Adventures of Zach and Anne

Two Months Old and Happy as Can Be

2011-02-09T20:13:00.001-08:00

Jillian has started to smile and laugh at us. She especially loves it when her daddy makes funny noises and "zerbits" her on the cheeks. Mostly, she just plain loves her daddy...she seems to be happiest when she's in his arms (unless of course she's hungry, then she sure does enjoy being with mommy :)

We went to the doctor today, and all is well. Jillian weighs in at 13.5 pounds (95th percentile), is 23-plus inches long (90th percentile), and her head is 15ish inches around (75th percentile). Doctor says she is right where she's supposed to be with all of her development. She did have to get three shots today, but she handled herself like a lady....screamed for a moment so we all knew how she felt, and then quieted right down :) We also had to ask about Jillian's potty habits...she goes a week or more between poops (see result below, if you dare!). But Dr. Rone assures us that it's just fine, and that it means Jillian is using almost all of what she gets in the breastmilk...Phew! Guess we'll just enjoy not having to change a poopy diaper every day :)

Some recent pics of the things Jillian enjoys the most:

looking at the toys dangling from her play mat,

sleeping in her swing,

staring at her butterfly mobile,

and having a very important conversation with Daddy.

"What did you say?...Really?"

"Hmm...let me think about that for a minute"

Jillian still loves to sleep on people, especially Daddy.

and to visit with friends like Karyn.

One more smile for good measure:

And here's the poopy diaper as promised :)

Long Overdue Update

2011-01-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

Jillian is more than seven weeks old! She has grown and changed so much already. Her cheeks and thighs have gotten especially big....she has no issue with her appetite :) She makes some cute and funny noises, and she has started to smile at us when we smile at her. So far, she still has blue eyes and dark brown hair, but that can change within the next few months. We are still getting to know all of her cues, but each day gets easier and more fulfilling. We fall more and more in love with her every day!

Zach has started traveling for work again, and will be out of town quite a bit in the next few months. He sure has a hard time saying goodbye when he has to head out...he is a fabulous dad, and our little girl already has him wrapped around her little finger :) I am fortunate to have time off until March 21st, and while it is tough having her all to myself during Zach's travel weeks, I am getting used to functioning on low sleep and wouldn't trade it for anything. She is an absolute angel.

We go to the doctor for the two month appointment on Feb 9th. We are so curious about how much she weighs (at her one month appointment, she was already 10 pounds and in the 95th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height, and we are guessing she is still up there!). We will try to update again soon :)

Some pictures from the last month:

taking a walk on the Nisqually Trail on a very chilly New Years Day

alert and awake more and more.....

but loves to sleep in arms whenever possible :)

taking a stroll on the Tacoma waterfront....

a quick visit from Great Uncle Jim....

and spending some quality time with Uncle Cale....

Lots to Learn

2010-12-20T12:57:00.001-08:00

We are learning new things each day about our little Jillian and about parenting....shocker, I know! Here are some tidbits of the knowledge we've gained so far:
1. there are lots and lots of opinions about how to do things
2. staying asleep all day leads to awake time at night
3. you should always put a new diaper under the dirty one before uncovering anything
4. grandmas are very helpful in the wee hours of the morning
5. the smallest little smile, whimper, twitch, eyebrow raise, toot or big cry can bring about immense feelings of love and amazement in new parents.

We are all doing really really well despite being on low sleep. Jillian has had many visitors this past weekend, and she has loved being passed around to all of the warm arms and laps of her many new friends :)

We have taken a few outings...to Grandma & Grandpa Zimmerman's house, to Costco, and to the Johnson's house all the way in West Seattle! She enjoys the car rides for sure...we'll have to remember that when nothing else seems to work to get her down for a nap :)

This morning, we went to the pediatrician for the one-week check up, and Jillian performed like a champ. She has gained all of the weight back that she lost, and now weighs a whopping 7 pounds, 2 ounces! She also had to get a PKU test, which involved poking and squeezing, and lots of crying, but we all survived.

