Bird Flu // My Love

Long story short:  my co-worker returned from China last week and brought with her a foreign sickness.  I was lucky enough to get infected with this virus.  Monday – Saturday I was sick with this Chinese bird / swine flu.  It wasn’t really the flu, but that’s what we called it at our house.  All I ate for six days were peanut butter & jam sandwiches…and soup.

Every day Zach would lay out comfy clothes for me to wear when I got home from work (I wasn’t allowed to take any sick days this week.)

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He washed and folded all the laundry – almost four loads!  He kept me stocked with water and medicine.  He wrote me sweet notes that I would find when I would wake up to get ready for work.

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I couldn’t even see my brand new nephew that was born on Monday afternoon.  Number 23 in the Henderson family.

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Since I still wasn’t myself Friday night, Zach and I stayed in.  We watched some NCAA basketball, grubbed on some take-out, stopped for a treat at Coldstone, and bundled up the best we could whilst staying a ‘healthy’ distance apart.

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We rented movies from Red Box and watched almost a whole season of my favorite HBO series.  I have seen most of the episodes already, but I introduced Zach and now he is hooked as well.  He got to watch my favorite episode where Hannah falls asleep on the subway and gets her purse stolen and is left only with the clothes on her back and a left-over piece of cake from Jessa’s wedding.  Genius.  Hannah is my TV soul mate.

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Saturday was when things started to turn around.  We went out for lunch at Kneaders, ran all our errands (we were in desperate need of a grocery store run amongst other necessities), and even went out for dinner and a movie.

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Nothing too exciting for this Henderson household, but I have to give it up to my husband.

This week gave me a lot of time to think.  Think about my life.  A few weeks ago I was offended.  I know…’you can only get offended if you LET yourself get offended.’  Well I got offended, and I let myself feel that way.  I was told that “my life doesn’t have real meaning until I have a child”.  Ugh.  It hurt my feelings, and I know it shouldn’t have.  I cannot comprehend the capacity of love that I will feel until I have a child of my own, and I understand that.  But my life does have meaning.  Over the past four plus years of marriage I have learned so much.  Patience, compassion, sacrifice, and a love that I thought I could never deserve.  Every day I feel like I need to do better – be better to deserve this partner that I have been given.  I haven’t experienced the love for a child yet, but for now…my life means more than it ever has.  Because of him.

He’s my whole world.

Craft Central // St. Patrick’s Day

About a week ago, my parents’ basement freezer died.  As they were moving everything from the deceased freezer to the new one they found our wedding cake.  You know – the one you are supposed to eat on your first wedding anniversary?  Zach and I never got around to it and then each year it continued to go on forgotten.  My parents gave me an ultimatum:  come get the cake or we will chuck it.  In fear of breaking tradition, I picked it up Monday night and took it home.  Then we ate it.  Four and a half years later.  It actually didn’t taste that bad.  The texture of the cake was off, but the frosting was actually very good!  45 minutes later…only one of us got violently ill.  That someone was me.  I figure it was a small sacrifice to make considering it is supposed to give you luck in your marriage over your lifetime.

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I have zero Easter decor for my house.  I have bins and bins for Halloween and Christmas, but nothing for Easter.  I bought an MDF letter at Micheal’s on sale a few months ago along with a moss table runner.  I had seen tutorials for moss letters all over Pinterest and didn’t want to pay $79 for Pottery Barn’s gorgeous moss monograms, so I decided to make my own.  It was a pretty easy DIY craft, but incredibly messy!

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Then I found speckled robin eggs in the dollar section of Target.  Another craft was born.

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As if I hadn’t done enough crafting already…my mom and I made a baby shower gift for my cousin.  We made silouhettes of her and her husband (and will make one for baby when she comes) to go in her ultra feminine nursery.  We wanted white round frames – but they are almost impossible to find in a regular size and at a decent price.  So we found clocks at Wal-Mart in the perfect size and converted those into shadow box frames.  Super easy – super economical.

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Friday night we went to dinner in Sandy with my family and some long-time family friends at Los Cucos.  We love the Caywoods and Swensons – it was so fun to get together and catch up.

