Katie + Zach

NEW BLOG

2010-06-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

Due to the overwhelming amount of comments on our posts that are NOT in English...
Zach and I decided to get a new blog. Rather than going private, we just gave it makeover.

Visit our new blog at:

http://kplusz.tumblr.com/

The "Cool Kids"

2010-06-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

Oh....hello! [Sarcastic Font] Our names are Derek and AJ and we are SO cool because we have iPhones. Oh, Katie? You don't have an iPhone??? That's SO lame.

Since Zach is at the Jet Convention in NYC, I went out with Derek and AJ to the Red Iguana for my first time.
We were all waiting for our checks and had a break in our conversation (which rarely happens with me there) and they whip out their iPhones and both start texting/tweeting/facebooking/iChatting or whatever cool people do on the CYBER SPACE PHONES.
Yeah, I was jealous.

One day, iPhone: I will text/tweet/facebook/iChat on you for myself.
Until that day I will live in Blackberry land....which is a dark, dark place.....

Motivation and Gratitude

2010-06-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my work had all these tickets to the 'Get Motivated' Seminar in SLC. I met a co-worker (Janette) there and went to the first half of it. (It was from 8:00-5:00, there is no way we could have lasted the whole time). And showing up was....pretty mandatory. I KIND OF enjoyed it. Keep in mind it was WAY too long. I have to admit though, I have been to my fair share of "Motivational Activites". If you count ALE, UAE, Ambassador Retreat for 4 years, several NKBA meetings, and all the other stuff in between...I am the seasoned veteran of seminars. There were TONS of speakers at this thingy, but my fave was former Secretary of State, Colin Powell.

The economy stresses me out, to the MAX. People losing their jobs, people losing their homes....and so many other hardships. I can't stand to watch the news anymore, quite honestly. But, this sweet guy put a lot of positive points out there. Not to be all patriotic in your face....but I am so grateful to live in America. He put it into perspective for me, and I appreciate him for that.

After I left the seminar, I had to run over to the hangar (where Zach Attack works) to drop of some postcards to my Brother-in-law. I was zipping around the corner and had to slam on my breaks because #1 - I drive too fast, and #2 - I almost hit my Brother-in-law in the fuel truck!

As you can see, Trav is VERY excited about the Postcards...haha!
I was driving around the hangar and I stopped in the parking lot. I DO have a point to this post, I promise.
It made me stop and think at how grateful I am for mine and Zach's jobs.

I thought it was so cool that the jet was there in front of the hangar, usually when I go there I can't see anything cool like helicopters or jets because they are all out on jobs.
I am in love with every single person I work with and can't imagine working anywhere else (for as long as they'll have me). I have to admit, I always wanted to work at an Architecture Firm with my degree, particularly FFKR. When I graduated, I must have applied 4 times. I was heartbroken when they told me that they weren't accepting applications, and wouldn't be in the near future. I thought I would never find something I enjoyed as much as I imagined I would love FFKR. I was SO wrong. I know now that FFKR would NOT be for me. I would just be a payroll number and a face behind a monitor. Here, I actually matter.
Zach is so lucky to work where he does. Besides, what guy wouldn't love to work at a place with Helicopters and Plaines all day?! And I know Zach agrees with me when I say that I can't thank my new family enough for what Classic has done for us. Zach has a secure job which he loves and works hard at every day. I am so SO grateful for that and for the family that made it possible.

Thank you.

Olive's Blessing/Sealing...

2010-06-08T14:57:00.001-07:00

My adorable Niece Olive is getting blessed this weekend and then sealed to her family on Tuesday! Lori, my sister-in-law, had me make up some invites for the Blessing and the Sealing. She found the flower image, and I just re-created it in different colors. Here is how they turned out:

I took them to the printer and the girl that helped me was GAGA over OG (Olive Garden, is what she is called by her sister Lola and my Father-in-law). She asked if she could keep one of the invites....

I can't wait to go to the Sealing. I have never been to a family sealing (I couldn't go to Lola's because I hadn't gone through the temple at that time). I am going to bawl my eyes out, guaranteed....

Graduation / Cabin Weekend

2010-06-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

I know I already posted about this, and probably should keep my mouth shut....but I only have one sibling and you'll never hear about this again. I really can't believe my brother Blake is officially a High School Graduate. Zach and I got work off so we could attend his graduation. It was LONG (520 students graduated) but so worth it to see him walk Friday. We are so proud of him. (I was just as proud that he didn't do anything embarrassing like pump his fists in the air, Jersey Shore style or do a cartwheel, like others did up on stage to accept their diplomas.) We didn't stay super long, because we had to hurry home and pack.

Later that evening, Zach and I took up some old friends of mine from Jr. High/High School and their wives up to his family cabin. Some of them I hadn't seen FOREVER, and it was fun to catch up with them and hang out with their darling wives. I love going up to the Henderson Cabin for so many reasons. The scenary is gorgeous, there is NO cell service (aka no crazy people calling to complain about their hardware in their kitchen), I don't know what Jeanene did to those beds...but they are SO comfortable, the kitchen is a dream to cook in, and it just feels so nice being somewhere that is far enough away so it feels like we're "escaping".
I had to steal pictures off of other blogs because Zach and I are horrible at remembering our camera...Photography Credit to Melinda and James....

Here are some highlights:

Good food

Movie Nights in the Theater Room - Yes, I know I have zero make up on and look like a man, just ignore that detail....

Hot Tub adventures

An improve dance performance by Quin, Sam, Georgie, and Ashton. (My two nieces and their cousins).

Riding in "The Tank" - some 6-wheeled creature/machine that apparently can float if submerged in water. I wouldn't let Zach try to take it through a giant mud puddle for fear of having to help him push/dig/tow it out.

Ping Pong Tournaments - Boys Only

Halo Tournaments - Boys Only

Games of all sorts

Hummingbirds - We were looking out the windows while watching a movie, and this poor hummingbird flew right into the glass, wanting to come in and enjoy some soup perhaps. I saw him fall on the gravel below, and a bunch of them went outside to check on it. It was alive, but dazed and confused. James went near it to take a picture, and it flew up and landed on his forearm. It just sat there forever looking stunned. It then flew up on his shoulder, checking out James' ear. I have never in my life seen a bird do that before. Yes, in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but not in real life. It was ridiculous. Props to James for keeping his arm and body so steady.

Frozen Brownie Pops

Fresh Air

Sleeping In

Playing Pool

We had a blast, and were so glad these couples could come up and join us. Thanks for all the movies, meals, and laughs. We love being at the cabin, and feel so lucky that Mark & Jeanene let us use their "Home Away from Home". We didn't want to come back to real life...

Ice Hockey!

2010-06-01T23:47:00.001-07:00

I had never seen Zach play Ice Hockey before, and when he told me he wanted to play on an adult league with my cousin's boyfriend, Dan, I was a little nervous. Dan, along with all of his friends, all range from 5' 8" - 6' 3". That means they ALL have 5" on Zach, and about 75-100 lbs. The first game I was SICK. Not like a virus, but like my stomach was turning. I was just praying Zach wouldn't get clobbered by anyone. Not like I didn't believe he was talented, I just didn't want him to get smashed.

Zach, as always, pleasantly surprised me. I knew he played in High School.....but he was SO FREAKING FAST. Nobody could crush him, even if they wanted to, because he would skate circles around these guys! Yeah, there are a couple of 40-year-olds...but STILL!

Fast forward 6 games later....our team (the Cubbies) is UNDEFEATED!!! (We've had one tied game, so that doesn't count!) With my husband averaging 2 points per game! He's most definitely the smallest one on BOTH teams every game, but can out-skate everyone. I am so proud of him.

My husband....the Blur, the Legend....

I'm his biggest fan!

First Boating Trip of the Season

2010-05-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

One word sums up our trip to Utah Lake: FREEZING!

SO glad I grabbed a jacket on my way out the door!

Meet Paulette, (Mom) the chocolate bug.

Zach on Flag Duty. Notice there are NO other boats on the lake.

Gary, (Dad) who chose to wear WAY too much red this Memorial Weekend.

My dad convinced Blake (brother) to try on HIS old Wet Suit from when he was my bro's age. Vintage.

Zach decided he'd give it a go, and chose NOT to part with his V-Neck. It was quite the process. One Wet Suit and one Dry Suit later, he was ready to board.

Overall, it was a great run. We had good company, good food, and the FUNNIEST family basketball game I've ever been involved in. Paulette was the MVP: 12 points!

Death By Cake Pops

2010-05-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Derek, I hope you read this...because this is ALL because of you.

One day, long ago, my Senior year at Utah State, my friend Derek took me to Costco for the first time. He was shocked I had never been, and when I told him I got a gift card from my wedding, he took me along.

Fast forward....

Costco is the devil.

No, not for families or businesses, but for Zach and I. You see, I don't have a Costco Membership Card, but my mother does. Since Zach was gone with his brothers, fixing up Classic Waterslides, I went with my Madre to Costco to prepare for my brother's graduation party. We went to get stuff for HER.

8 dozen Oreo Cookies, 3 jumbo tubs of Clorox Wipes, 6 meals worth of cheese ravioli, 50 mini bags of assorted flavored potato chips, 60 slices of pre-cooked bacon, 20 protein shakes, GALLONS OF WEED KILLER, and 20 Kirkland hamburger patties later....

I arrived home. Zach and I are still trying to use the cubes of butter I purchased with Derek, over a year ago. My point is, what the freak am I going to do with 8 dozen Oreo Cookies!? Most definitely not eat them...so I told my mom I would make a dessert tomorrow for the BBQ. When I got home I remembered that I had been wanting to make these...

CAKE POPS! Trust me, they are as delicious as they are beautiful. They are not difficult to make, and the main ingredient: OREOS!
So I made them, 3 dozen to be exact. The trouble is, not all 3 dozen made it to "pop" form. They only made it to ball-covered-in-chocolate form....and then were POPPED into my mouth. Usually I have a referee here to blow the whistle and help me out. Zach will say, "You're going to get sick, Kate." But this afternoon he was not here to make the call.

I have to tell you, these are delicious. I would recommend them to anyone for any occasion. I, however, can never consume one again. Does anyone want 2.5 dozen cake pops....chilling in my refrigerator?

Ugh.

Front Room: Check!

2010-05-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

How pathetic is it that for your birthday you ask for these? :

My birthday gifts helped finish this:

Hallelujah!

Powder Room: Check!

2010-05-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

One more room down! When Zach was out of town I took a little trip to Restoration and got a mirror, glass shelf, towel bar, towel hook, and tissue holder. We painted, mounted all the hardware & mirror, and hung one of our favorite photos of paris (shown below):

Paris Rooftops

After two days, it would have taken us one if we didn't have to paint the ceiling white, we are done!

