The Leviathan Trilogy: Leviathan, Behemoth, Goliath

In Scott Westerfeld's best work, the Leviathan Trilogy featuring Leviathan, Behemoth, and Goliath,we meet some great characters and go on an exciting adventure through alterna-history's WWI with both an Allied and an Axis perspective. The trilogy has elements of both steampunk and fantasy as well as threading in truths and actual people from history (Westerfeld includes an afterward correcting some of his alterna-history).  It was a lively exciting read that I highly recommend to any reader. I give it five stars. Westerfeld, you hit your mark with these works. Read on, my friends.

Water for Elephants

I first read Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants many, many moons ago. I love the idea 

of the old circus, the glamour and the sparkle and the majesty, even though I've never 

actually been to the circus! 

Once the movie came out, I meant to read Water for Elephants again to refresh my memory, but life got busy and books get packed (and moved and moved again) and other books get read instead and the movie was never seen. But it finally made it to the top of my pile! 

I enjoyed Water for Elephants as much the second time as I did the first. It encompasses the magic of the circus along with the devastation of The Great Depression.  It's a love story, love for a woman, an elephant, and the circus. It's a touching story with characters who come to life. I really felt like I knew the characters and I cared about what happened to them. 

The only thing I don't like about this novel is the bookending of the past by the present.

 Of course, I always say that about books like this. I don't feel the need for the small story

 of the present. I'm happy with the story of the past. It's enough for me. It's a great story 

and I think you'll like it too! Enjoy! 

The Living Planet Aquarium

Last Friday, we went to the Living Planet Aquarium.

We had a great time and I thought it was really neat!

cute napping otters!

I just really thought the otters were adorable. I wish I had gotten a better photo!

Nemo in his "ane-ma-nem-a-nee!"

upside down jellyfish!

it's alive! crazy!

the octopus has sensitive eyes, so I couldn't use flash. but it's such an interesting animal!

I told Cassidy, "I wish we were seahorses cuz then you'd carry the baby!"

Matthew petting the shark

Jordyn and Ammon with the shark

Jenn, Adam, and Dad

Rays are my favorite!

shark!!! aah!!!

fish face!

warrior face!

penguins! It was hard to get a good picture of them, too!

Penguins are tall!

Antelope Island

Last weekend, Cassidy got a scholarship to go to a conference about student affairs up at SLCC, so we jumped at the opportunity to head up north and get a quick visit in. The conference was Friday, so I got a sub for work and planned to have my mom come up to Salt Lake so we could play. Turns out, that was the day Jenn was flying back home from Louisiana and my mom already had plans to be in Salt Lake to pick her up. How convenient! 

Mom and Jordyn picked me up and we headed to the City Creek Mall. Despite the rain, we had a lovely time! 

We did some window shopping and had gyros for lunch before heading to the airport to get a very pregnant Jenn. While waiting, we saw some cute missionary homecomings as well as a marine meeting his baby for the first time. Tender! 

Saturday we went up to Antelope Island. Grandma Carma wanted to go after she found out that her great-great grandfather Briant Stringham was sent to Antelope Island to tend cattle. His father-in-law Fielding Garr was originally sent their by Brigham Young. There's a ranch on the island that was the Garr family ranch. The original house and other buildings are still there and open for the public. I had never been their before, so it was fun to see all the historical sites as well as the animals. 

Since I took so many pictures, I'll just let them show you our day! 

Dylan, Whitney, me, Cass, Pyper, and Morrell outside the Garr Ranch House

Dylan trying to rope a "cow"

 

Pyper "roping" hers! 

Cassidy roping Pyper

Pyper on the horse, trying to throw the rope

Pyper loved feeding the horses!

Cheese!

Pyper and the "buffalope"

Climbin' Rocks!

Cass and Morrell

I got so close the buffalo! er . . bison!

See?? Close! I was scared to get closer though

See all that white? Cass thought it was salt from the lake, but he went down and touched it, it was just foam! Salty, salty foam! 

After our fun, we got a late lunch, and then a much needed nap! All that fun and walking wore me out! 

Hong Kong: Ocean Park

On Monday we went to Ocean Park, an eclectic animal theme park. We chose to go to Ocean Park instead of Disneyland to get a more authentic Hong Kong experience (but next time, I totally want to go to Disneyland!). It's kind of like Lagoon with animals. Not like the sad animals at Lagoon, but they have their own habitats, so they're not just sitting in a hot metal or concrete enclosure. It was much more like seeing them in the wild, so it was really neat! They have lots of educational programs for kids at the local schools and have an established conservation foundation for the animals. 

The rides, as I said, were like Lagoon, so we didn't ride all of them. The roller coasters we rode were fun, though, and I went upside down! Yup, I can go on big kid rides now :) Also like Lagoon, you leave your bags near the exit, so I didn't get any pictures of us on rides, but these are some of the pictures we did get: 

James the Shark, one of the mascots.
He had no line so I felt bad for him!

Ocean Park has a cable car too!

Bungee Trampoline -- no tricks but still fun!

Godzilla!

Cass loves the red pandas! 

We got to see lots of other animals too. Of course, they have an aquarium with the cast of Finding Nemo, but they have all sorts of other sea-creatures: starfish, jellyfish, goldfish, manta rays, sharks, and more! We also saw giant pandas, red pandas, pygmy marmoset, and lots of birds! It was a really neat experience!