I know I’m supposed to write something about how this past year has just flown by, but quite honestly, 2015 made me work really hard and it definitely seemed to take its own sweet time in coming to an end. That’s not a complaint, but oh what a year it’s been! From finally bringing my PhD to a close, to starting a new job, and moving into a new place — all stressful changes in their own right, but I’m definitely grateful for everything that’s happened in 2015.  And taking a look back at the year, it’s clear why!

January/February 2015

The first two months of the year had me focused on preparing for my defense in mid-February.  Four-and-a-half years of work came to an end over the course of 90 minutes.  Scary, exhilarating, and a relief all at once.  And despite fears that I might fall into a figurative hole afterwards, I was so so happy to be done!

March 2015

The next month I made my way over to Berlin for the half marathon, where I ran for the first time ever without having any idea what my time or pace was — simply for the love of running. It might sound simple enough to you, but it was a real life lesson to someone who is constantly competing with herself.  The race was followed up by a perfect street food lunch at RAW.

April 2015

Around Easter I finally updated my frames after at least 10 years of taking advantage of my previous collection.  A  drastic improvement!

May 2015

I didn’t do much international traveling in 2015, so my quick trip to Lisbon was extra special to me.  I was completely charmed by the city’s landscapes and streetscapes and hope to visit Portugal again sometime soon.

June 2015

In June I celebrated 7 years in Germany and 10 years of blogging — and in both of these cases, I definitely made use of cliches about time flying!  But I couldn’t spend too much time being nostalgic because I also started my first postdoc job and launched a quick and successful search for a new apartment.  Big reasons to celebrate!  After many years in Bremen, I also finally paid a visit to the beautiful Rhododendron Park.

July 2015

July kept me busy getting my new apartment set up from scratch.  It took me a while, but it finally came together and I was able to share a mini-home tour with you here.  I also attended a lovely wine tasting at Ludwig von Kapff with a bunch of Bremen-based bloggers.

August 2015

I was overwhelmed with work in August, a great deal of which involved turning my dissertation into a book manuscript (largely in my free time).  Even so, I spent as much time as possible enjoying the sun and views from my balcony.  And with a little help from a post by Geek Mädel, I applied for my very own Blue Card for highly qualified immigrants in Germany — success!

September 2015

In September I hosted my very own wine tasting as a bit of a housewarming, featuring both German and American wines.  I also traveled to Berlin to support a friend running in the marathon, and basically then and there decided that I finally need to conquer this distance for myself!

October 2015

I ran two kinds of races in October — first was the Bremen Fotomarathon, which took me all over the city chasing nine photos of nine different themes.  The second was the city’s half marathon, which was most definitely a challenge, but convinced me even more of the need to take on a new distance.

December 2015

I’m skipping right on over November because honestly I did practically nothing but work the whole month, both in the office and on the side.   I finally traveled home to Seattle for the holidays in December, my first real vacation in over a year, and I’ll  happily ring in the new year here as well.

So that’s it for looking back at 2015!  So much of it was devoted to change and setting down roots, even though I can’t tell you where I will be this time next year.  I’m looking forward to more traveling, growing friendships and relationships, and seeking out new adventures.  I wish you all the very best for 2016!

What was your year like? Do you have any resolutions for the year ahead?