Utah vs. BYU / Thanksgiving

I'm a little slow at updating the blog lately. Even though the Utes lost to BYU this year I still have to brag about our pranks with the neighbors. It first started in August w/ JC making a stencil of a U and fertilizing it onto our neighbors lawn so that over time it would green up and there would be a super green U in the lawn. Well it took 3 weeks, but it worked! I don't have a picture, but it looked awesome! We didn't think that the neighbors noticed until one day we came home from work to this....

If you can't tell it's a Y that has been mowed down to the dirt! We decided to call a truce until the week of the game. So the Wednesday before the game, which was also the day before Thanksgiving, JC made this awesome sign (which he so creatively made the stencils by hand) that we hung from the neighbors back fence. They so happen to back a very busy road which was a major plus!

And the front of their house...

The best part was as we were hanging the sign at 1AM people were already honking! We woke up to people honking and it continued all day long! By noon the neighbors next to our BYU friends came over to complain that they would like to enjoy their Thanksgiving in peace so we had to take it down. :-( Is was so worth it! Later that day we began to receive calls about our car that was for sale on KSL. (Um, we aren't selling our car so we knew that it had to be the work of the neighbors!) We thought it was them calling so JC began to say things to the callers like, "the car is stolen, it's hot and I need you to take it off my hands", things like that. The callers seemed to be confused. Come to find out it was real and the car was really for sale on KSL! These were real people calling about our car. Too funny! The neighbor soon marked it as "sold" on the website so that we would no longer receive phone calls. I guess next year we will need to step it up a notch! Even though the Utes lost we are glad that Max Hall has provided us with entertainment for the months ahead. We so willingly purchased these shirts..

And on that note, Stay classy Utah!

Here are some pics of the fam at Thanksgiving. This year we had Thanksgiving at Grandpa Bill's house. We then had JC's family over to our house for pie later that night. I'm thankful of all of them!

October in a nutshell!

October was a busy month for us. Between Utah Football, Bre's wedding and Halloween every weekend was full of stuff to do. We had so much fun!

Utah at Colorado State (it was freaking freezing!)



Utah at UNLV


Bre's Endowment Day

Bre and Eric's Wedding/Reception

Dante in his many Halloween costumes!




All tuckered out after all of that!

Bre's Bridal Shower

Friday us girls threw a bridal shower for Breanne. It was a lot of fun and it was good to see so many of our relatives and friends. She got a lot of good stuff that will help the newly weds get started! I still can't believe she's getting married. Time flies by so fast!

Happy 30th Birthday JC!

My sweetie has officially turned the big 30! I threw him a party, much to his dismay, he's not one for the spotlight but he completely deserved to be king for a day! One thought: University of Utah stuff = JC is a happy guy! I hope you had a wonderful birthday Ghurky! I love you!

It's that time of year again!

Football season is upon us and once again JC and I are going to try and travel to all of the games. So far this year we have been to San Jose and Oregon. We were able to spend a few days in Portland and enjoy some of the beautiful scenery that Oregon has to offer. It was nice to get away and have a nice relaxing week! One thing that we noticed is that Portland has A LOT of pan handlers. A LOT!! Mostly it just looks like a bunch of young kids that decided that living on the streets was a better idea than getting a job. So we saw one particular girl "showering" in the fountain! I don't think our pic does it justice!! We saw a lot more than these pics portray! Anyhoo, it was pretty funny and quite sad. The Utes lost, but it was worth the trip. We had so much fun!! Looking forward to the next one.

Oh yeah, JC got me a new camera for my birthday so I've had fun taking a lot of pictures so bear with my many, many very unprofessional pics!

Since we have a camera now we have taken pictures of JC's man room. Can we say obsessed much?!

We Have an Announcement....

We know many of you have been wondering how long Emily and JC would wait to make their big announcement. Well here it is, our baby is finally here, again! After nine long months since the party and good times in New Orleans we are pleased to present our baby, Utah Football. We thought this day would never come but finally we can gear up for another BCS run. In keeping with the theme of many of our friends and family and their new arrivals, we also have pictures of our "newborn". Enjoy and always GO UTES!!!!

