Is it just me or was 2015 the strangest year of your life too? I’m not joking. I started this year unemployed and living with my parents to now being quasi-full-time employed by my best friend/roommate who I met on Tinder. Also, I became a dog person.
Maybe your year hasn’t been quite as unconventional. But it is still important to reflect back on the highs and lows, the regrets, and the triumphs, so that we may take these lessons and experiences forward to shape the coming year.
Come take a look back at our lives with Respect My Region as we review the past year of 2015!
Danielle Mangaser
Highlights
1: Winning Taylor Swift tickets – I’m sure this moment will be overshadowed when I win Justin Bieber tickets in 2016 but I remember this being a particularly exhausting week and yet, I still managed to find the energy to call Movin 92.5 over 2000 times. It goes to show that perseverance and being quick with your fingers can get you one magical night with Taylor Swift.
2: Paradiso Festival – As I’ve grown into my ripe age of 24, my adult responsibilities have pulled me away from the dance festival scene, much to my dismay. If Paradiso Festival is the last rave I ever attend, I think I would be satisfied. Going to USC Events’ shows has gotten me through some of the toughest times of my young adulthood and volunteering for them has been the highest point of that. Check out my Paradiso recap from earlier this year to relive the magic.
3: Making friends through Tinder – I met at least five of my Tinder matches this year. Two of them, I never spoke to again. One of them ditched me at a food truck festival. One of them jump started my car when I was stranded. The other one of them, I live with. Tinder is a strange, awkward world; one you should proceed with caution with. Sometimes though, the person on the other end of the app is an actual human being with an awesome dog.
What I wish I had done differently
1: Vegas – When you spend a night on the floor of your hotel room because you’re afraid you’re going to die, and you don’t want your friend to wake up next to your corpse, you know you’re in deep $#!%. When you rack up $12,000 in debt and are crying on the airplane home, you know you’re f—-ed. The moral lesson is just don’t ever leave Seattle; no good can come from leaving Seattle.
2: Credit card – I applied for my first credit card so I could build up my credit and start renting a place in Seattle. People told me to be careful; don’t spend it on stupid things. I don’t know if you can consider a couple rowdy nights in Capitol Hill “stupid,” but my hundreds of dollars of debt says otherwise.
3: Worn underwear more often in the summer – It was a hot summer, wasn’t it? Apparently, going commando and heat don’t mix well. To put it short and sweet, and not too graphic, there may have been some “discomfort” issues involved.
What I learned
1: The Pacific Northwest is best – See Vegas story above. Seriously, why would you ever leave?
2: Dogs are people too – Anyone that knew me before 2015 was aware of my indifference toward dogs, or really any household animal. But then I met a dog that broke me down. And now I spend more time at the dog park then I do at church.
3: Work hard and never give up – It sounds cliché, I know. But I don’t think I truly knew the value of hard work until this year, until I started helping my best friend manage her AirBnB properties. By no means did I expect my life to take me here, but I know I am well on my way to actually making dreams come true. You can literally do anything you set your heart and mind to. You can literally create the reality you want for yourself. Who knows what I’ll create for myself in 2016?
Lauren Bergeson
Highlights
1: Going to Denver – I have wanted to live in Denver since my junior year of college and my first visit there over the age of 21 was nothing short of amazing. I got to stand on the stage at the Red Rocks and saw Nero for the first time. The electronic music scene in Denver is nothing short of a basshead’s dream.
2: Meeting some of my favorite artists – This year at Lucky I got to sit back stage during Liquid Strangers set and then meet him (thank you Gabe Osa), then I got to run into Dirtyphonics at the airport in Denver AND THEN met them again at FreakNight with SKiSM and LAXX. I managed to keep my cool except for when meeting SKiSM, I could only muster the words, “I’m fan girling so hard right now”.
3: Leavenworth at Christmas – I am such a sucker for Christmas lights and horse drawn carriages. This little mountain town was like another world at night. I particularly loved the one tree outside the pretzel shop that was decorated like a Christmas tree covered in pretzels.
What I Wish I Had Done Differently
1: Done more outside of electronic music – I started the newbie guide with Respect my Region to expand my experiences outside of music and I don’t think I did enough. It was fun to go on some hikes and go to Victoria but there is so much more to Seattle.
