Lucky...

She is here!!!

2012-01-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

Quinn Leia Schimpf

January 24, 2012 @ 12:39am

5 pounds 15 ounces & 19 inches

27 hours of labor

(birth story to come!)

just weeks away

2012-01-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

currently 37.5 weeks.

which means we are currently kind of in shock that it could really be anytime now!

her head is niiice and comfy down there.

so we have mastered the pregnancy waddle.

sometimes i feel like my hips/tailbone are about to crack into pieces.

we don't have much of an appetite but when i get hungry i am instantly starving!

17 lbs. gained so far the doctor says.

but i reminded them that my first weight check wasn't until 12 weeks and i had gained five pounds by that time (which i was counting). but they said they won't count that.

but either way, 17 or 22 lbs. is fine by me!

as of wednesday the doctor says there is no change in my cervix but the babe is definitely right there.

i could have told you that doc... feels like i got punched in the vagina.

chocolate and heartburn are best friends :(

tums and pepcid ac are my best friends.

surprisingly i'm not in the 'get her out' stage yet like everyone said i would be.

it's actually kind of annoying when people say... oh this is the worst part/i bet you just want her out already... or anything along those lines.

as much as i am uncomfortable & anxious to finally meet her i know that recovery will be even worse.

i also want to enjoy this last time i have with just my husband.

and i want her to come when she is good and ready. stressing/wondering about making her come 'now' won't do my body any good anyways.

brian on the other hand (since he learned in birthing class that semen can induce labor) says we need to go collect a whole bunch (i guess his isn't enough), inject it in me and have this baby already.

it's the most wonderful time of the year

2012-01-07T21:43:00.000-08:00

the holidays seriously were the most wonderful time of the year this past year! having this little babe growing away in me just makes it all so much more wonderful. i can't explain it but it is just the best feeling. i have the best gift i could ever ask for right here... kinda sucked i couldn't open it Christmas morning though :)

lucky us we had lots of Christmas celebrations with all the family and we didn't have to miss out on any of them! with both of our families right here in san diego it works out better than expected for Christmas. everyone does a different night so we aren't forced to choose one or the other. love that! we thoroughly enjoyed all the family, food, white elephant games, gift exchanges, and thinking about how great it will all be next year when we have our little girl to experience it all for the first time!

our first married new year's eve together (brian wasn't working for the first time since we've been married) went as follows...

woke up together from a late afternoon, or should i say evening, nap,

stayed in our pj's to grab some wendy's,

ate our wendy's watching comedy,

snuggled and watched a movie,

and ended the night together in bed listening to the all the fireworks and honking just outside our window.

it was really was the perfect night. we really enjoyed our time together and had so much fun. truth is, at first i was kinda sad we weren't doing anything "exciting" for the night but it turned out to be just right. besides... what's better than a sleepover with your best friend while spending the night laughing and cuddling!

this past month...

2011-12-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

i am currently 35 weeks today but here is some belly for you at 33 weeks.

-the doctor confirmed today that she is head down! i already kinda knew that because when she has hiccups i feel them way low and i can feel her little legs and arms attacking my ribs. just hope she stays head down for the next five weeks!

-we took the childbirth prep classes offered by the hospital. so glad we chose to do it in one weekend though, (9-3 sat/sun) instead of once a week for six weeks. even though i knew everything that was brought up in the class regarding L&D (i know.. i'm a crazy person and have been obsessed with this stuff since i was in kindergarden so nothing was knew to me) i'm still glad we spent that $75. i think it was helpful to brian and i did get to learn our hospital's specific policies and procedures, which have made me a lot less nervous about a hospital birth! not that i would ever do a home birth. i believe that modern medicine is here for a reason in case of those emergencies. but when it is not an emergency, birth is not a medical event that needs a lot of intervention. but it seems things have changed at the hospital front from ten years ago and they seem to really be hands off and willing to let you have choices and a say in what goes on. for some reason i thought i wouldn't get that unless i really stood up for myself and didn't let them take advantage of me being a first time mom. just glad to know it won't feel like i'm on an assembly line and that i have options.

-i've been having so much fun making things for her little room and getting things ready. i know, i know she doesn't and won't care one bit. but come on, this is the fun part! so far i've sewed her crib sheet, changing pad cover, painted/filled frames, made a mobile, sewed some fancy burp rags, made a few flowers and bows for headbands (i'm still hesitant to put them on the actual elastic yet because i don't know what size i want them. i want to get the most use out of them and who knows if she'll have a small or big head.), and have washed all newborn size clothing (what is it about that tiny size that makes them to die for?? even if it's just a plain pair of grey leggings.. i'm still in love with them!). still left on the list is... paint the changing table, sew the bed skirt and pillow for chair, chose coordinating fabric for the crib blanket that her great-grandma is making as a gift, buy our carseat and stroller, and have the cutest little baby to cuddle all day long! hopefully her room comes together nicely and i'll share some pictures soon :)

-as for none related baby things around here. well there really isn't much. we're just too excited! okay we have gone to an aztec game, bought and decorated our christmas tree together! which was such a fun night! (the lady at the check out at home depot, who i think didn't see my belly under my coat, asked if it was our first christmas together because we apparently looked so cute picking out a tree. aww good to know it still looks like we like each other haha), went to brian's cousin's wedding, and i had my mom and grandma over for a yummy homemade dinner for their birthdays. lucky brian did get to go on a snowboarding trip to tahoe with a few buddies for a long weekend. halfway into the first day though he hit his head really hard. so hard that that was the end of snowboarding for him for the rest of the weekend. i felt so bad he didn't get much fun in :(

hope everyone's christmas preparations are going great! i can't believe how fast it has snuck up! i feel like i have to the best gift ever but i'm not allowed to open it...

30 weeks.

2011-11-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

30 week bump.

this is a little late cause i'm now 31 weeks but you get the idea :)

feels like everything is going so much faster now!

i can't believe it's already time to take down fall decorations. feels like we just had halloween and now thanksgiving is over! this thanksgiving i was so overwhelmed with gratitude. i can't even think about being thankful without tearing up (maybe we'll blame that on the pregnancy hormones). we just have sooo much to be thankful for.

last week my sweet family threw the cutest baby shower! these girls are amazing at this sort of thing and it definitely showed. pictures to come later because i didn't get a chance to take any. but just think vintage, burlap, lace, doilies, fresh flowers, mason jars, the most delicious homemade breakfast foods, and a hot chocolate bar! it was perfect. and i was so happy to see all who came to share this special time. saying thank you isn't even enough!

this past month things have definitely changed on the pregnancy front.

-i've started feeling a TON of soreness/pressure on my pelvic floor muscles. didn't think i could be so sore without having done a hard workout. if i don't get off my feet enough i can barely walk!

-we are loving honey bunches of oats, fruit, and unfortunately candy.

-i'm starting to get a little anxious with it getting so close. there is no turning back! i have this vision of how her birth will go but i know i can't control any of it and that scares me. i want my body to do what it needs to without complications/intervention. i want her to be healthy and able to go straight to my chest, skin on skin. i'm working hard on not letting myself think about how things will go on birth day.. because we won't know until it happens. but there is just so much anticipation!

annnd we have finally agreed on a middle name! i wasn't totally in love with it at first but now i think it is just perfect! ...like it has been her name all along.

but something has to be a surprise so you'll just have to wait and see :)

Quinn's Dear Santa,

2011-11-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

okay maybe my dear santa.

but i think i've finally found the perfect diaper bag!

...that doesn't look like a diaper bag but still has all the great features of one!

i found it on the babies r us website but they also have their own site with other products.

its a timi & leslie in the dawn style.

i've been searching for something that doesn't look like a typical diaper bag but that also has the features of one... like being water proof on the inside in case of spills, has lots of pockets so it's not just a gaping hole of mess to search through (i need organization!), and preferably the option of wearing it as a messenger bag too.

so here you have it plus more!

-detachable stroller straps and shoulder strap

-insulated bottle holder with clip-on handle

-key fob

-padded/large changing pad with mesh pocket for diapers

-mess bag for soiled clothes or what ever else you need it for

-three outside pockets

-six inside pockets

-zipper pouch thing for mom's essentials with inside zipper pocket and credit card slots

all the comments i've found about it are great and i watched the youtube videos that show every detail of it... which made me want it even more!

it is definitely more than i would ever spend on a bag because that's just me.

but i think considering the price of most diaper bags, the little extra is definitely worth it with all the extras it comes with and how nice it looks. and because it does look great i would totally use it way more than just having a typical diaper bag.

26 weeks.

2011-10-23T19:43:00.001-07:00

lets see... at 26 weeks

-i've started to feel the heart burn coming back.

-occasional leg cramps.

-lots and lots of braxton hicks. they aren't really painful just super uncomfortable.

-feeling little body parts up in my ribs.

-having a really hard time going to sleep at night.

-i seem to get really hungry at night. but that might be that i could not be getting enough during the day.

-getting more emotional.

-foods we are loving: honey flavored greek yogurt (i could eat it at ever meal if i let myself!), preferably the lucerne brand...i noticed a difference when i got yoplait once but lucerne is definitely better!, kiwi, banana, and string cheese.

-yoga class is becoming a little bit more difficult. i have hard time taking it easy and not pushing myself like i used to.

-any exercise for that matter is getting difficult. the braxton hicks come full force! can't even power walk at full speed :(

-we haven't agreed on a middle name yet. since Quinn is a name that goes both ways i really want her to have a definite girl middle name. suggestions are welcome! :)

-weight gain: 15 lbs. and belly measurement was exactly on target.

