since we don't send xmas letters - the 2009 edition

As has been the case for the past three years, Nate and I (and both pup pups) jumped in the car and headed home to Ames, Iowa for a nice long Christmas vacation. Fortunately we headed North between storms, and the roads were fabulous for our two day trip. But once we got there it didn't take long for mother nature to start burying us in a winter wonderland. 

All-in-all we had some 20 inches, but being snowed in (literally) with family on Christmas Eve is never a bad thing...not with our families anyways. :) And with the endless supply of food that both of our mom's provide there's no chance of going hungry...or becoming even slightly unfull for that matter.

Of course the two weeks flew by, and leaving always sucks. But knowing that we'll be home again in a mere three and a half months made it a little easier. Hopefully by May some of this snow will be gone.

The Lord has blessed us with this wonderful time spent with family, a new church home and friends here in Corpus, and good health in 2009. We see exciting things on the horizon for 2010, and we hope the New Year finds you well.

Me waist deep in snow - Sioux City, IA

Heading down Highway 20 on our way from Ames to Sioux City.

Nate and I with our build-a-bears we made for Toys for Tots. I think this was everyone's favorite part of Grace's "gift of giving" Christmas this year.

My bro and sis and me.

Grace, Nate, Gma, Papa, Me, Dad, Mom, Emily, Emily B, and Andrew all posing with our animals we built.

Grace packing up the toys for the kiddos.

Another part of Grace's Christmas celebration was picking out kids to buy books for at Barnes and Noble.

Gma choose a classic for a lil' 1 year old girl.

Buying dog toys/treats for all the puppies of the family and the animal shelter. Dad and Gma bought for our Izzy girl. Spoiled pups.

Nate and me with Gma and Papa.

Arts and crafts time! Coloring the ornaments we got from Gma and Papa.

Every year my mom makes an ornament with the kiddos at the preschool she teaches at and gives it to the family. This year's is a fabulous silver and sequined ball.

My brother and his girlfriend, Em B., have a thing for animal print...these are the matching Pjs they got. Oh yes, they are ladies Pjs.

We spend a good portion of our time together telling ridiculous stories and laughing until we're all crying and holding our stomaches.

This trip home was no exception...

Nate is a giant.

My dad's parents. Gma and Gpa.

She makes the BEST cookies in the world. I ate them until I was literally sick.

My great-grandparent's (dad's side) marriage certificate.

Nate and I enjoying Christmas at his parent's house.

The Rippke clan. Becki, me, Nate, Gma Jo, Erin, Jamie, Byron, and pup pup Jack.

Siblings. :)

The whole fam playing apples to apples

Playing with Nate's new toy his parent's gave him.

The Dass family...the Sioux City branch of the Family.

Nate and his dad.

The deer in Grace's backyard.

Dad and Em on New Year's. We had a quiet evening in waiting for the ball to drop.

Woo party.

Em just graduated from her esthetician and massage classes (she's fabulous by the way). She also waxes ears...here are my dad's...haha.

a south texas hallothankgivxmas

We hope everyone's halloween and thanksgiving were fabulous! And that your Christmas season is finding you well. We've had a busy fall/winter...with lots and lots of pictures to do the story telling. We're so thankful to have been blessed with wonderful friends down here in South Texas.

But don't you worry Iowa, we'll be home soon! And a very happy birthday to my dad!! Woo!

Oh, and it snowed here yesterday. SNOW. Yes, all the way down here in Corpus Christi, TX. It may have only been a minute or so of actual flurries, but it still counts. So we'll start out with how the pups are dealing with the cold weather...

Lazily, of course. Izzy's got to stay all wrapped up. Since it's never been turned on, our heater stinks too much to use. It's a little chilly in here. :)

I had it out for my shoulder the other day and Bean discovered the heating pad. She loves it so much I kept it out for her to snuggle with. What doxie doesn't love to be warm?

Carol and Mark Scott were kind enough to invite the Kailo Communications gang and their spouses over for a fabulous holiday dinner.

The Kailo team. Nate's got fantastic co-workers. :)

Our little tree is all ready for Christmas! The dog stockings are hanging on the table under the tree...you can't really see them.

