Chez Moni

Maxin' out our library card

2012-01-25T18:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight Dave had basketball so I took Edie to our town library. I had some books to drop off, some books on tape to pick up, and the library is just an all around rad place (especially when you're feeling broke-- you can leave with an armful of free goods). First I had to whisk Edie upstairs to the adult section so I could take care of business without her seeing the kiddie floor and going bananas.

Forget browsing with a 1.5yr old. Edie apparently has something against the Dewey decimal system, and showed it by rearranging the New Releases to better suit her tastes. We left the adult section in a state of minor dissarray and hit up the children's floor.

Edie used to love the baby room, which is a fully padded cell, chock full of toys and a beautiful mural. Now that she walks she's graduated (although she rattled the baby room gate as if she were in exile). She loves watching the bigger kids (pretty much everybody, since she's such a pipsqueak), and running around the entire floor, her educational domain. Puppets, and pint-sized ATMs, and kitchens, velcro walls, and toy farms, oh my! At first I tried to contain her but then sat back and let her do her thing.

It's really cool that she understands so much of what we are saying now. She says all done, and touchdown! (Mary Ellen taught her that one), and responds when we ask her to do stuff like get her shoes from the closet. I love watching her try to put them on. Someday soon...

Edie is also very into Sesame Street. I'm not a huge t.v. fan, and definitely do not think t.v. is great for kids. But Sesame is such a quality show with good messages that I can get behind it. She watches maybe two episodes per week, and starts dancing as soon as the music starts. I can't believe some of the characters like Maria, Gordon, and Miles are still on the show; they were on in the early 80s. And they look good! Working on Sesame Street for 27+ years must be good for the soul.

My dad says I need a new blog post

2012-01-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

It's pretty funny when my dad says, "I've been trying to read your blog but..." But what Dad? There's nothing new to read?

He's right, so here I blog. I very much enjoy writing and of course I love talking about myself, but I have no time. No time to blog at the end of a long day! Such is the plight of a working mama.

Our trip to Seattle was really very relaxing. The flight was absolutely not relaxing but we spent the six days in between lazing around Dave's parents' home. They keep the thermostat at steady 74 degrees so it felt like a tropical vacation (rain included). Edie slept in every day, and we had no place to be, so we just drank coffee, read the newspaper, played Scrabble on Dave's iPhone, ate Christmas leftovers, read (which I barely do lately), and did some workouts.

At around 4pm Dave and I would kiss Edie goodbye and drive an hour to Seattle. While the grandparents got some 1-on-1 with the girl, Dave and I braved the brutal I-5 rush hour to meet up with friends, buy his-and-hers shoes on sale, drink NW beer, drink NW Americanos, and eat our fare share of Seattle street food. I managed a cranky toddler for a six-hour flight but that Seattle coffee and Rancho Bravo burrito made it worth it.

When we got back to CT, I was so happy that we made it through December. I was done with the junk food fests, the traveling, the shopping, yada yada. However, before I could really slip into recovery mode, we had plans to go to a Patriots game with my family on New Years' Day. New Years Eve is probably my least favorite holiday, and I loved that there was no pressure to go somewhere and do something awesome. We laid low, I had a White Russian (my current cocktail of choice, is that wierd?), and crashed early. The next day we met some aunties and uncles at Kevin's RV at some ungodly early hour. "The Coachmen" was stocked to the gills with beer, food, and Pats fans.

Did I mention this was my first NFL game? As much as I'm sick of the term "bucket list", going to one NFL game was on my list. Dave and I were decked out in long johns, boots, and hats, but the day's 50-degree temps proved us way overdressed. We ate my mom's homemade chili and cornbread, made a mess out of Kitty's ribs, sipped Bloody Mary's, and played bocce in the sunny parking lot. Even the game was great. The Pats won. I know because, for once, I paid attention.

(And Dad, next time you think my blog is stale, check out the archives. Those posts are like a fine wine, or my 11-year old Subaru. They only get better with age.)

Gimme some of that Christmas sparkle

2011-12-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

I realize that we are circling the holiday drain, and Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye. I write this after driving cross-town to a big box craft store for a last minute gift, and the strewn garland, picked-over candle aisles, and 60% off holiday tchotchkes made it seem like Christmas had already come and gone. But I guess people have done all their shopping and are now home dreaming of sugar plums. Or trying to jury rig their God-forsaken exterior lights from Ocean State Job Lot to illumitate for another week.

2011 has been a tough year. I'm not sure if I had idealistic visions of what life in CT would be, but it has been quite the adjustment. We are lucky in that we both have jobs in a pathetic economy, we bought a great house with tons of potential, and we are closer to most of my family and old friends. But it's probably no surprise that we don't have a robust social life, we miss the adrenaline highs and cameraderie that we loved at Crossfit, and we lack a sense of community that we found at the coffeeshops, bars, and buses of Seattle.

Part of it is that we're parents now, so we don't have the luxury of spending half a morning at a coffeeshop shooting the breeze. The other part is, we are totally in the 'burbs now, and it's much harder to find a good little dive with a decent vibe. When we were in Seattle I'd get lonely on a Sunday afternoon, dreaming about going to my parents house for roast chicken. Now we do that, and love it. I guess adjusting means making peace with the things that are no longer, or finding decent substitutes, or just enjoying the good things that we have now.

As for Crossfit, we've been going to our gym when we can (not enough). Sometimes I try to do a Crossfit workout there, but there's no partner cheering me on, and definitely no Metallica jamming in the background. Other times we do pull-ups and push-ups in our garage, which isn't too shabby. But, yeah, we really miss Crossfit.

And friends? I have my old friends (silver), but not the new friends (gold). It takes time. I have to periodically remind myself that I didn't have my great Seattle friends until I'd been there a couple years either.

In order to end on a more positive note, one person who has shined brightly here in CT is Nanny, Edie's daycare provider. Nancy (aka Nanny) has operated her home daycare for 30 years. It is the Four Seasons of daycares- the four kids each get their own crib, and she washes and irons the sheets each night. She takes weekly outings to the Little Gym and Playgroup. She usually gives the kids dinner leftovers; they eat pork roast, mashed potatoes, grilled green beans, and warm apple crisp for lunch. On Wednesday, Nanny's hosting a Christmas lunch for the tiny tots, complete with presents and a visit from S-A-N-T-A. Maybe I can sneak out of work on my lunchbreak. I'd just love to see Edie with that jolly guy this year...

Chim chim charroo

2011-12-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

Good tidings noble blog readers! Since we last met I've successfully finished the Manchester Road Race and steadily decreased my workout regimen (not really by design). I still have a glimmer of hope that I'll do some push-ups and squats tonight, even if just for morale, but I'm hanging up my running shoes for the season.

Now it's time to paint bathrooms, braise carrots, and trim our house with holiday decorations. On Friday we went to a local nursery that has the feel of a secret garden. I could easily buy every other thing there, but I excersized restraint and did not buy $150 worth of sparkly decor and magnolia wreaths. Mom's hand-me-down Santa nesting dolls little will have to buck up for another year, even if the paint is chipping off their faces.

As for Christmas shopping, I have not really fallen in yet. I have lots of gift ideas, and I do love picking out the right thing for everyone, but Black Friday and the mall scene turn me off. They make me dehydrated and anxious, and I usually drive away feeling depressed about humanity (and my shopping budget).

I do, however, love Etsy. It's an online handmade marketplace, the complete antithesis of Target (which, let's be frank, also love). I've gotten everything from custom artwork to fabric potted plants. Another benefit to shopping Etsy is that there's a good chance your stuff is made in the USA, and you can even shop local to see if there are any goods in your 'hood. I've thought of starting my own shop on Etsy but for now I just enjoy browsing and picking up treasures here and there.

We are going to Seattle for Christmas in a couple weeks. Although I'm not psyched about flying with a 16-month old at the busiest time of year, it'll be nice to be back in burrito country. We do miss the coffee, our friends, Oliver's Twist, and family!

Set it and forget it

2011-11-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

As the time between blog posts indicates, I've been pretty swamped with a new new job, my baby, my husband, 8-day power outages, family illness, and weekend getaways. I keep thinking things will slow down soon, but they don't! And my 5:50am alarm sure does go off early.

My new job is going well. The last few days have been very busy, which I like, because the day just flies by. I ate lunch at 2pm today. That never happens. My clock strikes breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. I look forward to each meal, and have always reacted to those who claim "I just forgot to eat!" with sincere skepticism. Today I didn't forget to eat, I was just trying to finish a few things before I took lunch.

One bummer is that I now work full-time. I'm the first to admit, I had a very lovely on-ramp back to work after I had Edie. Following my maternity leave, I worked three days a week for about 10 months. In between jobs and newly planted in CT, I had July off, then began working a four-day week. A full year after going back to work, I'm a full-timer again. I'm certainly not the first mom to do it, but I really did enjoy my days home with Edie.

I miss my girl but have been streamlining operations at home to make room for hanging out. For example, we hired a bi-weekly (not live-in, unfortunately) housekeeper on a friend's recommendation, and her rates are totally affordable. I've also been trying to order groceries online. The housekeeper is going well, but the food delivery has not totally taken hold. I have two gripes with Peapod: when something I order is out of stock, they don't provide an alternative. I ordered one type of eggs the other night, and they were back-ordered or something, so I got no eggs. They should just send a comprable carton of eggs. And, what's with the 89 plastic bags? Ever heard of Mother Earth?

Also on my streamlining to-do list: sign up for delivery dry cleaning. They pick up and drop off for no extra charge. Seems too easy.

To counter my new commute, which for the first time ever is in a car, I intend to download episodes of This American Life and KEXP's Music That Matters podcasts. KEXP is a wonderful, unique Seattle-based radio station that I really miss. CT radio makes me want to cry a little, or get satellite radio.

Lastly, Dave and I have started a new family work-out routine. We're training for the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day, and have been running with Edie after work. We bought some reflective gear and a flashing light for her jogging stroller. Although it's already dark at 5, we stick to the main roads and wear our shiny gear as we run around the 'hood together.

Leonard Cross-Country Team

2011-10-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

I had spent three months preparing: running four times a week, sprinting around the local track once or twice, downloading Beyonce into my "get psyched" mix, buying new sneaks, and avoiding bending to low cabinets in an effort to preserve my knees.

I put my training to the test for 13.1 miles on Saturday, and I'm now the proud bearer of a Hartford Half Marathon medal. I came in at 1:58:19.
Not bad for a baby mama. (I have a friend who swears childbirth makes you stronger...maybe so. It definitely grooms your ability to use a 'mind over matter' approach).

As usual, on race day I was running late. Aunt Kitty and my parents were waiting out front while I tore through our house, gathering my bib, fleece, Gu Chomps (super-powered gummi food), and headphones. And cell phone. And chapstick.

We were all nervous en route to Hartford, where much of the city was preparing for the event (including a marathon, half marathon, 5K, and kids' 1K). For example, my dad wouldn't stop talking. Before my mom hit him over the head with a Clif Bar, we scored a parking spot and set off the find Kevin and Janice, my mom's brother who forbids us from calling him 'uncle', and his partner. They were planning to park their RV across from the Bushnell.

They welcomed us into the pre-race RV, where jitters were palpable. Kevin was running the full-marathon, and the rest of us had our own goals to achieve. No matter which race you're prepared for, there's gonna be a knot in your stomach. (Bigger knots for longer races? Not sure.) No one had the appetite for food or coffee, so we snapped a few pics and joined the throngs of well-toned athletes.

Mom, Dad, and Kitty went their way, and Kevin and I got in the queue together. I asked what his goal was. He said "Honestly, to finish. But if I had my drothers, under 4:30". When he asked mine, I said, "Under 2". We bumped fists, I turned up Rihanna, stretched, and prepared for the gun.

The beginning of a road race doesn't start with a mad dash. It's slow for the first half mile or so, as people spread out from underfoot. It's a tangled mess, and hard to get your tempo going. But it was a beautiful, sunny day, and my friend Laurie came up behind me to say hi within the first mile, and I got into a groove with my music. There were also onlookers cheering, holding signs, some playing music, and little kids held out their hands, vying for a high five. Personally, the audience is crucial to getting a good pace going and maintaining a steady pace. An enthusiastic crowd makes me want to run faster and taller.

After going through the West End of Hartford, the course went around our neighborhood for miles 6-8. I told Dave that I'd be at the water station at the end of our street between 8:45 and 9:15. Pretty broad window but I really wasn't sure. I kept looking at my watch as I got nearer, wanting to impress him by arriving on time. I also really needed to use the Port-o-Potty, and was honestly wondering if I could run to our house ever so quickly...

I was totally pumped to see Dave and Edie, and that made me run confidently. However the lower-intestine cramps that I'd tried to push out of my mind since the starting block weren't subsiding. I paid a visit to the Johnny-on-the-Spot at mile 7. No harm, no foul. I jumped right back into the race feeling about 2 lbs lighter.

Not long thereafter, I hit an incline. A woman in a competitive-type wheelchair pushed up next to me, and struggled, but she kept pushing uphill. I knew Dave and Edie would be down the street, so I powered through. Seeing the mile markers pass helped. They were coming up pretty easily. I saw Dave and Edie twice more. Edie rang a cowbell, and Dave was super supportive, so that gave me some fuel.

Things started to slow down at mile 11. The mile markers seemed to spread out, and instead of cursing the race I did some self congratulating: "Shawna, you're so awesome. Look at you, you're running this race and you're keeping a great time! You rule." That was my inner dialogue, which brought me to mile 12, then 13. The crowd of onlookers was thicker, I heard someone cheer my name, and then- voila- the finish line! My parents and Kitty met me outside the gate, surprised I was done already.

We recovered and went to watch for Kevin and the other marathoners. He finished with flying colors in under 4 hours. The race was an awesome event that brings out some big emotions. I wanted to cry watching every third person cross the finish line: they're overweight, they're old, they're holding hands, oh my goodness, isn't humanity something else? It really does tug at something deep, and I can't wait to do my next race.

I'll see you at Manchester...

a home of one's own

2011-09-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today was a success because I went running after an unintended four-day haitus, I ate at least two vegetables, and Edie and I got some good playin' in after work.

Also, I'm finally blogging about our new home after four weeks of keeping my faithful readers in the dark.

The house was in "turnkey" condition when we bought it meaning we opened the door, moved our stuff in, and parked our butts on the couches that were left behind. The woman who sold us our house kept the place immaculate. Let's call her Maureen. Maureen was an avid gardener, and a very generous woman who sold us pretty much any furniture (indoor and out) that we wanted. Did I mention she loved gardening?

I am absolutely confident that I'll kill the garden in two months flat. Frankly I can't believe the greenery is still green. Maureen swore that it was a breeze to keep up, which I'm sure is true if I had 4 hours of weekend time to weed and prune rose bushes. My one hope is that Edie will chill in the Ergo while I bumble around, armed with shears and a big brown bag for collecting weeds (my hope is equally for me and for the baby).

So far we've painted our dining room. And by 'we' I mean my mom and dad, who have also re-wired our front porch light, dismantled and remantled our bedroom furniture to get it up the stairs, and hung our t.v. I've bought one new piece of art, which I'm anxiously awaiting, and could drop some serious moolah on home decor, no problem. But I'm honoring our budget so we're stuck with curtains of the Great Aunt variety, at least for a little while.

I am truly ecstatic that we finally own a home. I've been a renter for ten years, and although I've had a pretty good string of landlords, it's awesome to not have to ask if I can paint the walls, to have ample storage, and to not have a front door in the kitchen (I'm talkin' about you, Densmore Ave). I'll post more photos soon, but I hope this gives you a peep into the totally rad home we're calling our own.

Days Gone By

2011-09-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Monique just passed away at age 43.

My dad came by yesterday to dismantle our box spring, which didn't fit up the stairs. We chatted a bit, while I was getting ready to meet my uncle for a run in the res. My dad called me out to the garage, and he was obviously upset. He said, "My sister died." I immediately guessed Monique, and good thing, because my dad has six sisters, and that wouldn't be a fun game.

(she's second to left)

Monique was the youngest of the nine Michaud children. I remember her as a Conard High School cheerleader and camp counselor at Beachland Park. She had her own powder blue Honda Civic, a water bed, made lanyards, and had friends with '80s names like Susie and Lynn. Needless to say, I thought she was the coolest when I was in elementary school. I even had a short pleated wool skirt, which I considered my homage to Aunt Monique. (Also, my middle name is Monique, after her).

(she's the blonde on the left)

Upon graduating, Monique couldn't get out of the Connecticut fast enough, and enrolled at University of Central Florida. My parents took me and Ashley to Orlando when I was in third grade, and we crashed with Monique in her sunny Florida apartment. We all went to Disneyland and Sea World, and I wore my Thriller shirt for approximately four days straight. Monique had Alphabets cereal, which she kept on top of her fridge, and that was pretty enlightening when all I knew was Kix. Did I mention she had a sweet tooth? She had an unabashed big appetite for junk food.

During my senior year at Conard, my mom took me and Ashley to Florida again. By that time, Monique had graduated and was making big bucks, thanks to the late-90s real estate boom. She had a big home in a subdivision with a built-in pool. She was married to a nice guy and had a baby daughter, and a sharpei named Kong. She drove a Mustang convertible, had a hearty laugh, a big butt, and big blonde bangs. She was living the life, in that central Florida kind of way.

(still on the left, cheering on the Cheiftan hockey team)

I last saw Monique with her two kids at Ashley's wedding, two years ago. Monique was still fun loving, but she had packed on a lot of weight. Her glory days as a hot real estate agent were gone, and she had begun selling burial plots for a living. She was divorced, and remarried, and didn't have much to her name. Still, she met Dave and saw me pregnant, and it was nice to see her.

See died suddenly on Monday of a heart attack, after being hospitalized briefly a few months ago for an unknown heart condition, and a diabetes diagnosis. I feel bad for her kids the most. And it is strange that one of the nine Michaud kids is gone.

I prefer to think of her in her glory days, as the cute blonde cheerleader that she was. And she was the apple of Pepere's eye.

Cloudy with a Chance of Hype

2011-08-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

There was a lot of hype the last few days about Hurricane Irene, and I must say, I'm a bit dissapointed. Multiple news outlets advised stocking up on water for three to four days, have

batteries locked and loaded, and avoid going outside at all costs. My mom and I went to the grocery store on Thursday to gather provisions, and the place was picked clean of water, flashlights, and Cheerios.

Luckily they still had cheddar cheese, Sierra Nevada, and Pantene shampoo, all key for survival. I even found a secret stash of bottled water in the baby aisle. Yes, Gerber markets this stuff to hyper-sensitive parents who want triple-distilled water for their young. People asked in hushed tones, "Where'd you get that water?!" I heard from friends that yesterday was even worse, that stores were picked over like Armageddon was nigh.

The news....I hate the news. It does nothing to improve the quality of my day. On one newscast, the reporter was on the beach standing in the water. He was about three feet from the dry shore. Really, must you stand in the water? I guess he was trying to prove that he truly was getting wet. On another newscast, the reporter beefed up the drama by stating that you could actually see the whitecaps in the Long Island Sound. I squinted and tried really hard, but couldn't make out more than some choppy water. The news is a joke.

Dave was skeptical the whole time. He did not buy the hype.

The winds were howling last night and the rain came down hard at times, but this storm was supposed to bring us to our knees. I was playing out scenarios of leaping from bed to save Edie if a branch came flying threw the window, and playing cards in the basement by candlelight. We lost power for about a minute at 6am, and I was almost disappointed that the lights were ablaze all day. I mean, I love hot coffee and an Egg McChaud just as much as the next guy, but a storm can be fun when you have to adapt without everyday luxuries. Granted, major weather can cause serious damage but this one just lost its luster. I know we're lucky, we were just bracing for a bit more adventure.

