ICON Consulting, LLC NERDS!

Here are some non-endorsed, non-professional, random photos from our office photo shoot a couple of weeks ago. One good thing about being a small office; we can get away with things like this!

The tall, dark-haired guy is Matt, my boss. He, Sarah (the Asian girl) and I are "Team Symbiotic," and the curly-haired girl and the yawning redheaded guy are "Team Moretsky."

My Ring!

Clint doesn't want me to show anybody pictures of my new engagement ring yet, but *shhhh*. I'm too excited to not share the photos! The setting that we chose is a classic white gold cathedral setting that tapers as it nears the diamond. It is almost like a diamond high-lighter because the band is wide, then gets thinner and thinner, and then, BAM! There's the diamond! It is SO beautiful, and we both LOVE the ring. I am so happy that we both found a style that we love, and that is not too dissimilar from the original setting that belonged to Clint's grandmother. So, don't tell Clint that I posted pictures.

The BFF Finally Got Hitched!

On Sunday, September 7th, my BFF Misty got married to her long-time boyfriend, Pat. They have been dating for almost seven years! THey met during their Freshman year at Western, and have bene inseperable ever since. As Misty's BFF, I was granted the honor of being her Maid of Honor. I spent the entire weekend in Bellingham, where the wedding was held. We had a very intimite bachelorette party on Friday night with Misty, our mutual friend Alissa, and myself. Saturday Misty and I had a manicure and pedicure in the morning before the rehearsal and dinner Saturday evening. Sunday morning we had our hair and make-up professionally done up, and we were off for photos. The wedding ceremony took place at 4:00 p.m. at the Bellingham Ferry Terminal. The weather was beautiful, the setting was very elegant, and everything was perfect! Everybody had a very nice time. Enjoy the pictures!

The Question was Popped

On Saturday, August 16th, Clint and I became officially engaged to be married. How did it happen, you may ask? Read on, friends. Read on!

Throughout this entire summer, I have been wanting to go for a picnic. Clint and I took several picnics last summer and had a wonderful time on each outing. We picnic pretty well; cheese, wine, hummus, and chocolates! The forecast for this weekend was to be hot; a predicted 93 high temp. For Seattle, this is virtually unheard of. I decided that this was the day for our picnic!

Clint and I spent quite a while deciding where we should go. We had the Seattle Parks and Recreation homepage in front of us for a long time when we finally decided on Magnuson Park on Lake Washington. Before we reach the park, though, we make a stop to Trader Joe's for munchies. We select our cheeses, our wine, and I ask if Clint would like to get another bottle of wine, or perhaps Champagne. Without hesitation, Clint exclaimed "Yes!" to the idea of champagne. I should have been suspicious...

Magnuson Park is wonderful, with lakeside knolls, an off-leash dog park, kite hill, and all the wild blackberries you can eat! We selected a nice patch of grass underneath a tree and spread out our picnic.

We opened the bottle of wine and set out the hummus and cheeses. We munch a little here and there, and play a few minutes of a really weird game that we probably won't ever play again. We smooch, and Clint lays with his head on my lap, and we just enjoy the day and the company.

Then, during a mushy moment, Clint kisses me, tells me that he loves me and that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. As we talk like this somewhat frequently, I didn't think anything of the moment. Then Clint got up on one knee, reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue box, opened it, revealing a spectacular diamond ring, and asked me to marry him.

Now, of course, my eyes instantly tear up and I'm at a loss for words. I force out an enthusiastic "Yes" and wrap my arms around Clint. I think there were probably some "Oh my God"'s in there, too, but I honestly can't remember it too well. Clint is still holding out the ring box, and I tell him to "Put that away." I needed a minute to process what just happened. I gather myself together and tell Clint that "Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife."

Then I ask to see the ring again. Clint tells me that it belonged to his grandmother, and that his family would be honored for me to have it and join their family. More tears (not crying, mind you; just tears) follow, and, with a shaking hand, I reach out and pull the ring from the box. Of course it is too small for my finger, but I wear it at my second knuckle nonetheless before I get too afraid that it will fall off, and transfer it to my pinky where it is more secure.

We decide to dump the rest of our open bottle of wine, and we pop the cork on the Champagne. Somehow, Clint manages to shoot the cork about 20 feet away! It was pretty funny. We drink, ad kiss, and talk about what it will be like to call one another "Fiancee" and what it will be like to be married. We decide that being married won't be much different from how we are now, except that I will be on Clint's medical insurance through Boeing.

