a little more than me, haha. To be honest while it's more work to have a second dog, it feels so natural because they have each other and it makes us so happy to see them bond! It also makes us really happy to know instead of leaving Siena home alone, which makes her sad, we can turn on our puppy cam and see the two of them snuggling on a pillow together.

We will see how the next few weeks go - Alila will get her first puppy visit when my sister and her dog Missy visit for the holidays! We can't wait to see how that goes. See below some of our favorite pictures so far:

We love being a family of four! We love our sweet little Alila!

Thanksgiving in Paris!

We were lucky enough to spend an incredible week in Paris this year for Thanksgiving. I had been twice, but the last time was seven years ago, and Nate had never been! Rather than stay in a hotel, we rented a lovely apartment in the Marais district. It is a beautiful Paris neighborhood filled with locals, it was really easy to get around and absolutely charming - on every corner bakeries, chocolate, cheese, and of course wine shops! Because we had an entire week, we didn't have to rush sightseeing. We took in everything - museums, cafes, opera houses, just about everything! Nate really loved Paris - one of his favorite cities we've been to. Visiting France also marked his eleventh country (ten, not counting the US) so he's officially in double-digits. Not bad for a guy who didn't have a passport four years ago! ;) Some favorite pictures of our trip are below... we continue to be blessed continuing to travel and explore the world!

Who knows where our next adventure will take us? We're looking forward to the holiday season and the year ahead!

Meet Alila!

Exciting news from the Schweers! We have adopted a puppy - a little sister for our Sweet Siena! She is a cream-colored dachshund who is roughly 8 weeks old (she will be 9 weeks old when we bring her home next week). We have heard she is sweet and super snuggly and she'll be a welcome addition to our household!

Nate came up with her name - we will call her Alila. It is where we stayed on our honeymoon in Bali this summer - super fun because it continues our travel theme and has great meaning for us. The name Alila comes from Sanskrit meaning surprise - which is perfect since we did decide quickly to get her (although we had been talking about it since our wedding).

So - why another puppy? Another dachshund, at that? Well we've learned in the past two years that we've had Siena that dachshunds are true pack animals. Siena loves to be with us and hates being alone - as a result even going to work, or out to dinner, is hard because she looks so sad. Our vet said that a lot of dogs feel this way, but dachshunds more so that most. We think she'll take to being a big sister well in time, and once Alila grows up they will have each other. Most of all, having Siena has brought us so much joy and happiness, we just love having a dog and know that Alila will bring us equal joy. We can't wait for her to come home next weekend - after we get home from PARIS!

Stay tuned for an update on Paris & Alila coming home next weekend!

A Little Love Note to My Husband

This has been one of the best weeks I can remember. I love my new job and coworkers - I feel like I'm finally somewhere where I'll stay for many years and learn and grow. It feels like the wait was so worth it. Not unlike me and Nate getting back together after so many years apart. My first week on the job, someone asked me in a fun Q&A kind of way, what's something surprising about you? And I said "I tell people my husband and I never fight, and they don't believe me." That answer, of course, was met with a bit of skepticism. While it's true, it wasn't always the case. Rewind to Nate and I in high school and college and it seemed like that's all we did! But when we got together years ago, it just seemed like we had matured out of it. Our feelings, our relationship began with this deep sensitivity that while opinions and disagreements could be expected, fighting was something we weren't willing to participate in. And, to this day, I cannot recall more than a time or two that I even felt like prompted to fight. Our relationship is built on friendship, most importantly kindness and consistency. My husband is my partner, my best friend, my confidant. I can tell him literally anything and he doesn't judge me. There is never a day that goes by that I doubt that he cherishes me and respects me. Many days I wonder how we got so lucky. I think we both knew at a very young age that our connection was something special. I don't think we were able to process and appreciate it until much later in life as we matured and lived our lives. I feel grateful, every day, that we continue to choose each other and build our lives together. So as I reflect on a wonderful first week at my new job, I remember my greatest supporter and wanted to say how much I love my sweet husband.

Farewell, March of Dimes

Wednesday was my last day at the March of Dimes. I can't believe how quickly two years flew by. When I started at March of Dimes Nate and I weren't even engaged yet, Siena was just a few months old, and I'd just finished visiting my sister in the Dominican Republic (she's now been out of the Peace Corps for 6 months!). Time really does fly, and I'm so thankful for everything I learned at the March of Dimes, all my amazing coworkers, and the friends I've made. Some of the things I'm most proud of include creating the organization's first Instagram handles and building the followings (@marchofdimes is poised to hit 5,000 by the end of 2014!). I'm also very proud of working on World Prematurity Day and covering live on social media as major buildings and sights across the globe went purple at nightfall for prematurity awareness (including the Empire State Building and Niagara Falls!). I also helped advocate for a WPD tee shirt, this year we sold more than twice what we sold last year. While leaving is always bittersweet, I'm excited that I can watch a lot of our initiatives continue on social media. I'm grateful for the opportunity and excited for the next challenge that awaits. Below is my favorite picture from my time at March of Dimes, it's me and my coworkers on World Prematurity Day last year wearing our "Hugs Heal" shirts:

Next week I start at US Fund for UNICEF. I can't wait for the next chapter to begin!