We had a church potluck/outside service and I made my first batch of pasta salad. Mmm.

Lazy Saturday. Too cute. I had to include this.

Our wonderful friends Karina and Chase (and both of their families) invited us to join them for Thanksgiving. Chase bought and moved into a gorgeous house just in time to host the celebration. This is us in his backyard with the grapefruit tree.

Fresh grapefruit from the tree in the yard.

Strait from tree to glass...doesn't get much fresher.

In goes the fried turkey! This was Nate and my first fried turkey experience.

Chase with his fried turkey, Karina with her first ever roasted turkey. Delicious!

Getting everything ready to eat.

So much food. SO good. We had EVERYTHING. Mmm.

Everyone around the table.

Video chatting with my grandparents and family back in Iowa on Thanksgiving. Haha, I didn't warn them I was taking this. :) Sorry...

Getting ready for the A&M/UT game. Can't have a party without queso! Seriously. I am addicted to queso.

Day two of eating/celebrating was Chase's bday. Started out the evening with crab legs in the backyard.

The tallest and shortest at the party. So cute.

Karina's grandma Evelyn. :)

The grandkiddos.

A cute little package from my mama. :)

I mentioned that Chase got a new home, but so did Karina. And it is CUTE! She hosted a Halloween eve housewarming party - and made a TON of fabulous food.

Our last minute, low budget Halloween costumes. :) Since I couldn't find the bright yellow hair I needed to be the Lichtenstein painting girl I just went as "pop art."

Nate as "the captain's quarter." I love this. Gotta love an abstract costume.

A toast, to halloween and some seriously awesome friends.

Lizzie as the fabulous Audrey Hepburn.

Karina made us more food.

Chase and Karina, the "cookie scout" and the boy scout.

Out people watching at Aria.

Probably my favorite...

We got a nice one too though. :)

Not sure what Nate is so nervous about.

Since we're eating at home a lot more, we're trying to make it fun at least. Good thing Brooke and Wil are so much fun...and conveniently live across the hall...and have the cutest baby EVER. This night we made homemade pizzas.

It actually ended up being a log harder than we thought haha.

Annsley laughing super hard even though she was sooo tired. Such a cutie!

don't even worry about the umbrella

I don't know if this officially ended the drought or not but it certainly flooded our yard, parking lot, and roads back to work within a matter of minutes...and if they actually had basements down here it probably would've been bad news. 

Now if only it were the weekend we could've snuggled up with the pups and a nice cup of tea...

i'll take mine scattered, covered, and pickled please

Well, we made it back from Nashville in one piece. What an excellent city to spend a week in. For those of you who haven't been to Nashville, I think if you mixed Austin, Omaha, and Kansas City you'd end up with something pretty similar. Completely unique, but similarly comfortable. If you haven't been to all of those cities, well, then I can't help you much. But anywho, the landscape is absolutely beautiful. It's not quite in the mountains, but it's definitely hilly. You know, like you'd want to make sure your bike brakes were in really good shape before cycling your way around the city. And even though it rained almost the entire time we were there, it was still lovely. 

When we got to TN we spent the afternoon in Memphis. It started pouring though, so our visit got cut a little short. But we managed to make it to a rather quiet Beale Street and Sun Studio before we had to make our way East.

Our friends, Paul and Lisa, moved to Nashville right around the same time we left Iowa and they were kind enough to show us around some of their favorite parts of the city. Nate and Paul recorded some music (why the heck not, it is Nashville after all), and I do believe that Nate now has himself a "long distance band." I know we're both looking forward to hearing the new tracks.

Most of our time was spent driving around exploring the city. We went down music row and Nate showed me where the label he (38th Parallel) used to be on. And I finally got to meet his friend Anita, from back in the 38th days (and his Springboard Entertainment internship).  