-my face surprisingly has gotten and stayed really clear! i already have skin prone to breakouts and with all the hormones it got worse. but lately it's been awesome and it feels so good to not worry about that when i'm already feeling chubby. hopefully i'm not jinxing myself here!

and to end, a cute husband quote...

almost all the furniture for her room is white and at this point there isn't much else in the room/on the walls to liven it up yet. so brian thinks it's so boring and plain and was complaining about it. i tried to explain to him the rest of my plans for the room and that there is more color coming. i told him at least i'm not doing some crazy, frilly pink and purple princess theme and he replies, "well that would be fine because she is my little princess".

a little more belly...

2011-10-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

(24 weeks)

because who doesn't love a little baby bump!? right? ...well sorry if you don't.

but let's be honest here and just say that this is officially becoming Quinn's blog.

it seems to be the most exciting thing going on around here so i just can't help myself. don't worry i'm sure we'll all get used to it :)

this little big bump and i have made it six months together! oh do i just love my growing bump! sometimes i go into her room and just sit. and be reallly happy. i think about what it will be like being a family of three. what it will be like when my nights become a routine of bath time, stories, and lots of cuddling... and of course the occasional poopy blowouts and tantrums.

but i'm pretty sure it will all be worth it!

23 weeks.

2011-10-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

taken two days before our 23rd week!

i'm kind of sad that i haven't been that great at documenting my belly growth with fun/creative pictures. these self mirror ones just aren't my favorite.

anyways... meeting this baby seems like it is foreverrr away! the first half of pregnancy really just flew by for me. i'm guessing it's because we kept it to ourselves until our 12 week ultrasound and were so nervous those weeks leading up to it, and then i was half dead until 18 weeks so i feel like i did nothing, and next came just looking forward to finding out the sex and if she had all her body parts. but now that we know this pregnancy is a keeper, she is healthy, and i'm feeling much better it's going much slower. i'm not complaining i just can't wait to meet our sweet girl that is going to melt our hearts! i really am enjoying feeling her move and also these last few months of life baby free.

lately i've been playing music on my phone and pressing the speaker right up against my belly. boy does she go crazy over it. not sure if it's because i'm bothering her or if she actually likes it. sorry baby, we'll never know and i like feeling you move too much to stop.

and just so i never forget because it was so cute...

husband was hugging me/giving belly a rub goodbye before i left for work last week and he asked "can you leave Quinn here?" haha i just about died! brian isn't the sensitive/feeling kind of guy so when he says little thing like that it just melts my heart and shows me he really is excited for his little daughter.

sneak peek of Quinn's nursery

2011-09-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

spice racks used as book shelves

framed mirror to be painted coral

brian is not a fan of this crib but i've always loved it! i love that it looks a little old fashioned and that it's not super bulky!

can't go wrong with a $20 rug!

(cause we all know the kid is going to make a mess of it eventually)

i've always been obsessed with this pillow!

(so i'm glad you're a girl Quinn so i can finally have it in my home because it doesn't go with our living room or bedroom)

lovely fabric for a fitted sheet and changing pad cover

(i've never been a fan of the bedding sets and the site i found to create your own is ridiculously expensive! so i'm making the sheet with this pretty fabric and still on the hunt for a softer yellow, preferably stripped, for the bed skirt)

these soft blue curtains but floor length

Q is for...

2011-09-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

our sweet baby GIRL Quinn!!!!

...and this is how we told our families :)

(these are all 20 weeks)

performing well :)

scary looking skeleton fetus

her none scary side

our little Quinn is apparently quite the dancer! it took the sonographer a good amount of time and me moving from sided to back to side to get all the measurements that were needed. she just wanted to keep moving all around. we saw her little legs running on my bladder, playing peek-a-boo, and waving her tiny little hand at us!

my favorite part of the day is when brian says to me as he wants me to come over to him, "bring me my daughter." i about died! how cute is he to say that :)

oh man i'm still in shock! for a while now i've thought it was girl. at first i was like, i really think it might be a girl but then i just thought am i just thinking that because that's what i wanted. and i didn't want to be wrong about it so i kept an open mind. we already had our girl name picked out since our first pregnancy about a year ago but weren't too sure about our boy options. so the last few weeks i kept trying to find boy names that i felt like i could call my little boy but nothing really seem to fit. and now i know why :)

it's a....

2011-09-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

boy or girl?? two more days and we will have an answer!! i can't believe i'm about half way through already! i feel like i've gotten so used to 'the baby in my belly' that it's so crazy to me that it really is a little baby boy or a little baby girl. and finding this out will make it so much more real that this little person is going to be a part of our family, in our little home... with it's own personality and needs. and i will be the mom of this little person! i will be the one responsible to teach and love our little person. i sure hope that i can do this! it's such a huge responsibility, but then i also remember it is the most important one you can have here on earth! what a blessing it is to be trusted with this sweet little child! i'm so glad our Heavenly Father knows us and what we need. i know this little person is coming to us to teach us so much, to show us more love than we can imagine. this adventure will not be the easiest but i know it will be the best and most rewarding thing we ever do!

19.5 weeks

18 weeks.

2011-08-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

18 weeks today!!? what? where has the time gone! before we know it two weeks will have gone by and we will know what this little babe is! any guesses? i'm voting girl and brian is, of course, very sure it's a boy. so we'll see. i don't have any major intuitions about it being a girl i'm just hoping for it :)

we are feeling pretty good these days. as expected, i'm super tired but with cramps (almost like period cramps) and bad back aches if i do too much. so i've been trying to let myself rest more often. i've learned that a hard work out and then being on my feet the rest of the day usually is not a good idea. especially if i haven't eaten much! lately i don't really have an appetite but that is not a good thing when you HAVE to eat. i still have some sick days/times but i'm so glad it's lightened up the last couple of weeks. right now we are loving fresh cold cucumber slices, juicy melon, i guess anything fresh and cold containing lots of water sounds good, and mexican food. and of course those random cravings, like muddy buddies, which i make and then only eat a few bites of as the rest sits there days later getting stale.

18 weeks (i was on my way to the gym so not the best picture)

i always forget to stay in a cute outfit to get a belly picture because i live in pajamas once i get home.

our little adventure and a little baby bump

2011-08-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

since our days off from work are opposite we don't have a lot of time do much together. so we took advantage of my wednesday off this week and stayed the night camping in big bear. i guess we are counting it as a our two year anniversary adventure too... since it's coming up on monday!

morning sun

making breakfast

driving to the trail

post hike baby bump [16 weeks]

....i had just drank a ton of water so it might be more my bump than baby's bump.

and i guess i should give a little pregnancy update:

sickness- up until about now i've had the worst nausea! only thrown up a total of i think four times but i wish it was more because at least there was a little relief afterwards. i was always to the point where i'd start walking to the toilet but then nothing would happen and i'd just keep feeling like i could puke at any second...all. night. long. in the beginning it was pretty much there all day but the worst once the evening hit. then eventually it got less in the day, which was great because i could make it through work, but then still horrible at night.

i always had to eat to keep it from getting worse so i just felt like i was always eating and never exercising because i was too sick. now it's still there in the evening/night but i don't feel like i'm dying.

food/cravings- it's hard to say i have certain cravings because i feel like had them before i was pregnant too. (doesn't everyone?) but i do notice a few things that are different. i looove really cold water! like lots of ice! it just tastes so good. i've always liked spicy/sour things but now i really want them. i think the sour candy helps settle my stomach a bit too. and luckily i don't get heartburn from them yet. only at night from drinking sooo much water. and water! i feel like i can never drink enough! i'll drink so much my belly hurts but still feel like i haven't had a single drop. and then of course i start having to pee every 10 minutes!

i was eating all the time because i was always hungry and needed to help the nausea but now i don't ever really feel like eating and i have a hard time deciding what sounds good. which is really annoying because i start feeling sick if i don't eat something.

one thing i hate is my total lack of motivation around the house. i usually love cleaning/organizing everything and i do a great job keeping up with all the chores on a regular basis. mostly because it feels so good to have a clean home and i don't mind making/keeping it that way. but now it doesn't even bother me anymore to let the dishes sit for four days when i used to do them right away, or let the bathroom go a few weeks instead of weekly. i think now that i'm not as sick it's getting better but man i have lots of things to catch up on! lets hope that nesting stage hits full force in the end so i make up for all the time i didn't care.

and of course there are all those symptoms of pregnancy that you forget actually happen until you are pregnant... constipation, extremely sore boobs, preggo brain (or forgetting everything), being able to smell eveeeerything! (i used to have to hold my breath when i would open the fridge or cabinets), breakouts, unable to get comfortable at night, being super grouchy, and there's probably lots more that i can't think of right now. at least some of these only last a little while but then there are lots more that will be coming my way...stretch marks, feel free to stay away.

too many ideas!!!

2011-07-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

some of my favorite nurseries... i think i'm in trouble if i have a boy.

love the ikea spice racks on the wall that are used for books in this one!

definitely using that idea! ...but put a little higher so crawling baby doesn't eat the nice books.

also love the chevron rug!

love this teal color dresser...good thing this color is good for a boy too because it seems to be in every nursery design i'm drawn to!

love all these fabrics!

and this yellow crib which is sold in white is my very favorite!!

and seems to look so good in yellow in all three of these rooms!

i'm hungry and i have to pee...

