Marcia Mumbles...

Crafty

2010-03-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile. I'll do a recap of the last 6 months (!!!) later. Maybe.

But right now, my brain is entirely consumed with crafts. I need to create something, make something old new again. It could be the changing of the seasons. I'm so distracted by it!

I feel like bird, collecting pretty bits and brightly colored things to decorate my nest. Monday night adventures at the Value Village. I've decided repurposing old sweaters sounds like fun and have been shrinking them with much anticipation. The ideas are rattling around in my head. Now I just need to figure out how to translate them into fabric.

Recent Cuteness

2009-09-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

Me

2009-06-17T23:03:00.001-07:00

Photo of me, for once. I decided this evening that I should convince Phil to take a picture of me, because I'm always the one behind the lens.

2009-05-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

Updated - I had a less than wonderful week. Grumpy text has been removed. That's all for now. Happy stuff soon, I promise.

Dan Maher

2009-05-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

It must be time for Folklife again!

Performances by Dan Maher
Inland Empire Folk
Monday - 05/25
Cafe Impromptu 12:50 PM - 01:20 PM

Hooray!

Today's Lesson

2009-05-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Root canal + Xanax + Nitrous + They Might Be Giants on the ipod = ooookay.

We are Family (not)

2009-05-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Matthew is convinced he has an Uncle John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Seriously. Try to tell him that he's not related.

More to come soon.

Proud Mama

2009-04-15T19:54:00.001-07:00

Given the choice between:

and

my boy chose the cows! I'm *SO* proud. As soon as we have time to garden, I'll post photos.

We also bought him cow rain boots. They are one of the cutest things I've ever seen. Now my frog boots don't look quite as cute anymore... guess I'll have to see if I can find Mama Cow boots. Good thing we're going to the Puyallup Spring Fair this weekend!

Waaa-Hoooo!!!!

2009-03-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Congratulations! You have just purchased the following tickets:

-----------
Sat Aug 8 2009 07:30 PM Phish, Gorge Amphitheatre
Number of tickets: 2, GENERAL ADMISSION
Ticket Delivery: UPS 2nd Day Air (Domestic)
-----------
Fri Aug 7 2009 07:30 PM Phish, Gorge Amphitheatre
Number of tickets: 2, GENERAL ADMISSION
Ticket Delivery: UPS 2nd Day Air (Domestic)

I'm so excited, and "2001" is running through my head! (Which is a little odd, seeing that it's not one of my favorite songs) But either way - Waa-hooo!!

Dance o' Dance! Dancing a little dance...

The Necklace

2009-03-22T19:43:00.001-07:00

So we went to the Mixx 96.1 Birthday Bash, just like we do every year. We brought our bag of random junk, to play "Let's make a deal," just like we do every year. We even won a few items (a t-shirt, a 1 hour massage, a $25 gift certificate to a cafe), just like we do *almost* every year. We're generally pretty lucky, and loud enough to catch the host's attention, which is pretty cool.

But last night, I managed to win a "Golden Ticket" and got to go on the stage to pick from one of three prizes hidden behind a curtain. The clues were 1 - It's Big, It's Really Big; 2 - True Blue; and 3 - Who Am I? I went with what my table was yelling, number 2. It's a topaz pendant, surrounded by small diamonds, and worth over $1800! I was in shock, and so excited. I didn't even hear the $800 part - just the one thousand part made me scream. I didn't know it was worth $1800+ until after we were in the car.

I'm still in shock, and now you'll know why.

PHISH! GORGE! ACK!!!

2009-03-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a Happy Dance!!

We're excited to announce an additional twelve shows to Phish's Summer 2009 Tour, beginning July 30th with a four-night stretch at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, marking the band's return to the venue after more than thirteen years. Additional dates include two shows at The Gorge in WA, a stop at Shoreline in Mountain View, CA and Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien, NY. The tour will finish back east with a tour closer at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

An online ticket request period is currently underway for the newly announced shows at http://www.phish.tickets.musictoday.com . Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Thursday, March 26th.

The Summer Tour kicks off with a sold-out two night stand at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY and includes performances on two separate days at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. For information, including complete ticketing details, please visit http://www.phish.com/tourdates.

PHISH 2009 SUMMER TOUR

06/04 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY - SOLD OUT
06/05 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY - SOLD OUT
06/06 - Comcast Center - Mansfield, MA - SOLD OUT
06/07 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ - SOLD OUT
06/09 - Asheville Civic Center - Asheville, NC - SOLD OUT
06/10 - Thompson-Boling Arena - Knoxville, TN - SOLD OUT
06/12 - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, TN
06/14 - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, TN
06/16 - Fox Theatre - St. Louis, MO - SOLD OUT
06/18 - Post Gazette Pavilion - Burgettstown, PA - SOLD OUT
06/19 - Verizon Wireless Music Center - Noblesville, IN - SOLD OUT
06/20 - Alpine Valley - East Troy, WI - SOLD OUT
06/21 - Alpine Valley - East Troy, WI - SOLD OUT
07/30 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/26
07/31 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/26
08/01 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/26
08/02 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/26
08/05 - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/29
08/07 - The Gorge - George, WA - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/27
08/08 - The Gorge - George, WA - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/27
08/11 - Toyota Park - Chicago, IL - PUBLIC ONSALE 4/04
08/13 - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center - Darien Center, NY - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/27
08/14 - Meadows Music Theater - Hartford, CT - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/28
08/15 - Merriweather Post Pavilion - Columbia, MD - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/27
08/16 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga Springs, NY - PUBLIC ONSALE 3/27

My Son, The Car Thief

2009-02-18T22:18:00.000-08:00

On Monday, I checked Matthew's cubby at daycare when I picked him up. There was a Hot Wheels car that I didn't recognize, and we aren't allowed to bring toys to daycare. I asked if it was Ms. Alicia's car, and Matthew said, "No, it's mine. I always play with it." I was pretty certain it belonged to daycare so we asked Ms. Alicia, and she said it belonged at daycare. Matthew gave it back, after a few tears.

