Z Sister Update

Rachel

Last week 

• (picture = favorite work outfit of the week)
• Finally made our wedding album!!  Looking through all the pictures was nice.  We have some nice photos.  I still don't like his photos of our reception, but other than that they are lovely.  His prices are ridiculous, but tomorrow is the last day to order prints off his website if you want some.
• Cleaned the entire house.  Always feels so good.
• Ken's sister Melissa is here to visit.  Yesterday we went tubing at Harper's Ferry.  It was pleasant, although slightly ghetto.  Harper's Ferry is technically in West Virginia.  Just sayin...  We balanced out the spectrum of humanity by shopping in Georgetown and getting Frozen Yo downtown.
• Worked a lot and had some exciting new responsibilities which was more fun than scary.
• Went to lunch for CZ's bday.  Set a date for her family dinner/party that we'll host on Sept 18.  Hope she's back by then!
• Watched the first BYU game of the year.  We won!  Way more fun when we win. 
• Didn't make enough progress on the skirt refund, christmas flights or REfind light fixture.  

Next week

• Mail a bday present to Haley and Summer.  I don't send gifts to friends each year, but I have some ideas this year so why not.
• Nationals vs Dodgers baseball game with Ken, Melissa and SAZband! 
• Stake Conference this weekend.  Also another BYU football game.
• Continue planning my table display and treats for the lesson I'm teaching in Relief Society in 2 weeks.  If you all have any thoughts on the Gathering of Israel please feel free to share ;-)
• Work a lot.  Haven't been so good about transitioning to work from home in the evenings.  Darn.
• Is it too early to decorate with pumpkins yet? 

Annee

Last Week:

• Ran nearly 40 miles.  Mostly felt great.  But I do think I need to get a massage soon.  I seem to have an overly tight muscle in the back of my left thigh.  It afflicts me.  I'll bet if I went in for regular massages between now and the marathon the issue would be resolved.  But will I ever allow myself to do that?  I really should.
• I did get the Primary program written.  Mostly thanks to my incredible counselor who did the major final push to get it complied!  I feel so relieved.  Too bad I forgot it when I went to church on Sunday.  Our practice next week won't be very efficient if none of the kids have even been exposed to their speaking parts.  I simply cannot win!
• I didn't do one major grocery shopping trip.  I don't really know why.  But I did cook at home every night, except on Saturday night.  Darin took Henry to the first UNC home football game.  They were given tickets, so I took the other kids out to dinner so that we weren't feeling too sorry for ourselves that we didn't get to go to the game.  Some of us are so sensitive about these things...
• I did get totally yelled at in the parking lot of Lowe's grocery store this week.  It was so dumb.  I left George in the car with Jane and Ruby because they wanted to keep watching their movie, instead of run in with me for the three things I was getting.  When I got back out to the car, there was a super grumpy old man who felt it was his civic duty to yell at me for leaving my little children in the car.  When I told him I left my 10 year-old son in the car because he didn't want to come in the store with me, I saw that he felt slightly defeated in his act of civil justice, but it didn't stop him from cursing at me!  I think I'm done shopping at Lowe's.  (I know George isn't EXACTLY 10 yet, but you would have called him 10 in that moment too, if you had been me.)
• Found a really great pair of jeans at Anthropologie this week.  I was spending all my time in the sale room, thinking that's where I'd find my treasure.  But it was just one disappointment after another.  Before giving up and walking out, I just grabbed a pair of jeans off of a table and took them into the dressing room.  It was like they were meant to be mine.  I was so excited I went straight to the register and checked out.  I'll never regret that purchase.  Ever.  I'll only regret having only a single pair.  

This Week:

• I've got a couple of things to post over to my MOM sewing blog.  Last week with the kids all in school, and feeling rather relaxed, I found myself in the sewing garage quite a bit.  It was lovely.  Now to get those projects documented.  
• We have a ward opening social on Friday night.  We should go.
• Get both the boys to cub scouts this week!!  It's too easy to let Wednesday night come and let the kids talk me out of going.  We need to try to be better supporters of the program.
• Help the kids practice as much as possible between now and Wednesday.  Again, I can't be talked out of this.  When things are hard, you realize just because you are the parent, it doesn't make it any easier to endure it.  In fact I think it's harder!  
• I've got my first subbing job all lined up for this Friday.  It will be in 5th grade.  Hopefully I'll know a lot of the kids from all the subbing I did in 4th grade last year.  I'm excited to get back into it.  I have two more jobs lined up before the end of the month too.  Good times.  
• More eating at home.  I should find new recipes.  That always makes the cooking at home more run.  
• That's it.  I can't think of anything else right now because Jane is begging me to take her over to the pool, which means I need to go round everyone else up and take them all with us!  Happy Labor Day. 

