The beginning of a Very Merry Christmas

Actually I think that should be an official title, VMC 2010, because this one is definitely going to be one of the best. I know, how do you top spending Christmas in London? Or Christmas touring German markets?

Spending Christmas Day with Le One, that's how. I can't wait!

In the mean time, I have observed the following relationship:
Which may explain the Wiley's complete departure from the blogosphere. But in seriousness, the lack of activity has been a blissful and welcome change to the stress of the ever-looming wedding to-do list. For example, today I was able to listen to half of Wuthering Heights (half! that's eight hours!) and stab 800 toothpicks and cranberries into a styrofoam ring (my poor fingers!). See proof here:


If you'd like to create this same wreath, you will need $15 to turn into 1 bag of Costco cranberries, approx 500 toothpicks (broken in half to create about 1000), a styrofoam ring (I think this one is 12 inches), as well as Fa La La La Lifetime and/or Audible.com.

This weekend I attended a performance of Handel's Messiah at DC's National Cathedral. It was very good, but definitely made me miss the performances of Vivaldi's Four Seasons that we've done one Christmas in Paris and one in Germany. I think next year I'll choose a National Symphony Orchestra concert at the Kennedy Center instead.


And lastly, here is my favorite 2010 addition to my Christmas decoration collection.


This mini mitten garland has inspired me to create a mini stocking garland/advent calendar for next year. I haven't decided if I'll knit* all 25, or collect a combination of knit and found stockings. But I'm really excited about it already. It all fits in so well with our stockings knit by Grandma Z, which seems to be the centerpiece of my overall decor. Ken and I are very eagerly awaiting the completion of his Christmas stocking, which will also be a Grandma Z original. How lucky is that! She mentioned she is happy his name is only three letters long. :-)



*The fact that I do not yet knit may contribute to the 12 month timeline of this project.

On the list for this week: send happy thoughts to Ken during finals, check off the last two people from my gift shopping list, finish off the costco squash with Butternut Squash soup, attend a fancy Christmas party with Jill at the Newseum, finish off the costco broccoli with broccoli soup, receive a much anticipated package from Bake It Pretty, bake the season's first batch of mint surprise cookies, finish Wuthering Heights, wrap and mail the Christmas presents for our family in Utah, pester Jonathan (& Justin) for wedding photos. Oh and unpack my suitcases from the travels of November so I stop buying new clothes.

Cheery Christmas to all!

Done.

We made it. Phew! It cost $25 in tolls to drive all the way across Ohio. And more than that to cut the corner in PA. What?? That was an unpleasant surprise. Wish I has known to bring my EZPass.

Time to unhook the trailer, pick up our packages from the UPS store, and buy a tree!

The screenshot is from the Road Trip app. I was skeptical at first but highly recommend it, especially if you're the type that loves detailed forms and records. As an added feature, they export to Excel. You know that's always a bonus in my eyes.

Eastward bound.

We're on the road. Driving Big Blue and a Uhaul from Utah to DC. It has been definitively decided that this drive should not be completed more than once every other year. Considering the fact that it was driven once in 2009 and now again in 2010, we're hoping for at least a 2 year hiatus. Someone knock on wood for me!

This is the first time Ken's truck has left Utah. And the first time it has driven continuously for longer than it takes to get from Provo to Maddox. Except for the fact that the seatbelt on the passenger side has stopped working thus requiring me to buckle in the middle seat, there's no car trouble at all. Besides, sitting close on our cross-country trek seems like a very newlywed thing to do.

I'm excited to get to Virginia and get settled. First on the list is buying a Christmas tree! The drive has provided of time to plan out all the holiday decor, treats and activities that will encompass the next month. I'm determined to get decorations up BEFORE I deal with the mass of boxes and packages we've accumulated and moved this last month. Let's hope that energy doesn't disappear!

About giving the greater part.

Dear Ana,

So I'm working on a big presentation for work tomorrow, which means I'm still at the office. I got hungry but had no food or time to get dinner, so I looked around until I found a bag of popcorn, which I popped. As I mindlessly munched, I realized I was fishing out all the slightly burnt kernels, by habit, instead of actively avoiding them as one may normally do. This reminded me of you, because once you told me you had eaten so many burnt bags of popcorn that you actually began to prefer the taste of slightly scorched corn.

None of this helps me in my case against Ken's claim that I truly PREFER burnt toast and grilled cheese sandwiches (I know Sarah can also relate). In truth, he dislikes them so much that I examine each piece and put the more well done slices onto my plate to save him the disappointment of flipping his grilled cheese over and seeing black. Because I guess I don't mind eating black toast, if it means I get to watch him happily eating his light to medium brown toast.

