40 hours a week plus bennies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.