Cutting Horses *Boom Boom Pow* (cOnTeSt WiNnEr!1!)

Hales Family Photos

Here are some family photos. Gotta love cute little Pierce. Isn't he precious? All I can say is, these are the most cold pictures I have ever taken. The wind was blowing, and the temperatures were well below freezing. COLD!!!

First Idaho Vacation of the Year, with hopes of many more to come

Ted catching some hang time at the top of Kelly Canyon Resort! "Fly Like an Eagle"!

Kelly Canyon...isn't the snow and trees beautiful? We miss the snow, mountains, trees, but not the snowy roads and cold temperatures.

Garling Brothers at Kelly Canyon. Left to Right: Jake, Jon, Adam, Ted

Garling Family after Jon's Endowment Session. Left to Right: Jake, Karleen, Anna, John, Adam, Nate, Charity, Jon, Kaylee, Ted, Jake, Melissa.

Idaho Falls Temple...it was snowing lightly, and made everything feel surreal! We went to Idaho! Yippee! It was a lot of fun! We flew directly from Mesa to Idaho Falls on Allegiant Air, which was really nice. As we were flying into snowy Idaho Falls, everyone was holding their breath that the airplane would land without sliding off the icy runway, but they did it like a pro, and no worrying was needed. At the airport we got a wonderful surprise, Ted's mom and brother, Jon, were waiting with my mom to pick us up. We all went to Applebee's for lunch, which was a blast. Ted's dad joined the party, and we had a great meal.

On Tuesday, we had Hales Family Pictures. I am excited to get those back, even though it was sooo cold, I think I was slouching in most of the pictures. We had a entertaining family dinner at Stockman's, and we got to hang out with our friends who moved us down to Arizona, Katie and Jared. We love them!

Wednesday was a busy day, we went to Pocatello for Breakfast and had a wonderful time with the people who bought Ted's store. Frank and Whitney (the people who purchased Custom Cellular), have a son who is on a mission in Tempe, Arizona, so we had Jake (Ted's dad), and Jon Garling go to Pocatello and meet with Frank and Whitney. It was so good to see them again. Then, Ted and I went to a foot zoning treatment in Riverside. It was AMAZING!!! I love Jackie, she is a miracle healer! If you have never had foot zoning, get it done! It heals more than just your body. Later in the afternoon, we went to the Idaho Falls Temple with the Garling Family and went through an endowment session with Jon. It was his first time going through, so it was incredible. The spirit was very strong, and it was great seeing all the Garling Family there (except for Zac, who is on a mission in Lubbock, Texas, and Josh and Rachel, who are in the army in Virginia). We ate at Sizzler after the temple session, and they had some delicious steak! What a fun night.

On Thursday, we went up to Kelly Canyon snowboarding. It was a lot of fun watching Ted and his brothers slide down the hill. After the day in the mountains, we had dinner with the Garling Family, and then headed to Rexburg to see one of my past employees who just moved to BYU-Idaho, Chelsea. She is from Arizona, and is an incredible young woman. We took Lissa and Jon with us, which made the trip more fun.

On Friday, we flew home. So, as you can tell, we stayed busy, and enjoyed every minute of the trip! We are excited to go back up in March for Jon's farewell, Zac's homecoming, and Lissa's receiving of her Young Women Medallion. There might also be another event taking place, but we will have more details on that one to come. ;) It is good to be back in Arizona. We love the warmth and even though the city is crazy busy, it is nice having so many people around. Hope everyone had a great week, and thank you to everyone who made our week fantastic! It was awesome spending time with family and friends. We cherished every moment!

My first real dentist appointment

And I call it my first because this was the first time I have gotten a cavity filled. If you don't already know, I am petrified of dentists. Yes, I am a cringer, and I jump away from any type of contact with my teeth. So, I got to take some "happy pills" for my appointment. It helped a ton. I fell asleep on the way to the dentist, slept through the procedure, and after it was over, I could barely walk to the car, then fell asleep on the way home and slept most of the day. Bottom line here, I slept through it all and can't remember most of it. Now, that is the way a dentist visit should be! Ted told me I acted like I was drunk, and since I have never been drunk before, I got frightened at the thought. I always imagined myself as a mean drunk, but Ted said I was laughing, tripping over my own feet, and hiccuping. I remember the hiccups, because I tried to stop them, and I couldn't. It was pretty embarrassing. I don't know if I'll ever be able to show my face in that office again with dignity. Funny thing, the dentist is in my ward, and in the stake presidency, so that is inescapable, but oh man, I still have to go back for a second visit in a couple weeks. I am sure I will be hiding my face. After this experience, I have a even more firm conviction of never drinking. Even though I wasn't mean, just the fact that I can't remember anything and couldn't control my body freaks me out enough to never go there. Another testimony builder that the church knows what it is talking about...especially when it comes to the word of wisdom! :)

Christmas and New Years

Christmas Special!

