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.

from the invitation headquarters

This weekend is one of the first in a looong time that isn't devoted to invitation-making. Throughout May I was hustling to finish Julie and Chris' invitations by deadline. Earlier this month, the three of us spent some quality time in the invitation headquarters to assemble the finished product. The hot mess included laser printers, grommets, exacto knives, fine paper products, and a few beers. The finished piece is a 3-page oblong invitation that I'm seriously proud of and that they love. Everyone wins! Here's the cover page and the initial sketch. I hope to have better photos of the whole enchilada soon.

Julie and Chris are a mellow Southern-bred couple who have been together for 10 years or so. They are getting married at a farm/event space on an island an hour from Seattle. My approach to their invitation was to depict their laid-back vibes and palpable adoration for each other.
In other news, I've finally bit the bullet to hire a designer to re-do my website. My site has served me well but it was my first foray into web design. I've done a lot of work since I created it in 2006 and now it's time to graduate. My new site will be more focused on wedding and event announcements and will reflect the business that I'm developing. I'm excited.

get together, slim down

This article in the New York Times is short and very sweet! A Philadelphia-based poet shares his thoughts on the good of the economic shitstorm: newfound time, freedom, and social interaction. I love it.


With that being said, I am not approaching life with much zen. I'm overcome with home improvement ideas. I read the Apartment Therapy blog daily and have an unhealthy fascination with well-designed, personal and functional homes. The weird thing is, I don't buy anything for our place. I just internet-window shop and dream. And when it comes down to it, the only furniture I pull the trigger on is used stuff from Craigslist. Oh, and here's a sweet pic of my actual home (well, my home a few years ago and I DO have a valid excuse for the ridiculous clutter...my whole family was packed into my studio after a mountain biking/road trip to Montana).

When I'm not scheming up my- I mean our- dream home, I'm researching DIY wedding projects. I always scoffed at brides who spent $40,000 on their wedding. Seriously, it's one day! But there are so many cool ideas out there, I am starting to see how people get sucked into the wedding vortex. Every time you make a wedding-related decision it costs at least $60.



Ahh, to be a young lady in a consumer-driven society....

love is a 3-hole punch

Sweet molasses! Time is flying as we approach our wedding day. It's all good though. We've got the speakers reserved, the food ordered, photographer booked, hairdo figured out...we've crossed all the Ts and dotted all the lower case Js, so to speak.

I've been having a blast with my girlfriends coast-to-coast. Last weekend Dave and I galivanted to CT for some pre-wedding festivities. My girls threw me a bachelerorette, which I knew about but didn't know any details. Michelle, Ashley, Audrey and Becky were the party planners du jour. They made/bought all my favorite foods (sushi, Weight Watchers Mexican corn cakes, carrot cake, and peanut M&Ms, which I forget I love until you put them in front of me and they're gone in 60 seconds). I felt like a celebrity in my private dressing room, with all my faves at arms reach. Since this is a family-friendly blog I'll keep the details of the night PG rated, but there was definitely some good-natured naughtiness and penis-themed antics. Great times.



My friend Kristin is a teacher and she had her 4th graders make a book about "What Love Is", which she gave to us as our engagement present. Her students are mostly English as a Second Language, and their thoughts on love crack me up. For example: "Love is when my Dad tells me I don't have to go to school". "Love is hugging and kissing. Love is just a gift card". Or, "Love is when my dog licks my face, runs away and then licks my face again". It is an awesome book that is now properly displayed on our mantel.


Not to be outdone by my East Coast hotties, my Seattle girls and I went out on the town last night. We got some tapas, margaritas, and then moved on to kir royales. Yumm! Then we went to see some live music downtown. It was ridiculously fun.

I love my friends.

where the sun don't shine

Spring in Seattle looks just like winter, except there is some greenery on the trees and it stays light later. The air smells fresh. However, I am about done with the grey skies and rain. It's Bike to Work month but the weather hasn't really been cooperating. I've ridden twice and had to leave my bike at work both times because I am a fair weather rider. This ain't fair weather.

The good news is that I've been in the studio- and by studio I mean my office- on the weekends. Amazingly, the sun has been making an appearance on Saturdays as if on cue. Which is when I tend to be behind a computer screen. But whatever, beggers can't be choosers. Part of the wedding suite I'm doing for Julie and Chris includes an invite for their Pig n' a Pod party.
Chris is a crazy good cook, and my friends are hosting a pre-wedding throwdown on their property in Central Washington (where the sun does shine). The 'pod' is a wooden structure they built on their regulation frisbee golf course (seriously). In July we will trek over the Cascade Mountains and watch Chris roast a pig, engage in a multi-day frisbee golf tournament, and drink to our hearts' content. I can't wait!

I've made a point not to indulge in my bridal obsessions on this blog but I would like to share the invitation I made for our upcoming wedding. For weeks I had a hard time focusing on what to do. There are so many invitation designers whose style I love- and one too many who rely on the standard issue floral letterpress bullshit- and so many sources of inspiration. I was like my own worst client. My friend Keita helped me define my theme (old timey ass dance party!). Once I nailed down a theme for the whole wedding, the invitation concept fell into place, and I had a lot of fun making them. Dave provided invaluable critiques. For a non-artist, he sure has some good gut feelings about design. Here she is: