Happy New Year!

Back in spring 2012, I went to a James Beard Foundation event with my Uncle Phil and I was introduced to Janie, who has become one of my closest friends in NYC! This year she hosted New Year's for five couples, complete with chili bar and champagne. We had a blast ringing in the new year with our friends! I also got to repurpose my bachelorette dress which was fun, although Nate. We continue to be fortunate to meet great people in NYC who become part of our lives and make special memories with us. Hope everyone had a very happy new year - cheers to 2015!

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!

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! 

10 Years of The Breakfast Club

About this time ten years ago in August 2004, six ladies from Lady Spirithunters (later to be eight) met at Andrews 228 for brunch to celebrate a birthday (Melissa's). They had so much fun one of them (Dana) said we should do this every month - "we'd be like The Breakfast Club." The name stuck.

These friendships have meant so much to me. Some of us met through LSH, while others, like Natalie & Laura, Courtney & I met in high school. Many of the first meetings I remember vividly - Cara I met at orientation (and suggested she sign up for some of the same classes - she did!). Natalie I met at the first LSH mixer (I heard her laugh, walked right up to her and said - we're going to be friends). Laura I met at the banquet - we sat next to each other at our table. I admired she wore an "R" necklace even though her name was Laura. It did confuse me a little. Cara, I remember, introduced me to Kelly right around the time it started. Melissa, I met at Lip Sync. Kristy I met in fall 2004 through a mutual friend in the dorms. I'd already started following her around at that point. By the end of Spring 2005, we were a solid group of eight - and we still returned to Andrews 228 for brunch!

Not all of us graduated together. Cara did degree in three, graduating first in Spring 2006. Kristy followed soon after, at the end of summer 2006. Courtney also graduated early - Fall 2006. By Spring, there were five of us left and we went out in style! Natalie, Laura, Kelly, Melissa, and I did a photo shoot the day of graduation and took some of the best pictures that I still treasure to this day:

The Breakfast Club is the most amazing group of friends I made in college (who I've now been friends with more than twice as long as we were in college... oof!). We've celebrated six weddings and had additional mini reunions - and in most cases at least 7-8 of us were there! Here are a few of my favorite memories:

Can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings this fantastic group of women and friends. I love you all!

Life Lessons on Friendship – Photos, Memories, and Perspective

What is it to be a friend? There are a lot of common answers I think you’d find to this question. And a lot of discrepancies. At my engagement party, my mom said to a group of people “Oh Dana could have had twenty bridesmaids. She has collected friends and kept them better than anyone I’ve ever met.”

It’s an interesting compliment, if you consider the word “collect.” Knowing my mother, she means it genuinely. But I know perhaps on the outside, it looks like too often I mention “best friends” here and there. That I “collect” friends simply to have them. My best friends in NYC. My best friends from high school. My best friends from PiPhi. The truth is all my friendships are unique and special to me. I also believe that friendships ebb and flow… but I don’t pretend to be an expert, or have all the answers.

The last year has, unfortunately, seen the end of a few friendships for me. To me, each person is unique, and even with fantastic friends I have mourned the loss of some others. Some deeply, and painfully. I try, to the best of my ability, to stay friends with people who have touched my life meaningfully. It is not without its challenges.

When I was in middle school I really had no friends. I had a tendency to “smother” – and as a result, girls pulled away. I can’t blame them for that. I was born extraordinarily sensitive. When I was in preK, my mom was called by my teacher for a meeting. My mom sensed this was some kind of trouble. Instead, the teacher said – Dana came up to me at lunch today. She said someone in the class was struggling with lessons. She said that he needed extra help, but probably was too shy to ask for it. She said could I help him, but not let him know she said to because she did not want him to be embarrassed or ashamed. The teacher told her – I know adults without that level of sensitive empathy. I have never seen it in a four year old.

Despite that empathy I shared a likewise unparalleled veil of naivety. I fell victim to every conceivable middle school prank. I was so embarrassed that I didn’t have friends that I would lie to my parents about having plans and ride my bike around the neighborhood alone. I made up stories about school trips, since usually I was walking around with chaperones or people I didn’t know. I never had a group, I never felt like I fit in. I spent lunch periods in a teacher’s portable dusting chalkboards, thankful just to have somewhere to be. I remember, acutely, wanting just one friend in the world. I promised God if I ever had one friend I would be the best friend anyone could ask for.