And then, Ana, that struck me as the kind of thing you would instinctively do for your beloved Zack and Jack. And I got a little bit hopeful that someday I can be as loving and devoted as you have shown me a wife and mother can be.

And that's really what the next 10 days should be spent thinking about. Because it doesn't matter what color the chairs are, or where the lights are placed, or what time we transition from dinner to dessert. What matters is that I continue to cultivate a love for giving him what he wants most, whether that is my love and undivided attention, or all the buttery white kernels in the bowl.

Thanks for teaching me by example Ana. See you soon,

RZ.

Trying to stay alive...

Pulling everything together.
Trying to keep my sanity together.
What a process!

I will return to regular posting again someday... Don't give up on me! :-)

Do I have your address?

I've really debated whether or not I should use this forum to gather the addresses of friends and acquaintances for whom I might not otherwise have the information. Is it weird to do that? I can't decide.

I say to myself "well I really like her and think she's great but she probably doesn't want our announcement, right?" Or "I think we're friends, but does she? Will they think it's weird if we send them one?" I don't want to presume that anyone would like the announcement, but I don't want anyone NOT to get one just because I was too chicken to ask for an address. See the dilemma?

Anyway - if you would like a wedding announcement and you don't think I already have your address, please email me or leave a comment! We're mailing out very soon!! So exciting.

Well at least there are pumpkins on my shelf.

On Saturday I went to the Arlington flea market and made two fantastic finds. A matched set of milk glass plates which are EXACTLY what I've been searching for since January (for an upcoming wall project, it's going to be supreme). They were just sitting there, in all their $10-for-8 glory. Oh happiness.

For now, they're propping up my pumpkins. And next they'll be holding a cornucopia of corn, followed by sparkly mirrored ornaments and then finally they'll make it to the wall. Do you see that owl planter? $2. Allegedly from a ceramics class in 1978 per the carving on the bottom.

My office plant died after an unfortunate week (weeks?) without water. We moved desks and I no longer sit by the drinking fountain. Cue plant death by starvation. Which is too bad because I loved that plant sent to me, at the office, by my parents, for my birthday, almost one year ago. It's currently shriveled and attracting awkward attention to my workspace.

In other "fascinating" office news, it's freezing cold at my desk every day now. I get headaches and as I blow on my fingers for warmth I wonder when I was transported to Scrooge's counting house because seriously, can we get some coal in here? We got an email from HR about the disputes over the thermostats in which we were firmly scolded and instructed NOT to slide the dial to "warmer" even if your entire neighborhood is wearing sweatshirts and ear muffs. It sort of baffles me how afraid everyone has become of the thermostat. When it becomes unbearable, I get up and move it to warmer. Come punish me. I have OSHA on speed dial.

I think there are 30-something days until the wedding. If I survive this planning period and pull off half of what's in my head, I will impress even myself. I've never understood eloping with such clarity. Is it too late*?

*just kidding darling! I know you love our announcements (direct quote "It's a really strange feeling for me, but I think I'd rather work on our invitations than watch the cougars tonight.") You send them out and I'll keep working on creating something worth showing up for... NBD..

Can we talk about the grocery store for a minute?

Because I have two things to say.

First, last night I made a recipe from a new cookbook my mom got me, Barefoot in Paris. I'm not really an Ina Garten fan, I find her a little pretentious and condescending when I watch her on TV. But it's a very good collection of recipes, I'm super excited to have a new cookbook, and I've been craving a good, new soup.


I decided I would follow the recipe precisely, so I could judge it as closely as it was intended to be. This required me to buy saffron. Recently, saffron was one of the secret ingredients on Chopped Champions so I was a little excited to check it out. Look at what a crazy package it comes in! A bottle full of these tiny capsules. I'm a sucker for interesting packaging.


After hunting down the aisles, it turns out, saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. (And definitely the most expensive of the world known as Harris Teeter.) Who knew? In fact, most of the time it's more expensive than gold at about $350/ounce. Good thing I only needed about .01 oz. And despite the red color of the little spice-twigs (?), they actually dye your broth a golden yellow color.

In the end, the soup was delicious, and I'll have lunch at work for days. And I really shouldn't be shocked that Ina's recipe required a teaspoon of the most expensive spice on the planet, because that's just a little bit snobbish isn't it?

Ok second. I need to officially air my beef with Dove. Because I think I'm going to write a letter, and maybe it'll add power to my complaint that I've publicly blogged about my grievance (pretend that my following is more than approx. 15 people).

Does anyone else hate how their products randomly disappear? It seems to happen rather inconveniently AFTER you've fallen in love with it.