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I also adore the Swenson children.  It’s impossible not to love that face…

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Saturday was the day of the cousin’s baby shower.  It was a tea party theme:  we had fruit kabobs and my aunt’s delicious chicken salad sandwiches. My grandparents had 31 grandchildren.  31 grandchildren makes a lot of great-grandchildren.  It’s official:  I am the oldest married granddaughter without a baby.

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Saturday night Zach and I went out to dinner and movie with Zach’s sister Gina and our brother-in-law Kelly.  We got to briefly hang out with their girls before it was time to head off to our dinner reservation at Tona.

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We love Tona.  They have some of our very favorite rolls and the best garlic edamame.

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Sunday Zach and I were asked to sub in primary for the six and seven-year-olds.  The topic was Baptism.  We had our friend ‘Froggy’ come help us teach the class.  The kids were obsessed with him.  Zach was quite fond of him as well…

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After church we drove down to West Jordan for my cousin’s St. Patrick’s Day party.  We were told to wear green – and took it to the next level.  Literally every article of clothing [with the exception of Zach’s shoes] were a shade of green.  Fifty Shades of Green, if you will…

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We had a traditional Irish feast of corned beef and cabbage + green rolls, cake bites, and mint ice cream.  Even my brother joined us – who had been in Moab for the weekend jumping off arches [literally, jumped off Corona Arch – the ‘world’s largest rope swing’.]  I was glad he returned home from his adventure in one piece so our entire family could be all together for the holiday.

Hope you all had a fantastic St. Patty’s Day!!

St. George 2013 // Plundering Pirates

Zach and I had such a fantastic weekend, but before that…a few tiny work and personal updates:

The booth I designed for the HIMSS Show in New Orleans was set up this week.  It was for a health care company:  a two-story structure with a giant hanging sign/canopy/header?

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Also, more glowing kiosks…

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Our new chair for our bedroom finally arrived nearly eight weeks after ordering it [that’s a good thing to know before ordering from Joss & Main…you won’t see your purchase for a month or so].  What am I doing on the floor?  Our new chair is doubling as a leg rest now.  Running outside in this weather really takes it out of me.

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Tuesday I tried something I haven’t done since I was in middle school:  I took a dance class!  Erin, a girl I went to high school with, teaches a hip hop class on Tuesdays nights in Sandy and I had really been wanting to try it out.  It was SO FUN!  I am not a dancer, and definitely need to work on my swagger, but it was fun to try something new and get some exercise.  If you are looking for a good time – Tuesdays at Studio 22 in Sandy from 8:30-9:30, I promise it won’t disappoint!  Erin is a total blast and I can’t wait to go again…

Along with our chair, my birthday present showed up [just a little late] right before we were to leave for St. George for the weekend.  If you haven’t signed up for Fab.com yet – you have been deprived of gorgeous things for amazing prices!  Do yourself a favor and check it out…

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The weekend finally came and we had plans to spend it in St. George.  I have actually never spent a weekend in St. George.  My parents are big fans of Lake Mead, so we usually would stay in Mesquite – which meant we only passed through St. George.  I even camped at Snow Canyon as a youngster a handful of times, but again…camped in a tent in the red sand, never actually stayed in the city of St. George.  The drive was pretty crappy weather, but luckily we made it down there just in time to check into our hotel and bundle up for the Macklemore concert.

We weren’t prepared for the cold and wet weather and had to find random layers of clothing in the back of my car.  Yes, sometimes it pays to have a cluttered car…

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We showed up just in time for the show to start.

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It literally rained the entire time, but we all were so excited we didn’t really mind.  I even got to meet up with my friend Whitney for a few numbers…

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Macklemore was fantastic live!  Zach and I aren’t really “concert people”, but I knew how badly he had wanted to go to this concert.  The plan was to surprise him with the tickets, but that plan was out the window once I had to find a place to stay down there.  The drive and the weather was all worth it – he put on a great show!