And so I did. I struggled of course – in 9^th grade I had a group of friends that quickly disbanded. My paranoia of being left out was irksome to many, understandably so. But a sweet 13 year old girl named Courtney had enough patience to stay by my side the next 4 years of high school – and life after that. And every friend I made, I kept the promise. I remembered birthdays, I sent cards. I made trips to see friends who lived far away. Throughout high school, throughout college.  I have been disappointed, I have felt sometimes like I give too much, but it is also who I am.

There is another element to my friendships that I am notorious for – pictures! I have adopted the unofficial position of group Historian for all of my groups of friends (and now with instagram I’m arguably even worse). My interest in cameras began at a young age. Even with my family I liked to volunteer to take pictures. I played with my mom’s film camera when I was only in elementary school. On trips I always took a Kodak disposable camera or two, always got double prints, always gave the second set of prints away. As I grew older, it became a way to become and stay friends with people. Look at us here – look at this memory we made. Mostly it was about trying to connect. It still is – I love commemorating every “Throwback Thursday” with an old picture. Memories are so special to me, and worth treasuring.

Some friendships ebb and flow, I truly believe that. And I believe in forgiveness. I also believe there are times where you simply have to walk away. It’s not easy to decide which course is best. I have found that trusting my instinct has been the most important thing, and giving without expecting something in return to be equally important even if it is a bit harder in practice.

Friendships are a two way street and require work, there’s no doubt about that. But they should be effortless in my opinion, in that the desire to stay in touch, the kindness you show one another, simply wanting to be in touch, be it every day, every week, every month, or every year – whatever works for you.

I think I will always be the friendship Historian. I always remember how we met, insisting on pictures early on, capturing the memories. At times, I have annoyed most of my friends with these requests. But photos have always been how I connect, how I helped find my place, how I helped learn how to be a friend and to find real friends. Over time, I’ve even had some friends thank me for the rabid early-days shots – for more than a few, I was responsible for the first picture of my friend and her eventual boyfriend/husband.

I want to add that I am so thankful for the friends I have made, even the ones I have lost. Sometimes things come full circle and you find yourself in touch yet again with someone you haven’t spoken to in years. They say a picture is worth a thousand words – for me they are worth many special friends J

Melissa & David's Wedding in Charlotte!

We seem to be nonstop on-the-go these days! What a great weekend we had last weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina! Both Nate and I absolutely love NC - I lived there for two years when I was going to grad school at Duke, and Nate went almost every summer on vacation growing up. So, obviously, it is a special place for both of us! We got in Friday night after some "mechanical delays" kept us from getting there as early as we liked. We visited a few breweries with our friends Laura and Dave, and then went out for a great dinner downtown. Saturday morning we were up fairly early for some white water rafting at the US National Whitewater Center! It was so much fun! We both LOVED rafting in Costa Rica and this was tons of fun. Of course I volunteered to sit in the front of the boat so Nate was stuck up there with me :). Since it's a whitewater center it's manmade instead of actual rivers, which meant the water was really warm! So, even though we were soaked, we weren't too cold!

After the rapids it was time to get ready for the wedding! I was honored to be a Reader in the wedding so we had to get there pretty early! I was so excited to celebrate Melissa and David. Melissa and David started dating just days after Nate and I back in 2010 - our dating anniversaries were exactly one week apart! We also got engaged just weeks within one another - and our weddings were 6 weeks apart - so we've been on a similar timeline! For both of us, the first picture we have dating is one the other took when we were on a double date at the Chapel Hill West End Wine Bar. They are such a special couple to us and we were honored to be part of their day. It also was the third Breakfast Club wedding of 2014 (wow!) and it was so much fun to celebrate with Laura and Courtney too! Here is my favorite picture of us (Breakfast Club 1/2, missing Cara, Kelly, Natalie, and Kristy).

Congratulations again, Melissa & David!

Our Wedding: The Highlights

June 7, 2014 is a day we will never forget. It was absolutely perfect, from the prep to the weather to enjoying every moment of the day. I was up by 5am and we didn't crash until 1am that night, but it was all worth it! Our incredible photographer, Steve, captured all the special moments. Rather than overexplain everything, I'll just post a few of our absolute favorites.

Here's to the next chapter.... cheers!