Bucket List: Giants Game!

Nate and I aren't big into buying gifts - since we started dating we've always found experiences to be more fun. For our birthdays and for Christmas instead of getting presents we've gone on trips, dined at great restaurants, and gone to concerts. Well, for Christmas my sister had the amazing idea of going to a Giants game. It has been on our NYC bucket list for ages. We decided our Christmas gift to each other will be going to see the Giants vs. Eagles a few days after Christmas with my sister and her boyfriend! I can't wait - Nate and I always thought going to a Giants game would be more fun with friends. My sister is also a huge New York sports fan so we will have a blast and it will be so special!

I'm so excited to go to my first NFL game, and a Giants game at that! Plus we get to mark it off the bucket list and I get to experience it with my sister and husband! She snagged us great seats in the lower level in the 18th row! It's going to be awesome!

We're gonna be here in just a couple months!

Back to Running!

Today is the 2014 New York City Marathon! It's an exciting day - lots of our friends are running for different charities and organizations. It's a windy but clear day and hopefully a lot of fun for all of them. I started thinking about when I was in New York Road Runners and how much fun I had gearing up for races, before I fell and sprained my ankle and missed the Brooklyn Half back in 2013.

Inspired by my friends running the marathon today, I have rejoined Road Runners and registered for a fun Jingle Bell Jog in Brooklyn first weekend in December. It's a 4 mile race, just over a 5K, and should be the perfect length to get back into running. I was really loving it, before I fell, and I love having goals!

It's no secret my long commute and post-honeymoon I've gained (more than) a little weight. So much is changing for the better right now, and it seems like the perfect time to hop back on the running bandwagon and set some goals for 2015 - like running a half marathon and maybe trying to run the 2015 marathon for charity!

We will see, right now I'm taking things day by day, week by week. I've got a few weeks to get back into running before we go to Paris, and then a week after we get back before my first running event. Stay tuned for more running adventures!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Schweers! We haven't really dressed up for Halloween in a while - two years ago we went as Hunger Games (see that post HERE) but Hurricane Sandy had just hit, and there wasn't really anywhere to go out so we just hung out in our building lobby. This year, Nate and I decided to do more of a DIY costume and we went as the Peanuts gang! Nate was Charlie Brown, I was Lucy (hence my sign, The Doctor is IN!) and our baby girl Siena got to be Linus for a minute, with her light blue baby blanket.

Nate and I went downtown with my group of friends from the Book Club. We had a blast! Everyone's costumes were so original - we had everyone from Captain America to Peter Pan, a homemade Peacock costume, American Hustlers, a Boy and Girl Scout, Jackie and JFK, to Gilmore Girls Luke and Lorelei. Seriously everyone looked amazing and the night was so much fun! Here's a cute picture of all the girls - I wish we'd gotten one with the guys too, since so many of us came in couples costumes. Such a great night!

1989

Thanks to my good friend Harper, I was introduced this week to the new Taylor Swift album, 1989. I've always liked Taylor. I think she's kept it classy when so many girls her age are just selling sex. I like her songwriting and catchy country tunes. I admire that she's able to poke fun at herself and her list of famous exes. She's got a better perspective at her age than I did, that's for sure. But I was never a super-fan, never bought an album, just a few singles. Country music, admittedly, is something I listen to on occasion but not most of the time.

There was a pretty big deal about this being Taylor's first "pure pop album" - I've been seeing articles pop up on Entertainment Weekly and other sites. To me I kind of shrugged it off (hasn't she always been a bit pop?). But I have to say I really, really love this album. The writing is spot-on and transports me back to when I was her age or a bit younger. So many of the songs, especially Blank Space, I Wish You Would, and This Love resonate with how I remember a younger version of myself. And maybe that's appropriate since her album title is 1989, the year she was born, the music is a throwback to the pop of the late 80s and 90s, the beats are catchy, and it's just absolutely fantastic.

So, here I am, highly recommending the new Taylor Swift album (never thought I'd be saying that!). And for what it's worth, it's always good to open yourself up to new music. If you looked at my music on my iPhone it's pretty random. So here I am, officially on the Taylor Swift bandwagon. Go get it, go get all the songs stuck in your head, and tell me which ones are your favorites!

Disclaimer: I am in no way a music expert, but I just had to obsess a bit about this awesome album

Let It Go? Letting Go...

So here’s a fun fact: I am an ENFJ every time I take a Myers-Briggs based test. It’s one of the rare personality types (another fun fact!) accounting for around 2% of the total population (when there are only 16 types ). Here’s a quick summary of the ENFJ personality type from PersonalityPage:

ENFJ: The Giver. Popular and sensitive, with outstanding people skills. Externally focused, with real concern for how others think and feel. Usually dislike being alone. They see everything from the human angle, and dislike impersonal analysis. Very effective at managing people issues, and leading group discussions. Interested in serving others, and probably place the needs of others over their own needs.

