The year 2015 was my third calendar year living in the Cities. I have read it takes five years to fully acclimate to a new home after moving, but 2015 made me feel like I am ahead of schedule. It was the first year where I knew people and places and had the money to do the things I wanted to do, so 2015 became the year to build in earnest the life I envisioned for myself when I moved to Minnesota.
2015 started out slow, as I was recovering from losing a job in November of 2014, missing a month of work and paying for Christmas. The frustration of being behind financially at the beginning of the year was compounded by the fact I had just moved to first-shift and had evenings free for the first time in two years. I had the time and I knew what was going on, but I had to spend a lot of time on the sidelines (my recliner) the first six weeks of 2015 as I rebuilt my finances.
I made it through those first six weeks of 2015 and then I started to build. Here are some of those building blocks:
2015 was a wonderful year for art in the Cities and the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) led the way with their 100th birthday celebration. I viewed three of the most beautiful paintings in the world--Vermeerâs Woman Reading a Letter, Raphaelâs Madonna of the Pinks and van Goghâs Irises. After I was able to regain my financial footing, I became a sustaining member at Mia and was able to take advantage of free tickets for The Habsburgs exhibition, Leonardo da Vinciâs Codex Leicester exhibition and the amazing Delacroix exhibition (where I finally took advantage of the free--to members--audio guide during the tour). I also viewed the Gifts of Japanese and Korean Art from the Mary Griggs Burke Collection and was able to attend several Third Thursday events at Mia. In 2015, Mia became a larger part of my life and I look forward to continuing as a member and frequent visitor in 2016
I was also able to make more non-Rock the Garden visits to the Walker Art Center this year, as they celebrated their 75th Anniversary. I enjoyed several trips to the Walker, particularly the Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia exhibition. Lying in a Mayan Hammock while listening to Jimi Hendrixâs War Heroes was sublime. I also enjoyed viewing the Art at the Center: 75 Years of Walker Collections exhibition.
During 2015 I was able to view more art at events highlighting local artists. I saw 12 bands in two days and visited several studios in Northeast Minneapolis during Art-A-Whirl (largest open studio tour in the nation) weekend in May. Visiting the newly-relocated Soo Vac to see the Markers of Time: Prints by Marilyn A. Owens show in autumn was another highlight. The Fall St. Paul Art Crawl was a benchmark for me, as I was finally able to navigate St. Paul well enough to visit every studio during the weekend crawl for the first time in four attempts.
In 2015, I was able to immerse myself into a culture which allowed me to merge my identity--my desires, dreams, passions and tastes--with an existing framework as I continued building this new life in the Cities. While I continue to find the vast amount of social opportunities available here to be overwhelming at times, I found myself narrowing my focus while also broadening my cultural horizons over the past year. I continue to see the world with a child-like sense of awe as I discover more cultural opportunities which enrich and fulfill my life.
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and The Current have served a large role in the cultural landscape I have began to build for myself. At the beginning of 2015 I started to reevaluate my level of support for MPR/The Current. I had been a sustaining member since December, 2012, but was looking to increase my commitment to public radio. The same week I began to consider a deeper financial commitment to MPR, The Current terminated the services of one of my favorite on-air personalities and I paused for a couple days to reconsider whether I would increase my support. (I wrote about this period of reconsidering here.) After 72 hours, I decided to go forward with my increased commitment(s) to MPR/The Current.
Between volunteering 1-2 times a month, being a Legacy Society Member and a Leadership Circle sustaining member with MPR/The Current, 2015 brought so many wonderful opportunities. From exclusive shows and member events (like the Legacy Society Dinner) to working my favorite volunteer shift (staffing the membership tent at Rock the Garden) Iâve been able to meet amazing people in this community, including people who do the work that make MPR/The Current so beloved to me. If I have a cultural identity, it is my hope that a large part of the identity is my love for and support of MPR/The Current.
It is important for me to spend time with people who are creating art and my time as a student and volunteer at HUGE Theater has allowed me to be around creators. I finished Improv 401 class in March of 2015 and decided to step away from Improv for some time in order to pursue other goals. However, as 2015 drew to a close I found myself returning to HUGE Theater, picking up volunteer shifts. The Improv scene is an important part of my life and I look forward to seeing where the scene takes me in 2016.
An unintended benefit of the Art-a-Whirl and St. Paul Art Crawl events was my exposure to more taprooms and 11 Wells Distillery. 2015 was the year where I began to explore local alcohol options with more deliberation while rebuilding how I approach the consumption of alcohol. Alcohol will always be a part of my cultural pursuits, but I find myself taking greater care to experience different options for imbibing, while also consuming far more responsibly. I find I no longer drink to escape but to explore, and exploring the wide variety of beer and spirits available in Minnesota was an important part of my 2015.
Another cultural aspect I find important is the culture of bicycling found here in the Cities. During 2015 I was able to log a lot of miles on my bicycle, experiencing local trails, greenways and urban bicycling. Even when facing heavy traffic, I find myself in a more peaceful state of mind when bicycling (as opposed to driving an automobile). I was able to explore a lot of the Cities on bicycle in 2015 and look to further bicycling adventures in 2016--including getting to know fellow bicyclers in the community better.
