^^ exhibit A. 

I love the time I am getting to spent with Carson. Now that school is over we have been enjoying as much time as we can get. Our Christmas break got cut short a bit due to me starting a 2nd job, working 13 hour days is SO fun. ;) but this was definitely one of the best days of the break. 

^^ and again? this is just embarrassing. 

On Christmas Eve we spent the night eating/visiting family, and also took a little trip to the Salem Pond lights.

After Carson and I came back to our house and decorated a Gingerbread House under the tree.

I have a tradition from when i was little of opening pajamas on Christmas Eve and watching the 24 hr marathon of Christmas Story on TV… 

can you ever watch Christmas Story too many times? the answer is no. definitely not.

It has always been one of my favorite traditions and I knew I wanted to carry it on when I had a family of my own. (the little family that we are right now). So we ripped open our pajamas and snuggled up watching Ralphie shoot his eye out. ;)

On Christmas morning we woke up to SNOW!! the first real snow storm of the season! I was like a little kid and was running around the Loft with so much excitement! Carson on the other hand had to be woken up a few times before he finally wanted to get out of bed! lil stinker.. how do you sleep on CHRISTMAS!

Santa sure spoiled up this year. 

We got a GoPro (eek!!) 

a fitbit 

longboard

clothes

ski tickets

jackets

work out clothes

nike shoes

fifa soccer for the wii

just to name a few things he brought us. ;) 

After we headed to my parents house for more gifts and Christmas dinner. My favorite part of the day. Prime rib and all the fixings for me please! 

ELDER SCHOENEMAN also called home! it really was so exciting to talk to my brother who is serving an LDS mission in Indiana. Someone needs to tell him to stop growing up! I think he is more mature than me now! ;) 

We then made the trek to Carson's family to visit and  also skyped with his brother who is serving in Mexico City. Missionaries really are such JOY! 

Christmas 2014 you were good to us. Can you believe it's almost 2015?!?! yikes!! 

let the New Years Resolutions begin!!! (maybe I should come up with some first!)

We also took advantage of the location. We have been wanting to visit Zoo Lights for 2 years now but sadly have never made it. SO this gave us the perfect opportunity to do so. 

It did not disappoint. Carson and I were in AW the whole time. there is something about walking around surrounded by twinkly lights and sipping hot cocoa that just warms my soul… (or maybe that was just the hot cocoa talking)

either way, Zoo lights is highly recommended.

^^ we win best selfie award. 

On our way home we found the most festive little street. I mean how much more festive can you get than CHRISTMAS STREET.

We were both like little kids. 

Let the Christmas week BEGIN! 

I am in love with December even more this year. I am usually an Anti-Christmas until after Thanksgiving kind of person. There is something about this year that is different though. Maybe (and when i say maybe it is definitely) it is that it will be Carson and I's first Christmas together as a married couple. eeeeek! 

This time last year Carson and I were ring shopping and in a few weeks getting engaged! thus, december is my next favorite month now ;)

This year we bought a tree and had it all up before Thanksgiving. I even took my Thanksgiving decorations down BEFORE Thanksgiving. i know i know…. awful. 

We were trying to think of some things we could do to make this a very special first year and maybe even get some traditions started, so we came up with a list of " December Dates" that we will be doing throughout the month of December. 

1. Pick out a special yearly ornament. 

2. Festival of trees 

3. Ice Skating

4. Make Sugar Cookies

5. Snowboard Trip

6. Christmas shop for family gifts

7. Salem Pond Lights 

^^ fun fact. we went there right after we got engaged. so magical. 

8. Christmas Party with friends

9.  Christmas with Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square

10. Make Sticky Buns

11. Make Gingerbread Houses

12. Have a Christmas movie marathon

13. Go to the Annual Family Barn Dance Party 

15.  See A Christmas Carol Live 

I can't wait to get started on them and also squeeze in a few school finals of course! ;) 

Happy December! 

Because it's just one of those days where looking through wedding pictures makes me happy. And sometimes you just have to do something to make YOU happy even for a moment. 

I'm so grateful for this man of mine. He truly is the definition of happiness. 

He is my other half

my rock

my supporter

my #1 fan

my companion

my lover boy.

and I love that he's mine forever. 

Now go out and do SOMETHING that makes YOU happy, even if it is just for 30 seconds. 

2 cups Milk 

1/4 cup Water 

2 tbs Butter 

1/2 package (10oz) frozen corn

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1 medium onion 

pepper 

salt 

Combine all ingredients in a medium soup pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for a few minutes Then add the following 

1 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup provolone cheese

1 cup broccoli 

2 cans of cream of potato soup. 

chopped cooked Bacon*

*we save the bacon for last to add to our own bowls so the bacon doesn't become soggy. 

I (along with every other girl) LOVE Halloween! I love the memories and traditions that have been made through the years, and I love that me and Carson get to start forming our own. 