Here are some of the latest pictures:

Semi-Sleepless near Seattle

2010-12-14T11:17:00.001-08:00

Zach thought of the title for this post :) We are all doing really really well but the nights have been pretty restless. Jillian is going to get her second sponge bath today...she's not so sure about how she likes those yet. We went to the pediatrician yesterday and got a clean bill of health. Jillian has gotten a tiny bit of jaundice since leaving the hospital, but Dr. Rone says it's nothing to worry about. Jillian is eating like a champ (OUCH!), which is really reassuring. She lost 6 ounces since her birth, which is completely normal, but now she should start gaining that weight back and adding more on top of it. We did have to go buy some smaller clothes (even some premie ones) because she's still so tiny. It will be so neat to see how she grows and changes in the coming weeks...she will probably look like a completely different baby! But of course, she will still be a cute as ever :)

It is so wonderful to have Grandma Jennie here staying with us, and Zach's parents have been coming over to visit and help too. Zach's brother Cale gets back into the country tomorrow, and my sister and stepdad will be here on the 23rd. We miss Aunt Reidun who is in Kuwait teaching, but it will be so exciting for Jillian to see her in June! Jillian has met lots of her "aunties" and "uncles" (all of our friends)....Auntie Lyssa was even there for her birth! We are so blessed to have so many great, supportive friends close by.

Jillian Opal Zimmerman born December 9, 2010

2010-12-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

There's so much to tell, but we will just post a bunch of pictures for now. The birth went so well...she was born in the water, which is what we were hoping for. She is such a mellow baby. We are enjoying her so so much. She is a true miracle in our eyes!

Weight: 7 lbs, 0 ounces
Length: 19 3/4 inches
Time of birth: 7:48 p.m.

Birth Day:

Day after:

Less than 20 Days Til DD-Day

2010-12-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

Well, she's still cookin in there but Due-Date-Day is approaching rapidly. Midwife says Jillian's pretty squished at this point, and she predicts our little one may be at least an 8-pounder. I haven't felt any contractions, but I am having a few other signs that things are definitely progressing toward the "birth-day". Thankfully, I still feel like I have plenty of room to breathe, and I haven't been kicked in a long time...when she moves now, it's mostly when to roll from side to side or to stretch her legs out. Head is down, so she's in position, and ready for her exit :)

Grandma Jenny is on the road and should arrive here in babyville late Friday. It will be nice to have her close and to finalize holiday decorating with her. I still plan to work through next Thursday, the 16th, and then it is officially Winter Break at my school. Having a free week off before the due date is so lucky! We will try to keep people posted by way of Zach's facebook page, email, and blogs as we are able....stay tuned :)

Ready to Go!

2010-11-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

We still have four weeks until Jillian's due date, but we are feeling more ready than ever! We spent all day Saturday at a birth prep class; Zach completed his big run, and also won't be traveling to any more out-of-state destinations for the next two months; and, I have things pretty well set at work so that I can leave any time. So, let's get this show on the road :) Of course it will be better if Jillian waits awhile longer, but things are in place for her arrival and we are just so excited to meet her!

We did get a feel for what the weather could be like when Jillian arrives...the first snow of the year came earlier this week. I only worked a half day this last week because of snow days paired with the standard Thanksgiving vacation. The weather changed our Thanksgiving plans too, and instead of driving out to the ocean in the snow, we had a cozy dinner here at our house with Zach's parents. The snow is melted now, but we know if it returns, we will need to be ready for potentially crazy roads and a slippery trip to the hospital.

The pics below are from Zach's Half Marathon. This was the second 13.1 mile race he's completed in the last 16 days, which made him eligible for "Half-Fanatic" status. He will get a shirt and a special membership to this elite club :) I saw him along the route, and since I didn't have paper to make a support sign, I wrote on my belly. Daddy Z did so great, and it was so fun to be a part of his accomplishment even though I couldn't run. Next year, Jillian can watch us both from the sidelines as we run together :)

What a Difference 2 Weeks Makes

2010-11-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

We have six weeks to go now, and I can't believe how much bigger I seem to have gotten in the last two weeks. Getting up and down is hard, I think I have a little bit of a waddle goin on, and I can feel the pressure of my belly all of the time. It's still really cool, though, and just being pregnant makes all of the little discomforts totally bearable. And, I am finally over my cough/cold and sleeping better, so my energy is back up. Things really are great.

