Being 27...

...was fun.  A LOT happened!!!  Here's a brief recap of the highlights:

• I plugged my way through a LOT of grad school.  We're talking 19 credits!  This included classes like Financial Accounting, Operations Management, International Strategy, Leadership Development, Ethics, Information Technology, Financial Management and Managing the Strategy Process.  WOW - the breadth and depth of knowledge I'm getting at Carlson is impressive.  The coming year will prove to be just as jam-packed (22 credits), but then I'll be on the home stretch!
• We got MARRIED!  This was for sure a highlight.  Not only were all wedding-related events memorable and fun, but the joy of being married to Jake for 11 months (!) has been even better than anticipated.  I love being Team Matthies.
• We got a puppy.  This coming from the girl who wasn't really interested in dogs for most of her life.  Callie has been a great addition to the Matthies family - and she has taught us a lot about caring for another living being.  The three of us are a force to be reckoned with!
• I visited my 28th and 29th states.  Those states are Hawaii and Arkansas.  Two very different experiences, but both equally important!  I have a new goal to hit all 50 states by a reasonable age, and I only have 21 left!  More than half of those are in the Northeast corner of the country - places like Maine, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island - these can all be tackled in one trip, right?
• I got a new job.  Like not just a new job in Global Trade - a totally new job where I am challenged, stretched, inspired... I'm learning something every single day and meeting new people all the time.  I like who I am in my new role and the skills I have to use and practice.  I like how the people around me and the role itself force me into territory to work on things like asking the right questions and digging deeper into root causes.  I REALLY like my job!

28 will be a fun year.  I can already tell!  I will visit a new continent/country (India!), my 30th state (Nevada), travel to Mexico for a wedding, be a bridesmaid in two other weddings, hopefully be down to 1 semester left in grad school, and keep honing skills in my job.  I'm looking forward to the wild ride!