Nates and Kates

Best of Maui 2010!

2011-02-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

I had to post a few pictures from our amazing time in Maui!

BROTHERS!!!!

This is a montage of the video I took during our AMAZING whale watch! Sorry there are four different videos. I tried to post it in one video, but the file was too big. Just a couple things before you watch:

1. Yes, they were that close!

2. Sorry for the rocking. Water is not a solid surface and I'm not a very skilled photog!

3. Enjoy!!!!!

Mahalo, Maui!!!!!

My New Venture

2011-02-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

I know, I know it has been a while! Just a couple highlights from the months I've missed:

Nathan ran a MARATHON!!!!!! I'm so insanely proud of him! Nathan and Steve ran the White Rock Marathon at the start of December. I tagged along and ran the half. It was such a fun day and such an amazing accomplishment for my amazing husband and brother-in-law.

We spent a glorious week in Maui between Christmas and New Years! Nathan's brothers, Matt and Steve, joined us as we relaxed, ate, and enjoyed each other's company. It was an incredible trip and I'm so happy that Matt and Steve shared it with us!

Ok, so now on to the purpose of this post! For a while I have been trying to find a way to make a difference in this great big world of ours. I have inquired about volunteering, but there aren't many available times because the great people of this city are so philanthropic. I have heard stories about that lack of food in our food pantries and I wanted to help, but couldn't afford to buy food on a regular basis to help stock the pantries. Then I had an idea: why not use my couponing hobby to help stock the shelves?!? In that moment, Coupons With a Cause was born! Check it out!

http://couponswithacause.blogspot.com/

Life Update

2010-10-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, life moves quickly! How is it already October? Here is an update from the Nelson's:

Nathan accepted a new position at GMAC at the start of September. He has moved from the Loan Modification Department to Short Sales. This is a good move for him, as things were starting to change for the worse in his old department. It has been a tough transition due to the fact that he is learning all new software and procedures, but it is the best move for him in the long run!

I started teaching at Lamplighter in mid-August. I did not know it was possible to be this in love with a school! Lamplighter is such an amazing and special place and I am loving every minute of it. Teaching Pre-K has been a bit of an adjustment, but the kids are so wonderful that it makes it all worth it. I have already been sick twice, but I'll come out of the first couple years of teaching with one heck of an immune system!

Our prayers have been answered on two different fronts this month! Nathan's brother, Steve, returned safely from Afghanistan a couple weeks ago. We will forever be grateful for the sacrifice he has made on behalf of our country. Nathan is looking forward to visiting him in Nashville later this month for some quality brother bonding time! We also learned today that my grandfather's cancer is officially in remission!! He goes back for another scan in about 3 months to make sure things are still going well, but this is amazing news for our family! We have definitely been reminded this month how good God is!

The training for the White Rock Marathon/Half Marathon continues! I will be running 10 miles this Saturday and we will run the DRC Half Marathon on November 7 as part of our training. Who knew that I would run an actual half marathon in training for a half marathon! Nathan has been sidelined for a couple of weeks with a foot injury. I'm pretty sure he has a stress fracture, but he's too stubborn to actually go to the doctor. His plan is to sit out until the soreness dissipates and just "wing it" in the marathon if he has to! Holy cow, I married a tough man!

My best friend and the maid of honor from our wedding got engaged a couple weekends ago!! We're so insanely excited for Margarett and Kris!! Let the wedding planning begin! First up, dress shopping this weekend!!

Other than that, not much else is going on! We'll be heading to North Carolina the weekend before Thanksgiving for a good friends' wedding and then it's off to Bakersfield to spend the holiday with the Nelson clan! Hopefully there will be an update following that trip if not sooner!

Happy Birthday Pup!!!

2010-07-21T08:21:00.001-07:00

Today is Bella's 2nd birthday!! It's so hard to believe that she's already 2! Nathan told me that I have to stop calling her pup because she's an adult now, but she'll always be pup to me! We have had so much fun getting to know our little monkey over the last couple years and she has brought so much joy into our lives!! If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting the little monster, she is quite entertaining and has the best personality you could hope for in a dog. She is loving, zany, fun, and she never fails to make us laugh with all of the mischief she creates and the crazy situations she tends to get entangled in. We love our little pup so much!! Happy Birthday Boo Boo!!!

Dressed in her Sharky outfit that

Grandma & Grandpa brought her

from Maui!

Protecting my thumb after my surgery.

Getting into character for our
Christmas card picture.

The Big 2-8

2010-07-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the most amazing husband in the whole entire world!! I feel so blessed to have married such a funny, entertaining, caring, loyal, quirky, generous, and kind man. He is my best friend and an overall incredible human being! Happy Birthday, Baby!! I love you!!

We would also like to take this moment to thank those who have fought and continue to fight to preserve our freedom. We know some pretty amazing people who have given of themselves so selflessly to provide us with the lives to which we are accustomed. Specifically, Nathan's two brothers. We thank you both for your service and love you with all of our hearts!! May God bless those that are overseas and our incredible country!

Yeah, so its been a while...

2010-06-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Since the last time I blogged, this happened:

Then we went on a honeymoon as seen here:

I was a long-term sub in the school where I did my student teaching. I have a picture with my kiddos, but can't post it for obvious reasons!

