let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

we are leaving for tahoe on thursday morning with brian's friends dan and jon from work, and jon's wife katie. and i am sooo excited! at first i wasn't going to go cause i didn't really know them and would just be hanging out with katie while the guys snowboarded. but brian convinced me and i'm glad :) we are driving up all of thursday. snowboarding and playing friday and saturday and then driving back sunday. katie's mom lives in tahoe so we are staying there which is super nice because lodging is way too much. but she sent us some pictures she took this morning of the place. it looks like the just got a fresh blanket of snow but it looks so beautiful and got me really excited to go. since i've been missing rexburg and we get no real weather here i'm looking forward to snow and bundling up a bit for the weekend. wahooooo! yay to a long weekend with the best hubby ever, snow, snowboarding (well attempting to, since it's only my second time), and a new beautiful place i've never been to!

oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree!

i think we still need a star to make it complete. but it's our first christmas tree!

brian was so excited to get a train to go around it. so i decorated the tree while he set up the train!

now i just need to remember to water it more often!

couples survey...

i can't fall asleep when brian's at work so here we go!


What are your middle names? Randall and i don't have one

How long have you been together? 1 year and 3 1/2 months. married 3.5 months.

How long did you know each other before you started dating? it was a blind date and it started there. so no time at all!

Who asked who out? we were set up

Whose siblings do you see the most? his cause they are closer

Do you have any children together? not yet. and not for a while.

What about pets? no thank you! they are smelly and messy!

Did you go to the same school? nope

Who is the most sensitive? hello i'm a girl. me!

Where do you eat out most as a couple? we change it up...mexican, submarina, pizza, panera, olive garden...ect.

Where is the furthest you have ever traveled as a couple? Mexico!

Who has the worst temper? good question...we both don't get super mad very easily.

Who does the cooking? i did more when he wasn't working nights but we usually both pitch in.

Who is more social? depends on the environment. i think i need more socializing than he does but he is definitely good at making strangers comfortable..his job makes him good at that.

Who is the neat freak? is that even a question. ME!

Who is the most stubborn? i'd say brian

Who hogs the bed? he says me, but when he is in the middle and i'm on the edge i think that means he is the hog. usually we share.

Who wakes up earlier? brian.

Where was your first date? tio leo's and mini golf.

Who has the bigger family? i thought i had a big family but i think its brain.

Do you get flowers often? nope. once when we were first married.

Who eats more? brian for sure!

Who sings better? brian.

Who does the laundry? we do it together at his parents. but i actually fold it.

Who is better with the computer? i'd say about the same.

Who drives when you are together? usually brian sometimes me but he always opens my door

Who picks where you go to dinner? we agree or whoever didn't pick last time gets to choose...i'm usually up for whatever.

Who is the first one to admit when they are wrong? me

Who wears the pants in the relationship? i think it's pretty equal

Who eats more sweets? oh goodness me. i was just thinking about how i wish i didn't like sugar.

Who cries more? me

What's your best day together? wedding day!

Where did you honeymoon? On a cruise to Mexico!

Favorite date night? i think dinner and a movie are what happens most often. or grocery shopping.

Favorite TV show to watch together? criminal minds.

Couple I imagine us growing old like? one of our grandparents

Thanksgiving!

i have seriously been so blessed in my life that i am constantly always grateful for something and sometimes don't even know what i have done to deserve these wonderful blessings.
i am thankful for...
-the knowledge of the gospel in my life.
-my testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel.
-the power of prayers and the personal revelation that is received through them.
-my family and especially my parents who have come so far and given so much to us kids.
-my siblings who continue to teach me and direct me.
-my testimony of tithing, the opportunity i have to pay my tithing, and the blessings that come from it.
-this beautiful country full of opportunities and hope.
-our loving prophet and those who came before him who provide us with the guidance, direction, and knowledge we need in our lives.
-my husband brian who i fall in love with everyday.
-brian's support in whatever i want to do, his playfulness and honesty.
-the sunshine.
-cars.
-the music that can change our moods and feelings.
-my experience at byu-idaho and what it gave me: a strengthened testimony, knowledge, a greater love for my family, my city, performing, dancing, learning, and most of all a greater and deeper relationship with my heavenly father.
-my good health.
-worthy priesthood holders.
-teachers who love what they do and who they do it for.
-genuine friends.
-the temple and it's sacredness.
-beautiful flowers.
-organization.
-being able to use washers and dryers.
-clean running water everyday.
-my mom keeping me in dance even when it was difficult.
-the holidays and the effect they have on people.
-a warm bed each night.