So, there you have it. Of course there is more happening, but that was the engagement as it played out. We have gone looking at new settings for the diamond, and we have found a couple that we both like. We need to have the ring appraised, though, before we put it into a new setting. This is a good thing to do, but it's killing me that I can't wear it (properly) yet. I have it on my pinky for now, but it will be awesome when it's in a setting that fits me.

We know that we want to get married next summer, and most likely outdoors. I like September because it is beautiful, but we'll wait and see how the planning turns out! I will keep everybody updates as our plans progress...

Much love!

Under the Knife...

On Thursday, July 24th, I went under the knife to have my tonsils taken out. About time, right? For those of you familiar with my history, you know that I have had sore throats and combat bouts of unexplained voicelessness on a fairly consistent basis. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my history, this has been going on for about four years. It began when I was in school at WWU, and every time I would cone home, I would ask my dad to look at my tonsils, and he would always say, "Yep, they look pretty big and red." Every time, big and red. One of my friends told me that they looked like raw shredded beef. It's true, they were wrecked!

I would go to the student health center, and they would give me allergy medication, saying that the inflammation was due to postnasal drip. Right. I would take the drugs, only to be no better off the net week. For years this went on. Postnasal drip, allergies, it will go away.

So now that I have a real job with health insurance, I decided to make an appointment with my new Doc. He gave me antibiotics to combat the redness when I told him that the usual diagnosis of postnasal drip was not the case. After three weeks, I made another appointment when I discovered (sorry for the grossness) a sore on my right tonsil. My Doc took one look and said, "You know, I think you're right. Your tonsils are not looking too good. How about getting them taken out?" WHOOPEE! Finally a Doctor who is willing to take the challenge and not just write me off!

I had a pre-op consultation with the ENT Doc, and he said that in healthy people my age, the tonsils are almost invisible. Mine looked more like I swallowed two red golf balls that were now lodged at the back of my throat. Quite visible. He scheduled me for the procedure, and I went on my way...

The procedure itself was quite fast, and being unconscious, I didn't really seem to care much! Clint was with me during the pre-op check-in and when I was in recovery. He drove me home and stayed with me the next day, too. After the surgery, I was surprisingly awake and feeling quite well. I didn't seem to have any nausea and not too much pain. In fact, I ate some avocado chunks at dinner that night. The following day, I was up and about and feeling quite OK.

By about Sunday night/Monday is when I finally started to feel a little down, less energy, feeling groggy, in pain, not sleeping too well. It was almost like I was healing in reverse; feeling better right after the surgery, and the longer I healed, the more pain and ickyness I felt. By Tuesday, I was a wreck. All of the post-op notes mention that it is normal for people to be feeling fine, and then around day 5 or so, take a nose dive. I dove! This is because the first round of scabs start to slough off, and that is when the real pain begins. I was sucking down hydrocodone as fast as I was allowed to! I would wake up every four hours, almost on the nose, with the pain. I would sleep for ten or twelve hours, but only ever in four hour bursts. I was cranky, not my normal sparkly self.

By Thursday, one week after the surgery, I started to feel like me again. I woke up and showered, and I actually did my hair, and I think I even put mascara on! It was a breakthrough! By this point, I was SO really to be feeling better that actually feeling a little bit like me made a big difference!

So here it is, almost two weeks after the surgery, and I am still fighting the good fight. I still have some pain, but am no longer taking the narcotic pain killer except at night because it helps me sleep. The scabs haven't all sloughed off yet, so every now and then when one decides to go, there is some very acute and isolated pain. I mostly sleep through the night, sometimes getting up to take more Tylenol, but it's not as bad as it was.

Still not quite on solid foods yet. I am really good at eating yogurt, ice cream, and milkshakes. The solids that I have successfully eaten include Mac 'n' Cheese, bean burritos, cornmeal mush, pancakes, a hot dog, cottage cheese (if that counts) and a croissant with tomato and avocado. It's a start, but I can't wait until I can eat a steak again!