Here's the pictures, it looks much better in person, I promise.

The teak stump is my favorite. When I bought it I had no idea how heavy it would be, 39 pounds of solid wood.

Here is a before & after pic:

Now...moving on to the upstairs!

All Grown Up

2010-05-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but maybe it's because I don't want to. My little brother is 18 and about to graduate from HIGH SCHOOL! The little boy who used to shoot me and my friends with his air soft guns, duct tape every surface, and make magic potions. He's now a foot taller than both my husband and I, and more literally NOT my little brother anymore.

I don't know what the future hold for him, but I love him no matter where it takes him....

These pictures were taken by my long time friend Whitney Rushton, who did a fantastic job and is truly talented. She whipped these out so quick, and we are so pleased with them! She is wonderful.

Love you Whit, you are a rockstar!

Weekend in San Francisco

2010-05-16T17:33:00.001-07:00

So, most of you know from my last couple of posts, and my desperate Facebook status updates, that Zach has been gone for an entire week. He's been in San Luis Obispo working at the hangar. I know, I sound pathetic, but it was really difficult to be away from him for that long. I realize I sound like a love-struck teenager, but this was LEGIT. He called me at the beginning of his little work trip down there and asked me if I wanted to meet him in San Francisco and I couldn't say no. That city has a special place in my heart, and probably always will. I did my Design internship with Mauk Design there, and fell in love with it. Zach drove all the way out there with me, helped me unload all my stuff, and then said goodbye to me for the summer. (Realistically, we met up almost every weekend in Monterey, CA and went to church together. He eventually proposed to me there as well.) We were lucky enough to go back to San Francisco when Zach graduated last spring, and we both love it even more.

So my mom dropped me off at the airport, and I boarded my flight to SFO. Zach drove up from San Luis (4 hours) and met me to pick me up. Here is when you know you're in San Fran: I run up to Zach when he pulled up to the curb, and gave him a HUGE hug and kiss. He helped me load my luggage into the back seat, and he turns to me and says, "Katie I HAVE to go to the bathroom." I tell him that there is one by the baggage claim, so he runs back inside the airport. I get in the car's passenger seat and wait for him to get out. After only waiting a minute and a half, a police officer blares his flashlight in my eyes, and swirls it around in my face.....like I didn't notice he was doing it. I rolled down my window and asked if he wanted me to move. He informs me this is a unloading and loading area, NOT A PARKING AREAAAA. He sound just like that too. I tell him my husband is just getting a Bart map from reception, and he'll be right out. He was NOT having it. He told me if I didn't move in 10 seconds, he would give me a really expensive citation. He wasn't lying either. When I lived in San Fran for the summer, my car got towed because I forgot to move it on a Tuesday for street cleaning. It cost me $465. So I ran out of the passenger seat and got to the driver's seat of the car. I started to move, and I see Zach running out of the baggage claim area. The car was moving when he opened the car door and hopped in. Thanks San Francisco, for making life with an automobile miserable. So we didn't have time to pull over and switch spots, so I drove from the airport and over Bay Bridge to the city. Driving in San Francisco is like a scene from Grand Theft Auto. Being as I don't have the best driving record, I thought Zach was going to have a seizure in the seat next to me. Luckily we made it there alive.

This is in the lobby of our hotel, waiting to check in.

The next morning we wake up, shower up, and get our shop on. What's funny, is Zach loves to shop even more than I do. We always walk up to the front of a large store and say, "Meet me here when you're done." We both go our separate ways, and even after hours when I go to our meeting spot, Zach is always STILL shopping...even after I have tried on all my selections. I usually have to go search for him. We shopped all morning and then ate lunch at the top of the Macy's building in Union Square and went through the outdoor art show.

Later that night we went to this Italian place called Piazza. It was down the street from our hotel, and was pretty authentic. Zach's version of dessert is Popcorn, so we decided to go to a late movie around the corner. When both Zach and I were here for internships, people laughed at us when we told them there was a "Dollar Theatre" in Utah. Movie tickets in Cali are $14 a pop. We saw Ironman 2, and both liked it.

The second morning we took the Muni to Fillmore Street. Zach and I have walked through streets in Paris alone in the middle of the night, and have never been as scared as we were walking through an area of San Fran called "The Tenderloin". We had to pass through this area to get to the bus, and instantly regretted it. NEVER walk through The Tenderloin for any reason. It wasn't the homeless people we were worried about, it was the junkies. It's a place like that where you could get jumped for money, and NOBODY around you would lift a finger to help. Once we got to the Muni stop we got over to Fillmore (much more picturesque) and walked all the way up and all the way down.

We ate at a great Thai food place, and Zach was patient enough to stop in EVERY design store along the way. DWR, The Shade Store, Jonathan Alder, Livingdesign, Orla Kiely, and everything else in between. Zach even got me my Orla Kiely bag that I've been wanting for months.

We topped off our spicy lunch with some ice cream....from Coldstone. Yes, we skipped out on Gelato for some Cake Batter flavored bliss. Then for dinner we went to our favorite spot: The Foreign Cinema, this awesome restaurant where you eat outdoors under a canopy of string lights and watch foreign films. We are sitting there, totally relaxed and enjoying the amazing food, when I look across the table and spot Molly Ringwold (for Sean: She's the main character of Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and the Breakfast Club.) She looked amazing, and to top it off she whips out her iPad and shows her friends at her table her adorable Son...Roman. I know...it's pathetic that I know that. I wasn't gawking, she was just really close. I was so jealous of her new toy. I kept taking pictures of Zach, telling him to smile, every time she would look in my direction. The pictures aren't great, but it was the best I could do considering I didn't have a more gutsy person to take a picture with me. She's on the left of Zach in the shadows.

We finished off the trip with a Giants baseball game. It was so much fun, and the weather was perfect. The stadium is awesome, right off the bay. People were even in their Kayaks in the water, catching balls from home-runs. We beat the Astros 5-4. Quickly after the golden pitch, we had to head off to the airport...in our Giants gear.

I will always love this city, and if you ever go, be sure to stop in the Mission at Foreign Cinema. The best meal you'll have in the City by the Bay.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

So this is my fourth day with Zach gone. He's going to be gone until this weekend, an entire week. I knew I would miss him, but never guessed THIS much. When you go from seeing your best friend every day, a whole week without him is horrible.

So this last Saturday, my grandmother for her Mother's Day gift wanted us to work in her yard and plant new flowers. It's so much fun to get our family together. We have so many people these days, it is very rare when the majority of us get together. We weeded, tilled, planted, watered....and the men used the chain saw. A LOT. The poor trees didn't stand a chance.

Later that Saturday I took my mom shoes shopping and met up with two of my aunts and two of my cousins for dinner at Applebees. I love them all, and love spending time with them.

Sunday morning I woke up to a flower delivery. I was actually really shocked, and thought it was a mistake. I opened the card, and read this:

"To a future mother. You are the best wife, and are going to make the best mother some day. I love you so much. - Zach"

After calling him, he told me he didn't want me to be left out on Mother's Day. He is seriously the best.

Happy Mother's Day to the best Mom in the world (who is SO thorough that she has to try on 3 different sizes of shoes in case of different thicknesses of socks) who I love more than the world. You guys are THE BEST!

Also to my wonderful Mother-in-law who is enjoying Tuscany right now as I write this. I am so grateful to her as well, along with my Grandmother, Aunts, and all the other mothers in my life.

Hardware....freaking HARD!

2010-05-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

28 knobs and 12 bar pulls later....we have hardware!

Measuring out 40 pieces of hardware was not the easiest job, but we accomplished it in a couple of hours....Zach even had enough time to watch the Hills. Yes....he loves it more than I do.

Bunk Room: Check!

2010-05-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

The bunks are finally installed. Usually when a project like this gets installed, if there are any mistakes....I have to pay for them. Literally, like I would have to front the bills for the mistakes. SO, you can understand why I would be so anxious to see how they were going to turn out. This is a horrible photo, from my phone, but it proves that it actually worked! The walls aren't painted and the carpet hasn't been installed, but you can get the idea.

Where the fence looking posts are, that is where the beds will be. There is another bunk on the opposite wall (you can see it on the right side of the picture), where two more beds will be. There are drawers below each bed, and on the large top bunk you see in the picture....the right side is a play area and the left is the "secret storage".
Another answer to my prayers was that they are sturdy. Mark, my installer for this job, told me he is a solid 300 pounds. He said if he was up there playing around, it could support anyone. He did such a fantastic job on these bunks. Thanks Mark, you're a champ!

These are the days that make everything worth it. The builder absolutely loves them. In the words of Ice Cube, "Today was a good day."

Hospital Visit

2010-04-30T17:04:00.001-07:00

So Zach finally convinced me to go to Instacare. Turns out I have stomach ulcers. It was actually a wonderful alternative to what I thought it was. Everyone was telling me it was probably my gall bladder or kidney stones/infection. I am actually really grateful, because the thought of getting my gall bladder taken out gives me the creeps. I did have my blood drawn for the first time though. The first phlebotomist came in and after four attempts and no luck, they sent in what Zach called "The Ringer". That's Zach, a sports metaphor for everything. In walks the next phlebotomist, who happens to have an Albert Einstein coif. Serious, his hair was crazy. He asked me NOT to move because I was a "hard stick". I took one look at Zach and we started to laugh. We couldn't stop. You know the kind of laugh when you are holding it in, but your body is still laughing...in motion. The phlebotomist was not so happy with me. He finally stabbed me in the hand and got his blood. Vampire. Then he went on his way.

P.S. I don't know how people inject themselves with drugs or even give themselves insulin shots. It didn't hurt (ok, the one in my hand hurt) but the thought of needles makes me queasy. Hopefully the next shot I get is an epidural when we have our first child. If I am lucky.

My Addiction.

2010-04-29T10:01:00.001-07:00

When Zach and I met in Europe, and we went to breakfast....he asked for a Coke and I asked for a Diet Coke. It was like love at first sip. How often do you meet another person that drinks a soda at 8:30 am? Most people would be totally grossed out and say, "How can you DO that?" For Zach and I, it is our beverage of choice at breakfast.

Recently I have been having stomach issues. I have had issues my whole life being lactose intolerant, but in the last few months I have found myself having worse pain in my stomach than ever before. (Nope, not pregnant Mom, sorry.) My doctor recommended that I need to STOP drinking diet coke. STOP? I told him I could CUT DOWN, but not STOP. He thinks this whole Diet Coke thing is either causing me ulcers or aggravating an existing problem.

Yesterday was my FIRST full day in almost four years of not having one bitty sip of DC. I replaced 3 cans of diet coke with SEVEN glasses of water. And as I write this I am on my THIRD.