I slashed my thumb cooking. I managed to sever the artery and nerve. Surgery fixed it and feeling is slowly returning. Naturally, Nathan took away my kitchen priviledges.

Tony and Ashley surprised us with Vampire Weekend tickets for my birthday!

Nathan surprised me with an evening at Medieval Times for my birthday!

We briefly became vegetarians. Nathan for about 2 and a half weeks and I made it a little over a month!

We headed to Provo for Loral's graduation!

We celebrated Mother's Day. We love, love, LOVE our moms!!!

We watched my bro COMPLETE a half-ironman in Disneyworld!

We decided to tackle White Rock! I will be running the half-marathon and Nathan will be running the full! I still contend that I was peer-pressured into agreeing.

We ran a 5k. Nathan finished 1st in his age group and got a nifty little trophy and I...well I finished :)

I started cooking again!

I got a job!!! I will be teaching preschool at The Lamplighter School. It is an absolutely amazing school and a truly special place to be a kid. I should know, I went there! Here are a couple pictures from my old Lamplighter days.

We planned a trip to Maui! We will be going over Christmas and New Years with Steve and Beth and Matt and Adrianne. Words cannot express how ridiculously giddy and excited we are about this trip!!

Rachel and my mom (both absolutely amazing!) helped me update our front landscaping.

We ran another 5k. Nathan finished 2nd in his age group behind Tony. I, once again, finished!

We celebrated Father's Day. We also love, love, LOVE our dads!!!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!!!

2010-01-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a while since we last blogged! Things have been kind of crazy and exciting on our end the last couple months. Here's a brief synopsis of all the fun things we've been doing!

December: I completed my student teaching the first week in December and graduated with my masters mid-month. It was a really fun day and I love all of my family (and future family members) that were there to support me!

All 5 of the Nelson siblings were in town for Christmas this year! It was so wonderful to have everyone together. I feel so insanely blessed to be marrying into such an incredible, loving, and supportive family. I am so excited that, come February 13, I will officially have 3 incredible women to call sisters! The Nelson men (plus a Hansen) are just as magnificent! I couldn't help but smile being in the presence of all these amazing people I will soon call my family. Nathan and I also enjoyed meeting and spending time with Steve's fiance, Beth. She is beautiful in every way and it was fun to see how unbelievably happy she makes Steve!

New Year's Eve: Nathan and I started looking for a house in December. On New Year's Eve we found the one!! We made an offer on the house 2 days later and it was accepted!! I have not mentioned it to this point because there is so much that has to go right in order to buy a house that I thought I would jinx it. Not anymore...

January 27: Today, we closed on our first home! The (soon-to-be) Nelsons are moving to Cactus Lane!! It is the absolute perfect house for Nathan and I! It is just northeast of White Rock Lake. For those of you not in Dallas, White Rock Lake is one of the prettiest places in the city with dog parks, walking and biking trails. We love, love, LOVE the house and could not be happier with our decision! I'm sure we will be posting pictures in the coming weeks. Well, maybe after a certain special day that is rapidly approaching. Which brings me to...

...We're getting married in 17 days! We've been so tied up with house stuff that it has really snuck up on us. It seems so unreal to me right now that I will be marrying my best friend in a little over 3 weeks! We can't wait to celebrate the start of our lives together with all of our family and friends. We love you all and can't wait to see everyone in February!!

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Ruggeri!!!

2009-11-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

My brother got married on November 7th in Fort Worth!! Nathan and I had such a blast at the wedding, spending time with family and friends. As you can probably tell from my previous posts, I have always looked up to my big brother. He has been such an incredible influence and inspiration in my life and I was so thrilled to get to be a part of such an important and monumental weekend in his life. It was an absolutely beautiful wedding and I could not be happier for my big brother and my new sister!! They truly are a perfect match! I have never seen my brother as happy as he was all weekend. I think my new favorite moment in our lives is watching Tony as Ashley emerged through the double doors at the church. His smile was so sweet and so genuine that I tear up just thinking about it! In the words of my brother, "Ashley is just a good person." I cannot think of any better way to describe her. She also has an incredible family and it was very exciting to finally join the Ruggeri and Rihani clans. We can't wait to spend much more time with her parents, sister, and brothers in the future. We all felt that the weekend went by way too fast. Luckily we'll be doing it again in 3 short months!!!

Nathan and I at the reception

My big brother and I!

Nathan's New Look

2009-10-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Nathan's coworkers decided to have an office competition to see who could grow the best beard. They were all supposed to grow it for 3 weeks and then determine the winners. The losers would then be required to shave all but the mustache for a week. Nathan, of course, jumped at the opportunity to avoid shaving. Unfortunately, he couldn't see the competition to its conclusion due to my brother's wedding next weekend and the scratchiness of his new facial hair. However, like all good competitors, he tipped his hat to his opponents. Due to his good sportsmanship, he is left with this...

This picture was included in the weekly newsletter that went out to his entire department. I am so proud!

Big News!!!