Today, after dinner, Matthew reaches down into his cargo pants pocket and announces "I brought my car home from daycare, and I'm going to play with it now," and pulls out the car!

Stealing cars at age three... I'm raising a hooligan that has a taste for old low riders. Oh no!

1 Second of Fame

2009-02-14T12:33:00.001-08:00

Matthew made it on "Man vs. Food" for the Seattle episode... for one second. It's right after the introduction to Beth's Cafe, about 19-20 minutes in, almost as soon as the show cuts to interior shots. Matthew's moment of fame is super quick - don't blink or you'll miss it.

That's my chest on the right. Good thing I was wearing a turtleneck and a vest that day! It was the first day it snowed in Seattle this past December.

Here's the story of how we ended up at Beth's that day. We were supposed to go to Ocean Shores with our friends Mike and Chrissie, but a huge storm blew it, and knocked out the power to the resort. Although there would have been really great storm-watching on the beach, we had no idea when they would be able to restore the power, and I can freeze for free at home. So instead we decided to go up to visit Mike and Chrissie in Seattle. We stayed the night, and went to Beth's in the morning.

The film crew came in after we had been seated - we had passed them outside, but didn't think much of it. The producer came up and asked if we wouldn't mind talking with them. The host sat and chatted with us, and the crew came back a couple of times to take extra shots. It must be hard editing all of those hours of film, and deciding what to use. We were there at 11am, and the host didn't start eating the omelet until 4pm. That's a whole lot of interviews and tape!

And no, the host was not able to eat the 12 egg omelet. He was so close - two bites away!

Man vs Food

2009-02-11T18:01:00.000-08:00

Tonight on the Travel Channel (check your local listings for time and channel) will be the Seattle episode of "Man vs. Food" that might briefly show Matthew, Mike, Chrissie, Marcia, and/or Phil. It will likely be during the portion of the show shot at Beth's Cafe.

Tune in and find out what happens. 10pm PST. I have a feeling the omelet might win.

25 Random Things

2009-02-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

From Facebook. Since I spent so much time trying to think of 25 things about me, I thought I should share them here as well.

1. It sounded like a good idea at the time... I was my high school mascot. Most of you know that, so I guess it's not too random. However, most people were not their high school mascot.

2. I regret... not going on the Germany trip with the GAP Program in high school. I can't remember my reasoning. It must not have been very good logic.

3. Home is... Binford, North Dakota. When I refer to a nostalgic "home," I really mean North Dakota, even though I only lived there for a few months. My mom was raised there, and my grandparents live there. I'm not especially close to them (which is sad) but as a military kid it was the only constant place in my life.

4. When I grow up... I wanted to be: a disc jokey, a marine biologist (and go to UCSB, of course), to go to Texas A&M to become an Agriculture Teacher (and join the Parsons Mounted Cavalry - seriously), and a middle school social studies teacher. Am I any of those things? No.

5. This one time, at band camp... I didn't go to band camp. I did go to Girl Scout horseback riding camp in Texas. My horse's name was Bugsy. It was one of the best experiences of my childhood.

6. I have been corrected... Apparently I did go to band camp. I forgot about being Uniform Manager for the WSU Marching Band. I did have to work for the band during Hell Week.

7. I've always wanted to know... if I could sing. Or learn how to not sing badly.

8. It sounded like a good idea at the time... I cut my hair super-short before my senior year in high school. It was a horrible idea, and I'll never, ever do it again.

9. Sometimes I... wonder if the people I consider to be my friend, think of me as their friend.

10. Every day I... hug my little boy. Sometimes it's the best thing I do all day.

11. I wish... I could spend more time working on craft projects. I love being creative.

12. I crave... Phad Thai from Mini Saigon in Olympia. And Chicken Palak from Curry Corner in Lacey.

13. I love... the Olympia Farmers Market, and can't wait until it opens again. My weekends seem incomplete from December - March.

14. The number thirteen... is not unlucky. Silly people. It's my birth date.

15. I am... very insecure.

16. I have... no piercings, and I don't want any either. I never had any reason or desire to poke extra holes in my body. People seem so shocked when I tell them I have no piercings.

17. I am... running out of ideas. This doesn't happen to me very often. My brain is constantly running in multiple directions. I have a hard time going to sleep at night because of this.

18. I wish... I was going on Summer Tour with Phish. Oh how I wish I was with Phish.

19. Believe it or not... my first concert was Guns and Roses in 1992 in eighth grade. Oh hell yes.

20. I did not go... to your middle school. My high school friends forget this on a regular basis.

21. I did go... to the Hard Rock Cafe in London. In fact, I insisted on it, and would have been an unbearable 12 year old brat if I didn't get to go.

22. I do not... like to watch movies more than once. There are very few exceptions to this rule.

23. I did not... turn thirty this year. I had the first anniversary of my 29th birthday.

24. I have... a blog. Did you know that? Check it out. I update it on occasion (I'm getting better). www.marciazitzelman.blogspot.com

25. I do not know why… I did this all with a ... after the beginning of every sentence. I guess because I can. That’s all I’ve got. Thanks for reading. Love ya - mj

On my way...

2009-01-27T18:16:00.000-08:00

To an elementary school band concert. Oh no. Update to come later tonight. I gotta go find my earplugs...

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2009-01-20T17:56:00.000-08:00

Funny Ha-Ha

2009-01-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Garfield Minus Garfield?
If not, check it out! Sad, but true, and funny!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T15:33:00.000-08:00

It's the last day of the year, and I'm spending it at home with my sick little kiddo. Poor little guy! It's been a very busy month and it must have caught up to him.

It's that, or the eggnog. Matthew discovered eggnog this year - boy does he *love* it with all of his little heart. Almost more than trains, but definitely more than chocolate milk. I don't know what I'm going to do when the stores finally stop carrying it - our Safeway is already out. I'm going on a mission tonight before the stores close.

