Potential Little One

So I found out last weekend that I am going to be an Auntie! Aubrey is pregnant and, come November 28th-ish… a new member of the family will be welcomed. It’s strange how fast we have grown up.

Playing Catchup

So I have quite a bit of ground to cover with this one post. To kick this bad boy off, I will start with the most epic occurrence of the past three weeks. As of March 7, 2009 my sister no longer bore the name Hunt. Alas… she was converted to the much longer, much more difficult to spell last name, Stofferahn. It is sad to realize that I can no longer call her Aubrey Hunt, but no matter how many letters she spells her last name with it will still read “Hunt” to me. After all, no one pays attention to phonics these days anyway. Here are the links to the wedding photos. You get to see just how formal and crazy the Hunt-Stofferahn clan can be. (Questions? Just ask)

My Photos

Professional Photos

Upon entering the professional site, click “Proofing” and enter “Stofferahn2009” into the password box at the bottom of the page.

Alright, moving right along; a week ago today, I was ripping up the slopes at Big Sky in Montana… well, maybe they were ripping me up. Ah, I can’t really remember (that’s what happens when you hit your head to many times. Haha.).

So, Chris and I spent the entire last week in Montana, snowboarding for spring break. The week couldn’t have started out any more perfect than it did, with snow falling only about a half hour after we landed in Bozeman and continuing throughout the night and into the next day. You can bet your bottom dollar that that next day, Tuesday, was spent tearing up the 9+ inches of powder that had accumulated on the slopes of the Moonlight Resort (located on the same mountain as Big Sky). My friend Bryce, who lives and works in Bozeman and his friend Andy accompanied Chris and I that day. Bryce and I decided to leave Chris and Andy so that we could hit the really epic runs and not worry about being slowed down by them.

Tuesday flew by too fast and the rest of the week followed suit. The remaining three days, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, were spent at Big Sky. Each day Chris and I woke up early, raided the continental breakfast for morning nourishment and then pocketed what we would need for lunch (mostly peanut butter, bagels, oranges, and cereal). Next we would jump on our bikes (one borrowed and one rented) and pedal three miles to the shuttle station located at the mall. Now, this sounds much easier than it actually was. Bicycling reaches a whole new level of difficulty when you strap on a snowboard that makes you as wide as a car and try to ride down a side walk that has light poles and signs at your left and a privacy fence on your right. You suddenly become aware of good your balance is.

Snowboarding all week on a mountain that doesn’t know the meaning of the word “ice” is a beautiful thing. Tuesday’s powder became a loosely pack winter wonderland and carving through can be described with the word “butter”. However, we didn’t just limit ourselves to riding on the trails. It was a common occurrence for Chris to dive off into the woods or for us to hit some epic jumps and drops on the edge of the trail. Sometimes these features were kind and forgiving, allowing you to stick a nice 180 (which I did do!), but other times they were harsh and liked to make you (nah…mostly me) eat snow. Each day on the mountain ended with a hour and fifteen minute shuttle ride back to Bozeman and then the three mile bike ride to the hotel.

We spent many of our nights hanging with my friend Bryce. He works at an archery shop in Bozeman and we spent a few nights poking carbon arrows into paper targets 20 yards down range. One night we even got to shoot techno, which is comprised of a giant screen at the end of a large hallway. Images of animals are projected onto the screen and blunted arrows are shot at them, so it is pretty much like virtual hunting. Safe to say, Chris may be a better snowboarder than me, but I got him in the archery department. We also spent one night at the pool in the hotel… oh yes, it had a waterslide. There are so many ways to go down a water slide; you just have to let your imagination take you.

It was so nice to get away from school, even though we only slept in one day the entire week, that day was Saturday. We decided to spend the day exploring Bozeman instead of on the mountain. There was a lot to see in the downtown area, including numerous art galleries, snowboarding shops, and the damage from the explosion that occurred earlier that week. Later that night, Bryce had a small get together at his house that included cooked moose and good company.

The next morning, Sunday, found us back on a plane headed east, back to reality. Not once was I disappointed with how I was spending my spring break. I am grateful that I was the one Chris chose to accompany him on this adventure.. Thank you.

Photos of Montana Here!