First off, if you know Carson and I at all you know we can never say no to a good dance party. BUT…. now that we are married it may be a little awkward to go to…. So this year we had to take another route to celebrate halloween. 

So what we did:

When Carson came home from work we made Carson's request of potato soup and bread bowls. (one thing about Carson. He LOVES to help out in the kitchen. I was shocked when i found this out.)  you can find our recipe HERE

We lit our apple pumpkin candle. 

We went to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point with some of our best of friends (hi, had so much fun no pictures)

Finished the night off by watching The Sixth Sense laying in bed. I have been so sick so I made it through .5 seconds of the movie before falling asleep. party animal… 

Call us boring. even my parents called us boring. But halloween was still fun even though we didn't have time to even think about a costume. There's always next year right? But onto November!! let the thanksgiving decorations begin!! 

6. After work I went on my first run all semester long. It was a gorgeous day up Provo canyon. I was seriously that goob that was running with a smile on my face the whole time, and may have tripped once or twice from running while looking up at the mountains. Hi i'm coordinated, watch me! Oh how i've missed being able to do this! 5 miles after not running for months. not bad. 

7. I got stopped by some asian tourists running by Bridal Veil Falls. "How far up dis go?" (referring to the trail). Me-"Forever!" Them-"oooooo aaahhhh" and then i'm pretty sure a few pictures were taken of me after that. 

8. Did I say my run was gorgeous? it was gorgeous. I couldn't wait to tell Carson. he was thrilled he missed it...

9. Instead of going to physiology lab that night Carson surprised me with dinner. Our original plan since our birthdays are so close was to just combine and do 1 dinner for both of us. We went a few weeks ago and Carson picked to go to Happy Sumo for me.  He knows how much I LOVE sushi. He hates it. I was one happy girl, Carson I think hated everything about it. It was a fun dinner. But he decided to take me out "again" for birthday dinner. so i let him pick a place to eat since the last place wasn't a hit. (I picked his dinner, he picks my dinner. seems opposite but it works for us.) So Carson picked a little hole in the wall chinese place in American Fork. We love places like that. 

^his face. haha

10. After dinner we went to visit our Alaskan friends that moved here to Utah. fun fact: they stole their 3 yr old sister from Alaska and she has been living here for the past month or so... But we HAD to visit her before she gets snatched back home. I love this little girl like she was my daughter. I helped her take her "first steps" and her mom was NOT happy …. she wasn't even 1 yet and she  didn't want her baby growing up so fast. Tongan mom gave me the tongan punishment for that one. It was all jokes. buts somehow I still ended up doing the dishes for a few days. not joking?

11. I blew out every candle but 1 on this fireball cake. the disappointment.

12. Carson did another solo birthday singing. 

13. I got THE cutest army green coat. Carson picked it out all by himself! He knows me too well…

14. All I wanted to do was just sit and snuggle with my love. So that's what we did. We haven't spent a whole evening on a week day together all semester. I forgot what it was like to actually sit and have a real conversation with him before midnight. 

15. The next day we studied all friday night. We also counted that I didn't leave the house for 28 straight hours. I was basically on lock down. Anatomy midterms are so fun. 

16. pre mid term: I was a nervous wreck all Saturday morning. It was the day of the anatomy mid-term.

17.   post mid term: I was literally skipping when the test was done! it was OVER! fun fact #2 I got a 98% not to brag. ;) I still can't believe it. 

18. I waited for Carson to get done with his test over at BYU. and fell asleep on the couch for a good 2 1/2 hours because my brain was so exhausted. 

19. We went to ANOTHER birthday dinner with my family after to celebrate Carson, Mothers, and My big days! A quick bite before we headed to the Utes game landed us at Chipotle in Sugar House. Seriously the most charming city. I think i repeated "I want to move here." at least 40 times to Carson. 

20. Go UTES! we were 2 of the 47,000+ people at the Utah vs. USC game that night. The best/funnest football game I have been to in a while! 

21. Carson wore his very first EVER utah shirt. My dad bought us all shirts for the black out game. I never thought I would see the day! matchy-matchy.

^he was so excited

^my cute dad. we were all a little excited for the big win! 

22. We've had these seats for the past 11 years. 

23. I guess they say nobody likes you when you're 23… people still like me. i think? 

Birth-weekend was so! I am so fortunate to have such loving people in my life! Let's do it again next year shall we? 

This past weekend was Carson's birthday! the big 25. His birthday was on a monday and since both of us are in class until 8 on monday nights be turned it into a birthday weekend. 

Friday: >Byu game party with the Style's family. always love them. 

>The most delicious red velvet cream cheese brownies

Saturday: >GENERAL CONFERENCE. guys it's really that exciting!  

> Pick up soccer game at the BYU RB fields. if you haven't come to play in-between conferences. COME PLAY NEXT TIME. so fun and i love that i married a boy that loves soccer just as much as I do! 

>Carson went to priesthood session with his dad, which meant a night shopping with my mom for me. 

>Movie night afterwards. nothing better than some birthday cuddles/movie.