One year

2011-08-12T19:23:00.001-07:00

Happy (belated) birthday to our beautiful little girl, Edie Harper! They say it goes fast, and it does. The long, brutal nights and her falling asleep on our chests seem long ago. Now she's putting pasta on a spoon and cruising around in her beloved shoes (with assistance). What's in store for next week?

Chicken Soup for The Mattress

2011-08-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

I was just waiting for this to happen. While things have been going pretty well with our POD, every time we request it be removed from its warehouse home (via forklift) feels like a roll of the dice. Keeping our somewhat organized chaos in order seems less and less realistic as we remove and replace this huge box from its towering POD stack.

You've heard horror stories of storage units: mice establish new colonies in your mattress, valuable files succomb to stinky mildew, your wardrobe becomes moth heaven. People's stories never seem to end well. Today Dave visited our POD with the hopes (ahem, very high hopes) of getting his classroom materials out. The stuff was packed in a box, in a wardrobe behind a lot of other big items. He didn't get his materials but he DID find an exploded box of chicken stock (thanks to the humitidy), that blew up on top of a bookshelf and attracted hordes of gnats.

Although it stinks (literally), it could be worse. Dave got some fly strips to catch the buggers but I called PODs immediately and asked for them to deliver it ASAP. They said "How about tomorrow?" and I said "Sure!" Where will we put all of our stuff? Guess we'll just push my parents basement around a bit. There really isn't room, but leaving our stuff in the bug-infested chicken soup container will be a death sentence.

I've been thinking of the tangible things I miss. It'll be nice to have them back when the POD arrives.

1. My contacts. I somehow ripped my monthly contact one week into their use, and have been running with my glasses, which fog up and slip down when I get sweaty. Also hard to water-ski with blurry vision. And I've been wearing my sunglasses over my glasses like a huge nerd.

2. My radio. This goes beyond just having music in the house. I miss our music set-up, and I miss Seattle radio station KEXP. I commute 25 minutes each way to work, and the state of local radio is getting me down. I'm seriously thinking about paying for Sirius. But on the positive side I'm caught up on the news thanks to NPR.

3. My straw hat. Critical summer accessory.

4. Our bed. A bed is pretty personal, and we like ours.

5. My recipes. I have a killer Mexican corn-on-the-cob recipe that I don't feel like digging around for online. Our summer has sadly lacked Mexi-corn.

6. My USB cord, so my blog posts aren't so spartan. Sorry.

"You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat"

2011-08-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

What does a girl have to do to watch Jaws around here?

We've been swimming a lot- in lakes, pools, kiddie pools, the ocean, and Long Island Sound (which is the ocean, if you want to get technical). And I really want to watch Jaws, although that might be a poorly-timed idea, since I plan to continue our ocean adventures. Edie was born during Shark Week last year, so that might explain my deep-rooted desire to see the sneaky/smart fish on film.

I tried to get a copy from the library, but they were out, and Blockbuster isn't anymore, and I doubt Red Box has a "Classic Horror" section. I'm sure it's on TBS or something similar, maybe even On-Demand. There never seems to be time to dedicate two hours to a movie anyway...

...'Cause I'm busy training for a half-marathon! I've quickly accepted the fact that I'm not going to Crossfit for a while. The one that people recommend is inconvenient and out of our budget right now. I've been a runner, on and off, for about 10 years. My sister introduced me while I was in college, dividing my summer between Boston and CT, because all you need is a pair of sneakers. It's cheap and easy, so I always pick it up during times of transition or economic belt-tightening.

This will be my third half-marathon, and I use an online tool to calculate how often and how long I have to run. Sometimes I bring Edie in her baby jogger. She likes the free ride (especially with a teething biscuit in hand). My friend Kelly and I are planning to do our long runs together on Saturdays, and another friend might join me during a weekday morning workout. Tomorrow my mom will run with me. I don't listen to music, because my headphones often fall out, which is frustrating. It disrupts the momentum. Running can be therapuetic and is giving me a chance to explore our town and local wildlife.

The race I'm training for is the Hartford Half-Marathon, which will be in mid October. It's a beautiful time in New England, which seems so far away while, as we're whiddling away our weekend days at the beach.

Get ready to be excited

2011-07-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

I started my job today and frankly, I wonder how I'll squeeze in four full days of work each week. What with weekend trips to NYC, searching high and low for a day care, throwing Ashley a baby shower, planning a Triple Baby Birthday party for Edie, Camden and cousin Lexie, hanging with Edie, and buying a house, it's a wonder I have time to eat a snack.

I do operate well when going full throttle, but the last couple weeks have been a bit nutty. In early July, Dave and I stumbled upon an open house and decided to go in, just to get the ball rolling on the house hunt. I was pushing for buying a place whereas Dave was open to renting again, since we knew that buying could take a while. However, I'm plain sick of moving. I'm sick of packing, unpacking, getting rid of stuff, buying more stuff, dusting, undusting, and paying astronomical shipping fees.

The open house was nothing great

but it did unlock a bit of excitement, so I contacted a referred agent and provided our requirements (close to our walkable downtown, on a side or "local" street, on the north side of town, and in a good school district). Also I have a ton of other requirements that I hold close to my heart (i.e. far away from a soul-less subdivision, with trees in the yard, and no neighbors with cars jacked up on cinder blocks for a three-mile radius. Call me picky.)

We saw six homes, and fell in love with the second house our agent showed us. It's been very well maintained, has cute details like arched doorways, with ample storage space, good sized rooms, and a gorgeous (intimidating) yard. More importantly, it doesn't need a lick of work. (Have you seen me or Dave with a drill? It's not pretty.) Honestly, we both got a good feeling, and it fit within our requirements. We had my parents come take a look the next night. My Dad is a contractor and my mom is a talented home-renovator, so we value their opinions. They each gave a thumbs up, and we moved forward with the offer. Since then, we've been collecting, transferring, signing, and copying a ton of paperwork. Hopefully it all pans out, and we can unload the POD late August! We'll wait with baited breath until the closing.

It's pretty crazy that we found a great home so quickly, but life has been "coming up Kitzman",

as Ashley put it. You know that quote, "The harder I work the luckier I get"? We are really lucky, but we are also hard workers. When I tell folks that I got a job, sometimes they say "Wow, you got a job a week after you moved here?!" Yeah, but I hustled my buns off for the past 8 months in Seattle, updating my web site, contacting strangers to do informational interviews, creating marketing materials, and going to many interviews that didn't result in a job offer.

Now that we've (almost) nailed down a home and a job, I've been researching and visiting daycares that make geographic and financial sense. The problem here is not so much lack of supply. It's that the affordable daycares are run by fluffy cat-loving eccentrics and the lovely daycares that meet our standards (not depressing with compentent caregivers and a no-nut policy) are pretty spendy. As with everything in life, you get what you pay for.

Amidst figuring out the logistics of our lives, I took a quick trip down to NYC to hang with my sister in Brooklyn. We got our nails done, walked the High Line, shopped, walked a ton, she took me out to dinner, we saw a movie, ate a bagel, and I slept till the late hour of 8:30am. So much sister fun!

Connecti-kitzmans: Part 2

2011-07-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

We still don't have our USB to download photos; it's in the POD, along with the rest of the physical contents of our lives. Edie is over the whisks

and bowls I've given her to play with. She looks at me like, "Sooo when do my toys arrive again?" and then I launch into yet another made-up version of Little Liza Jane.

Dave arrived after his long, enjoyable journey, and there are dead bugs covering our car with Idahoan origins. Yep, the Subaru made it. Dang right, as we just spent an arm and a leg rebuilding the engine.

Connecticut is hot and humid, which is nice, because there's also air conditioning and pools and ice water. I now have a reason to wear sunscreen and skirts after our somewhat-depressing Seattle spring. The downside is that working out is limited to early morning or evening when it cools off a bit. This morning I missed my window and had to sacrifice a perfectly good workout day. Or maybe that's just what I told myself. In related news, I bought a running stroller off of my buddy Craigslist, which has opened up lots more opportunities to work out with the girl.

My parents have a bird feeder in their front yard and it attracts species from far and wide. The bird feeder action reminds me of a scene fromDisney's Snow White: winged friends, chipmunks, and squirrels all coming together. The feeder is full in the morning and entirely empty by evening. It's cool to watch the wildlife; I wish I knew more about which types of birds they are.

It still feels like we're on vacation, as we're just getting around to unpacking our bags and settling in. We have gone without most of our possessions but I miss our music and Edie's books and our bed. My parents have been super helpful and generous, letting us use their car and other essentials as needed.

Tomorrow we're hitting up Misquamicut, and we'll show Dave the best of New England beaches. It's good to be home.

Connecti-kitzmans: Part 1

2011-07-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

[Editor's note: I wrote this July 1. I was holding off on publishing
until I could upload more photos but our USB is in the POD, so enjoy this text heavy edition of Chez Moni!]

Whew.

Edie, my mom, and I are now firmly planted in Connecticut after a long four days of working round the clock moving the contents of our house into the POD/car/welcoming arms of Goodwill. Moving is so much dang work. Even though I've been faithfully packing for 6 weeks, there was so much stuff we didn't pack till the 11th hour (crib, silverware, Dave's vast and never-used CD collection). My mom was a task master: managing the girl, cleaning out our cupboards, making breakfast with the contents of said cupboards, and helping us pack our home.

Dave, some generous friends, and I did a lot of the heavy lifting. We were initially concerned that our stuff wouldn't fit in the POD, but once that big white box was planted in our driveway via crazy hydraulic lift, we relaxed. The first half of POD-packing went well: most of our big furniture is squared off, making for a manageable furniture puzzle. These items fit into their appropriate slots. But the proverbial wheels came off when packing the second half of the POD, as we loaded up Dave's beloved Barcalounger, floor lamps, vacuums, and kitchen chairs, which have very few right angles and tons of appendages just waiting to cause damage in a box freewheelin' down the highway. By the end, Dave and I were literally throwing stuff in the POD, as the driver showed up to take it away. We had to bid farewell to some baby gear and houseplants. Oh well.

Edie, my mom and I flew to CT, and Dave is driving in the Subaru with brother-in-law Jeff. I would love to drive cross country, it's been on my bucket list for a while, but not with an 11-month old. She's a great gal but traveling is not her strong suit. Driving cross-town is not exactly a day at the beach, and driving 3,000 miles with her would be downright

excruciating. The flight was okay, but what made it even better was the empty seat on the second leg of our journey. She entertained herself and slept in her car seat, I enjoyed some New York magazine, and we all arrived a bit happier.

So here we are, in West Hartford. The birds are plentiful, the radio is ho-hum, and the weather is beautiful. We're getting used to our new lives and looking forward to reuniting with Dave!

West Coast Family

2011-06-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

Dave and I just wrapped up a decent dinner that had hints of white trash. Turkey meatball subs on white hot dog buns, with a Caesar salad-in-a-bag, and canned peas. It reminds me of when I was a young girl and I went to my best friend's house the night her mom served Steak-Umms for

dinner. I hadn't been privy to this glorious processed meat, and I ran home and tried to persuade my mom to buy summ. She looked at me like, "Really, Shawna, Steak-Umms? I made cream-puff swans for my last dinner party." I must accredit the salad-in-a-bag to Dave. He likes it, and went to the store for me, so I averted my eyes to the epic ingredients list, and tossed the listless leaves with the mini-bag of croutons. The canned peas are part of my Let's Clean Out the Cupboards initiative. Dave asserted it wasn't white trashy enough, as he was enjoying a glass of white wine.

We haven't been eating too well these past few weeks. There's just a lot going on, and at the end of the day I'm not really inspired to prepare an elaborate dish. If there's something green and some protein on the plate, I'm satisfied. Tuesday night we grilled sausages, made a broccoli salad, and ate dinner off our laps on the back steps.

Dave and I have been playing the game What I Won't Miss over dinner. We randomly list things

we won't miss about Seattle. For example, I won't miss our upstairs neighbors who host drunken board game parties directly above our bed! On Monday nights! C-ya! Dave won't miss the lackluster summer. 60 degrees and overcast in mid-June? C-ya! But sometimes our conversation veers to what we will miss: life-affirming Americanos, Edie's caregivers at daycare, our buddies, taco trucks, Crossfit, and most of all, the Kitzmans.

Moving cross-country is stressful for both of us, but we are going towards my people. The Kitzmans have been nothing but accepting and giving since the moment I met them. Dave has a pretty small family, composed of his mom, sister, dad, two nephews, and some cousins throughout the Puget Sound. His mom (hi Cookie!) has bought me and his sister (hi Becky!) to season tickets at the 5th Avenue Theater for the past couple of years. After Cookie treats us to a nice dinner out (no Steak-Umms in sight), we check out musicals including In the Heights and The Drowsy Chaperone, two of my faves. She also watches Edie every week, one day if not more, when I'm at work. She takes Edie for walks, to her favorite yarn and sock stores, and even sends me photo-documentation during the day.

Whenever Dave's dad accompanies her (hi Art!), he drives me to the office. He must consider King County Metro a rough-and-tumble operation. Art and I chat about random things on our weekly commute, such as his experience in the Navy, or his relationship with his sister Delores growing up, but I have yet to learn why he doesn't swim. I've grown to look forward to our one-on-one, 12-minute conversations.

Becky is my West Coast sister. She loves being Aunt Becky (which she pronounces "Ant"), and brings little outfits for Edie when she babysits. Aunt Becky spent a whole weekend with Edie a couple weeks ago, and the girls wore matching outfits to a family brunch. Pretty cute.

So the bad news is we will really miss the Kitzmans. But the good news is we'll have strong family ties to Seattle, forever. And, Skype. And the internet and airplanes.

Some like it ice cold

2011-06-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

It strikes me as strange when Seattlites complain about the rain. I mean, you choose to live here, right? And this region is rather damp, no? In general, I just zip up my waterproof jacket and shoulder the weather. It doesn't always rain here, but there are many grey days, and these days have a certain chill. By early June, we Seattleites shuffle along feeling sorry for our soggy selves while our New England, Sun Belt, Rust Belt, and Corn Belt brethren bask in the early joys of summer. Okay so the midwest had horrific tornadoes rip through a few weeks ago. I'm sure the storms ripped the clouds out of the sky to expose some sun.

In Seattle's defense, on sunny summer days it stays light ridiculously long. I'm talking 5:30 a.m. and the sun is shining with such vigor that I jump out of bed fearing I missed the bus. Conversely, two hours after dinner's cleaned up, the sun is burning so brightly I wonder if I should go for a run or maybe learn how to garden. Then I see that it's 9:30pm, and I look down at my slippers and think better of it.

The other day I took Edie to the baby clothes store and picked up some sweet summer duds on sale. Prior to our outting, she had one pair of shorts that were gathering dust. How will she deal with the heat and humidity? What about me and Dave? I'm thinking lots of lemonade, some lakeside swimming, and minimal A/C. We'll see if I'm so fond of the New Enland summer in a few weeks.

On a parting note, summer in Seattle is one of the Northwest's best kept secrets. It starts the week after 4th of July. Long, hot, dry days with painfully gorgeous sunsets. Why are we moving the end of June again?

The Hunt

2011-05-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

Let me be the first to virtually congratulate my husband on getting a job!

He was so confident going in to his three interviews, and I thought, "More power to you...but the job market ain't so hot, honey. Work your magic." And apparently he did, because his first interview was a home run.

This means I can hire a nanny while I make use of my personal Nordstrom stylist and full time eyebrow waxer. Call off the hounds! My job hunt is canceled.

Except that's not true at all. I'm still in hot pursuit of planning or design work, but the pressure has lessened now that Dave is gainfully employed. This was my ideal scenario all along: Dave secures a job, so I can research where we'll live, where I'll work, where Edie will go to day care, and how we'll all get there. Dave's job in north-central Connecticut narrows my scope, which is a good thing. Rather than throwing a dart along half the Eastern seaboard, I can focus efforts in the greater Hartford area.

Like many job hunts, mine is filled with fits and starts. Promising leads often fizzle and die, but I just channel the girl from True Grit, who didn't take no for an answer. Ever. She's my job hunt prototype. Not that I can't take a hint, but I definitely work hard to get my name out there. And when one person closes a door in my face, I go knock on another door.

Today I started packing my personal belongings at work. My colleague stopped by my desk, picked up a proposal cover from my drafting table, and said, "You made this?" Me: "Yep" Him: "We're really gonna miss you". It was a really nice moment.

Again, hats off to Dave. I'm so proud.

I can say that now

2011-05-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

Dave and I were planning on leaving Seattle after Fourth of July weekend. Dave wanted a bit of time after his school year ended to pack/get rid of our stuff, say our goodbyes, and so on. We were operating under the assumption that we could leave our apartment whenever, but our landlord and Dave had a little chat over the weekend, and it turns out they'd prefer a clean break at the end of a month, any month. So we picked the end of June. Which mean- amazingly- we have six weeks to go.

Although I'm excited about being closer to my New England family and friends, we'd both be more stoked if either of us had jobs. Just one job would help justify our bold leap from good jobs to no jobs (in 2011 mind you), from our own place to crashing at my parents' house (Thanks Mom and Dad! We like Crest toothpaste. Heh heh).

We're optimistic that one of us will cinch a job, but if memory serves, being unemployed sucks. I think it mostly gets under your skin because you don't know how long you'll have to scrape away at your meager budget. Given a defined time frame, unemployment would be a lot more tolerable. The same phsychological effect happens on people waiting for a bus- when they know how long they'll be waiting, it doesn't seem so bad.

My last day of work will be exactly my 5 year anniversary of my arrival in Seattle. Since then, I met Dave, got married, had a baby, and became an urban planner. Oh, and I also lived in five different apartments, got my identity stolen, kept a couple plants alive, ran a half marathon, and met some awesome friends. Despite my family's tepid support for my 2006 move, and some warnings that it was hard to make friends in the Northwest, I really hit my stride here. I might even say Seattle was the best strategic decision I ever made.

I thought I'd be happier at the prospect of moving home. I am happy, there are just so many unknowns that it's hard to visualize a Connecticut life, and while my parents, their siblings, and a handful of my friends are local, most of my generation has spread to Boston, NYC, Providence, and beyond. Of course, our Connecticut life will shape up over time, just like anything. What does get me excited is the idea of water skiing a lot this summer. And the hot, hot heat of New England in July. We've got a short, lovely summer here but honestly I will not miss the grey skies, 40 degree-Aprils, and months of drizzle. I can say that now, because we're on our way out!

I Love My Mama

2011-05-08T08:27:00.001-07:00

When I go to the grocery store, and mentally add the contents of my cart during checkout, and come within .96 cents of my budget, I think of you.

When I sing our daughter to sleep, I think of you.

When I get dressed in the morning and hear a voice that says "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have", I think of you.

When Elton John comes on the radio and I start belting out "And I think it's gonna be a long, long time!", I think of you, and wonder why you don't like Elton.

When I am not sure to whether use the word "whom" or "who", I think of you, then I call you.

When I make a cup of tea to perk up on a Saturday afternoon before hosting a dinner party, I think of you.

When I feel guilty because I'm inside on a gorgeous day, I think of you.

When I randomly pick up litter to do some earth housekeeping, I think of you.

Thanks for being the most wonderful mother, Teri Michaud!

City Mouse or Country Mouse?

2011-05-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I took a red-eye to Boston to meet with some people in the planning and design biz. I had set up four interviews, and a fifth one came to fruition while in town. My biggest fear was that everyone would cancel at the last minute, and I'd be stuck filing my nails. Luckily that didn't happen. My nails did not get filed. Everyone showed up as scheduled, and I got some incredibly valuable information about companies that I might want to (or not) work for.