NEW Hampshire

      Okay, I know it has been a while since my last post (sorry Mike). I could give you a handful of crappy excuses, but I really don’t want you holding crap. So, things are moving right along out here in the east. School is almost through it’s second week and I am all cozy, snuggly warm in my new apartment with my new roommates. I do have photos to accompany this post so check ‘em out.

      Overall, I would say I am really happy with my decision to  come to the east; the school, the people, the landscape are more than I could have asked for. I have learned a few things about New England during my short time here. First off, I find the pedestrian’s power over moving vehicles to be absolutely astonishing. Walking through town the other day I stopped on the corner of the sidewalk, obviously waiting to cross, and a silver pickup truck, cruising along at a solid 40, sees me on the corner and slams on the brakes like he’s trying not to hit an imaginary stationary car. He does this epic stop for me and in response, I give a little awkward “thank you” wave and pretty much dead sprint across the road. I have yet to learn that a) I do not need to run and b) it’s okay not to wave. 

      On another note, I have become acquainted with a few of the strange street features that are characteristic of the East and I must say, I DOMINATE the rotaries. The feature I had a problem with was a three way intersection that has small island of grass and a stop sign that supposedly applies to all directions. I am lucky that I encountered said obstacle in the dead of night when no one was about. We made it halfway through the intersection before an f-bomb was dropped and confusion flooded me. It was at this moment that Chris explained to me the idea behind these absurd inventions. Haha… fricken midwesterners…

      So, for the most part, I would say that I fit in pretty well in the east, if you overlook the gaps in my driving knowledge (no worries, gaps are quickly being filled), the fact that I wave to every person that stops for me, a few small differences in my lingo (pop:soda, beg:bag…whatever), and the “great faces, great places” South Dakota license plate on my automobile. I am proud to say that I am already becoming knowledgable on the area around me. I always feel so good when someone refers to a town or other location and I know what the hell they are talking about! Oh the simple pleasures of life.

Here comes Santa Clause… There Goes Santa Clause

      These holiday season sure does scream by. Luckily enough, having a fairly decent sized family usually includes what one would call ”multiple Christmases”. This prolongs the joy brought about by this time of year a little. Since last Wednesday my father, mother and I (sister, Alisha and brother, Anthony to follow on that Friday) have been in Iowa making the family rounds. First stop, Dad’s parent’s. Christmas was held in the evening hours of Christmas day. Family member from that side of the family too quickly arrived and departed. I am not a fan of how things change when people grow up and get lives of their own. 

      Saturday afternoon mom, sister, brother and I made our way to Floyd so as to grace my mother’s parents with our presence for a few days. However, we made a few pit stops along the way, which included getting measured for bridesmaids dresses (Sister, Aubrey, getting hitched in March) and picking up groceries at Hy-Vee ( trips to the grocery store are never as brief as they are intended to be). Finally we made it to the farm and hunkered down for a few days of  much needed,and highly valued,quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Mo. There really wasn’t much of a Christmas celebration here with aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., but my Christmas expectations were fulfilled by just spending time with the grandparents.  Oh, and Christmas wouldn’t be complete without watching Pixley, our semi-handicapped, rather slow minded, yet extremely lovable black lab/Chesapeake mutt,play carelessly in the snow and occasionally eat crap after running on the ice. Hehe…not funny!

Pixely Dale

      We just got back to the homestead in Pierre tonight. Fortunately, even though Santa is a speed demon and Christmas is technically over, my family still has one more celebration to enjoy. Haha… take that Kris Krinkle. This coming Friday will kick off our family Christmas in Pierre at my parent’s house. The entire family (6 plus 2 extra) will be finally united for oodles of cheer, ample amounts of love, a few gifts and a whole lot-a “wii”. “Wii” are lucky enough to have Thad bringing his gift from my sister, the Nintendo “Wii”. Ooh buddy, you can guarantee that this “wii”kend will be chock full of Christmas spirit, late nights and sore muscles. Expect photos!

One more piece of news. I knitted my first hat this weekend. It is a beanie with ear flaps and this glorious masterpiece matches the scarf I just finished. This event marks the beginning of great things sprouting from the tips of  my knitting needles.