So... the actual point of this post is to wish you all a very happy new year, and to show off my cute kids.

Even though we may be far apart - you're always my friend, and always in my heart.

Have a very happy new year! I hope our paths cross soon!

Love always,
MJ

Christmas is Canceled!

2008-12-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Zak can't make it home for Christmas due to all of this ridiculous snow!

I was going to post all of our fun adventures so far this month, but right now I'm just too cranky. Cranky Christmas Shopper indeed!

It's just not Christmas without you.

Love,
MJ

So be good for goodness sake!

2008-12-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

Adorably evil or evilly adorable? It depends on the day!

Christmas is coming... I still have time to be good before Santa gets here, right?

My Kid is S-M-A-R-T!

2008-11-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

Matthew can spell and write his name! He's been doing it for the last month, and I'm just now getting around to sharing it with the world. It's not as neatly done on other things, but he definitly knows the mechanics!

I'm pretty damn impressed - he's only three years and three months old!

I Love Kickers! Go Cougs!

2008-11-22T19:03:00.000-08:00

Washington 13, Washington State 16

One of the most beautiful sentences in the world is "The Cougs win the Apple Cup!"

It's been a nightmare of a season, but at least we have this moment.

fyi - Washington is the only winless team in the country. boo-hoo.

Rock the Vote

2008-11-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

It has been an amazing few weeks. My head and my heart are still whirling with love, inspiration, and pride. I never knew I could be so deeply moved by an election!

Thank you for caring enough to get involved. Thank you for standing up for your rights. Thank you for simply voting. No matter how you voted, we participated in phenomenal, unprecedented numbers - and that makes me smile.

That is all - back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Peace,
mj

Phish 3 678 9

2008-10-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Phish 3 678 9

I'm so excited!

1st Day of School - 9/3/08

2008-09-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Matthew is three, and now in a pre-school program at his daycare. What a big day!

Of course, he has a Thomas the Train backpack.

A little bit of Mom Bragging:
On the way out to the car, we saw a fuzzy catepillar (I'm sure that's the scientific name..fuzzy). Matthew was fascinated, and thought it was sooo cool. I asked him what does a catepillar grow up to be, and he said a butterfly! How in the world do they know and remember these things already, at 3 years and 7 days? Not only is he beautiful, he's a super genius! Or at least he is in Mommy's eyes.

Howl-In 8/16/08

2008-08-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

We went to the Howl-In at Wolf Haven this weekend. Even though it was crazy hot for Washington (95+), we had a great time.

There was a cool contemplative spot where you could leave your positive thoughts for the animals who have to live out their lives at the sanctuary. Here's Matthew leaving his note.

At the end, they had a howling competition for the kiddos. Matthew was brave, and wanted to howl, too. He was so cute, and one of the smallest - but his howl was mighty. :) I'm not sure how, but he won! Must have been giving out extra points for adorable.

(Photo re-enactment...Mommy didn't have the camera during the contest.)

It was an amazing time, and the wolves even honored us with three different choruses of their own. I can't wait to go back for a full tour.

Sorry this is so short... I'm tired. But three new photos, so Woot! for that! Goodnight all. Don't forget to howl at the moon once in awhile.

I'm a Big Kid! 7/19/08

2008-08-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

So far behind - yet again! This summer has been too busy.

Matthew is a Big Kid, and has the underroos to prove it!

I got a little carried away, and bought about 30 pair of roos. I also took a ton of photos. Instead of those - here he is in his sock monkey pjs, with Jocko the Sock Monkey. Grandma made him, from actual vintage sock monkey leftovers from when she made a sock monkey for *me*.... my mom rocks!

Closer to Fine (6/29/08)

2008-07-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely, we're catching up to "real time"

Apparently I was deserving of some concert karma, because I managed to score a pair of free tickets to the Indigo Girls at Zoo Tunes at the Woodland Park Zoo!

I am a faithful listener of 103.7 The Mountain. I just happened to notice a small little window on their website announcing that they were giving away free tickets for one hour the Friday before the show. I quickly emailed my friend Chrissie, and her wonderful husband Mike offered to go stand in line and get tickets for us. Not only did he get the tickets, he even drove us there. What a fella! My husband has excellent taste in friends - there isn't one that I've met that I didn't like.

Chrissie made us an amazing picnic basket, we strolled right in and found a perfect spot in the back in the shade. It was 80+ degrees that day, so we were very fortunate. It was a great show, with some quality girl time. We even had fresh, ripe Washington strawberries with chocolate mousse! It was exactly what we needed, and definately made us feel "Closer to Fine!"

I forgot my camera (it's been a problem lately), so I'm borrowing this photo from Joe. Thanks, Joe. He has a good review of the actual content of the show there, too. If you were looking for a musical review, this post was not it - sorry.

Sidenote: This show made me feel very nostalgic... the last time I saw the Indigo Girls was on my 21st birthday. I was with a large group of friends, and we had amazing seats - I want to say fourth row? My dear sweet Gerry yelled out during a break in the music that it was my birthday, and Amy and Emily said happy birthday to me - How cool is that! Thanks Gerry! It still makes me smile.

San Diego (6/20/08)

2008-06-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

I'm really behind - oops!

So we travelled with our partners in crime, Mike and Chrissie, to San Diego for the weekend to attend Scott and DD's wedding.

It was an adorable weekend of "couple-ness." We flew down and back on the same flight, sitting together. We shared a great little suite and a rental car. We were tourists together. We were hours away from buying matching outfits. It was great fun.

The wedding was lovely. DD's dad is retired Navy, so the wedding was on base at the Officer's Club - which has beach access. I love having water in the backdrop of weddings (did it myself)... I think it brings a sort of harmony and connection to the ebb and flow of love and life... anyway... There were little Navy touches throughout the wedding - her dad was in his dress uniform, they used his saber to cut the cake. It was a great way to pay tribute to the life of a military family. It impacts a person very deeply. And honestly, I miss the life, a little.