2011-07-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

...is the story of my life right now.

it might have taken us a couple of pregnancies to finally get a real one, but i'd say it's totally been worth it! i couldn't imagine not having the experience of miscarriages now because i've seen how much i've grown, how much we've grown as a husband and wife, and i wouldn't change it for anything! but most of all it has made me love this little bean sooo much more!

(even if i feel like poop most of the time)

i told my doctor as soon as we found out which was a day before four weeks.

(and in the target bathroom because i was too impatient!)

because of my history she put me on progesterone suppositories to keep my levels up and low-dose aspirin which basically is just a blood thinner. and then had me schedule a seven week ultrasound to verify the pregnancy. those three weeks from the time i peed on the stick to our first ultrasound felt like the longest three weeks of my life! i was so incredibly nervous and would go from being happy about the positive test to just wanting to cry and begging for the worst not to happen again. i just didn't know if i could go through it all over again...not just emotionally but physically.

in my head i really really thought it was going to happen again. i thought we would go in, have the staff say congratulations blah blah, then once the little ultrasound thing was shoved in me we'd find an empty sack, just another big black whole without a fetal pole, then sit in the lab forever, while i'm trying not to cry too hard, to wait for more blood tests to be taken.

i'd done it twice before so i knew what to expect and i thought it would be the same routine that day. but this time as soon as the little wand went in me the heartbeat was beating away and i could see our little one and it's soon to be placenta!!!

i couldn't believe it! i was in shock! i just cried.

here we are at seven weeks:

and lucky us!

i thought that first ultrasound was our real first one but really it was just to verify the pregnancy. so we got to see our babe looking a little more like a human again at 12 weeks!

this was the best! it's little arms and legs were moving all around! and you could actually see it's fingers and toes! (they don't really show on the pictures though)

so here we are at 12 weeks:

(i know they say 13 weeks on the picture but i think the nurse practitioner's measuring was a little off)

ahhh now all i can think about is how crazy it is i'm actually growing a tiny human inside me and that it's going to have to come out of me!!! i can do it, i can do it!

saturday adventure

2011-06-02T14:12:00.001-07:00

we don't get too many of these due to brian working weekends but...

a couple saturdays ago brian crawls back in bed

real close to me around 5 in the morning.

i told him he was going to be late for work and he says

i'm not going i want to spend the whole day with you!

lets just say i was super excited :)

(what a nice husband)

we cuddled tight and slept some more,

enjoyed the hot day at mission trail,

and ended it with some slurpees.

look what we made that's growing so big!!

2011-05-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

nope. not a baby. did i trick you?

i really wish i took a before picture

because you would know why i'm so happy about these beautiful plants of ours!

they used to be itty (is that how it's spelled??) bitty tiny things!!

but i can only take zero credit for their growth. brian has done it all...

planting, fertilizing,making sure they are getting what they need, and watering EVERY DAY! (without me reminding him about it)

i'm very surprised to say the least haha.

but oh so happy because i can't wait for some delicious tomatoes soon!

(great job babe!)

now off to make some bread. yum!

have a great, looong weekend :)

CAN'T WAIT FOR...

2011-05-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

this!!!

here is a little something to watch if you aren't caught up...

her entire story is being featured on 20/20 tonight and i couldn't be more excited!!!! everything about her and her adorable, sweet family is so inspirational to me. she makes me want to be a better person, a better mom someday, a better mormon. sometimes when life is hard i remember what she has, is, and will be going through and i suck it up right away. because nothing compares to her story and how she has chosen to continue her life and share her testimony. what a women!!

2011-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

yesterday was a poopy day. i had to work in the afternoon and straight from there was going to joanne's to get the last thing i needed for my project for sewing class that night.. and then to haley's house to head to our class. i got everything ready the night before and had it all lined up by the door so i wouldn't have to drive back home because it's further than haley's. my machine, all the gadgets needed, and my super cute fabric that i couldn't wait to get working on... and right as i go to pick up my things to get in the car for work i realize that i don't have the stinking cord or peddle to even use the machine!! i started frantically looking for it knowing that i knew it wasn't in the few spot that i looked because i had already organized everything since we moved. i hate being late so i was even more upset. i kept looking hoping that it wasn't actually in our garage which brian, who is at work, has the key to. so i left it all and went to work and now have to wait another two weeks for sewing class.

on top of being mad at myself for not realizing the cord wasn't with the machine until the last minute EVERYONE but me is having babies. it's not fair. it's not fair that i keep thinking that if i could only get and stay pregnant that i will be happy. but i HATE that i think that. i shouldn't think that. sometimes it's just hard to be happy. and sometimes i just don't want to do anything because i just want to sit and let myself be sad. i'm allowed to do that right?

it's annoying that certain days i have so much motivation to do everything... like eat healthy, exercise, cook and clean the house, be social, practice the piano for once!, actually finish the book i'm reading. and then other times, like yesterday, i only want to be home and do absolutely nothing but be sad.

easter

2011-04-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

is it just me or are holidays no where near what they used to be like when you were a kid. everything about holidays was so fun and exciting and now they almost feel like any other day. one thing i am grateful for about being a grown up and holidays is that now i can really understand the meaning of them. Easter was great! church was just what i needed to hear and the afternoon was spent with my family. what a blessing it is to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives and to be able to celebrate His resurrection. i can't wait to share such a wonderful thing with my children some day and teach them about the love of the Savior and the blessings He as in store for us! i hope you had a great easter as well and happy friday!!

babies/blurry iphone pictures

2011-04-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

meet carmen. the youngest of the four triana kids that i nanny.

i've known them since the third alex, who's six, was a baby.

carmen will be three in may and she can fold her clothes better than some of her older siblings can. i even taught them how to fold... but she learned on her own.

she is a little obsessed with clothes you should know.

her reward for pooping in the potty is getting to wear her favorite pipple (purple) outfit. not candy, a sticker, or a treat, but clothes. haha i love her!

where has the time gone??!

i remember when she used to fit in this little baby towel of hers.

her new favorite thing is a 'pink bath'.

(just a little red food coloring makes for a happy day!)

we love to bake cookies while the big kiddos are at school.

i pull out the chocolate chips for the batter 'oooh i like those'

so i let her eat some batter with chips

'pina (carina) that make me happy! i do it again?'

haha cutest thing ever!

cousins avery and krew matching in their paul frank jammies.

baby hawk at big brother reef's birthday party. i could let him sleep on me all day!

and our newest addition in the schimpf family!!! baby brock, so fresh and new!

neglected.

2011-04-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

my poor, sad, little blog is definitely in need of some attention! it's just i'd sooo rather be blog stalking everyone else's fabulous lives than trying to find an interesting way to write about my own. you see, i do think of great things to blog about but then i procrastinate blogging about them and then i forget them.

the most exciting thing around here is that we moved!!! about two and half weeks ago we upgraded from our little one bedroom (which was actually a great size for being one bedroom) to an upstairs/downstairs two bedroom, one and a half bath. we looove it! there is a patio too! (i know. i get excited about the little things okay.) i love being able to eat breakfast in the morning sun! and best of all the manager, our next door neighbors, are my cousin and one of brian's best friends from growing up. plus they have the cutest little one year old that i get to play with all the time :) so i guess packing, cleaning, moving and then unpacking can be my excuse for the lack of blogging. but we are finally settled in with maybe only one or two boxes of the random stuff i don't know what to do with left. now i'm just dying to be able to have an excuse to decorate the second bedroom, like say for a baby or something. on that note...lets just say i'm crossing my fingers every month and forcing myself to tell myself that i need to stop thinking about it if i want it to happen. on the other hand, i'm afraid i'm going to have to go through it a third time and i don't feel like being more of an emotional mess.

i can't believe it is already half way through april! some things i'm looking forward to:

-my mom and sisters coming over tomorrow to see our new place, bbq some delicious burgers, and maybe some hiking after.

-a baby shower on saturday for my newly adopted little baby cousin.

-lake havasu with the schimpfs next week!!!

-my sewing class which i. can. not. wait. for.

and just one thing i could definitely live without...brian working sundays starting in two weeks

(my favorite part of the week is sitting next to him during church)

four months. i can do four months. i can.

weekend forts

2011-03-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

first off let me please share with you the high light of my day...

when i saw this i think i gasped a little too loud.

and then i couldn't stop laughing just

thinking of all the thing you do with your hands on a daily basis,

but having to do it all with freakishly, freaky long nails!!!

does this make me a horrible person judging and all?

....but seriously?! really??

(this was at brian's post op appt. this morning in the waiting room

sitting maybe five feet from the check-in desk...that's what i mean about gasping a little loud. AND to top it off when i took the picture with my iphone it made the picture taking sound!)

on another none making fun of people note,

our nephew Kamden stayed over friday night.

i went out to dinner with all three of my favorite sisters-in-law

and brian took him to boomers.

how cute! they made a boys only fort!

kam made a sign and

(don't tell but i had to help brian out on his fort making skills)

(husband and his creepy stash...

he can't have facial hair at work so he thought he would be lazy

and not shave during his time off from surgery.)

probably should have taken out the real camera so husband wouldn't look so scary!!

it think its safe to say that brian might have been

more excited than the six year old.

once kam feel asleep i tried to see if brian wanted to come to bed with me

cause i just wanted a little cuddle.

no way did that happen! he wanted to sleep in the fort!

the next day i was gone most of the day at the gym and a baptism.

he said he was going to clean up the fort and do a few other things....

i came home to this. haha he looked so cute and cozy i just had to join him!

so we left it up all weekend and had a date night of dinner and movie in our awesome fort.

read me.