november already?

so i think i officially suck at this whole blogging thing. and now i'm not sure where to start..?

umm lets see during october we went to bates nut farm but brian wasn't up for driving that far just for a pumpkin you could get for much cheaper at the grocery store. so he decided that we would go if we went to the buffet close to the farm as well. i am definitely not a huge buffet person considering the fact that i get full super fast but none the less it was a fun fall day spent together and i'm really sad we forgot the camera! but we got a great pumpkin and we figured out we weren't the best of carvers :)

on halloween night brian had signed up to work overtime at the aztec game so i was a little bummed but overtime is always good so i was very grateful for that. so while brian worked the game i went and played with my family at my aunt and uncle's house with all the cousins. i think this year was the first year i did not dress up for halloween...but i'll do better next year!

aaannnnd just this past week i found a doctors office to do my externship at! for the past month or so i've been calling and waiting for calls and stressing about finding one in time to get all the paper work completed before starting in january. i am so excited to have finally found something. although it is not an ob/gyn office like i hoped its a family practice. but it is only 1, i repeat, ONE mile down the street from our apartment! and the best part is that they are super super flexible and basically said just let us know when you want to come in. which works great because i'll be finishing my last two general classes and working during my externship. i'm looking forward to finally being able to do what i studied and practiced and be able to learn more! the only downfall is that this office, i found out last friday when i went to meet them, looks to me like it's a little unorganized and too small for how many doctors are practicing there. it's an old building and definitely needs some updating inside...there were stacks of files and charts on the floor along with a sharps container and other injection stuff.. i wasn't too sure about all this mess but hopefully my need for organization won't ruin my experience.

frustrated!

okay i really want to start my externship in January when my semester starts! and i need to get all the paperwork completed ahead of time...like right now! but the place i found, best start birth center, is like oh we aren't not taking any externs right now just try again later when you want to start but it doesn't work that way. so i'm getting a little frustrated! and i can only leave them messages and they call me back. yesterday, when they did call me back, the call was lost and and so i couldn't call them back because of the blocked number!! now i'm waiting for them to return my message once again! i'm praying that they will let me do it with them because i can't seem to find anywhere else and i don't know what else to do!

so if anyone knows a doctors office or clinic in san diego that takes medical assisting externs please let me know!!! :)

sundays are my favorite :)

today was our first sunday attending our new ward! i was nervous at first just not knowing what to expect from it but it was a great day at church. everyone was so friendly and welcoming. i've decided i really like family wards so much more than singles wards. not just because i'm married but there is just a different feel. it not a big feeding frenzy or fashion show, people smile more. i absolutely love sitting next to my loving husband during church and feeling the spirit enrich our lives. yay for a day of rest!

update!

dang i don't know where to start! well brian starts his new schedule this week. which i am trying to decide if i will like or not. the good part is he gets thursday, friday, saturday off but the bad part is that he works from 9pm-7am. so he'll get off thursday morning and not go back until sunday nights. i am sooo excited he has the weekends off and we can finally go to church together! sundays are really my favorite day so i'm glad we can share them together now :) i'm so grateful for a hard working husband who loves his job!
i am nannying for four different families, i know crazy but i just do one day a week for each of them. i kind of like it that way cause then i don't get tired of the same old thing everyday. and i'm also taking an online english class through byu-i. which i'm figuring out is a lot more work than i would be doing if i was just going to class. a lot more than necessary really! but its nice to have some obligation to school work, even if it's not always that fun, since its been really weird for me not going back to a full load of school. i truly miss byu-idaho and have recently been really sad about not going back. before i was sad to leave it but so excited to too because that meant no more good-byes. but now that everything is settled i'm now realizing i really am done with that wonderful chapter of my life. each semester was a time for me to grow and strengthen who i was and what i believed in. it was chance for me to really dance and learn with and by the spirit. i just have to remind myself to take what i found at that school and bring it with me where ever the rest of my life takes me.
so our lives recently have been busy with lots of working, lots of gift returns and shopping(which we are glad to be done with), decorating/organizing our lovely home, seeing WICKED which was amazing and we sat sooo close i couldn't get enough of it!, ski beach where i went wake boarding for the first time! and brian skied for the first time in a long long time...we were both extremely sore for the next few days after that, i've started rehearsal for The Nutcracker and i am very excited to still be able to dance and that brian encourages me to, and we've been having family home evening with our lovely married friends, the prices, which has been lots of fun!

wedding slideshow!!!

watch here:
http://www.narrativeimagesphoto.com/slideshows/brianandcarina/
ahh i can't stop watching it! it was just such an amazing day and photos are letting me relive it :)

soon you will be able to click on the little shopping cart at the bottom of the slide show page to view all the photos from our fabulous best day ever!

finally...