2009-09-19T07:26:00.001-07:00

Nathan has started a new job! This is wonderful since he was less than happy where he was. It was definitely a wonderful time for a change! Here is Nathan's explanation of his new job:

I am working at GMAC as a loan modification specialist. I will be servicing loans that have gone into default and trying to qualify them for President Obama's Home Affordable Modification Program. This allows the homeowner to stay current on their loan and the investor will not lose the loan to foreclosure.

Anyway, I have a few more weeks of training, but so far so good! I really like everyone I am working with and I have learned more about mortgages this week than I have my whole life.

My New Obsession

2009-08-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

Whenever I went to New Jersey to visit my family as a kid, I would inevitably end up making multiple trips to the grocery store with my grandmother. My grandma ALWAYS used coupons and would get so excited during double/triple coupon time at Safeway! Recently, Nathan and I have been trying to save money here and there because I haven't been able to work since May due to classes and student teaching. I started using coupons at grocery stores at the beginning of the summer, and we would save between $5-$10 every trip. Not too bad! Although, this summer I discovered where the major savings occur and that is at CVS!! CVS offers what are called 'Extra Care Bucks' to loyalty club members with certain purchases. These work just like cash at CVS stores and lead to some pretty incredible savings! Thanks to the help of www.survivingthestores.com I have discovered how to utilize my coupons and sales to actually MAKE MONEY on my purchases! Here are a few examples:

CVS Trip - August 18

Bought:
4 bottles of Sobe Life Water
2 BIC Roller Ball Pens
CVS Brand Aspirin (35 count)
L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Cream
L'Oreal Revitalift Mousterizing Cloths
CVS Brand tampons (10 count)

Cost Before Coupons: $34.53
Cost After Coupons: $5.83
Extra Care Bucks Earned: $11.98

What this means is that I paid $5.83 out of pocket and had $11.98 in Extra Care Bucks to spend on my next trip. Therefore, it is as though they paid me $6.15!!

CVS Trip - August 30

Bought:
Tide Stain Release Laundry Detergent
CVS Antibacterial Hand Soap
Venus Embrace Razor
Glade Reed Diffuser Air Freshener
Glade Candle
Sensodyne Toothpaste
Aquafresh Toothpaste
2 jars of Welch's Jelly

Cost Before Coupons: $43.67
Cost After Coupons: $4.34
Extra Care Bucks Earned: $18.99

It is a lot of fun to watch the total go down as they scan coupons! The other perk is that CVS gives you coupons based on how much you use your Extra Care Card. In these two transactions, I used coupons for free aspirin and hand soap that CVS had given me on previous visits. I can usually use most of what I buy, but if I really don't see myself using something I'll just donate it to the St. Vincent De Paul organization that my dad runs at our church! If you are into saving money, then I would head to the Surviving the Stores website and look at the 'Surviving CVS' link. It takes a couple trips to really get it down, but once you do, it is very much worth it!! Happy couponing!

Solidly Together!

2009-08-17T17:49:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned previously, Nathan and I are going through the Pre-Cana process, the marriage preparation required to get married in the Catholic Church. As part of that preparation, we had to take a test called FOCCUS. It is intended to cover the major aspects of married life and deals with issues from money to children to family and friends. It was over 200 questions and took a very long time to take! However, we are happy to report that the results are finally in! According to the test, Nathan and I are "solidly together" in our relationship! Of course, we already knew we were meant to be together, but it's still nice to know that we are very much on the same page in terms of important issues we might face during our marriage! Apparently this means we'll never have an argument, EVER :)

On another note, I have officially passed my certification exams and I am now a certified teacher!! I will begin my student teaching on August 24th at a school in Plano ISD! I am so anxious and excited to be in the classroom on a daily basis!

Adventures in Bella-Sitting!!

2009-08-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

Bella LOVES her grandparents! In fact, she goes nuts whenever she enters the Ruggeri or Nelson households. It's an absolute riot, so we decided to videotape her reaction. Enjoy!

Maui!!!

2009-08-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

We came back from Boston late Sunday night and left for Maui around noon on Monday! It was a whirlwind, but totally worth it! My parents have a place in Maui and spend 3 months out of the year there. We tagged along for this trip and had a lot of fun spending time with them! We were lucky enough to go last year as well. Last year we did a lot of the "touristy" things, so this trip we spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach! We also went hiking, surfing, and played a lot of tennis! It was a quick trip, but tons of fun! We can't wait to go back again :)

On our 2 1/2 hour, 7 mile hike! Wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into when I agreed to it, but we had a good time!

Nathan was a natural!

Me? Not so much!

2/12

Boston!

2009-08-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I had a very busy July filled with fun travels!! For our joint birthday present, my parents gave us a trip to Boston. I graduated from Boston University in 2006 and haven't been back since. We had a great weekend! I got to show Nathan around the city and introduce him to my wonderful college friends!

Nathan by the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

By the Charles River. So beautiful!

Memorial for fallen soldiers at the Old North Church. There was a dog tag for every soldier lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. It really took your breath away.

200 Days!!!

2009-07-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I are getting married 200 days from today!!!! I feel like we've been engaged forever and we still have forever left until we're married, but I can't wait!!! I am sooo ready to be Mrs. Nelson!!!

