The Ear-less Mouse

Our cat is an interesting little fella.  She has two loves in her life.  One is her ping pong balls.  She plays with them  FOR HOURS and nothing gets her more excited.  The second is her toy mice.  We have bought this cat NUMEROUS toys, some more expensive than others.  But, alas, she LOVES her mice from the dollar store.  That's right!  Out of EVERYTHING she loves the cheap stuff, me and this cat were meant to be!!! But since they are cheap they do not last.  This is the latest casualty of her intense play:

Poor mouse did not even last an hour.  She did, however enjoy the endless amounts of fluff that came out of the hole.  I, on the other hand, did not!!!

But how can you not love a cate that is so cute, and fun, and who always sleeps like this:

She is a keeper for sure:)

Kitty in the sink

One day, Ollie just decided she wanted to hang out in the sink while I was getting ready...it became a regular thing...thought it was cute so I had to take some pictures!

Four-Wheeling in the MUD!

We had rain for a few days and the river was flowing pretty good.  We got our favorite riding buddies, Liz and Landon, to come with us.  It was SO SO SO FUN!!! We got completely covered in mud!! I wore a hat, but Liz did not and the amount of mud in her hair was kind of gross and looked like dreads...lol....we rinsed off a few times in the river but it was pretty nuts how muddy we got....definitely worth the hour-long shower after!!!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was a weird, wacky day.  The weather was nuts.  One moment it was freezing, rainy, and just plain horrible.  Then the sun would come out, no clouds, and it would be really warm.  Then it would go back to stormy!  Before vday, Miles and I had decided to not do anything for the day.  Well, he knocked on the door that afternoon and had a bunch of balloons, flowers, and 2 Toblerone bars! It was very sweet of him:)  I love Miles and I am so thankful to share this day of love with him!

Some of the decorations in our apt....the only one the cat couldn't reach!

The beautiful flowers Miles surprised me with!

We tied the balloon to her collar.  She did not know what to do with it on and would not move an inch!

The awesome clock Miles got me as a V-Day gift/Birthday Present!

Four-wheelers in the SNoW!!!

In January, we loaded up the four-wheeler, grabbed some wood and hot dogs, and headed up to Mt. Graham with our friends, Liz and Landon.  We had to go all the way up to Twilight because there was no snow.  And even the snow up there was more ice than anything.  BUT we hooked up a rope and sled to the back of one of them and rode on.  It was SO FUN! Definitely got an arm workout and had some pretty spectacular wipeouts!! Miles and I tried to rid together at the end, and we got pretty soaked.  There are some great videos that I will try and post later.  After riding for awhile, we built a fire, roasted some hot dogs and warmed up! It was a great day in the snow, for sure!

2011 Rewind

JANUARY

Spent time in Sacramento, CA with Jim and Shayla's family for Isabella's blessing and Joshua's baptism

Visited with Justin and Corinne who I hadn't seen in YEARS!

Started planning for our wedding, which at the time, was to be in April

FEBRUARY

Turned 28 (yikes)

Took engagement pictures in 17 degree weather

Changed wedding date to March

Struggled a lot with stomach issues and consequently lost almost 20 pounds!

MARCH

Caught the flu OF DEATH and lost an additional 10 pounds

Wedding dress didn't fit as well in certain areas due to weight loss

Went and received my endowments

Sister recieved her endowments

MARRIED on the 12th at the Gila Valley Temple

Moved Miles into my 450 square foot apt

APRIL

Miles turned 23

MAY

Miles got a job at the Morenci Mine

Quit Super 8 job

JUNE

Both stayed busy working

JULY 

Work

Swimming almost everyday!

AUGUST

I quit work

Miles stopped all his medication (yeah!)

SEPTEMBER

Miles lost job at mine

Started working for construction Co.

Dasha cut her hair SHORT 

OCTOBER

Painted apt

"Adopted" a kitty

Miles gained a belly 

NOVEMBER

Miles lost construction job (ran out of work)

I found work but didn't start till January

Celebrated Thanksgiving in Mesa

Jake visited from Portland

Found out Dasha's thyroid is not working right

DECEMBER

Both still out of work

New niece is born

Miles sees temple lights for the first time

Niece passes away/funeral

Miles sells his truck so we can pay bills

First Christmas together

Mile's dad's liver is in great shape (transplant a year ago)

Celebrate New Year's Eve with fireworks, hot chocolate, and sitting around the fire pit

2011 was a great and happy year but was one of EXTREME hardships as well.  I do not think I have been tested as much as I have during this last year.  While I hated life a lot of the time, I wouldn't change it.  We have both grown so much.  Not only individually but more importantly together as a couple.  We are so much closer and stronger today because of the trials we have been given.  God doesn't give us anything we can't handle.  So I say, "Bring it on, 2012!"

FAVORITE PICTURE FROM 2011

Temple Lights 2011

The week of Christmas, we decided to take a quick trip to Mesa.  While we were there, we met up with the always awesome, Gina and Travis Stevens.  They met us at our hotel and we walked over to Pete's Fish and Chips (Miles had never been) and then walked around the temple lights since Miles had never been to that either!  It was crazy crowded but the lights were gorgeous, as usual! Unfortunately we didn't get any pics with Gina and Travis, but Travis did snap these two for us!!! Afterwards, we went back to our hotel and introduced them to "Man v. Food" and watched a few episodes.  It was a great time and we loved being with our good friends!


On a quick side-note.  The next day Miles woke up SO SICK!  We were suppose to go home that day and ended up having to stay one more day. Also, our niece passed away suddenly that morning after a brief illness.  I was worried about how ill he was and with the added stress of the passing of our niece, I aksed Travis to come over and give Miles a blessing.  In turn, Miles was also able to give Travis one.  What a testimony builder.  Both blessings were powerful and the Spirit was very strong.  It re-affirmed the power of the priesthood to me.  I am so grateful for a husband and friend, who when in need, are able to provide some comfort and relief.