2011-03-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

need an inspirational story?

read this!!!

how touching and real.

sicky hubby.

2011-03-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

monday at home after surgery:

tonight, three days later:

i just love this man so much!

brian got his gallbladder removed on monday.

i feel so bad for him and how much pain he is in.

one of his incisions is looking really nasty.

normally i am totally all about that stuff...grosser the better!

but for some reason when i look at it on him it makes me sick...i literally almost threw up today when he showed me how it got worse!

i guess i just love him too much that i can't stand to see it on him.

i love everything medicine, blood, and guts.

i've seen three babies be born but

when i was helping brian change to go home after surgery

i had to sit down and put my head down to prevent myself from passing out

after seeing the tinniest bit of dried blood on him.

what is my deal!?!?!? i guess i'm emotionally attached or something!

can't wait to actually give a real hug to my best friend!

2011-02-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

now brian would never admit to doing something lovey for this silly holiday but...

he surprised me and did anyways!

i knew he was going to at least cook dinner because i worked all day.

but i also came home to flowers, my favorite dark chocolate, and a new iphone!!

i got him a matching one as well.

okay maybe the phones were on their way already and happen to come today.

he woke up to a lovey letter and a cute little homemade coupon book.

somebody was too hungry to let me take any real pictures.

i love my valentine!

he is the BEST best friend.

and i couldn't imagine my life without him.

lover's day.

2011-02-12T23:14:00.000-08:00

need a place setting to help celebrate your lover's day?

look what i found!

well i think it is SUPER adorable.

late night crafting.

2011-02-08T22:50:00.001-08:00

besides the cute wreath on my door i don't really decorate for valentine's day. but these looked fun to make! they are made to put in windows but since i don't do anything with the very top shelf on these built ins we have, i thought i'd add a little something just for fun...

here's how

2011-02-05T18:28:00.001-08:00

so when brian and i went to register for our wedding we got in our first real argument. i really really wanted a certain shower curtain but he hated it. i scanned it anyways. bad idea. very bad idea. he didn't even want to come with me to register in the first place. i said come on you have to! so we can agree on stuff. haha i wish i had just gone and picked out what i liked and let him not come with. but he came and was upset that i wanted him to be there to 'agree on stuff' when i just went ahead and scanned the shower curtain anyways right after he said he hated it. i felt really bad after but all the ones he was pointing out that he did like were definitely not my style and no way going in our bathroom. i unscanned it but that didn't change the fact that i did it in the first place. i ended up finding a not so bad one online. it was kind of plain and not what i really wanted but i was settling so the argument wouldn't continue. when it came in the mail he said it was wasn't his favorite but it was much better than the one i originally wanted. it wasn't my favorite either so i guess we left it at that.

here's the before that i had settled on. it's not that i hated it, it just wasn't quit me.

with not being able to paint in apartments i've still really wanted a more bright and fun shower curtain... i feel like it's the one thing in a bathroom that sets the mood in the little room. i've found lots of fun/floral/vintagy/paisley prints that i'm in love with that i know brian would hate...he calls me a hippie for liking that kind of stuff. but this one i still love and it's not floral or paisley or too plain. i actually haven't shown it to him yet so hopefully he doesn't hate me! maybe i'll show him a picture of one that i know he would hate and say 'hey aren't you glad i didn't get this other one i really like'.

and now.

when i walk in the bathroom it feels like a totally different room now, so much better! much more bright and less dull.

the photos don't really do it justice...you would have to be in there with them to see the difference. cause it really is much brighter!

catching up with sad.

2011-02-04T00:21:00.001-08:00

you think that with having gone through it once before i would know how to handle it a little better. i mean handle the, i guess you could say, 'grieving process'.

going into our first ultrasound at the end of december i was really really trying hard to prepare myself for the same sort of out come as the first time around just a short five months before. i was so nervous but had been praying for comfort. my prayers were answered because i was a lot more calm than an appointment we had earlier in the month.

but i think i might have been praying for the wrong thing because when the ultrasound screen was exposing my insides with , again, a clearly empty sac i couldn't believe it. but at the same time i was prepared. i definitely cried a lot when the doctor left the room but after that day i didn't let myself really cry when i needed it.

before the appointment i had prayed so much to just be okay with whatever the outcome of the ultrasound was and that is what i was. okay. i forgot to let myself be sad. i feel like i tried too hard to look on the bright side and to see that it happens for a reason. i had prayed to let myself be okay with whatever the Lord had in store for me. i wanted to be strong for whatever His plans were for me. i was grateful. my prayers were answered. i really felt that it was easier this second time than it was the first. maybe i was just in denial of what was really happening. again!

for some reason though i think i might have been ignoring my emotions. i tried not to be sad. but that would lead to just being in a bad mood and being grumpy towards brian. i would catch myself though. i would realize that 'oh maybe i'm just sad, sorry for being in a bad mood. i think i'm just sad.' but i wouldn't really be it. i would just continue to not really feel like my real self.

this all comes up now because i feel it's all catching up with me. just recently i've been able to actually cry hard about it. this whole process has been so weird to me. it's like i don't know how to feel sometimes...i just know i'm not feeling normal. when i go through my day i feel like i'm missing a part of something really important. when i drive home from work sometimes i wish i was going to pick up my little baby... that sounds a little strange i do realize but it's really what i think about going down the freeway at the end of the day.

i'm 22.

2011-02-03T23:27:00.000-08:00

it's crazy to think where i am in my 22nd year of life. it really isn't where i planned to be but it is so much better. oh so much better than i ever thought!

i didn't do anything too crazy but had lots of evenings spent with all my favorite people. thursday night before my birthday i enjoyed a yummy dinner out to chinese with my grandma and uncle. the big day i worked and brian was at work until midnight (we waited for our days off on monday and tuesday to celebrate) and so i joined my family at my little sister's show choir concert. she is getting too too big! all i could think about while watching her was how i used to change her diapers and give her baths and then put her jammies (i may or may not have gotten teary eyed) on her cute, all clean, little baby body. anyways.. enough about getting too big.

on saturday, after a my favorite yoga class, some homework, and cleaning the house so clean :), a group of my favorite girls enjoyed some delicious dinner at BJ's and a few rounds of catch phrase at my place after. (i know i've said i don't like games, but i really do like catch phrase) on sunday brian and i went to my families for dinner and my mom made my favorite apple crisp...so yummy! and we played my other favorite game apples to apples.

and finally! brian and i were able to play together all day monday and tuesday! those are his set days off and i happen to have the week off work. we never get full days together anymore so i was so excited to play with my best friend for a whole two days!! we never got a chance to go to julian during fall like a wanted so monday we headed up there for an afternoon. we had a surprisingly delicious lunch. we, of course, hit up the candy store. we even held hands.

with not much sleep the night before, a long run at the lake that morning with haley, and getting a cold.. i was happy to cuddle brian and nap a bit while he enjoyed his other lover (don't worry it's just his kindle. although i do get jealous of her sometimes.) before we headed over to the schimpf's that night for some mexican!

my sickness ruined our tuesday adventure of beach cruising around coronado but ended up being replaced with costco and a movie. buuut, any day with costco involved is a great day for me!

yay to birthdays that are a great excuse to

bring friends together, go on adventures, and eat sweets!

nine.

2011-02-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

Day 9-Something you're proud of in the past few days

running four miles this past thursday and again on monday! i've always really liked running but it always really hurts my body. and if i'm not doing it with someone i get really bored. so i've never run more than three miles ever! and that was on a treadmill...cause it keeps me going. and i have injuries, like plantar fasciitis, from dance that start to hurt bad after about two miles. but my wonderful friend haley is in the beginning of her training for a half marathon. so i joined her for a couple runs at the lake. i'm looking forward to more too! although, besides the normal pains, i get this horrible one in the tendon behind my knee on the outer side...so bad that i have to stop and walk. after the run on monday i was practically limping the rest of the day from it. i think it might be overcompensation for my sprained ankle that never healed properly. hopefully it won't keep me from more running because i'm so proud of myself for pushing though the pain and doing, what i consider, long runs. i realize this sounds wimpy cause four miles is really nothing but when you haven't done it before it just feels so good to know you finally have and you actually can do it!

eight.

2011-01-31T20:49:00.000-08:00

Day 8-Short term goals for this month and when you'll accomplish them.

oh good one day eight! see i wanted to try and do this whole no sugar thing for the month of February. twenty-eight days no sugar. yeah well that idea didn't last long. it's not that i eat a lot of it by any means, it's just sometimes i really crave something sweet...even just a little piece of something sweet, mmm like fruit snacks! i'm good at saying no to desserts and things if i know i shouldn't, but when the times come when my tongue is dying for a little sweetness i can't resist. so that is one goal that was in my head but i'm pretty sure i will never accomplish it. wish is really okay with me :)

but now for a real short term goal... i will finish the book i am reading. wish is a good goal for me because i usually get bored of reading even if it's good. i know weird. but i'm determined to be a better reader and actually finish what i started!

also, i will start piano lessons with my grandma again. it's been since i think middle school since i've had one! i need lots of practice, practice, practice!

and just one more... find somewhere to take sewing lessons!!! any input would be much appreciated on this :)

seven.