Upon landing in Boston, Michelle and Camden brought me to sunny Waltham, where I got 1.5 hours of sweet sleep before my first informational interview. I ironed my clothes and sang a few songs to Camden before they drove me back to Boston. After my first meeting at a coffee shop (thank God; I was running on fumes) I had some time to kill, so I took a lovely stroll through Back Bay. The cherry blossoms were blossoming, the sun was beating down, and I gotta say, Boston was feeling mighty fine!

My second interview was with a young man who does what I do for a reputable Boston firm. We met at his well-appointed office in the heart of the city. Turns out that we have a lot in common: both from Connecticut, started our educations at UConn, transitioned to MassArt, do graphic design for planning firms, and have freelance wedding invitation businesses on the side. Michelle suggested we go into businesstogether; maybe she's onto something! Too bad this great firm isn't hiring at the moment. I really liked the feel of the place.

At the end of the day I rode the T to Newton, where my chariot awaited. After Michelle put Camden to bed we ate take-out sushi on their back patio. I kept saying how warm it was, even though I wore my down vest through dinner. For the most part, we're still rocking winter coats in Seattle, so it's all relative.

We met my Dad the next day, halfway between Hartford and Boston. Michelle and I hugged goodbye, and my dad and I drove to Manchester, CT. We proceeded to get lost thanks to TomTom, our deviant GPS. After rebooting, we found our destination in time, where I met with the Director of Design of an engineering and design firm. Their office is located in a refurbished lace and doily factory. I like to think the staff are contributing something more worthwhile to the world.

Armed with the Snack Pack my Mom put together (Babybel cheese, trail mix, and iced tea), my dad called off work for the rest of the day to drive me to New Haven, CT. I knew I was back home when torrential downpours made it nearly impossible to navigate the highway. Before making it to my third meeting at an international architectural firm in town, we picked up Ashley at the MetroNorth train station. Intentions to walk around, rub elbows with the Yalies, and get a feel for the city were washed away by rain. Instead, we ducked into a vegetarian cafe, where we split a huge piece of carrot cake, warmed up with coffee, and I charged my phone by plugging it into a strand of Christmas lights in the shop window. Of course, it was really satisfying to see (pregnant!) Ashley, if only for a few hours. We really don't miss a beat.

That evening, I went home to the smell of a roasted chicken that my Mom baked. She is very good at luring her children home with olfactory bait. I was beat, and after eating and debriefing my Mom and Aunt Kitty, went right to bed.

The next morning, my dad and I drank coffee while he showed me his progress on their basement, which he's been refinishing, slowly, for the past year. We talked a little about design ideas and space. And then I looked at my watch and realized I needed to get on the road, back to Boston.

The drive was great. The sun beat down. I listened to a couple of my parents' CDs on rotation. Then I hit dead traffic outside of Boston, and my heartrate began to rise. I turned down the volume, my eyes darted between the digital clock and the road ahead. TomTom, that bastard, didn't make a peep when I reached a critical intersection off the highway, and I hate to say that I was a few minutes late to my meeting. Shameful. I blame myself, and also TomTom.

But that interview was my favorite. I really enjoyed the women I met, the work they do. I even like the location: within spitting distance of Boston but not in the thick of it. And around the corner from Michelle. True fact: Jay is this firm's FedEx delivery dude!

My trip was fast-pased and productive. I'm so lucky to have people to cart me around, make sure I'm fed and hydrated, and to come out of their way to visit me. I covered a lot of ground, in suburbs and cities. Where do we want to live? The city or the suburbs? I love walking city streets, and the amenities at my fingertips. I do not like gas prices, nor the thought of spending a good chunk of the day commuting with TomTom. But my folks and a big support network are in central CT suburbs.

We'll see where we get work, and take it from there. It's all pretty exciting stuff.

My Memere, Julie Michaud

2011-04-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

My Memere passed away on Sunday. (Memere is the French word for Grandma, pronounced meh-MAY). I was very close to her growing up. She had a wonderful, long life dedicated to her big family (9 children and 18 grandchildren!) and her home sewing business. She was the quintessential nurturing grandma. Sadly, I wasn't able to attend her service back in Connecticut this week but here's something I wrote in the Hartford Courant's online obituary:

I grew up with two Grandmas- both very strong women in their own ways. One wore a hard hat to work, the other, Memere, baked and sewed. I enjoyed that they were on two ends of the spectrum.

My sister Ashley and I spent a lot of time at Memere and Pepere's house growing up. For years, our parents dropped us off on Saturday nights so they could go dancing in Hartford with friends. Memere let us drink chocolate milk and eat slices of American cheese. We thought we'd gone to heaven. Memere sat in her rocker sewing, Pepere in his recliner snoring, and the t.v. was a constant companion. In the winter, a fire crackled all night. In the warmer months, we'd come and go to Molly and Marshall's house across the back yard.

Memere let us be curious, energetic kids. She let us rummage through her tin bucket of buttons and play store with her fabric scraps. She was so tolerant and forgiving, although once in a while she'd raise her voice. Her love was drawn from an endless well. As a parent, I hope to have a fraction of the patience she had with all of us. We love you Memere.

My Friend Craig

2011-04-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

I love Craigslist. I love that I can look around my house, pick out random items that no longer make sense, or things that will likely be too annoying to move cross country (I'm looking at you, glass-topped patio table). I snap a picture, name a price, and it's on the market. If I'm selling something that people want, like outdoor furniture, then it's off my hands that day. And if I'm selling a half-used can of VOC-free paint, well, in Seattle, that's also out the door same day. (The only thing I really couldn't
sell was my scanner-printer. I admit, it was a little clunky and often underfoot, but it was a pretty decent machine for $30! Oh well, some lucky Goodwill-goer got a deal.)

I love Craigslist's bare bones, never-changed web site. It's so functional and plain in a sea of banner ads, invasive movie trailers, and general online clutter. I hope they never give the page a facelift.

I love that when all goes well, an interested buyer shows up at my door, takes my unwanted goods, and hands me a cool $40. Usually, the exchange is with an interesting person. Sometimes the lowest common denomenator between us is the item for sale. One time while living in Queens, I sold my record player because I wanted the cash more than I wanted to listen to my six records. A young man who'd answered my ad arrived with a white dog who possessed the size and mannerisms of a horse. The dog looked around the apartment like it was thinking "This all you got?". When they left, I wondered how the guy was going to fit the dog and the record player in an NYC apartment.

I love that my stuff gets new life. Tonight a young pregnant lady arrived to buy one of Edie's three strollers (yes three, that's why it's for sale). We've treaded around town and flown cross country with it, but it's time to get a running stroller, so I had to get rid of something. Now a new mom and baby will get to enjoy it.

I love that as a buyer, you can say no. I recently looked at a BOB Revolution, which seems to be The Stroller to Have, especially if you're a runner or hiker. It's the SUV of strollers. I went to a family's home, where the husband whisked me inside with a Very Firm Handshake. He and his wife were both tall, had perfect teeth, and lovely thick hair. She was training for the Boston Marathon, and he is probably an Ironman champ. I felt so small next to them, and the BOB seemed so big close up. So big, in fact, that I could fit inside, let alone push a baby in it. The BOB fit them, not me, so I said thank you, and left.

Granted, not all Craigslist interactions are so swell. I always make sure Dave is home if I have strangers coming over. They're still strangers. And I make sure I have my phone on me if I go to a seller's house. I tell Dave, "If I'm not back in a half an hour, start getting scared."

Anyway, I need to continue looking for a jogging stroller. I'm going to hit up my friend Craig.

Opening Day Cake

2011-03-30T19:59:00.001-07:00

You shouldn't ask a question you don't want to hear the answer to. And that's why I don't ask Dave if he loves me more than baseball.

Dave has been counting down the days until tomorrow, MLB's opening day. As a kid, he pretended to be sick on Mariners' day games so he could watch them on t.v. with his Papa. What a little slugger. Now he's a teacher with summers off, and he gets some good baseball watchin' in during peak season. Dare I suggest he picked his profession to enable his baseball-philia? I"ll let the reader decide.

A few years ago I bought some plastic baseball figurines, not knowing how I'd use them but thought they'd come in handy. Well they've been sitting in a drawer, ready to play ball, and I decided to make Dave an Opening Day Cake. Such is the life of a part-time stay at home mom. It's a rainy Wednesday in March, what else are Edie and I going to do?

I found some images of baseball diamond cakes and picked a recipe from my constant culinary companion, the Joy of Cooking (Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake; it pains me to even write that because mayonnaise grosses me out, but it turned out amazing). I'm melting the chocolate and folding in this, whisking that, and I remember that I don't have any green dye, which is made of gnarly chemicals anyway. A Google search leads me to boiling and pureeing spinach to emulate green food coloring, which I then blended with whipped cream cheese frosting. I'm Better Crocker of the Pacific Northwest.

The dirt is made of crushed graham crackers and the bases are cut up marshmallows. Since we only have a rectangular cake pan, there's a substantial right field and no left field. Compared to our team players, the infield is rather small. And the groundskeeper would not approve of my frosting job. It isn't exactly what I envisioned, but who cares, it's a delicious Opening Day Cake!

I was pretty excited to surprise Dave when he got home from work, and he liked it. We dug in.

Fore!

2011-03-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Spring is here. At least it is this week, and I'm gonna get it while it's good. Here's a drawing I did for Dave. Little known fact: I played on my high school girls' golf team. I wasn't really good, but now I know the rules of the game.

The Magical Job Cauldron

2011-03-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Dave and I are planning to move back to the Northeast within the next few months. That's our goal, but we are reluctant to move without jobs (or one job) lined up. We are both hitting the hunt hard, networking our tails off from across the country, and I've redesigned my web site and developed some promotional material to shop around.

The last time I looked for a job was 2006, when the market was a bit more robust. It took me six months. Granted, I was trying to get into urban planning, a field that I had no experience in, and again, from across the country. I hustled my little butt off until I found one company that thought I had some chops and promise, and I've worked for them, happily, ever since.

I'm sure this comes as no surprise, but today's job market is fierce. I might even say it blows. By one report, at least five equally qualified candidates apply for every job listed. So my strategy is to proactively pursue like-minded companies, regardless of open positions advertised, in the hopes that they'll remember me when a job pops up. Crafting sincere and informed cover letters, tweaking my resume, and researching each firm takes a decent amount of time. And waiting for a response (or no response) can be agonizing.

So to counter the time consuming, dogged process, I've immersed myself in the fantasy world of Harry Potter! Yes, I know I'm about 12 years late to the party, but I finally decided to jump on the Hogwarts Express. I've flown through the first two books and am onto the third.

In my fantasy my job hunt is magical. Potential employers hang up on me when I call to follow up? Let me tap my wand and make them burp ladybugs. Professional contacts dump my qualifications in the recycle bin? Let me add some unicorn fur to my cauldron and turn the contents of that bin into slimy sludge. Actually for every three people who don't respond there is someone who answers their phone or pushes my resume through. And for them I am forever grateful. I'll let them borrow my invisibility cloak or time travel cloak, whichever they prefer.

Sometimes you feel like a nut

2011-03-12T10:17:00.001-08:00

Ah sweet, sweet Saturday. I've got an Americano in hand (lukewarm now, but it was good), I worked out, and we've got some fun plans with friends on the docket. I think Saturday morning is my favorite time of the week.

We had a major breakthrough recently on the whole Edie-eczema-food allergy front. After Christmas I did an ellimination diet where I cut out wheat, dairy, soy, and corn for two weeks. If you've looked at the label of anything packaged there's a 90% chance it includes one or more of those ingredients. So I basically cut out all processed food and went back to nature to try to pinpoint why Edie's skin was so irritated, especially after she ate.

At this point she was on a primarily milk diet; whatever I eat is passed on to her. I wasn't feeding her anything packaged. The horror! I considered her my junk-food-ometer. If I ate crap, she was going to pay the price, so I stuck to fruits, veggies, meat, and nuts. Lots of nuts....

Fast forward to late February, and her skin is still red and itchy, she's uncomfortable despite my non-wheat and dairy diet, and I'm also uncomfortable due to my lack of yogurt, cheese, and English Muffins. We know it's something in addition to- or other than- wheat and dairy, but we are overwhelmed with all the potential aggrevators ("Maybe it's dog hair....or non-dairy sorbet, or the stuffing in our couch!").

So Dave makes an appointment with an allergist. One allergy test and an hour later, and we have a new culprit- peanuts! And maybe other tree nuts! Whoa. This is, in a way, good news. It's way easier to cut out nuts. They're not so ubiquitous. Edie's daycare is already nut-free (which is crazy to me, don't kids eat PB and Js like it's going out of style?) And yes, I WAS snacking on nuts and cooking with almond milk since I thought dairy was off limits. Sorry, girl.

Her skin is a lot better now; not perfect but leaps and bounds better, and she even seems happier now that I'm not loading up on nut-products.

My Smart & Motivated Friends Part II: Recycling Round Up

2011-03-07T19:35:00.001-08:00

We met Casey and Joseph through our good friends Julie and Chris. Casey and Joseph used to divide their time between their West Seattle home and properties in Winthrop, WA. When we met, they worked all week in the city, then trekked over the Cascades on the weekends, where their dog Meg (aka "Nutmeg") roamed free and they played frisbee golf on the 18 hole course that they designed and built. After one weekend throwin the 'bee and cooking 'dogs on the grill, we were fast friends.

Last year the boys sold their Seattle home and relocated to Winthrop, where their hearts were set. Winthrop is a scenic destination in Methow Valley, rich with cross-country skiing trails, fishing spots, and other outdoorsy activities. The hotbed of industry it is not. In order to justify the move, they had to figure out how to pay the bills. It just so happened they also wanted to contribute something valuable to the community.
Like other small Western towns, the region is served by a processing center where citizens can bring their own recycling. Since many residents live there by choice, the community has historically cared for their environment. If your favorite thing to do is fish in the river, you have a vested interest in keeping that river healthy. So the people were driving their cans, bottles, and newspapers weekly to Methow Recycles.

Enter Casey and Joseph, who identified a need for more comprehensive recycling services for residents, businesses, and visitors. Established in 2010, Recycling Roundup picks up curb-side, helps distribute the center's commodities (i.e. recycling bins), and provides the center with a predictable revenue stream. Casey claims Methow Recycles is a dream to work with. They don't run on tax dollars, but rather are sustained by good business sense and a passionate community.
Although the center runs a model rural program, they still haven't wrangled the management of organic waste (get it- Wrangle? Roundup? Yeah.) Together with Joseph's alma mater Seattle University, and other community stakeholders, Recycling Roundup is developing a program that taps into the collective knowledge of MBA students and undergrads to successfully reuse agricultural bi-products, forest waste and food waste.

Not bad for a couple of city mice who wanted to make it in the country. If you don't live in Winthrop, and can't support Recycling Roundup firsthand, do us a favor and throw some old magazines or beer bottles in your recycling bin, and be happy it's that easy. You can also like them on Facebook by clicking here.

Wish you were here

2011-02-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

One day when I've got Seattle in our rearview mirror, I will not think of my time here as lonely. But the truth is, some days are. Seattle's not to blame; there's been moments or stretches of loneliness in every city, at every age. There's something about cold winter days, being stuck inside, living on a budget, that makes days seem a little long. All I want to do is drink coffee and watch movies, but Edie does not think that's a good way to spend our day.

Loneliness can lead to productivity, or it can lead to wasting time on the internet, or to cleaning house, or cooking, or writing that email I've been meaning to write. Some days I wish I lived near my mom or sister or Michelle. Most of my friends I make plans with ahead of time. I don't just swing by their house and watch t.v. We plan events. With my family ladies, I could drop by unannounced with my baby, sit at the kitchen table talking and drinking coffee, chopping carrots to make chicken pot pie for dinner. That is what I want to do today.

This afternoon Edie and I sat at our front window, watching people walk by and crows pick around our yard. Edie talked to the birds and made confetti out of Kleenex. Dave will be home soon, and I might convince him to treat me to a lamb burger and glass of red wine at Eva. And I rented Stand by Me. Sounds like a suitable, wintery Saturday night date.

My Smart and Motivated Friends Part I: Clean Livin'

2011-02-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

One morning this winter I was washing dishes or sweeping the floor, immersed in some passive activity, thinking of how proud I am to have friends who are organic farmers, recycling-business owners, and environmentalists. I have friends who do honorable things with their time and energy, and want to shed light on their endeavors.

Let me introduce you to Rachel. Like me, she's an East Coast transplant who settled here with her husband and 3-year old daughter. I met Rachel through a former colleague of my sister. Years back when I was moving cross-country, he passed on Rachel's number and told me to look her up. We hit it off after a few hip-hop classes with a teacher named Dax, and the rest is history.

Always a green gal, Rachel began volunteering for the Washington Toxics Coalition to satisfy her interest in toxics such as pesticides and mold. To be honest, I've always been annoyed when asked to take my shoes off in my friends' homes. They're part of my outfit, okay? Well, there's a ton of chemicals on our streets and sidewalks, and those chemicals swell whenever it rains and carries runoff. You wear shoes in your house, you track all that junk inside. If you have kids who play on the floor, you expose them to lead and other surprises from our periodic table. So now I get it. We take off our shoes.
"Come in! And take off your shoes, fools".

Rachel has applied her knowledge of green living to create a consulting company, Healthy Home Focus. She also got certified by the American Lung Association to assess families' homes and advise on improving air quality (think asthma due to mold spores).

Tonight I was dealing with a slow tub train, and reached for the Drano. While reading the directions, the label essentially said if you hold this product too long it'll make your eyeballs bleed and burn your skin off. I couldn't bring myself to use it, so I turned to Healthy Home Resources to see what Rachel would do. Here's the green prescription: 1/2 cup of baking soda, followed by 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Cover, let sit for 5 minutes, then flush with a pot of boiling water.

I did the whole thing twice- and it worked! And now we're not going to die with Xs over our eyes from poisonous gases. Hooray for Healthy Home Resources! And stay tuned for Part II of this series...

Breakfast for dinner (and other weekend highlights)

2011-01-30T20:26:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday evening and I'm recovering from our jam-packed weekend. Who do we think we are- a couple of D.I.N.K.s? Lots of stuff happened. Edie had some memorable moments, including her first foray into the world of solid food. Awe.some. Some babes start eating earlier (like Edie's cousin Camden) but our pediatrician gave us the green light at 6 months. Edie ate a couple bites of rice cereal enthusiastically, then I think she got exhausted. It was pretty entertaining.

I'm looking forward to Edie's culinary adventures. For some reason I think she is going to be a good eater, which is a long shot, because Dave and I were collective awful eaters growing up. But our girl has had a healthy appetite since the moment she was born (in the hospital we called her Edie the Eater). We'll see!

Speaking of eating, today I had breakfast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast was oatmeal, lunch was bacon, eggs, and baby carrots. Dinner was gluten-free pancakes, real maple syrup, chicken sausages. Breakfast is the best meal of the day, so why not keep eating it?

Yesterday we celebrated Dave's grandma Edith's passing. She was a great woman who lived to be 100! Throughout her life she was very devoted to her family, the quintessential t.v.- watching, card game-cheating, mashed potato-making grandma. Dave has really fond memories of growing up near his grandparents, which is a wonderful thing to have. We're lucky that Edie got to meet her namesake last summer. It's my favorite memory of grandma Edith.

Lastly, we took a family outing to this great indoor pool and swam around with Edie. Dave is a total ham- going through the water features, blowing bubbles, making faces...I think he might've had more fun than her.

It was a good, crazy weekend by all accounts.

Camo Baby

2011-01-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

Can you find the baby in this picture? She's conducting a covert operation.