We "jetted" on JetBlue. If you have the chance, definately fly with them. It was the best airline experience I've had in years!

This Weekend Has Three Acts (6/10/08)

2008-06-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

Wow - found this draft that I meant to post back on the 10th - so here it is...

Act 1 - Stolen Identity

So someone out there is wasting entirely too much time and effort creating faux debit cards and vandalizing innocent folks sense of financial security and sense of self. Thankfully, our CU has a great fraud detection unit, and we were notified before it was too bad - but we've been dealing with the aftermath most of the week, and spent all of Saturday morning at the CU working on paperwork.

As my wondeful Zak said - for people who are smart enough to figure out how to run these schemes - they could do much better for themselves if they had an honest job.

Act 2 - Restoration of Self

Speaking of my wonderful Zak - he was in Oly for a quick surprise visit to his folks, and I was lucky enough to steal him late Saturday evening. We watched a movie, went for dessert, and had a great time. They have these devices you can check out at the theaters - and essentially you're the "hall monitor of movie ettiquette." I knew he would get a kick out of it! He's a great "shhhh-er." Too bad it didn't have a "plot ruiner" button. Even though I only saw him for about four hours, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I can't believe we've been friends for 16 years... no one other than family has tolerated me this long.

Act 3 - Ophelia Found

Sunday afternoon, another of my wonderful friends, Cammy, came down to Oly and we went to see the play "Reviving Ophelia" - an adaptation of the book. If I remember correctly, Cammy and I read the book around the same time in college. It was a great time, and a good reminder. I will have to re-read this as soon as I'm done with "Lies My Teacher Told Me."

Folklife 2008

2008-06-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

(I'm a few weeks behind, but I've been busy, and anticipate having "blog-ables" from this weekend... so here's what I was up to two weekends ago!)

It's been a few years since I've been able to make time for Folklife, but I'm so glad that we went this year. We were only there for a few hours, but managed to see two of my favorite local performers. Dan Maher, an amazingly fun folk singer, and the Clumsy Lovers, who are rockcelticrowdybluegrassy.

Dan Maher had a guest singer, who also played the accordion. It was a nice accompaniment, but it wasn't what I was longing for when I heard he would be there. The set was entirely too short, and there was no "Chipmunk with a Death Wish," but it was great to see him perform again. I haven't seen Dan Maher in a few years. Unfortunately, he doesn't maintain a website so you can find out where he's playing very easily, and most of his performances are in Eastern Washington. But, you can listen to him on his radio show "Inland Folk" on Spokane Public Radio, live online on Sundays, 3-4pm and 8-10 pm, PST.

The Clumsy Lovers were fun, as always. Of course, good friends always help! Thanks to Mike, Chrissie, Christina, Janine, and Nick for coming with us. I'm still adjusting to the new fiddle player - but had a great time. Of course, the Clumsy Lovers are much easier to track, because they have a myspace and their own website - so I still go to see them as often as I can.

Thanks to Mike and Chrissie for having us overnight - we always appreciate "grownup time."

My New Digs

2008-04-21T21:39:00.001-07:00

So, I made it through Week One. Apparently they've been short staffed for a while, and the college is in the middle of their busy time for the quarter. So I'm focusing on reviewing the evaluations that the faculty write for the students... all day, every day. Staring at a computer screen. It's much harder to proofread on a screen instead of on paper. But I'm getting the hang of it, and as a bonus, I have two monitors - which is pretty cool.

But there's a huge, empty wall that is very oppressive. I need suggestions. I'm even open to donations! Send your unwanted art projects, posters, paper mache, Procession leftovers. It's a huge space, and it needs some life!

I will update with new photos once I get settled. For now, here is the great, wide open canvas...

Spring is Here?

2008-04-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it snowed on Saturday! We got enough to cover the grass, create a "sled run", and make two snow-people. The snow was around just long enough to have a little fun. My snow-person just disappeared today - it's been chilly!

I really can't believe it was almost 80 just a week ago. It only gets that hot four or five days a year here. Bizarre weather... make up your mind already.

Working 'Greener' Girl

2008-04-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

So if you haven't heard already, I'm starting a job at The Evergreen State College on Monday the 14th! I will be working in the brand new, environmentally friendly Seminar II building. It is certified LEED - Gold Level by the US Green Building Council - one of the first in the Pacific Northwest. I'm really excited to learn more about the building itself, and of course, the position.

I will be providing admin support to professors in the Humanities and Social Sciences. As I learn more about the position, I'll let you know.

There are two amazing perks to this job that I'm very excited about.
1) I can finish my degree, at very little cost to staff.
2) I can wear Birkenstocks to work!

Thankfully, I won't have to wear this to work:

But as most of you know - I do have a habit of becoming the school mascot...hmm...

I will, however, learn the school's fight song:

Go, Geoducks go,
Through the mud and the sand, let's go.
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.

Go, Geoducks go,
Stretch your necks when the tide is low
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.

"Camping" with Papa and Nana

2008-04-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

Papa and Nana have a "rolling cabin." It's the best thing ever. Matthew constantly asks to go out in the RV. Even when it's parked next to the house, it's still fun. My parents will take him out there and let him watch a movie and have "hop-corn." Yes, he calls it "hop-corn," (adorable!) and he *loves* it. I'll have to get a video of the Hop-Corn Dance.

Matthew's First Marshmallow! Second best thing ever.

My New Favorite Photo

2008-03-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

How perfect that he was wearing his "Mr. Mischief" shirt. Oh, the joy of chocolate bunnies!

Easter Fun

2008-03-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

I couldn't keep him from dipping his fingers in the egg dye. Is anyone else noticing there's a theme - my messy little boy!

Hell on Wheels!

2008-03-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

After weeks of trying to find a bike trailer on Craigslist, I finally found one. Matthew wasn't keen on the idea at first. Real baby tears were shed. But once we got going on the practice ride, he didn't want to stop.