Hell has frozen over, pigs have flown, and I am officially killing my addiction to DC. Just for the record: if this doesn't help, I am going RIGHT back to my beloved beverage.

Our Adventure at Eva....

2010-04-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I went out with some of my girl friends to Eva in Salt Lake.

Thank you Alison for introducing me, because now Zach loves it as well. They have these french fries tossed in garlic, parmesan, and rosemary....enough said.

I took Zach for the first time Friday night, and ended up having a more eventful night that we both expected. We sit down and order our food. Then, by the time we get our appetizers, these two older women sit down next to us. Now, I have to be careful how I use "older" because they were 55. Old than US is what I mean. They kept staring at our fries as we were eating them. They both had never been there before, obviously, because they were discussing together what they should get to start off. Eva is very quaint, you sit about 1.5 feet away from the tables on either side of you. So it was not like I was eaves dropping, I was just....hearing on my own with no intent to spy. I heard the one woman say, "Those fries look good, should we get some?" They both were in debate. Considering Zach eats like a bird, and I couldn't finish the plate of fries on my own, I picked up the plate and pointed it at their table. I said, "Do you want to try some before you order?" They both looked at me in shock. I think they were pretty hesitant, but they both took one and ate it. Of course they loved it. They said, "Oh my gosh, thank you for offering."

Zach and I continued on with our dinner, talking the entire time. When we go out to eat...we TALK TALK TALK. And NO, it is not just me, Zach talks just as much. After 3 Diet Cokes, I was done for. I had to go to the bathroom desperately. (Once again, small restaurant.) The women's stall was occupied, so I just paced in front of the door for a while. Then I saw a sign that said, "Patio Coming Soon". I walked to the back of the place and saw their patio they were fixing up for the warmer months. I got caught up, and remember I had to go to the bathroom SO badly. I walked back and it was open. After my turn, I went back to our table. As I approached Zach, I saw him chatting with the older ladies next to him. No surprise. I sit down and they were laughing at Zach. Zach says, "Katie, guess who this is?" I gave him a confused look. He says, "Susan Loveridge."

This is a name I have seen on my work's caller ID for WEEKS. Apparently, we did the cabinetry in her house. It was also published in a recent issue of Utah Style and Design. Charlee Smith, a woman I work with, designed it. Apparently Susan is the Vice President at Merrill Lynch. As in....Number Two. I told her that I had heard her name and seen her job going through production in our shop. She didn't want to talk about that, she immediately started asking me questions about Zach and I. How wonderful it was to have met in Europe, how romantic of a story. So in the short 15 minutes I was gone, Zach and Susan had discussed our whole life story. Where I worked, where he worked, how we met....

Was I really gone that long???

Anyway, sorry to make something so little an incredibly long post, but we talked to these women for a long time. They told us their favorite places to eat in Salt Lake. They told us that they both had never been married and never had kids. Susan told me it was because she has never found the right person. She then proceeded to tell us how lucky were are, to have found your "soul mate" and to be living life SO happily. She told us we were a match made in heaven. "And I NEVER say that," she said, "I don't promote love that often. But YOU, you two are in love."

Regardless to say, we made two new friends. It's incredible to hear advice from two women, so experienced in all the things of the world EXCEPT love. They have had the finest food, so much success, but have never been in love. They made us feel SO lucky. And we are, without doubt.

I know, it's a mushy post, but it's Sunday...and I need all the spiritual uplift for the class we are about to teach.... :)

'Tis the Season....

2010-04-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

For graduation!

Here's what I've been up to....

Em & Trent

Sean Henderson (My brother-in-law) the DOCTOR! Tear....

Next up....Blake Ted Fotheringham. My not-so-little brother.
Congrats to all the graduates! YOU MADE IT!!!!

Luckiest Aunt Ever....

2010-04-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

I think all the time about how lucky my brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws are when I look at all their amazing children. Maybe I am a little too "braggy" about my nieces and nephews. I've never been an aunt before...so give me a break.

One more reason to be grateful....

(Olive....OG....Big O) No matter the name....that's one beautiful baby.

Smells....

2010-04-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I made my favorite recipe of creamy pesto sauce from scratch for dinner tonight. Yeah, Dad. Add one more to the list big boy. It was actually quite easy....until I saw that I had to roast my own pine nuts. That was a chore.

The last step is to add all the ingredients in a saucepan with a cup of heavy cream. As I was stirring it, the smell hit me in the face! I don't know about anyone else, but things in my life trigger memories. Music, textures, and SMELLS. It happens to me all the time. Right when I got a good whif of this sauce, my mind instantly did a digital re-wind to this exact moment:

Florencia, Italia
2007

Most of you know that Zach and I met and got to know each other on a study abroad trip to Europe.
He convinced me to buy a pair of rollerblades and skate around London, Paris, and then Florence and Venice.
(At this time I did NOT know of his Classic Skating heritage.) Regardless of the how juvenile it sounds, rollerblading around those cities was quite possibly the best way to see them.
Florence was our last "Skate Day".
We were skating around and soon became starving. We stopped at the nearest cafe we could find and we just "rolled" right in. Literally. We didn't even take our rollerblades off the entire time we were at that cafe. We must have looked ridiculous. But, at that cafe, we both had the BEST pesto we have ever had. We still agree on that.

The only time we took our skates off was to play with a little team of Italian boys in a game of "futbol".
Check out the kid in the green shirt. Do you see what his shirt says? "Inline Skate Sliding". What the freak is that?

We're going to make pesto more often.... :)

Real Life vs. Renderings

2010-03-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Junior year of design studio we did this design project for Jennifer Post (shown below)

She has her own design firm in NYC, and does amazing work. We designed an entire pre-war apartment in Paris in a couple of weeks. This was my second kitchen I had ever designed. I used Zebrano wood, one of my favorites.

Here is what it looked like below:

I know, the hand rendering isn't one of my best...but it was with my most HATED Prismacolor markers and YES the floor is WAY too dark. Looking back now, I laugh at what I knew about kitchens. Basically nothing...I just did what I thought looked the best. Turns out this kitchen is completely incorrect (in terms of production) but we'll pretend it is all good.

I also used manufactured wood on the door of the powder room of this project, and I still to this day want this door in my future home.

Fast forward 3 years. I was asked to design the Roth Display at the Roth Showroom on Foothill. It was a pretty fun project and even though I didn't get to pick the appliances....I got to do Madagascar Zebrano wood. Pretty funny that I look back on my past projects and I tend to stick with the same type of materials.

I thought this was pretty ironic. Look how hauntingly familiar it looks compared to my rendering....

So if you are ever at Roth, give the new display some lovin'! (Blow it a kiss from me:)

A New Challenge

2010-03-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

Alright, let's just say everything happens for a reason. With that said....today was our first official day of teaching our CTR 6 class. Exhausting pretty much sums up the entire three hour block of church. It didn't help that I have been sick for the past six days, but I wasn't about to leave Zach alone to start off our teaching career. We read through our lesson about three times, studying what we would do and say. We came up with a few fun activities and some clever topics of discussion (for six-year-olds). We set up our classroom all nice, of course I re-arrange the chairs in a more "pleasing" manor and Zach displayed our wonderful illustrations of the sons of Mosiah and Ammon and the Lamanites. We were ready.

Then walked in three 6-year-old children.

Two little boys, Joshua and Thomas. No fear at all, they talked away and probably didn't realize they were dealing with BRAND new teachers. Then walked in Brooklyn, accompanied by her adorable mother. Her mom told us she was VERY nervous to meet her new teachers. Then she left. Brooklyn was extremely shy, and took a while to even start answering simple questions.

Fast forward 25 minutes. They did NOT care about missionary work, nor did they care about the lyrics to "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission". Playing the Wii and their friends/teachers at school were the hot topics. I was struggling. Every line from the lesson I conveyed was being interrupted by the words "Mario Kart" and "This kid at school...".

Zach stood up from his chair and started talking about Ammon teaching the Lamanites. He told the story perfectly, and just as these little boys and girl would understand. I was amazed. They were silent for the 5-8 minutes the story took place. They all looked up at him in silence and truly listened to everything he had to say. Just when I thought I couldn't love him ANY more, he showed me I could.

Sharing time was worse. They were confined to their little chair and could NOT be still or quiet. Darling Brooklyn, who wasn't feeling well, asked to sit on my lap. I let her, knowing she had to warm up to me. She soon became comfortable and rested her head on my shoulder as she sang the words to "I Love to See the Temple." It melted my heart. It made the previous hour and a half totally worth it.

Zach is going to be a fantastic father, and I will pray EVERY night that my little girl wants to sit on my lap and rest her head on my shoulder. That would make everything...perfect.

The end.

What's Been Consuming My Time....

2010-03-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

BUNK BEDS!!!

I know it is insane....

This project I am working on in the Heights at Red Ledges has a custom bunk room with 5 bunk beds. I know it sounds crazy, but it has been taking days and days of my life to figure out how we are going to build these things. I have to say though...the design turned out pretty awesome. Take a look....

Wall 1. Has 3 beds total, secret compartments, drawers, and bookshelves.

Wall 2. (Profile Elevation) Shows the cute drawers below the beds and the planks that surround the bunks.

Wall 3. The solo bunk elevation. Has drawers, the planks, and hidden "secret" spots.

It is basically a mix between a pirate ship/fort/bed. These took me FOREVER to re-design and draw, but I think they are actually going to work.

Sleep tight little fort/pirate children! :)

Our Yard....

2010-03-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Well, it is almost time for Zach and I to start making decisions on our yard. When we bought our house, in our agreement they told us they would landscape our front yard/lawn. SO, I have been stewing over this for some time. Zach doesn't really mind what we do considering he is scheming up a way to pay one of our sweet neighbor boys to do all of the yard work for us. Not a bad idea, but I actually love landscaping, and think I could really get into yard work.

This is what we have so far for the front and back:

Steel planter boxes.

Grey river rock.

Concrete pavers with grass/rock between. Can't decide yet. I guess either way they require work, whether mowing over them or pulling weeds out of the rocks. This will be in the front AND the back.

In the backyard I want....

a Pergola. Not WHITE, but I want it made out of steel. And not right off the house, but more in the center of the yard. This is where my dad comes into play. Can't WAIT to see how that turns out....but it will not be for quite some time. I want to put solar shades on it as well to keep out the buggies and the sun at night....

This movable indoor/outdoor fire pit which I am having a LOVE affair with. This is my favorite thing of ALL. I wouldn't take it inside obviously...but I would take it all over the yard.

And this furniture....but probably not in orange. I am not much of an orange person...but maybe. It will go under the pergola. I want the dining table too so we can BBQ! Zach's favorite thing of all in the summer!