"Just not now"

2011-01-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

I went to Crossfit tonight after putting the little girl to bed. It was a good one- warm up consisted of tossing a medicine ball with a partner, then dips and pull-ups (5 sets of 3, each). The workout of the day was called Helen. Crossfit has all these 'Girls' workouts- not sure why they're named Fran, Helen, and Angie, but they'll put you in your place. Helen is a 400 meter run, 21 kettlebell swings, and 12 pull-ups, three times, as fast as you can.

Dave and I have each been going twice a week, because that is all we can accommodate budget- and time-wise. We flirt with the idea of going more, but there is no childcare and really no extra money laying around to pay for it. Believe me, I've checked.

You can't progress when you workout twice a week. You can maintain, but you can't really improve. I'm jealous of the other women who are beating me. My latent competitive edge comes out, and I'm up against women who go three or four times a week. I just have to tell myself, "Not now". I know that the time will come when Edie's a bit older, we have more money, or we find a Crossfit that has a kettlebaby room.

I try not to get down about it, because it's great that I'm still going at all. Any time something pops up that I want- new work clothes, skis, an iPhone, I think "Just not now". I've chosen to work part-time, and I love spending time with Edie, so I wouldn't trade my work schedule for more money (besides, that would require additional daycare tuition, so it's just a vicious cycle).

What I should do is dedicate one more day to doing Crossfit workout at my house. Maybe I'll weld some old coffee cans to a lead pipe and pump iron in our decrepid shed. Or buy a used running stroller now that Edie is 6 months, and go running on our days together. That actually sounds pretty good.

Kale, glorious kale!

2011-01-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

Our Paleo experiment was informative, an exercise in creativity, and oddly appealing towards the end. But we are done with it, at least for now. Yesterday I checked out our grocery budget from last month, and yep, we're done. As I told my friend Erin, it's like going on a lobster, Kobe steak, and truffles diet. It's just not practical at this time.

Dave and I both enjoyed eating more veggies. Just heat up some olive oil, toss in some salt, and voila-- delicious kale! Or eggplant! I also made some sweet-potato fries more than once. But the meat-eating was a little OOC (out of control, for the uninitiated). So yesterday I made a sandwich and fell back into the Barca-lounger with a sigh of relief that I didn't have to spend quality time with the stove in order to eat.

For now, we'll aim to shop the perimeter of the grocery store, eat foods with the fewest number of ingredients, and limit refined sugar. But we already knew that!

In totally unrelated news, I'm really enjoying my job, and Edie is really enjoying her feet. I get to work on some marketing and graphic design stuff, and Edie gets to explore uncharted body terrain. 2011 is starting off fine, just fine.

Paleo: for the free range birds?

2010-12-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

Oy. This Paleo thing is do-able but expensive. I can't even write what we spent on groceries this week, it blew our budget to bits. Today I started feeling resentful about it after Dave and I hit up the QFC (or the QFer, as I like to call it). We filled our cart with sockeye salmon, steaks, free-range chicken, bananas, avocados...beer, champagne, and chardonnay (okay so we have already modified).

Dave helped himself to a pepperoni-cracker snack that some grocer was making in the cheese aisle. Here's the dialogue that followed:
Me: You know you can't eat that.
Dave: What? I told him to hold the cheese.
Me: Yeah, a cracker is not Paleo. Let's go find the fruit n' nuts aisle.

Anyway, we're four days in to our diet and we've eaten bacon every day. How healthy is that? Today I made zucchini-bacon-egg scrambles and chimichurri sauce to pour over grilled chicken. Tomorrow I'm going to make chicken chili soup. Hopefully that'll serve us for a few days because I've been cooking like it's my job. Good thing we're only doing it for two weeks; otherwise we'd need to take out a small loan.

Yesterday I thought I'd try rice-less sushi. Not so good. It's like...all raw fish.

Which way is home?

2010-12-27T20:36:00.001-08:00

Although we love snow, I'm happy to report that we narrowly escaped the blizzard of oh-10 yesterday. Our plane departed Hartford at 12:05pm, and the flight attendant announced that all flights after 2pm were cancelled. They de-iced the wings and off we flew. Honestly, it felt like we were escaping in a getaway jet!

Edie is a great traveller but we had a hard time getting her to sleep and staying asleep. At five months old, she is already aware of her surroundings, she knows when she's in a new bed, and she knows how to take a stance. Dave, my mom, and sister took her in the early mornings so I could get a few more hours of sleep but it was pretty brutal. Last night we all crashed in our own beds, and for the first time in a week, got some much needed ZZZss.

We are finally gonna try to eat Paleo. I always make excuses about why we can't do it (how can I give up the cheese!?) but Edie's having some unfortunate (and persistent) skin issues, and her pediatrician recommended I restrict my diet. She says to cut out wheat, dairy, corn, soy, and eggs. It pretty much aligns with the Paleo lifestyle (which prioritizes meat and veggies). My one modification is I'm not cutting eggs, because I really haven't been eating them, and I'm sure they're not the culprit. Today we had to give Edie baby Benadryl to ease some crazy skin reaction, and I figure why not try Paleo? So tonight I made bacon-wrapped chicken strips with sun-dried tomatoes, and kale sauteed in olive oil. SO. GOOD.

I just ordered a bunch of groceries on Amazon Fresh that fit within our new menu. I not a huge fan of Amazon Fresh, because I can get cheaper food at our store up the street, but with a baby in bed and work in the morning, ordering food while looking at Paleo recipes online is damn convenient. And that's what I'm paying extra for. It's gonna be on our doorstep before we even get up!

It's great to be back in Seattle. We had a good trip home, spent time with our wonderful friends and families (and they got some QT with Edie), but it's just so nice to sleep in our own beds and fall into our familiar routines.

Kitzman Family Snow Day!

2010-11-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

Seattle gets hit with a snowstorm once a year, and even if they're not big storms, they bring the city to its knees because there are like, two snow plows. And no one knows how to navigate Seattle's steep hills in the snow. And many people do not even own shovels. So when the snow gets packed down and the temperatures drop, it's a snowpocalypse.

Well yesterday was such a day, and I might've scoffed at Dave when he pre-emptively checked for school closures in the morning, but the joke was on me when I tried to get a bus home at 4pm. Ever the weather optimist, I thought the snow wouldn't stick and I was playing it safe by leaving the office early. I heard a fellow public transporter mention that he'd been waiting for the #5 for an hour (not my bus but generally a good bet), so I hopped on a local bus a few minutes later. This one takes a roundabout route on an average day, and I figured it'd take a while, but all buses would. After inching through a few intersections, we waited in gridlock a mile from downtown for two hours. Two painful hours. I tried to pretend I was on an airplane, to just sit back and enjoy my book. But after an hour and a half I said 'Cuss this' and got off and walked.

It was frig.id. And my phone was on the verge of dying, so I walked into the nearest establishment (Jillian's) and asked Dave to pack up the baby and pick me up. Now I know why I never go to Jillian's. For one, they have a dish called Chicken Fettucheesy. For two, they have waiters who neglect your freezing ass unless you are wearing a Seahawks jersey. My hero Dave arrived with the girl, in my warm chariot and we were home in 7 minutes (3 hours after I left work). Curse you, Seattle Metro!!

Dave's school was cancelled today, and I decided to work from home. In between naps, we bundled Edie in her new snowsuit and braved the cold but beautiful day. Dave took a snooze, I actually got some work done, and we made grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch. I think Edie was wondering, "Hey, why are we all together? I'm supposed to be at day care". But she was happy and so were we.

For dinner, Dave made "Indian Spiced Kale & Chickpeas" with pork chops, a recipe from our CSA, and it was awesome. We finished it off with some hot cider and rum. Snow days are good as long as you don't have to be anywhere.

Eatin' good in the neighborhood

2010-11-18T13:35:00.001-08:00

So last week I wasn't lying- we did go out to celebrate my newfound initials. Edie and I walk a lot, and we keep passing this little place called Eva in an micro-neighborhood called Tangletown. I've been there once before, a few years ago, but I didn't really remember the food and wanted to check it out with Dave.

We went for the 'early bird special', meaning the prices are the same but hardly anyone is eating dinner yet, so we picked our own seating. I've been hearing about their lamb burger which is on their bar menu, and thought that was a good antidote to a cold and rainy Seattle evening. The menu recommended some sort of red wine so I ordered that too. Dave got a manhattan, and the $30 three course dinner. What high rollers we are!

So my lamb burger arrived with juices flowing on a ciabatta roll, surrounded by a green salad. I cut it in half ('cause that's what ladies do), and took a big ol' bite. Let me just say this burger was off. the. chain. Best lamb burger ever, complemented with caramelized onions and blue cheese mayonnaise. And I don't even like mayonnaise. Dave ordered a chicken thigh with sweet potato mash and creamed collard greens. He licked his plate clean, too.

Yesterday Edie and I were kickin' it, and while she napped, I decided to find a recipe for parsnips, which arrived in last week's CSA. It's a root vegetable that looks like a squat albino carrot, and beyond that, I couldn't tell you much about this homely guy. I searched on epicurious.com and found a cream of parsnip soup recipe that boasted to be low fat, easy, and delicious.

'Easy' on epicurious is a relative word. To me, 'easy' means making a box of risotto, chopping up some grilled chicken sausages, and throwing in a handful of broccoli for a one-pot meal. This required slicing and dicing of shallots and onions, reducing white wine, simmering for 45 minutes, and it ultimately involved an immersion blender. But I didn't have anywhere to be, so I could deal. And Edie is now sitting in her Bumbo so she's my little sous chef.

This parsnip soup was, thankfully, really good. Because there was a lot of it. When Dave came home I told him he had to eat it. He made some turkey sandwiches and dipped it in the soup. He was into it. I had a mug full as an appetizer, since I was going out to dinner with some girlfriends.

My friends and I met at a pizza place called Delancey. Apparently it's all the rage, but I guess I'm out of the loop, since I'd never heard of it. It's possible to find good pizza in Seattle, but it doesn't come cheap and you gotta do a little searching. This place is part-owned by a former Brooklynite, and true to form, it's some authentic New York-style pizza. We ordered the Jersey salad followed by a crimini pie and a sausage pie. They each rocked my world. We were discussing meeting up next month for dinner again, and I was like 'Hey, have you ever heard of this place called Eva?". He he. Gotta get my hands on that lamb burger again.

Hot damn and hallelujah!

2010-11-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't been writing about my efforts to study for the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) exam, in the event that I failed. But, I took the test today and I passed! I passed. I'm so happy to be done with the studying. Ask me anything about the 2000 U.S. Census, I crammed it all in my brain last night.
I started studying when Edie was 3 weeks old, and would sneak in some reading or online course participation while she was asleep. Now I can go back to watching old episodes of 30 Rock while she naps without the guilt. Or maybe I'll find some recipes for the new and unusual veggies that keep appearing in our fridge. Or perhaps I'll read my New York magazine, which brother-in-law Jeff bought me for my birthday. That subscription comes once a week; keeping up on my New York-centric happenings is a part-time job. So many other fun things to do!

Some friends and family wrote me to say good luck today, and I'm just so relieved to tell people that I PASSED instead of ::shuffle shuffle:: failed. What does it even mean that I'm AICP? I'm a certified planner. It looks good on a resume, and perhaps will give clients or future employers a bit more confidence in my abilities since I don't have a planning education. The exam covers a very broad range of topics, so candidates have to overstudy in the event of getting one or two questions on a certain subject.

Over the past three months, I had to learn a lot of random info, but I also got more familiar with the role that planners have or should have in society. Honestly, I'm happy to be a planner. I think I picked a good career. Professionally, we're responsible for protecting the environment, mobilizing citizens, revitalizing under-utilized community assets, and fosteing economic development (among other things). Did I just get a little teary-eyed?
I think we'll have to raise a glass tonight. Not sure where we'll go but I definitely feel the need to celebrate!

Workin' 9 to 5

2010-11-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm back on the work trolley and all's well so far. There were no major meltdowns or stressors, and work is pretty mellow right now. On the first day, I woke up to torrential downpours, and since we walk to Edie's daycare I was slightly put off by the weather. But no worries, while on maternity leave I bought a sweet Patagonia jacket that laughs in the face of rain. And Edie has a big ol' canopy on her stroller.
I got up and got ready, then woke her up for 'school'. Once dressed in her cutest first-day-of-school outfit, she immediately had a panty blow-out. I changed her and did all the other necessary baby stuff and we got on the road. Over the past few weeks, Dave and I have been visiting the daycare with Edie so we could all to get used to it. The caregivers seem to know what they're doing (I mean, they're professional baby people) and Edie is so young that she doesn't seem to care one way or another about being there.
Marianna, the self-proclaimed Grandma of the establishment, welcomed Edie with open arms and I felt that she was in good hands. I got a bit choked up leaving her but had to catch my bus, so off I went without tears.

When I picked her up that afternoon, the ladies said she was great, but how do I put her to sleep? I was thinking 'I thought you might be able to tell me, he he'. She was plum tuckered though, because as soon as I got her outside she was snoozin' away in her stroller. That night she slept like a little log- she must've been so worn out from taking in all the new things to do and see and smell, and all the new babies to meet. The next day when I picked her up, she was babbling a lot. I think she heard all the other babies chatting and wanted to get in on the conversation.
Last night after two half-days of work I was so beat! I went to bed at 8:30, true fact. I hope I can swing three full days starting next week. It feels good to be back in the real world. Although today I met a mom with a three-week old at the coffee shop and thought, wow Edie was three weeks old just a minute ago!

the changing leaves

2010-10-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is my last week of maternity leave. I can't believe it's time to go back to work! I have mixed feelings about it. I like my job and am looking forward to interacting with my adult-sized buddies again, doing something productive on a professional level, and getting a paycheck. And I'm only going back 3 days per week, which I think will be okay.

But I also really enjoy my mellow days with Edie. We sleep in, we get dressed, she plays on her little playmat (aka jungle gym) or we have a dance party, we read books. I take her to the coffeeshop and we go on a long walk nearly everyday. Today was cool and sunny after three days of blustery, dark coldness, and I welcomed the chance to get back outside. We hunt for spiders, which are all over the place, and I explain to her why changing leaves and blue skies are things to be happy about. Someday she'll understand.

It'll be really hard to have to get up with an alarm. For the past three months, Edie has been my alarm. If I'm up multiple times a night with her, it may suck, but at least I don't have to be up and at 'em the next day. Now I'll have to juggle the nighttime feedings with getting out the door in the morning and being a productive employee.

But most importantly, it'll be hard to leave her with someone else all day. It'll probably be easy for her, just heart-wrenching on me. A whole day of Edie will pass while I'm at work. While I was pregnant, a colleague told me that each of your baby's first is monumental, and it's true. The littlest things make me proud. For example, last week I noticed Edie started to grab a ring on her octopus rattle. She used to just bat it, now she holds it and swings it around! That doesn't seem like much to someone else, I'm sure, but it's a window into Edie's development for me. And it's little things like that that I'll probably miss.

We'll see how it goes. I'm getting a little sad writing this, so wish me luck.

lookin right at ya

2010-10-15T11:11:00.001-07:00

Here's Edie at PEPS. She's the one looking right at the camera.

Expanding our (produce) horizons

2010-10-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Two months ago Dave and I watched Food, Inc and the next day did something we'd been meaning to do for a while: we joined his cousin Kim's organic CSA. (Actually we went out for brunch, wolfed down a plate of not-free range bacon, then joined. But I digress.) Kim and her husband Dan own a farm outside of Seattle, and they operate Terra Organics, a delivery service that brings fresh fruits and veggies to our doorstep bi-weekly.

We never know what we're going to get in the box, except that it's mostly local and in season (the farthest stuff comes from California). What I like about our CSA is the inclusion of recipes that incorporate one, two, or three of the items in the box. Some of the items really are a mystery...especially for Dave who is basically an apple-man. He's like "Look we got a squash" (it's a melon) or "Check out this cucumber" (it's a rare breed of eggplant). Hey, we're all learning. I have no idea how to cook tomatillos or what to do with arugula, so the recipes help me out and get us eating new things. And we are eating healthier.

I will say that it's kind of odd timing to start delving into culinary adventures. If Edie is awake and it's around dinner time she wants to be held or played with or taken on a walk. Simple recipes are probably best for this time in our lives (i.e. dump a jar of sauce and a pound of meat in the crock pot and come back in four hours). And you know I'm not too proud to nuke some Trader Joe's chicken tikka masala for dinner. I do feel pressure to use these new ingredients, which all have a pretty short life span and I like cooking and eating new things, but some days I really don't have the time and Edie doesn't have the patience for me to toast spiced walnuts for our roasted beet and goat cheese salad! Those are the days we look at each other and decide it's gonna be a soup and sandwich night.

My PEEPS

2010-09-20T21:42:00.001-07:00

We started our PEPS group tonight, which stands for Program for Early Parenthood Support. Dave insists on calling it PEEPS, so that's what I now consider it. A group of six or seven couples who have babies the same age get together once a week for three months to share the highs and lows of parenting, talk about life with baby, and shoot the breeze, all while missing Monday Night Football. We rotate hosting each week, and the whole deal is run by a volunteer facilitator.
[Dave wasn't even in attendance, I might add. He was playing his supposedly last softball game of the season. Edie shed one tear for her absentee father.]

Tonight was good. We shared our birth stories (which is like crack for pregnant ladies and new moms), discussed our pre-baby expectations for parenthood compared to how it actually is, and divulged our expectations for PEEPS. In a nutshell, we want cameraderie. Or the moms want cameraderie and they made the dads join. At least that's how it went down in our house. I also wanted to see other babies Edie's age, and maybe get her some baby friends.
Of course Edie wanted to eat five minutes into our introductory circle. I'm pretty modest about breastfeeding, and reluctant to feed in front of thirteen strangers. So I slinked off to the host's stairs to feed her. Meanwhile, the facilitator is explaining the ins and outs of PEEPS, and says that it's okay to feed/change/comfort your baby at PEEPS. Obviously I assumed since we all live in liberal, natural birth-centric Seattle, it was okay to feed your baby at our meetings. I just didn't want to be the first one to bare a boob. But I came out of hiding and went back to the group, where some other moms were feeding too. All in all, Edie was a peach and very interested in the host's designer lighting.

I'm looking forward to seeing our PEEPS again and introducing Dave to the group.

She smiles!

2010-09-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

Edie has started smiling and cooing. We thought she was adorable before but this just clicks it up a notch. This morning I went in to her room and she smiled when I leaned over her crib. Her favorite place is on the changing table. She's just happy as a clam when she's there.

And here's Edie playing with her Crinkly Friend butterfly toy.

All in the Family

2010-09-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been family-tastic. My jet-setting sis and Jeff flew out to meet Edie over Labor Day weekend. On par with Seattle's lame summer, the weather was grey, so we were all pretty content hanging around the homestead, taking turns making googly-eyes at the baby and playing Boggle on Jeff's iPhone. We also ventured out for daily Americanos, my first Bloody Mary in a long time, and some world-renowned bar-b-que down in Olympia, WA. It was a mellow but thoroughly satisfying weekend.

I get sad when I have to say good-bye to my family, but it brightens me up knowing that I'll see them again soon. I'm flying home in October with Cookie, my mother in law, to introduce Edie to our East Coast people. I'm also thinking of our trip as a trial run, because Dave and I are planning on going home for Christmas. I expect traveling with Edie at Christmas to be a little nutty.

Dave's parents have been coming down on a weekday afternoon to spend time with Edie. Cookie lets me take her car to run errands, so I've gotten a haircut and went running at Green Lake. These are the things that become a little trickier to accomplish with a little nugget. The first time I left Edie, I was going over the finer details of how to warm up her bottle and fasten a cloth diaper. Meanwhile, Art and Cookie couldn't get me out of the door fast enough. I will say, it's nice to get some time off, even if just an hour or two. Everyone wins!