2: Gone swimming – This is the second summer that I have not gotten in the water. I need to find friends with boats so hit me up.
What I Learned This Year
1: The real beauty behind Washington – I always knew Washington was beautiful, its one of the prettiest states I’ve been to but this year I got to explore nature further. The mountains here, hiking trails, water falls, rivers, it just doesn’t stop. Everywhere you go there is something to gawk at.
2: How to lose 30 lbs – This year I lost a lot of the weight I gained by trying to eat my stress away from my job. This was a big deal for me as I did it by myself and without a work out buddy. Dedication and self discipline are now my best friends.
3: How big the music scene is here – Now I may not have broken away from the music scene as much as I wanted but I have been exposed to the vast talent the city has to offer. It’s crazy how many people out here can get tunnel vision and forget about what else the entire state of Washington has to offer when it comes to music, especially electronic music.
Joey Brabo aka JayPing
Highlights
1: Started working for Microsoft – In 2015 I joined Microsoft’s Hololens team as a brand ambassador and presenter for their experiences team. I’ve been blessed to work enough to cover most of my bills, purchase a car, and travel for work for the first time in my life. I’ll never forget how much fun our team had in San Francisco for Build 2015!
2: Graduated From Central Washington University – June 14, 2015 was my graduation out in Ellensburg, WA and it was probably the last time I’ll see my original ‘Brabo’ family together again. The time I spent in college was unforgettable and helped me develop into who I am today. Respect My Region may not have ever happened if it was’t for CWU linking us all together. #FamilyOverEverything
3: Growth Of RMR’s Music Blog – With the addition of two new writers and our brand’s expansion into dance music, RMR has experienced much growth on music side of our blog. #BestOfNW was a great way for us to showcase the best music coming from local artists and #TheseSongsSlap will hopefully prove to expand our musical relations even further.
What I Wish I Had Done Differently
1: Overall Mental/Physical Health – After a rough start to 2015, my mental health hit an all-time low. Once I allowed myself to feel sorry about my situation, issues began to arise in other areas of my life. Maintaining a positive state of mind, eating right and exercising 3-4 times a week is something I wish I would’ve consistently stuck with.
2: Commitment to a higher quality of life – Waking up early no matter how I feel is something I’ve been working on so that I have more time in the day to achieve my career goals. I would like to be making between $5000-$7000 a month before I turn 28 years old and it’s time I commit myself towards living comfortably and being able to invest in future opportunities.
3: Financial Management – Spending too much money on weed, gas, and restaurant food is always going to be an issue for me. I love hanging out and smoking with friends before we all go eat somewhere local around Seattle. If I can limit these expenses to less than $50 a month, that would be magical.
What I Learned This Year
1: My own state of mind and well-being is more important than anything else.
2: Who I surround myself with will be the make-or-break factor when it comes to reaching my goals.
3: I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be where I want to be.
Brittanie Chambers
Highlights
1: Buying my new car- It wasn’t my dream car, didn’t come with exactly what I wanted and needed, but it’s my car. My first big girl purchase. Nothing beats getting in my car and not being terrified if I will make it even a mile. I have been able to see my grandparents multiple times, travel around the pnw and snowboard! I also got a lower APR than my entire family because I’m a baller like that 😉
2: Snowboarding- I use to snowboard every year and every single chance I got. Then I chose to move out really young and had all these bills and different responsibilities I hadn’t before. During this the cost for a season pass increased by 5x it seemed like. So for 4 years I wasn’t able to snowboard. This year I finally got to go again. I’ve been almost every weekend I’m not working at Crystal and I have never been happier!
3: Moving to the city- Ever since I moved to the west side 3 years ago my dream was to live either in the city or as close as possible. I’m a manager at my work so I’m was always being transferred and promoted to different stores but I kept going further and further south. The more south I moved, the further away I was from all my friends and any events I enjoyed doing. So after around 6 months of debating this I finally asked to be transferred to stores up north. As of Jan 1st I’ll be at my new stores in the city area and I am so excited for this new journey.
What I Wish I Had Done Differently
1: Kept to the original WTFestival plan. I first bought my tickets not knowing who I was going with, only that I was going. All my friends were going to Paradiso the weekend after and didn’t want to do both weekends. (They regretted this immensely after hearing how amazing this place was.) Anyways, I happily found out that at least one of my friends was going with a group and I could tag along. Well….I was sorta seeing this guy at the time who lived in Portland so he told me to wait for him and we would go together. WORST MISTAKE EVER. He was the biggest Debbie downer (I’m putting this nicely) I had ever met and stayed at the tent 97% of the time.