For example, a couple years ago they had a line of hand soap. I'm particular about hand soap because so many smells bother me, but Dove's hand soap was nice and moisturizing and smelled great. I used it for a solid 6 months, but never thought to stock up because who worries about their soap disappearing? I mean, how long has Dawn been around? Almost 40 years.

So imagine my surprise when I went to re-stock and there was none on the shelf at Harmons. Odd. I checked Smith's the next day. No Dove. I even stopped at ghetto ALBERTSONS ON 5TH WEST. Nothing. I called store managers. I searched the Dove website. I searched Amazon and Overstock. And just like that it was gone and has never returned.
Which brings me to my present issue with Dove lotion. It was a big switch from the former brand of my teens to Dove, but it's a really great lotion. I've already tolerated switching types because they have discontinued two different lines. Annoying, but those changes were subtle (Dove Enriching Body Lotion to Dove Cream Oil, whatever). BUT. My bottle just ran out so I went to replenish and there is no Dove to be found on the lotion aisle. Not even an empty spot where it once was. I've checked two different grocery stores. I know how this story goes...

All this reminds me of that ridiculous simulation we had to do in strategy during the integrated core of the MAcc. We were a company with a cough medicine and we had to decide how to position ourselves in the market week to week and then compare our results to the other teams. There were choices like should we add a product to our line that has a sleep aid, or should we focus on cutting costs on our current formulation?

Dove has clearly decided they are aiming to be the newest product on the block, entering into new niches with good products, appealing to those who like the latest and greatest addition to the aisle, and then moving on whenever it suits them. Well excuse me but this hit it and quit it attitude towards my hygiene products is driving me crazy!

Anyway, let this be a warning to all you who use a Dove product in your daily routine. Go buy 15 bottles and put them by the wheat in your food storage. Maybe that will save you some of the misery I've experienced...

The pictures have gone live...

You can see Jonathan's blog post here!

Sometimes you see something beautiful

And you can think of nothing else.

That's basically how I feel about this Liberty of London fabric in embroidery hoops. I want to spend one entire day recreating this in my house. I know the exact wall. I'll gladly drive to as many craft stores as is needed to collect all the embroidery hoops. I'll cut and stretch and color coordinate. I'll lay it out on the floor and carefully transfer to the wall.

Is that too much to ask??

Annee, please tell me you will devote a wall in your sewing room/guest house to this creation.

And what about you, are you smitten as well? Would you put this up in your house?

The post wherein I express how happy I am that I don't live in New York.

It's a great city. And I am so glad to visit. But gosh it would be a hard place to actually live! The sketchy apartments. And general lack of closet space. (Not to mention where would my couch(es) go) The sticky subway. And the fact that no matter what you do it'll cost a minimum of $20. It all brings into clearer focus how much I love DC!

It was a wonderful weekend. It was fun to walk around and do exactly what I WANTED for a few days, instead of doing things I HAVE to do like pay parking tickets and buy gas.

We ate. I window shopped. I wedding shopped and planned. I gathered general inspiration. And imagined what life would be like if registering at Jonathan Adler were a real possibility. (Oh! Look at that chevron rug!) The weather was perfect. And to top it all off I got to see so many kind and missed old friends at church on Sunday (Hi Erin! And Tim Jost!).

It was great. And I feel like a person again. Someone who has an answer to how was your weekend other than "oh you mean the weekend where I worked and slept and the only staggering accomplishment was showering before watching Project Runway?"

I had a totally bad attitude about the trip when I was rushing on the Metro to Chinatown with major exhaustion and a head full of heavy work and wedding to-dos. And when I was on the bus and realized I forgot my headphones. But Saturday morning as I sat on a shady bench outside Shake Shack waiting to meet up with friends I felt gratitude for a life which makes such moments a reality. And when I was blissfully meandering the streets of SoHo stopping in paper stores and searching out the fabric store Purl Bee for Annee I was downright giddy. I even documented the moment by myself in a photo booth (with props! Ha can't believe I am admitting this).

Anyway, enough of that. Life is good. And luckily for me, somehow my subconscious knows how to push me to do things that are good for me (like go places and see friends) even when my conscious mind would rather sleep.

Speaking of sleep... Goodnight!

I think I'm going to need a new dress for making it through that 80+ hr work week...

Yeah, it's been insane.

BUT!

It's over!

Well, that's not really true.

In fact, most of my clients are individuals so technically I'm not even supposed to start being really busy until now. HA!

But I made it through September 15 with only a minor loss of sanity (although, a complete loss of a life).


Yesterday I got a pedicure and a new dress and went to bed at 8:30pm. This morning, I honestly feel like a whole new person!!

I shouldn't have to work weekends from now to October 15 so I am taking advantage of that and planning a trip up to NYC tomorrow with Dawn. The 4 hours on the bus will be spent replying to wedding-related emails from all the very neglected people who are helping me plan.