Once the weather settles down - it's trying to snow right now - we'll make good use of the trailer, and my new bike.

Quick Update

2008-03-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

I've got to get this started up again...

Work:
I wrapped up my job at the Senate. It was an amazing experience. Even after all of the long hours, last minute meetings, stress, and enormous amounts of responsibility - I would do it again in a heartbeat. I learned so much, and worked with some really great people.

I'm interviewing for a number of positions right now. They are all interesting in their own way. I'll keep you posted.

Family and Friends:
My girlfriend Nikki had a little girl on Tuesday! I can't wait to go meet Adeline. I'm hoping to stop by and see them this Sunday.

We're headed up to Seattle on Sunday to visit Aunt Sue & Uncle Al. It's been a long time since they've seen both the boys. If the weather cooperates, we'll go to the zoo. If not, maybe we'll just watch a movie. Either way, it's always great to see them.

And now, some photos...

WA Legislative Web Links

2008-01-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

FYI, Folks!

Agenda, Schedule, and Calendar (House and Senate)http://www.leg.wa.gov/Legislature/Calendar/

Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee
http://www.leg.wa.gov/senate/Committees/edu

I get by with a little help from my friends...

2008-01-20T21:24:00.000-08:00

So I survived my first full week of session - complete with three hearings and executive action on a bill! Now we get down to business, with 12 bills scheduled for hearing this week. We're on TVW *all week*, it should be exciting to those interested in education issues. (It's all public knowledge - I haven't broken any confidentiality rules :p )

Thanks so much to my new CA companions for a great way to end the week! So sorry that Hearthfire Grill was packed - we will reschedule for another time. 4th Ave was great, and I'm sorry I didn't stay longer. Now I know that I need time to chill on Fridays with the crew.

Also a big thanks to Mike & Chrissy, and a Brian, for hosting us on Saturday in Seattle. Authentic Irish pub music, good friends, and a hunt for donuts at 1am = good times.

Thanks for the sanity check, and all of the support!

In Honor of The 2008 Washington Legislative Session

2008-01-13T23:42:00.000-08:00

Or in the Governor's Mansion, or even the Oval Office!

How amazing and surreal is that to even think about...

I've just always loved this bumper sticker. If I was the type to put stickers on my car, this would be one of them.

Note: The previous statements in no way indicate my party choice or political viewpoints - I work for a non-partisan office of the Senate. :)

I've Been A Bad Blogger

2008-01-13T23:25:00.001-08:00

Surprise - the blog got pushed onto the back burner for the holidays. In addition, my new and wonderful job has been time and mind consuming, and I've managed to be sick two out of the last four weeks. The holidays are stressful, no matter how much you love your family!

Quick recap, with photos to be added later:

My in-laws came out to visit from Maryland. They were here from the 22nd until the 1st and shared time between Olympia and Seattle. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Apparently we were all very good little boys and girls because Santa came to our house - hooray!

My BFF Zak was home for a few days from Los Angeles. His visits are never long enough. It's a little silly, but even as I write it I was starting to cry a little. I love my Zak, and really wish he wasn't so far away.

Of course, if I've seen Zak for the holidays, that means a visit with Nikki as well! The three of us had a great time. I can't remember laughing so hard for so long in quite a while. Our boys played together and had fun too. Morgan likes Mister Brown - surprising! My dad has definately become a different person now that he's a proud PaPa.

The Good Old Christmas Reunion at the Bar was fun! O'Blarney's is a local bar with a stereotypical Irish "flair" (how many pieces of flair are you required to wear?) the has been established as the "NTHS Bar". Every major holiday you can run into a lot of people that you haven't seen since HS - not that you really wanted or needed to see, or be seen by them. Good times, Good times. No, really, it was fun.

That's enough for now. Talk to you soon! Love, Marcia

First Day

2007-12-17T23:21:00.001-08:00

Right now, I'm too tired to write more than a sentence or two.
I will be with the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee.
I can find the coffee, my desk, and the copy room. I think I'll be okay.

Local Farmers and Market Vendors Need Help

2007-12-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

As a market employee and friend, I needed to share this with all of you. I went down this weekend to check on my Market Family, and to make a donation. The stories that I heard would break your heart. The winter is extremely hard for farmers anyway, and to have this happen now is disastrous. No one knows the effect this is going to have on next season, herd numbers, and the organic status of some farms.

If you can help, please do. There are lots of opportunities to lend a hand right now, and clean-up parties are ongoing.

Shared from the Olympia Farmers Market website:

The recent record breaking flood event has severely impacted
the livelihoods of many of our local farmers and vendors. Some
have been devastated by the swollen and raging flood waters
and have lost not only crops and products they produce, but
also equipment, homes, barns, production facilities and much
more.

Donations are eagerly being accepted to help these vendors at
the Olympia Farmers Market Office during market hours and
during the week (call for hours). Make checks payable to the
Olympia Farmers Market. As soon as the account is functioning,
you will also be able to donate through PayPal at this site.
For up to date information and for additional ways to help please
visit http://www.olyblog.net/local-farmers-need-help

I'm The Baby!

2007-12-07T12:52:00.001-08:00

Matthew has this adorable habit of trying to get in the middle of Mommy and Daddy affection. If we're hugging, he quickly runs over and gets in the middle. He also likes to sneak into the middle of a quick kiss. Sometimes I think he's on a mission to make sure that we know he's the baby, and plans on keeping it that way!

This morning, Phil and I were sitting next to each other and having a morning cup of coffee while holding hands. Matthew came over and wiggled his little hand in between ours! It was so cute and sweet that I had to share. Wish I had a camera within reach - this is one of those moments that I will try to remember when he's a rebellious teenager.

Water, Water Everywhere

2007-12-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how bad this rainstorm has pushed everything to the extremes.