Happy Birthday Dante!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Dante Wante! A little late, I know, but on August 13th Dante turned 7 or in dog years 49! We took him to the vet last week and apparently he is now in the geriatric years which means he is officially an old man. Every year we have a birthday party for him and invite the fam. Our family's are nice enough to humor us coming to a dog's party!! We get a lot of laughs and smirks, but we don't care. Dante is our baby for now and we love him to pieces!

Congrats Bre!

Congrats to Bre and Eric on their engagement! Bre I cannot believe that you are getting married! Time has flown by so fast!! I am so happy for you and wish you all the happiness in the world! I have been so proud to be your big sis. You know that I have always felt a need to protect you. With that said, Eric, remember these words of wisdom from Watts from Some Kind of Wonderful (only the cool people will know this movie!) "You break her heart I'll break your face" Hee hee!!

Bre, is this what you said when Eric showed you the ring?!

We've Landed on the Moon!

So yes, I am one of the skeptics that thinks that the U.S. Moon Landing of 1969 was filmed in a studio. JC makes fun of me every time it is brought up. I guess rightfully so because I sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but really I'm not. So we were watching Myth Busters and it just happened to be about this very thing. Basically, they busted every myth of why conspiracy theorists believe it was fake. I'm not sure if I am a believer yet or not, but not gonna lie, the proof is pretty undeniable!! I'm almost disappointed! Oh and this clip of Dumb and Dumber cracks me right up!!

In-N-Out vs. 5 Guys

I don't post very much on the blog, so when I do you know it is important. While we were in Las Vegas we dined at a couple of burger shops that are coming to Utah. The first was In-N-Out. If you talk to any Californian they will tell you In-N-Out is the be all end all in burgers. However, they are not. We have had In-N-Out in San Francisco, Reno and now Las Vegas and they are all the same, not very good. They are building several of these in the Salt Lake Valley this year and they will be packed, but trust us they are not nearly as good as 5 Guys or Crown Burgers.

The second place we ate at was Fatburger. This place is actually pretty good, the only down side to Fatburger is that in Las Vegas it seems to be frequented by a rougher crowd. Most of the patrons of Fatburger had on Raiders gear, as opposed to all the Zoobs in BYU gear at the In-N-Out. Fatburger is definitely better than In-N-Out but certainly not as good as 5 Guys or Crown.

What happens in Vegas....

Last weekend JC and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniverary in Las Vegas. We love Vegas for the good shows and good food. Yes there is more to Vegas than alcohol and strip clubs!! We decided to go see David Copperfield's show. We sat down in our seats and someone from the crew came to ask us if we would be willing to participate in the show. Before I could say no, JC said, "absolutely!" We were in the first act and helped out with one of his illusions. I honestly do not know how he does any of it!! Pretty bizarre, but it was a lot of fun!
I can't believe that we have been married for 8 years! Seems like just yesterday, but I'm sure JC will tell you that it seems like forever!! I love him more and more everyday and I look forward to many years to come.

For Valentine's Day JC and I went to the Little America Cafe to eat dinner. We went later so that we wouldn't have to wait. As we were walking in JC says to me, "is that who I think it is?" Sure enough President Monson and his cute wife were walking out of the restaurant towards us. I thought to myself, there is no way that I can let him walk by without saying something! So I say, "hi President Monson!" He shook our hands and said, "looks like you two are out on a Valentine's Date". He is such a cute old man and yes, I did say old!! I think they put a lot of makeup on him when he's on tv! All joking aside, it was an incredible experience. I had such a warm feeling when I saw him. I know that he truly is a Prophet of God. For a second there I thought, I wonder if he is reading my mind right now!! HAHAHA!!

Best, Food, Ever!

It is no secret that JC and I love to eat out. We justify eating out every night because there are only two of us. We have our regulars to fall back on if we are in a hurry or want something familiar. Lately, we have been trying new restaurants to broaden our horizons! Having said that, I think that we have eaten enough $#!t to justify our critiques! Hopefully y'all will find our reviews helpful in your own dining experiences.

Burgers and Fries

1. Five Guys (Best burger in Salt Lake, and the Cajun fries are delectable)
2. Crown Burger (It is hard not to put a local joint #1 but the fries are, meh)
3. Training Table (Dipping sauce and cheese fries make this an easy choice)

Mexican Food

1a. Mi Ranchito (On 21st and State not the others! JC's favorite)
1b. Rancho Grande (Freakin' awesome fajitas! Emily's favorite)
3. Guadalahonky's (We get gas at Guad's!)