..we are MARRIED!!! we don't have to say good-bye for months at a time anymore and we don't have to rely on the phone to get us through the days! we have each other forever and always and it has been a fabulous first few weeks of marriage. we could not have asked for a more perfect wedding day. it was seriously perfect in every way and i always wish i could go back and relive it again. our temple sealing was beautiful, full of family and friends and the spirit. even the weather was not too hot for a summer day in august...it was perfect! our pictures weren't too much torture either :) our reception was more than i ever could have asked for or imagined! i can't thank everyone enough who helped make it such a beautiful night! i'm off to dance class so there will be more to come later about our awesome honeymoon, and i will be making more of an effort to blog more often!

happy ending.

Wow i really can't believe that the end has finally come. the semester is two days away from over and my last final will be completed tonight after i perform in the choreographers dancers show case! i am so excited to say that surprisingly i did very well on my finals and although this is an amazing place to be i am not as sad as i thought i would be while ending my last semester at this wonderful university. it has taught me well and i am grateful for the person i have become during these past two years. i will definitely miss it dearly but i am so excited to start a new and awesome chapter in my life. its so crazy to me that this chapter is starting so soon, but i'm glad it is :) i wouldn't have wanted it to happen any other way.
i remember it was just last summer when i was telling myself and others i wasn't getting married for a long time and school is what i was focusing on...there were absolutely no plans of marriage in the near future. but i guess the best things come along when you least expect them to. and let me tell you, it couldn't have all happened in any better way than it has. Heavenly Father has truly blessed me. i feel so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunities i have had at byu-idaho. i feel even more lucky to have meet the man of my dreams when i did and where i did. i am so thankful i get to live in beautiful san diego, my home, forever. i can't describe to you the overwhelming feeling that comes over me when i finally arrive in san diego after being away in rexburg for a semester. i truly love home. byui has given me much greater appreciation for home, what it really means to me and how i feel when i am there and the lovely people that make it what it is. it is weird moving out for the last time. its like i don't exactly know how to feel about it yet. excited is what i do feel but at the same time its hard to say goodbye to this part of my life. this has been a rough semester though so i'm glad the end is finally here! and i can actually spend time with brian for once and not have to say goodbye to him! yay!

happy birthday babe!

Happy 25Th Birthday Brian!!

25 reasons why i love brian so much...

1. You always make me laugh.
2. You are great at speaking in church and have a strong testimony.
3. You encourage me to do what is important to me.
4. You make sure I spend time with my family and friends as well as you.
5. You always open the car door for me.
6. You love to have fun and be silly.
7. You tickle me, even though I say to stop I still like it.
8. You dance with me anywhere...store, beach, parking lot, kitchen.
9. You are great at dancing even if you don't think so.
10. You do boring wedding stuff with me even though you would rather not.
11. You cuddle with me.
12. You are so good with kids and they love you. Especially my sisters!
13. You are great at your job and do it so well Officer Schimpf.
14. You always get me water if you're getting a drink because you know I love it.
15. You tell me that I am beautiful.
16. You are so smart.
17. Even though you hate them you will still always go to wedding receptions with me.
18. When I'm sad you comfort me and know what to say to make me feel better.
19. You are a worthy priesthood holder.
20.You focus on what is happening now and don't worry about things that can't be changed...like i do too often.
21. You remind me of the kind of person I want to be, not just for myself but for you as my eternal companion and best friend.
22. You make it impossible for me to think if my life without you or before you.
23. Your voice has this great soothing effect on me that is like a warm blanket over my cold body in times when I need comfort.
24. You are so very handsome.
25. You create this beaming, eternal smile on my face whenever I look at you, talk about you, or think about you.

i am so excited to share my life with someone who makes me so happy! happier than i ever knew just one person could make me. brian is the sunshine in my life that i could truly never ever live without.

almost there

we are officially at the half way mark in the semester!!! less than eight weeks left!!!
and i get to go from this...

to THIS...

then this...

and best of all i get to enjoy this...

for the rest of eternity :)

mother's weekend!

what a great weekend spent with my mommy! she arrived on thursday night and left just this afternoon. so it was short but sweet. i've always been jealous of all the other students whos moms i would see with them at class. now it was my turn and it was fun for me to share my life up here with her for just a few days. especially since when i do get home we won't have much quality time together before the wedding. friday was a long/tiring day of classes but she wanted to sit through all of them and i'm glad :) but these are few highlights/fun things...