Thankfully, we're fine - but there are so many others who will feel the effects of this storm for weeks to come. I know it's bad out there, but I didn't really "get it" until I saw video of the Deschutes at Tumwater Falls. If you're familiar the Falls, this is absolutely shocking. Go see it here: http://videos.theolympian.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=1583955

Going Back To Work!

2007-12-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

So Ladies and Gents - I've been on a mini-mission over the last few months to find my way back into the workplace.

I *love* working at the Olympia Farmer's Market, but the soft fruit season is over, which means so is my job. Those of you who have been blessed (read:forever scarred) by Market know that it's a job that you love once you're not there anymore. It's easy to forget the cherry sorting nightmares, aching back, and "expert" customers when it's the off-season. It really was great to be asked (read:begged) by Nellie to come back - but there's definately a delicate, pastry crust ceiling on that tasty apple pie of a job.

Fruit slinging was only supposed to be a temporary thing for me... just for the summer, while Phil was home from school. But life changes fast, my friends. School isn't out for summer - it's out forever (at least for now). Market turned itself into a great little experiment to see how well Mommy would do without Matthew around 24/7, and vice versa.

Which brings us to today. I have been offered a position with the WA State Legislature. It's only for the '08 Session, but it's a start. I will be working with Senate Committee Services as a Committee Assistant. I just received my official offer yesterday. It's a tremendous pay raise, and I will be supervising someone..hard to do when you're used to doing everything by yourself!

I start training on Dec 17th, and I'm excited and nervous. I don't know what committee I'm assigned to, but will post when I do. Just thought you should know what's new with me. :)

I Love Fall

2007-10-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

"Look Mommy, I found a LEAF!"

Pumpkin Time

2007-10-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

So we went to Hunter's Farm tonight. Usually we go earlier in the month, but our schedules have been complicated. The plan is to carve them tomorrow (the 30th) when Brian (Phil's brother) is here. He just moved to Seattle from Maryland, and I'm so excited he's here!

I was disappointed that it was obviously past the prime pumpkin time. It took a while to find ones that weren't smashed or rotting. But, the boys had a good time getting dirty and playing with the pygmy goats. Well, maybe I had more fun with the goats than the boys.

Fetchez la vache! Happy 30th

2007-10-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Phil's 30th this weekend by going to Spamalot with our friends Martin, Susan, Mike and Chrissie. It was hilarious, and everyone seemed to have a great time. Even the friends that didn't like musicals were laughing along with the rest of us. It didn't seem like a musical to me because I'm so familiar with the story in a different context. The numbers were all really well done, and even poked fun at the fact that it was indeed a musical.

The scenery was so inventive and well done. It provided amazing depth to the stage and there was really creative use of scrims. The digital animation was great.. I was amazed at the applications and the way it was used throughout the show. I think the sound could have been better amplified..not sure what was going on with the system. Seemed a little off - maybe the gains weren't right?

The whole show stayed very true to classic Python behaviour and artwork. If you've got the chance, and you're into Monty Python - check it out! It made me almost miss working in theater...almost.

SPAM Game http://www.spamspamspamspam.co.uk/go/game/

Disclaimer: I don't condone the actual catapulting of cows. Chickens, maybe.

MaMaMa-Myspace

2007-10-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

So I signed up on Myspace to get clues for our Tuesday Night Trivia addiction, and I've posted a few things there. I'm "Marcia_Z", and my last name is Zitzelman. Just like it sounds, people.

Come on over and be my friend. You know you want to...

Re-Do

2007-10-18T14:28:00.001-07:00

So I haven't used this in almost a year... that's okay, you didn't notice.

I'm in a really good mood today - first one in a long time. I'm going to start reaching out again, to my friends and family. So here I am, ready to write. I've missed you.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

Damn it's been forever since I've done anything with this site. Maybe I'll be better this month. Anyway, here's something to make it up to you... http://www.simonsezsanta.com/

M is for Matthew, Movement, and Metal!

2006-08-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

In the last few days, Matthew has gone from taking one or two steps to six or seven steps at a time! He will be walking by his first birthday. I'm excited, and sad at the same time. Matthew's not a baby anymore. I can't shop in the infant section, and I almost cried at Target last night. FYI - his shirt says "M is for Metal!" Too damn cute.

ND Prairie Photo

2006-06-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

Photo borrowed from http://www.ndphotogallery.com/

Wagons Ho!

2006-06-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

So we're taking the whole herd "home" to North Dakota.

Oh yes, the whole herd. My boys (yes, Phil is included as one of my boys), my parents, and my brother. In one car. 1449 miles each way, not including stops or historic monuments. This should be interesting, and "blog-able."

Don't get me wrong.. I love the concept. Spending time with family, celebrating my grandparents' 60th Anniversary (pretty amazing, huh?), seeing distant cousins - these are all good things. I just hope we're all on our best behavior.

We're leaving in just a few hours, so I should get some sleep.

I'm Boring

2006-04-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Just in case you hadn't figured that out yet. I'm so glad you love me anyway. More later... maybe. Hi Zak & Janine!

Mmmmm....Starbucks?

2006-02-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

I had a love/hate relationship with Starbucks until a few years ago... I loved to hate them. I was a local coffee only kinda gal. Batdorf and Bronson still own my heart.

But Starbucks comes out with drinks like the Marble Mocha Macchiato, and send pictures of them to my email, and I get weak in the knees. Is it possible to lust after coffee? I think I'm in love.

It's not fair, of course. These designer drinks look divine, but they're still made with overly "roasty" (thank you Ja-ason) beans. I generally don't prefer their 'regular' fare. But make it look pretty and market the hell out of it, and I'll try it. I might even like it. I'll let you know.

Is It 2008 Yet?

2006-02-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

So I saw two things today that made me shake my head, laugh, and secretly wish for the next round of presidential elections.

First was a web clip shown on this hilarious show called Web Junk 20 on VH1 of good old Georgie actually flipping off the camera in a early tv interview.

Second was a news article on AOL about Cheney shooting his hunting companion over the weekend.