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Driving back after the concert we both were craving something warm and greasy, and settled for some McDonald’s french fries and a warm bath back at our hotel.  Separate.  The fries were eaten before the bath, obviously.  Although…I wouldn’t be surprised if Zach would have tried to eat his fries in the tub.

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The next morning we slept in, worked out at the hotel gym [Zach is still on his fitness kick], and then decided to venture out for some lunch.  We stopped at Swig [credit to Erin Burk again] and got a Dirty Dr. Pepper and sugar cookie.  A BOMB sugar cookie – so good that I wanted to go back and get another, but Zach kept my head right.

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We spent the rest of our day shopping at various spots around the city.  We even shopped for new roller blade wheels for Zach for roller hockey, but to no avail.  The weather was nice and we had fun driving around together.

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That night, we went to Anasazi Steakhouse – Zach was sold the second he found out you got to cook your own steak on a hot rock.  My Dad had recommended it and it was the best meal [besides the sugar cookie] of the whole trip.

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After dinner we drove to Entrada to visit Zach’s friend Adam.  Who happens to have bongos in his front room…

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The next morning we made the drive home – the weather was perfect.  We arrived home just in time for our nephew’s first birthday.  Zach and I also made a pact to swear off Easter Candy until next year.  This won’t be easy for me, but like nothing has changed for him…

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The party was at Classic Skating – perfect for a pirate theme considering there is the Pirates’ Cove there.  My sister-in-law can throw a mean birthday party, even for a one-year-old.  We each got a pirate name, as well.  All participated in a treasure hunt – everyone wore sashes, patches, and black beard scruff.  The kids were really into it…

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I have such a good sport for a husband.

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Zach and Mark with the birthday boy, “One-Eyed Will”…

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It was so fun to end our weekend surrounded by family.  Blonde Beard Zach and Cutthroat Katie loved celebrating with Will and all of his favorite people!

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The Truth // Paul Pierce & other Confessions

This post is inspired by Paul Pierce [aka The Truth].

This week I bought two bags of Cadbury Mini Eggs to make a recipe I found on Our Best Bites.

The truth:  I didn’t make the cookies because I ate both bags of candy [with the help of my co-workers] before they even made it home.

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We got to attend the Jazz vs. Celtics game.  Zach and I are both Celtics fans – we were dating during the playoffs when they beat the Lakers for the Championship.  I despise the Lakers.  It made me love the Celtics even more.  Especially Paul Pierce.  Fun fact:  Paul Pierce aka the Truth was stabbed 11 times.  He recovered in time for the 2000 season.  He is a straight up gangster.

The truth:  I loved seeing Pierce and Garnett play – but the highlight of the game for me was watching the half time show where this performer danced to all of Michael Jackson’s hits…along with life-sized puppets attached to his limbs.  Those puppets smelled AWFUL.

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I bought these acid wash jeans from Topshop while we were in Vegas and I am obsessed with them.  Literally the softest pair of jeans I have ever worn – I want to buy another pair in a different color!

The Truth:  I have worn them multiple times this week.  Even the guys at work have noticed that I have.  But they feel like pajamas!!!  Also, I don’t wash jeans as often as I should…

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We have a new client at work – that develops outwear for extreme temperatures.  Like colder than -50.  They brought some product for testing – I felt like the kid from The Christmas Story, you know…the one who couldn’t put his arms down.

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The Truth:  In this meeting we were discussing the girls who freeze their butts off in the winter because they buy “cute” coats instead of practical coats.  That’s me.  That’s got me written all freaking over it.  I wouldn’t wear this out in public if they PAID me – and look like a giant torched marshmallow?!

I went to Trio with the ladies I served with in the Relief Society Presidency.  I love them.  We missed our Secretary, Ashley, but had a great time visiting before Melodie moves to Logan.

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The Truth:  Don’t wear camo pants to Trio.  The trendy peeps and the hipsters with their politically correct tattoos will give you a weird look – especially because you paired your camo pants with a denim jacket.

I got to see my FATHER!  He’s back from Argentina.  I actually knew the second he arrived back at the SLC International airport, too.  It’s the moment I received an email forward for a funny video.  He’s back folks.  In full force, too – just poppin’ those funny emails out to his contact list left and right.  We decided to go visit them Thursday night and then go out to dinner.