The highlight of the trip (for me anyways) was definitely our trip to Financial Peace Plaza to watch the Dave Ramsey Show live. This has been something I've wanted to do since we started listening to the show over a year ago. It was pretty spectacular. Everyone that worked there was super welcoming. There was a little cafe, and an area where Nate and I could hang out and watch the show for a bit. I was like a geeky, giddy, little kid. I admit, I was ridiculous. But then...I got to meet Dave. Yep, we met him. It was awesome. Really really really awesome. Best part of the trip.

The second highlight of the trip...Waffle House...mmmm diner food.

On our way home from Nashville we met up with Nate's mom and sister for a family wedding just outside of Dallas. I got to meet some of Nathan's family members I hadn't ever met before. I'm still working on everyone's names...but I think I'm getting it down. We were glad to get to spend the weekend with everyone. Getting to see family is always nice. :) Especially when it's for a giant party.

Upon our arrival back to the real world (Corpus Christi), Nate and I had some dachshund business to take care of. Izzy had her second round of shots. We avoided any allergic reactions this time so it looks like splitting the vaccines will probably work for her from now on. Bean had a slightly more major vet trip this past week. She had some baby teeth pulled that had refused to fall out on their own over the last year and a half or so. Not exactly pleasant for her...but necessary none the less. The meds of course made her a little slower than usual, but they didn't stop her from running strait to a bone she'd secretly hidden away the instant she got home. We put a quick end to that. Apparently two holes in her mouth doesn't even slow her down...

Beanie with her IV bandage.

So sleepy and woosie from anesthesia.

On the road...a super old gas pump somewhere in the Eastern part of TX.

Rain greeted us as we entered Tennessee.

Beale Street is pretty quiet on a Sunday morning.

Sun Studio. Memphis, TN

Nate checking out some Elvis and Johnny Cash in Sun Studio.

Downtown Nashville.

Some interesting buildings downtown.

My first Waffle House trip. They made me wear a hat since I was "Waffle House virgin."

Nate wore one too so I wasn't the only one. :)

I'm a regular now...

Mmmm, diner coffee.

Scattered, smothered, covered, chucked, and pickled. We owe this idea to our fabulous neighbor, Wil. Genius. 

Our Waffle House date. The first of what I assume will be many...

Nashville is green and beautiful. :)

Delicious ham, pineapple, and green olive pizza in Franklin, TN.

Nate and Anita (from Springboard Entertainment) at the Rose Pepper.

Pie n' pint night at the Family Wash. Good food, good live music, and good company.

Oh yeah. The highlight of the trip.

Nate watching Dave live at FPP.

Dave doing the radio show.

This was my favorite part of the trip.

Me and Dave. I was too chicken to ask for one when we met him...

Nate and I at the Opry Hotel.

Downtown Nashville.

Hanging out with Paul at 3 Crow Bar in East Nashville.

Same deal...

Best tobacco sign ever? Probably.

The most ridiculous album cover...and band name.

Nate at the Yazoo brewery in Nashville.

Nate and Paul enjoying a couple of pints of Yazoo.

Waiting for the reception to start (Rockwall, TX).

Me, Nate, and Nate's sis Jamie.

Nate, Me, Becki (my mother-in-law), and Jamie

Mashed potatoes in a martini glass. Mmmm.

i wonder how you'd log my bday as a star date...

August has flown by for us down here. It seems like the weeks are going by faster and faster, and we are getting busier and busier. We shot the cover for the next issue of The One, which comes out in October. The main prop this time was an excellent old car. I wish I knew enough about cars to tell you what it is...but I don't...so you can just look at the pictures and take your best guess. We also took the magazine to two summer wedding fairs, and will be attending the winter one as well.

Annnd, it happened. I turned twenty-five. Ick. And it was on a Monday. Boo. But Nate threw me an excellent little birthday party. I had mentioned a while back that I wanted a spongebob and star trek birthday...and he totally delivered. You're never too old for spongebob. 

Never. 

And Cap't Picard, you're always welcome at my birthday parties.

We didn't get to celebrate for long though. Little Beanie ween managed to give us quite a scare and we spent most of my birthday evening in the ER vet clinic getting her leg/back checked out. Fortunately it was just a sprain or something and not her back. And it slowed her down for a grand total of about 19 seconds before she was back harassing her older sister...ugh, the crazy beast needs to take a chill pill.