Lastly, Becky (Dave's sister) came by on Saturday afternoon to whisk Edie off our hands. I used the time to study for a professional exam, while Dave vegged on the couch and watched college football. Dave suggested we go to our favorite cocktail bar, Oliver's Twist, (pending I change out of my stretch pants) and again I could see Becky thinking, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" (in a nice way).
We ponied up to the bar and realized that we hadn't been alone in a loooong time. It felt nice to have an adult conversation and a glass of wine out. After our drinks, Dave didn't twist my arm too hard to convince me to go out to dinner. I texted Becky, who swore everything was going well back at home, so we headed for some Oaxacan tapas in Ballard. When we got home at the late hour of 8pm, Edie was fast asleep in Aunt Becky's arms. Becky weathered Edie's evening freak-out session like the veteran parent that she is. Thanks Aunt Becky for date night!

More and more, Dave and I appreciate the value of being close to family. What does this mean for our move back East, I wonder?

Crossfit glory!

2010-08-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Our Crossfit gym posted a blog about me and my post-due workouts. I had stopped working out around the end of my 8th month, but then started going again right around my due date to get things moving along. I thought that some moderate activity might initiate labor. Plus I was getting bored. Unfortunately for me (but fortunate for my instructors and fellow gym goers, who were keeping a healthy distance) exercising didn't do the trick. (FYI, I ended up getting induced, and even that didn't go very quickly).

Being 42 weeks pregnant was a bummer, but at least I got some Crossfit glory, plus lots of fist bumps and encouraging words from people who thought it was awesome that I was still working out.

Dave and I went to Crossfit last week for a pot luck BBQ and to introduce Edie to the crew. Here's a great photo of Dave with our little girl.

Now when I'll return to Crossfit to workout is another story...I think I'll start with some bootleg home workouts first.

License to Chill

2010-08-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. What do we have here? The end of summer? But you're here so soon....

Maybe it isn't the official end of summer, but it sure feels like it because Dave's going back to work, which means I'll no longer have a daytime companion of the adult variety. Someone I can talk baseball with and hand the baby to when I want to eat lunch. Looks like it's just me and the little sack a' taters from now on...which is fun, she's just not one for conversation.

Edie's favorite hobbies include sleeping on me (which is the most awesome), sleeping while moving, and eating. She has no interest in being held without undivided attention. She's like "You think you're gonna check your email but I see you're not looking at me-WAAAAH!". It is pretty interesting to see how newborns communicate with very limited means. Crying= I don't like it, try something else. Not crying= I guess this is okay. It'll be cool when she can smile so we get some positive feedback.

I am thoroughly enjoying time home with Edie. It's a completely new pace of life for me. The last time I had three months off was after graduating college. I was looking for a job in NYC, had a lot of time on my hands and a dwindling savings account. That combo sucks. Furthermore, I was raised under the impression it was a sin to be inside on sunny days. But now I have the license to stay in all damn day if that's what Edie and I want. Guilt free!
(picture above: me using the sound of my hair dryer to get Edie to sleep)
It's nice to have a job to return to in a few months, but in the meantime I'm under strict orders to take it easy, enjoy my new baby, and lavish her with attention. As much as I like to get out and do stuff, we don't venture far because she eats so often; errands are highly efficient. We've been watching a lot of MLB with Dave, we go on daily walks and get coffee around the corner and we've introduced Edie to the wonder that is Sunday brunch. Feeding and singing and dancing and reading and changing and bathing her...the days just seem to pass, no problem.

So that's our life in a nutshell. We gotta say goodbye to Dave each morning now, which is a bummer. But someone's gotta bring home the bacon!

Welcome Camden!

2010-08-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Edie doesn't know it yet but her new best friend was born today. Michelle and Jay welcomed Camden Aster Edmands to the world after another looong delivery. Michelle and I grew up together (with my sis, Ashley, of course). We were in the same grade and have gone together like peanut butter and jelly since 1980. I hope Edie and Camden have as good of a relationship, especially once we move back east. Think of all the shared birthday parties! Cheers to Michelle and Jay!

Here's Edie, no pics of Camden yet. Dave requested her excited face, but this is what she gave us instead:

At long last!

2010-08-09T18:14:00.001-07:00

After enduring two weeks past my due date, four days in the hospital, and four methods of induction, we finally welcomed our beautiful daughter, Edie Harper, to the world on August 1st. She is a peach and we are adjusting to life as a family. I suspect this blog may be high jacked by Edie-related ramblings. She's just the coolest little bean!

10 days overdue

2010-07-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

I had my suspicions that our baby would be late, since most first timers arrive post-due. Not sure why they take longer to bake, but that's the word on the street. But! I didn't think I'd be 10 days late...or more. Here we are, bags are packed, house is cleaned, baby stuff is ready to go and no baby to speak of. There are some strategies you can try to get things moving but most have been traced back to folklore. Bottom line, the baby comes when it's ready.

I like to view this as my first test as a mom (I'm on the baby's clock, not vice versa). Meanwhile, I'm getting bigger by the moment; people can't avoid looking at me at Green Lake or the grocery store. And my parents have been truly good sports; they've been here for 2.5 weeks now, and I know they're getting antsy.

Honestly, I was more anxious 10 days ago when I felt like labor was gonna start AT ANY MINUTE!! The best way I can describe being overdue? It's like coming in for a landing, then the pilot pulls the plane back up, and while you're ascending and the flight attendant announces that instead of landing, you're gonna circle the airport for 2 more weeks. Ten days ago friends and family were calling me, Dave, and my folks for updates; my phone hasn't made a peep in a few days. It's pretty anticlimatic for us all.

Full term pregnancy is 37-42 weeks; the 40th week is the due date you're generally assigned, but it's not an exact science. The baby can arrive two weeks before or after and still be considered "on time". I chose to see the midwives at my hospital rather than an OB/GYN, and those lovely earth mothers take a more holistic approach to pregnancy and birth. They tell me that the latest research doesn't call for induction until 42 weeks unless there are complications. Since there aren't, I'm looking at next Saturday as the last resort. I hope it doesn't come to that...

Make Lemonade

2010-07-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

My parents' cross country journey in a borrowed Minnie Winnie did not quite pan out as planned. After many months of planning and preparing and stocking the Winnebago, they climbed aboard and pointed it westward on July 3rd with Aunt Kitty and Uncle Steve, only to break down in Buffalo, NY. The engine was shot; the mechanic estimated it was going to be quite expensive to fix. Despite the change of plans, they kept a positive attitude. They packed only the necessary items into a rented extended cab and continued on. They visited the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Lake Erie, and then Chicago to meet up with family friends.

While Kitty and Steve returned eastward (as planned), my folks weren't sure how to best get from Chicago to Seattle- plane? train? automobile? (great movie, by the way). A one-way flight was ungodly expensive, so they booked a couple of the last remaining seats on an Amtrak train. The rest of the journey would take about 2 days.

Originally, my parents were going to help out once the baby arrives and sleep in the parked Minnie Winnie in our driveway. With no RV, that meant no place to put them. Dave and I had an idea- the upstairs apartment is vacant, and our landlords have been slowly preparing it to rent. Why not rent it to my parents? Or better yet, have them do the repairs and painting in exchange for room and board? Genius, I know. The landlords were game.

We moved our futon upstairs, along with some essentials (coffee maker, chairs, a laptop, and towels). Okay, so it's a little too minimalist, but how convenient (not to mention incredibly lucky) to have an available apartment upstairs and parents who are ready and willing to do home and yard maintenance?

A few days ago, Kitty called my mom to tell her they'd returned to the Minnie Winnie and salvaged most of the stuff they'd left behind. How awesome!? My mom is notoriously lucky. Actually, we all are.

Now that I'm done with work for a while, I'm just gonna sit back, wait for Little Kitzman, and drink lemonade.

The High Fidelity Issue

2010-07-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Nick Hornby's High Fidelity is one of my Top 5 all time books (and the movie's pretty good too). The protagonist, a lovelorn record shop manager, makes Top 5 lists for all sorts of things (i.e. dream jobs, songs for a Monday morning). I play this game on road trips or when conversation gets stalled at a bar with friends... but we often get distracted so we shorten the game to Top 3. In honor of two weeks to go, here's my pregnancy-related Top 3s.

Top 3 businesses that I might've single-handedly supported:
1) Molly Moon's Ice Cream
2) Dahlia Bakery
3) Chutney's Indian Bistro

Top 3 things I will miss about being pregnant:
1) Baby kicks- it really is cool to feel my little buddy move around
2) Farrah Fawcett-worthy hair...or at least that's what it feels like compared to my pre-pregnancy mane
3) Extra friendliness from strangers

Top 3 things I will not miss:
1) Limited physical ability and energy level
2) My maternity wardrobe. Most of my shirts are now belly shirts and I've started wearing skirts as tops. Holla!
3) Restless nights (although I suspect that will continue for a while...ha)

Top 3 things I'm looking forward to consuming one the baby arrives:
1) Sushi!
2) A summertime margarita (on the rocks, with salt)
3) Turkey straight out of the package

Top 3 things about being pregnant in Seattle:
1) It's not ridiculously hot or humid (but I want it to be once we have our little baby)
2) Over-abundance of prenatal yoga options
3) Cherries!

Top 3 inventions that have come in handy:
1) Skype
2) Tennis balls (for my DIY back massages)
3) Barca-lounger

Top 3 annoying people I've encountered in the last 9 months:
1) Militant natural home birthers
2) Old bags who ask "Are you sure it isn't twins?"
3) Casual acquaintances who ask if it was planned. Really?

Top 7 awesome things you can say to an expectant mother:
1) "You move well for a pregnant lady"
2) "Can I get you anything?"
3) "You don't even look pregnant from the back" (thanks Dave!)
4) "You are gonna be the coolest mother"
5) "Do you want me to order a pizza?"
6) "You look beautiful"
7) "You are a rock star. There's no way I would've worked out like that while pregnant. I bet you're gonna have an easy recovery".

Welcome to the fox den!

2010-06-22T19:48:00.001-07:00

Okay so we're pretty proud of our fox den. We've been dedicating some time to it each weekend (when I get a burst of energy I retreat to the den and see what I can do). For comparison purposes, here's the fox den a month ago:

Luckily, our landlord offered to paint the room before we moved in, and we'd already picked a color. He also installed the overhead light I custom ordered, saving us from a crash course in electrical wiring.
First Dave put together the crib:

Then he hung some curtains:

(I always know when Dave is doing a home project because I hear some drilling followed by "sh*t".)
I put up my foxy wall decal, which I bought from Blik and, unfortunately, didn't hand paint myself. Flexing my artistic prowess while perched on a ladder isn't on my agenda these days.

We had some art to hang, and I scored a sweet letterpressed fox clock at my baby shower.

I've been washing sheets and folding little blankets like it's my job.

I also cleaned up this dresser that we scored for free from the neighbors, lined the drawers with contact paper and filled them with baby stuff.

And now we just need a happy little baby to make the room complete!

A week in the life: Day 7

2010-06-15T06:30:00.001-07:00

Our radio dial is basically set to KEXP, the best radio station ever. But last week was their summer pledge drive, and it's pretty grueling to listen to them solicit money all day. Now that they're back to regular programming I can tune in.

It's a glorious day because my negative, hyperactive colleague is out of the office. Makes for a much more pleasant work environment.

I walk down to Turkish Delight in Pike Place Market for lunch. I always get the same thing and it's not on the menu: lentil soup with chicken and a plain pita. This is one of the only places in the market where you can sit and watch people.

I walk down an alley on my way back to work. Lots of bars are advertising the World Cup and it makes me wish I was on vacation and able to chill out mid-workday.

Notes from the day.

The grass is so lush. It stopped me in my tracks as I walk home from the bus.

Kristin and Ashley send us baby presents and cards today. Kristin sent this little fox for the baby's room. There is a package on our doorstep every other day. It's exciting to get things ready for Little Kitzman.

A week in the life: Day 6

2010-06-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

I'm getting burnt out taking photos all day. Here are a few from Day 6, Sunday.
They've recently added two Sunday morning classes to the Crossfit roster which opens up some good possibilities for me. The class is unique today- we walk up to the park with kettlebells and do our workout in the sun. Sweaty!

Apparently everyone and their mom decided to go to Fred Meyer today; it's a clustercuss. I can spend way too much time in here buying food and other home items.

I'm starving when I get home and have Greek yogurt, honey, nuts and berries for lunch.

Dave and I drive down to Bonney Lake for his cousin's son high school graduation. It reminds me of the party that our family threw for me, Michelle and Ali back in '98. I remember getting so much cash! I thought I could live forever on that money...Anyway, the highlight of the party was meeting three out of four Kitzman family members that I've never met.

Writing thank you notes for my baby showers. I've had three so far, and Dave's colleagues are throwing him one this week. Who do we think we are?!

A week in the life: Day 5

2010-06-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

Breakfast of champions.

I take a walk to get an iced Americano in Tangletown. On my way home a crow swoops down over my head, cawing loudly, twice. It shook me up. I know they like shiny things but I'm not wearing sequins or anything.

Becky, Cookie and Leslie pick me up for my 'family' baby shower in Olympia.

Cupcakes! That crow would like these plates.

The host lives on a breathtaking piece of property in south Puget Sound. It's cool to look east and see water, just like home. Except there aren't 14,000 ft mountains, like Mount Rainier, in New England.

Kim's daughter Lila helps me open gifts. She calls me 'Awna' and captures my heart.

We got some awesome homemade baby stuff and a blessing read by the family.

Becky drives me to University Place where I meet up with Dave. His best friend, Mikey is in town for the weekend and the Madden family makes salmon for dinner. Hanging out on another beautiful waterfront home is a great way to end the day.

A week in the life: Day 4

2010-06-11T22:19:00.001-07:00

Sweet, sweet Friday. The tail of my tea bag falls in.

We got this list of coping mechanisms from our birth class: whirlpool, positive thinking, music, etc. To the left is a picture a family friend sent; it's me holding her newborn son when I was five or so.

I iron a shirt that has been chillin in the dryer for five days. On my way to work I notice that my sweatshirt is dirty and briefly consider going home to change (sweatshirts are allowed on Fridays).

A delicious apple for a late morning snack. Even though they're not in season it's hard not to buy them. They're cheap and easy.

I do some stretches in the stairwell then go for a walk late afternoon. It's beautiful outside and the perfect temp. Only a few more hours until the weekend.

Walking up our street on my way home. It's so green!

Crossfit, finally.

A week in the life: Day 3

2010-06-11T06:10:00.001-07:00

This is the third and final shirt that I've tried on. All the others seems just a little short to cover my belly. This shirt is a total wardrobe staple.

I can't believe I've lived in Seattle 4 years this month! I only meant to stay for two. I remember when I first arrived after living in Queens, I thought it smelled so much better than NYC. Where, as Ani says, the sun bakes the trash on the curbs. I walk by these flowers on my way to the bus stop. They look like paper.

I'm working on some charts and writing a strategic plan for NOAA Fisheries. These are the scientists who are trying to save the living species in the Gulf Coast. Our client does world class science in cramped and under-funded facilities. We're trying to identify where and how to get some better digs. I like this project. It's my first brush with science in about 10 years.

A little after 4 pm and time for some stairwell yoga. I woke up really sore, wondering if it’s from pregnancy or yoga. I do this right angle stretch every afternoon. I’m looking forward to getting my body back. Five more weeks, more or less.

I took the local bus home because I detest my new downtown bus stop. It's half junkies and losers, half professionals. The local takes waaay longer but drops me off in front of our teeny, tiny neighborhood library, where I pick up a book on hold.

I make my friends Dara and Charlie veggie enchiladas for dinner. They have a 6 week old baby. The recipe is from my friend Brent. When it's ready I take it out of the oven, wrap the dish in an old towel and drive it a few blocks to their house. I have to hustle to get there around 7.

I'm negotiating with Dave about our weekend plans, which are filling up fast and making me anxious. I don't like to book out my weekends!

Dave talks to our neighbor Ruth, who is planting veggies in our garden while it rains. Our landlord says she could use it, and we don't garden (yet??). Ruth says we can pick the lettuce and tomatoes when they sprout, or whatever it is veggies do.

A week in the life: Day 2

2010-06-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

Doing my hair and makeup for the day. Today I'm wearing much more comfortable shoes.

Dave left his favorite pillow in Winthrop two weeks ago, and Julie and Chris picked it up for us. Julie put in on my desk this morning, so I sat on it see if helped my backache. It didn't.

Decided to go get some eel roll sushi and miso soup for lunch. The sushi place has a star next to all the items that don't contain raw fish.

When they say you have a bun in the oven, it's true. I really do feel like an oven sometimes. I drink ice water all day.
I really look forward to Wednesdays, because it's my yoga night. It's like a DIY weekly massage. The money I spend on yoga and Crossfit are worth every penny. My instructor took this picture.

Winding down with some tea and crap t.v.

A week in the life: Day 1

2010-06-09T07:35:00.001-07:00

Just a few select photos from Day 1.
Dave gets ready for work while I wake up.

Some a.m. fuel.

I walk through the park to the bus stop.

Me at work. Figuring out how to work my camera's timer is a small victory.

If I don't leave the office for lunch I get cranky around three and need to get fresh air. Lately I've been getting a split shot Americano to get me through the longest hour of the day, 3-4pm.

Finally, time to go home. I'm exhausted and daunted by the idea of sitting in class for two hours.

Dave and I attended our make-up birth and labor class. It was nice all day but started raining hard at night. We're both ready for bed.

a moment's monument

2010-06-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

Today I started a new project. I was inspired by an article in Real Simple, about different things in life that are worth doing. One of the suggestions was to create a scrapbook that illustrates one week of your life. I haven't been great about documenting my pregnancy or even keeping a journal in general, something I was fastidious about in my younger days.

The point of the project is to take photos and write down snippets of whatever throughout the day- your mundane routines, your clothes, the food you eat, your thoughts, things you overhear, conversations you had. Collecting all of these little things creates a fantastic opportunity to capture your life. It's like a mini-time capsule. And more importantly it's a creative process that's pretty low-maintenance. Meaning, I can still do it while 8 months pregnant without getting physically or mentally exhausted. Shit, it might even be easier than tying my shoes these days.

I've been taking random photos today. I'm not sure how I'll catalog all of it yet, although I do know that at the end I'll compile my words and photos and scraps that I've saved in some sort of album. I hope I stick with it! I know it'll be totally cool if I do.

Quick, before I forget.

2010-06-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend was family fantastic. Ashley and Jeff arrived late Friday night, and we wanted to go to bed but were too distracted catching up. I set the alarm for me and Ashley to wake up early for the shower that my mom threw me from CT. My aunts had sent me boxes chock full of baby goods over the last few weeks, and it was my mom's brilliant idea to open them over Skype while she served up a French Toast casserole and filled their mimosas. We quickly put on dresses and our glasses, but no makeup and our hair was all mussed up.

It was essential that Ashley was here for my virtual shower- made it much less lonely. When we signed off, we sat on my bed and dished about pregnancy. Then we both went back to sleep. These days I'm up early right on through the weekends. I'm a great sleeper but I always wake up when it gets light out and feel that I should seize the day. Being an early bird isn't so bad, but sleeping in seems so enticing and indulgent. Sometimes I wish I could just sleep all morning.

When we finally got up, we helped Jeff get on his way to Sasquatch (with borrowed camping gear and ever-useful garbage bags), and went to get Saturday morning scones and Americanos. Since we were on a schedule to get out of dodge, we got ours to go. Then we parked in the driveway, eating in silence.