3 Words of Love For 3 Lovely People

      Word spreads quickly, so it is probably no surprise to all of you when I say that I will be moving out to New Hampshire this January to attend Plymouth State University. What can I say, the package deal Plymouth offers is a hard one to turn down. The great school, beautiful location, beautiful people and so many opportunities, including playing varsity soccer for PSU. However, the place I currently reside also has many great things to offer (except in the area of majors) and to leave it will be an obstacle in itself. I have spent the last 5 months or so living with 3 great roommates, each of them contributing something different to our apartment. A few weeks ago, while sitting around the living room, we decided that each of us would come up with one word that describes each of the other three. We never did reveal our words, but I will initiate and disclose my choices now:

“Urbane: Polite, refined, and often elegant in manner.” Kellie is the kind of girl that I could see living a glorious, glamorous life in the 50’s. She is very classy, intelligent lady and I cannot help but have this vivid mental picture of her going to parties in a dress similar to that of Rosemary Clooney when she sang “Love You Didn’t Do Right By Me” in White Christmas.  Of course, the outfit would not be complete without long black gloves and a string of pearls. Her red hair, oh her fabulous curly, red hair, would be done in a cute up-do with bangs that sweep across her forehead. Her witty and intelligent remarks would be a coveted addition to any conversation making her the belle of the ball and the focus of the party. The magical evening would conclude with Kellie performing a very jazzy, soulful song with a live band to accompany her. I will definately miss her contagious laugh, her clever phrases and her simple beautiful personality.

“Benevolent:characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings.”Lauren is someone everyone wants to know, or should know. Very busy, very involved, yet never to busy to make time for the people in her life. She is confident in herself and strong in her faith, which allows her to not only take on the routy parents and spectators of the soccer matches she refs, but also lets her pursue the things she wants in life with what could be called a fearless passion. Her compassion and uncharted patience with people is something that is envied and will be missed.

“Worldliness: experienced; knowing; sophisticated; a predominant passion for obtaining the good things of this life.”This is the word I chose to describe Liberty. Berty is like Mary Poppins’ black bag, a seemingly bottomless vehicle, the content of which never ceases to amaze you. She is blessed with a brilliant mind and unique insight on a wide variety of things. To name just one, Berty introduced to me the idea of personal presence, the importance of existing and feeling that you play a vital role in a community.  I am now conscious of the presence I had here in Sioux Falls and the presence I will seek for myself on the East Coast. She has a love of the simple and natural things in life and I only hope that someday I will be bestowed with her fine cooking and writing skills.

Thank you for such a wonderful semester!

The Infection Spreads….

      We all know how things can be contagious, such as laughter, yawns…mono, excetera and so on. But who would have thought that such a thing as BLOGGING could fall into this category. It is rumored that the so called “sickness” that is now plaguing me and my loved ones, was initiated by a man who goes by the name Michael Miller. He is the webmaster behind the Mainecourse blog, and to my knowledge the first documented victim was an unsuspecting Chris Grosjean(aka Goose), founder of Goose Migrations, who in turn infected me. Being the social person I am, I spread the blogging frenzy to my roommate, Kellie; my sister, Alisha; and my brother Anthony, who, if you read his blog, vowed never to take up such an addiction as blogging. I must admit, I too was doubtful about the uses of blogging, but once I got addicted to reading the ramblings of Chris and Mike, I knew that I too was doomed to be a rambling blogger. So, I came to this conclusion…. if I’m going down I’m taking as many as I can with me!

Oh, the cursed-to-be-creative souls mentioned above all have a link to their sites on the right hand side of this page. Enjoy being bombarded with words from the ever intensifying blogfest.

A Thankful Weekend

     In my book, few things top a nice relaxing weekend at home with the family. The only way to beat that is to take that weekend and stick it in the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years holiday season. And that is exactly what this weekend was. It felt so good to be home, away from all the chaos being in Sioux Falls brings, with homework and such. I haven’t been back to Pierre since the few days I had transitioning between Colorado and preseason, so it felt that much better.