If you’re nerdy like me, here’s a link to the whole profile description (http://bit.ly/TheENFJ) and you can click around and read the descriptions of other types. Another fun fact: my personality type is the type that likes these personality profiles because I love learning about how other people process information and make decisions!

This also makes me really bad at… you guessed it… letting go. People, places, memories. Things become part of your history and your narrative. I wrote an earlier post (http://bit.ly/1tRsrSt) that talked about how I approach friendships and that’s part of the struggle. Even when people are out of your life, they still go on leading their own. My mom has famously called me “the doggy with the chew toy” – I’m just not very good at letting go, saying goodbye, or change in general.

So the question I’m thinking about today is – how to get better at letting go? And my conclusion (I’m not “the thinker” personality type so this is probably not a huge revelation to the rest of you as it is to me) is that I need to make better choices to better let go. I need to stop “picking at the scab.” As Elsa says in the song Let It Go I need to get to where “the fears that once controlled me don’t get to me at all.”

How to make better choices? Well, I’m going to stop picking at the scabs. I’m going to focus on the present. I’m still a planner and I’ve got a lot of things on my mind for 2015, but for now I want to enjoy the moment and every single day. I want to make better choices every day so that I’m enjoying the present, not at the expense of the future, but I’m going to stop what if-ing myself over the past. 2014 has been one of the best, most challenging, fascinating years of my life. This is today’s perspective:

New Job Announcement!

After two great years working at the March of Dimes as the national Manager of Marketing and Social Media, I have decided to leave in November for an incredible new opportunity. I am really proud of the work I’ve done with March of Dimes. I’ve had great supervisors and I worked on exciting campaigns, including World Prematurity Day and March for Babies. I also had great coworkers and friendships develop during my two years at March of Dimes. It will be hard to say goodbye, but I’m so excited for the next challenge!

I am the new Assistant Director of Corporate Partnerships at U.S. Fund for UNICEF! UNICEF is the UN agency that focuses on the well-being of children in every country around the world, with a special focus on reaching those in the greatest need. The U.S. Fund, also called "UNICEF USA" is the amazing U.S. organization that helps raise funds for UNICEF’s mission while also engaging the U.S. in advocacy and education around UNICEF's mission. At U.S. Fund for UNICEF I’ll be responsible for managing key corporate partnerships as well as growing and expanding them. It will be fun, innovative, and creative work. I cannot wait to start and meet my new team! I feel confident that it is a perfect fit and a place where I will be happy in the years to come!

It is a blessing on top of an incredible year. I am happily married, I celebrated the weddings of many friends, we traveled to new countries, and now this incredible opportunity - the work I went to grad school to do that I'm truly passionate and excited about. I could not feel happier, or more lucky, and I can't wait to hit the ground running and work hard for UNICEF's mission.

Work Trip to Arizona!

For the second time this year, I got to visit beautiful sunny Phoenix Arizona. I think I lucked out visiting in April and September - I missed the scorching summer heat! This time it was for work - I worked two March of Dimes conferences, our Volunteer Leadership Conference and ShareUnion. The highlight for me was getting to meet Anne Geddes - she is a wonderful ambassador for the March of Dimes mission and I grew up loving her famous photographs of babies. I also got to enjoy a break at the resort between conferences - that was much needed! That's all for catching up on my adventures for now - stay tuned!

Quick Trip to Gainesville

First weekend in September Nate and I had a quick trip down to Gainesville mostly to spend time with our families. With Mama Doris passing away, I spent most of the weekend with my parents. Nate's sister and nephews were in town for Jaxson's baptism - and we were honored to represent him as his godparents. I also got to meet baby Leah Elizabeth Smart - the second daughter of one of my friends & bridesmaids, Janeen, and her husband Ryan (the minister who married Nate and I!). And no trip to Gainesville would be complete without quality time with my best friend Courtney Rochelle. Here are a few pics from the weekend:

Gainesville always feels like home to us! We are so thankful for our family and friends that make it so.

Chrissy's Boston at the Beach Bachelorette!

What a fun weekend it was in Destin! Chrissy's bachelorette theme was kept a surprise from her and it was Boston at the Beach - we came up with the theme because Chrissy was actually torn between Boston and Destin for her bachelorette destination. We thought - we can bring all the elements of her Boston days to the beach (plus the lobster tie-in was too perfect!). Destin beach is absolutely beautiful - powder white sand and clear turquoise water. We made custom coozies for all the girls to bring down to the beach - I loved seeing my new married name monogram - Dana Catherine Schweer AHHH!!! Sunday we went boating, driving a pontoon boat to Crab Island. We were walking distance to a cute boardwalk area where we had dinner and went out dancing. It was a wonderful weekend celebrating one of my best friends! Here's a picture of Chrissy and her bridesmaids - love this photo! Had a blast with all the girls who came. I'm so excited for Chrissy and Jon and can't wait for the wedding in 2015!