Ashley thinks my belly is "so cool" and can't believe how hard it is; she kept feeling it, and she is one of the few people with license to do that all day. At first when she tried to feel some fetal action, she said it was like waiting at the zoo for the bears to wake up and do something worthwhile. She definitely got to feel some baby hiccups and acrobatics over the last few days.

Our weekend in central WA was great, except Dave's allergies hit hard and basically put him out of commission. Ashley led a mini-boot camp for me and Julie on Sunday, then we went on a hike through rolling hills with some of the others. We hung around with the ladies while the guys played Frisbee golf, monkey balls, and cribbage. For dinner we ate chicken falling off the bone, from the homemade cinder block smoker. We all brought side dishes- fruit salad, potato salad, quinoa salad, and cole slaw. We ate s'mores and my homemade brownies for dessert around the campfire. Ashley later asked if I they were really from scratch, because she didn't know I baked (I do, sometimes).

Although Dave and Jeff were sort of out of the picture, it gave me and Ashley a lot of time together. I feel like I have money in the bank, or a full tank of gas, after spending the long weekend with her. Jeff returned from Sasquatch late on Monday, sunburnt and satisfied. They left this morning as we bid them a fond farewell.

honk honk, rattle rattle

2010-05-21T18:40:00.001-07:00

Dave sold his beloved 1979 Mercedes Benz about a year ago. I strongly encouraged him to do it, because we live in the city, I don't drive to work (so my Outback was parked at home all day), and whenever he started the ignition, the fine white mobile coughed out a black cloud of exhaust like an old bingo player. It was a cute car with a chrome bumper and 250,00 miles on it, and was paid for, but at the time it seemed unnecessary to sustain two sets of wheels. Plus I thought we could be more 'green' and economical.

Well, fast forward to today. We both have our extra-curricular interests (me: Crossfit, yoga, shopping; Dave: softball in Bellevue, softball in Seattle, cribbage matches, and the occasional gym excursion). Last week our schedules came to a head when I realized I couldn't have the car because Dave needed it in Renton. The conversation concluded, as it sometimes does, as a regretful acknowledgment that "We shouldn't have sold the Benz".

I concede. Maybe we shouldn't have sold it, but what to do now? We don't want to buy a car, or to sustain another ongoing expense. Our Subaru has been having engine problems and was diagnosed with a faulty head gasket, which basically means it'll die a slow death. At least that's what I gleaned from our Asian mechanic with a heavy accent. He might've said it just needs wiper fluid...

After stewing in contempt for lack of my own car, I considered our options. Lease a Kia for dirt cheap? Sign up for Zipcar for those days when we really both need to get somewhere? Sell the Subaru while we can still get some money for it? Dave and I decided that getting another car right now isn't in the cards. But we did decide on a much better solution- a calendar!

How does a calendar solve the need for a car? Our issue can be solved by improved schedule coordination and flexibility. We both know what's on our own agendas, but we don't consistently inform each other of the week's events. A little foresight+ a dash of flexibility =a lot less annoyance at the 11th hour. So this weekend we bought a calendar (tough in the middle of the year), haung it on the kitchen wall, and wrote down our upcoming events. Let's hope we stick with it.

And ask me what having one car is like once Little Kitzman arrives.

Pre-baby livin'

2010-05-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

Our new pad is slowly coming together. Our weekends have been intense, and it seems that we have plans or to-do lists seeping into every available time slot. And yes I still have boxes to unpack. But the good news is we scored two sweet pieces of furniture this weekend and made some headway on home projects. One piece of furniture- a dresser for the nursery- was free, thanks to my keen eye while cruising around the neighborhood. The other, a solid wood wardrobe, was seriously underpriced by a nice rich man over in Medina (you know, where Bill Gates lives). Now we can kiss those packed boxes good-bye....when I have the energy and inclination to do it.

I'm almost 8 months pregnant and I gotta say, I'm feeling it. Some noticeable side effects include disinterest in making dinner, increased interest in the couch, and eager willingness to take a bus seat when offered (which is surprisingly rare; is it a West Coast thing? Or just a modern lack of chivalry? I'm surprised).

We started our birth and parenting classes this week. They take place in our hospital basement all Saturday morning for four weeks. Topics include: how to not be a hormonal wench, how to breathe deeply, how your partner can help (in labor and in general), things to avoid while pregnant and/or breastfeeding (pot brownies, gymnastics, etc), and how to bathe, feed, and swaddle your baby. I think the class will be useful. Maybe we'll even meet some new parent-friends.

In addition to home projects and weekend classes, Dave and I are trying to squeeze in some pre-baby summer plans, including a trip with friends to the Methow Valley and a weekend getaway to the Kitzman cabin (if I'm still in good spirits and not a miserable blimp). Every month that passes and I'm still on good terms with pregnancy feels like a victory. Two more to go.

Life's Essentials

2010-05-06T18:30:00.001-07:00

Whew, it's been a crazy few weeks. Dave and I were consumed with the move, and before that my mom was in town. When she arrived she looked around our condo, two weeks before moving day, and wondered where our boxes were and why all the books were still on shelves. We shrugged and chalked it up to being in denial. Neither of us wanted to move. So while Dave and I were at work, my mom packed up our home. She cleaned, she cooked homemade sauce, she took me shopping for curtains. She didn't ask much of us. She rules.

The move went better than expected. We got lots of help from friends and family, lifting antique 200-lb dressers, unpacking our kitchen, and cleaning out our former place. I really had to bow out of this one, and so many people stepped up to the plate. Now we are happily settling into our new digs.

Speaking of stepping up to the plate, we are temporarily without internet service. It's good in a way. I've never watched so much baseball in my life ('cause you know we got our cable service with MLB channel hooked up STAT). What do you want to know about Franklin Gutierrez' batting average? I'll tell you. On the other hand, I straight up miss internet and feel like I've been marooned. While we patiently wait for service, Dave's been parking the car in front of our neighborhood coffee shop before work to "borrow" their WiFi. But I ain't one to gossip so ain't heard that from me!

I've been methodically unpacking one box a night. Pregnancy makes unpacking clothes easy. I basically only wear three shirts, two pants and a few other essential items. You could make an SAT permutation question about my outfit possibilities. Anyway, we don't have a closet in our room, so anything that requires hangers are packed up until we purchase some type of clothing rod. We really need a closet.

It's become clear that we also cannot live without a microwave. I have some friends who can do without. We, however, have agreed that we're microwave people. Yeah, we're not above Trader Joe's microwaveable burritos. I laughed out loud when I read the oven-directions: 40 minutes at 350. I might as well make dinner.

I've also been strategically keeping non-essentials boxed up. My goal is to keep them stored through the year. It's pretty cool to see how much you can live without. And it'll make our next move that much easier.

In conclusion, things we can't live without: Moms, internet, microwaves, and closets. All in due time.

The Fox Den

2010-04-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Babies is scary.

That's how I'm feeling these days. There a so many unknowns and questions. There are many elements not figured out, and we won't figure them out until we have a little person in our arms to look after. I'm really hoping my motherly instincts kick in, because my last extended encounter with babies was back in the mid 90s when I babysat my cousins. My mom is coming to visit next week and I'm pretty pumped. Sometimes I look at a map of the U.S. and am amazed at how far I am from my family.

This weekend we had some friends over for homemade pizzas and board games. I never think I like board games until I play them, at which point I think we should definitely play more often. Something occured to me that night- our idea of a good time is evolving rapidly. We are turning into homebodies, watching Friday Night Lights on a Friday Night, while I eat Ben and Jerry's and Dave drinks a Spaten Pils. The highlight of my Saturdays are Crossfit, yoga, and taking a nap. Once in a while, we'll go to a show, get a bite to eat late night, and feel like we're really painting the town.

Amidst all the unknowns, a few things have come to light. I decided on a theme for a baby's room: foxes. I was inspired by The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and also a painting that my sister had made for me. I found a couple of foxy art-things, and my friend told me that a baby fox is called a kit. Kit, Kitzman. Get it? From now on, the baby's room will be referred to as the Fox Den.

We also found a place to live, which will be ready at the end of the month. I'm glad we have a new home but the truth is, moving still does not fit into my idea of a good time.

Actually, don't.

2010-04-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

We found out this week that our landlord decided to sell the condo. We actually heard the news on April Fool's Day but it wasn't, in fact, a joke. It's not the end of the world, it is just kinda funny timing since we had just decided to stay put, and we were feeling good about it. And we have two sets of guests coming to visit in the next two months! Good thing they are adaptable guests who know how to unpack/pack a box. Wink, wink Mom, Ashley and Jeff.

I'd like to make a disclaimer now: I plan on doing minimal physical moving. I'll happily point the movers in the right direction, and give them a cash tip or pizza and beer. Their choice.

So I guess we are looking for a place to live. A bigger and cheaper place, with good bus line, park, and burrito access. Within arm's reach of a decent coffee shop, library, and grocery store would be great too.

Actually I'm off the burritos for a while. Every time I get one, I feel heavenly while eating it, then pay the price for the next 4-5 hours. It's just not worth it. Why can't I eat half a burrito and avoid hating myself? I don't know, but the other warm half always beckons me.

Imagine my delight/confusion when I came home the other day and saw this giant confection on our dining room table. It's the Grand Bunny, and one of Dave's students gave it to him (I hear she has a teacher crush- cute!). The Grand Bunny ate dinner with us, and I asked Dave to take his picture, but he insisted on wearing his finest mustache for our special guest. Anyone interested in a 2' tall hollow milk chocolate bunny, let me know. He will not be making the move.

Make it Work

2010-03-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks, I've been agonizing over whether to move. A few months ago, a colleague offered her rental apartment to us once she bought a house. Although we weren't planning on moving, the perks of her home (bigger place, cheaper rent) were enticing, and Dave and I considered it. We even went and looked at it. Although cute, there were some drawbacks (no dishwasher, coin operated washer/dryer in the basement, and a quirky closet sitch). A few weeks later we concluded that We Did Not Want to Move.

Then I started thinking about all the expenses that are coming down the pike, and in a panic, said "Um, well, maybe we should move". Meanwhile, Dave has been totally consumed with National Boards teaching stuff, and had no spare brain power/time/will to discuss moving until he completed his portfolio. We tabled all conversation until he was done, which was this weekend (!). In the meantime, I made Excel spreadsheets of every possible rental permutation (stay in our condo/move to Stefani's/move to another place). I made a weighted pro and con list (which I learned about on LifeHacker.com...nerdy cool), had multiple internal conversations, and I discussed the predicament with some of my top advisors.

Although Stefani's place had potential, she hasn't even bought a home yet. Closing on a house could take months, and do I really want to move while 7 or 8 months pregnant? No. I also thought maybe we could find a little house. It would be bigger and cheaper, have all of our beloved modern amenities, and be in a good neighborhood. After spending some quality time on Craigslist, I realize that there are some cheaper and bigger places, but they don't have a view, or a short hop to the bus, or a patio, or a stackable washer and dryer. Who knew how precious a household appliance could be? We're totally spoiled, and it's hard to imagine regressing to coin operated laundry. Like, ew.

But the biggest thing I realize is, deep down, I Don't Want to Move. Not this year. We've both lived in four rentals in four years, plus we plan on moving back east next summer. Our condo is small, but so is a baby. We have an office which we'll turn into a nursery. So what if it doesn't have a proper door or a window? I've been watching Project Runway lately, and in the words of Tim Gunn, we're gonna Make it Work.

When I told Dave the verdict, he said "Okay". And that was that. I didn't even have to show him my spreadsheets.

Yes! We're on board.

2010-03-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

Curious about the inner workings of how I create a wedding invitation? Since I never posted what I made for Ashley and Jeff, enjoy this little snapshot of the design process, and the crowning jewel, their invitations!

They were good clients. They picked out a color palette, (peacock blue and chartreuse) and wanted to embrace the theme of subways and New York City (Jeff loves mass transit, and Ashley thinks it has its merits), and they had a good concept of what they liked and didn't like. Originally inspired by the mosaics found in MTA subway stations, I developed this style board and sent to them for review.

Then I drafted up some rough sketches.

Although the mosaic theme didn't make it through the first round of edits, the subway idea stuck. I asked them to take reference photos so I had the right scale, angle, and sign fonts to work from.

From there, I developed this sketch for the invitation, and Ashley and Jeff liked it:

After a few rounds of edits I created these pieces, the invitation:

and the RSVP cards (front):

and back:

Adventures in finding babysitting

2010-03-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Editors note: I don't mean to hi-jack this blog with all things baby-related, but bear with me, 'cause that's what's on my mind these days.

It seems crazy that we have to look for child care already. And we've been looking for a few months. I have no idea what the market is for infant child care in other towns and cities but in Seattle, there are approximately four open spots for 3,675 babies. The concept of supply and demand are completely out of whack. Which means one thing: wait lists! Or maybe it means two things: nannies! Which we'll need, in case the wait lists don't work out.

First we had to register with an organization, a veritable Day Care Gate Keeper, to access listings of credible providers. Oddly, a simple Google search comes up with a big ol' ball of tumbleweed. I found a few places in my zip code, called them all, left earnest messages and spoke really clearly, and heard back from one. Dave and I went to visit. The good news was, it was close to our home and affordable. The bad news was it had cobwebs and seemed dirty. Nah.

I expanded my search. So what if I need to make a bus transfer with Junior's stuff in tow?

The second place I checked out was run by Eddie, a Springer Spaniel of a man according to his enthuisasm over the phone. (This should've been my first red flag; as illustrated above, most providers don't even answer their phones, let alone jump for joy at the prospect of a new charge). We agreed to meet at his day care on President's Day. He said "Just look for the bright blue house with orange trim. You can't miss it!". (This shouldn't been my second red flag, but I'm starting to feel pressure and and therefore trying to be open minded.)

I pulled up and let out a groan at the site of his electric blue house with a sagging front porch and satellite dish. But I remembered my friend Rachel's advise, to see AS MANY day cares as possible, because they are each unique. I pulled myself out of the car and walked up the crusty porch. A quick look in the windows and I saw a mattress on the floor and a big ass box of Cheerios, but no children to speak of. I knocked on the door and heard a big dog lumber towards the door, which I took as my cue to run away.

I'm not scared of dogs, but I do trust my intution. And my intuition said "This place is a dump. Who are you kidding?"

Today I checked out a nice place at a Methodist church. I had to pay $35 to get on the waitlist, but it seemed worth it. It was clean, they had a cool outdoor space, a music program, full meal plan, and it was in a good neighborhood. Even though it's at a church, they don't push a religious agenda, and they celebrate diversity by making sure there are black and brown dolls, and books and music that teach about other cultures.

On the bright side, my mother in law will watch the baby one day a week (awesome!) and I have some flexibility with my work schedule. I guess we'll just hope for the best and play PowerBall in the meantime. That way, we can be stay at home 'ballers.

24 carrot

2010-03-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

Today I got inspired to document my pregnancy a little better. My half-hearted attempts to keep a journal have been unsuccessful to date. As a testament to the era, the best documentation I have is in my emails and blog posts. So! For those Looky Lous who want a belly shot: here's me at 21 weeks (last weekend):

I wasn't super happy with our photo shoot but Dave has been a very supportive husband/photographer. My favorites are when he tells me to "Modify!" before every Crossfit class and runs me a lukewarm bath so I don't boil little Kitzman in the womb. One thing he has yet to learn is to avoid taking food from a pregnant lady. I've been trying to get him to try these chocolate chip-stout cookies that I bought for $.99, and he's all like "No thanks, none for me." So I asked him to get me one, and as soon as I sit down he has the audacity to ask me if he could have a bite. A bite of a cookie that consists of four bites!? I think I actually said "Get your own f--kin cookie". I'm really going to have to curb my language when the baby arrives.

Each week I get an email update that tells me how big the baby is relative to produce. It started out as a poppy seed, then a sesame seed, then a plum, mango and so on. This week it's the length of a carrot (almost one foot long). I don't know how many other veggie or fruits are longer than a carrot- an ear of corn, sure. But then, what- melons? Cabbage?

So one really cool thing about being pregnant is being outfitted by my mom and mother-in-law! My mom is NOT a shopper. My sister and I had to beg her to bring us to the mall when we were kids. It was her idea of personal hell. TJ Maxx was her jam, and we only went there out of dire clothing necessity. Something about having a pregnant daughter must've sparked a dormant desire to shop, because my mom has been sending me boxes of maternity clothes like it's her job. It's been awesome because I haven't had the time/inclination/money to go shopping. And Dave's mom brought me a cute dress from Target that I've been rockin' at least once a week.

Oh that's another cool thing- you can have 5 outfits in rotation and no one judges.

Walking on sunshine

2010-03-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Is it weird that I don't want to do anything? I guess "anything" is a misnomer, but I have a few things on my to-do list and topping that list is "Work". I definitely don't feel like going to the office on a beautiful Saturday. I would clean our house, or cook or make a collage but boarding a bus and going downtown does not appeal to me.

This morning I went to pre-natal yoga. I've had a rocky relationship with yoga over the past ten years. For example, I was into it while atending a pre-college program at Bennington (coincidentally, that's when I decided to become a vegetarian and learn to sew. Neither goals lasted the year). A few years ago I stated that "Yoga isn't for me. I want a workout that makes me sweat".

Fast forward to 2010: My pregnant friend Dara piqued my interest in pre-natal yoga, partially because she said at the beginning of each class, everyone says their name and how far along they are, and I'm curious about other pregnant ladies/bodies. I'm amazed by women who are past 35 weeks because they are generally so big! Am I going to be that big?! How can it be?!

It took a lot of momentum to get to the community center for my first class. I seemed to come up with excuses really easily (such as I already pay for, and attend, two gyms). But I finally went a month and a half ago and the class was so relaxing and mellow, on my way home I felt like I was walking on sunshine. Although some yoga practices are vigorous workouts, this class focuses on stretches for pregnancy and labor. We also focus on breathing, being in the moment and losing judgement, which is really therapeutic for my hyperactive East Coast mind.

It may be a little crunchy granola, but I am beginning to really look forward to my Saturday pre-natal yoga class. As a side-note, the weather in Seattle has been ridiculously nice. It's been spring-like for a month now. The cherry blossoms are all blooming, adding brushes of pink to the cityscape. It's a nice backdrop to my intense work deadlines. So, about going in to the office...

By the way, this is Chez Moni's 100th post! And I'll post pics of my belly soon.

Champage tastes on a Bud Light budget

2010-02-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

I had lots of little things I wanted to do this weekend, and with the exception of dinner out with friends, my overarching goal was to NOT SPEND MONEY. I've done pretty well, but it is really hard. I'm trying to channel my thrifty college self, when I lived off of $20 a week for groceries (frozen burritos, baby carrots, sour cream, pretzels, instant oatmeal, and bananas). Or even my post-college self, when I made a pittance (but my friend Ben joked that my NYC rent was so cheap, all I had to do was toss my pocket change into a bucket for my landlord).

Over our eerily spring-like weekend, I went on a run, took a walk, watched the Olympics, did pre-natal yoga ($15), cleaned our condo (free! and necessary), cleaned the car ($8), bought some groceries ($40- unheard of these days), called some friends, finished my book and got a new one from the library (free, and awesome), got a decaf Americano from Lighthouse ($2 and totally worth it), drank a couple fake beers at Prost (Dave paid), caught a few episodes of Friday Night Lights, made lasagna in my slow cooker, and set up my studio (finally, because the rent is definitely not free). I kept thinking of stuff to do or things to buy, then remembered to NOT SPEND MONEY and quickly diverted my attention.

So my taste for Herman Miller furniture, Apple computers, cross country travel and homemade brownies that call for two brands of fancy chocolate is finally catching up. Time to reel it back in and kick savings into high gear. This week we will live off of the contents of our cabinets and freezer. Who wants a fake chicken patty on a waffle?