-my favorite was that she was able to come to my dance class on the day we did our dance for midterms. it has always made me sad when i perform here and my family doesn't get to watch so it was nice for her to watch me dance in class for once in a long long time

-delicious snoasis
-texas road house...i can't believe i've been missing out on ribs for this long!? so good :)
-movies
-she finally got to see me in my wedding dress!
-william joesph pianist concert
-shopping
-church

-staying up way too late talking

-having a weekend to not focus on school and what i thought would be a weekend where i wouldn't miss brian but nope that didn't happen i still did way too much!
-beautiful sunny warm weather!

now its time to cram for my two test in the next two days. i was so tempted to just shove myself into her luggage and GO HOME! but the semester is half overrrr!!!

thank you so much for coming mommy! i love you so much and even though i am getting married that doesn't mean i'm not your daughter...i will still come home and will still always love you and need you in my life! hope you had fun :)

so awesome!!

i want to be a part of this!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVFNM8f9WnI

so i can do this :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM

there is nothing like it, ever!

i can't express how much i LOVE dance! there aren't words that can explain how good it feels. great, moving music that creates movement within you...my modern class felt so awesome today that it just makes everything all better. i know the class is great when i walk away thinking to myself that wow i didn't think of any of my other stresses the whole time... when the movement makes you unconsciously forget about all your worries and you just get lost and don't want it to stop. i encourage everyone to get moving. it doesn't matter what you do just move your body and enjoy this wonderful gift that our heavenly father has created for us.

LOVE it!

so i am reading the book The Five Love Languages and i highly recommend it to everyone! well anyone in a relationship...whether you are having struggles within your relationship or not it seriously is a great book! so start reading :)

together again

with the death of both my great-grandpa and my great-grandma within six days of each other its been hard to know exactly how i'm feeling lately (and it doesn't help that i am so far away from brian). i wasn't as close to them as i would have liked but i think that is what makes me the most sad. they were truly amazing people and i do have many many memories of them while staying the night at their home when i was young. i was so glad that i was able to make it home to san diego this past weekend for the double funeral and to be with family. this is certainly a time when i am incredibly grateful for the knowledge of this wonderful gospel we have on this earth today. i know that families are forever and that our heavenly father has a wonderful plan for each of us who strive to live what we know is right.

http://thairanddavid.wordpress.com/ this site tells of who they were and the millions of awesome things they accomplished... but it will never give back that feeling/smell/love i got when walking into their home.

thank you to grandpa spence and grandma kathy for flying me home for a beautiful weekend at home! thank you so much brian for taking the day off of work to be with me on saturday! it really meant so much to me to have you there. i love you like crazy! now its back to a week of three exams, two article reviews, lots of busy work and the cold, crappy weather.

thank goodness!

that i know how to parallel park in a spot just exactly big enough for my car! all my classes are at the opposite end of campus from my apartment and there is no real parking lot for those buildings so you're lucky if you can find a spot on the street. now i know, i should just walk right? well i walked everyday last semester and it i totally didn't mind it but now my classes start every day at 7:45 am! i'd rather not have to get bundled up to walk a mile in the cold morning wind and i like to have that extra ten/fifteen minutes to make myself breakfast.

yesterday was a great first day! in all four classes we just went over the syllabus and got out early! my weeks will go as follows for the next three months...
monday
7:45-8:45 clinical 2 for medical assisting
9-10 adv. first aid
11:30-12:30 medical law/ethics
3-4:30 modern dance...which i am sooo looking forward to!
tuesday
7:45-8:45 ma clinical lab
9:45-11:15 medical billing/coding
wednesday
7:45-8:45 clinical
9-10 adv. first aid
11:30-12:30 med law/ethics
3-4:30 modern
thursday
7:45-8:45 clinical lab
9:45-11:15 med billing/coding
friday
7:45-8:45 clinical
9-10 adv. first aid
11-1:45 adv. writing/technical communication
3-4:30 modern

my favorite part of the school week, well beside dance classes, is devotional. i love it! its so wonderful to be able to just take a break from regular classes and studying in the middle of the week to feel the spirit and listen to great talks! its always tuesday afternoons at two...and guess what the first one of the semester was on?! eternal marriage! haha. and of course things that go along with preparing for it and strengthening it. it made me see more of how true this gospel really is and how much i love it, how excited i am to soon be able to share something so amazing with someone i love so much, and the blessings that come from the decisions to make right choices in life.

