Baby It's Finally Cold Outside!

 When school is out I am going to curl up and read this.
Along with all the baby info that I can get my hands on.

Loving this assortment of prettily wrapped presents!

Me Want Cookies!

Especially these dainties here!

Current obsession with Kate Spade! ooh la-la is right!

Hello Texas Winter.

Happy Saint Nathan Patrick's Day!

Nate's parents gave him a funny card that reflected his chilhood. Their little boy is all grown up!





The weekend before Nate's Birthday we took a fun-filled trip to Rhode Island with Nate's parents. His mom brought us St. Patty's day garb. We were feeling lucky alright! It was a nice getaway from the city after a busy, busy season...Nate had a nice break there for two weeks. It's back to the grind again!

Rainbow quotes courtesy of Simple As That

Happy P-Day!

I love long weekends!

"L" is for the way you LOOK at me!

Love Day came and went. I adore Valentine's Day and always have. I love seeing people blush. People carrying over sized teddy bears. Outrageous balloons. Incessant pink and purple hearts. Rich chocolate. The loads and loads of roses on every street corner in NYC. Though, I prefer not to be the recipient of the over sized animals and obnoxiously nauseating balloons. I simply enjoy watching people!

Nate and I kept it simple this year. In years past he has been in charge of covering three holidays all on his own during the month of February: our half anniversary (yes, we celebrate our half anniversary. I like to take advantage of every holiday!), my birthday (yet to blog about), and Valentine's Day. We decided that from now on I should be in charge of planning Valentine's Day and he can worry about the other two days. That doesn't mean he is exempt from spoiling me to pieces . . . it just means he doesn't have to do the planning!

I bought him this book, I LIKE YOU. I always tell Nate, "I like you," to which he replies, "I love you too!" There you have it. "I guess I just like you . . . because I like you!"

Nate likes to tell me stories about his days working at Jack in the Crack. There was a woman who worked there named Rosetta who had a twin sister named Mosetta. Rosetta would always say, "Have a blessed day LOVE!" Valentine's Day was a blessed day indeed.

Our Favorite Things...

Rachael's favorite Christmas gifts:

Nathan's favorite Christmas gifts:

Happy 2011 and Christmas Recap

We're leaping for joy this New Year! (cheesy? yes!)

Nate and I are counting are blessings this year. We have school, jobs, the gospel, and friends and family that bring us so much happiness. We're looking forward to 2011 and all that the year holds in store for us. We didn't send out Christmas cards. Sorry folks. We'll do better next year. We really appreciated all of the love and Christmas cards we recieved this year. I had about 18 to open when I got back from Texas and it made for a very warming welcome. Love you all! A good friend took the pictures above and we thank her for that!

Here's a brief recap of our Holiday Festivities. We went to Houston again this year. There were two new additions to the family this year; baby David and Kate. The only person missing from this family Christmas photo is David who was peacefully slumbering during all of the commotion of family pictures. Don't look too closely at the family photo opp--you might see some strange things. All photographs are courtesy of the one and only Kate Lauritzen. Thank you very much.

We went to the Houston Temple one day to take a looksie.

This is one of my favorite photos ever. Grandma Carol is wearing 3D glasses. They appear normal in this picture. In fact, I have a picture of Brent and Grandma wearing 3D glasses from last Christmas when we all went out to Moody Gardens to see a 3D movie. These 3D glasses are in fact very different and very special, so she says. We did not attend a 3D movie this year, but Grandma still wore her glasses . . .everyday! She did not just wear them to the movies. She wore them around the house, in the car, at the movies because they helped protect her eyes from the glare (sunglasses do the same thing :-) ) It was a comical sight. Even funnier is the story behind them. Nate and I put them in a white elephant gift that she happened to choose. The glasses along with the movie the Holiday, white chocolate, and a bag of popcorn were in a Radio City Music Hall bucket that was once filled with popcorn from the Rockette Christmas show. Grandma loved her gift! I never knew the glasses were going to be such a hit. They certainly fell into the hands of the right person. I think they suit her very well!

Brent and Grandma Carol. a.k.a Nana Coco

Our darling nephew David Aaron sitting on top of his Christmas gifts!

Loved his camo pjs. The multi-talented Samantha sewed matching camo pajamas for their family.

The undeniably loco Lauritzen brothers! They are always such a hoot when they are together. It's fun to see them interact. They're definitely big kids, especially on Christmas.

We love being aunts and uncles to David! There was plenty of love to go around this year.

Speaking of L.O.V.E. This is Mr. Love himself snuggling his grandbaby. It was said of Craig, my father in-law, that he is 6' 2", 210lbs, and full of love. He was described in this manner over the pulpit during sacrament meeting at the Young Singles Adult branch by one of the YSA members. Us in the back row were dying laughing because the description helped him grow two inches and shed 20lbs. Though, the full of love part wasn't a fib. He truly is full of love. We're grateful for all of the time we were able to spend at home with Nathan's family. They are so wonderful to us. Our flight was cancelled the day we were supposed to come home, so we were able to spend a few extra nights with the fam. It was very relaxing. We got caught up on some movies for the year!
This is really short, but imagine them doing this for a whole car ride. Take it low boys!