We have been very absent from the blogging world as of late. I had a hectic summer semester and I am happy to report that I have finished all of my masters coursework! I start student teaching on August 17 and will continue through Thanksgiving. Come December I will finally have my masters!!!

After finishing a crazy month of class, Nathan and I went on two wonderful trips. I promise to update with pictures and stories soon!

The Wedding Website is Up!!!

2009-05-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.mywedding.com/natesandkatesforever/

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Hansen!!!!

2009-05-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Nathan and I were in California for his little sister Loral's wedding! She looked absolutely stunning and the wedding was incredible! I had the chance to meet more of Nathan's wonderful family and we had so much fun all weekend long! Congrats Matt and Loral!The beautiful reception in Santa Barbara

Things We Have Learned About Bella

2009-05-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

May 8th was the 6 month anniversary of Bella joining our little family! Here is some of what we have learned about our sweet little pup over the last 6 months!

Bella is a big fan of playing fetch at the dog park, but...

...is often distracted by stick and leaves.

She has not quite grasped the whole camera concept. She thinks it is yet another object that needs to be licked. She gets herself stuck in some pretty interesting places including underneath my hope chest and underneath her puppy stairs. She has yet to learn how to prevent this from happening.She LOVES her candy cane bone. She has been working on it since Christmas. There is only one small scrap left. I'm not quite sure what we're going to do when it's gone...She is also a big fan of puppy cupcakes from Sprinkles! She may look uncomfortable, but she's not!If you're eating, she's your new best friend!She likes to be a part of pretty much anything we're doing.

We have also discovered that Bella LOVES her grandparents! I need to get a video of her reaction upon reaching the front door of both the Ruggeri and Nelson households. She goes CRAZY!

Nathan, Bella, and I would also like to take this chance to wish our wonderful mothers a happy mother's day!! We love you both so very much!

And happy mother's day to all of the mothers out there! We hope that, at least today, you get the recognition you so very much deserve!

Long Overdue!!

2009-05-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

In April, Nathan and I spent a fun weekend in Calgary with Peter and Anne! We wish we could have stayed longer, but we definitely took advantage of the little time we had! Peter and Anne were fabulous hosts and it was such a bummer to leave! That just means we'll have to make another trip up there (if the Mathews will have us, of course!) Here are a few pictures from our fun weekend!

The group at the top of the gondola in Banff!

It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

I'm a huge hockey fan and the Calgary Flames were in the playoffs. Although the games were in Chicago, the atmosphere in the city on game day was electric and so fun to be a part of! Peter and Anne took us to an INCREDIBLE sports bar in downtown Calgary called Flames Central. It is completely decked out in Calgary Flames logos, there is a huge big screen where everyone can watch the game, and everyone there was a Flames fan. Nathan and I bought Flames shirts so we could try and fit in!

Here is a video of Flames Central. Please excuse my singing. They used to play this song in between periods at Stars games growing up. They stopped playing it when the Stars moved to the American Airlines Center. Needless to say, I was VERY excited to hear it!

Thank you Peter and Anne for such a wonderful weekend and congratulations to you both on your big job news!!!!

Congrats Big Bro!!!

2009-03-12T12:55:00.001-07:00

My big brother, Tony, popped the question last night and to the whole family's surprise, Ashley said yes!!! I could not be any happier for them! Ashley is fabulous and we're all so excited to welcome her into the family!

Hard to believe that the Ruggeri kids are both engaged! How did we get this old?!?

Not to get mushy or anything, but the fact that we're both getting married has made me seriously reminisce about when we were little. For those of you that didn't know us when we were younger, Tony was a terror and I was his (often uninvited) sidekick. Well, let me restate that; I was uninvited unless he needed someone to test out one of his McGyver-esque inventions. I will never forget the day Tony built a zipline over the pool (this, of course, was not out of the ordinary) and I was selected as the crash test dummy. Let's just say that Tony ended up rebuilding the zipline because it didn't quite hold. I, unfortunately didn't make it to the pool. From personal experience, landing on a pad from that high isn't much different than landing on cement!

Although he would never admit it at the time, he took care of me. There was the time that I got my head stuck in the front railing. I was playing hide-and-go-seek with our neighbor. Base was the front porch. I thought I could take a shortcut to base by climbing through the railing. My head was the only part that fit. Benjamin (our neighbor) had a habit of running away when I got myself in these situations because he thought he would get in trouble. I think I was stuck in the railing for a good 20 minutes before Tony got home from school. He nonchalantly walked past me into the house. I thought he would leave me there, but the second he stepped foot in the house I heard, "mom, Katie's stuck in the railing!" Tony saved me again! Also, when I fell in the pool during winter with all of my winter clothes on (and Benjamin froze and didn't know what to do) Tony was the one to yell at him to go get my parents and try to pull me out himself. Yeah, my big bro has been pretty good to me!

And, naturally, all of this happy reminiscing makes me think of the one time I thought I lost him. We were pulling Christmas decorations out of the attic. We LOVED going up in the attic, so we were pros by this point. I was having a conversation with Tony and asked him a question about one of the boxes. He didn't answer. When I turned around, Tony wasn't there. I looked down and Tony was lying in a box on the garage floor, not moving. Of course, in my little kid brain I thought he was dead. I will never forget how I felt as I ran in the house to get my mom. It is making me cry now, just thinking about it. I honestly thought my big brother was gone. Of course he wasn't. He was just unconscious. He had fallen backwards out of the attic. He hit a step on the way down and, by the grace of God, landed in a box of blankets. BLANKETS! Still, to this day, I cannot believe how much God was looking out for us that day!