2011-01-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

Day 7-A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

i think anyone that is a religious person would agree that their beliefs are what has the biggest impact on them, their lives, and the decisions they make in life. i couldn't think of a better or bigger thing that truly makes an impact on my everyday life. i love being a Mormon and having the true gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. life isn't easy or understandable at times but when you have the knowledge of the gospel it honestly makes for a happier and more fulfilling life. i know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. i know that our Heavenly Father has made it possible for us to have eternal families. i know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and made it possible for us to come to this earth. i know that we lived with our Father in Heaven before this earth and that we are able to return to him again. i know that the Holy Ghost is given to us to comfort, guide, and direct us. i know that marriage is an eternal, sacred, and wonderful thing. i know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church on this earth today and that it is what has made the biggest impact on my life. and i couldn't be happier to be apart of it.

six.

2011-01-31T20:08:00.000-08:00

Day 6-Favorite super hero and why

wow i really suck at this thing. guess i better do some catching up! i think i've been procrastinating this post on purpose because i couldn't really think of a favorite super hero. so i'm going with a hero, not a super hero.

i guess i don't even really have one hero either. but heros to me lately are those moms with a million things going on and a butt load of patience and love for their children, husband, and homes. sometimes i see myself in certain situations and realize that i just need to have more patience. that scares me knowing that some day i'm going to have an even more hectic life than i do now and that i really will need even more patience. i love to just watch moms with handfuls of kids and see how they do it...how they do it ALL! it inspires me. it reminds me that it is all doable. moms are definitely my heros.

five.

2011-01-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

Day 5-A picture of somewhere you've been

...like i said before i don't have all my photos on this computer yet. so i took some from google. and decided to do more than one place!

utah

sequoia national park

vegas

rexburg

mazatlan

puerta vallarta

london

hawaii

paris

cabo

four.

2011-01-23T23:21:00.000-08:00

Day 4-A habit that you wish you didn't have.

i'm bosy at times, especially with my siblings. i really really hate it, and always have.

I love, I love, I LOVE!

2011-01-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

just gives me the chills and makes me want to dance like this all day long :)

and the making of ....

Thought of You - Behind the Scenes Preview - ROUGH CUT from Cambell Christensen on Vimeo.

love it when he says:

"it's not something that's work"

three.

2011-01-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

Day 3-A picture of you and your friends

(we recently got a new computer and i haven't put all of the photos from my laptop onto it) ...this is the most recent photo i have of a christmas sock exchange party i had. we're missing some great friends that couldn't make it and it's not the best picture but we had fun! (just in case you noticed my weird face... it's because i was talking and didn't realize the timer was going off)

two.

2011-01-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

Day 2-The meaning behind your Blog name

i'm guessing this means the part that says lucky... and not our names.

well just before i met brian i heard the song 'lucky' by jason mraz and feel in love with it (it had been out for a while but for some reason had never heard it until then)! i mean i could listen to it all day in live with it! ...sounds dumb because i'm sure everyone else loved it too when it first came out. but anyways i thought it was bestest song ever and one day during the first couple weeks while brian i were dating i was going through his ipod and found it. and of course played it. from then on i would always want to play it while in his truck and we would sing it together...him MUCH better than me of course. but it ended up being our little song and i thought it was perfect for us since i went away to school just less than three weeks of us dating (so most of our getting to know each other was over the phone, long distance). but magically after i left it didn't take very long at all before we fell in love :) when i missed him i would play it. which was ALL. THE. TIME. it's a little fast to use for a slow dance song so we used it for our photo slide show at our wedding reception. i think it fit so well for us too because when we met, at that point in both our lives we were not looking for anything serious at all and were definitely not expecting to find love so fast and be married when we were! we are definitely lucky to be in love in every way... so i thought it was a good blog title :) love really does come along when you least expect it. we LOVE love and love being married! it's like a super fun party! you have your best friend around all the time and it's a sleep over every night!!! (well, when he isn't working nights)

one.

2011-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

Day 1-Recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

not sure if they will be interesting but they will be facts...

1. i cannot go to sleep at night in my bed without washing my face and brushing my teeth. i've tried and it is really hard!

2. i have a freckle on my eye lid that i know a lot of people think is mascara.

3. i am really self conscious about my feet and i've never liked them.

4. i took ballet for 15 straight years. but truthfully it doesn't feel good on my body and i'm now in love with modern.

5. i love to clean my home.

6. being late stresses me out.

7. i sucked my thumb until i was nine.

8. i am probably the least competitive person you will meet. but sometimes i really try to be if we are playing a game so i don't bore myself.

9. i take what people say about me to heart. maybe that is why fact 3 exists.

10. i have had two miscarriages in five months and even though it's been the most challenging experience in my life so far it has been one of the most spiritual. and in a certain way i am happy to have been given those experiences for many reasons.

11. i'm obsessed with babies.

12. i have plantar fasciitis.

13. i've always really liked being in hospitals.

14. i saw my youngest three siblings be born and cut the last ones umbilical cords.

15. i can never stay mad at brian for for very long at all...even when i try to be!

stollen.

2011-01-18T20:54:00.000-08:00

30 Day Challenge
Getting to know me.

Each day of the month, write a blog post according to these guidelines below:

Day 1-Recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 2-The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 3-A picture of you and your friends
Day 4-A habit that you wish you didn't have
Day 5-A picture of somewhere you've been
Day 6-Favorite super hero and why
Day 7-A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 8-Short term goals for this month and when you'll accomplish them
Day 9-Something you're proud of in the past few days
Day 10-Songs you listen to when you're bored, happy, sad, mad, hyped
Day 11-Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12-How you found out about blogger and why you have one
Day 13-A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14-'A picture of you and your family
Day 15-Put your ipod or shuffle on-first 10 songs that play
Day 16-Another picture of yourself
Day 17-Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18-Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19-Nicknames you have and why you have them
Day 20-Someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future
Day 21-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22-What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23-Something you crave for a lot
Day 24-A letter to your parents
Day 25-What I would find in your bag
Day 26-What do you think about your friends
Day 27-Why you are doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28-A picture of you from last year and now-how have you changed?
Day 29-In this past month, what have you learned?
Day 30-Your favorite song

Christmas

2011-01-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

our Christmas holiday was a crazy busy one, but a very wonderful one! we are lucky enough to have both of our families right here in town but that means that we have lots of Christmas celebrations to attend! it's so fun to be all together but it does get exhausting going from one event to the next. but i'm so glad we do not have to pick and choose which side of the family we will be with.... it works out great! the day before Christmas Eve we have a dinner and gift exchange with the Hutchings....lots of little cousins! my family has always done Christmas Eve/my mom's birthday. it varies from year to year what exactly we do but there is always yummy food, lots of family, white elephant, and gift exchanges! Christmas morning is spent just the two of us which i LOVE! and this year since brian worked until 7am Christmas day he stayed home and slept while i went to the schimpf's for a delicious breakfast! Later we all go to grandma and grandpa's and have a big dinner and gift exchange with all the schimpf family. it all makes for a busy few days full of baking, eating, and family but i wouldn't have it any other way! i couldn't imagine Christmas without all the festivities and family... it just wouldn't be the same! i'm so looking forward to when we have little kiddos of our own to bring alive the magic of Christmas in our own home and to teach them about the birth of the Savior!

i can do this!

2011-01-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

ahh what a week it has been! all i can think about lately is how incredibly grateful i am for the knowledge i have of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the relationship i have with my Heavenly Father. i know for a fact that no matter how many failed pregnancies i have that there is always a purpose for them in my life at that certain time. sometimes the reasons for your trails are right there in front of you if you take the time to open your mind and except that it had to happen. other times you may have no idea why you were given a specific trail but whether you know the reason or not it's important to accept it and learn from it, even if it is not easy.

this time around has been really weird for me emotionally. i cried a lot the day we found out. all i wanted to do was cry. but after that first day of mostly sadness i just felt anger. i couldn't cry very much even when i felt like i really really needed to! how frustrating! i was just angry at all of it. i wanted to know why. i wanted to know what i did wrong. what went wrong. is this really happening again all in less than six months?

even if i can't figure out why or how it happened again.. or what i'm supposed to learn from it or change in my life at this time, i do know that i have a Heavenly Father who has answered my prayers. it may not always be the way i want them to be answered but they are always answered. what a blessing it is that we can simply kneel on our knees no matter what our emotional state is and feel His love for us, feel the spirit in our homes, and know that He knows what is best for us. it's hard to except a different plan for ourselves than the one we've made but i know that when we let go of our plans that a much better and joyful one can take place.

2010 Highlights

2011-01-01T22:48:00.001-08:00

now i'm sure i will forget something but i'll try my best to remember this past year! what a year it has been...lots of growing and firsts for me especially!

January

- my 21st birthday which was celebrated by a great night out with brian eating BJ's and then enjoying seaport village and ice cream

- started my first few classes at a community college in order to transfer them to byui....how different! made me love byui so much more! and i was sooo glad when they came to an end.

- started my medical assisting externship at Center for Family Health only one mile down the street from our apartment. what a learning experience that was! not the nicest people to say the least and i hated almost every minute...i was so proud of myself when the 200 hours were finally completed!

- not sure which month but i know it was in the beginning of the year....i was called to the activity days leader.

February

- don't remember anything eventful this month just trying to survive working, my externship at the doctors office, and school.

- we (mostly brian) are not to big about valentines day around here but brian surprised me with balloons, flowers, and chocolate!! never expected it so i was so happy!

March

- our disneyland passes expired so we enjoyed one last time at the park.

- saw cirque de sole!!

- completed my externship and all the paperwork and homework that went along with it....so i then officially complete the medical assisting program at byui!

April

- spring break! normally i would be only two weeks away from ending the semester at byui so i was happy for a break before the last stretch of grossmont's semester.

- easter! we spent it with most of my extended family at my parents.