I think I am even more excited about our front and back yard than the actual INTERIOR of our home. A lot of this stuff is actually really low maintenance, which is just our style. Wish us luck in all the crazy adventures we have in store with all this work.

AHEM.....in your face.

2010-03-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time I was in my father's office, on his computer. My mom wanted to see something on our blog, so I pulled it up on his computer to show her a picture. I believe it was of our trip to the Bahamas. My mom couldn't pull our blog up on her own...she's barely getting the gist of attaching files to email messages. If you read that, I am sorry mom. I really love you, but I speak only the truth. I was showing her the photos and in my rush to get home, I left the blog up on his screen. Since that time, he is now an avid reader of our blog.

Fast forward 2 weeks.

One night, I worked late and was STARVING. I told Zach I would just pick up dinner on the way home. As I am about to walk into the restaurant, my dad calls me. He says, "What's up?" I replied, "Just getting Zach and I dinner." He says, "Haha, you're MAKING dinner right....? Are you at Cafe Rio?" I replied once more with vigor, "NO, I AM AT COSTA VIDA!" (Most of you know that they are exactly the same restaurant with different decor.) So...he was right. I am not exactly Susie Homemaker. But I DO cook. Seriously. Not an enormous list, but I have mastered a few dishes that both Zach and I love. Pride is in proof:

Dish 1:

Baked Manicotti, which I MADE TONIGHT DAD!!!

Dish 2:

Beef Stroganoff with egg noodles

Dish 3:

Chicken Parmesan

I have have mastered (but don't have photographs of) feta and spinach stuffed chicken breasts, chicken stir-fry, beef tips in gravy over rice, and lastly...Italian chicken with rice pilaf. (Ok, the rice pilaf is uncle bens from a box, but still.)

I am not super wife, but I can cook....7 dishes. I better kick it up a notch before I have kiddies.

New Calling....

2010-03-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

Zach and I are ecstatic!!! After 5 months in our ward, we have been called as the teachers of the CTR 6 Class! We have nieces and nephews that are and around this age, and we are just so excited to get to teach them. I am also glad that I get to spend Sunday School and Relief Society with Zach. As corny as it may sound, I am most excited about meeting them and getting to know them all. I think it is a calling that was sent to us for a specific reason. Mostly everyone knows that Zach and I are not planning to have babies for....a while. At least 4 more years. Not because we don't want them or don't want to be parents, it is just because we want as much time together as we can possibly get before we are full time parents. Don't get me wrong, if we get pregnant before that time, it will be wonderful and we'll be so excited, but until then....we are enjoying every minute together. I think we were called as the teachers of this class to prepare/excite us about being parents. I LOVE babysitting our nieces and nephews and I know we will love every minute of this together. I feel like we're both a proud Aunt and Uncle. Besides...how could you NOT want these sweet faces as your nieces and nephews....

(Missing baby #3 from Chad and Rachael, and Tommy and Andie)

So They Say...

2010-03-03T15:12:00.000-08:00

Someone once said, "You know when you are doing well at work when your social life goes up in smoke." I believe it. I wouldn't say I am doing WELL, but extremely busy. That's what you get when you don't go ANYWHERE but from home to work each day. I have been working consistently from 8:30 every morning until midnight. The only time I am NOT working is in the car on my WAY to work, when I am sleeping, and when I eat. That's it. Poor Zach. We've been eating garbage this whole week because I haven't had time to cook ONE thing. Zach texted me today at work and asked how work was going. I replied with a picture message:

It may not mean much to anyone else but myself, but this is my life right now. STACKS and STACKS of plans and specs, multiple cans of Diet Coke, and my planner that is ATROCIOUS! What does it mean when you run OUT of lines on your hour to hour schedule on your planner? It means you ADD stickie notes with other things to do, I guess. My next photo looked like this:

I've consumed more Diet Coke in the last week and a half than I did in the whole month of February. Pretty sure that statistic is correct. Sometimes I think...."Wait, I thought school was OVER!" I swear I thought once I graduated my days of no sleep were going to be gone. I was SO wrong. Zach said today, "I miss your blog posts, you're way too busy." So this post, again, is for him. Thanks for running and getting us a thin crust Domino's Pizza, Diet Coke bottles, and even chocolate ice cream at late hours of the night. I swear we will eat HOME MADE Manicotti as soon as I am done with all these projects. OH, and I love you, and that's enough for me.

-Katie

Best Friend

2010-02-19T21:31:00.000-08:00

Warning: Late night/sappy post.
Usually I post things that have no actual purpose. I feel like a very shallow blogger. Zach and I decided to stay home tonight, considering we have spent all but 2 nights out this week with family and friends. I made dinner and we watched a movie on our very own couch. We're night people, and rarely go to bed before 11:00 pm, even on work nights. Zach magically fell asleep and it is before midnight! That is unheard of on a Friday night for us! I can't sleep and started clicking around on blogs and found myself writing this post. I am guilty of taking things for granted, and a new goal of mine is to tell people how grateful/inspired/proud I am of them. Zach NEVER posts on this blog (he tries to make comments) but he does read it every time I post something. Knowing he is asleep, and that eventually in the coming days he will read this, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for him. My institute teacher once told our class, "There are no such things as soul mates." I remember being super bummed, thinking he was probably right. I do believe any righteous man can marry a righteous woman and they can be happy for the rest of their lives. But I wanted more than that. I wanted everything. Isn't that what a marriage should be? Your everything?? Even though I can barely hear myself type over his snoring, he is my soul mate. Even typing those words, I am streaming with tears. When I thought I couldn't possibly be happier, I met this person who makes me feel like every single thing I have done up to this point in my life was for a reason, and was for a bigger plan. Not even the longest post in the entire existence of blogger nation could describe how wonderful Zach is, and for those of you who know him already, I don't have to convince.

Zachary Mark Henderson:

My very best friend,
my soul mate,
my absolute everything.

Be mine forever.

Someday....

2010-02-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

Our family room will look like this....

Plane, not Plain.

2010-02-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

I struggle with art. Someone can paint a blank canvas all orange...and it's art. Not fair. I think art should make SENSE. Maybe it is something you love, or whatever. But Zach and I can't find any art we love to put in our house. I saw this the other day in an online art shop. It made me think of Zach, because he's an aviation man.

But, Zach probably wouldn't be cool with a giant painting of poppies on our wall. So...
I thought I would make a diagram of how to fold two kinds of paper planes and turn it into art. So I made this for my valentine. Although the colors are not good yet, this is what I made Zach for our office wall. "How to Fold a Paper Plane."

And yes...I did have to google how to fold a paper plane. There are a LOT of steps. I love you valentine.

Lacquer Fetish

2010-02-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hello. My name is Katie, and I am a lacquerholic. Yep. Going on a few months now. I am obsessed with lacquered objects. Maybe it is because lacquer makes everything look so shiny and gorgeous? Or maybe it is because I love the bright, perfect colors? Regardless....lacquer is my new thing.

Also....trays as well. Random, I know...but I want to put trays EVERYWHERE. On my coffee table, on my kitchen island, on couches....

So naturally when I found trays that were lacquered, in every color.....I had to get one.

I know...I chose WHITE. But, it is my favorite. Oh, Jonathan Alder. You are a kooky, kooky man...but a genius. Now Zach and I can drink our DCs and DPs and not get rings on our brand new coffee table. Then I found these natural wood boxes with lacquered lids.

I am going to hide all our remotes in these bad boys. Thanks Madre and Padre for a late b-day present!

We have MAGIC FLOATING SHELVVVVEEES!

2010-02-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to my main man Gilbert, for the installation and concentration of this project.

What once were holes....

Now are WHOLE! But it didn't come easy. It took 3 perilous days of scribing on Gilbert's part.

Day 1:

Base cabinets and solid wood deck. He had to scribe the deck tops identically to fit the wall, so we wouldn't have to caulk them. This is as far as the poor guy got at our house from 8:30 am -5:00 pm.

Day 2:

Four shelves installed, and the other two measured and accounted for. I guess each shelf took him an hour and 45 minutes EACH! Since they are 2.5" thick, it took him forever.

Day 3:

Shelves installed, grommets cut, hardware installed.
I know the pictures are crappy, but it's the best we could do from our phones!
Dear Gilbert, you are the bomb.com and I thank you for being a perfectionist. Also, on a completely different note...thanks for letting me use your air compressor to fill my flat tire, but that is a different story. :)

["Valentimes Day"]

2010-02-12T13:16:00.001-08:00

Since I have known Zach, he has called my most hated holiday "Valentimes" Day. He also asks me what day is it, every year. Not as in "Is it on a Friday this year?" It is more like, "What number again is Valentine's Day?" At first I assumed he was joking, to throw me off. He was serious. He didn't know when Valentine's Day was. I truly don't enjoy this holiday, but now that I am married, I love having an excuse to spend time with Zach. Last year, we procrastinated and didn't make a dinner reservation. STUPID. We ended up at the food court at the Gateway Mall because there was no other place to eat. Living down town made us HATE Valentines day. You can't drive anywhere, you can't go see any movie. Everything is packed beyond full capacity. SO, this year we are going to LOGAN! We both have an Italian restaurant we really love in town called Le Nonne. I took Zach there the night he made me a True Aggie. You don't know what a True Aggie is.....?

An excuse for college kids to make out on an "A" is what it is. But it is hilarious. Talk about a people watching experience. So we're going to spend a quiet Friday night in L-Town, my old stomping grounds, and eat some amazing Italian Food and stay a night away from home.

WARNING: ONLY AJ WOULD APPRECIATE THIS: We are going to the Grist Mill for Lunch the next morning...because. Just because it is incredible. And because I dream about their bread and desserts at night.

I posted these pics because I know I won't take pictures of us at La Nonne. I always forget to bring my camera, so here it is. Our night in a nutshell. I'd like to make a shout out to my home boy, Zach who is my Valentine. He told me he'd be mine. SO, he's stuck with me forever. Deal with it. :)

Vinto

2010-02-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

My in-laws took Zach and I out to dinner for a belated birthday treat. They love to go new places, and we figured we would step out of the norm from our usual Market Street/Oyster Bar. So, Zach had a fabulous idea to take Mark and Jeanene to Vinto.

We saw it being renovated when we lived down town, and have been dying to try it. It is "Light Italian" and delicious. Not to mention that the restaurant is a dream.

Sometimes I don't care WHAT the food tastes like, as long as I get to sit in something as beautiful as this....

What was great was that the food really was delicious, and CHEAP. My favorite, the Margherita Pizza, was only $8. Cheap, gorgeous, and the food was great.

My dad always says you can tell a good restaurant by their bathroom and kitchen. Those were my two favorite parts, and I don't have photos of them. But...well worth the eye candy. I would recommend this place to ANYONE.