So, the moral of all the blabbering is that I thank the lord everyday that I was given Tony as my big brother. I look up to him as much today as I did back then. Needless to say, I have very high standards for who should be with my brother and I never could have imagined him finding someone as perfect as Ashley! So, congrats Tony and Ashley! I love you both and I can't wait to build many more happy memories together!

Somebody went to the groomer!!!

2009-02-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

Loving the bow so much more than the bandana they usually put on her.

Congratulations Loral and Matt!!!

2009-01-28T13:33:00.001-08:00

Keepin' It Real

2009-01-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

My friend Katie tagged us for a "Keepin' It Real" blog post. The point is that everyone makes their lives look perfect in the blogging world, so this is an opportunity to show how life really looks on a day to day basis. In order to participate, you take pictures of the following 10 things:

1. Fridge
2. Closet
3. Kitchen Sink
4. Toilet
5. Favorite Shoes
6. Favorite Room
7. What my kids are doing right now
8. Laundry
9. Self-Portrait
10. Dream Vacation

Now, my mother taught me to clean up for company, even if that company is visiting via the blogging world, so this may not be exact reality, but it's pretty close. Here ya go!

Fridge:

These pictures were taken right before we left to house sit for my parents while they're in Maui for 6 weeks, so there isn't much in there! Pretty much just all the basics!
(Note: Please excuse the poor picture quality. My nice camera had already been moved).

Closet:

My closet is a nightmare! I'm pretty sure that there is no closet that can fit all of my stuff! This isn't even all of it. My summer clothes are in a separate closet during the winter and a lot of my shoes are stored in bins.

Kitchen Sink:

Pretty boring.

Toilet:

Again, pretty boring.

Favorite Shoes:

These are my favorites for the moment. Probably because I just bought them this weekend!

Favorite Room:

I love the bedroom. It is so peaceful and relaxing to be in there and it's beautiful thanks to the new furniture my parents bought me for my last birthday! (Katy, they bought the bed and dresser in the Weir's clearance center for cheap!)

What My Kids Are Doing:

No kids, but we do have a Bella. She pretty much plays and that's about it!

Laundry:

Thankfully, I just did laundry because when it gets stacked up, it's not pretty!

Self-Portrait:

Had to get Nathan in it!

Dream Vacation:

I think it would be Fiji. I can't really think of anything more relaxing than laying on the bed in your hotel room that is suspended on stilts in the middle of the ocean! Maybe we'll make it there one day! We do have a honeymoon to plan...

Introducing Our Wedding Party!!!

2009-01-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

Right before Christmas, Nathan and I decided (at the very last minute, which is a testament to how INCREDIBLE our wedding party is!) that since a lot of people were home for the holidays, it would be a perfect time to get our wedding party together for lunch. We went to Jake's and although not everyone could make it (some as a result of the last minute planning and some weren't in town) we had a blast! We are so blessed to have such incredible friends and family to share this amazing process with! Thank you so much to all of you that came and to every single one of you for agreeing to share this special day with us! We would also like to thank the significant others/spouses of our wedding party! You guys are all amazing and we always have so much fun hanging out with all of you! Thank you for giving up some of your time to share in this process as well! So, without further ado, here is our wedding party!

Our wonderful lunch!

Best Man - Peter and his wife, Anne
Nathan and Peter have been friends since high school.

Peter and Anne got married in May of 2007. Nathan was Peter's best man.

Maid of Honor - Margarett
Margarett and I have known each other since 6th grade. We were born in the same hospital on the same day and were often mistaken for sisters (once, even twins! Ha!)

Groomsman - Tony and his girlfriend, Ashley
Tony is my big bro!
He works for a commercial real estate company here in Dallas!

Bridesmaid - Rachel

Bridesmaid - Loral and her boyfriend (fiance?!?) Matt

Rachel and Loral are Nathan's little sisters.

They are currently attending BYU in Provo, Utah.

Groomsman - Matt
Groomsman - Steve
Matt and Steve are Nathan's older brothers.
Matt is in the Navy and lives with his wife, Adrianne, and their three kids in San Diego.
Steve is in the Army, currently stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Groomsman - Sheldan
Sheldan is Nathan's cousin.
He is in the process of moving from Bakersfield, CA to Las Vegas for work.Groomsman - Kyle and his wife, Kelli
Nathan and Kyle have known each other since they were little, but became really good friends while in college. Kyle and Kelli were married in 2005. Bridesmaid - Katie and her husband, Patrick
Katie and I have been friends since 5th grade.
Katie and Patrick were married on New Years Eve, 2006. I was a bridesmaid in their wedding.
Bridesmaid - Elizabeth
Elizabeth and I have been friends since 5th grade.
She currently teaches kindergarten in Southlake.Bridesmaid - Liz
Liz and I have been friends since kindergarten.
We were roommates and worked together at Reel FX for over a year. Flower Girl - Maddie
Flower Girl - Abbie
Ringbearer - Luke
Maddie, Abbie, and Luke are Nathan's nieces and nephew (Matt & Adrianne's children).
They live in San Diego.
Junior Bridesmaid - Samantha
Junior Bridesmaid - Caroline
Samantha and Caroline are my cousins.
They live in Plano with my Uncle Frankie and Aunt Jami.

