Back 2 School

So briar and I have left our families in Washington and have made the move back to Rexburg. This time is different for us. For me, instead of going to school all day I only have 3 classes that are all online! that has been very nice so far. I do homework all day Monday and Tuesday and then the rest of the week I am free! However once clinicals start I will be at the ER in EIRMC  Tuesday & Thursday from 7pm-7am for 2 and 1/2 weeks. Not too bad, but it will throw my schedule off for a little bit. I am still looking for a job. I am trying really hard to get a job in the hospitals but its so competitive. I have had some success and I know I will get a few interviews but for right now I just have to wait. I don't know how long I can wait though!

As for Briar he has class from 7:45-10:45. This semester he has the opportunity to do IBC, that is a business course where they get to start there own business and try to make as much money as possible by getting creative. I think he is enjoying it so far.

Briar also got us lined up to be managers, the only problem is I was expecting briar to do most of the work but since it is an all girl house, I am the one that has to do most of it, I guess it has to be a woman manager. Wow Briar...oh well I guess I have an excuse to delay getting a job ;)

On Friday I got an amazing surprise in the mail. A package from my most favorite missionary, Elder Casper. He sent me a shirt from Oklahoma. We have something going where we give each other a gift on our birthday. We have been doing it for years. My birthday is in January, so he is a little late, but its ok! I love it!

Last night Briar and I went to the school cafeteria and watched the BYU vs. Utah game on a huge screen. That place was packed. I have never seen it soooooo full! It was an awesome atmosphere to watch the games, however the outcome was sad. BYU can not score in the red zone and their QB choked. That is all I have to say about that. We sat by our friends, ate pizza, drank pop, played cards during half time, and enjoyed each others company. It was a great night even if they did lose.

I also got to see my mom, she came to visit on her way back from visiting Jess and Greg at Penn state. I love seeing her even if it has only been 2 weeks. I still miss her! It is also her birthday on the 23rd so we did celebrate early. Happy Birthday MOM!!!!!!!!

has it already been one year!

Briar and I celebrated our one year anniversary August 4th, I know that was several weeks ago but I am now just getting to write about it. We decided we wanted to go camping to save money, and plus I heard it was fun to camping as a married couple so we said "lets do it!" We also didnt want to go too far since we had church the next day so we decided to go to a relatives pond. It started out great. We got the tent set up, a fire going, and started making smores; which were delicious! The Sun was almost all the way down, when it started happening. Briar got bit by a mosquito, then I did. We were being attacked by mosquitoes! I bailed. I didn't want to be itchy all night so I went inside the tent with the screen up so I could still see and communicate with Briar. He toughed it out a little bit longer and then eventually joined me. We were sleeping on Pads that were not too bad, however both of us were having a hard time falling asleep. Around midnight we had another trial come our way...I had to go potty! The outhouse was far away and I didnt want to run through being attacked by mosquitoes. While preparing myself to leave I grabbed the flashlight and was shining it around the tent and saw my biggest fear, a spider the size of my fist on top of the tent. NOW I DEFINITELY WAS NOT LEAVING THE TENT! but i had to go so bad. This was when I started crying, lol but seriously I did. I had to woman up and just do it! I opened the tent and decided to go on the grass near the tent. Briar refused to go with me so I was not walking all the way to the outhouse....My bum got attacked by mosquitoes and I had to throw away a sock, but it wasnt so bad. I had to ignore the spider as I crawled back inside the tent and quickly zip it shut. Finally maybe I could get some sleep. nope. 2 o' clock in the morning i was finally able to snooze a little bit when briar and I were aroused by a  BARK BARK BARK. Two dogs were barking outside our tent one sounded small and too afraid to get any closer, and one sounded huge right outside our tent. Briar and I both looked at each other freaked out! We decided to just ignore it. 30 minutes later they finally left. We didnt get much sleep after that with the fish flapping against the water and the frogs ribbiting all night. When the sun came up we packed up and booked it. It was not the best experience but we got a good story out of it. Happy one year anniversary! I just love Briar!