just a thought that one of my teachers talked about today that i really like...
so you know when you are driving if you turn around to get something or look somewhere else eventually you start steering a bit towards that direction. well that's how life is. i know it is something that is pretty obvious but she just put in a different perspective for me and made me realize how true it really is in life. if we don't completely focus ourselves on what we want out of life, who we want to be, where we want to go, or even the short term goals we wish to achieve you will never get there. you can't let yourself get distracted. not only do you have to focus yourself on where it is you're going you must make sure the things that are happening in your life are directing you to what or where ever it is that you wish to be. i know this to be true in my own life. it may not always be easy but it is worth every single struggle and will always make life that much better when you fully focus on what is straight ahead and not the distractions along
the way.

oh i almost forgot! i've completed my goal everyday since i've been here and i'm up to the running stages :) it feels so good! is it really so bad to exercise on sunday? i mean really.. i'm taking care of my body, it lifts my mood, i DO feel close to my heavenly father when i am running/walking/dancing. i don't understand why some people look down at it?

happy and sad...

i'm back to rexburg again for my final semester at byu-idaho. and i'm not sure if i'm happy or sad... you can be both right? i seriously have been so blessed being able to attend this amazing university. i just love it! i wouldn't have wanted my college experience to be any other way. i've learned so much and come so far, met wonderful people, danced and performed my fullest, and come to appreciate san diego like i couldn't imagine. i'm sad to have to say good-bye to the place where i've made my home for the last three semesters, where i have enjoyed/loved to learn, dance, perform, and grow spiritually. but at the same time that i am so sad i am sooo happy to know that the reason why i'm not coming back is only the best thing that will ever happen to me. it will be hard to get through the semester without seeing brian but in the end we will be together forever and i'll have been so glad that i did come back to finish the education that has always been important to me.

monday: ten hours of driving to layton=headache and dizziness, but so glad to make it safely to the best aunt and uncle, brent and rachel, and their five cutest boys ever. i always make sure i leave a couple days or so early before i really need to because i love being able to spend time with them. they are such a fun, entertaining family! thanks brent and rachel for being so awsome and letting me stay with you :) love you guys!
tuesday: hung out, went to lunch with brent and rachel and my freakin so funny/cute cousins. and tried to decide if i should leave then or wednesday to be able to get the room i like in the apartment (since its first come first serve). but my wonderful friend/roommate abby saved it for me!
wednesday: three more hours to rexburg! sadly it was either raining or snowing the whole time! but after drinking way too much water, almost peeing my pants, a few bathroom stops later i made it and it was sunny :) but still freezing and annoyingly windy! the best part of the day is finding that mice decided to make rachel (friend&roommate) and mys storage unit a home!! nice! so everything is covered in poop and pee and smells so good, not really. so after a few mice run out and the storage unit guy cleans up their nest i get to move all my smelly, poopy stuff, in the now raining weather, to the apartment. what a lovely move it was.
thursday: started a program for beginning runners! it starts you out by walking going in ten stages, the stages lasting four days, and at the end, stage ten, you should be able to run for thirty min. straight. my ankle is not fully healed yet from spraining it almost nine months ago and i really want to be able to run because i just love the feeling of it so i figured this would be a good/healthy way to help get my body used to it again. now, in addition to doing the nyc ballet workout, i am sleeping a lot better and really looking forward to getting back to dancing with an almost normal ankle. so my goal is to complete a day of the running program ever day that i don't have dance class. we'll see how that goes...maybe if i make it a point to keep you informed on how i'm doing it will motivate me more to achieve my goal :)
friday: purchased the text books i need for my classes and showed my friend david around campus a bit since its his first time here. completed day two of my goal!

mom and dad, i want to thank you so much for being such wonderful parents! i know i don't show my appreciation like i should sometimes when i'm home but when ever i get back to school i always wish i did. i love you both so much! thank you for always supporting me and trusting me in everything! dad, thank you for being able to give me a blessing when i need it...i know that they help me tremendously! mom, thank you for always being so good at helping me with the wedding planning :) tyler, buggie, forrest, and jordy i hope you enjoy reading about my oh so exciting life in rexburg... um well not really so exciting , i love you lots!