(Pictures coming soon!)

Bella's New Game

2008-12-27T14:34:00.001-08:00

So, Bella has discovered that whenever she wants to play and we don't, all she has to do is get a hold of something she isn't supposed to have (watches, socks, gloves, etc.) and we'll chase her! In this instance, she has her daddy's running watch. I apologize for my laughing in the background, but it's pretty funny when it's not happening to you!

We hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas and wish you all health and happiness in the new year!

By Request - More Bella!!!

2008-12-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

We don't have that many pictures of our puppy yet, but we are hoping to take Bella on her first excursion to the dog park this weekend, so we'll be sure to update after that!

Bella discovered the toilet paper holders at my mom and dad's house. Apparently three bathrooms have been hit so far!

New Jersey!

2008-12-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

This is a long overdue post, but at the end of October the family took off for New Jersey to surprise my Grandpa Joe for his 80th birthday! Nathan had the pleasure of coming along and meeting the family! It was an absolutely wonderful weekend and, of course, everyone fell in love with Nathan! It was so much fun to be able to show Nathan all of the fun places Tony and I went during our summers growing up. We even had the chance to hit two other states in the 3 days we were there! We went to Philly for dinner at this awesome diner our first night and drove through New York the last day, just to give Nathan a little taste of the big city we all love so much! I can't wait to go back and show him around one of the greatest cities on earth! So, without further ado, here are some pictures from the trip!

The Boardwalk on the Jersey shore. Tony and I visited here almost every summer growing up. It's where I honed my ridiculously amazing whack-a-frog skills!

With my dad's parents. That's my Grandpa Fred and my Grandma Rose! The men! This is my Uncle Sandy, my dad, Tony, the birthday boy (my Grandpa Joe), and Nathan. We're waiting to go into breakfast. This restaurant had like 200 omelettes on their menu (no joke!) If there's one thing the Ruggeri/Calatozzo clan knows how to do, it's eat!! The girls! Well, minus my mom. She somehow managed to stay out of every single picture. This is me with my Grandma Annette and my Aunt Diane. Can't beat fall in the northeast!

Say hello to Miss Bella!

2008-11-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

A week ago Nathan and I were driving by Petco and saw an adoption sign outside. We went in and discovered that they were having a kitty adoption that weekend. After playing with the kittens for a little while, we got the urge to look at some puppies. My mom said that a new pet store called PetLand had just opened, but we shouldn't go because we would fall in love with one of the puppies. We, of course, went anyway and after playing with a few puppies, they brought out the cutest little white ball of fur. We instantly fell in love! We honestly went in with the intention of just looking at puppies and we walked out with Bella! She is a white maltese and she weighs 3.5 pounds. She is the cutest little thing, super super cuddly, and we love her to death! We have spent the last week working hard on potty training. She has already visited both sets of grandparents and successfully marked her territory in each house. My parents and Nathan's parents will be very happy to know that we have come a very long way in 1 week! Bella now goes on the newspaper and then stands and patiently waits for her treat! She is the cutest little puppy! We'll have to make sure she gets a chance to meet everyone during the holidays!

Thank you!

2008-11-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

November 11th never used to mean much to me. Growing up I honestly didn't know it was a special day. I mean we didn't even get a day off of school and you ALWAYS get a day off of school for the special holidays, right? Wrong! It wasn't until I was in college that I realized the significance of this seemingly insignificant day. My mom called me on November 11, 2002 and asked me to call my grandfather. His birthday was at the end of October, so I asked what the call was about. She told me that it was Veteran's Day and that I should call him and say thanks. It was at that moment that I realized the important day that I had overlooked for all those years. So every year on Veteran's Day I stop for a moment and reflect on all of the brave men I have in my life that fought so hard to preserve the only way of life I have ever known. This Veteran's Day carries with it even more significance as Nathan's brother Steve landed safely in the United States yesterday after 14 months in Iraq. To him I say with complete sincerity, thank you for all that you do and for the sacrifices you have made for this country. I would also like to take this time to thank my Grandpa Joe, a veteran of the Korean War, my Grandpa Fred, a veteran of World War II, and my late great-Uncle Pat, also a veteran of World War II. Although I have not had much of an opportunity to discuss the wars in depth with my grandfathers, I had a unique opportunity to discuss wartime experiences with my Uncle Pat before he passed away. My freshman year of college I was asked to write a profile on someone that I considered to be a hero. After my mom explained all that my Uncle Pat had done and seen in his three years in the service I knew, without a doubt, that he truly fit the bill. My Uncle Pat and Aunt Emily represented true love in every sense of the word. My Aunt Emily passed away last year and my Uncle Pat was never the same. He soon followed, passing away in late December so that he could spend Christmas with his beloved Emily. So on this day, Veteran's Day, I honor his memory by sharing the story of Uncle Pat and his heroics. The profile I wrote about him was published in a college textbook. If you care to read his story you can find it here:

http://college.cengage.com/english/blau/writing_works/1e/resources/wor/wor11.html

Again, thank you to all of those who fought, and continue to fight, to preserve our way of life and our freedom. Everyone, no matter how busy you are, should take a moment today to offer them thanks.