In 2 weeks we will be returning back to school. I will also be looking for a job in nursing (if you have any connections or options for me that would be much appreciated!) and he will be a teachers assistant (because he is soooo smart). It has been fun being able to live with family and see old friends this summer, but I think we are ready to go back to school. Hopefully one day we will return to the Columbia Basin Permanently!

Family gatherings!

This past week my family and I had the privilege of going to priest Lake, Idaho. I absolutely love that place. We played volleyball on the beach, ate ice cream, tubed on the lake, ate like kings, picked huckleberries, went to the huckleberry festival, walked to the store, went on hikes, and made roasted marshmallows on the camp fire. It was great being able to get away and escape the real world, however Briar had to stay home and work, which made it not as great as it could have been.

                                                          
                                                         Courtney's birthday Party

Last night we had a Calaway family reunion. It's amazing how big my family is and how much it continues to grow! I never have been into family history, but recently I have really enjoyed hearing and reading some of their life experiences. They really have endured a lot. We have it so easy compared to them, yet I still find myself being lazy! I am so thankful for my pioneer relatives and for the choices that they made that made me be where I am today and who I am today.

In Briar's econ class at BYU-I he recently learned that he had the highest grade in his class. My baby is so smart! He is also very self disciplined. When he was taking online courses this summer he would come home from a long day of work and go straight to studying. If it were me I would have taken a nap or eaten a few snacks. He really is a hard worker and I am so proud of him and his accomplishments!

Elder Casper (last one i promise...until he returns anyway)

I realize all of my posts have been on Tanner but here is the last one for awhile.  This morning around 5:00 am Tanner left to Utah to spend  one last day with family until he leaves for the Mission Training Center in Provo, Utah. He will spend 10 days in the MTC then leave to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sending him off has been so hard for me....maybe it is because he is my baby brother. I never thought I would miss him so much, especially after being held hostage so many times and yelling "DAAAAAADDDDD" so he would come save me from tanners tight grip, or being hugged so tight your back pops in places you never thought were possible. The point is I love and miss him very much.

I have done a lot of thinking with fathers day just occurring, and Tanner leaving on his mission. I kept thinking about Missionaries having to sacrifice 2 years of their life. They give up all of the worldly things that some of us cant even think of living without. They give up friendships, maybe a girlfriend/boyfriend, family, cell phone, regular clothes, school, first name; this is just a tiny list of some of the things they no longer have once they enter the MTC. Some people only think that the missionaries that serve are the only ones that sacrifice but what about their families? I think about my Dad and Mom, its their baby boy, and they are trusting that the Lord will return him home alive in 2 years. They only get to talk to him 4 times throughout the mission. My parents have the faith to send their youngest son, they know the importance of him going to tornado alley, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I compare this to the Lord. He sent his only Begotten Son to earth knowing his fate. The savior as well knew what the outcome would be, however, he loves each of us so much, and knew the only way for us to return to God was if we were perfect...which none of us are...we needed him to perform the atonement . We needed him to suffer all of the pains, sadness, disappointments, griefs, and every miserable thing we have ever felt, so we could find that happiness. Like the savior, Tanner is sacrificing so much, so others can find the light of Christ and find joy. A mission is the most unselfish and Christ-like thing you could do.

I love you Elder Casper see you in 2 years.

Shout out to Brad Casper! Happy late Fathers Day. LOVE YOU!