I think we are sort of getting used the reality of it all. We will take our first of two birthing classes this coming weekend, which will probably be a BIG dose of reality. I am curious to see how Zach reacts if we have to watch a birth video...actually, I am curious to see how that sits with me too! Sometimes I ask Zach what he would do if I told him my water broke or that I thought I was in labor. He has his route to the hospital planned out, which is reassuring :) I still haven't packed a bag, though...I figure I'll have time at the very beginning stages of labor to take a shower and pack a bag before we really have to get movin. Who knows, though, I guess it all depends on what little Jillian has in mind.

This is such a busy time of year with the holidays approaching...the next month will undoubtedly fly by. Jillian will be here before we know it, and hopefully we will all be ready for what she has in store :)

2 months and counting

2010-10-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

Technically, Baby Z could be born any day and do just fine. Of course, we are hoping she will wait until all of her extended family is here at Christmas time! Grandma Jennie is coming up mid-December, then Grandpa Chris & Auntie Kate will be here for the last week of December. AND, we just found out that Zach's brother, "Uncle Cale", will be coming home early (mid-December) from his teaching gig in South Korea and will be staying at Grandma Sherry & Grandpa Jimbo's house right here in Tacoma! YAY!!!! If anyone else wants to come up and join in the fun, feel free; however, it is supposed to be one of the worst winters in years....could make for an interesting trip to the hospital, but hopefully no travel delays!

Things are still going great...lots of wigglin goin on, as usual. Baby Z has had to listen to a lot of coughing lately, though. I can't seem to get over this terrible cold, and I even did some damage to my ribs with all of the coughing. Got checked out by the doc, and we just have to ride it out. The pain is probably good prep for labor :)

The baby shower last weekend was so fun! Alyssa hosted and many of my favorite people came to celebrate. Thanks to everyone's generosity, we have so many things that will help us welcome our little bundle of joy, including many homemade treasures. Below is a picture of the cake that Zach had ordered especially for the shower as a surprise (replica of the Seattle Sounders soccer jersey, personalized for our little girl)...what a guy!

3D baby pictures

2010-10-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

Exciting Week Ahead

2010-10-10T18:01:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow, Grandma Jennie arrives and she'll be staying for a whole week! On Tuesday, we have our 3D/4D ultrasound. Then, Kate arrives on Friday for the weekend. I also get to be the lucky recipient of a baby shower on Saturday...that will be a trip!

I am still feeling good, but more tired this week for some reason. I also am feeling pretty huge these days. My belly button is almost ready to pop out and it seems like a chore to bend over to get things, and to get my shoes tied :) I think maybe Baby Z's home is growing up into the space where my stomach and lungs used to reside ...eating big meals is not a good idea these days (acid reflux, I think), and going up stairs takes my breath away and makes my heart beat fast. All part of the adventure...really, it is very cool to experience all of these changes that my body is going through.

Into the 3rd Trimester...12 Weeks to Go!

2010-10-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is a great link to babycenter.com that tells a little bit about what is going on with baby each week, and you can look at a cool graphics that show how big she is inside (link on the site is "see the big picture")

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-28-weeks_1117.bc

We were so glad to reach Friday this week. Zach had been out of town, and I'd had a stressful week at school, so getting to the end of the week was gratifying for several reasons! Saturday was busy...we all worked out early in the morning (Zach ran 8 miles, and Baby Z and I went to the pool to swim our 20+ laps...not much of a comparison, but I'll be back out on the road soon after Baby Z is born :). Then we went up to Seattle to have breakfast with our cousins, and then we went to a great Sounders soccer game. Baby Z got to hear lots of excited cheering from mommy & daddy during the game! Finished off our evening with some great German foods at the Schlatter's Oktoberfest.

We are enjoying the rest of our Sunday by takin it easy and watching some football. Baby Z did get to try Grandma Jenny's yummy sticky buns recipe this morning, and it felt like she was jumping for joy when all of the buttery, sugary goodness reached her :) We are so excited to actually get a visit from Grandma Jennie & Aunt Kate in the next couple of weeks!

WARNING: The 28-week pic below shows some skin! But it sure gives you an idea of how big we are getting :)

Baby Z Likes the Fair

2010-09-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

We visited the Puyallup Fair this weekend, for the second time. We had lots of warm Fisher scones, roasted corn, and a Krusty Pup corn dog....made mom and baby very happy :) I am still feeling great, but I have discovered that lots of walking does a number on my back for some reason...maybe it's the ol' sciatic nerve issue they say some pregnant women get. Baby Z is moving around a ton...I feel her all day and all night, and it is such a cool thing to experience!