Things like this make me wonder how in the world we elected these two to run the country. Then my husband reminds me that "we" (meaning our family) didn't elect them. We voted for the other guy, both times. Hooray for term limits!

Al Roker, You Scare Me

2006-01-27T17:22:00.000-08:00

This picture just scared me, and I had to blog about it...

Has anyone else noticed that Al is getting a little squirrely? A little too squirrely. Congrats anyway, Al!

Now that I'm home during the days, I catch The Today Show on occassion. I haven't considered it a news source in a long time. The show is nothing but three hours of advertising, with a little Ann Curry (who I love) thrown in the mix.

But it's mildly addictive. It's like eating the last cookie. I know I shouldn't, but I do it anyway.

Peek A Boo - I Googled You!

2006-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

I'm in a "I love you guys" kinda mood. So expect phone calls and emails. I had a great meeting this morning with my MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers..more on this another time) group, and it reminded me of what an amazing group of friends that I have. I've decided (again) to make a serious effort to reconnect. Isn't this like an every four months thing with me? Anyway, I've been googling you. It's fun!

Of course, I had to google myself. I know, it's vain. But we all do it. Nobody ever admits it though. There are no entries for "Marcia Zitzelman." (Well, I suppose there will be one now.. hahaha!) Guess that's what happens when you change your name. Yes, I officially changed my name back in August. It made Phil happy, and it hasn't been as painful as I expected.

Have you heard of this game called "googlewhacking?" I guess I'm now a googlewhack. Quick, go register me!

And congrats to Zak for having a listing on imdb.com! You're officially Hollywood! BTW, you need to update your info. I know you've been busier than that!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2006-01-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

I officially am no longer a fan of the rain here in Washington. It usually doesn't bother me. But since it tried to run me off the road late last night, I'm not happy.

I was driving through Bremerton in the very curvy section of Hwy 3 when some moron speeds past me and sends a huge puddle across my windshield. I couldn't see for at least a full five seconds, and had to break in fear of slamming into a concrete divider that I could no longer see. Fortunately, there was no one behind me. Now I'm not intimidated by the rain, and very rarely decide it's so bad that I need to be in the slow lane. But last night, I was "slow traffic keep right."

Anyway... for those keeping track, we're into Day 23 of consecutive days of rainfall. And apparently, more than 3 inches of rain were recorded in Bremerton last night. Ugh.

Label Maker, I Love You

2006-01-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

So I've decided that it's time to get organized. I've been trying to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as a can since we moved in September, and I'm finally starting to notice a difference. It's a little frustrating at first... you have to make a big mess to get organized. Poor Zak was witness to my frustration while he was here. He volunteered to help with the garage. I needed a little OCD-Z encouragement. My whine was "we just keep moving things from here to over there!" But it looks so much better. Much more to do, mind you, but we're making progress.

You've got to love Zak. He knows exactly what a girl needs, oddly enough. : ) With my new-found love of finally getting my stuff together, he knew my Christmas present should be a label maker. I love my label maker! Phil and I were working on the desk just last night, and little label maker made the task much easier. FYI - The filing cabinet is now completely usable!

My favorite label maker idea: cell phone charger labels (both home and car)! Try it, you'll like it.

Has anyone else noticed that Zak is featured on a regular basis? Sigh... I miss him.

I Am A Pampered Chef!

2006-01-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

I love The Pampered Chef and their products so much that I finally decided to become a consultant! It's something that I've been thinking about for a long time, and I think that now is the perfect time for me to get started. My husband has been so supportive. He even bought me a KitchenAid for Christmas to encourage me! (I'm a very lucky girl, and love him very much!)

I'm very excited about it, and will probably be talking to all of my friends and family about it soon.. be prepared! The next few weeks are starting to look pretty busy with training, and hopefully a few shows!

I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to meet new people in the area, and introduce them to the products. I've had nothing but great experiences with having shows and attending shows in the past. I hope that I can do the products justice, and have entertaining shows!

If you want to talk to me about The Pampered Chef, the products, or my experience so far, I'd love to share with you.

Is It Really January Already?

2006-01-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

So life has been hectic. Here's a quick review: back and forth to Olympia more times than I can count, Phil and Philip both out of school for two weeks, Zak!, visiting Nikki and Morgan, more Zak!, back to Olympia, did I mention that Zak! was here?, oh yeah, and finally being home for more than three days in a row. Whew!

It was great to spend so much time with Zak. It was almost like high school, except with no singing in the car this time. (Alanis Morrisette, Madonna, and the soundtrack to Evita were our standards.) I'm glad that he could enjoy so many of 'baby's first ________ ."

We also had a great time seeing Nikki and the new love in her life, Morgan. He's so adorable. We went out for lunch to a place called "Claim Jumpers" near Nikki's home in Lynnwood. The food was good, but entirely too much of it! The boys were very well behaved, and slept through almost the whole event. It's amazing to see the difference between the boys. I know it was only three months ago that Matthew was that size, but I can barely remember it already.

Anyway.. it looks like things are getting back to normal, well, our 'normal' anyway.

Zak-Attack is Back!

2005-12-15T00:18:00.000-08:00

Zak is one of my very best friends in the world. He's amazing, quirky, funny, and I miss him terribly. But only for another week, because then he'll be home for Christmas! And who doesn't love a cranky Christmas shopper?

Of course, he'll be returning to his beloved Toluca Lake (he might act L.A., but he's really L.A.C.E.Y.), but for two short weeks, he'll be kickin' it old school in Bel Aire. I still have the hardest time anticipating the turn to his parent's house. You would think after 13 years I would remember...

(If I could get blogger to upload my photos right now, there would be an awesome one of Zak here.. maybe later.)

Time Flies When You're Home With Baby

2005-12-15T00:03:00.000-08:00

Is it really December 15th already? I knew it was Thursday, but I really didn't know the date. The days just run together, and nights like this when I can't sleep don't really help things either.