Italiano (non pizza)

1. Cafe Molise (Pricey and small but best atmoshpere and food)
2. La Dolce Vita (We hate to put anything from Provo on our blog but...)
3. Spaghetti Mama's (Great prices, we are the only ones who like this joint)

Pizza

1. Nevole's (best pizza, it is classic Brooklyn style)
2. Gepetto's (wood fired, yummy)
3. The Pie (the original by the U. not the others!)

Fish Houses

1. Market Street (the old firehouse by the U. of course!)
2. Little America Cafe (fish Fridays, also has great home style cooking)
3. Neil's (everything is fried, the way it should be!)

Chinese

1. Chin Wah (Phoenix chicken, 'nuff said)
2. Janbo (good, fast Chinese food)
3. Chinese Gourmet (we needed at least one buffet on our list)

Steakhouses

1. Ruth's Chris ($$$$)
2. Christopher's ($$$)
3. Carver's ($$$)

Brazilian Steakhouses

1. Braza Grill (most authentic and best price)
2. Grille de Ipenema (authentic and very good grilled pineapple)
3. Rodizio (the original in Salt Lake, way overpriced)

Specific menu items

1. Johanna's Kitchen (scones with raspberry jam)
2. Virg's (giant pancakes)
3. Beto's (breakfast burritos)

Soup and Sandwiches

1. Village Baker
2. Paradise Bakery
3. Kneader's
(note: JC does not care for any of these establishments!)

This is how we stay slim and trim! Let us know what you think and if we have left your favorite off of our list!

Bon apetit!

New Orleans, Nawlins, Big Easy? How you say?!

The Utes football season has come to end and what a year it was. What a way to finish it off at the Sugar Bowl in the Big Easy!

We began our trip by flying into New Orleans just minutes before the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve. We raced to Bourbon street to celebrate the new year. It was so fun to see so many Ute fans there. Bourbon street is CRAZY!! I don't think I could have prepared myself for that experience! Lots of boobs, well lets just say body parts, puke, pee, garbage, horse poop (from the police on horses) and I think I even saw a human turd on the sidewalk. Needless to say, I did get many beads, but not sure if I earned them the way that JC expected! When you look beyond the filth, that city is a pretty neat place. I loved the old buildings and history that is there.

We went on a swamp tour which was freaking awesome! Our tour guide was hilarious! Have you seen Joe Dirt? This is exactly what our tour guide sounded like. So funny!

After the swamp we drove to the Oak Valley Plantation which was probably the best part of the trip, besides the game of course! It was a complete throw back. I loved the history, the beautiful mansion and grounds. I would have loved to spend more time there, but it started pouring rain.

We also took a boat ride on a steam boat on the Mississippi river. We were able to see some of the effects of Katrina which is so sad. After three years there are still abandoned buildings and houses. We saw a lot of the importing and exporting that goes on there. A lot of sugar!! It was interesting considering that is my line of work. Our tour guide played this organ type thing that was on the boat. I'm not sure what it is called, but it was so loud! I had never seen anything like that. It was fun!

We took the trolley to the outskirts of the city, we'll call in the ghetto, to see the old cemeteries. They say that this is one of the most dangerous places to be in because people hide behind the mausoleums to mug you. It was recommended that you travel in groups there. Luckily there was a group that followed us in. The cemeteries are completely different from ours here because everything is above ground. Everything was so old. A lot of the mausoleums had been destroyed due to the hurricanes and were left empty. It was pretty weird, not gonna lie!

Last but not least, the Sugar Bowl was freaking awesome!! I knew that the Utes could put up a fight, but I had no idea that they would come out and punch Alabama in the mouth!! We were so out numbered by the Alabama fans there. Every where we went we heard the annoying words, "Roll Tide" in that horrible Alabaman accent. I can't even tell you how many times we heard it. By the time the Utes had scored three touchdowns in a row and lead 21-0 I don't think I heard it again! That alone was worth winning the game! I was so proud to be a Ute! They deserve to be the real national champs.

All in all it was such a fun trip. Good food too! JC is my most favorite person to be with and we had the time of our lives! My friend Adrienne and her husband were there also, so it was so much fun to hang out with them. I guess it's time to focus on Utes Basketball, or something. I don't think we will know what to do with ourselves!