It's Official

2008-11-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

We didn't have a lot of time to get it done, but after a change of heart on the location and camping out in front of the registration office for 3 hours, we can now make it official! Nathan and I will be getting married on February 13, 2010 at Perkins Chapel at SMU!!! We are so excited to finally be able to make the date and the church official!! Perkins Chapel is absolutely beautiful and we believe it fits us really well! The people at SMU have been fantastic and it was well worth getting up early and camping out by their office all morning! Now if this seems weird, please understand that Perkins Chapel is very popular among the Dallas folk. Nathan and I heard stories of people waiting outside the office for 6 hours on the day they started taking reservations for their wedding month and still not getting their date! Lucky for us we're having a winter wedding, so 3 hours was all it took. Of course, not a single other person showed up to wait in line during those 3 hours, but I still think it was well worth it in order to secure this beautiful church! We are so blessed to have such loving family and friends and we can't wait for you all to share this wonderful day with us! Let the countdown begin! Only 467 days until we're married :)

Race for the Cure

2008-10-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Every year my mom and I and a couple friends walk in the Race for the Cure. It is an incredible opportunity to celebrate those women who have won their fight against breast cancer as well as honor those that were taken from us entirely too soon. It is unbelievable how many lives this disease has touched. 32,000 people were a part of the event this year and almost every single one of them walked in honor of at least one person who has fought this terrible disease and 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. The numbers are staggering. In fact, most people reading this have had their lives touched by breast cancer in some way, I know Nathan and I both have. If you have never been a part of a Race for the Cure event, I urge you to sign up next year! Although, it was a women-only event in the past, men are now encouraged to participate. After all, they are all affected as well. If you don't want to walk, then you can register and come take part in the festivities. All the registration money goes to finding a cure for breast cancer. It would be well worth your time, I promise you. The whole morning is a great big celebration of life! The survivors wear pink shirts and it is absolutely incredible to see all of these strong women in one place. It's experiences like these that really put me in my place and make me think about all of the insignificant complaints I have from day to day. To see all those women in pink shirts who have fought or are fighting this disease with grace and dignity is eye opening. I only wish that I had their strength. It is truly inspiring.

Go Cougs!!

2008-10-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

On October 16th the BYU soccer and football teams came to Texas to play TCU. Nathan and I spent an incredibly fun day in Fort Worth with the Nelsons and the rest of the BYU family! We got to go to Rachel's soccer game, which is always fun for me. They won a close game 1-0 even though they played most of the second half a man down! Take that Horned Frogs!

Right after Rachel agreed to be a bridesmaid

in our wedding!

After lunch with the Nelsons, Nathan and I went to the Fort Worth zoo to kill a little time before the football game. If you haven't been to the Fort Worth zoo, I suggest you go pronto! It was so much fun! The lions and tigers both just had cubs, we got to see the penguins (my favorite) and, although I couldn't look, Nathan was mesmerized by the bald eagle tearing apart some sort of rodent. I know he was mesmerized because when I downloaded all of my pictures, there were about 6 of the bloody massacre. Yuck!

I was really excited to hear the lion roar! Nathan thinks

he was just coughing...

After fun at the zoo we went on to the football game. Boston University doesn't have a football team, so I haven't had many opportunities to take in a college football game. Even though BYU lost, it was soooo much fun! It's such an incredible atmosphere! Both teams have their traditional cheers, everyone is so into the game, and the cheerleaders (especially the BYU cheerleaders) have some pretty incredible tricks up their sleeves!! Overall, it was a truly fantastic and fun day!

Pregame Ritual

Big, bad FOCCUS!

2008-10-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you that don't know, I'm Catholic and it has always been a dream of mine to get married in the Catholic church. This, however, is not a quick and simple process. In order for the church to agree to marry us, we have to go through something called Pre-Cana. Pre-Cana consists of going through what I would call couples counseling with the priest, a family planning meeting, a conflict management seminar, and something the church is calling 'Engaged Encounter Weekend' (thank goodness I have such a patient and loving fiance!). However, before the church confirms our date and we can do any of that, we have to take a test; the FOCCUS test (Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding & Study). I have heard from other couples that it is actually kind of fun, although I typically wouldn't use the word "fun" to describe a 190-question test! The test deals with everything from family issues to drinking and gambling to careers. They take the results and incorporate them into our counseling sessions so that we can talk through any areas in which we might have differing opinions. I guess it actually sounds kinda cool. Nathan and I have never really talked about some of the issues, so it might be interesting to see his views on something like gambling. Anyway, the big test date is tomorrow night (October 9th). Everyone wish us luck! We'll post again once we find out our results!

Side Note: We are not officially divulging the name of the church we would like to get married in until they have confirmed our date, so as not to jinx it (I know everyone is sooo crushed)! But, that is a picture of the church above. For those that know which church that is, you're a step ahead of everyone else!