To.Do.List

2010-02-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

I am very fortunate to work with 3 extremely talented designers, whom give their opinion, free of charge DAILY. Poor Vince, Charlee, and Janette. I showed Vince the pictures that I posted on this very blog of my paint color, and he wanted to know where the rest of my furniture was. I explained to him that I have lists and lists of things I want to buy for our home, in order. He didn't believe me so I showed him. The bookmarks feature of Macs are amazing, and keeps all my shizzle in order. They all gathered around to see how crazy I am. He then asked me what was on my "To Make" list. I figure if I post these things, I will be more obligated inside of myself to actually do them. So, not in order of importance, these are the things I WILL do...all in due time.

Cake pops, I saw them at my cousin's wedding luncheon and have loved them ever since. I want to do this with white chocolate though, with colored sprinkles. Much better I think.

Boot and shoe storage for my garage. Especially for the winter, when everything is gross and slushy.

A "wrapping center". I have so many rolls of ribbon and wrapping paper and they are just placed wherever right now. We make these built in wrapping centers at PTKB, but they are insane in the membrane expensive. So I thought I could make this with some paint and dowels. We will see how this one goes.

I saw this ruffle pillow on Etsy a while ago, and found a "how to" blog about it. This may be bad, but we're going to try. I want the chair as well. :)

I am doing this for my bathroom. Whether I have it made, or find one to purchase. I think this towel storage is SICK.

Brazillian Cheese Bread, like the ones from Rodizio. I found the recipe on this lady's food blog....she said she gained 15 pounds after she learned how to make these. BECAUSE THEY ARE AMAZING.

Bookshelf with COLOR inside it. Genius. It is kind of kiddy, but even if I have to wait to have a nursery to do this, it is happening. You could do any color! Oh IKEA, you are brilliant.

Indigo velvet pillows. I have been wanting them for a while and keep seeing glimpses of the color here and there. I am going to make some for my living room (Mormon Room) or our bedroom, I haven't decided yet.

Let's see if any of these happen within the year... :)

Birthdays, Breakfasts, and Paint

2010-02-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

Feb. 1st was my 23rd Birthday, and Zach and I really went crazy, haha. I had to work all day, but it was all good because my boss and Vince went out to eat with me at Macaroni Grill to celebrate (My FAVE!!) I was asked to cover from 8:30-5:00 because everyone was going to be gone later that day. Also, our media cabinets were supposed to be installed that day, but Doug (the Shop Manager) informed me they were running SUPER behind...SO, it looks like at the end of next week we will finally have shelves and cabinets. So after I got off work, we went to Costa Vida for dinner (as my request) and met up with my mom and brother at Cold Stone after. My dad is in Chile with a couple of friends, and doesn't get back till this Tuesday, so we have been waiting for him to come home to go out all as a family. He called me from Easter Island to wish me a Happy Birthday! Overall, it was a great day! I got some clothes that I wanted for Spring, and a great book...my weakness. Not novels, but any book about Architecture, Graphic Design, or Art. Zach knows if he gets me a great book, I am a happy camper.

Thanks to EVERYONE for all the Happy Birthday texts, wishes, and treats!

Work has been great for both of us lately. I am so proud of Zach. He works really hard, and is great at what he does. Considering all we have going on lately is working full time and trying to get our house completed, it consumes a lot of our time. A lot of people ask me what Zach does, especially lately. So here is the best way I can explain it...

http://www.classicaviation.net/
He works for the family business in aviation.
Classic (Aviation and Helicopters) not Classic Skating, got a new website. I think it is rad.
And we designed a new logo for the Air + Auto branch of the business. I am not exactly sure what it is, Zach could explain it...but it has something to do with Jet Fuel. Here is what we came up with....

It is supposed to look like the tail of the plain...and then the road? I don't know...but it was fun to do!
I have Red Ledges coming up...which is the biggest project I have had since I have started my "real job". I have a builder I am working with, CSE & Associates...
http://cseandassociates.com/
Who builds gorgeous homes in Park City and Arizona. They are building on 26 lots in Red Ledges called "The Heights". It is going really well, and the first install should be in Mach/April. Also, if you buy one of their lots you get a FREE Mercedes. What??? They are calling it a Stimulus Package. The homes are HUGE. 3,500 sq. feet and UP. I feel really lucky to be working on such a great project with such great potential. I will post pics when the project is done.

Also, a lot of what we have been doing lately is EATING with friends. I cannot keep this up in the warmer months, or I am going to be a beached whale. Between Ruth's Diner with USU friends, Rodizio Grill, Zupas with friends, and so on...I am bursting at the seams. Thank you Ruth, for your Mile High Biscuits and Banana Walnut French Toast. Ugh, I am sick just thinking about it.

Last but not least, we finally painted our Mormon Room. I wanted a Grey/Brown, and that's what we got. Thank you Benjamin Moore and Restoration Hardware for making such gorgeous colors.

Here is what it looked like the day we moved in.

Ignore the ladder and tape measure, but this is our new color! It is a little dark for Zach, but I think it is going to look awesome with our furniture. I hope.

Our low coffee table also is finished. It was totally worth the wait.

My sweet little brother, who is not so little anymore...helped me pick it up in his truck and take it back to our house. He says, "It's really.....modern." (Which is exactly what we want). I have a scary feeling we are going to get that reaction from a lot of people. :(

All well, at least we love it. We just want to get it DONE so people can come over and stay a while. :)

That's all we have going on lately. I apologize for all the posts about our house and work. But...that's our life!

For the Record...No Baby!

2010-02-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

It is kind of crazy to think that everyone around me is having babies. I swear, I hear of new people prego every week. I am so excited for all my friends that are going to be moms! What an amazing blessing. Although Zach and I are not ready to have little Zachs running around, I am SUPER jealous of all my mommy friends that get to have a nursery. Do you think it would be weird to already get a nursery done, even if we are not planning on babies for....3 or 4 more years? Ya, it would be weird. But still HOW LUCKY are all you girls who get to do this.....

SO LUCKY!!!!

I am grateful to have several sister-in-laws that have a lot of experience in this department. What I have come to find out, after watching several of my nieces (Lola, Sammy, and Georgie shown below)...

is that there are several things that you NEED in your kids' rooms. Like who would have thought (Gina and Lori) that you need some type of CD player by your baby's crib? GENIUS! As soon as I put Lola in her crib and turned on the music...it put her in a magical trance. I need to remember all these things when we have babies....noted.

WANTED: Seamstress

2010-02-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know someone who sews that can help me with my panels? I am a freak....and ordered these silk panels, but now I changed my mind....

I have these:

But I want these:

So the colors look just like this:

Ugh! I decided on this, and I am not turning back. Anyone have any suggestions? If so....text me at 801.712.8555.
All I want is a black silk border sewed on the bottom 26". I have already purchased the black silk and everything, all I need is the woman....or man, I am not sexist, that can do it! (I do know how to sew, just for the record, but I don't trust myself on this kind of project....pillows, I can do. 110" curtain panels made of raw silk...no thanks. That is out of my league.)

Via Katies Personal Ads Inc. :)

Credit to Siri

2010-02-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

I decided I don't do well with famous people. I couldn't even look Ben in the face for this picture. Thanks to Siri for the guts to ask this HUGE celebrity for a pic! (Stolen from her blog.)

Bahama Mama 2

2010-01-30T16:20:00.000-08:00

The next few days of our trip was truly spent by the pool, riding the lazy river, trying our hand at the casino....and more lazy river. We ate at some really good restaurants, and Paradise Island has a wonderful Ben and Jerry's. So naturally we stopped there a few times.

On Thursday we went on a Power Boat Adventure. The bus picked us up at 8:30 am and we took a short ride over to a dock, where we boarded the powerboat. Listening to Lady Gaga and Juvenile, we took a 1 hour boat ride (at 40 miles per hour) to an Island off of the Bahamas. Zach and I called it Iguana Island because that is essentially all there was there. They let you off on the beach and give you a handful of grapes and tell you to feed these guys. So we found sticks, stuck the grapes on the end, and went to town feeding these guys their treats. They were hilarious. Zach was getting them to jump for the grape on the end of his stick. I fed a few, but wasted my last grapes by throwing them at the BIGGEST Iguana on the beach. We named him Don Vito (purely for his size.)

After about 20 minutes, we boarded back on the boat and went to another island where we stayed the remainder of our trip. It was gorgeous. Like something out of a movie, which we later found out it was being used to film an episode of Survivor, which will be airing soon.

We got to feed Sting Rays with raw slices of fish, and shark wrestle. It was crazy. These guys were circling the water right by our toes and we tied fish guts to a rope and wrestled them up on the beach. I was just observing and the guy (we called him Brownie) gives me the end of the rope and tells me to PULL. I pulled and sooner or later there was this HUGE shark on the beach, the biggest one we could see in the water. Zach didn't give his go at pulling, but was laughing pretty hard...especially when his brother Chad fell IN THE SHARK SWARM. Pretty intense. You know it is dangerous when the shark tamer is freaking out. Mark, Zach's dad, lovingly known as "Mark the Shark" refused to get in there as well, and stayed protected in his zip-up hoodie in ankle deep. He was the smartest of us all, I think. You should have seen Brownie's wet suit. It was duct taped in places that I pray were NEVER bit.

After the sharks we ate a surprisingly delicious lunch cooked by the Islanders. The funniest part of this odd island was this wild boar that lived on it with the natives. Just this huge wild pig, lounging in the sand. There was a huge sign next to him that said "DO NOT TOUCH THE PIG. DO NOT FEED THE PIG." The guys warned us that the wild boar would walk down to the beach at some point, and soon enough...there he was...waddling down to the water to get a drink of gross salt water.

After lunch, some of us went on a nature walk, while others took in their second to last day to tan. We were all pretty crispy that afternoon.

Friday was our last official day. We slept in (like we did every morning) went to the pool, ate lunch and then walked the beach until it was time to meet up for dinner. We showered up and met at the elevators for the best dinner we had had thus far on the trip. Seafire in the village. My birthday is on Monday, so we ate our delicious steaks and fish, and I got a birthday song with the most delicious piece of cheesecake I have ever tasted.

Overall, it was a great trip. It was so much fun to relax and do NOTHING. Isn't that pathetic? That my favorite part was having nothing at all to worry about? We got more sleep than we both have had in weeks, and took full advantage of our gorgeous suite we got to sleep in. I also loved spending time with ALL of Zach's brothers and sisters and their spouses. We very rarely all get together (considering our family is so large and since Sean and Siri live in AZ). It was awesome to get to eat with them every night and share a tropical drink by the pool with them. Not to mention have the largest known train on the lazy river...which by the way I did fall off and get run over underwater by MULTIPLE tubes. Worth every second.