May

- my classes ended!

- we bought and started p90x...not so successful.

June

- celebrated brian's 26th birthday in vegas for a long weekend! so much fun! saw jersey boys, did lots of walking around, rode the big roller coaster, enjoyed our giant jacuzzi tub in the condo, slept lots, hit up a buffet, and more.

- found out we were pregnant! and couldn't keep it to ourselves!

- ended the month with a week of lake camping with all of brian's family at don pedro! sooo fun but i did lots of sleeping so i'm looking forward to next year even more!

July

- had our first ultrasound that showed i had a blighted ovum (look it up) not at all what we were expecting that day. instead of a d&c i opted for a drug they insert...was sent home to basically wait for my body to go into labor and make everything pass in less than 24 hours. worst experience of my life!

- quickly learned that things REALLY do happen for a reason and that right in the middle of my miscarriage happening was offered a job at dr. pulsiphers orthodontists office as an assistant. what a true blessing that was and i couldn't have been happier at such a sad time.

August

- started my first day of training!! i was so nervous but so excited! everyone was so nice to me and really helped me learn a lot! i was grateful for this opportunity and learned that i love it more than working at a doctors office full of old sick people who don't take are of themselves!

- most of all this new job gave me a great distraction from the loss we just had and gave me something to focus on instead of what i was really going though. it really helped me to see my Heavenly Father's plan for me and to know that i need to be willing to let my plans go in order for his plan, that is so much greater, to take place.

- celebrated our first year anniversary! that weekend i was in a wedding and so we weren't really able to do much until the next friday. but we spent the day together getting massages, going to the cheesecake factory and going to the temple.

- i bought a 24 hour fitness pass! i'd been wanting to for soooo long but felt guilty paying for it when i could just run outside or do my workout dvd's at home. but it's best thing i've bought! i need the motivation of going somewhere and i LOVE the classes!

- was a bridesmaid for rhawnie!

September

- continued using my gym pass at least four times a week and loving every minute of it! this may not be a big deal to you but i was very proud of myself for sticking with it and finding something i didn't get bored of! ....and not wasting my money!

- this was in august but....i was no longer in charge of activity day girls but brian and i were called to teach the four year olds primary class!

- my friend brittany got married!

October

- had some great girlfriends over for dinner and it has turned into a monthly thing. so glad we do this! it's great to talk with young girls who are married too!

- brian worked halloween once again so we hung out the collins house the night before and that was about the extent of our halloween celebrations.

November

- first thanksgiving spent with the schimpfs. so yummy! and then had my sister stay the night to watch elf of course!

December

- saw the nutcracker performed by my old studio and both my sisters and one brother were in it! definitely helps start off the christmas season!

- found out we were pregnant again!! excited but nervous and waited to tell everyone until we could get a little picture, which wouldn't happen until after christmas. it killed me keeping it a secret while seeing everyone!

- had a very busy christmas going from one family event to the next. i mostly couldn't wait until christmas was over so we could just relax and then get to hopefully see our maybe baby!!

- had a girls christmas sock exchange party

- found out we are having TWO miscarriages in five months. blighted ovum again. just because it happened once doesn't mean you're chances of having it happen again are any greater... so definitely just a random thing. this time i've choose to have a D&C so that is how i will be starting out the new year on monday, with surgery.

- still trying to figure out the real reasoning behind it happening again.

dancing in the kitchen to christmas music is the best when it's with brian!

2010-12-18T23:49:00.000-08:00

i just HAVE to say again what a wonderful husband brian is! tonight i had my grandma, my aunt, and my mom all over for dinner for my grandma's birthday this past week. brian did most of the cooking of which he wasn't even able to eat due to having gallstones AND when he came back home after going to visit his family he put away all left overs and helped clean up the kitchen while us girls finished our game. i think i'm just really happy about this right now because it usually doesn't happen...he does cook (which i love and think is super sexy) but always leaves me to clean up...which is how we like it around here. but i was so surprised of how big of a help he was without even asking! what a GREAT husband! it was a fun night and his yummy dinner was a huge hit!

some recent favorites:

-dancing in the kitchen to christmas music with brian! sooo romantic and lovey :)

-getting over being sick! not a fun past weekend and beginning of the week

-skyping with my brother who is in napal, for the first time tonight!

-lots of holiday baking

-shopping for/wrapping christmas gifts!

-the christmas decorations/tree in my home!

-having a clean home! it's a real good thing i like cleaning it too!.. for the most part.

oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree!

2010-12-12T21:00:00.001-08:00

last year for our first married christmas together we had a big tree and i loved it! but i thought it would be fun to have a little tree...it fits a little more nicely in our little apartment and i wanted it to be right in front of our window and since we have a built in table thing over the air conditioning it had to be a little one. and i must say it was MUCH easier to string the lights on!

the stubby little thing before

and after!

i love waking up to it and spending the evenings with it all pretty and lit.

the nutcracker

2010-12-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

well i guess it wasn't exactly the nutcracker this year. it had a new twist and was called guess who stole the nutcracker? my sisters alex and jordan, and my brother forrest were all in it this year! it's so weird to not be performing in a big holiday performance...it definitely helps set the mood for christmas. besides i miss the theater and all my dancing friends! there is nothing else like it! ....i think that is why i drool over the performances in glee because it just looks like so fun and what a life that would be to do that allll the time with all those fun people!

oh to dream.

thanks mom for always driving us to classes and long rehearsals!

sisters

jordan & alex

liana and i have known each other since our underwear was showing through our tights

and leotard when we were five dancing together at sdcyb!

now she has lots of little students of her own!

best little doll in party scene ever! well besides when i did it :)

what's a show with out going out to eat after??

mom & dad

thankful for thanksgiving

2010-11-26T22:39:00.000-08:00

i can now really be allowed to listen to Christmas music and i am thankful for that!

Brian and i have decided for the thanksgiving holiday we will switch off every other year being with either my family or his.

it's just too much all in one day for us to do both

and it's usually right at the same time anyways :(

so this year was with the schimpf's and it was delicious and fun!

i contributed the mashed potatoes, a strawberry jello salad, and a chocolate cheesecake...yum!

we ate and decorated a feather of what we are thankful for to pin on the turkey.

thanksgiving night my sisters and brian's sister came over for a sleep over!

we played rock band, watched elf, and stayed up late...

well except for stacie who fell asleep ten minutes into elf :)

the next day we slept in, made banana pancakes, and then bravely hit up a few stores.

but they actually weren't too busy at all!

and best of all it is still only friday! so i still have a whole weekend to enjoy!

looking forward to spending a saturday morning

with good friends in zumba class and catching up over a yummy breakfast!

dear santa,

2010-11-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

i could never bring myself to pay for these :(

and the knock off ones i've found at kohls look almost exactly the same but are not in my size!

so lame.

stress? what stress?

2010-11-22T01:01:00.000-08:00

ahhh! i can't sleep once again! and knowing that i have to be up for work in less than six hours isn't helping one bit! i seem to always do this right around the holidays though. my brain just goes on and on thinking about all that's coming up and my to-do lists that aren't even full enough to be stressing about at all! i hate that i become so awake once it's time for bed because in the afternoon i'm forcing myself to stay awake thinking 'oh yeah i'll go to sleep so easily tonight because i can barely keep my eyes open right now!'.

i'm so excited for thanksgiving this year! more than i think i ever have been. not sure why but i am thankful to have a great holiday to look forward to and an excuse to spend time with loved ones!

a few things i should be thankful for this year...

-a strong, fun, happy marriage.

-the gospel.

-a family that continues to teach me.

-challenges that make us see the good in life.

-a loving, comfortable home that i love to be in.

-my new job!

-a healthy, working body that allows me to run and play.

-my gym membership.

-yoga class.

-supportive parents.

-a husband that works hard and enjoys his job.

-a husband that truly supports me in what ever i need.

-personal prayer.

-modern medicine.

-my brothers and sisters.

-the fact that i can enjoy cleaning/organizing my home.

-the temple.

-new friends.

'let thy food be thy medicine and they medicine be thy food.'

2010-11-20T22:21:00.000-08:00

this is definitely something EVERYONE should watch! i couldn't get enough of it! how true is it that we are what we eat? they are so many great facts and subjects brought up in this documentary i don't even know where to start! just makes me really understand and appreciate how important it really is to eat well in order to live well. and to not rely on our doctors, like so many of us do, who are only trained in medicine, not nutrition. the old lady is my favorite and she makes so many key points about how our bodies work...which is so simple when we really think about it.

today's top...

2010-11-20T00:03:00.001-08:00

...five favorites:

1. waking up in Brian's arm not wanting to get out of bed.

2. wearing boots, sweater, and scarf all day without getting too hot! not being in scrubs or workout clothes for a change.

3. running around and playing with my four favorite kids at the park. the fact that they are so great and them making me feel like i could handle a large number of my own kids someday :)

4. my new play list for the car. and glee's new songs that help make up my favorite go-to play list!

5. secretly listening to Christmas music early while Brian is gone and i clean. and of course a freshly vacuumed floor.

practically perfect in every way

2010-11-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

I love Brian and this is one of the many reason why...

He brings home flowers for me, not to make up for something he did wrong or to celebrate something but, just because I'm his. Now as much I totally agree that flowers will just die and they are money that could have been put to better use, I still very much LOVE them! Especially in my home :) It just makes me so happy! And because Brian doesn't do things like this often (my first flowers from him we after we were married. and these ones right here i think are only the second or third time he's done this) it makes it SO much better when he does!