Next month Nate and I are heading to Nashville for our first vacation (just the two of us) since our honeymoon. CAN NOT WAIT! It'll be my first time to the city, but I already know I'm going to love it. And yes, we will be making a trip to Financial Peace Plaza. Hopefully Dave Ramsey will be doing the show live that week. Feel free to let me know if you've got any must see/dos! We're starting to get our plans figured out.

Might as well start out with super cute pics of a dachshund...

Beanie ween taking a Sunday nap.

Ridiculous.

Nicki Bursae and I taking advantage of the photobooth at the wedding fair. 

The car's proud parents.

The super cute cover couple, Marcos and Anna.

The cover was shot by Bellezza Photography

Trying to get a shot inside the car.

My chocolate birthday cake made by Karina. :) Thanks lady!! Yummy.

Nate threw me the spongebob/star trek bday I always wanted.

Complete with brie, champagne, and spongebob plates.

Bean scared at the ER, Nate being super bored.

And then taking it easy once home.

On the water out in Ingelside to celebrate the Texas A&M graduation.

The crew, minus the graduation girl. Oops.

Graduation girl. Congrats Ashley!

The grad announcements I designed for her. :)

Karina and Chase at the Hooks game. We went to celebrate Karina's new and fabulous JOB! Woooo for employment! And for good friends.

360 or bust...or get some stitches

I'd have to sit and think about it for a bit, but most likely I'd conclude that the best part about living in Corpus Christi is the ability to go on vacation without having to travel more than an hour from your home. A swimmable beach is only about ten minutes from our apartment, although honestly neither Nate or I are huge friends of salt water. Buuut, fortunately for us we have spectacular friends...and, come to find out, they have a spectacular lake house. A lake house! Fresh water! It almost felt like Iowa...

We spent most of the day boating, eating, and meeting some new friends. Karina did have a bit of an accident and ended up needing stitches. :( But don't worry she totally completed her knee boarding 360 beforehand...so all in all it was a successful day. We are so thankful for our friends down here and their awesome families as well.

A couple of weeks ago Nate attended the "Voyage: A Journey Through Our Solar System" ribbon cutting ceremony and family star gazing night. The Voyage project is an educational scale model of our solar system. A one ten billionth scale model in fact. Space is craaaazy huge. During the morning celebration Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director for the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, lead a group of space enthusiasts (Nate included) down the bay front to each of the scale size planetary models where he explained their size, gravity, etc. in relation to each other using landmarks from around our city. I'm kind of bummed I missed out...Nate's been pretty pumped about space ever since.

Bean also wants to let you know it's hot down here right now. She got way too tired being out in the heat.

Really really tired...but really really cute. :)

The Carlisle lake house :) You'll notice the dock is no longer in the water...

Having so much fun on the boat.

Nate hanging out on the boat.

Cap't Terrel driving while Chase shows off his wake boarding skills.

Pretty lady Karina

So, apparently we're having a drought in Texas...

Karina sliced her foot while out on the boat and had to go get stitches :(

Our new friends Lizzie and John. Nate's fellow Corpus Christi beardmate.

My favorite from the evening.

The view from the house.

Ranger looking studly out on the boat. 

Dr. Goldstein at the Voyage Solar System ribbon cutting


Dr. Goldstein teaching everyone about the solar system.

The first few of the planets. The rest literally take you all the way down the bay.

she's arrived!

As promised here are some pics from Annsley's first 36 hours. :) She's pretty cute and snuggly. This is the best type of new neighbor! A huge congrats to Brooke and Wil!

Annsley MacLaine Spann, born July 9th at 10:51 am

9lbs 2 oz of cuteness!

Mama Brooke looking super cute. :)

Daddy Will who is super excited to be a dad. :)

Me meeting Annsley. :) 

Nate meeting Annsley

not my chair, not my problem...but we do only have one bathroom...sorry

This past week my family (8 of them anyways) came down for a visit. Of course time flew by and the six days were gone before I even knew it...although my gut has not forgotten. :) We eat a lot when we get together. Especially when my mom arrives with a tupperware of scotcheroos. And then makes the best banana bread I've ever had. Mmmm. Ate it so fast I didn't even get a picture of it...