A special thanks to my amazing in-laws who took us on this amazing vacation. Mark and Jeanene (who by FAR had the best bikini body on the trip) really now how to take a vacay. Thanks to both of you a hundred times for such a great week with such great people.

Bahama Mama

2010-01-27T07:59:00.000-08:00

Since it is stormy in paradise, I figured we would blog about the first half of our trip, because I know I am going to forget some of the fun stuff we did.

Saturday we arrived at the airport at 5:30 am and got all checked in and through security. Our flight was at 7:00 am, and we arrived in Atlanta for a two hour lay-over and then off the the Bahamas by 4:00 pm local time. Both flights were actually great, and we both slept a bit.

Us on the plane from the Laptop.

Once we arrived, we had a bus come pick us all up (16 adults + 2 babies) and we stopped at a local grocery store for food. We were lucky enough to get rooms with kitchens in them so we could make our own breakfasts and drink our own drinks (considering that down at the pool and the rest of the resort they are over $7 a piece.) Good for us we found Top Ramen and Popcorn for Zach so it could be a REAL vacation.

By the time we got to the hotel, we had to race and get ready for the Jerry Seinfeld live show. We ate at Murrays Deli by the port and then rushed to the show. It was celebrity week so we were sure to be on the look out for anyone we could find. Day 1 we saw: Chris Tucker, Jerome Bettis, A-Rod, Cedric the Entertainer, and Ben Roethlisberger (whom we got a picture with.) We saw him walk in the theatre where the show was about to start. Siri wanted a picture SO bad, so I told her that if she asked him, I would go with her. I didn't think she would ACTUALLY go through with it. That girl has guts. She walked right up to him, told him that her husband was a huge Steelers fan, and he let us take a pic. Once again, he smelt so AMAZING. He must have an incredible smelling expensive cologne. The show was hilarious. We laughed the WHOLE night.

Sunday: We spent the WHOLE day at the waterpark. We spent 75% of the time on the Lazy River and the water slides.

The lazy river was CRAZY. It went around the whole resort essentially. The funniest part of it is that it really IS so lazy. It takes you around everywhere and if you want to go on the tube slides, you drift over to a conveyor belt that pulls you up to the top. We kept joking about how we wanted to bring our lunches and tropical drinks and have a picnic.

The coolest slide was one where you go right through a shark tank. It was SICK!

After all the sliding and lazy river riding, we all went to dinner at a place called Sea Grapes. It was a great buffet.

Monday we went on the Dolphin adventure. It was a blast. There was a pool called the Dolphin Cay at our resort, where you could go have a "Dolphin Encounter".

First they give us all wet suits and tell us to watch some video about dolphins. I sort of thought it would be a "what not to do" video, you know for SAFETY. The majority of it was facts about dolphins like how much they weighed and all that business. After the quick video they send you out to the pool in groups. Lori, Trav, Zach, Sean, and I were all in a group. First they teach you how to "ride" or get pushed by the dolphins. You sit on a body board and you lock your legs out straight behind you. The trainer counts to three and there comes the dolphin from behind you and pushes you through the water on your foot. FAST too, not like a dinky push, like a full speed push. It was awesome.

Next, they gave us these ski-do things where it is like an underwater propellor. You pull the trigger and it pulls you down deep to swim with the dolphins. It was our favorite part. The last leg of the adventure you get to touch them. I remember feeling the killer whale at Sea World when I was 12, and this dolphin felt just like it. Smooth like a wet rubber tire. They let you hug them and even kiss them right on the mouth. Zach refused to kiss the dolphin. We were laughing so hard, and I kept telling him just to do it. He would not have it. All the pictures we got of him were laughing and pursing his lips together in front of the poor thing. What was the funniest is that if you kissed it for too long, it would open it's mouth and stick it's tongue out at you. It smelt like pure fish guts, but it was cute. Zach and I both agree that our favorite part of this trip was the dolphin encounter, just because we had never done anything like that ever.

After that we spent the whole afternoon at the pool/beach. More riding the "current" or lazy river, the Mayan Temple and so on. The weather was perfect...about 75-80 degrees. Later that night we went to a place called Mosaic, which was GORGEOUS. It was another buffet, but was actually really good.

Just In Time

2010-01-21T14:12:00.001-08:00

Warning: Long, but venting....

These last couple of weeks have been so crazy for me. To be honest, I thought when I graduated from USU, "real life" would be gravy baby. I am grateful for my degree and the intense program we were put through, because more than anything it taught me how to prioritize my time and get things done effectively (plus live on 5 hours of sleep continually.) Sure, I miss things here and there all the time, forget a wet load of laundry in the washer, but at least I had an idea of what REAL LIFE would be like when I graduated....WORSE! (Not worse, busier.) I just remember the days when I would say, "I can't wait until I graduate!" Don't get me wrong, I am SO done with school, but I feel like I see Zach even less now that we are both working full time. School was so easy compared to this. Between work from 8:30-5:00, THREE weddings I am designing invitations for, putting our house together, trying to be a good wife and cook meals for Zach, laundry, house cleaning, designing bridal shower invites, designing Thank-You cards, my grandpa having surgery....I feel like I might combust. That is why I couldn't be more grateful for this weekend. We're going to the Bahamas from the 23rd - 30th. There are so many fun things planned, it is going to be a blast. Between going to Jerry Seinfield, Power Boat Adventures, and swimming with the dolphins....I think I will be just as busy, but in a MUCH better way. Considering I have had ZERO time to pack/shop/SLEEP....peace out until Feb!

Atlantis, here we come....

Regardless of the craziness, I am so grateful for Zach, our jobs, our home, our families, and the gospel. Yeah...I'm going to go there....all spiritual up in your grill. Everyone has that thing they pray for continually. Whether it be for their families, or for safety, or to CONCEIVE (shout out to one of my oldest and dearest friends Whit B. A.), happiness, or maybe for that dream job....but whatever it is, we are all so blessed. A friend once asked me, "If you could be anything, anything in the WHOLE world, what would you be?" I know he was asking in terms of occupation, but I answered, "Happy." I think about that all the time. Happy.

On To the Next Room...

2010-01-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it feels like Zach and I will never get our house furnished. It's my fault, because I can't decide on what to put where or what to go with what.

We have an extra living room, which Zach calls the "Mormon Room". A room of this sort would normally house a piano with an extremely uncomfortable white sofa with frills. Tons of frills. Zach made me promise we would purchase furniture for a room that was rarely sat in, with the exception of our home/visiting teachers. So this is what I have so far....

Our reclaimed wood + iron coffee table

Our Skinny Jeans Table

(Both of these things we have already purchased. This room looks so lonely with only the two tables.)

The Tripod Lamp

The Townsend Sofa from R&B

The Grassweave Roller Shades (in Mocha)

C&B Chairs

This Bad A Table from R&B

Screen Printed Pillows by SS + R&B Avacado and Chocolate Velvet Pillows

The Cyprus Sideboard

And last but not least....

The Infinity mirror from CB2 (on top of the sideboard, like shown here.)
What officially makes me a freak/spaz is that I have already compiled it in Illustrator. Here is our future room....

I know I am crazy...ok. I admit it. BUT in my defense, work has been SO slow today. DON'T JUDGE.

Yellow + Grey

2010-01-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

My obsession continues with yellow + grey. I also have a thing for coats lately, and have about 29 at various retail stores I want. And maybe....it's somebody's birthday coming up in a few weeks....just saying. Zach. Hint.

Anxious. WAY too anxious.

2010-01-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

So, I think it is pretty pathetic that I advise people on what type of wood, color, countertops, tile, and so on that they should put in their house EVERY DAY and I can't even design an entertainment piece for my house without having a major melt down. I went crazy over hardware, doorstyles, types of wood, thickness of the wood deck, and thickness of the shelves for over 3 whole weeks. Pathetic. So here it is...the real deal.

Well...it better be the real deal because we already paid for it, and it is going into production THIS week. I also picked an install date (Feb. 1st) today as well. So this is really happening. My work does all their own millwork and has all their own installers and floormen. So everything happens here. We have huge production boards that have all the designers' jobs on them. You usually put the name of the residence (in our case my job would be called HENDERSON RESIDENCE) and post it on the board for everyone to see. Steve told me I could name my job whatever I wanted, so of COURSE I called it my given T-Ville name...K-TOWN. It has caused quite a ruckus in the office. I also had to fill out all this technical information and every time it said "Job Name" I chuckled to myself as I filled it out.

I know it is ridiculous that I have been doing this for the last 4 almost 5 years of my life and I can't even pick out my own materials and design. I had to have Derek over twice to help me pick the paint colors. I just thought it was quite ironic that I tell people what to do, and they do it! They spend thousands of their dollars on random things I pick out. After having this experience of my own, I am thinking twice about mine and Zach's dream of building our own house one day. Can you imagine what that would be like for me? I'd be a freaking stress case.

Fine Two Thousand Nine

2010-01-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

Thinking back on 2009....

Graduated.

Left some talented friends.

Built my first website.

Started my new job.
+ Designed my frist kitchen that was actually BUILT!
(This is actually not mine)

Went back to San Fran.

Went back to Paris.

Made a home.

I can't wait to see what happens in 2010.
K+Z. I love you.

Christmas + New Years

2010-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

This was our second Christmas together, and even better than last year in my opinion. Zach was really considerate last year and let me spend my first Christmas with my family. So this year we spent Christmas with the Hendersons. I thought I would miss my family way too much, but the truth is...I laughed so hard on Christmas Eve that it seemed totally normal, and I truly loved every minute of it. Christmas Eve Zach and I hung out all day. I can't remember the last time we did that. We slept in (sort of) and watched movies and ate popcorn all morning. Zach would sit through a 4 hour documentary about space travel if he had a hot batch of popcorn. I think we actually ate two full bags. That evening we met up with Mark, Jeanene, Lori, Travis, Lola, and Olive for din at Outback Steakhouse. The dinner consisted of Mark giving us hints about what he got HIMSELF for Christmas. I believe the hints were, "it is mobile" and "it CAN be used in the snow" also "you can sit in it" oh and "it could be used at Outback Steakhouse." I guessed a snowmobile...in a snowstorm (that would be the only justification for Outback). We shared cheese fries, baked potato soup, and a slice of carrot cake. After dinner we did the annual Hendo tradition and went to a movie. We saw "Did You Hear About the Morgans". Sadly, Lor + Trav and Lola + Olive didn't attend the flick. The remainder of us really enjoyed the show. After the movie, we headed home to....open presents. (I hope my mother doesn't read this post.) Yeah, we opened all of our presents on Christmas Eve. In our defense, we don't have any kids, so the magic isn't in waiting till Christmas morning. We also had to be up really early to open presents at my parents' house. So here is pretty much how our adventure went....pictures speak louder than words.

