Z Sisters

Here's our weekly Zackrison Sisters update. See last week's post on Christine's blog here.

In reverse order...

CHRISTINE

Hey sorry, the update might need to go up without me this week, I don't really have the time to focus on it for now and I don't want to hold it back from going up anymore. I have a test I should be studying for and a project due today.
Sorry. Love, CZ


So we give CZ a pass. She's just GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE THIS WEEK. nbd.

RACHEL

Last Week:

• I did work a lot, although not as much as the week before. By the end of the week I was hitting the wall. And that's ok. I worked the last Saturday I'll have to for a long time.
• I stopped into Anthropologie during a break on Friday. It's been so long!
• The baseball game was fine, not as awkward as I feared. The client's wife was very chatty and her friend was very drunk. So that was entertaining.
• We went to the Marriott School Alumni dinner. There were TONS of people there. Prez U.'s talk was directed mostly at the Ambassadors and dignitaries at the dinner so I felt like an observing bystander. Not too exciting.
• I hung the mirror on our wallpapered wall. Finally more home progress!
• I got pulled over while I was driving home from work one night (morning?) at 5am. I made an illegal u-turn (on purpose), was driving without my license, didn't a VA license (even though I've lived here for 18 months and it's required after 30 days), did not have a current VA safety inspection (didn't know I needed one) and my insurance card was expired. Nonetheless, the police officer showed pity on my and let me off with a warning. Amazing.

This week:

• Buy and hang a tie rack and belt hooks from Bed Bath & Beyond
• Spray paint the frame in the kitchen from gold to white. It'll match better.
• Haircut Wednesday. Mentally preparing for a fix on Thursday in UT if I hate it.
• My car failed the Virginia safety check last week. We have a list of things that need to be repaired which we'll try to do on Tuesday. Sad...
• Drop off the dry cleaning before we leave town.
• Plan our budget for the upcoming trip to UT.
• FLY TO UTAH FOR GRADUATION & FAMILY VISITS!!!!!!! So, so excited. Next week's update will be interesting, since everyone's plans will overlap. Can't wait to see it.

IE LI

Last week:

• went to the farm to see the baby animals
• registered Mei Li for kindergarten. I hope her teacher is wonderful and that she makes wonderfully nerdy friends.
• made Chinese egg tarts with a friend
• went to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum
• did four workouts
• went to bed early Sunday and Monday nights. I went to bed really late for the rest of the week. I am incapable of going to bed early when Steve is working late. I used that time to clean and talk to my mother and sisters.
• had our cabinets painted white. I'm actually not thrilled with the paint job that they did, but they seem to not want to talk about that with me. I'll have to keep pestering. I hate pestering.
• missed the BYU Management Society Gala. I tried giving Mi Na a bottle earlier in the week. She didn't know what to do with it. I tried putting her down at 6 PM one night and that didn't work. So in the end, I just did not feel comfortable leaving Mi Na. I'm sad that we missed it, but Steve was very kind and understanding about it all.
• made ribs for the first time at Steve's request. Steve is so easy-going all the time that I couldn't say no to such a request.

This week:

• Go to Provo! See you all there!

ANNEE

Sisters,

You will not believe me when I tell you my photo was not staged in the least! To get that kind of look, you authentically have to have not showered for a couple of days, have had only a few hours of sleep the night before, and generally have given no regard to what you look like.

Last week:

1. I attended over 10 hours worth of Church meetings. I’m not complaining, lots of things were accomplished, merely stating it for the record. Maybe it was more than 12 hours. It’s kind of all a blur at this point. No doubt my Bishop had even more, so truly my degree of gratitude for the magnitude of his service is pretty great right now.
2. Hosted my second of what I hope will be many a fun sewing nights. It was delightful.
3. See item number 2, I sewed three dresses last week. One was the prototype for the other two, which are now safely tucked away to be pulled out in time for Easter! I’m really excited.
4. Went on the kindergarten wide Zoo field trip. Spent a most lovely day at the zoo with my all time favorite kindergarteners.
   

This week:

1. Stepped in as substitute at the very last minute Monday morning for the elementary school P.E. Teacher. Surprised both Henry and George when their classes came later that morning to P.E. They were not expecting to see Coach Earnest there!
2. Decided I could sew together my queen sized quilt that I blogged about HERE ( http://madeonmaple.blogspot.com/2011/04/im-going-to-do-it.html), before I left for my trip to Utah. I’m losing faith that it will happen. But I will not fully give up until it’s time to board the plane!
3. Will leave on a five day trip to Utah, all alone! I will miss my family, and they will totally miss me, and my kids miss their cousins and wish they could come. But, a “momcation” is totally priceless every once in a while. I’m so excited to see all five of my siblings gathered together for a few fun nights.
4. Excited about attending BYU commencement exercises while remembering when Darin and I walked together across that graduation stage 12 years ago! I was barely pregnant with Henry at the time. Where has the time gone?!

SARAH

First of all, on the subject of these pictures, I'm seriously struggling here. It's like pulling teeth to get anyone else to take a picture of me, so when I want to say "wait do it again and let me look slightly normal first" the complaining is intolerable. It's kind of nice actually having some pictures of myself from time to time, but I guess I'll have to go back to the mirror next week. This is seriously lame.

Last Week:

• SPRING BREAK!!! Since we weren't going anywhere this year, we made a list of activities and everyone got to put one or two on it, and then we made a plan and every day did something from the list. The weather was good half the time, so we planned our indoor/outdoor activities accordingly.We survived, but it did not make me super excited for the impending summer break. The good times were great, but there's just so much bickering all the time it's maddening.
  
• Scott took one day off and we took the boys to Snowbird. On the last run of the day we finally talked them into taking the tram up - of course that was the best run of the day and we wished we would have been on that side the whole time.
  
• Hiked the Y with my 4 kids plus Christine, Mom and Dad, with Huck strapped to my back all the way up. My legs were serious jello on the way down. Dad carried either June or Huck pretty much all the way up and down. Mom & Christine helped carry kids too. Next time maybe we'll get a sitter for them.
  
• Made serious progress on my work project that I'd been avoiding for weeks, and learned a ton of new skillz. There's still lots more to do, but it's a real load off to at least have it started.
• Announced the lineup for this year's Rooftop Concert Series. I'm really excited. There's going to be some really great shows this summer.
  
• All 4 kids got haircuts, which included me pinning Huck down and holding tight while he screamed and she clipped. The kids called him "Jack" all the way home thinking he looked like his cool older cousin with his new 'do.

This week:

• Get ready for Oliver's Baptism - bishop's interview, call Grandma, assign talks/prayers/songs, plan luncheon, invite friends
• Get ready for house guests - change sheets, clean towels, clean out closet space, grocery shopping
• Get ready for The Lower Lights show - plan room setup, hang posters around town, guest list, merch sales - do we need more stickers/buttons, make signs, promote online
• Find a sitter so I can go to CZ's graduation without Huck & June on Friday morning.
• Maintain regular life stuff too -- more progress on work project, soccer games & baseball tryouts, work out
• Pull the trigger on my Anthro shopping cart. Ladies - what do we think of Maxi dresses this year (besides hating the name)?
  
• Plan all of the above well enough so I can RELAX and ENJOY all the great time with family this week. Can't wait to see you all!!!