But enough about food. We did more than just stuff our faces...it was actually a pretty relaxing time together. Nothing too caarraazzy (Em and Curty, enter lizard accent here), just lots of youtube, movies, game playing, and some time swimming in the pool and gulf.

Plus it was an excellent few days off work and away from the computer.

We miss you guys! Come visit again soon!

After they left we spent time with Brooke and Wil before baby Annsley's arrival. Buuuuut....as of this morning she's here! And I'm completely excited about my first visit to the hospital to meet her! Pictures coming soon... :)

Mm, yes, breaking out the peace sign.

A delicious family dinner at Carino's. Grace, my mom, and my dad.

Playing some Loaded Questions. Probably the best game ever. Oh, I also got to meet my lil bro's girlfriend, Emily B. (we call her Em B. since my sis is also Emily)

Izzy being super cute...Nate's not bad either. :)

Best 4h of July family picture ever.

Dad skim boarding...?

Em and Curtis with some excellent hair.

Staying a tad cooler in the shade. Gma Jones, me, my dad, my mom, and Grace.

The kiddos.

Swimming in the gulf.

So much good mexican food at La Playa. Mmm.

Cutie patooties, Curtis and my sis Emily.

Me and Brooke (and baby Annsley) at Rudy's.

Mmm BBQ. We eat a lot when my family's in town...

Bean getting so much lovin' from Emily B. and Andrew.

Hanging out with Brooke and Wil one last time before Annsley arrives. Wil's going to be a very serious dad...I can totally tell... :)

Don't look at Nate's cards. He's serious about his Phase 10.

Brooke (and Annsley) playing from the floor. She's going to kill me for this...haha...

Wil was totally the champ. 

shoot a t-shirt up here rusty

This week Nate and I were invited to join some of the good folks from AG|CM for a night of baseball over at Whataburger Field...up in one of the suites. We love the suites. It's definitely the best way to watch a baseball game. Especially when it's hot outside and there are hot dogs waiting for me in the air conditioning. :) So thank you to Ken and the crew for a fantastic evening! 

A beautiful night for a game.

Nate watching the game.

Best seats in the house. :)

Mmmm nothing like a hot dog at a baseball game.

Whataburger Field

Bean being ridiculously cute. Had to grab the phone to snap this one.

everybody's working for the weekend

Nate and I are having a string of fabulous weekends. Mostly in part to our fabulous friends Karina and Chase...and their awesome families. :) LC Rocks (probably the best 80's cover band ever) was in Corpus this weekend. We spent Friday night out with the Paris family living it up and dancing til our feet were sore...or in Karina's case bleeding and broken. Oops.

Saturday we spent another perfect day at Chase's dad's house lounging around the pool with more coronas, queso (I may have an addiction), and the BEST low cal margaritas ever. I need to get the recipe from Karina and post it up here for y'all to try. Seriously yummy. Thanks to Chase and Captain Ed (Karina's dad) we enjoyed a fried feast of red fish and chicken, and I got a lesson on frying stuff in your backyard. Yes, the chicken was for us Iowan non seafood eaters (thanks for thinking of us guys!). Although, I think Nate is developing a taste for red fish. He even ate the throat. The throat! Pretty impressed by his bravery.

Also, Happy father's day to my pops! Love you and see you in about a week! :)

The four of us at Aria. 

Chase, Karina, and Karina's lovely parents - Ed and Barbara. Happy 25th anniversary Ed and Barbara! See you in the valley soon!!

Chase and Karina. :)

Some excellent 80's hair and wardrobe. 

Karina dancing it up on stage. riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight ^ here. :)

Coy lounging in the pool.

Nate and me. Hutch snuck in the shot too.

Captain Ed and his fishing rod lighter.

Getting the oil going.

Cuties.

mmm hushpuppies. 

and some french fries. mmm.

Karina and Juliana.

The girls.

Probably my favorite. Ha.