We have made quite a bit of progress on the baby room, which still doubles as our guest room. I think we are ready to go with all of the major furniture. The pics below show the crib we bought from a friend, the wall decals we went with (much easier than painting!), and the changing table that Zach's dad helped to assemble...it took us literally 4 hours to go from a box full of pieces to a finished product! Thanks Papa Jim!!!!

Bump is Getting Bigger

2010-09-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

We finally put up a pic that shows my face....so you can tell it's really my belly :) I am feeling great. Considering all of the uncomfortable things that can happen during a pregnancy, I think I have it really easy. I'm sure I will be a little less comfortable as I get close to the end of the pregnancy, but I hardly feel pregnant right now!

We registered last weekend, which was mostly fun, but maybe a little exhausting and overwhelming. We chose some items at Babies R Us and Target that we thought Baby Z might need/enjoy.

Baby Z and I have been getting back to the gym more often, mostly to swim laps, but we did do a spin class this past Saturday...boy has my tooshy forgotten what it feels like to be on a bike seat! I am definitely looking forward to biking and running more often after Baby Z is born....I miss my running/biking buddies!

Baby is Still Growin Strong

2010-09-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

We went to our 24-week appointment today, even though we will be 25 weeks on Sunday. Time will go fast now, we think....Anne has school as a constant distraction, and Zach will be traveling every couple of weeks until December. Plus, Grandma Jennie is coming up in October, and again in December :)

We got to hear the heartbeat again today....Baby Z has a good strong heartbeat of 145 beats/minute. I also got my belly measured, and we are right on target @ 24 centimeters....they say a centimeter for each week now is good :) Then of course there was the weigh-in (never an enjoyable experience). Midwife says I am doing ok with weight gain, but by the end of the pregnancy, everything over 35 pounds "is mine to keep"....sheesh!

It was tough to get back to work this week, especially after a great camping trip over Labor Day weekend with all of the gals from UPS days and their fun families...pictures are on facebook :) It was a really busy & fun week though... we managed to work in a Stephen Kellogg concert, a Sounders game, and opening day of the Puyallup Fair. Baby Z is having lots of fun experiences already!

Took the Hospital Tour

2010-08-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

We just got home from St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma. We took a tour of their Family Birth Center with about ten other pregnant couples. We saw all of the different places we could end up during our labor and delivery, depending on how it goes. They have two rooms with big birthing tubs for those who want to have a water birth (we are considering it as an option for sure), but every room has at least a jacuzzi bathtub! Zach says he is sure those are for the dads to use while the moms labor :) Another great piece of info...they let moms eat while they are in labor, unless there's a good possibility of a C-section. Yay!

We have a lot of things to think about before the big day. We are both feeling excited but a little nervous. Thankfully, we are working with a great group of midwives. We know there is no way to predict or guarantee what Baby Z's birthday will be like, but we just hope she comes out as healthy as possible. I am thinking I want to go drug free, as natural as possible; Zach is all for me getting the pain meds...at least I know he'll be supportive if we have to use that kind of intervention :) Thankfully, we still have four months to prepare ourselves!

Here's the latest belly pic.....

Baby Zimmerman Due December 26th

2010-08-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

We thought it might be fun to start blogging again now that we are pregnant. We are 23 weeks now! With new things happening each week, we will try to keep people up-to-date on what's new with the Zimmermans....all three of us! We've had the ultrasound to find out the gender, and they say we're having a girl. She is moving around like crazy....I feel her kicking all day long, and other people have been able to feel her moving if they push just right on my belly. I seem to be gaining weight at a faster rate now, which I guess is ok since it was pretty minimal at first. I know they are all good, important pounds, and honestly, I am looking forward to the challenge of shedding them after baby arrives :)

We are working on the nursery....it's has a fresh coat of paint (nice and neutral since we hope to sell out house next summer), and we have most of our baby furniture set up. We have gotten some really nice used things from friends, and we've supplemented with a few new things. We are feeling pretty well prepared at this point, which is nice since the school year starts this coming week. We will post nursery pictures once we've got it all decorated.

Here are a few recent pics from our summer adventures....Zach hiked part of the Tahoe Rim trail with his buddy Tyler, and then we both spent some time together in Tahoe before driving back up to Tacoma. We also went to weddings, spent lots of time with family and friends, and helped out at the Logger's Jubilee. We will plan to keep posting pics each week until Baby Z is born. Next post will have a belly pic :)

less than two weeks!