2: NOT TELLING DEBBIE TO PACK HIS SH** AND FIND A DIFFERENT RIDE HOME DAY 1
3: What they say is true- Don’t ever live with your best friend. I moved in with mine who I had known for over 10 years. Long story short, I have no desire to ever talk to her again. Living in close quarters with someone every day shows you another side of them. One you might love or completely hate.
What I Learned This Year
1: Always listen to your intuition-Yes that little voice inside your head that either tells you to do something or to run far far away and never look back. It’s always your clearest voice. Mine is always right. I’m sure yours is too. So never doubt yourself. If you get a bad feeling there is always a reason why and don’t feel bad for turning the other way.
2: Ask and you shall receive- I asked for this year to be the year of self discovery and that it was. I asked to be moved up north and I will be starting 2016 living in the city. I reached out to my work for help and they not only supported me fully this year but helped me grow into a person I love looking at in the mirror. I asked for good health and I received the best news that has freed me some so much fear about my future.
3: It’s all about you- YOU are the most important person because only YOU can help yourself. Always do what’s best for you and those who love and care about you will support every action you make and those who don’t will fall off but always envy your accomplishments and wins.
Mitch Pfeifer
Highlights
1: Got engaged (best engagement story of…all time) – I asked one of my best friends to marry me in the middle of the year. We have been together for over 3 years and finally decided to throw the anchor into the ocean. Most people have these really cute and cool engagement stories. Mine is epic…epically terrible! My fiancé’s father is a Golden State Warrior’s season ticket holder. He gifted me with a ticket to game two of the NBA finals. Upon returning the next night, I sat in bed as my girlfriend was asleep. I somehow sat on her knee and dislocated the joint. Like literally her knee cap was 100% on the side of her leg. After an ambulance ride and 5 hour stay in the ER they finally got her knee set straight. I was planning on proposing two days after and she was set to walk at graduation the day after that (this entire year I kept hearing I will WALK across that stage). As she was put onto crutches, all my ideas of doing a proposal at a fancy restaurant or a romantic hike were murdered. I ended up proposing on the bathroom floor at 1 am with my palms sweating and me fumbling for words as she said “you seriously asked me while I look like this?” …whatever day your having it can’t be nearly as bad as the best day of my life!
2: NBA Finals – I was blessed with the bucket list opportunity of going to game 2 of the NBA finals at Oracle Arena (thank YOU Glenn). Watching an overtime game in Oakland with my brother in law (who happened to be the only guy wearing Cav’s gear head to toe in the arena) was priceless. I flew to Oakland watched the game, and flew back the next morning…is this what it feels like to be a Kardashian?
3: Progression – This year my career, my life, my relationships, this blog, and my music have all progressed. I have cut a lot of people out of my life and found some pretty inspiring new ones. I am very thankful for ALL the people that have helped out with RMR and my hustle’s over the past few years and this year I truly have felt blessed to be surrounded by go-getter’s that eagerly want to be successful.
What I Wish I Had Done Differently
1: Dislocated my Fiancee’s knee – See #1 above…if I only I had sat two inches to the left
2: Done something special for my family – I didn’t really go out of my way to show my immediate family how instrumental they are in my life. I wish I could have bought some cars or cribs for the fam this year…there’s always next year guys!
3: Not drank so much that one time – Or a few times…sincerely…my liver.
What I Learned This Year
1: Friend come and go but family stays – I have always had a big circle and while it may get smaller, I have found who truly would die for me.
2: The struggle never ends – You make more money…you have more bills. Things go wrong, people die, things break, and bad days happen. Struggling is something that we all will deal with as humans. Some of us will struggle financially, others internally, and others in many various ways. One of the beautiful things about life is we all experience joy and pain. We can connect over these emotions or separate ourselves, but it is all a matter of perspective!
3: Taster’s Wok in Lynnwood/Everett is amazing – I am big on Chinese food. I love China town (Honey Court or die!) and my trusty Golden Dragon in Ellensburg, but seriously Taster’s is amazing. I would eat there 3 times a week if my wallet and stomach size were ok with it.