This past month has gone by SOOO fast I can't believe it! It's been a good one though! We haven't done anything super exciting but it's just been good :) We found out a couple weeks before the elections that Brian was right above the number of people that wouldn't be cut! It was a HUGE relief and made me feel so much better to not see my husband so stressed and worried!...and keeping his job meant that we get to keep our home in San Diego, my job, and most of all we can continue our plan for babies!

I also hosted a little night of yummy dinner and some fun time together at my place for some great friends of mine and needless to say the night was a success! (note to self---take more pictures!!) We had so much fun getting to know each other a little better and it has started to turn into a kind of monthly thing, which I love. You don't realize how important or how much you need girl friends until you're married...at least for me. Sometimes being married without kids I feel like I don't fit in with the married crowd all the time so it's been super nice to find friends in the same boat as me. (makes me re-think about wanting babies so soon...it's fun just having fun being a married)

Halloween was definitely nothing to talk about...Brian doesn't like the Holiday really and he works weekend nights as of right now and then I ended up being sick Halloween day....we will for sure have to make up for it next year because I love holidays and doing all the things related to them! But we were able to hang out at the Collins Friday night which was fun to see all the little kiddos all cute in their costumes and visit with cousins!

I've been at my new job as an assistant for Dr. Pulsipher at his ortho office for just over three months now and loving it!! What a blessing it has been at such a perfect time! And after my MA externship experience it really does make such a difference when you are able to work with great people in a nice environment! I've learned a lot and really like what I do! And I am still able to nanny these cute kids below on Fridays! It does make me sad that Brian and I have such opposite schedules but I just tell myself...well at least he's not fighting in a war across the country...and then I suck it up and be happy with what I do have!

Now just looking forward to all the Holiday fun and all the events that come with!

(just ignore the blurriness)

Oh! and I also made some of this goodness! just some simple Halloween cupcakes, baby banana bread muffins, and my favorite...little baby pumpkin cupcakes. too cute!

week off from work equals lots of free time.

2010-10-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

...now i just need my very own baby girl to test out the ones that would look silly on a grown-up.

YES on Prop D Please.

2010-10-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

I love General Conference! What I don't love is that Brian has a very high chance of loosing his job if Prop D does not pass. And if he does get cut then we would have to move to a new city that's hiring. And if we move to where ever that new city is we would probably be there for good. Living somewhere new sounds super exciting but I wouldn't want to be there forever and not have our kids live close to all of our family. Not to mention that most other cities are in the same position as us and so they are also getting rid of cops. This is definitely going to be a big trial for us and a time when we need to hear and listen to the words of the Lord. That is why I'm so grateful to start this month off with Conference! This is time when I am so thankful for my testimony of prayer and the experiences I've had in the past to gain a testimony of prayer. I know that what ever road we are lead to might not be easy but it will be the right one for us as a family. I just wish I could take away the stress from Brian and make all this stop so he isn't so down. And I really wish this didn't put a stop to our plan for babies cause that makes me sad more than anything! well i should stop here before i continue to vent all night...

date night.

2010-09-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

let me just tell you about my hot date last night...
he opened my door, held and kissed my hand, and made me laugh.. a lot!
we grabbed blankets, picked up some delicious submarina to go.
in the car he told me all the things i didn't know about golf (which is about everything), so i learned lots, we (well mostly he) sung and danced to glee, and we headed off into the sunset (which didn't really exist because of that darn marine layer).
we made ourselves a little picnic on the grass at la jolla. we cuddled close and fought over our tiny blanket because it was freezing! we laid under the the few stars and laughed and talked and tried to keep each other warm. it was magical and oh so much fun.

bring on the cold!

2010-09-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

as much as i love summer today made me so excited for fall! the decorations around the house for each new holiday (which i am dying to use my new autumn/halloween ones), the crisp night air, the cozy sweaters, the super yummy smelling candles that make you want to eat them... too bad it's san diego and this is about as fall as it gets. i miss rexburg. i want orange, yellow, and red trees. i want actual chilly weather. but on the other hand i'm so glad i live here :) where i don't have to worry if its too cold to wear flip flops or not. maybe a trip to julian will be a must this coming season. so i can feel like we have seasons.

today i'm grateful to continue to find out how common miscarriages are. the more women i talk to about it, not only does it make me feel better letting it out more and just talking about it and not holding it, but it seems like each one of them has had at least one if not more! it just makes me feel better knowing that it IS so common even if it's not always talked about. and then seeing these women with their multiple kids gives me a sense of peace, like its okay and i'll get my chance. (and reminding myself how much work it all is and that this life before kids i'll never ever have back. ever.) even though i'm sad at times i really am sooo enjoying the time we have right now to just be a husband and a wife to each other. even though children bring such joy i'm scared for how they will change brian and me. i know it will be a wonderful change but at the same time its a very new and forever change.

now lets move to this street,
ride our bikes, and jump in the leaves.

i can do hard things.

2010-09-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

this family's story makes me so incredibly grateful for the gospel in my life. and helps me daily to remember that we can do hard things. we are here to do hard things! and no matter what those hard things are in your life there is always worse. i am grateful for my personal trials and for others who so willingly share their trials, which help me get through my own more than they know.

i am grateful for sundays and the time i have to reflect on the important things in our life. i am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows us best and who knows more than we do. its times when when you loose a part of you but in the middle of having that punched in the stomach feeling that you can only be happy, for your Heavenly Father has blessed you and continues to do so with so much more. i know that without the gospel of Jesus Christ my life would not be full. i know that families are forever and that we are here on earth to teach each other.

birthday vegas trip

2010-06-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

on our way to vegas baby!

this sweet man's birthday was june 10th

old guy is no longer in his early 20's.
so we celebrated it with a little weekend get away.
we left thursday but made sure we got a healthy birthday breakfast...
which includes come code red and el ranchito.

side note-we officially suck at taking pictures which makes me sad when its time to leave and i only have a total of four pictures to look back on.

luckily...

the sweet sounds of glee filled our long car ride.

of course the best part of vacation for me is getting a lot this...

the stress just drifts away when i'm not at home and therefore i can sleep so much better without my mind running in circles about what needs to get done.

but of course we fit in the fun stuff.
we did a lot of walking around all of this.
i think the most entertaining part was just watching and looking at all the crazy people that you see in place like this.

and unfortunately walking though all the hotels we got to smell too much of this...

which was the worst for me!

we ate at one of these.

i don't remember which one we went to but it seemed like it was mostly sea food which neither of us like. i was hoping for some good orange chicken people!

we saw a musical here.

went here, checked it out...

and then decided to ride this instead. which was super fun!

our condo had a nice big jacuzzi tub.
which sounds really nice right about now!

and boy do i love this guy! we had such a great time! it's so crazy to think that we can spend almost every minute together for four days and i still can't get enough of him! but i don't know if he could say the same haha.

now time to prepare for camping on the lake with the schimpfs at don pedro!
super stoked for no showers and no running water!
but really. i am looking forward to lots of sun, water, reading, an excuse for no make-up, and family!

B&C update

2010-05-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

1. brian's new schedule started a couple weeks ago. he hates it and i thought i loved it. he now works 6am-4pm mon-thurs. its more like a normal schedule which is better than what it used to be which was weekend nights. but i feel like i see him less now. he is tired all the time and i'm not a fan of being woken up just hours before i need to for class. but! we can actually go to church together now which is the highlight, for me, of his new schedule! no more driving separate cars and then me staying by myself for the last two hours. we even get to take a sunday nap together!
also...date night finally! not that we didn't before but it seemed like having it in the middle of the week didn't always workout. we can now have a normal saturday night date night :) i love my hubby!

2. i started my last two classes online that i need to finally complete my degree. i am NOT a fan of online classes. it is mostly a bunch of busy work that i learn almost nothing from. i don't have any other choice for these classes because they are only offered at byu-i. its just so annoying. i always wonder what it would be like to still be there and to be getting the degree i originally wanted. to wear the cap and gown and NOT have had to take two classes at a community college so i can transfer them. oh well. i sure miss my college life but i have so much more now, so i just need to suck it up and live it.

3. we started p90x....like everyone else and their mother.

4. if i wouldn't have slacked this past weekend i would still be on track with it and this would be only the fourth week. what ever. i don't want to be muscle women i just wanted a new form of exercise. i am still planning on continuing though... but maybe with just an extra day for my muscles to rest since i still have dance class twice a week. brian does it sometimes which is better than his exercise routine before, which consisted of nothing. so i'm proud of him for wanting to do it with me!

5. my biceps grew a whole .5 inches since starting! i know i know. but i was excited to see some kind of change in something!

6. i do realize our lives are kind of boring and there isn't much to update about. ...mostly i just can't think of everything all at once.

the end.

polaroids of life.

2010-05-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

when i think back over years in my life i try to remember all that i can. its hard to remember what i was like, what i was doing and thinking on a day to day bases. i can remember a lot, but of course not everything. at times i wish we could capture all the moments of joy, change, trails, and life into our own little life movie. its times in my life like right now when i want that most. years down the road when i have a lap full of kids i want to be able to remember all that i can about the times when it was just brian and me. or right now when i think about how much attending college at byu-i changed me, improved me, and gave me greater sense of the gospel...i wish to relive those life altering times but from an outside view. my life with brian is more than i could have ever imagined it to be and i don't want these times to be a blurry memory one day.

a little taste of heaven

2010-04-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

i finally made what i've been craving all week and they tasted like heaven!

now these are not the ones i made but i am currently obsessed with these beauties.
mine did look a little more delicious i will admit :)
but i think i've decided that i really just crave the cold hard semi-sweet chocolate that forms so perfectly to the little berry and the way it just cracks off in big chunks. yum!

get ready for it...