2009-05-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

It's getting so close! We are ready to go, at least it seems that way....surely some last minute details will surprise us, but that's ok :) I did find out that the hotel we had our special deal at has filled up....YIKES! And, they are completely booked for the weekend because of other events in the area. There is space available at the hotel across the street, The Best Western Evergreen Suites....that website is http://www.bestwesternwashington.com/federal-way-hotels/ is you still need to get a reservation.

The big news for us is that we completed at half-marathon this past weekend. That's 13.1 miles! It was Zach's first big run, and he was AWESOME. We are already working strategies and training for our next one...we are signed up for the Seattle Rock'n'Roll 1/2 Marathon that's at the end of June. WOOHOO!!!!!

Please call us or email if you have any questions about where to stay, what to do, when things are happening. If you are able to join us on Sunday morning at 10:30 in the lobby of the Marriott hotel to open gifts and spend a little more time together :)

long lost bloggers

2009-03-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all! We haven't updated in awhile, and with wedding invites out, we figured it was about time! Things are awesome here, well, except for winter weather getting in the way of spring weather.....waking up to snow again today was kinda weird.

We are still on our training schedule for the Half Marathon in early May....we ran almost six miles today, in the wind and hail, no less....we are hard core! We may be running in the Foothills Dash in Orting next weekend, just to get in the race mode, but we'll see how the weather is lookin :)

We went to a great concert in February....saw Marc Broussard -- again -- in Seattle with our friends Morgan and Justin. He put on an awesome show, as always. We attached a video from the show....hopefully you can hear it!

One of the most fun things that happened since we last posted was that we got a visit from Tucson mom Jennie :) We had so much fun, but the only bummer was that Zach was out of town for almost her whole visit :( Lots of mom-daugher time was great, though! Alyssa threw a bridal shower, which was filled with lots of laughs....how blessed we are to have such fun friends and family!

Some updates for the wedding.....rehearsal dinner has been moved to Friday night (church was being used on Thursday). Sherry should be sending out those invites to the wedding party soon, but we wanted to give those of you who are traveling the heads up :)

It was really exciting to send out invites....makes it very real, and very exciting for both of us! So far, no major stress...we have most of our wedding planning chores done, and we are just waiting for the big day!

FYI....Wedding Travel Information

2009-01-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

Okay folks, so here is the first peek at some of the information you will need to plan you trip in May. Our wedding will be at Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines, WA. This is just a few minutes south of the airport. The reception will be at the Centre at Norpoint in the NE Tacoma area. We have reserved a block of rooms at the Federal Way Courtyard by Marriott for a special rate (should be $93 per night for a queen bed and couch pull-out)....just tell them it is for the Zimmerman/Leach Wedding. Their website can be seen here. This hotel is located between the Church and the reception, and is close to the mall, a movie theater, and many restaurants.

Courtyard by Marriott
31910 Gateway Center Blvd. South
Federal Way, Washington 98003 USA
ph 253-529-0200

We are trying to get a group rate at the Tacoma Courtyard by Marriott as well. Stay tune for those details.

Itinerary...

5/14 Th Rehearsal @ Grace Lutheran for wedding party
Dinner for wedding party and invitees
5/16 Sat Wedding @ Grace Lutheran at 4pm
Reception @ Centre at Norpoint
5/17 Sun Breakfast & gifts maybe???? (place TBD)

Looking for fun things to do when you are here? Here are a few suggestions:

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
www.pdza.com

Tacoma Museums - History, Art, and Chihuly's Glass Museum
www.traveltacoma.com/museumdistrict

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
www.nwtrek.org

Mt. Rainier National Park
www.nps.gov/mora

Seattle's Famous Pike Place Market
www.pikeplacemarket.org

Seattle's Space Needle
www.spaceneedle.com

Seattle Center & Pacific Science Center
www.seattlecenter.com

If you have any other questions on what to do just email us at zachandanne@gmail.com

We hope to see you all then!!!

-Zach & Anne

Christmas is postponed ...kind of...

2008-12-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

So, Anne and I are still in Tacoma!?! Why is that strange you ask? Well we should have been in sunny Phoenix, AZ this morning having breakfast with my friends Tyler and Claire. We then should have been going to Tucson for Christmas with Anne's family. But...those plans got postponed when our flight got canceled.

