May 25, 2008
Zeiner family at Checkerboard Mesa, Zion National Park
It has been a while since we have posted on this site, but we could not miss the opportunity to write about our 5 year anniversary. Believe it, it HAS been 5 years. The picture above depicts a happy family that traveled to Zion to celebrate a joyous occasion. It is kind of hard to tell, but can you guess what time of the day this picture was taken? (Hint Dianna is not wearing any makeup) Oh yes, it is at dawn... and to reach Checkerboard Mesa from our hotel was a 45 min drive. We decided to spare our hotel neighbors and gave up trying to get Zane back to sleep at 4am (poor kid sleeps poorly on vacations, but great at home) to try to make the most of it by having a morning adventure. The sun rose at 5:15am that morning and we saw it with all of it's glory.
Looking back on our anniversary weekend, we had a wonderful time. During the thick of it, we were quite exhausted. Zane, as sweet as he is, is quite a handful. His new "toddler" phase is very interesting and he is active to say the least. Zane can run and climb... and instead of halting this developmental stage, we decided we are very happy to have a healthy and athletic infant. Besides, it is getting Mommy back to shape. Zane sleeps in the backpack, and then runs around when we are pooped after our hike. His sleep cycle will change with just one plane or long car ride. He really is a schedule monkey. Plus when he is tired, Zane throws temper tantrums. Yippi!
But having stated all of that, we really did have a fun time. Some memorable experiences are:
* Zane's first time in a pool at Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, underneath the Eiffel Tower.
* Hiking Kolob Canyon, Zion NP for the first time in over 10 visits.
* Going to Gus and Dianna's "Happy Place", Zion National Park, with their beautiful son.
* Witnessing a bride and groom enjoy their moment while taking wedding photos at Zion Lodge and reminiscing.
* Taking an inside tour of Hover Dam.
* Searching for decent coffee for Gusti.
* Truly enjoying Vegas, even if it was just one day. GREAT food and fun walking.
* Making the most out of what could have been a disastrous weekend.
Lesson learned, Gus and I will be traveling duo on our next anniversary. Anyone up for babysitting Zane next year? Think about it grandparents... you do want more grandchildren, don't you? Up for a vacation to bond with Zane?
All our love,
Dianna, Gus and Zane