2010-04-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

2010 Friend Survey
Welcome to the 2010 edition of getting to know your Friends. Copy & paste, change all the answers so they apply to you, and then TAG your friends including the person who tagged you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!

1.What time did you get up this morning?

i got to sleep in! ten!

2.Diamonds or pearls? :

i like both

3.What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

the last song with stevie.

4.What is your favorite TV show?

greys. how i met your mother. a baby story. the office. sytycd.

5.What do you usually have for breakfast?

cereal.

6.What is your middle name?

don't have one.

7.What foods do you dislike?

asparagus.

8.What is your favorite CD at the moment?

the mix in my car.

9.What kind of car do you drive?

2010 Hyundai elantra

10.Favorite sandwich?

submarina- turkey, tomato, sprouts, avocado, cheese, mustard

11.What characteristics do you despise?

conceitedness

12.Favorite items of clothing?

yoga/dance pants

13.If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?

anywhere tropical

14.Favorite brand of clothing?

lots but nothing specific.

15. Where would you retire to?

where ever my family is.

16.What was your most memorable birthday?

i had lots of really great ones growing up. but 16 was a nice surprise.

17.Favorite sport to watch?

uh dance.

18.Furthest place you are sending this?

no where.

19.Person you expect to send it back first?

no one.

20.When is your birthday?

January 28th.

21.Are you a morning person or a night person?

it depends.

22.What is your shoe size?

7.5

23.Pets?

we kind of want a turtle or a fish.

24.Any new and exciting news you 'd like to share with us?

i'm pregnant and freakin so excited!

...i kid i kid. but i do wish.

25.What did you want to be when you were little?

a baby doctor

26.How are you today?

great!

27.What is your favorite candy?

dark chocolate.

28.What is your favorite flower?

tulips.

29.What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?

june 10th, brian's birthday, we are going to vegas for a long weekend with stevie and jared!!

30.What's your full name?

Carina Milne Schimpf

31.What are you listening to right now?

was music but brian turned it off and now its family guy...

32.What was the last thing you ate?

banana's dipped in chocolate :)

33.Do you wish on stars?

no.

34.If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

i always liked how the red crayon colored when i was little.

35.How is the weather right now?

exactly how i like it.

36. What is your natural hair color?

dirty blonde

37.Favorite soft drink?

i don't drink soda but root beer is yummy sometimes.

38.Favorite restaurant?

BJ's/Olive Garden

39.Favorite color of nail polish?

depends on my mood. i usually don't like it on my fingers, sometimes toes but something nice and bold.

40.What was your favorite toy as a child?

my baby dolls for sure! and my play kitchen.

41.Summer or winter?

summer.

42.Hugs or kisses

a nice good hug always feels good.

43.Chocolate or Vanilla?

chocolate.

44.Coffee or tea?

herbal tea with lots of honey and sometimes lemon.

45.Do you want your friends to tell you when they complete this?

if they must.

46.When was the last time you cried?

saturday, listening to conference.

47.What is under your bed?

snorkeling stuff, shoes, brian's extra police gear, bags, tool box...the list goes on.

48.What did you do last night?

watched across the universe with brian and cuddled and loved each other lots.

49.What are you afraid of?

long, big earth quakes now! not being the mom i want to be.

50.Salty or sweet

both.

51.How many keys on your key ring?

two.

52.How many years at your current job?

three i think.

53.Favorite day of the week?

sunday.

54.How many towns have you lived in?

two.

55.Do you make friends easily?

not really. i'm kind of shy at first. its always something that i really wish came easier to me.

56.How many people will you tag?

none.

"well i have personality"

2010-04-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

...that doesn't hide the fact that you don't pointe your toes (i don't think you really know how).

your arms are just plain weird, and creepy to watch.
and you are not any better than anyone else that you're dancing next to.
so stop pretending like you know what you're doing and get out of the way. please.

oh. AND i have never seen one ounce of personality come from you while dancing.
(looking at yourself in the mirror the whole time is not personality by the way)

my best wishes!

so so lame

2010-03-08T15:39:00.000-08:00

it is such a good thing we have a blog because i seem to be like the best person i know that updates their blog.

it's amazing.

really.

and it is even better that we have this blog that i am so good at updating becaaause..

our lives are so awesome and interesting that i can't even fit all the awesomeness in my many many posts.

but life is good, i can't complain.

although i'm thinking to make this blog more entertaining is another reason why i should not wait to get on making those babies.

just a thought.

i'm trying to build up my pros and cons list of either waiting or not waiting for babies...

it is rather difficult if you ask me. so if you have some pros/cons of your own please share!!!

weird. 21??

2010-01-31T21:07:00.001-08:00

i really can't believe it's a new year and according to brian i am like a real adult now!

i started out the year beginning my externship at a family practice called center for family health. i'm learning but it is really hard to get motivated to get my butt to go when i'm not getting paid for it and the major reason being that the doctor that i mainly work with is, lets just say, not a very nice person. and i'm not the only person that thinks this i have found out, which makes me feel much better. i truly avoid her at all costs and hope that when i do have to converse with her i don't feel like crying like a baby after the fact. on the other hand.. everyone, not sure about that specific doctor, including the patients love me and think i'm so nice and efficient! i'm about one third done so i am really looking forward to when the end is in a little more clear of a sight....that will be a great day!

i like to say that i am looking forward to being done with this externship and these last couple classes, that i also just started, but truly i feel weird. like the end to this period of school for me came too fast or something.

this year also brought on a super sucky schedule for brian. well, he likes it a lot! but with my schedule i'm definitely not a fan :( he works friday-monday 2pm-midnight. and mon-fri for me are very full/long days of being at the doctors, working, and/or classes. all i can think about is summer and how awesome it will be! [but, if anyone needs a new best friend on the weekends...]

luckily this past week i got the day off for my birthday! our plan was disneyland but i was so sore and exhausted from the day before i ended up sleeping in a little too late to make the trip worth it. which i was fine with because we still had a great day together! dinner at bj's was delicious and the sunset/dessert at seaport village were perfect! and just spending the whole day with my favorite person in the whole world made everything even more perfect!

a little late maybe..?

2010-01-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

there is so much to catch up on i'm not sure where to start.

tahoe was a great little get away trip for us. it was very blizzardy but still fun and relaxing. what made it even more awesome was that we didn't have to pay for a hotel or food thanks to katie's mom. she loved having a full house and cooking EVERY meal for us! it was great!

the snow was up to my waist here! but completely beautiful and reminded me of rexburg :)

snowboarding at squaw valley. fun! but not in two feet of powder and blizzard conditions.

just before the nine hour drive back home :(

the rest of december brought lots of family, food, and everything christmas :) brian's cousins had a girls christmas party/sock exchange that stacie and i went to together. it's great having more cousins you're age and older!

my beautiful new cousins

christmas socks!

christmas eve/my mom's birthday was spent with my family at joe and becky's house. the night was full of crazy kids all excited for christmas, yummy food, white elephant game, cousin gift exchanges, and (my favorite) costco birthday cake for my mom and millie. yum!

wow a family picture.. this doesn't happen often but i insisted.

christmas babies!

we spent christmas night with the schimpf side and it was so warm and christmasy with very yummy food and lovely company.

and the hutchings side the day after christmas.

needless to say we stayed very busy with all the large family festivities!

our first christmas together felt so good and made me so thankful for our loving savior that has made it possible for brian and i to be together for eternity. sometimes i'm not sure what it is that makes me deserve everything that i am blessed with. but i do know that i our heavenly father loves us always and has a specific plan for each of us! and i couldn't be any more grateful for this gospel, the christmas season and what it brings to people, and my amazing husband!

ABC's of Me

2010-01-15T22:58:00.000-08:00

A - Age: 21 in 1 week and 6 days
B - Bed size: queen
C - Chore you hate: hmm...can't really think of one. really. i can't.
D - Dog's name: none
E - Essential start your day item: my phone and the alarm that goes off on it to wake me up and toothbrush
F - Favorite color: orange/green/purple
G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: Gold
H - Height: 5'2"
I - Instruments you play: piano
J - Job title: best wife ever/nanny/medical assistant in training but almost done!
K - Kids -zero and i'm enjoying it!
L - Living arrangements: with the greatest husband in the world
M - Mom's name: Christina
N - Nicknames: rina/rina ballerina
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: thankfully none!
P - Pet Peeves: lack of organization/when people leave their crap around and never pick it up/the shower curtain left open
Q - Quote from a movie: buddy the elf. what's your favorite color?
R - Right handed or left handed: right
S - Siblings: 2 brothers/2 sisters
T - Time you wake up: depends on what day it is.. i know i know i should go to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday.
U- Underwear: yes
V - Vegetable you dislike: pumpkin
W - Ways you run late: my husband. i hate being late!
X - X-rays you've had: dental/ankles/wrists
Y - Yummy food you make: brian said i should make chicken and dumplings again...i think that means he really likes it :)
Z - Zoo favorite: i like sea world better.

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

2009-12-08T00:08:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-11-30T00:27:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-25T23:32:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-11-22T23:01:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-10-28T14:17:00.001-07:00

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 :)

2009-09-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-09-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-09-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

..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.

2009-07-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-02T19:02:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-05-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-05-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-05-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-05-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-04-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

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!