Negative 15 Degrees

What better way to celebrate sub zero temperatures than to drive up to Minneapolis? Last weekend, temperatures dropped to -15 degrees Fahrenheit (with a wind chill of -30). You know you're going to be cold when the forecast is calling for a high of -4. Having never experienced such extreme temperatures, naturally we couldn't resist. We packed up our stuff and headed north for a weekend with Uncle Jim and his family.

One of the highlights of the trip was sledding down a nearby hill. We all bundled up and braved the weather on our sleds. (It was actually much warmer that day, a balmy +9).


We had a great time racing and trying to see who could go the farthest. For some reason, JoLee kept winning.


The hill was just about the right length to make several trips.


We just had to watch out for mid sledding collisions (which were frequent). The only sledding I did growing up was with my youth group in the CA Sierra. It usually took us two hours to find a good hill, two hours of sledding until someone got hurt, and two hours until our appendages thawed out. I'm pretty sure this was the first sledding trip I've ever survived without getting injured.


The top of the hill was extremely icy, and try as we might, we just couldn't climb to the top without using a rope.


You can see by JoLee's celebration, that it really was an accomplishment to make it to the top of the hill.


As always, Jim and Peggy were great hosts. We always have a fantastic time and look forward to our next trip.

Disneyland

Nate and I just got back from a fun-filled Stephens family vacation at Disneyland! We had so much fun. I think the reason the trip was so great was that everyone was there. Now we'll always be able to all talk about that trip to Disneyland. Here's the whole crew. The park was still decorated for Christmas. It was really pretty and great for us because we had our own little Stephens family Christmas on Sunday morning.

The weathermen were predicting a less than ideal forecast. We were all geared up for rain all day, everyday, so we were pretty happy when it only rained in the evening. That being said, we still did get pretty wet. As you can see, the rain didn't deter Savannah.

Despite the cold rain, Aaron, Brooke and Nate rode the river raft ride. They said it was really fun, but Jen and I couldn't find the will to ride it because we had seen some kids get seriously soaked on the ride.

Jen and Will on the Jungle Cruise.

Val and Savannah on the Matterhorn.

Brooke and Aaron on the swings at California Adventure.

Dorothy and Savannah on Dumbo. Jen and Will are in the background.

Val and Savannah on Buzz Lightyear. Savannah looks focused.

Jen and I on Buzz Lightyear. We were very focused and determined galactic fighters.

Savannah & Will on the pirate's treasure on Tom Sawyer's Island (or whatever it's called now.)

Val, Savannah, Dorothy and Will on Tom Sawyer's Island.

Nate and JoLee in a Disneyland Shop - how's that for a ride shot! This photo was taken at the 11th hour. We were about to leave the park for good, but first Nate asked the clerk to take our photo.

This next shot is for all the runners that read my blog. Look who I ran into at Disneyland. Courtney Pugmire Meldrum. Favorite Courtney memory: Freshman year when Coach made her run while carrying a cone because she ran her repeats faster than pace.

I bet most of you don't know that Zephyr has her very own ride at California Adventure, but we didn't ride it because it is a spinny ride and because it was closed.

My favorite ride at Disneyland is Thunder Mountain. Look how happy I am. The ride is best at night, but that is not the best time for pictures. Also, never fear family, I made sure to yell about all our Thunder Mountain allergies. This trip Nate also realized the joys of Thunder Mountain.

Happy 2008!

The trip was a great way to dive into the New Year!

Thanks for such a fun trip everyone!

Gramma Scurr's Birthday Party

Another fun thing that we did in Colorado was celebrate my Gramma's 80th birthday. We all trooped up to my Aunt Patti's house and had lunch, cake, and games. We gave my Gramma a book with a whole bunch of handwritten inside jokes that was a big hit. Since everyone was there we took a bunch of family photos. First, here's the whole crew - my Dad and his kids and my Aunt and her kids, only my Uncle Todd was missing.

The Hales: Lincoln and his wife Anna and their son Lincoln, Aunt Patti, Nicholas, Emily, David and his wife Jaylene. (from left to right)

The Gillespies: Taggart, Mom, Dad, Paige and Peter and Me and Nate.


And here we are with Gramma. Taggart makes all of us 5'8" women look like shorties.

We also had cake. It took four people to light all the candles.


Gramma blew out all the candles by herself and here's my Mom showing them off.


Well, Gramma, I know that you will never read this because you don't use the internet, but we loved sharing your birthday with you, and we love you too!

Christmas Morning in Colorado

Nate and I spent Christmas in Colorado. Here are some pictures of Christmas morning. After breakfast (thanks Dad!) we all lined up on the stairs in our new pajamas, as tradition dictates.

We had a really fun time with our stockings. My mom can fit an amazing amount of stuff into each sock. Here's Nate with his pocket kite.


The boys all got a tiny puzzle. They took turns posing with the pieces once they were solved. Peter solved his first.

Taggart's puzzle was really hard. No one solved it until later that day. So Taggart solved Peter's puzzle to prove that he could solve one quickly.

Paige

JoLee and Nate

Dad with awesome hair

Mom took the pictures so she doesn't star in any. Mom also wrapped the presents in tape that was impossible to tear. We had to use scissors to open our presents. Consequently, Christmas morning lasted longer than expected.


The reindeer tells Taggart a secret. I think what he said was that it was a great Christmas morning, and he was glad that everyone could be there together.