Anne and I actually celebrated Christmas on the 18th. She had to stay home from school Wed, Thurs, and Fri due to the weather. We have had snow here since the 15th. We had a great Christmas and got lots of nice presents for each other. Then we went over to my parents house, Mama & Papa Zimmerman, to do Christmas with them on the 20th. This was a short celebration since the snow came that night too and we wanted to get home before the inches piled up and made it really dangerous to drive home.

The snow isn't stopping anytime soon. Here are some pics from our house and yard.

These are our pets, Bailey, the cockapoo, Dixie, the crazy cat, Frank, the dachshund/pitbull

Zach by the tree on Christmas (the 18th), with Frank

Our backyard.

This is our hanging basket in the backyard. Can you believe this? And this was just overnight.

Busy, busy, busy

2008-12-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

Hi all! We have been all sorts of busy lately! Here's a quick summary of recent events....

We ran the Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning and spent an awesome day with Zach's family in Redmond (mom, dad, brother, aunt, cousins, second cousins, grandpa)...what a fun crowd!

We had a holiday get-together with all of Anne's college buddies and the kiddos...woah!

Anne got baptized on December 7th at Grace Lutheran which was a very powerful experience. Zach's family stood close by during the ceremony :)

We ran the 10k Christmas Rush in Kent on the 13th of December....BURR!! That afternoon, we made more glass-blown creations (ornaments this time), and then went to Anne's staff Christmas party that evening.

We saw a fantastic performance by the Christmas Revels this week. It was a Scottish theme with lots of singing, dancing and story-telling. We got to enjoy it with Mama & Papa Zimmerman :)

Snow day for Anne on 17th (today), and probably more snow days to come. Fun to have a day off, but it will be a bummer when we have to make up the days in June :(

We are headed to Tucson for Christmas, and we will try to keep you updated on our latest winter adventures....it's almost time to SKI!!!!!

Here's a pic from the holiday party we went to....we won honorable mention for our accessorizing abilities (it was an "ugly sweater" contest)

Engagement Party

2008-11-30T15:29:00.000-08:00

October 18th was a great day. We were treated to an Engagement Party hosted by Zach's Mother. Anne's Mom flew in a few days before and was able to attend. Most of the bridal party was able to attend except for Zach's sister Reidun, she is currently teaching English in Seoul, Korea, Zach's friend Tyler who lives in Mesa, AZ, and Anne's sister who lives in Farmington, NM. It was a beautiful day, with a nice sunset. Zach's mother hosted a great party, and several people gave great toasts to us over the course of the evening. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend. Here are some of the pictures from the night.

PLU Homecoming

2008-11-30T14:46:00.000-08:00

Well, this is a very touchy subject in our household. Anne was very lucky to attend the University of Puget Sound (UPS) in Tacoma, Zach is a legacy alum of Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) here in Tacoma. These two schools are bitter rivals since they are only separated by a mere 10 miles or so. The day was beautiful, one of the warmest we had back in October, and Anne was kind enough to wear a UPS shirt while attending the game. We had fun at a small tailgate party with some of Zach's college friends and then went out to dinner with some friends of Zach's parents afterwards.

Six Months and Counting......Yahoo!

2008-11-08T21:22:00.000-08:00

Our wedding can't get here soon enough! There is still plenty to do, but we both agree that it would be better if we could just get married.....yesterday :) The big "party" will be fun, though, and we wouldn't want to miss out on that.

For those of you out-of-towners who received save-the-date cards, we will post some info on this blog site about hotels and fun things to do in the area, so keep checking back for that.

No new and exciting news to share, other than we are more in love with each other now than we were last time we blogged :) We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with Zach's family up here, and Christmas with Anne's family in Tucson.

We recently took at class at Grace Lutheran Church where we will be married. Zach has been a member there with his family forever, but Anne just joined, and will be recognized as a new member in early December. Most likely, Anne will be baptized close to that time as well....neither is a requirement for us to be married at Grace, but Anne is excited to have found a church that is very comfortable, and is in line with her values.