       My family didn’t have Thanksgiving till Saturday this year so the previous Thursday and Friday were very laid back and relaxed. On Thursday my brother and I went to the YMCA so that he could practice a little. For all who don’t know my brother, Anthony, is a member of the USD Diving Team and yes, he wears a speedo. He tried to teach me his ways and it went pretty well, but I have a long way to go. Later on that evening, my father and I engaged ourselves in a battle for the universe, but since the Halo disc was scratch we could not call ourselves victorious. Friday night my sister, Aubrey, and her fiancee, Thad, arrived and we celebrated my father’s birthday, which is actually on Saturday the 29th. He received a bunch of cool gifts and my mom made his favorite cake, red cake, and we made homemade vanilla ice cream to accompany it. Saturday was Turkey day. A little shopping was done in the morning and at 1400 hours the eating began. I don’t know about everyone else, but I stuffed my face; however, despite my efforts there was still plenty of leftovers. After dinner, Anthony, Alisha and I fired up the old tractor and boogied on down to the gas station to pick up a few things. OOwee nothing feels better than a diesel engine roaring underneath ya! (I still have to round up the pictures for this). We wound down the evening by playing Family Cranium and Mad Gab. We lost a few people to sleep after that and those of us, Mom, Dad, Alisha, Dan, and I, who remained conscious watched The Incredible Hulk. I think it was around 3:00am that we all finally made it to our beds.

      Having the whole family together gets harder and harder these days. Everyone is really starting to live their own lives and I am thankful that we were able to have everyone together this year. Who knows what next year will hold, with me transferring and my brother applying to the Peace Corps. it’s hard to say whether or not the family will be together. I am really looking forward to spending some more quality time with my family this Christmas. There are only three short weeks before the semester comes to a close and there is a lot to do between then and now, but I am glad that I was able to unwind and spend this past weekend with those I am thankful for.

Check out some Photos!

Graceful Clumsiness

      The sky is filled with all sorts of cold precipitation and I sit here in my cozy bedroom paging through my planner, marveling at the fact that only a few more pages remain before December becomes a reality. With the coming of the final month comes not only an increase in the number of clothing layers, but also an increase in the amount of pressure I feel on choosing a school. A few months ago, the thought of my transferring seemed so distant and now, with no thanks to my reflexes, it has hit me in the face. Every once in a great while, I find myself slightly overwhelmed by the change that I know is coming and I have to remind myself that change is a good thing and that worrying about it is so worthless. I guess I could relate my uneasy feeling to that of a inexperienced trapeze artist trying to gracefully make the transistion from trapeze to trapeze, trusting fully that my senses will lead me right. I am nervous to let go of what I currently have in my grasp, but am excited to take the leap that will move me forward. While waiting for experience to find me, I will take comfort in the fact that even though there is a possibility that I may have a spif of clumsiness and fall, there is still some grace to be found in the descent and support to be found in the safety net (my family and friends) waiting to catch me.

The Breath Before the Plunge

      The Tuesday we all have been waiting for finally arrived, and has now past. Americans nationwide breathed a sigh of relief as they submitted their their ballots, but quickly inhaled again as they sat down to await the outcome of this epic election. I personally, was one of those people. I have been waiting for this day to come and am glad that I have to no longer bear the burden of choice. I have made my decision, done my part and the rest was out of my hands.

      I have found many things about this election to be truly astounding. First of all, I have NEVER been so immersed in politics as I have been in the last couple months. The need to be involved and knowledgeable about the world in which I am living has really awoken within me. And I have to admit… I kinda dig it. I guess I should credit those people in my life who have constantly exposed me to current issues and unknowingly forced me to become informed, which leads me to my ”second-of-all” point. This election has gotten a very large number of people excited about and involved in politics, mostly through the way each candidate exposed themselves to the media and the way the media, in turn, has exposed them. When broken down, the past political year can be humorously compared to a season of Survivor. We have our characters fighting their way through various rounds and challenges to make it to the top, plenty of drama and insults, and finally, elimination by vote. The excitement evoked by this type of entertainment has brought voters out of the woodwork, including people I know that have never had the tendency to be political. It’s good to witness people taking action and seeking knowledge about important issues.  For those who aren’t inspired by the sheer substance of these issues, such as an African-American president and a couple female candidates, they are drawn into them through a phenomena similar to the dominoe effect that occurs when people yawn. People unknowingly become involved through those around them, at least, that’s how I got started. Let’s hope that the trend continues and more people desire to understand the complex workings of this nation.

      At this moment, the results are in and the election is over, but another battle is about to begin; the battle for this country to better itself through a newly elected leader and his policies. So yet again the country will draw in a deep breath and prepare for the plunge that awaits.