And also maybe blogging. Although, I agree with Annee in that I just don't have much to say these days. Sad. I wonder if that means I am overall more boring as a person, or just in the blogosphere. Hmm...




P.S. I'll post one picture from the engagement photos.

Photo credit: Jonathan Canlas

It's Ken's favorite. In fact, he declared he would like this exact photo framed and on his desk for the rest of his life. Haha I'm impressed with his decisive feelings, because you better believe I am completely torn and could talk circles about each and every photo.

Google Reader (716)

Unread emails which require specific attention and an immediate response: 28.

Life has exploded into a to-do list so long that it doesn't fit into my purse or my brain. So much chaos. Amidst all that, I keep forgetting what I should blog about. Or why I even blog? I'll add "determine purpose of the blog" to the bottom of the list.

It was fun to have family in town last weekend.

It was also fun to visit Mount Vernon again. How can you not be inspired by this?

It is totally sad and boring that CZ finished her internship. No more office good times.

The rest of my time and physical energy has been spent on work.

The remaining mental energy and stress has been spent on wedding planning. Why anyone decides to choose wedding planning as their full-time career is a complete mystery to me. (*I do note how ironic it is for a tax accountant to make such a statement...*)

The little leftover sense I have is spent on trying to wrap my mind around this very important approaching event, which is hard for someone who doesn't really take anything seriously.


Anyway, I may not know what this blog IS, but I know what it IS NOT, and that is a wedding blog. Nonetheless, I will add a picture of what may currently be my favorite engagement picture outfit.

Maybe? We'll see... I haven't quite made it to that to-do list item yet.

P.S. I saw this cool portable high chair at Eastern Market a couple weeks ago.

This and that...

What a weekend it has been! Based on all the emotion (albeit positive) I have felt in the last week, I think I've had my fill for the month thankyouverymuch. Life may now resume to its normal, low-key state. :-)

We tried Spike's new restaurant We, the Pizza this weekend. The line was long but moved faster than we expected. The fancy soda drinks were very tasty, and I don't like soda at all so that's saying something! With Good Stuff Eatery next door, this destination can scratch any itch you've got.

















We also saw Inception this weekend and finally figured out what everyone has been talking about. What a great movie. Very similar to Shutter Island (Leo's character is almost identical) but that movie was awesome too so who would complain.

Hmm, I'm even boring myself with this post, sorry.

And so it goes that I begin the 100-day countdown. Which doesn't seem like a long time.. But when I think back to 100 days ago, April 24th, and remember all the things I've done since then, I feel better about what needs to get done in the next three months. Here goes!

It's official!!

We're engaged!!

*Note the excessive eye squinty-ness caused by excessive happiness.
Ken Fitzgerald and Rachel Zackrison
Proposal in Washington DC on Friday, July 30, 2010.
(Cheesy hand-on-chest photo courtesy of the extraordinary Jill Chappell.
Thank you thank you Jill!)

There were a lot of special surprise deliveries throughout the day...

And a fancy ride outside work to take me downtown to The W...

Which ultimately led me to this (although I barely remember this part!)

And of course this...

Can you believe the quality of the pics taken by the new iphone??

And best of all: HIM!


It was a special, happy day.


Will you please celebrate with us in Los Angeles on Friday, November 12, 2010?
We hope so!!
(Seriously, we do.)

Good Point.

From Elder Holland:

“This is the gospel of happy endings.
If it isn’t happy,
then it isn’t the end.”

Photo here.

More coming from me soon!

10 Favorite Summertime Activities

15 June 2010

1. Beach! Pool! Waterparks! Sun time.

JULY 06

2. Making lemonade and having BBQs

MAY 08

3. Farmer's markets

OCTOBER 09

4. Riding a beach cruiser

JULY 06

AUGUST 09

MAY 08

5. Trips & vacations

JULY 08

MAY 08

6. Running outside without being cold

MARCH 10

7. Baseball games (playing and watching)

AUGUST 06

AUGUST 07

8. Summer movies - including outdoor movies and drive-in movies
9. Gardening
10. Wearing summer skirts and sandals

BOTH APRIL 10

10 Favorite Americans.

Although this is an incomplete list, here's what I have off the top of my head...

1. Thomas Jefferson.
   
   "Almighty God hath created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens . . . are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion . . . No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively."
   
   
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
   
   "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today - Let us move forward with strong and active faith."
   
   
3. John Adams.
   
   "I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in providence, for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth. "
   
   
4. George Washington.
   
   "Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."
   
   
5. Benjamin Franklin.
   
   "Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. "
   
   
6. thru 10. Our American soldiers.