Oh the glory of it all!

2010-02-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

How can I summarize another whirlwind wedding weekend? Wonderful. My sister married her longtime beau, Jeff. They had a pretty short engagement (even shorter than ours, if possible) and Ashley was a fearless task master with all the planning details. She crossed every T and dotted every lower-case J. Meanwhile, Jeff managed all music related duties, a job he took quite seriously. KEXP would be jealous of his setlists. The result was a thoroughly fun and beautiful wintery affair.

There were so many awesome moments over our short trip to New York. I'll try to capture some highlights (since I didn't capture anything with my camera).

Ashley's Disney princess-worthy dress (handmade!), gloves, and hairdo.

My toast. Okay that is sort of bragging but I did it well, and without the aid of my friend white wine! I thank Dave, who is so supportive and reassuring, for boosting my ego. Afterwards, I celebrated with a Shirley Temple, a drink I used to down at my aunts' weddings. They tasted waaay better in 1989.

Dad's pitch-perfect toast, nearly thwarted by emotions, concluded with a well-played toss of his speech notes into the crowd, and a roar of applause.

Like I mentioned, Jeff's hand picked soundtrack, which was tailored to each stage of the evening. I especially loved walking out of the ceremony to the closing song from True Romance. And there is no way people can sit still if Billie Jean is playing. Dave requested a copy of the setlist so we can listen to something besides our own wedding mix.

Hanging with my fellow pregini Michelle. We miraculously fit into our bridesmaid dresses and what we passed up at the bar we compensated for at the fondue table. Fruit dipped in chocolate? That shit is bananas.

And last but not least, spending time with my peeps. Never a dull moment with those family and friends. With no foreseeable family weddings in sight Dave and I are actually a little blue...

Are you gonna eat that?

2010-02-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

Gone are the days of 6th grade when my lady friends and I congregated in Marge's bright yellow kitchen and ate turkey sandwiches with American cheese on bagels, Doritos, Guzzlers, and Coke for an after school snack (you know, just a little sometime to tide us over before dinner). These days there seem to be a lot of food rules. They're not new, but the all this food philosophy floats around my head and makes it damn complicated to eat an innocent snack.

The Paleo diet, which I know little about, is endorsed by Crossfit. And we all know I have a crush on Crossfit, but their food philosophy seems ridiculously restrictive (and probably downright unhealthy for a pregnant lady, although I know some preginis follow it). The foundation of the Paleo lifestyle is: Eat Like a Cave(wo)man. Eat meat, and lots of it. Consider investing in a meat freezer to store your large quantities of organic, free range beef, pork, duck, chicken, veal, venison, and rooster. Take out a second mortgage on your home to fund your meat consumption. Eat fish, vegetables, eggs, and some fruits. Avoid sugar, dairy, and wheat at all costs. And don't eat the bun. Don't even think about eating the bun. While you're at it, reduce caffeine and alcohol.

Okay, so there's one diet that I'm not even gonna attempt. Where does my nightly Skinny Cow fit into that regimen? Maybe the food rules that Michael Pollan lays out for the obese American population are a little more lenient. The much-hyped author's philosophy is: If it grows on a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don't. I like some of his advice, such as: Cook. I can do that. I even enjoy it...especially in my slow cooker! Also, shop the perimeter of the food aisle and don't eat foods that are advertised. Again, avoid sugar like the Dickens. But I can't get down with his "S rule": no snacks, seconds, or sweets unless it's on a day beginning with S. Skinny Cow consumption does not happen twice a week!

Here's a food rule grey area: nuts. Nuts are good (Paleo). Except when they're bad (Weight Watchers). Juice (tastes delicious!) but its sugar content is on par with candy. Lunch meat is high in protein, low in fat, but is full of nitrates, nitrites, and sodium.

These days I'm subject to the pregnant lady food rules as well: no uncooked sushi (whassup eel rolls), no soft cheese (goodbye brie), nuked lunch meats (sort of negates the concept of "cold cuts"), limited caffeine and no booze (except on days that begin with F and are after your first tri-mester).

Okay so the last one is my own rule, but so what. My philosophy is: Avoid Doritos whenever possible (curse you, Super Bowl!). Eat fruit, vegetables, eggs, and lean meat often. The fewer ingredients, the better. Cook. Eat a bagel, but only in NYC.

picking up the tab

2010-02-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

My personal deficit may not be near the U.S. bajillion dollar hole, but I still feel that I've been burning through money at an alarming rate. A friend recently noted that since we're not going out (i.e. drinking) as much, we're probably saving money. One would think. But instead of sitting at home learning how to knit, I'm buying a new Mac desktop and Herman Miller dining chairs and clothes that fit.

There is a word for hunkering down and investing in your home when you're pregnant, and it's called "nesting". But from what I've read, most people clean out cabinets and fold extraordinary amounts of laundry during this phase (which tends to occur right before the baby arrives). This period of buying high-priced home goods seems more like "indulging". My excuse for the Herman Miller chairs, which have a lifespan longer than my own, is that Dave and I sit on mismatched IKEA crap. And we only have three chairs. When we have guests over, the rotten egg has to sit on our exersize ball or a patio chair. I plan to graduate from my 20s with better furniture than I entered with, and IKEA items are the first to go. And my sis works for Herman Miller and can get me a sweet discount. Sisters are the best.

And my excuse for the refurbished iMac? I need it for Good Press! I've graduated to my new studio (which I also bought Herman Miller furniture for- oops!). And my MacBook, which is love, just doesn't cut it for graphic design projects. It just doesn't have the mega-hertz...or whatever. This puppy overheats when I download more than 14 photos! It's a great computer...for internet, iTunes, and Skyping (my other new, and free, hobby).

As far as going out- we still are. We went to happy hour at Oliver's Twist last week to drink up for Haiti (the bar donated the night's proceeds to relief efforts). I ordered a "Bartender's Fancy" and some bacon and bleu cheese-stuffed dates. Dave had his usual old-fashioned (which is maybe the handsomest drink ever, topped with a cherry and orange zest). Like I mentioned before, we have to stock up on social events while we can! At least we got happy hour prices...

Amigos

2010-01-24T19:34:00.001-08:00

My awesome weekend started with a trip to Ballard Ave with Dave. This historic strip, once referred to as Old Ballard, used to be inhabited by the longshoremen who bellied up for a pint after fishing salmon all day. These days, it's tough to find an true salty dog on Ballard Ave. If you are between 21 and 45, this is The Place to Be. I've actually spent the last three Friday nights on Ballard Ave, going to dinner and seeing shows at the Tractor. I feel the urge to maximize our time out, especially to see live music, since I got a bun in the oven.

We didn't see music this time, we just met up with our friends Jeff and Caycee, Yoshiko and Joe at the Matador, a standard after work Mexican joint with sexy waitresses. They serve Kalibur, which is Guiness' non-alcoholic brew. It's actually pretty good and wins hands down over O'Douls, which I had the misfortune of drinking at Christmas. It's kinda tough to pass on the margaritas while everyone is licking the salt off theirs, but it's for the greater good.

Saturday morning, Dave joined me for his first Crossfit class and collected the $10 that I bet he wouldn't actually go (especially considering that minor hangover). Crossfit is honestly one of my favorite things in life right now. I'm trying to justify increasing my membership (in addition to my gym). Dave also goes to a gym so between us, we are members of three gyms. Oddly enough, we use them all.

For some reason, we haven't gone to brunch together in ages. It's probably because we go out to dinner on Saturdays, then I feel guilty the next morning and eat cottage cheese for breakfast. Not this weekend! We got Americanos from Lighthouse and then gourmet breakfast sandwiches from Homegrown, my favorite sandwich spot in Fremont. Dave had to be all high-fallutin and order a crabcake, egg, bacon and cheese. I just got the regular egg, bacon and cheese on a brioche and savored every bite.

Last night involved a Mexican-themed dinner party with more friends. Dave's faux mustache was a hit, as were Brent's veggie and chipotle chicken enchiladas. I think I ate too much. Okay, I realize that I'm "eating for two", but it's important to keep in mind I'm not eating for two adults. And we all know, it's a slippery slope to sweatpants.

Today I ran at Green Lake, got a Mexican hot chocolate with a girlfriend, and finally learned how to Skype! I Skyped with my friend Jess in Amsterdam and my parents back east. Now I want to Skype with everyone.

The good news is I saw a lot of friends this weekend, even friends in Europe. The bad news is I really need to lay off the Mexican food.

you look like a good time

2010-01-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was my "coming out" as a wedding invitation designer. Me and my artwork were featured at a super sweet, non-cheesy wedding event. The party was held at a renovated old movie theater in Georgetown. Vendors included aerialistas, letterpress designers, a mobile brick oven pizzeria, a paealla-centric caterer, cupcake bakeries, Adam Smith (my favorite wedding photographer and all-around nice guy), DJs with envieable taste, mixologists... You know the usual suspects, but with way better lighting and way fewer handouts mass printed on neon-colored Kinkos paper (yeah, I'm looking at you Wedding Expo 2010).

I had a great time, and I'm not just saying that to be a good sport. The thought of standing up and shmoozing for 7 hours was frankly daunting. And I haven't featured my art like this since college. Although my assistant Dave totally helped set up, delivered emergency hot chocolate, and hung around for emotional support (or was it the free food and booze?), I didn't know if I'd be twiddling my thumbs after hour 3. I wasn't. The vendors were free to roam around, snack, drink, refresh in the "green room" (really just a storage room with hot pizza and other provisions..but it was my first green room encounter, and therefore utterly cool). There was some sweet band action, too, which made the time fly by.

My day job has helped groom my scmoozing skills. I'm sure working in customer service from '96-'03 doesn't hurt. I like talking to people and I feel good about my work, so interacting with potential clients is no biggie. We'll see what shakes out and even if nothing does, it was nice to get my feet wet.

And for anyone who hasn't planned a wedding, there is an untapped circuit of free parties out there that cater to betrothed couples. Caterers, pastry chefs, and bartenders who want to work your wedding practically throw crostini, bellinis, and macaroons in your face. Dave and I ate like royalty when we were casually "doing research" for our wedding, and this event reminded me of the treasure trove of complimentary food and drink out there for anyone planning an "event".

You Are Here: 2009 in Places

2010-01-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

According to the Chinese, 2009 was the year of the ox. For me it was the year of the kettlebell, vodka gimlets, and marrying my wonderful husband. Although the year was pretty good to me, and my regrets are limited, I'm pretty excited to close the door on the aughts and move on the the teens (tweens?? 10-12 aren't really teens yet). Here's the top five places of 2009.

Greenwood
Okay, so our 'hood was terrorized by a serial arsonist this fall, but this same community is responsible for delights such as the Oroweat discount bread store, Labels consignment shop, and an expanded, overpriced, yet utterly convenient Ken's Market. One
of my small pleasures in life is watching the high school employees change the specials and messages on the store's marquee. In an era of stupidly fast technology, it's nice to see someone manually change old-timey letters, one by one.

By the way, the arsonist was caught and two local artists recently unveiled a mural to support the notion that good (public art) prevails over evil (fire).

Astoria, OR
A perk about being a planner for a consulting firm means we get to travel around the Pacific Northwest for jobs. This year brought me to Astoria, OR, to help develop the Port's strategic plan. You may be aware that I used to live in Astoria, NY. Whereas an authentic Greek bakery in Astoria, NY provided the cake from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", Astoria, OR is where Goonies, Free Willy, and Kindergarten Cop were filmed. True fact. It's a super cute seaside town that has recently been restored from oblivion, with the downtown shops still in tact from days of yore. My favorite restaurant is Gunderson's Cannery Cafe, where you can eat a damn good salmon sandwich while perched over the massive Columbia River.

Rancho Bravo Taco Truck
If 2008 was the year of El Chupacabra (a local Mexican joint staffed by the semi-rude and totally-tattoo'd), 2009 was the year of Rancho Bravo Taco Truck (run by Mexican grandmas). Sure, we had to give up some of the luxuries of El Chupa- jukebox, roof, margaritas that practically flowed from the tap- but what we got in return is worth it. Delicious, authentic, and WARM carne asada burritos, equally delicious chicken quesadillas, quacamole, tamales, where two people can eat happily for under $10. It's totally recession- and stomach-friendly. So what if you have to eat in your car?

Crossfit
Crossfit is not only a place, it is a state of mind...or I'm sure that's what the founder believes. Maybe not, but I do love the class workouts and the camaraderie. I'd been flirting with the idea of doing Crossfit since my Astoria days, was put off by the price and inconvenience of going to two gyms, but I joined in 2009 and it's totally worth it. I mean, you don't get this hard body by just eating burritos, right?

My bathtub
"There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them". I have totally embraced baths as a way to decompress after a long day. It's a daily habit that I picked up from my mom. They warm me up, chill me out. I often read magazines (my other great mindless pleasure) and think about my dream bathtub, which has a place for my beverage and is ceramic, not some plastic "bath-fitter" crap like the one in our rental condo.

Apparently I'm not a girl of luxurious needs. Change the marquee sign, feed me cart food, draw me a hot bath and I'm good. Here's to more pleasurable moments and places in Twenty-ten!

my own private studio

2009-12-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that my studio leaves something to be desired. "Studio" is a misnomer. I actually do most of my artwork at my employers' office, because I have a big drawing table, a mayline (a ruler that slides up and down the table so I can draw straight lines), a big flatbed scanner, two computer monitors, and a sweet printer. I usually go into the office on the weekends, crank up my jams, and hang out by myself. It's not so bad. Once in a while a co-worker comes in, we exchange words and they go on their merry way.

However, I've been burning the midnight oil on a few awesome side projects and got burnt out being at the office 8 days a week. After no respite from the daily grind (bus trips, downtown antics, etc) I decided there needs to be a third place: not home, not the office, but a studio. Just like I had in college. I went to my one-stop shop, Craigslist, to scope out my options. My requirements are that it's cheap and close. Since my Good Press business stuff is just a side gig, I can't justify paying more a studio than what I make on artwork.

I found a listing that seemed to fit my criteria: $150/month including utilities, with a month-to-month lease, and just a few stops away on the bus. Plus they have free parking and it's in a legit neighborhood. I checked out the space and it is no bigger than a gumdrop. But it has a window and some (faux) wood floors and tall ceilings. The guy who operates the building (billed as a venue to "help get your business off your kitchen table") showed me all the security features. It felt like a place I could set up shop. And if it doesn't pay for itself, I could easily fold up shop.

While it's kind of frustrating to pay rent for a studio on top rent for an apartment, I think it's the right thing to do at this point. It just seems kinda shady to use my employer's internet and electricity and ink to run Good Press. In an ideal world, we'd own a home that was big enough for my very own studio. Until that time, the rented studio is pretty enticing.

And I have no photos of the space, so enjoy these wintry images I foraged on the internet.

uncommon goods

2009-11-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

I created this invite for my friend Annette, an event planner whom I met through the grapevine when planning our wedding last summer. She asked me to create a web-friendly invitation for a Seattle-area wedding vendor event....and she asked me to be a featured wedding invitation vendor. The event is basically the anti-wedding show. The invite concept was completely open, and I got inspired by some well-designed gin bottle labels. Gotta love that Hendrick's.

Annette and her compatriots really dig the invite, and asked if we could print it in addition to emailing. I'm blushing!

I have been clocking some serious hours in my studio (which leaves something to be desired, more on the shortcomings later). Today I potentially overcame a major mental road block on Ashley and Jeff's wedding invite. I'll be back tomorrow with fresh eyes and a clear head to clean it up. My Saturday and sanity were saved by Pandora and a stupidly good tofu sandwich from Dahlia Bakery. I didn't know tofu could taste sinful.

flights of fancy

2009-11-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

Last night Dave and I ate dinner in a wine tower. A wine tower? you say. Let me explain.
We were trying to meet up with my friend Crysta and her guy Ric for dinner, who are in town from London. Anyway, communication was misfiring on all cylinders so Dave and I just ended up going out to dinner alone. We went to our default fancy downtown restaurant, Purple Wine Bar, primarily because it was close to the lounge where Crysta would later be, and more importanttly because we had a gift certificate burning a hole in our pockets.

Seattle has been mega chilly and rainy, two major deterents for Saturday night outings. In our optimism, we figured we could waltz in and sit down, no reservation needed. Plus we got there at a nerdily early dinner hour- before 7. I totally forgot that theater-goers flock to Purple because it is smack dab in Seattle's (cute) theater district. (I should know better- that's where Cookie takes me and Becky before shows.) Anyway, the hostess informs us that it's going to be an hour wait, but we could hover around the cramped bar area in the meantime.

The place was hoppin', service was middling...but then...Dave caught the attention of our friend Chris, who is Purple's self proclaimed "wine guy". He was like "So you guys looking for a place to sit?" and he led us up this spiral staircase that circles about 12 shelves of wine, into his office. The fact that his desk/table was covered with boxes, opened bottles, and paperwork was no matter. He just shoved it aside and set two places.

Purple is the only place in Seattle where I'm treated like a VIP. Often times when Chris is working, we don't even look at menus, he just orders up the best shit. Which is great if you're looking for wine, because their list is daunting. Last night we did order, but it was more like a trivia game.
Chris: "What would you like tonight?"
Me: "Lamb burger?"
him: funny look
Me: "Chopped salad? ....um, grilled halibut?"
Chris: "Excellent choice! Grilled halibut it is."

The wine tower is where they keep their supply, so staff were coming in all night, probably wondering who the hell we are, and pleasantly asking us to scoot over so they could get some old vintage down. Needless to say, we ate and drank like Kings (and Queens) up in our little tower. That Chris, he's a real gem.

After stuffing ourselves, we braved the pouring rain and found Crysta and Ric the Zig Zag Lounge, so called because you have to zig and zag through all these random staircases to get there. Good times all around.

between neverland and thirtysomething

2009-11-15T16:48:00.000-08:00

I did some sketches on the flight to Denver (while looking out the window and humming to myself This land is your land, this land is my land!). The sketches were originally for an event invitation that I'm working on. Although I don't think we'll use them, I had fun imagining grown-up fairy tale characters. I'm sure it's been done before but I don't care. For some reason, I couldn't help but make them hipsters. Maybe I've been perusing this site too much...

This ain't no costume in a bag

2009-11-03T07:35:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween from Slaughterberry Shortcake the roller derby girl, and Glenn, the Phinney Ridge Zoo Tunes VIP!

Cheers to 1980

2009-11-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Last week I celebrated my 29th birthday, and it went well, because I basically ate my way through the day. It all started with a mini coconut cream pie at 8am, washed down with coffee and half a cranberry scone. My office always provides birthday treats of our choosing and I requested Dahlia Bakery (cute shop that makes stupid good desserts, soups, and sandwiches). For lunch I went to my favorite downtown Seattle watering hole, the Virginia Inn. Although my ideal birthday included a Crossfit workout, you know that was the first item to get crossed off my schedule. Instead, I bought some flowers at Pike Place Market and then went home to eat some Hawaiian pizza and drink red wine with friends. And I shouldn't discount the appetizer that Dave set out, a big ol' bowl of Kit-Kat.

Dave got me a sweet Steve Largent throwback jersey for my birthday. The best thing about it? He was number 80. Just like the best year to be born!

Oktoberfest: beer, brats, and bar-b-q

2009-10-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

This month has been chock full of trips and parties and deadlines. I'll start my October re-cap series with a little ditty about a town called Leavenworth.