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My dad brought back this horn flask for Zach.  He can’t wait to take it to Wendover with him and put his “Coke and J” [juice, not Jack] in it.  He also brought me back these gorgeous rose stone earrings – he is so thoughtful.

The Truth:  That horn will be sterilized like no other before he takes one sip from it.  Also, I am concerned that orange juice is rather acidic and will cause the horn particles to…be floating is his beverage?  Only time will tell.

We ate at Applebees after [Blake and Zach were in heaven] and by filling out an online survey, we received free dessert [my mother and I were in heaven].

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After our meal Zach wanted to stop at the Nike Store at Jordan Landing.  He wanted some work-out gear [the majority of athletic gear he has is for playing hockey, not for running].  So we spent our night in the dressing room trying on piece after piece of black athletic apparel.  Literally – he got black shorts, a black dri-fit shirt, and black running socks.  I even scored some Nike Frees on a final sale – black, obviously.

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The Truth:  Zach and I have made ourselves a little fitness challenge.  We both want to get into better shape for the warmer months, and have made a pact we will help and motivate each other.  That includes no Dr. Pepper at the gym – which was the first and only struggle we had with this challenge.  Almost everything in life I have had to work really hard at.  I guess what I am saying is that things rarely come ‘easy’ for me.  I was never naturally gifted academically and had to work and study harder than most to get good grades.  I’ve never been thin – kind of in my middle school days, but that doesn’t really count.  So staying in mediocre shape for me actually takes me a lot of work.

Friday my boss let Zach and I take his season tickets for the Jazz vs. Bobcats game.

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Zach’s sister Lori and her husband Travis were also there – with their number one Jazz fan:  our nephew Will!  He would clap with everyone else – but wasn’t a fan of the loud buzzer.

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The Truth:  Zach and I watch a lot of basketball…and I didn’t even know the Bobcats existed.  We really enjoyed the game – the Jazz crushed them!

Saturday was gorgeous.  The sun was out and we had a thousand errands to run.  So we hurried and did all of our chores and then decided to go on a run outside.

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The Truth:  Zach has agreed to go running with me as part of this healthy challenge.  I love running with him – except for the fact that he hasn’t been running as long as I have and has a faster pace and more stamina already.  We went at a faster pace and ran a longer distance than we both had planned.  It wasn’t pretty for me.  Zach didn’t feel it as much as I did.

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Later that evening we had a gorgeous drive up to Ogden to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday.  It’s been so gloomy these past few weeks it is like we forgot what a sunset looked like…

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We ate at Rickenbacher’s at the Ogden-Hinckley Airport.

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The Truth:  I couldn’t have asked for better in-laws.  My dad is one of my very best friends and I respect immensely – but I respect and love Mark just as much as my own father.  I feel really lucky.  Yes, that’s a blow-up walker…[photo bombed by the prom peeps].

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Sunday was a long day for us with an early morning meeting and it being fast Sunday and all.  When we got home from all our meetings, nearly starving to death, we decided to make a treat.  We couldn’t agree on what to make – Zach wanted brownies and I wanted lemon bars…so we made both.  We were like, “Hey – we worked out a ton this week, we deserve this!”

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The Truth:  Zach’s brownies turned out amazing – my lemon bars totally sucked.  I mean, awful.  Something went really wrong because it was more like lemon pudding.  I was super disappointed about it and had to settle for an EZ Snack Pack.  We eat a lot of kiddie food in our house.

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We ended our weekend at my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.  Salmon, scallops, and rice pilaf – with homemade slushies for dessert and an intense game of Farkle.  Even my G-ma played, but didn’t like the name [she thought it sounded like fart] so would yell “Sparkle” instead.

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The Truth:  I am not ready for the work week to start.  I loved spending time with both of our families this weekend.  Is it bad to live for the weekends?  I know that you are supposed to enjoy all the bits in between, but it gives us something to look forward to!  So here’s to next weekend…