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanks to the Gibson's for hosting! It's been another lovely Thanksgiving in NYC with dear friends. I completely fell behind on my gratitude list on the blog. oops! This was the first Thanksgiving that we didn't get up early to watch the parade. We caught the last thirty minutes on TV. oops again! Sleep just sounded so much better this year. We have a Black Friday story for ya...

Nate has been wanting a TV since we moved to the city. We've probably had at least 3 of those ancient boxes that weigh a ton from off the street. Nate was determined that this was the year. I told him that if he got a new TV that I would have to redo the apartment. The new place needs major work in the organization / decor department. So, we hightailed it to Target at 3:50 am and strolled to the back of the line that wrapped the Costco parking garage for what seemed like miles. By 4:30 we were in and all of the TVs that Nate wanted were gone (mind you, they opened at 4). LAME! We perused the store for a bit in search of some good deals. We ended up at the checkout prepared to splurge on movies. I was totally annoyed that we woke up that early to buy a couple of movies. Just then, Nate walked away to find a shorter check out line. In the mean time he sees a lady abandon her cart that happens to have the exact TV in it that he wanted. He asked her if she still wanted it, and she said no. He proudly walks back to me and says, "Look what I got!" Immediately, my annoyed scowl turned upside down and I smiled my frown away. "Okay, I guess getting up at 3:30 in the morning was worth it." I was so glad that we didn't have to fight anyone or attempt to steer that baby down the aisles amongst the masses. We simply spotted it, checked out, and peaced out of there real fast. Now, I get to start redecorating / organizing. Let the fun begin!

And just because I need to finish what I've started; some random bits of gratitude in no particular order...
Day
10-Water
11-America
12- Music
13-Christmas
14- BYU-I
15- Sadie Bear
16- Jack
17- My VTing comp and those I get to "teach"
18- Seeing Nate's happiness with the sight of a new TV
19- Mountains (UT was beautiful last week!)
20- The doctors, nurses, and family members taking care of my grandparents
21- Nieces and Nephews: Ry guy, Ash, Addi, Naveya, and David :)
23- Thanksgiving Break
24- Christmas candy (Blue Tootsie Rolls and Hershey Candy Cane Kisses are the best!)
25- Our calling as ward missionarios
26- HUGS
27-Sleep! (I've already mentioned that I'm thankful for sleep, but you can never be too grateful right!)

Happy Valentine's Day love Naveya

Where to Begin?

There is so much that we haven't blogged about. I didn't really blog about our summer, or any holidays, or any changes or events that have recently occurred. So here is a recap.

June- We went to TX for a week to see Nate's brother return home from his mission, but he ended up getting an extension and didn't come home until July. We made a trip to the beach and called it a summer vacation. I went to St. Louis to see my Hoefelmann family after that. My trip overlapped with my Dad and brother's trip so I got to see them and it was great. Nothing better than Ted Drewes with Dad and a nice summer BBQ with the family. My cousin Karri had recently had a new baby girl, so it was my first time meeting Launa. I was also able to be there when my cousin Elizabeth announced that she was pregnant! It was a tender moment and she is due any day now. Hoping I can make it out there again this summer to meet her little guy, Riley!
July/August- Nate and I spent the 4th of July in Washington DC. We were on TV with Aretha Franklin on PBS for the Capitol Concert. I don't remember if it was July or August, but we made a trip to Palmyra and Niagara Falls with The Gibson's. Great memories!! We went to the Palmyra pageant and it got rained out with two scenes left. What we saw of it was awesome! We'd love to go again this summer. In August we celebrated our 2 year anniversary and my cousins Kristen and Karley came to visit for a girl’s trip just a week after we moved into our new apartment. It was so much fun to have them here and experience NYC.

Palmyra Pageant

Frozen Custard in St. Louis

Me with Launa and Lily

Elizabeth just told her mom she is pregnant!

Me with 3 of my 4 brothers and Dad

Kristen and Karley in Time Square

Kristen and Nate love to be goofy!

Sept- We went to Utah for my niece’s baby blessing. It was a quick trip, but it was so wonderful to see my family! We also saw Nate's brother Brent for the first time sine he had been back from his mission to Milan, Italy. (He'll be getting married at the end of April so we'll get to go back to Utah for that!) We also spent a night in Rexburg. It was so much fun for Nate and I to spend time together. We loved the drive to Idaho and seeing friends from our Idaho days. Rexburg was beautiful as ever.