I do not see myself ever being identified as a foodie, but I recognize the wonderful culinary opportunities we have here in the Cities and feel it would be foolish not to take advantage. I continued to enjoy Ruam Mit Thai in St. Paul in 2015, while broadening my horizons by attending Minneapolis Taste of the Nation Hot List in July and visiting many other area restaurants for the first time. 2015 was a year for building a broader culinary experience and I feel as though I will continue to build on these experiences in the future.
I was able to learn more about the Hmong culture in 2015. This included visiting the Minnesota Historical Centerâs We Are Hmong Minnesota exhibition in March. Watching a grandfather show his grandchildren relics from the Hmong diaspora while telling his personal story was very moving.
In many ways, 2015 was a frustrating year in my career. During my review near the beginning of the year I was not given a raise, even though I received the highest marks possible in every category of the review. Normally, I would have immediately sought other employment but I was committed to remaining with this employer for a full year because I did not want my resume to have another short-term entry on my employment history. Although I am not happy with my current employer, I was able to gain proficiency with 5-axis machines and gather experience working with materials I had not machined previously. I feel like the experience and knowledge I gained over the past year will be valuable as I return to school and move towards the next step in my career.
I spent some time, particularly towards the end of the year, working through a staffing agency as a banquet server. The flexibility of being able to pick up shifts whenever my schedule allowed was a great benefit, allowing me to work very part-time and earn extra money. Towards the end of 2015 a client I enjoy working with began to request my staffing agency send me to fill shifts whenever possible and bumped my pay by $1/hour so I look forward to continuing work with this client in 2016.
In the late-summer, I worked pouring beer at the State Fair for the third straight summer. I enjoyed working at the State Fair, interacting with people while making vacation money. With more experience, I was assigned better stations and earned more tips during the State Fair in 2015.
2015 blew my mind! 95 concerts! Seeing my favorite band--My Morning Jacket--live for the first time. Exclusive shows. Prince jumping up on stage to join Alabama Shakes at Paisley Park. In the interest of brevity here, Iâve made a list of my favorite musical memories from 2015.
2015 was an interesting year for relationships. It was the year when acquaintances became friends and friends became closer friends. The ability to travel several times throughout the year allowed me to maintain relationships with friends and family despite the distance that now resides between us. I also enjoyed the repaired relationship with my brother. It was a year with deeper, more personal connections.
I was able to see my mother on Motherâs Day and my Father the week before Fatherâs Day (when my brother and I surprised him by taking him to see Tommy James & the Shondellâs). Visiting Missouri twice (for the family reunion and Christmas) the second consecutive year was very important, as I was able to see my grandmother and visit with all of my extended family in Missouri. I also enjoyed hosting my brother and his wife at my home near the end of Thanksgiving weekend.
Any summer I get to see my old friends Charlie, Jason and Jocelyn is a summer I consider successful and I was able to see all three this summer. Visiting Jason and his family in Le Mars over the July 4th weekend was a fantastic time. Meeting with Jocelyn (who brought her mother and new fiancee) at Hola Arepa for lunch at the end of summer was a pleasant surprise that still brings me joy five months later. My vacation to Delaware with Charlie during the week of Labor Day, visiting the ocean for the first time while drinking a lot of Dogfish Head beer and relaxing was the best vacation I could have planned.
I came across The Decemberistsâ A Beginning Song embarrassingly late in the year given it was the song I played the most on Spotify in 2015, but it is my personal soundtrack for a relationship I experienced in the autumn of 2015. While on vacation to Delaware, I found myself missing someone back here in Minnesota. After my return we ended up meeting at Festival Palomino--Iâll never forget Father John Misty blowing my mind, the show ending, hearing my name being called and finally seeing this beautiful girl I had been missing for two weeks. Over the next two months we got to know each other better and I saw a glimpse of something I had been searching for a long time. I experienced several moments of pure joy while with her, but the relationship did not survive autumn.
I will always remember standing on The Point at Henlopen State Park near the end of my vacation, watching the sun slip in and out of the clouds as it set over Delaware Bay when I hear the line âItâs the ocean. Itâs the buoy. Itâs youâ from A Beginning Song. Not one for cliches, especially when applied to the end of a relationship, I choose one way to summarize the experience. The way I look at the end of this relationship is to remember the words to the chorus of A Beginning Song, âI am waiting. Should I be waiting? I am wanting. Should I be wanting? I am hopeful. Should I be hopeful?â and know that for two months the answer was yes and then in a matter of minutes the answer became no.
The final two weeks of 2015 brought a wonderful close to an amazing year. I was able to spend time loving and being loved by most of the people who are the most important to me. Time with friends, new and old, and family was precious.
On New Yearâs Eve I was able to traverse candlelit trails at Fort Snelling State Park with my dear friend Rachel early in the evening before joining her later and toasting in the new year among friends at midnight. I also found a new friend near the end of the year and while this relationship is new and still-to-be explored, I had someone to kiss in the fresh first seconds of the new year.
Any year beginning with a kiss is bound to be a good year.
I feel as if 2015 was the best year of my life, a year of building while still exploring and experiencing new things. No one knows what 2016 holds, but my sense is that I finished building the foundation in 2015 and have set myself up to have an even better year this year. I look forward to continuing to evolve, returning to school to further my career, seeing more shows, appreciating more art, spend more time biking, eating and drinking better, devoting more resources to nonprofits, telling more stories and developing more meaningful relationships.
