My dear friends, 

Today is a VERY special occasion.  Exactly one year ago today, I wrote my first blog post!  I vividly remember sitting in the library applying to jobs, and on a whim, decided to relive me and Nicole’s trip around the country.  I was extremely timid at first, unsure if anything I wrote about would be remotely interesting. But the comments, support, and enthusiasm from all of you has made me realize that my writing is actually enjoyable, and is not purely an act of self-indulgence and pride! 

With life being in complete disarray, it’s wonderful to have something that I’ve committed to for a year’s time.  This blog has been my rock, and in a way, I treat it as my own child.  It’s the only thing I’ve really produced that has continually grown; it’s made me a better writer, a better thinker, and has honestly made me more laid back and accepting.  While what I write is true-life, most non-fiction comes from some sort of falseness–be it the absence of truth, or a tone of writing that makes it seem that one feels concretely about a certain idea or event.  My blog is a personal space that has never become private, but it has allowed me to write in a way that actually lets me become the way I write. The way I have decided to reproduce my life in this blog has made me realize that when it comes down to it…..life is funny.

There’s a lot in this blog. From crashing a wedding in Albuquerque, to living in half a basement in Maryland, to discussing how I don’t own proper rain gear, to Sufjan concerts, top ten moments, joining a band, cooking oatmeal, and discussing politics, this blog has been places. I’m excited to see where it goes in a year from now. Could be anywhere.

Really–anywhere.  

And Nicole!  She has been my partner-in-crime, and I still feel like this blog is as much her’s as it is mine. In this past year we’ve moved away and done our own things, and yet here we are again back together, eating pasta out of pots, digging out nickels and dimes to buy coffee, pitching our tent out on a deck in Fire Island, and reminiscing about our dream house in the woods. 

No matter where we go, some things will never change.

SO!! Since it’s my child’s first birthday, Ima ask fo presents! I can see how many hits I get a day on this thing, and while I’m not in the thousands, I do get a lot of daily reads! So, I simply ask–who are you!?! Tell me.  If you read this blog, gimme a comment. If you don’t want to reveal yourself to the ten’s of other people who might comment (maybe, please?), email me! lschwecherl@gmail.com.

OR, if you don’t want to do that, send me money. I love money.

And I love you!