Sept/Oct- Honestly, everything is a blur. Nate started studying for the CPA exam. He would come home from work and study till bedtime...nothing has changed or will change until next Fall probably. Sometime around there our friends the Abels came to visit and stayed with us for a couple of days. There were lots of visitors that stopped in and stayed a night or two during the summer, but we were so glad to see the Abels! In October Miss Sadie turned one and we went to her first birthday party! My mom came out in October for her own birthday! We loved having her here and she was really happy to see our new apartment (elevator/dishwasher and all!) It is always fun to have her come and sad to see her go, but hopefully she'll get to come out for her 50th too!! Some time in Oct or Nov we went with some friends (including Sadie bear) apple picking and decided that should be an annual outing.

My niece Naveya! sweet girl

Friends from Idaho: Brett, Eric, Julie, and Julie's comp. from mission

The Pecks and Broden, The Ellis' (just had new baby!), & us!

Cherise, Barbara, and Amy Abel

Friends at Grimaldi's under Brooklyn Bridge

Apple picking!Sadie

Nov- We were very blessed to have a couple of Thanksgiving feasts! We were able to spend an early Thanksgiving with the Gibson's. Kris' family was in town and we had a blast getting to know them and then seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade with them from Kris' office in Herald Square. It was an awesome view!! Thanks again Kristi-Lynn! Then, we spent Thanksgiving Day with the Monroe's and the Weirs. It was a beautiful Thanksgiving and we were really happy to spend it with great friends!

Macy's Day Parade

Thanksgiving at the Monroe's

Dec- Oh December! In December, Nate's brother Aaron and his wife Sam came to visit us! It was their very first time to NYC, but it wouldn't be their last trip. Sam stayed with us to see a doctor in NYC. Sam made herself well acquainted with the city while Nate and I continued working our regular shifts. We became fans of toasted marshmallow shakes from "STAND 4" thanks to Shannon! We all made it out of NYC and home to Texas within a day of each other right before the big snow storm. It was the Lauritzen's first Christmas with all of their boys home in 5 years due to all of their mission's over lapping. Nate's parents made it an extra special Christmas for all of us, and we all went a little overboard on the gifts. It was a nice break from our busy lives in the city. We hadn't even had time to think about Christmas until we got to Texas. Nate spent the entire trip studying for the second part of the CPA exam. On Christmas Eve, Nate received the good news that he had passed the first exam. Upon returning from Texas Nate took the second exam and we are still waiting for the results. So we have two down, and two to go! Go Nathan! In December I started training for a half marathon with Melissa Monroe and we are still going strong. Dustin is awesome and runs with us too...now if we could just get Nate out there with us. Nate doesn't handle the cold too well...and the rest of us have all invested in winter running gear so we are official. haha Our races are coming up in April and May.

Aaron, Nate, Papa Noel, & Brent in Christmas PJs

Jan- I came home a little sooner than Nate to finish working my last full week for the Gibson's. It was a bittersweet week. I truly love Sadie and am so grateful for the opportunity I had to share in her first year. I've missed seeing her daily and chatting with Kristi-Lynn about the ins and outs of our lives. It was a busy week for everyone! I started school online through BYU-Idaho that very week. I have midterms this week. Sam and Nate both came back to NYC the same day and shortly thereafter Aaron came. In all, Sam was with us for about 2 months and in that time we all got to know each other really well! haha That's what happens when you put two married couples in a studio in NYC...craziness. We're glad they were able to come and gain the experience they needed, though it didn't go as planned. We love them and are grateful for all of the time we spent together over the Holidays and in NYC. In January we celebrated Melissa's birthday! hurray. She had her party at our place and it was a hit. (She has been more diligent in her blogging so catch up on her page for details :) ) When Nate returned from Texas, busy season officially began with JPMorgan's earnings release...He has been getting home pretty late, but I've kept busy with school, running, and good friends who take care of me.

Sam & Aaron

Feb- We also hosted a super bowl party with the Monroe's this year. It was pretty sweet because Dustin hooked up his projector and created an 84 inch screen for everyone. (Again, check out the Monroe's blog for pics.) Parties in NYC are crowded and wonderful! This month we celebrated my 22nd birthday! woot woot (That was for Brent and Kate :) ) I was able to go to brunch with Kristi-Lynn and Sadie bear at Alice's Tea Cup! It was so much fun to catch up and to see how big Sadie has gotten. Thank you again Kristi-Lynn!! I got a priceless picture of Sadie sucking her thumb and sleeping on her mommy's back. Love it! My birthday was lots of fun between brunch, a movie, and pizza and games later on. Thanks to all who celebrated with me!!! Valentine's Day was sweet. We finally framed our picture of the St. George temple and made a goal to attend the temple more often. We are currently getting used to staying up much too late to watch the Olympics, working on our taxes...hmm, looking forward to Spring which won't come for a while, and loving our little apartment which is finally fully furnished! Nate says, "Hi guys!" Love, Rach....hopefully I don't wait another 6 months to update. We were just a little busy!

Sadie Bear sleeping after birthday brunch!