To get a sence for Leavenworth, envision the German village portion of Epcot Center (sturdy ladies holding two beer steins, smiley guys in Lederhosen, squat brown and white buildings, flowery storefront signs). Now drop that into the middle of the Cascade Mountains, and watch for the tourism dollars to roll in. Who knew there was such a market for faux-Bavaria in central Washington? Anyway, the company I work for gave us a gift certificate to Leavenworth's Sleeping Lady Inn for our wedding (our friends Chris and Julie also got one). Not coincidentally, we decided to cash them in during the town's Oktoberfest, one of the biggest in the State.

Although Oktoberfest itself was nothing to write home about, some unexpected details made the trip. Dave navigated through treacherous traffic then gnarly mountain roads for 2.5 hours in the pouring rain. The biggest big rigs whooshed by us, rattling our trusty Subaru. Road beers, music, and a lively game of "Top 3" made the trip more fun (Dave, are you with me??). We miraculously arrived in one piece and headed out for some shnitzel (like little doughy turds).

The next morning, Dave and Chris went into town to watch a football game, while Julie and I took a two hour walk through the hills. We stumbled upon a public salmon hatchery, where they nurture baby salmon in incubators. They look like eyeballs with tails. It was way cool.

Oktoberfest was wet. Great big halls were filled with drunks, townfolk, frat kids, ladies in sexy dirndles, and Germans looking to save money on airfare. We drank beer indoors, chatted with our table-mates, and watched German showgirls dance, play bells, sing, and pique the interest of every guy in the tent. Again, picture Epcot.

We then moved the party down the street to soak up the beer with some respectable German food, including goulash, brats, and sauerkraut. I can now check off one place in the Top 1,000 Places To See Before You Die book.

Traveling home on Sunday, we stopped by a converted roadside school bus that served bar-b-q. Chris is a born-and-bred Texan food lover, and had heard about this bus in his quest for authentic bar-b-q. None of us were hungry but we had to stop. After ordering, Julie and I dipped into the Reptile Museum next door to use their bathroom. Our eyes lit up like little children at the freakishly large and creepy critters (a two headed turtled- saw it with my own eyes!, an Anaconda that would eat us for a snack, and an albino aligator). After our reptilian peep show, we ran back to the bar-b-q bus to tell Dave and Chris about the wonders of the museum and to pick up our junior-sized pulled pork sandwiches. The food was delicious! Chris and Julie, the self-proclaiming food snobs, were raving about the just-sweet-enough barbeque. Did I mention we ate our sandwiches in the converted school bus, which had alphabetic magnets all over the ceiling? We did.

not think so far away

2009-10-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

I will try to not fret about the future. I will live by this Robert Frost poem instead:

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

And on the fifth day God made....burritos!

2009-10-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to a conference on sustainable cities at University of Washington. It was cool to be on a real campus. MassArt is comprised of two buildings (one is a quasi-skyscraper), and some scattered dorms around the city of Boston. I never got to roam the hallowed halls or lounge in the Quad. Not that I roamed or lounged tonight, but still...

The lecture was given by a pretty young Chicagoan with some forward-thinking, if not half-baked, ideas about how to manage the impending water shortage. When I learn more about modern ecological crises, I always have to balance a feeling of dread and hope. On one hand, that shit is scary. I don't see enough people shifting their behaviors to proactively manage the issues we face today. Besides that, some populations are still making babies like they're rabbits, further taxing the world's resources. Federal policy seems stuck in the stone ages. The fact that Seattle administration wants to build a huge ass tunnel along the waterfront to move more cars through makes my heart sink....and Seattle is a pretty progressive place.

Then I feel hopeful, because at least people are talking about these problems that we are now responsible for. I think of the really smart people in the world, and people in my profession, the sciences, education, and technology, who are working towards finding solutions. And I don't mean the keynote speaker's ideas were half-baked in a bad way. His visions for a Chicago that has renewable irrigation canals to serve the people and feed Lake Michigan are inspiring. His models look like a lush metropolis filled with a grid of waterways ("blue belts"), greenery, food-bearing gardens, and no cars. Eden? It seems like it'll take a while before the masses place value on that ideal. Maybe when water becomes a commodity like oil.

Sometimes I think that we are on the brink of an Environmental Revolution, much like the Industrial Revolution. All of the sudden, boom, the whole world is working towards a common goal and ideas are flowing and so is the money. Other times I think we are not doing nearly enough.

Dave picked me up from the lecture. We stopped at Rancho Bravo on our way home, a parked taco truck that makes some damn fine food. The impending water shortage may be scary but at least there are enough burritos to go around.

Ignatius lives!

2009-10-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

I'm all jazzed to see a play tomorrow, Confederacy of Dunces. I read this book my first summer in NYC and devoured it much like Ignatius J. Reilly devours hot dogs (that's what a girl can do when she don't got a job!). I can barely even tell you what it's about, except for an overgrown loser who tries to support his elderly mother by finding myriad loser-ish jobs. It's been getting rave reviews. I'm pysched to check it out with my friend Joseph.

I stopped by one of my favorite used book stores to get a copy for our library. Dave's never read it, but that will soon change. Most of my books are still at Ashley and Jeff's apartment in Brooklyn because I couldn't justify shipping them to Seattle. Even though I LOVE to read, I often cannot bring myself to buy books. I always think about how they'll be dead weight next time we move. So I put a lot of mileage on my library card. But once in a while I think 'Man I really wish I owned that book'. This week I also bought 'The Little Friend', which no one seems to love but me! (Oh well, more used ones to buy on the cheap). Dave on the other hand is already dreaming up his library-cave for our next home. I think it'll have dark wood walls and globes and maybe ventilation for smoking pipes.

p.s. I highly recommend Tana French's Into the Woods and The Likeness. Spooky and riveting. I wished my commute was longer so I could keep reading.

books and bottle openers

2009-09-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, two of my colleagues and I conducted a workshop at a nearby Navy base. This base is on it's own island and it is a mecca for wildlife. No development, tons of evergreens and miles of pristine shoreline. Eight bald eagles nests! Deer running wild! Seals frolicking! It's probably what the Olympic Peninsula looked like 50 years ago. Anyway, long story short it was a beautiful day and we all know those are numbered. None of us felt like going back to the office after we ate lunch and Dutch apple pie with our clients at a greasy spoon. So we picked up a sixer and hung out on the island next to our lovely Navy base. We managed to make our way back to the evening ferry, where I read my book. Quite the Navy day. I filed the hours as 'reconnaisance'.

have you seen the remote?

2009-09-16T23:03:00.001-07:00

I have long been proud to say "I'm not really into TV". I'm sure it's obnoxious, as most people are into TV, if not supremely into it. Somehow my disinterest in TV was a badge of honor. It's the direct result of some seriously strict TV privileges as a kid. (I remember my Dad let me and my sis watch Wonder Years while my mom was at Central Connecticut, getting her Masters degree at night. She came home, and guns were blazing because we were in front of the boob tube on a school night. That was the end of my knowledge of Kevin Arnold's antics).

Fast forward about 18 years (which you can actually do on TVs now!) This summer we bought a flat screen after the old hunka mysterious broke. Dave gave me a few remote control tutorials, and I now have total management over some gooood TV watchin'. I'm down with our On Demand service. It's totally efficient. Current obsessions include Top Chef (go Jennifer!), Project Runway (go Carol Hannah!), and Mad Men (go Joanie!). Oh yes, and the MTV opus, Sixteen and Pregnant.

I think Dave is startin to sweat now that he's got competition for the idiot box. When his softball team decided not to play this season I was actually bummed because it meant I did not have remote control autonomy Friday nights. What am I becoming?

keeping the wheels on

2009-09-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Summer is slowly slipping away, which opens new opportunities (doing more artwork, cooking big meals that require a stove) and closes the door on other delights (the sun, long days, aggressive use of our beloved grill). Today it's so beautiful outside and I want to do something but don't know what. Maybe I'll ride the ol' bike.

I've been riding lately after a month-long haitus. Dave outfitted my bike with a pannier (modern day saddle bag) and a headlight, plus I got a super cute helmet. Nothing gets a girl in gear like... new gear. I also had my final Crossfit personal training sesh today. My trainer pumped up my ego by asking if I was a rock climber or gymnast, because I have a strong upper body and I "move well". But then he made me do wall-ball jumps, and said "A-ha! I found something you aren't good at!". At which point I spit on the ground, stormed out in a rage and pedaled home. Or something like that.

Last week my whole family was gathered at the cabin in CT for Labor Day festivities. I totally felt left out and wanted to be there to meet my cousin's new baby (the first of our generation). When I talked to my sis this week, I lamented the fact that while I can make it to Christmas and weddings on the East Coast, I miss all the smaller and impromptu gatherings. She reminded me to enjoy the friends and family I have here, because once we're gone, we'll be missing THEM. So I'm focusing on enjoying my Northwest peeps! My sister, she's so smart.

40 hours a week plus bennies

2009-09-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

Not sure if you've heard but there's a recession going on? Uh yeah, I guess it's pretty substantial. Sounds like we hit bottom and are swimming back up to the surface with a weight around our collective ankles. Fortunately, I work for a small consulting firm- 15 people, half of whom are partners- and they haven't had to lay off anyone. However, our workload is definitely light and I have clocked some serious hours dicking around with design stuff. Tasks include but are not limited to updating our company's website, developing promotional material, and volunteering for the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association. Turns out if you help lay out the organization's monthly newsletter, you are automatically inducted into the Communications Committee. Excuse me while I add that to my resume...

It's been really fun, because my bosses basically say, "Can you make us an ad?" or "Can you make some posters for an interview?". The only real limitations are the page size, otherwise I have free reign (well at least 'till I turn it in for their review, at which point they edit). Unfortunately there's no client to bill, so I wonder how long my whimsical design days will last...Anyway, I think it's cool that there is a place for a designer, for creativity, in the urban planning world, and that I sort of found that out by accident.

I always wonder if I want to go to Planning Grad School. I can argue both ways- on one hand, I'd pay to get a degree to do EXACTLY what I do now. On the other hand, I could fill in some professional and academic blanks and generally be more marketable. A friend gave me great advice: Don't enroll in a grad program unless you are absolutely convinced you should be there. Otherwise you'll be writing term papers at 2am questioning what the hell you're doing.

Obviously, my love affair is with design. Every month I tear into my HOW magazine, but do I devour my PLANNING mag with the same gusto? No way. I often contemplate working 4 days at my real job and doing my artwork on the 5th day. My bosses are flexible, schedule-wise, and our home office is really coming together (we got shelves! glorious shelves!). For some reason the two sides of my coin are advanced degree in Planning or ramp up the art business on the side. At the moment, I veer towards my own art projects. I even opened a "business" bank account and am paying someone to re-do my portfolio website. Maybe the dream isn't such a reach...?

In other news, here's my new favorite neighborhood bar, the Dray. It's where I hang when I'm not working.

foot loose and fancy free

2009-08-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

Dave's side of the room is getting out of control. The laundry and sports equipment seem like a fungus that just keeps growing. And I don't mean to toot my own horn but...I think some of my best comedic material takes shape as I'm waking up. The other morning, Dave was complaining about having no socks, and I said "Look on Clothes Mountain". Then I couldn't help but sing "She'll be comin 'round Clothes Mountain when she comes, yee-HAW! She'll be coming round Clothes Mountain..." Then Dave chimed in with "She'll be ridin six white horses...". Oh man, married life is the BEST.

This past week, my friend and I went for a beer after work. A woman at his Pea Patch told him the secret to happy marriage, gleaned from the best wedding toasts she'd heard. Well, two tips: Check in with each other five minutes every day, no matter what. 5 minutes of face time, turn off your t.v. (and your kids if you have 'em).
Her other tip is plan regular mystery dates. I like those ideas, and decided to put the mystery date in motion last night.

I took Dave to this diner clicked up a notch in Columbia City, on the south end of town. We venture to those parts about twice a year, and it's amazing, because it felt like we were in a completely different city. South Seattle is similar to what Green Point, Brooklyn was 10 years ago. Still marginally affordable, a couple yoga studios and good coffee shops mixed into some seedy spots, and on the verge of blowing up. Columbia City is really cute and just got outfitted with Seattle's new Light Rail. Goodbye affordable prices and diversity!

My initial plans for mystery date night included two tickets to Inglourious Basterds (I love me some Tarantino and Brad Pitt), but after a delicious dinner and one way-too-big brownie sundae, were fading into a food coma and fast. We rolled across the street to a little bar where Dave's friend Dalilah met up with us and told some really funny stories with lots of hand gestures.

The mystery date was a success and I'm looking forward to making it a regular part of our good times.

pump you up

2009-08-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Apparently it is impossible for me to not make plans. I was happily enjoying my down time, then by some improbable slip, I asked some friends to go lawn bowling, made an appointment with a trainer at Crossfit, and agreed to trek down to Tacoma to visit Dave's uncle. Before I knew it, my date book was full.

Then felt constricted. I bailed on lawn bowling, and turns out Dave never called his uncle to arrange plans. But I am still going to Crossfit today. I've been interested in their military-like exercises that focus on whole body coordination and strength (think climbing ropes for time and deadlifting your body weight). I don't know if I'll pursue it, since I already pay for and enjoy my gym, but I think four years of curiousity warrants a visit to the ol' body shop. I will say I am unabashedly proud of my muscles in this photo from our honeymoon. Huzzah!

Also, I'm thinking about taking a letterpress class at an art school conveniently located between work and home. I've been meaning to check out letterpress for a long time. It is all the rage these days in crafty wedding-invitation circles, but the technique has been around since the mid 15th-century. Here's a letterpress card from Ilee Papergoods, one of my faves, out of Seattle.

I'm definitely digging the post-wedding brain space and time...lots more room to dream about my next projects. We'll see which ones I pursue...

sitting in the time-out chair

2009-08-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

For Dave's birthday I drew a cartoon of "Dave's Summer Day". I sort of envy his default mode: relaxation. My default mode? Hyperactivity. He really does enjoy his summers off, and seems to effortlessly fill his days without a tinge of boredom. I asked him what he'd draw for "Shawna's Day Off" and he, accurately outlined it: Wake up at 7, go for a run, come home and make faces at Dave for still being in bed, eat nuts and berries for breakfast, do a sixteen errands. True. I'm so lame!!

So this morning, I uncharacteristically stayed in my PJs, drank coffee in the barcalounger, and watched Saved by the Bell. Just like Saturday mornings of my youth! (minus the coffee). It was an inconvenience when I had to get ready for an 11 am hair appointment. I think I did a good job of relaxing this morning.

I also flipped through our many wedding pics, which we received from our lovely photographer Adam Smith this week. We love them! Check out the web gallery here.

Here's my mom helping me put on the Leonard family cameo. I love this necklace. Each bride wears it for the wedding day, then passes it on to the next bride. It was the "something borrowed" part of my outfit.

Here's where we relaxed a little during the "staged photo" portion of the evening. This was before the ceremony, so anxiety was running high.

And nothing takes the edge of that anxiety like a little champagne! We had great summery weather and great light for the photos.

Time to knock 'em dead. I'm whispering to my dad to hide from the audience, because they could sneak a peek over the banister.

Dave's parents, Art and Cookie, enjoying the ceremony.

Ah, I could relax and look at these photos for a while...

The Newlywed Game

2009-07-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

Obviously I should write about the wedding, which I will. But that requires acquiring pictures and digging deep into my memory from 9 days ago. It's approximately 99 degrees (too hot to think hard) so I'll write about what's at the tip of my mind- the honeymoon!

We went to Zihuatanejo, Mexico. The easiest way to describe it- it's the fishing village where Andy Dufraine and whatshisname go to at the end of Shawshank Redemption. To live the good life while drinking beers in the sun.

Some thoughts on Mexico:

1. It is hot. Damn hot. Wearing anything more than a bathing suit or flowing skirt is oppressive. If you go, make sure most of your time is spend poolside.

2. Therefore, I don't know how people work or are productive down there.

3. Zihua is the anti-Cancun. Most visitors are Mexican families just enjoying the beach. People were having the time of their lives, whole families were in the ocean from 7am till 10pm.

4. Mexicans wear entire outfits to swim. I don't know if they forget their bathing suits, or don't own 'em, or just don't care. Personally, wearing a soaking wet button-down and khaki shorts would drive me nuts, but they don't seem to mind. I even saw a guy wearing a baseball cap in addition to his outfit.

5. We saw some really cool birds, and we are not exactly bird fans. From the pool, we watched pelicans hunting; they'd dive-bomb the water, stay under a few seconds, and grab fish. Also, these little birds continually dipped in our pool. Like in Top Gun when the plane touches down on the aircraft carrier then takes off. Not sure if they were cleaning themselves or doing drills or just playing. But it was fun to watch. You can see a bird in this photo:

6. I love a margarita.

7. I love me some guacamole. I never get sick of it.

8. If you go to Zihuatanejo, stay at la Casa que Canta. We couldn't stay there the whole time, cause we couldn't afford it, but it was worth every penny. Every morning I'd call room service and order breakfast: "Hola! Soy Senora Kitzman. Can we have some coffee and huevos rancheros?". Our hostess, Sugey, would set up breakfast on our patio and say "En-yoy it".

9. Dave had a rough time with Mexican food. As he put it "There's a war in my stomach between Mexico and America...and Mexico is winning". The hotel staff went out and bought him Gatorade and Pepto.

10. Mexicans do not prioritize fitness. Instead of water, most people carry around 2 liter bottles of Squirt. I tried using the gym at our second hotel and the "elliptical machine" basically fell apart when I stepped on. Apparently that's not a big problem.

11. The Mexican government oversees waste management and they don't recycle anything. It's really sad, because the only water you can drink there is bottled. So, yeah I threw out a ridiculous amount of bottles. It's like the dark ages.

12. I almost bonked a crocadilla on the head when my golf ball shot into the pond. That was the highlight of my golf game. I suck, even in Latin America.

13. In conclusion, stay at La Casa que Canta, drink lots of margaritas, don't drink the water, rest to temper the hot, hot sun. En-yoy it.

always walk on the sunny side of the street

2009-07-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Okay so pig n' a pod was awesome!! But now we have more important matters on our hands: the WEDDING is upon us. Although I do feel relatively chill for a bride, my mind alternates between looking like this:

And looking like this:

We are both ready for the big day. I was putting together the seating arrangement last night and just go so excited seeing all the names of people who will be there. I'm also looking forward to being whisked away to Mexico after the hulabaloo. Today I invested in that straw hat to ward off the Mexican sun. I have a favorite hat shop downtown. I always feel pretty fly when I walk out of there with a new purchase. Seattle fashion is kinda limited to North Face and Chacos, so a lady in a hat garners a good amount of attention. I also got my ring cleaned today. So between the extra-sparkly diamonds, the shining sun, wearing a dress, and the straw hat, I was walkin around downtown feeling pretty good.

In general, I feel like this:

100 million SPF

2009-07-01T22:38:00.001-07:00

The pig n' a pod party is upon us! I work one more day (it's all jean shorts and margaritas) and on Friday, we pack the old station wagon for Methow Valley. I'm looking forward to the change of scenery, although the 90 degree-and-sunny forecast has me a little concerned. Why should I be concerned? My already fair skin has become defenseless since I moved here. I swear I cannot go out in the sun without 45 spf on my lips and multiple coats of 30 on my skin. It's ridiculous. I should invest in a floppy hat. I thought I might hit up the tanning bed before our wedding but after burning to a crisp last weekend, I decided it's better to be pasty white than lobster red. I'll match my dress.

Here's a photo of me and Julie in Methow Valley last winter. Look at that pure joy on my face. Our friend Joseph, who owns property there, took us cross country skiing. Casey had made us BLAT sandwiches (bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato) to take along. I'd told myself I was only going to eat half, but when we got back to the car, I devoured that thing. I can still taste that peppery bacon!

We are going to eat some delicious food this weekend. And I'm glad because you know what? I'm getting damn tired of veggie burgers and English muffins.