Congratulations to the Babbs!!!

2008-09-27T09:04:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, Nathan and I had the honor of attending the wedding of his good friend from middle school, Josh Babb, and his beautiful new wife, Kathryn! The ceremony took place at Josh's uncle's ranch in Celina, Texas overlooking a lake. The couple said their vows in front of a wooden cross draped with wildflowers that Josh handmade. The reception was held under a tent just up the hill. It was an absolutely beautiful setting for such a wonderful couple to begin their lives together and we were so thrilled that Josh and Kathryn invited us to share such a special day with them!

Backdrop for the ceremony

Absolutely beautiful!The first dance

Cutting the cake

Just enjoying the celebration!I got to hang with the boys for the evening! Lucky girl!

Run Forrest, Run!

2008-09-27T08:48:00.001-07:00

Nathan was a runner in high school and, from what I hear, a darn good one! For me, running was my least favorite (yet very big) part of playing soccer. Despite this fact, Nathan has talked me into running 5Ks. We have run 3 so far and contrary to what I thought, they're actually fun! Of course I'm terrible, but it's still fun to try and beat your previous time! Nathan, of course, is incredible and makes it all seem so effortless. We have even recruited friends to run with us. Brennen ran the Addison Oktoberfest 5K with us and Kyle and Kelli ran the Mary Kay 5K. It's a nice and fun alternative to running on the boring old treadmill!

Too Hot To Handle 5K
July 19, 2008

Mary Kay 5K

September 6, 2008
(We had a group pic, but Kelli would kill me if I put it up!)

Addison Oktoberfest 5K

September 20, 2008

Nathan and Brennen after the Addison Oktoberfest 5K

Rock Climbing!

2008-09-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

The day after we got engaged my brother, Tony, invited us to go rock climbing at Exposure. The last time I was at Exposure was my 10th birthday party and I forgot how much fun it was! Although Nathan and I were relegated to the beginner routes at the beginning, I think there was a very respectable improvement by the end! Of course, no matter how much we improved, there was no catching Tony. I mean, he climbed the Grand Tetons so, needless to say, he was on a different level. It was a great follow up to such an incredible night!

Tony and I before my first climb!Just call me Spiderwoman!
(Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration...)I was very impressed with my fiance!
(I love saying fiance!!!)He's goooood!

We're Engaged!!!!!

2008-09-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I have been considering creating a blog for a while now, but we were waiting for the right time. After last night, we figured there was no better time to start our blogging life than at the start of our lives together! For those of you who don't know, Nathan popped the question last night!!! WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!!! Nathan planned the entire night out perfectly and everything went off without a hitch. We had always talked about going to downtown Fort Worth, but had never done it. On Thursday night, Nathan surprised me and said he had made reservations for Friday night at a great restaurant in downtown Fort Worth called Reata. I was so thrilled about our big date night, I bragged to everyone. Of course, I had no clue what was going to happen! Friday finally came and we headed for downtown Fort Worth. The drive was a little shaky (Nathan's truck made some funky noises and we lost a tailpipe!) but we made it! We had an incredible table on the roof of Reata. All through dinner I kept telling Nathan how romantic it was! At one point I even said "there isn't anything else you could do to make this night more perfect!" I obviously had no clue what was coming! Here is the view of downtown Fort Worth from the roof of Reata and our "before" picture.
After an absolutely delicious dinner (seriously, go to dinner at Reata if you have a chance!) Nathan was eager to get the check. May I remind you that I still had no clue what was going on! I came out of the restroom and Nathan took me outside and told me that he had flagged down a horse and carriage! We got on and in the seat across from us was flowers and a small bag. Now, let me preface this next part by saying that I am extremely gullible. I asked Nathan about the flowers and gift and he said "the last people must have left them here." I spent the next couple of minutes really concerned about the people who had left their lovely gifts behind. The carriage ride continued and when we came upon the Fort Worth Water Gardens, the driver all of a sudden stopped. He said he was sorry to inconvenience us, but Pudge (our horse) was breeching and he needed us to step off. I still had no clue what was going on, I was just really excited that we got to walk through the water gardens! We started the walk and right as Nathan was about to start the proposal, I was distracted by some fountains. Poor Nathan's heart was pounding 5,000 miles an hour and I just wanted to look at the fountains! He finally lured me away from the fountains and said "I've been waiting for this moment since the day I met you!" Through all of this I was thinking that this was a really cruel joke. For those that don't know, we had gone to look at rings the Friday before and, needless to say, it never crossed my mind that we would be getting engaged this soon after! So Nathan had to ask me to marry him twice! I was in shock for the first one and I forgot to say yes! Finally I said yes and he put the beautiful ring on my finger! We walked back to our sneaky carriage driver who graciously took our "after" pictures!

The most perfect man in the world planned the most perfect proposal! It was incredible and we are so thrilled to spend the rest of our lives together!! Of course, no proposal would be complete without the ring, so here are some pictures of the beautiful sparkler that Nathan surprised me with!!!
After leaving Fort Worth, we drove to my parents' house where my parents were waiting with my brother, Tony, and his girlfriend, Ashley, and a bottle of champagne! All in all, the perfect evening!