Sledding videos

Just a fair warning to everyone. For some reason, these videos are very big files. I would attempt to watch these with a decently-fast internet connection. Also, as you scroll down the page, the music may turn on (the music player is on the right side of the page). Just pause it and you'll be good to go.



Andy and Brandon racing down the slopes! Andy just about slams into a large pile of rocks and chunks of asphalt, whilst Brandon coasts to victory.




Next up is Sean and Andy. Unseen is a moment when Andy tries to cheat by grabbing Sean's board and holding him back. This forces Andy to veer off-path into a large tree. Sean finishes while slamming into some large sage bush.




So here is the grand finale of all races. Unfortunately, though the boogie boards are very fast on the slopes, the rider can usually feel every bump. It's a rattling experience. Also unfortunately for Andy, the tube just isn't race material. And of course Sean finds his favorite bush...




Eventually we started pulling each other with the ATV. The next day we went out and began construction of a jump, so as to clear like 3' of sweet air.

Perhaps the best video of all...

Sledding in the back yard

Okay, so we didn't do sledding in the backyard; it was actually in the front yard on the big hill. And the term "sledding" is being used very loosely, as we had one inner tube and a few boogie boards. Ingenuity is often a result of a lack of resources. It turns out that the boards actually slide rather well.

The day started out with Sarah, Brandon, and me.


Sarah stuck to the bunny hill on the inner tube. She may be the smarter member of our group, as she experienced no bodily injuries. But if you don't get hurt, then it's no fun, right?

...right?

Andy eventually joined us.


We brought one of the ATV's out. My bright idea was that we could sled down the hill, and then a designated driver would tow us up the hill so that we wouldn't get so tired walking up the slope.


Andy had the mission of creating a trail for the ATV. Unfortunately, the snow was thick and powdery, and he got the thing stuck. Unbeknownst to him, I mocked him tacitly.


Only moments later I veered off-trail and got it stuck myself.


Sticking to the beaten path!

I will work on getting some videos posted shortly

Post-Christmas festivities

Not to be forgotten during the holiday season are those people whose birthdays lie between the Christmas and New Year's day. Here is Rachael on her birthday.

To celebrate Rachael's birthday, the Tom and Brynn Nufer family migrated down to Cedar City, with the Nufer grandparents right on their heels.

One of the biggest surprises for Livia and me was that little Baby Grace was full of life and expression. At one point I found her talking to nobody at all, while holding a toy to the side of her head. I asked her about it and she explained that she was preparing herself for the teenybopper years when she will have her own cell phone and unlimited minutes. (This also explained why she was frantically pushing buttons on the TV remote, even when the TV was not turned on--preparation for the massive texting that she is anticipating)

Grandpa Nufer has gone digital and actively snapped pictures throughout the evening. And here am I snapping behind his back...

One of the games played was musical chairs. Tommy, the good big brother, remembered whose birthday it was. Though Rachael would have indubitably dominated even if it wasn't her special day.

Baby Grace loved the air hockey table, even when it wasn't turned on. Also admire the bling on her right hand. With that 30 carat rock, she's already turning out to be somewhat high-maintenance.

The main difference between Tom's and my approaches to candid photography is that he makes it look good

Up close and personal with the birthday girl!

The good thing about being the birthday girls is that your older siblings act as secret service. Katherine vigilantly watches over the the present-opening ceremony, while Tommy (in the background) represents the hood. He's got her back.


Meanwhile Sean strikes a mean pose for the camera. That pose really should not have been caught on camera since it's not nearly ready enough for public viewing. He will definitely need to work on it. Perhaps it will be called "magnolia steel".

By the end of the week, that was just a lot of partying. Even the pets got worn out with all the fun and excitement.

Christmas in Cedar City

Another year and another Christmas. We were lucky enough to be able to travel to Ceday City this year and spend the holidays with family. This was by far the very best Christmas of the year. And now for the walkthrough...

A common theme of the trip was sewing. Sarah made a quilt, Mom and Livia sewed pajama bottoms for everyone, as well as sewed a costume for Rachel, etc.


Instead of having a fresh Christmas tree, the parents donated the tree money to a charity. As a substitute, we had four fake trees of various sizes. We called it the Christmas forest. That's one tradition that is very costly. We pay for a tree, we pay to decorate it, and then we pay to recycle it.


The stockings were too laden to be hung this year, so they "conglomerated" 'round the chimney with care.


I'm thinking that Andy could fit both of his feet into one of those stockings...


Andy and Amanda discuss stuff and things in the corner


The biggest present was Sarah's new airhockey table. This was definitely a hit throughout the week. As soon as the table would turn on, people would convene (with sparks of determination aglow in their eyes). This same phenomenon occurs as people open cans of cat food and cats seem to materialize from nothing.


The booty


Sarah and Brandon sit ripe with anticipation...


...as do Amanda and Andy


Amanda devilishly sprouted horns from her forehead...


Livia, 小さい女生徒は興奮する
:) hahaha :)


Brandon got a sweet Wusthof knife and cutting board. I asked if I could borrow it sometime, and the following picture ensued.


Mom made all the girls pretty aprons. She used a basic pattern, but the designs are all original. Very cute, etc.


And they are reversible, appropriate for those bi-polar days when you're not content with the status quo.


I guess the joke is something along the lines of when the Lion King first begins, the verses include African chants that repeat: "pink pajamas, penguins on the bottom"


The aftermath


The air hockey table is such that there are between 2-6 goals to defend. We played both in teams and 1 vs 1 vs 1 vs 1 vs 1 vs 1. It was madness at all times. Pucks constantly flew off the table at breaktooth speeds. We eventually began wearing helmets and other protective gear. It was brutal. Sarah and Brandon made us sign notarized waivers of responsibility in order to repudiate any litigation claiming damages.


Another theme of the season was boardgames. We played them all!


This was a shot that I snapped one morning before anyone else was up. The view is looking out the window over the back yard during sunrise. As I gazed over the crisp landscape of a yule-like scene, I couldn't help but marvel at the grandiose presence of wintertide at its full. Also, I was glad to be indoors.