Cheesecake & Traditions

Day 6

Oh my gosh, this is the morning to top all mornings! It's Independence Day, and we're having birthday cheesecake...FOR BREAKFAST! The cheesecake, as mentioned in a previous blog, wasn't baked early enough to have time to cool, so instead we have cheesecake topped with strawberry pie filling for breakfast.

I love birthdays!

It has been, for as long as I can remember, a tradition to go to Newick's restaurant for lunch at some point during our New Hampshire vacation. Grandma protests, stating that Newick's has become too expensive and that it's not worth the money. But stubborn, I tell Grandma that it's not a New Hampshire vacation unless we go to Newick's. We tell her that she has no say in the matter, that we are taking her to lunch at Newick's. We hear nothing more after that.

We arrive, and the restaurant is busy but more quiet that usual, probably due to the holiday. Now, before I continue, it should be known that every time I have ever been to Newick's, which is every time that I've been to New Hampshire, we always have to order onion rings. They are some of the best I have ever eaten.

We order our drinks and massive order of onion rings, and enjoy the heck out of them until out lunch arrives. Clint and Grandma order the lobster rolls,as if their lobster the night before weren't enough. I, foolishly, order the seafood platter. Why foolish, you ask? One, because it isn't the lobster roll. Two, because it is enough food to feed half the population of Somalia.

Holy cow, I am SO full! AND, I still ahve a doggie bag full of deep fried crustacaens to take home. But boy oh boy, full or not, overeating at Newick's is what makes or breaks the vacation. This particular trip is MADE!

That afternoon, Clint and I go for a swim until dinner time. Dinner is a lovely grilled steak and caesar salad, followed by the Boston Pops and the Charles River esplanade fireworks show. Now, we were invited to attend a rooftop party in Boston to watch the fireworks and hear the Boston Pops, but we thankfully declined and spent the night with Grandma. After all, that is why we were there.

The fireworks were amazing, and the Boston Pops...Fantastic, as aways. It was a wonderful day and a great way to spend Independence Day!

Birthday Lobsters!

Day 5

Today is my birthday! I am now, officially, a quarter or a century! The last major birthday I had was four years ago, at 21. Now I will have to wait five more years until the next significant birthday, and then every decade thereafter. The good times are over, and now I just wait...

Yeah right! The good times are just beginning. "Why?" you ask; because today is going to be AWESOME! We make special scrambled eggs this morning, with bacon, onions, bell peppers; the works! They are delicious and nutritious; good thing, too, as we have a full day planned!

In the morning we accomlany Grandma to the house in town to run a few errands, take out the garbage, etc. When we return, we realize that it's time for Shannon Adams (formerly Shannon Smith) to come over with Chloe, her yellow lab whi is BFFs with Mandy, Grandma's golden retriever. Shannon joins us as we are finishing up lunch and together, with her sis-month-old son Jonathan, we call for a dip. Jonathan loves the water, and Clint and I, well, let's just say that being my birthday, he had to be nice. He didn't seem to like this arrangement as much as I did.

We end our visit with Shannon because Grandma has physical therapy this afternoon. She drops us off in Portsmouth, which is a cute harborside town with lots of little boutique shops and...Annebelle's Ice Cream Parlor! Guess what was our first stop! Oh, I love ice cream! And what's better than ice cream on a hot day? Ice ream on a hot day that is your birthday!

Clint and I become unsticky and walk the streets, poking our noses into the little shops that we pass. We don't buy anything, but it's nice to poke around. When it's time for Grandma to come pick us up, we run out to the corner, hop in the car, and make our way home.

Now this is where the day get really cool. When we get home, we start making dinner. Why is this so exciting? Because dinner tonight is 2 lbs. of mussels, and LOBSTERS! Oh my gosh, I live for lobster! Yum yum yum! Grandma makes an awesome coleslaw, boils the mussels, and I start the lobster water.

Lobsters need to be cooked alive, which just kills Grandma, so she can't do it. When it's time for the lobsters to go in, she leaves the kitchen, and I dunk them in head first (to quicken the death). Twenty minutes later, dinner is served! Oh man, I can't even write about this part because it will make my mouth start to water uncontrollably. The gist is that lobsters are awesome, especially fresh maine lobsters! YUM!

The idea for dessert was cheesecake, but it didn't make it into the oven in time to be done tonight, so instead we have brownies, which I also LOVE! Full, fat, and happy, I start to doze on the couch and decide that I've had enough fun for the day, and head off to bed.