That's us!

Our little Christmas Tree. Ted made 8 dozen cookies for friends. He is too cute! They were delicious!

Ted is so sweet! He gave me a gym and tanning pass! Yippee!

Gym bag from Garlings, and DownEast Basics gift card.

My favorite new series, Vampire Academy.

Ted's gym bag.

Ties and socks from Adam and Morgan...much needed since he wears them both everyday.

Ted loved opening the presents. We got so many wonderful things from family and friends. Thank you all who gave us incredible presents! We are very thankful for your generosity!

These last couple months have flown by! Especially the last couple weeks! We have been so busy with holiday retail, that we have barely had time to come home and relax. But, I have found some time to pick up a new series, and I have already read the books. Ted got me the Vampire Academy Series (6 books with about 300-400 pages) for Christmas, and I cracked one open a couple days after Christmas, and haven't been able to put them down, until today, because I finished the series. It is kind of crazy, but I had a day off on Thursday, and I read 1200 pages (almost 3 whole books). I couldn't help myself. Once you start reading, you can't stop. If you need something good to read pick up these books. They are AMAZING! I would say it is the best series I have ever read. It trumps all other books and series I have read. The tension and conflict makes it an intense page turner. And, you have six books to keep you company. Be careful though, because you might get lost in the world of the Vampire Academy for good.

As for Christmas, we took the day easy. We rested from our stressful pre-Christmas sales, and later in the day, we went to the NFL Arizona Cardinals vs Dallas Cowboys game. It was a lot of fun, and an incredibly intense game. I haven't heard so much swearing, and seen people drink so much in my whole life, but it is one of those experiences you have to have at least once. We had great seats, about 30th row on 40 yard line. Ted got them from Verizon, so another free game. I have to say, if it weren't for Verizon, Ted and I wouldn't have had so many wonderful sport experiences this last year. It has been a year to remember, to say the least.

And, since we are talking about years, we have entered a new one. 2011. I am still trying to fathom that though. Each year builds upon the one before, but I still cannot believe we are already in the double digits of the 21st century. It is crazy! Ted and I went to Gilbert, AZ to Tommy Hunter and his girlfriend's house, Janie. It was a lot of fun. We watched TV, ate pizza, cookies, and told stories. I really enjoyed being with another couple around our age. It feels like we go out a lot, but hardly ever with friends. So, this was a lot of fun, and we laughed most of the night. The drive home was sooo long! We didn't get home until 2:30 am, and after working that day, and then having to work the next, I was exhausted. Thankfully, today is a day off, and I have gotten to relax all day.

We have had a good year this last year. Many blessings have come into our lives, and we have learned several valuable lessons that will stay with us forever. I am so glad we moved to Arizona. It has given Ted and I a chance to really bond as a couple. Being away from everyone and everything we know has helped us rely on each other for strength, and brought us closer. It is something more precious than anything else we have gained within these last four years together. Also, we have found out that the real world (owning your own home, working for corporate America, living in the 5th largest city), has it's ups and downs. It is all about perspective though, and we really do love it down here, even though we miss home (Idaho). This last year has not been easy, by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, on the outside and in conversation we may act like we are doing better than ever, but we have really had to work together to accomplish that. It has come down to a lot of communication and understanding, but very worth it. As I said before, Ted and I have become closer than ever. Like people say, trials make you stronger, and it is true, even in the couple sense. But, looking forward, we see a bright future, and cannot wait to start another adventuresome year. We live by a motto: The Lord will guide us to where we need to be. And, with that said, we are going to be continuing our journey here in Arizona, until He directs us otherwise.

On the topic of religion, I gave away my first Book of Mormon yesterday night. It was exhilarating. The emotions that you get before are incredible. Adrenaline spikes through your veins, and fear of rejection simmer in your mind, but as you build your courage and follow the promptings of the spirit, you overcome fear by faith, and extend the most true book in the world to someone who could use it. In my case, it is a work associate. She is more intelligent than most, and is searching for the right answers. She has spoken to me a couple times about religion and philosophy, but never delved into the subject too far (time lacking). So, I had promptings to share the truth of the gospel with her. Thankfully, she accepted the Book of Mormon graciously. I was shocked she had never seen or received one before. It seems so common in my world, yet in the grand scheme of things, I guess a Book of Mormon is not a common accessory to the millions of bookshelves in the world (although I hope someday it will not only be an accessory, but also a companion to everyone). But, after giving it to her, I had a moment alone. The spirit was so strong, I few tears escaped my eyes (which is very uncommon for me). Then, I realized that this is why Ted and I came to Arizona. To share the knowledge and truth we have with the youth of our community through action and word. I hope we will be able to live up to what the Lord expects of us. :)

Happy New Year!!!