Sorry for the lack of posting. I really didn't know how long it had been. Everything is more complicated with a baby. Not more difficult, just complicated. I have grand plans to get so many things done during Matthew's naps. I just wish he knew that he should take longer naps! Apparently I need to adjust my plans for after 10pm.

Not that anyone else was awake last night/early morning, but did you notice how incredibly bright the moon was? After stumbling back into bed from taking care of the baby, I saw the moon shining in to our room through the blinds. I just stood there in awe for a few moments, and had to ask myself if I had managed to sleep until the middle of the day! Oh wouldn't that be nice! If you're reading this, and you can sleep in late... enjoy it while you can!

Have Yourself A Heavy Metal Christmas

2005-12-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

You've got to see this web video of someone's Christmas lights display. I know it isn't quite heavy metal, but I didn't know what else to classify it as, other than just plain weird. Any suggestions? Definately glad he doesn't live next to me.

Thanks to my brother-in-law for the link.

Welcome Baby Thomas!

2005-12-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

Baby Morgan Vaughn Thomas has made his mom (and my best friend) very happy by arriving yesterday, November 30th. I can't wait to go visit! Congrats Nikki and Joel! I'm sure he's just perfect, and you're going to be great parents.

Happy Birthday!

2005-11-30T19:37:00.000-08:00

I would just like to take a moment of your time to tell you that my brother, Dan, is 24 today. He's a great guy, and I'm lucky to have him as my brother. Oddly enough, we got along pretty well as kids. I think it's because dad's ridiculously huge van had captain's seats. We never had to do the whole "he's touching me!" bit, because we couldn't reach each other. My parents are incredibly smart.

Not only is he handsome, he's also available. Ladies??? Be warned, his older sister has high expectations and is a little protective.

After Thanksgiving Sales

2005-11-30T09:39:00.001-08:00

In previous years, the Brown family had the whole crazy sale day worked out. You'd think we were international spies, with store floor plans, practicing parking situations, and detailed knowledge of which doors opened first to hand out the free goodies. Sadly, very few stores still do the "door buster" give-aways. So we've stopped being quite so intense. :)

Mom and I decided that we would brave the insanity for a few select items.
We also decided that we didn't need to get up ridiculously early, which I was thankful for. (I have a habit of staying up until 2am or so with my mom when we go to visit, and Matthew doesn't always sleep through the night quite yet.)

We left the house at a lesuirely 8:45, and had three stores done by 10:30. I was impressed. The crazy thing is that while my mom waited in line at Michael's craft store, I walked across the parking lot, found and paid for what I needed at Mervyn's, and walked back before mom had paid. She was next in line, but still.. damn holiday new-hires.

And let me just give a quick comment on that unfortunate woman who fell down, lost her wig, and was almost trampled. I wonder just how many times that was shown? As we all watched the footage and yelled at the tv, "Just get up and *then* put on the wig," I realized why she had to stay down... Star Jones couldn't be caught at Wal-Mart.

Gobble, Gobble, Gulp! Let the Gluttony Begin!

2005-11-30T09:30:00.000-08:00

The Zitzelman clan drove down to Olympia to have fried turkey at my parent's house. (Word of caution: if you are contemplating buying a turkey fryer, please buy electric instead of gas. Much, much safer.)

She's choppin' broc-co-liiiiii...
I had my full years' supply of broccoli. I don't know what it is about the Thanksgiving broccoli, but it's good. Maybe because it's covered in cheese?

I also tried making a new recipe I found for pumpkin and pecan biscuits. They didn't get done on time, which was frustrating because timing is one thing that I think I do well in the kitchen. But they were tasty, and went well with leftovers.

I love long weekends. It usually means a visit either to, or from, my parents. Now that I live 1 1/2 hrs away, I don't see them as often as I would like to. But maybe we see them more than my husband would like. Oh well. He loves me anyway.

Did You Miss Me? Probably Not.

2005-11-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

So I've been away for awhile. I haven't adjusted to having a blog yet, so I forget that I should pay attention to it. Poor, lonely blog. Especially since I'm only one of three people that even know it exists. I promise to *try* to be better. Here are the updates...

Baby Blues

2005-11-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not depressed. But since having a baby boy, I have discovered there must be at least one hundred shades of blue in his closet alone! It's enough to make a mom crazy. One of the simple joys of having a baby is playing dress-up with a real baby doll! I absolutely *love* anything if it has a little matching hat. But all the fun can be sucked out when you can't find a pair of socks that work. Poor little Matthew, his socks don't match. Shh.. don't tell him.

Shingles... It's not just roofing material!

2005-11-14T14:50:00.000-08:00

Lucky me, I developed a case of shingles. If you've never heard of it before, as I hadn't, it's kind of like adult chicken pox. And yes, you can get it if you had chicken pox as a kid. Not fun. I definately wouldn't recommend it.

I don't know what was worse.. having chicken pox in 2nd grade, and scratching yourself raw all of the time because you don't know better, or being an adult and knowing that you shouldn't and trying your hardest not to scratch. Ugh.

Did you know that they treat it with steroids? I was amazed at the long list of things that steroids can be used for, besides baseball. These are prescription, so I don't have any locker room with Jose Canseco stories. Sorry. (Although I was entertained by him on VH-1's 'Surreal Life.' Washed-up celebrities make me laugh.)

Anyway, I'm almost over it and am suffering the consequences of feeling blah for a week and doing nothing. Hence the lack of blog updates. But I'm on my last day of steroids and trying to take advantage of the hyped up energy. So back to work I go.

Look at me! I'm Hi-Tech!

2005-11-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

So I've finally decided that I would try out this whole Blog thing.

Not that I have anything important to say, but now that I'm home with the new baby I have to find new ways to entertain myself and have some adult contact and conversation.

Please bear with me as I figure out how in the world this thing works. In the meantime, you can check out my friend Zak's blog. He's always ten steps in front of me on all things hi-tech and "gadgety."

Love,
M