Garling Getaway in Island Park

Ted waving his goodbye to the house Saying goodbye to the 90 degree temps

Joshua Tree

This is Nothing, AZ, and they aren't joking, there really is nothing!

Ted wore a hole in his sock from driving 12 hours

Even after 2 am...she still looks amazing

Grain bin hill

Ted found an old door...there are so many treasures

Some old pipe on the farm

Driving into Island Park. Love how high the snow is!

Ted, posing with the machine he staked his claim on

Check out Jon's flip flops...only a Garling would be brave enough to defy the cold and wear these while snowmobiling. Getting ready to take the sleds for a spin

Zach hanging out on the sled

Check out these boots! They are kind of hard to see, but they zip up nice and tight, if you can get them zipped, and no snow is getting inside of them!

Ted in front of Big Springs

Ted is ready

Zach helps John get the snowmobile ready while the Garn kids look on

Adam is ready to ride

The name of the cabin

Anna, Charity, Zach, getting ready to head out. Love how all of Anna's kids are ready to go!

My favorite picture from the weekend

This is probably the equivalent of wake boarding...with frozen water

Towing Adam behind the snowmobile

A big cabin that overlooked our sledding hill

Audri loved getting pulled behind the snowmobile

I think Tyden's a little tired from hiking up the sledding hill.

Lissa and Melissa. They are so cute!

Karleen with Melissa. Melissa opted out of snowmobile riding. Can't say I blame her.

I don't think you can get much cuter than this! Pink snowsuit and all!

Jake coming to talk Ted into pulling his minivan out of the snow...it worked too, but it bent the tow bar, which cost us $45 dollars to fix. Ouch!

Anna and Jon heading out

Lissa and Karleen

Colton, Nate, Jack, and Charity in the background. Look at how cute Colton is, ready to drive!

Ted got tired and decided to take a nap

Look at all the cute little Garling Family Grandkids! Love them all!

Ted and I loved the cabin!

Lissa and I posing in front of the Island Park Cabin we stayed in

Drive out of Island Park

Arizona sunset...gotta love it!

This last weekend we took a road trip to Idaho. Yes, a straight through 12-hour drive. Ted did all of the driving, except for 2 hours on the way back to Arizona because he had a conference call. But, it was a ton of fun! We listened to Rogue Angel (book on tape), and talked tons, which is nice because we don't get to spend much time together, so when we do, we really cherish it. We made it up to Blackfoot by 2 am on Friday morning, and spent the night in the Best Western because my mom is remodeling her house, and the people who put in the hardwood flooring had just varnished the floor, so it was wet and smelled very strong. It was tough falling asleep after a long drive of telling yourself to stay awake, but we finally found blackness, and slept until 9 am. Pretty darn late, and almost missed the continental breakfast. But, Ted hopped out of bed and got us some grub just in time. Oh how lucky men are, that all they have to do is hop out of bed, throw on some clothes, and they are ready for the day. Of course, Ted came back and showered and found a clean pair of clothes, but still, I could never just pull on clothes and leave the house. I need some time to get myself looking presentable. Anyway, moral of the story: we got breakfast.

We headed out to the farm after that and picked up some warm clothes. We found out the Garlings had rented a cabin in Island Park, and we were going snowmobiling. So, we were going to use some of my family's really nice snowmobile suits, but we couldn't get to the downstairs because the floor was still wet, so instead, Ted did some nice Spiderman moves and climbed across the wall with a big step into the mudroom and got us some of our chore outfits aka "brownsuits", as they are called in my family. Really, they are insulated coveralls that we use in the wintertime to feed animals and do outside work in. Luckily, they are just as warm as typical snowsuits, and we stayed nice and toasty in them.

The trip up to Island Park was beautiful. It went from wet, brown, muddy fields to 6 foot high snowbanks along the side of the road. The roads were clear and mostly dry, so we didn't have a problem on the highway. Once inside Island Park, we wound our way up Boot Jack road to Neil's Nest, a cabin nestled between tall pines. The trees provided a canopy from the wind, but chunks of snow fell earthward as the wind shook their branches. It was a nice cabin, new, and well planned. The kitchen opened up to the living room, and a single bedroom and bath finished the bottom level. The top floor consisted of several beds in a couple bedrooms, another bath, and a kid's paradise. There were dvds, games, toys, and pillows to keep the kids happy and busy. They played all day.

The snowmobiles arrived and we took them out for a spin to Big Springs. The trails were freshly groomed, smooth, and we rode fast. Coming home we took Meadow Springs, and twisted our way through pines and meadows filled with fallen trees. Once home, we ate a hearty meal and bedded down for the night. Ted and I were exhausted from the drive and little sleep the night before, and slept quite well.