PS3...check.

Xbox live for a year....check.

Madden '10....check.

The wireless bitty thing that makes it all possible...check.

I was at Best Buy buying all these gifts for Zach and asked a member of the infamous Geek Squad a few questions. This was the highlight of my Christmas season! The dialogue went like this...

Katie: "So I have the wireless thingy. The XBox live subscription. Now a PS3 and Call of Duty. So does he have everything he needs to play both systems live? What else should I have?"

Geek Squad Employee: "Well, how old is he?"

Katie: "How old is who?"

Geek Squad Employee: "Your son?"

Katie: "Oh, these gifts are for my husband. He's almost 25."

The kid was SO embarrassed he could not look me in the eyes. He thought the lucky gift recipient was a 10-year-old boy. And my son. I guess they really never grow up, right?

As for me, I got spoiled this Christmas. I got a brand new Burton snowboarding jacket, my brown boots, and some cute clothes! Well played Zach, well played.

The next morning we rushed off to my parents to open our gifts, and later to my grandpa's home for even more gifts. We made out with the entire Home Depot warehouse. We got shovels, a cooler, a ladder, a snowblower....for real. Home Depot. It was so great, it is exactly what we needed. Thanks fam!

The next stop on our road map to Christmas was O-Town to see the entire Henderson fam. Thanks Mark and Jeanene for a great Christmas meal and gifts. We had chicken kiev, a personal favorite of all the original Henderson offspring. What is chicken kiev...?

This is it, and Jeanene's was just as beautiful.

It was so fun to watch the grandkids open all their presents from Mimi and Papa. We also exchanged gifts with the adults. Thanks Lori for my awesome necklace and hat, and Rach and Chad for Zach's hilarous T-Shirt.

We ended the night by taking the long drive home, listening to Christmas Carols, and sealed the deal by watching a couple episodes of Jersey Shore when we got home. One word: Snookie.

Christmas was awesome. Some may say Christmas isn't as magical when you are an adult, but being married and having our own Christmas together is so great. Someday we'll have kids for me to go Christmas crazy with, but until then, I wouldn't change mine and Zach's Christmas for anything.

New Years wasn't as hectic, but we loved it. We both had to work but when we were off we stayed at home, shared a thin crust pizza, and watched the ball drop. On New Years Day we went to my Aunt's house for soup. The entire crew was there, friends and family all together. Football, friends, family and soup. Perfect.

My New Family

2009-12-23T21:29:00.000-08:00

Last week, the Hendersons hosted an adult dinner at their new cabin. It was such a blast! Mark (my father-in-law) had us all meet down at the dam, to all ride up together in the green machine (shown above). What was even more amazing was that it seated all of us! Mark had carpet installed and it looked awesome. That thing even has a heater! Now I realize why Mark loves grooming trails so much, or "making corduroy". (You can't access the cabin in your car, even with four wheel drive in the winter). We were about 100 yards away from the cabin and the Green Machine gave out, so Tony, Sean, and Trav took turns driving us up on snowmobiles.

Once we all arrived, we ate dinner. It was amazing, as always...especially Jeanene's rolls, which I managed to hit two people in the face with while "passing them" across the table.

It was awesome to have everyone together. We even had Sean and Siri from Arizona up there with us. To be honest, I don't think we all have been together since our wedding. That's what happens when you have a big family with 18 (soon to be 19) grand-children.

Thanks Mark and Jeanene for an awesome meal and ride!

Going for Green.

2009-12-17T14:23:00.001-08:00

I fell in love with these Scrapile Benches when I saw them on AT. I finally found where they are sold....at feelmorehuman.com. Too bad the size I needed was over $900! They are made from scraps of wood which are laminated together. SO, realizing that Zach would never let me spend $2,000 on benches, I turned to Chris Barlow. He's amazing. He owns Zoe Dane, a custom furniture business. He told me he could make them easy! He just gathered a bunch of extra scraps from around his shop, and busted them out! So I bought two for either side of our dining table! I LOVE THEM! They are just as I imagined/prayed they would be! I wanted them to be made out of scraps, but larger, thicker pieces of wood. His daughter Zoe (2) apparently was super upset when I came to pick them up, she wanted them to "sleep at her house."

Our sweet sustainable benches....yeah....Zach and I are eco-friendly. Unfortunately, I think with all the glue and lacquer he had to use to get these pieces fused together, I believe we hurt the environment more than we helped. It's the thought that counts, right?

He is also making our low coffee table, which will be this exact shape....

But be made out of walnut....like this.....

Check out his site! ZOE DANE

Bah Humbug.

2009-12-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

I am a Humbug, officially. These are our only Christmas decorations this year. I went and bought ornaments, because I had an intention of buying a tree, but I got super distracted being Santa. SO, we finally got our dining table, our two dining chairs, barstools, and couch. So I decided we would use our dining table as a tree. Sort of.

And with the ornaments?
Well they replaced bows this year, and went on the gifts.

Yep. This is as festive as we got this year.

Now all we need is the benches that go on either side of the dining table. MONDAY!
It's crazy, it feels like we have so much more to do, but we'll get there....without a Christmas tree. :(

Heli Christmas Light Tour

2009-12-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

Every year, Classic Aviation does Christmas helicopter tours. This year, they didn't do them for the public though. Mark was nice enough to take all his employees and their families on a ride. So, this year Zach and I got to go! Last minute, there was a spot on our ride, and I got to take my little nephew Cam! Cam is full of questions. He asks "Why?" to everything. This 20 minute ride was the first time I have ever heard Cam completely silent. He just stared out the window and looked at all the people skating at the Gallivan Center, Temple Square, and all the cars on the streets. It was hilarious. As soon as we landed and got inside the hangar, he was back to normal. "Where does the helicopter sleep?" "Why does Rob the pilot where a helmet?" This went on for some time. Either way, Zach and I had a blast seeing the lights from the sky, and one little boy got the coolest Christmas present ever. I hope Classic still does this when we have kids!!!

Dear Santa...

2009-12-03T09:21:00.000-08:00

Zach and I are pretty low-key Christmas people. We usually just do whatever our families are doing, and switch off between us. Last Christmas Eve was with my fam, so this year we are spending Christmas Eve with the Hendersons. It will be a blast to do that annual tradition of dinner and a movie! I feel really bad that we don't have a Christmas tree this year, I love decorating trees. I feel like I am not a very festive wife, but I know that next year when we have furniture and the walls all painted, then I can go crazy with a tree. I am too busy trying to get all of our furniture here before Christmas.
So in tradition of the holiday, Zach and I "tell Santa" what we want for Christmas. So funny. Here are our Christmas lists:

Zach's Christmas List:

Play Station 3
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Madden '10
XBox Live for 1 year
XBox Live Wifi Plug-In

Katie's Christmas List:

Boots

It seems like fate though, because when Santa sees Zach's list, that is all the Katie is going to get....because Santa can't afford any more for our little family.

I Heart Blu Dot

2009-12-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

Our Counter Stools and Dining Chairs.

Oh please, please, please come before Christmas!

Furniture-less

2009-12-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been to someone's house, and there is really nowhere to sit? So you stand around awkwardly until you find a barstool or something random to sit and chat? Well that's our house. We were in Paris when our sofa was supposed to arrive, and because of Christmas, shipping is backed up like crazy everywhere. I ordered this sofa/sectional Nov. 2nd. So that is officially a month tomorrow we have been waiting. So. We have been sitting on the floor to watch TV, eat dinner, and have conversations. So if we haven't invited you over to see the casa yet, don't be offended, because you have nowhere to sit. Poor Morg and Britton were our last visitors and they sat/lounged on our living room floor. No worries though, because soon we will have a dining table, dining chairs and benches, barstools, and a sectional to sit on. I just ordered the dining table today, so I guess it will get here.....in two more months. Just kidding, it said 7-10 days. I don't believe it.

Our future sofa:

Our future dining table, but NOT our future dining chairs:
We have a lot of wood in our house. So I decided to do metal and glass. I LOVE this table.

Next week I am going to order some office stuff. I have always dreamed of owning an Eames Office Chair. So, we're gonna do it.

This chair:

I dream of Eames.

With this desk:

I found this picture and thought, THEY READ MY MIND...except a different chair is all. This will be Zach's desk. He loves it. He asks about it all the time. I never thought he would be interested in buying furniture but he is very passionate about a few things.

Last Day...Arc de Triomphe

2009-11-29T18:37:00.000-08:00

The picture speaks for itself. The top of the Arc is the most picturesque thing I've ever seen. I thought Zach and I would hate that it was raining, but it made it perfect. I know, weird, but true.

When we were at the top, there was this little boy on his toes looking over the edge and kept saying "superbe". I want to take our kids here some day.

9 days in our favorite city, with my favorite person. Best. Anniversary. Ever.

The Grand Arch + Christmas Village

2009-11-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

The Grand Arch, actually not an arch, but more like a hollow cube, is so bad-A. The coolest part of it all I think is that you can see straight down Champ-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. Like a modern arch, vs. the new-cool-hot-studly arch. Both cool, but so different. The view from the top is so legit.

There is an amazing museum at the top, that is called the Information Museum. It has a timeline of computers. Pretty cool. Also, an amazing bookstore.
As our days were coming to an end, we spent a lot of time walking around, and visiting some of our favorite places. This time two summers ago, Chance, Zach, and I went to this monument and played their grand piano in the middle of the giant art exhibit. You'd think everyone would be pissed, but even the guards came over to hear a couple of songs. It is amazing how they can't SPEAK English but they know all the words to Snoop Dogg's Nuthin' But a G-Thang. Weird.

At the base of the Grand Arch, was a Christmas Village. Chestnuts roasting, the whole deal. I loved it, Zach wanted out quick. When he realized they might have popcorn, he was on the hunt.

Centre Pompidou

2009-11-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

We were super jazzed to get to the Pomp. They say the square block around the Pompidou is the most dangerous in Paris, and you never forget it. One way to get there, is through a giant mall called Les Halles. As you ride the escalator up to the ground level, you quickly realize why everyone tells you this. Crowds of gangs pack around the escalator. I remember this from the last two times I have been in Paris, but it was never this bad. What throws me off though is that they wear these hats, black beanies with a giant puff ball on top, encrusted in fake gems. I think it hurts their street cred, but whatever.

Once we got to the Pomp, we found that 5 minutes before we arrived, they went on strike. Greve, it is called in French apparently. It took us a while to figure out. The building itself is still amazing, and worth the Metro ride for sure.

Plus we found a bomb.com restaurant.

Another great find:

Zach discovered that our hotel lobby had an XBox. Great. He said it really was a vacation.