1.5 weeks left :(

So last Friday Tanner graduated from High school. It was definitely a bitter-sweet moment. I am so proud and happy for him that he is done, but I know that means he is that much closer to leaving on his mission. only 1 and 1/2 more weeks :(

So funny story. The girl next to me is Rashae, Tanner and her were both on the Connell track team. One day when Briar went to eat lunch with his mom at the high school (she is the secretary) Rashae went to the office to talk with Jennifer (Briar's Mom). She visited with Briar and Jennifer and later had a private conversation only with Jennifer in the hall saying that Briar was cute and she didn't know Jennifer had a son, also that if Briar and his wife didn't work out, she was available (This was all jokingly said). That night there was a track meet, Briar had told me the story previously, which I thought was funny, and I also felt complimented cause my husband is hott and he's all mine. Coming home from the meet I told tanner the story and he thought it would be funny to text Rashae "I heard you were hitting on my brother-in-law." Poor Rashae had no idea who Briar's wife was until that text went through, and she was probably very shocked and surprised when she learned it was her track buddy's sister. Rashae is  so sweet and funny, and a wonderful runner, seriously watching her run is like watching a professional ice skater glide across the ice....sooo smooth, and fast!

At seminary graduation

My husband is seriously the best and hardest working husband ever! He works all day and then comes home and does homework until it is time to go to bed, which is usually at 8:30 or 9:00pm, and wakes up again, which he wakes up at 4:45am, and does the same thing all over again. I appreciate everything he does for me, even if sometimes I don't show it. Briar if you read this I love you very much.

Tanner's going out with a bang!

This Past weekend Tanner became a 2x state champion in track and field. He placed first in the long jump (he also got the school record in LJ) and the 300 intermediate hurdles. All of my siblings could make it to Cheney, Washington to watch their little brother compete at EWU. It was such a blast having everyone together again (we missed you Courtney, Lynley, Callie, and especially Greg). As great supporters towards the last Casper to compete at track state, we wanted to do something big, something that would make us stand out, something that would make others wish they were in the Casper Family.....so we made SHIRTS! On the back of the shirts we had all of our names, events, years, and places that we got in state. Not going to lie but my parents produced track stars.

LOVE those boys!

 It was so exciting watching him run. He made sure to keep it a close race to keep us on our toes, but thank heavens he pulled through and won!

Tanner last night also had a solo in concert choir. He stole the show, and also probably some girls hearts. No one expected that sound to come from his throat. He surprised everyone, including me. After his performance I leaned over to my mom and told her my eyes started to water, she couldn't even look at me because she was embarrassed by the tears running down her cheeks. Yes we are babies, but you would be too knowing that in a couple more weeks you wont be seeing your little brother for two years. I am going to miss him a lot, but know he will be a wonderful missionary blessing the people of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am so proud of him and all of his accomplishments!

Marriage & School

Briar and I got married a year ago in the Columbia River, Washington Temple. Briar and I had known each other since we were little 7th graders. We would always pick on each other but secretly flirt. Lucky for us we always got to be by each other since his last name is Carlisle and mine was Casper. When we were Juniors in high school we officially became a couple. Our senior year I decided to break up with him and after graduation he came crawling back to me, haha jk, but we did get back together and eventually married. We are as happy as ever and I have loved waking up to him every morning. I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world.

After going to one semester at Columbia Basin College, Briar decided to join me at Brigham Young University - Idaho, where he is still working on getting his bachelors in Business Financing and I am working on getting my bachelors in nursing. I just graduated in April 2013 with my associates in nursing. Here are some pictures of me at graduation.

These are pictures of my fellow nursing student, class of April 2013!

About 2 weeks ago I took the worst test of my life, the NCLEX, which is the national boards of nursing. I was freaking out and felt a lot of pressure to pass. The night of my test I got two hours of sleep then had to drive all the way to Yakima where my testing center was located. I Passed in 75 questions, which is the minimum amount, that scared me even more cause that could mean either I did really good or really bad. 2 days after waiting and freaking out a little bit more, I got my results and I.....PASSED!

Officially a registered nurse.

The beginning of many postings to come....hopefully!

I decided I needed to start blogging for the sake that I am awful at writing in my journal, and I would feel guilty not leaving my future posterity nothing to remember me by. My sisters are both bloggers and one of them have actually printed out their blog into a book, which I thought was awesome and inspired me to want to do the same. What a great way to keep and remember all of the great experiences and memories you have had, so I am doing it! I would like to apologize to everyone in advance for all of the errors. Hope you enjoy reading my blog.