my favorite christmas picture

This kid got a nerf long shot from Santa. We'll see if you're on the nice list next year, Thomas.

This is my second favorite picture.

a recent experience

This is from a family newsletter I send out....

I thought the BYU ski class was awesome, I was put in level 0- ‘never put on skis before’. My class was full of Asian exchange students, the only other white kid and I snuck off on our own on the second class and tried to go down a blue square. The slope was pure ice where I fell and rolled down the mountain. One ski didn’t come off and my leg was wrenched around with the ski. Of course I tore my ACL. I was so mad, after playing years of soccer and watching every other teammate tear their ACL or sprain their ankles, I got off scotch free. Until my ski class. I wanted to keep skiing, so I didn’t tell anybody, I just taped it up really tight and didn’t fall the rest of the time. I’m sure Tanner and Grace are and will be MUCH better skiers than I ever was.

Grace stayed the night with us and the next morning we went to REI to rent me some x-country skis. All of their skis were up at Mountain Dell for a Demo Day. We went up there, got some pretty sweet skate skis (for free) and took a little skate ski lesson- which was totally for my benefit. After the first go round, the instructor asked Grace if she had skied before and where. She looked like a pro, I looked like a wobbly deer. After the lesson, we skied around the course. It was pretty nice, although a little hilly. Apparently at Mountain Dell, they grade their x-country ski trails. It was all happy going until we came to a sign with a BLUE SQUARE on it. Oh no, I thought, my arch-nemesis. Should I meet my foe or ski away in fear? I watched Grace ski down the slope and followed with trepidation. Although a novice skier, I am a profession snow plower; I employed my skills and made it to the bottom still upright. Now, HOW WAS I GOING TO GET UP THE HILL? Are you kidding me? I looked like a duck on steroids, trying to ski up a hill even steeper than the one I came down. I will admit to one fall, and as I turned around to see how close the people behind me were, I saw two men fall flat on their faces. Ha ha, I was better than that, so I found the strength to get up and keep skiing. Cross-country skiing is EXHAUSTING, true I did a lot of weight lifting the day before, but every muscle in my body was burning and I was sucking more wind than the first week contestants of biggest loser. Lest you think I am a exaggerating, when we came to the end of our blue square run, we hit another steep slope. I took off my skis and walked to the top. No more steroidal duck for me, thank you. As I side note, Grace does not look like a duck on steroids, that’s just me. Thank goodness we were hidden by trees and brush.