Hiking the "Y"

Last Friday, Jason  and I had the day off from work.  We had originally planned a weekend getaway to St. Goerge, but with moving, weather, and finances causing stress, we decided to postpone for a while.  So we spent the day packing boxes and tidying up the apartment.  Then, to reward ourselves for lots of hard work, we went for a hike.  Our destination was, once again, down in Utah Valley, specifically hiking the "Y."

Can you spot the Y?

The Y is made of concrete that is whitewashed regularly.  The block letter is 380 feet high and 180 feet wide, and is said to be the largest collegiate symbol in the United States.  From the trailhead, there are 11 turns for a round-trip distance of 2.4 miles.  Doesn't sound too bad, right?  At least it doesn't until you add in the 980 ft elevation game, blazing sunshine, and no shade.  Definitely a workout!

Looks easy, until you notice the changes in elevation

But we took our time, drank lots of water, enjoyed the scenery and each other's company.  Before we knew it, we'd made it up the mountainside.

Getting Close

What a Trooper!

We Made It!

From the Y, there is a great view of most of Utah Valley (including two temples), BYU Campus, and Utah Lake. 

What a View!

Glad those storm clouds kept their distance

When the Ziebarths Come to Town

Last weekend Jason's family came to Utah for a family reunion, and to spend time with their favorite daughter-in-law and her husband (who is their son, in case you were confused).  They drove straight through on Thursday and didn't get in until really late (far after I had gone to bed), so the real partying started on Friday.

It just so happened that I didn't have to go into work that day in honor of Pioneer Day (one of the good things about living in Utah), so I got to play hostess.  Once we finally got up and going, we headed down to Utah County to pick up Jason and enjoy an early dinner at Brick Oven.  This is one of Momma Z's favorite restaurants and has been since she went to school at BYU.

Once we made it home, Jessica informed us that she had a hankering to go bowling, so we found a local lane and played a round.  Between country music, delicious french fries, cosmic bowling, and me not coming in dead last, I had a great time.  Jessica creamed us all though, which was to be expected since she has been going bowling on a regular basis this summer.

Go Jess!

Earlier in the day we had stopped to buy some fireworks to set off over the next two days.  The family were all excited about this (especially Momma Z) since they aren't allowed to set off their own fireworks in California.  We dutifully split our stash in half and set off in search of a place to start the show.  We set up chairs and enjoyed watching all of the colorful fountains.

The next day we made our way to the family reunion in Midvale.  The reunion was for Daddy Z's mom's side of the family.  We didn't know most of the people there, but it was fun to visit with a few relatives and see some old family pictures.  It was great for me too since I have been working on trying to create a family tree for the Ziebarth side of the family.

Helen (Jason's great-grandma), Roland (Jason's great-grandpa), and Pat (Jason's grandma)

Back at home base, we were all hot and sweaty so Jessica, Jason, Daddy Z, and I all took advantage of our swimming pool.  It was fun, relaxing, and a great way to while away a hot afternoon.

Then we were off to find food once more.  This time we ended up at Tepanyaki, one of my all time favorite restaurants.  For several years, I'd go to Tepanyaki every year as part of my birthday celebration.  I have to admit though that our chef this time was one of the best I have ever had.  He told new jokes and sang a lot of songs while he was preparing our food.  I laughed out loud when he started singing Veggie Tales while dishing up the vegetables.

We killed some time after dinner driving around Alpine and admiring some exquisite homes at the base of the mountain.  Then we eventually made our way to Aunt Patrice's home where we enjoyed some s'mores and lit of the rest of our firework stash.

Sunday we took the family to our sacrament meeting.  Afterwards, Daddy Z and Jessica took off to meet up with some family members who were going to visit the Kennecott Copper Mine.  Since Jason and I had just been, we stayed behind with Momma Z to enjoy a relaxing Sunday afternoon.  We eventually met up with everyone back at Patrice's for a delicious Hawaiian style dinner complete with kalua pork, rice, grilled pineapple, and macaroni salad.  After dinner we sat around looking through boxes of old pictures, listening to Daddy Z play the guitar, and singing along as often as we knew the words!

Denise (daughter), Pat (mom), Erich (son), Patrice (daughter)

Unfortunately the weekend had to come to an end and Monday saw Jason and I having to work.  But we were able to hang out with the family again that night while enjoying another delicious dinner (can you tell we like food?) prepared by one of Jason's cousins (on his mom's side of the family this time).  After dinner we enjoyed the rest of our evening outside on their deck telling stories, reminiscing, and catching up.

My Ziebarth family had to leave the next day, but we were sure glad they made the effort to come visit.  We don't get to spend nearly enough time with them and look forward to going down their way in a couple months!

Book Review: The Titan's Curse

Title: The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)

Author: Rick Riordan

Length: 322 pages

Adjectives: Engaging, Creative, Exciting

Summary: In book 3, both Annabeth and the goddess Artemis go missing and it is up to Percy and a small group of friends to save them as well as Olympus.  Their search takes them all across the United States including the monuments and museums of Washington DC and the deserts of the Southwest.  And of course a Percy Jackson story wouldn't be complete without a healthy dose of encounters with mythological monsters.

Riordan adds more depth to the characters and story in this book while still keeping the nonstop laughs and action.  A good, page-turner for anyone.