Engagement Photos

2008-10-26T09:45:00.001-07:00

I know this one is a little late, but Anne and I got to go take out Engagement photos the other day. The weather all week hadn't been that great, but boy did we luck out that Friday. Anne and I both had the day off and needed to do a little shopping and find some things to wear for her. (She looks great in anything by the way) We met Bob our photographer down at Pt. Defiance park in Tacoma and had a fun time. We did get a little pressed for time since Anne had to go to Cork that night, but we got PLENTY of pictures taken. Here are some of the better ones from that day. And if you would like to look at all of them here is the link to them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/zachary.zimmerman/EngagmentPhotos#
Enjoy, we sure did.

More Punkin Fun

2008-10-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

We re-visited our childhood today and went to a local pumpkin patch with our friends Sean, Molly, & Kristen. We got special treatment from the farm owner because he and his whole family are Puyallup School District employees and Anne used to babysit his nephews....sometimes it helps to know people :) We hunted for the perfect pumpkins in our own private field, shot mini pumpkins out of a slingshot, and took lots of cheesy photos. Zach even won us a free 15 pounds of pumpkins because he hit the slingshot pumpkin target a good 50 yards away! What a stud!

We also watched the Seahawks lose -- AGAIN, while dining on chili (Anne's recipe) and homemade mac and cheese with bacon (Zach's recipe). And of course there was mulled cider....what a perfect fall day! Oh yeah, and then we got the itch to paint the kitchen, so now we have a nice lavender color on the walls and it feels like we have a brand new kitchen :)

Kiss my Glass!

2008-10-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I, Zach here, have been traveling a lot, and I wanted to do something fun with Anne. So I was ended up finding a Glass Blowing class in Tacoma where we got to make glass blown pumpkins. It was awesome.

It was at a great little studio in Tacoma called M-Space. We got there and there were a TON of people also in our class, and basically only two people could create their pumpkins at the same time. So as we waited patiently we got to watch and learn from the others in the class, and really got to decide what color scheme we wanted. Here are some pics, but you can view all of our day here http://picasaweb.google.com/zachary.zimmerman

End of Summer update

2008-09-21T11:50:00.001-07:00

There's so much to do for the wedding, but so far we've been able to spread it out so that there hasn't been any stress. We went to the Wedding Expo here in Tacoma, and entered to win stuff, but that sure didn't pan out :( Oh well. We already had most of our big expenses taken care of....location, caterer, photographer, & "the dress". The next task will be to choose our colors/flowers/decor and register....both ovewhelming to even think about! Those put us both out of our comfort zone, but I'm sure we'll manage :)

Summer fun is winding down as the rain and cold weather comes back to town. Bummer, but it feels kind of cozy when it's colder out. We fit in a lot of hiking and biking this summer, and have lots of good memories of our adventures. We are both trying to bike to work as much as possible, but the weather might get in the way soon. We considered getting a scooter for short trips around town, but might wait until we get a house with a bigger garage....we are always looking for the ideal house, but don't have any set plans to move.

Anne is now working full time in the Puyallup district, but is splitting time between two elementary schools. That also meant quitting at REI (bummer about the discount, but it was time to get out of the retail world). She is still working a few days a week at Cork Wine Bar (check out the website at http://www.corkwinebars.com/!). Zach just got a promotion through his work with the state, which means more responsibilities and just as much travelling. He's been off Chicago, Dallas, Tennessee, Indiana, California, and the list goes on and on. Life is busy, but really, really good. It definitely makes us enjoy our time together when we have it :)

Michigan 2008

2008-08-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

August 9th, We took off for our long awaited vacation. We flew into Kalamazoo to spend time with Anne's stepfather's family. We were both excited for Zach to meet new family, and we couldn't wait to hang out on the beach.

Our first night Zach got to meet Grandma Vemich who, at the sweet age of 83, was still quite the ping pong player. Sunday we finally made it out to Lake Michigan, and to the lake house. Lake Michigan can vary quite a lot in temperature based on the weather and winds, but it was really quite nice compared to the ocean and Puget Sound (Anne's favorite part is that there are no sharks!)

Monday we went up to Muskegon for Zach's long-awaited kite boarding lesson. He learned so much that day and he's really going to be looking forward to taking another lesson and maybe even trying it on the Puget Sound in Tacoma. The rest of our week included kite flying, swimming, volleyball, frisbee, card playing, bicycling, golfing, sun bathing, plenty of beer, watching the Olympics, and repeating all of these numerous more times.

Here are some pics from Michigan.