Sacre Coeur

2009-11-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

We loved the Sacre Coeur Arrondissement. It is one of my favorite areas in Paris. It looks like something out of a fairy tale. A lot of Paris is very industrialized, but not the Sacred Heart. Tiny little shops selling pastries and vintage postcards is what makes up the neighborhood. There was even this shop that sold hand made christmas lights. They were amazing. It is is a hike to get there. Like 3 pastries worth of a hike. Once you get to the top, you realize why so many people are up on the hill. This is what it looks like during the day:

But Zach and I went at night, when you can see the city lights.

Thanksgiving...2

2009-11-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Pie?

No thanks. I'll take one of....

everything?

After the museum, we ate at KONG. Designed by my all time favorite Mr. Stark.

It was just as gorgeous as I thought it would be. The best part is that it was all Zach's idea. I completely forgot about going there, until he brought it up. The ceiling was made of all glass, you could see Paris below. Cherry on top: it started to rain and the glass ceiling was incredible with the streaming water.

Turkey is not big in Paris, but chicken and mashed potatoes was the closest we could get.

On our way home we ate dessert. You guessed it....a cone glace from Mickey D's.

Thanksgiving...Parisian Style

2009-11-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

Did you know that in Paris, there is no Thanksgiving?? Just kidding, we knew that, obviously it is strictly an American Holiday. I guess we were just hoping some lonely American would be offering a Thanksgiving Dinner at their gorgeous restaurant. Nope. We also told a few people to "enjoy your Thanksgiving." They just looked at us really odd.

Sidenote:
If you have been to Paris, you know not to step in ANY puddles. This holds true for NYC, London, any major city really. I love the Metro. I think it is genius. Same with the Tube and Subway. GENIUS. I am obsessed with how the whole system works. Unfortunately I think the Metro is the most fowl. It smells of urine constantly. Especially in the corridors, were you can...urinate in private. Well Zach and I were at this stop below....(La Motte Picquet Grenelle)

It is a pretty big stop, it has multiple lines running through it, so it is pretty crowded, and it is how we connected to a lot of different lines from our hotel stop.
ANYWAYS....as we got off, I looked at the map to see what line we had to connect with. I saw in the corner of my eye, about ten feet away from me, a man crouched down in the corner, between the vending machine and the wall. I thought, "poor guy, having a rough day." I look at the map again and that's when I realized what he was doing. I could smell it. I looked over, and he was staring straight up at me. Ten feet away from my boots a man...relieved himself on the Metro dock, in front of probably 20 other people as well. Parisians are disgusting. He pulled up his pants, and walked away from me. It was like one of those moments when you know you should look away, but you can't believe what is happening right in front of your eyes. Like a car accident. So yeah. Don't step in any puddles, or any...masses. Ever.

Back to topic. Thanksgiving.

So we couldn't find anywhere to celebrate our lonely holiday, so we decided to go all out. I have been wanting to go to Kong for two years, and what better day than Thanksgiving. So we woke up and went to the Musee d'orsay. It's Zach's favorite museum, and I had never been there before. So he took me to some of his favorite pieces in the museum. It was awesome.

Date Night!

2009-11-29T16:45:00.000-08:00

Paris Day 3:

Sorry to bore everyone with my sappy, sappy ways. Everyone knows that Zach and I had our first date in Paris. We went to the Louvre at night, and ate lasagna at a corner cafe. So, we decided to celebrate our anniversary by doing the EXACT same thing. So we slept in, walked around a lot, and went to the Louvre.

The Louvre at night is the best. There are no crowds, no lines for Ms. Mona Lisa, and thousands of square feet to observe.

They let you take pictures of her now. She used to be off limits to ANY photography, but now you can snap as many as you like...as long as there is not a flash. We took advantage, because all of our other photos of her were very blurred, and usually had guards' fingers in the corner, swatting our cameras away.

Nike, my favorite.

Ms. Milo, Zach's favorite. (Boobs)

We took this exact same picture on our first date.

Side-hug and all.

Exploring the City

2009-11-29T16:20:00.000-08:00

Paris Day 2:

Those of you who know Zach would know that it was HIS idea to go shopping the second day. Serious. He had a map, given to him by the concierge, that he had meticulously mapped all the shops that he wanted to visit. Zara, H&M, Marc by Marc Jacobs, COS, and so on...

So we set off....

One of many stops was to Marc. Paris has the best dressed infants/toddlers in the world. See Exhibit A above.
While exploring, we found this awesome restaurant, Bio Boa.

We ate an artichoke heart and shrimp salad. Zach didn't like it because it didn't have...pizza in it. But it was really, REALLY good. This lady, the owner of the eatery, makes custom floral arrangements every day for the tables. They were awesome.

I'm a sucker for branding, and I had the camera the majority of this day...so sorry. This is as interesting as it gets.

Every corner you turn there are amazing restaurants. The colored doors were my favorite.

Once again, I know it is wine. But the store is rad.
After a day of shopping, we stopped at some random corner restaurant. Then on the way back to our hotel, we got off the Metro and spotted a McDonald's. Zach says, "Can we PLEASE stop and get an ice cream cone?" We're in Paris, and the only place he wants to eat is McDonald's. But we we went inside.....

Eames chairs?? Are you KIDDING? Even McDonald's is better in Paris. So Zach got his Cone Glace, and was the happiest visitor in the city.

Hot Cocoa by the Tour de Eiffel

2009-11-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

Warning: Picture/Info Overload. Sorry for the long Posts.

Paris Day 1:
It took us around 9 hours, but we finally arrived in PARIS! Just a tip for anyone who is planning on traveling here in the future: The direct Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Charles de Gaulle is the best decision Zach and I ever made. Normally, you take a flight to NYC, then a connection to London or wherever you wish to go. The fact that SLC got a direct flight to Paris was the best thing that ever happened to Utah. Or at least Utahns don't know it yet. The flight was awesome. We left at 4:45 pm and arrived in Paris around 11:00 am. We slept the whole way and woke up in the city. Regardless of the fact that we slept the whole flight, we got to the hotel and crashed on our bed, and didn't wake up...for 5 hours. So we decided to be super touristy and go to the Eiffel Tower our first night.

After we got some hot cocoa, we went to Pizza at Amile. Zach and I went here together on our study abroad trip two summers ago, and they have the BEST pizza and pesto.

Not to mention Coca-Cola Classico!

1 Year

2009-11-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

In two days Zach and I will have been married for 1 whole year! It seems like we've been married forever. Sometimes I can't even remember what things were like before I married him, life makes sense being married to your best friend.

To my husband; my partner in crime, my soul mate, my best friend....I can't wait to spend time in our favorite city together...

The Louvre at night...

The Pompidou...

Ice Skating on the Eiffel Tower...

and perhaps meet some other fun people along the way...

I love you.

Catching Up....

2009-11-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

Zach and I feel really bad that we didn't go all out for Halloween this year. He was a nerd, and I was a witch. They were the easiest costumes that we could find out of the boxes that our clothes were in. (We moved in on Halloween). But we did do the annual Halloween party at the Henderson house, where all my nieces and nephews came and showed off their darling costumes. Here they are...

There are only three missing, Jakob, Connor, and Charlie. That makes 18. Aren't they the cutest Peacock, Spider, Hot Dog, Butterfly, and "Chick Magnet" and so on.....you have ever seen? Love them all. We carved pumpkins (mine was infected with the H1N1), ate some really good food, and drank some orange slush.

Zach and I didn't even get a picture in our costumes, in fact, this is a picture of us with our nephew Benny.

Slowly but SURELY!

2009-11-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

Well, Zach and I have been living in our house for almost 3 weeks! There has been a lot of progress already. Our fence went up last week, but I guess that doesn't really matter considering we don't have grass. BUT, regardless....we have a fence! We now have Direct TV, a new Television, and a city garbage can. You should have seen Zach's face when I told him his 42" Samsung wasn't big enough to fit in the cove above our fireplace. But once he figured out that we had to get a bigger TV, his pain was instantly gone. We also painted our living room and replaced the light fixtures. Here is a picture of what it looked like before. (This is the day we moved in, so sorry about the boxes and clutter.)

Pay close attention to a couple of things: Every interior surface of our house is tan. Even our ceilings. Standard ceilings are WHITE, right? Not ours, just tan. Second thing to notice is the boob lights. Thanks to my husband and my friend Derek, all I look at when I see those lights are boobs now. Zach and I have always disliked them, so we decided to replace them. So....we started in this room. First we painted the ceiling white, and then painted the walls the color below. Once the paint dried we replaced the boobs with white drum lights, my favorite. Not too long after, we finally got the new TV up on the wall. Yes, Zach and I lifted a 50" Plasma screen up a ladder and mounted it above our mantel. I will post a pic after all the wires are tucked away.

Next, we replaced all the lights in our bathrooms. Before they were the lovely exposed bulb fixtures. Now they are the Spritz Sconces from RH. The double sconce in our powder room, and the triple in our guest bathroom and our master bathroom.

Poor Zach. I told you, I am probably driving him crazy. But at least he is learning all this manly stuff...like painting, re-wiring, and...mounting (T.V.s of COURSE!). :)

Viewers Beware (Photo Graphic) THE HUNT

2009-11-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

Catching up. So my husband gets a gun from my father for his graduation/birthday and now all of a sudden he is REALLY into hunting. (Sort of). I guess when he gets bored of hunting, they just go back to the cabin and play Halo. BUT, this was Zach's favorite hunting trip. He went with his dad and all of his brothers/brother-in-laws. Zach's super lucky he works for the family business or else he wouldn't be able to be gone THREE WHOLE WEEKENDS during the month of October for Hunting Season. Yeah, it was a lot of lonely weekends for me last month. BUT, at least it was worth it! This beauty was shot by Mark the Shark, and will be mounted and placed above the fireplace of the Hendo Cabin. Note how mini Zach Attack looks next to this thing.

SLC to NSL

2009-11-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

SOLD! We now have a home to call our own. It's bittersweet for us, because we are leaving Down Town, but gaining so much more. It is amazing how adamant we were about staying in the city, but after sleeping in this new home for one solid night, we were both convinced that it was a great decision. So basically it was "Goodbye Westgate Loft #110, Hello 1057 Adelburg". We couldn't be more excited to have this home, but now the work begins. Poor Zach doesn't know what he is in for. That's what happens when you marry someone with a design degree. Last week he asked me what "grout" was....enough said.

Bye Bye Bell....

2009-11-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally left the Belvedere. We'll miss your leaky faucets. We'll miss your ancient neighbors. We'll miss your ghetto laundry machines. But for real, Zach and I spent the first 10 months of our marriage there, and we have some of the funniest memories inside of that 700 sq. foot marvel. We love you Bel. Never change.