Ie Li

Last Week:

• Sent my first born off to kindergarten and was quite sad about it all.  I am happy that she is loving it, and I know she will thrive in school.  We are so proud of our little Mei.
• Sewed a new dress for Mei.
• Ran twice.
• Went to the pool once.  That was our last pool trip of the summer.
• Went to the park.
• Played outside with the neighbor kids.
• Facebooked with my Uncle Weit in Malaysia.  Ie Mei and I are trying to put our Indonesian family tree together.  I think our Indonesian side will be much easier to figure out than our Chinese side.
  

Next Week:

• Nationals vs. Dodgers game with Rachel and Ken.
• Run three times.
• A couple of play dates.
• Meet Stephen's preschool teacher and visit his classroom.
• I offered to repair my neighbor's daughter's princess dress.  I would like to finish it this week.
• Go to bed early, wake up early.
• Get some more information on our ancestors, hopefully.

Sarah

(no picture this week)

Last Week:

• Put on another successful Rooftop concert on Friday - Imagine Dragons was great! There were about 3500 people there - our biggest crowd yet. It was kind of scary for me, as the one who organized it and would be ultimately responsible if anything went wrong, but luckily the roof didn't collapse, no one got trampled in the mob up by the stage, and there was no need to get ambulance access, so all's well that ends well
• Visiting Teaching - 2/3 on the last day of the month. Need to do better next month
• Made dinner a couple of times, including a great Chicken Mole recipe in the crock pot
• Neighborhood HOA meeting
• One last family trip to Seven Peaks - it's much more fun now that Huck & June will go on some of the big slides
• Christine arrived!

This Week:

• Catch up at work
• Catch up on laundry
• Catch up on finances
• Catch up on yardwork
• Catch up on grocery shopping
• Am I ever going to get to work out again?
• CZ and I should go to the movies
• Think about maybe joining my siblings in DC on Nov 12

Christine

Last Week:

• Celebrated my birthday by having lunch with Steve, Rachel, and Ken, dinner with friends, and a little shopping and pedicure.  It was a very nice day and it's always nice to be remembered.
• Signed the lease for a townhouse!  This is very exciting and I'm glad to finally know where I'll be living for this next year!  On my birthday I got the official word that we were getting the townhouse so that night I went and gave the deposit and signed the lease.  It's a three bedroom townhouse in Arlington, putting me in the Colonial 1st ward.  I'm really excited about it and really like the place.  Jaklyn, my roommate, and I were a little worried we'd get stuck without a third person for the first month, but luckily we very quickly found a third roommate who signed on Sunday, so we're all set!  Now that I have a place I'm realizing that I need to furnish it, which is a whole new thing to stress about, but at least it's a little more fun to work on than apartment searching.
• Flew to Utah on Thursday.  It's been great being back and seeing family and friends.  I love mom and dad's new house and I'm glad that Huck still remembers my name and still seems to like me.
• Friday I helped Sarah set up for and clean up the rooftop concert.  It was another total success and was so much fun to be a part of.  I always love being around for these events because I'm so impressed by all that Sarah is able to do and I like being able to brag to people that it's my sister who runs the show.
• Went to Seven Peaks Saturday morning with the Wileys.  I do love Seven Peaks and am sad I didn't get to enjoy it all summer long, but at least I got one last visit in.
• Went to church with mom and dad and then joined them for their ward Break the Fast after.  It's always fun to watch dad in the capacity of a bishop as he interacts with the ward members and to see how much he really cares about and loves all of them.
•  Spent Labor Day with Addie venturing up to Salt Lake for a little shopping and dinner at Hire's Big H.  I love that place.  Since being in Utah I've been sure to eat at In-n-Out, Cafe Rio (even though it's now out there in VA, it's not nearly as close and convenient), and Slab Pizza, and I definitely still have more places on my list.  There just seem to be so many good places here!

This Week:

• Taco Tuesday with Addie and Kelsea.
• Hopefully go to yoga a few times.  I'd like to get back into yoga here, where it's a place that I'm familiar with and classes that I know I can handle, then try to find a new place to go to out in DC.
• Hike the Y at least once.
• Spend as much time with family and friends.
• Enjoy the last lingering days of summer in Utah.

Thanks for participating, sisters! Hopefully we can hear more from Ana and Dorothy next week.  Love you all.