Brigham and Beethoven

For the last couple of weekends we have had some fun family outdoor activities, which I will now describe for all my vast and ultra-interested readership.

On Labor Day we finally were able to get a group together for our hike to the Y.  Neither The Wife nor I have ever done this well-known and well-loved student activity, not during our many years as Cougars, and we've been meaning to do the hike for a couple of summers now.  We tried to find a time when the most family could join us, but the summer weekends just filled up so quickly and we were all so busy!  There was never a Saturday that was good for everyone (and we had to go on a Saturday even though it was summertime, since, you know, we work and stuff), so we decided to just say we were going on Labor Day regardless, and if anyone could make it, they were welcome to join us!  Sure, it might be crowded on a holiday, especially with all the students suddenly back in town, but we just went for it.  As it happens, the turnout was great, and we had a really fun time.  Sure, it was crowded after all, but not too bad, and it was a nice overcast morning, the outdoors still clinging to summer's wretched heat, but with a delightful cloud cover.  They were even filming a commercial from the valley while we were there, and a group of us headed up to join the crowd around the Y Sports banner.  Afterward we had J Dawgs, and then headed to our place for rest and generic-brand otter pops (which I have been having very sparingly to preserve them for use during just such an occasion as this, and of which we had just enough).  Success!  And now, twelve full years after I started my freshman year, and six full years after I graduated, I have finally done this moste honoured rite of passage.

And we will call it... This Land.

 

 

 

 

I didn't know she was taking the picture.

Now I did.

Now I REALLY did.

They're going to be on TVeeee!!!

 

 

 

Y

Also Y.

 

Cami doesn't look too pleased about something back there.  I look pretty content though.

They are so delicious.

And just this last weekend we had our annual Beat Beethoven 5K in Pleasant Grove.  Julie didn't feel quite up to this one, so I met the group there at the starting place, and listened to Beethoven himself give the announcements, and off we went!  I kept my eye on the runner just ahead of me, and thought surely that couldn't be Jonny I was keeping up with...  But lo, it was.  I definitely couldn't pass him up, but I did keep the interval between us throughout.  This is a good course, mostly downhill, but with that pesky final stretch of slight incline just to keep you from getting to too careless there at the end.  I'm quite sure that my efforts in this race resulted in a new PR (20:00 even, 2nd place in my division--I would really like to know WHO from 30-39 ran it in under 20...), a minute and a half faster than last year at this race.  I saw the clock switch over from 19 to 20 as I crossed the finish line, so that was a tad frustrating, but how can I complain??  I kept up with Jonny and I beat Beethoven!  This is a fun race.  You were missed, Wife!  And I was also dressed as a ninja.  I think that's what made me a little faster than last year.

 

Ninja runner!  You can't see me!

And then I rushed (like, rushed) home for the rest of my Saturday morning commitments, and they were not few in number.  What nice Saturday morning exercise opportunities.