The next morning, we ventured out into the wilderness and found a steep sledding hill for the kids to enjoy. They went up and down the hill for a couple hours before parents and children were tired. I walked up the hill twice, and the second time, I decided to stick with the snowmachine. Who knew I was so out of shape? But, we had fun, and towed around the kids on their sleds and gave them rides back up the hill. We also towed Adam around on his snowboard. That was a lot of fun...you should've seen us, there was Ted driving the machine, Jon, standing behind him, directing him to the perfect places, and me, turned around in the back filming Adam as he held onto the tow rope that pulled him through the snow. When Ted would gas the snowmobile, Jon would sink backward onto my back, and a couple times the air got knocked out of me so hard that my ribs hurt. For a while I thought I might have done something stupid and injured myself, but I felt fine the next day. After the kids were finished sledding down the hill, we caught some lunch and the adults headed out for an afternoon ride. We headed toward West Yellowstone, wanting to cirlce Lionhead, but missing the trail marker somehow, and heading in a different direction. A big storm was blowing in, and amidst the flurries, snow was being blown from the hills, causing a sharp sting wherever skin was exposed. We bundled Lissa up because she'd tennis shoes without socks, and her feet were freezing. Thankfully, Anna was prepared with an extra pair of boots, gloves, and we got Lissa wrapped tightly into her helmet so she wouldn't freeze. Up top the mountain, we got into some fresh powder, which made the ride much smoother, but we also sunk a couple machines. Thankfully, Ted is a goot driver and navigated his way around without getting us stuck once.

The day ended much too soon, and we headed south to Idaho Falls again. Ted and I took a little detour to Newdale and Teton because we think they are cute little towns. Passing Rexburg, the beautiful new temple on the hill, and my old stomping grounds brought back some fun memories, and we enjoyed the ride.

On Sunday, Jon gave his farewell speech, and Zach gave his homecoming talk. It was great! The Garling Siblings also sung a song in sacrament, and it sounded amazing. I don't think there was a dry eye in the audience. A lady behind me was funny, as all nine of the children made their way up to the stage she said "They can't possibly be all brothers and sisters! Nine! That one can't be part of the family." Short pause. "Well, maybe. Amazing!" It made me laugh, and I wanted to turn around and tell her that indeed, they were all Garlings, born and raised, but I kept my comments to myself and just chuckled inside. I guess that even for Mormon families, sometimes nine kids sounds like a lot. Jon did an excellent job speaking with the spirit, and I think many hearts were touched. Then, Zach got up and gave some wonderful stories, and a heartfelt poem that made me cry. He has grown so much, and has become such an astounding man. Truly, Zach is going to make an incredible leader in his life. He is so grounded, practical, yet has an excellent sense of humor, and manners that match those of olden days. It gives me hope for the future to see someone like Zach.

After sacrament, we went to the Garling house and mingled. Family pictures were taken. We had some new additions, which was wonderful! The Garling family is ever growing, and Melissa (Jake's wife), is pregnant. So, we shall have more on the way. It was great seeing Josh and Rachel with little John too. Since they are in the military, we haven't seen them for almost two years! John is adorable with curly blonde hair and big blue eyes. All the kids are growing up so fast! It makes me sad we do not see them more. I miss everyone already. They are all so dear to my heart.

As we left the Garling household and headed to Blackfoot for our last night in town, we had a fun dinner with Adam, Morgan, Pierce, and my mom. Adam grilled amazing steaks and salmon, while Morgan baked potatoes, corn, cookies, and lemon bars. We ate so much that our stomaches hurt. We watched the movie Secretariat to let the food settle before we spent the night at my mom's house. But, Ted fell fast asleep, tired from all the excitement in the last few days, and I must admit, I got a few winks of sleep before the movie ended. Luckily, we have the movie, and I already watch it over and over. It was a blast getting to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law, and seeing little Pierce. His is growing too fast! He walked for us, and he is so intelligent! It blows me away!

So, the weekend was amazing, and much too short. The drive home went well, and Ted and I decided that Arizona is too rugged to be tamed. Of course, Phoenix is one of the largest cities in the country, but if you look at the rest of Arizona, it is pretty much desolate. We loved the weekend and getting to see everyone we love. When we left Arizona, it was 90 degrees, when we got back to Arizona, it was 49 degrees, so I guess we must've brought a little Idaho weather back home with us.

Well, we are excited to have Jon out in the mission field here soon. He will be serving in the Tempe, Arizona mission, which is only about 20 miles from where we live. So, who knows, we may accidently run into him! Ha ha! Have a great day!