Man vs Food

We're pleased to announce Man vs Food finally came to SLC! Jason and I are fans of this show. Man vs Food is about a guy named Adam who tries to find the most outrageous yummiest unique food from around the country. I think we'll have some great dinner dates in the next few weeks.
The SLC list...
#1: Kobe Restaurant.
So far I can safely say we'll probably never try the Hellfire 7 dish. We don't like sushi. The idea of raw fish doesn't appeal to us however Jason and I have heard good things about this restaurant.
#2:Bruges. Now this place is yummy! I have tried their Belgium waffles and frites and it definitely earns a right to be on this episode.  All compliments go to Emily for finding this place. The first time Jason and I attempted to try this place we got there just as they were closing so we missed it. The second attempt was successful but unfortunately I was with friends so Jason didn't get to try it.
 #3:Crown Burger. A cousin once dragged me out to Layton a few years ago to try it because he loved the food but honestly I wasn't impressed. Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it that day. Jason hasn't tried this place yet so maybe I'll give it another try with him.

The night the SLC episode aired we weren't around so we found 2 clips on you tube. FYI- It might make you hungry but feel free to watch it anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlFyXKboPgg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCPwSY00jNw&feature=related

Lemonade

Korbin and Madison have wanted to have a lemonade stand to earn some extra $ for the new Harry Potter Wii game ever since we returned from Colorado. Lately it's been so hot I have postponed sitting outside with them but I finally gave in on Wed afternoon. Korbin wasn't home (where else would he be but @ Conner's-that child lives up there!) but that didn't stop Mads from wanting to do the lemonade stand. She called Marina for reinforcements. They charged 25 cents a cup and earned $12 in a short amount of time. They did a great job jumping and shouting 'Crystal Light'.  We have generous ward members that tip very well especially Sis. Clapp, who gave the girls $5. The experience was short lived by the girls. An hour and a half after the girls suddenly disappeared. The moms cleaned up,drank the rest of the lemonade and that was the end of the lemonade stand. We all had fun.

Anniversary

Jason and I celebrated our Anniversary this week. Since the actual date landed on a weekday we didn't do a lot. My big plan had to wait until today(Sat). On Tuesday night we exchanged simple gifts. Jason gave me a nice note, a dozen roses and a Snicker. I gave him a nice card with a large bag of Reese's Pieces. I wanted to do something with Jason that he has been asking me to do for years(literally) for our anniversary.

He was unaware of my scheme until I called him this morning and asked for Power Bars from the grocery store he then started putting the pieces together but he still didn't think I would actually hike the mountain. Anyway off went the kids to Malinda's and Nate's (thanks Malinate for helping us with the kids!)for the day and off went Jason and I to hike Ben Lomond. I will admit it wasn't easy and at 2 points I became teary eyed however Jason kept encouraging me and we made it to the top. I'm very proud of myself! The last 1/2 mile was brutal,actually the whole 16 mile trip was not pleasurable but the company was nice and so it didn't seem bad. It took us about 8 hours. It was worth every minute I spent with Jason. He really enjoys hiking and getting away and just to see how exited he was about plants and animals and other stuff made the trip worth while. Will I ever do it again...NO. We came back with some nice tan lines:). 

Love U Jas! You're a great husband! I know I'm a lucky gal to have you all to myself:).

Great run

Korbin ended in 38th place in the ward water fight. He was caught without a tie at pack meeting. He was a bit teary eyed but he was ok. One of his friends got him. Harrison was so nervous and it took him 2 tries in completing his mission. Tammy told me the story after it all went down. I guess the first time Harrison only got Korbin's shoes.  The second time around he got his arm. Korbin's response 'What'd do that for?' with a bit of a tone. Harrison then told him 'You're out!', Korbin's response 'Out of what?' with the same tone he used before. Korbin had a great run and was able to eliminate 3 targets.
His last target is our neighbor Pablo. Korbin tried to catch Pablo off guard while he was putting one of his kids into the truck outside. All we heard was Pablo telling Korbin 'What are you doing!' and Pablo quickly running away. Korbin followed/chased him for a little while. I wish I had the camera to record it. Our cheap $1 store squirt guns shoot really far otherwise it would have been a failed mission. Pablo was a great guy and let Korbin count him out of the game with only the three spots of water on his shirt.
Funny story...
After finding out a few things that didn't add up with some other targets I did a little investigating and found Korbin made a mistake getting the right person for his 2nd target. Instead of getting Taylor he got Taylor's sister:). The good thing is everything is now fixed in the game. Korbin is a lucky man and is now free to go on his walk with Barrett without a tie as I type this.

Harry Potter

The drive to Grand Junction is not long but still long enough for the kids to need something to do. Our radio options became slim and it was a choice between listening to an audiobook or static. The kids picked the first book that didn't have the name Jane Austen or Stephanie Meyer attached to it. Happy Potter book 1 was chosen. Korbin loved it! Jim Dale has done such an amazing job with the books, even Jason commented on how he nailed the character voices. Most of Korbin's free time on our trip was spent listening to the first book. He wanted to listen to the rest of the books on the Ipod but instead I had him check out the 2nd book from the Library to read when we got home from our trip. Maybe after a little reading on his own I'll let him listen to the book on the Ipod as he follows along with the book.

Colorado Eckardt's

 We had a great time visiting the Colorado Eckardt's last week. We did some exploring,fishing and camping.

On the first night of our arrival in Grand Junction we just relaxed and played together and visited. Also Maddie's desire of having her own cat has been put on hold. She brushed one of the cats for a little bit and really liked it. The problem happened not long after she got done when Lisa noticed Mads was scratching her eyes. Not long after this her eyes were almost swollen shut. She looked awful. Not a pretty sight or worth a picture to remember. Poor Mads, for the rest of the trip she was very aware of where the cat was. 

After a good nights rest,prep work and leaving Kyler with his sitter we went to Grand Mesa to camp. We camped by so many beautiful lakes, next to the visitor's center where it was just a short walk away of where there was a real restroom.  The kids have never spent more than a few hours together with Colton until this trip. It was a much needed trip for them to bond and have fun together. They fished,talked,laughed,fought and all that good stuff. The food was great during our trip. It was all about the buffalo for dinners. The desserts came out perfect especially Dena's recipe. We always try to make Dena's dessert during our camping trips and we finally got it right! Colton said some funny things during our trip. Waking up to saying 'no problems with the bears' with a huge smile was funny (there's a story about Jason,Ryan, Russ and Brent in Yellowstone one year behind that comment). Also his comment after his first bite into his dessert on the first night. I've never heard so much enthusiasm about a smore. We also got eating by mosquitos no matter how much off we had on us. 

 I purchased my first fishing license and caught my very first fish. Korbin caught his first fish and so did Mads! Jason caught the smallest fish(hehehe). 

During lunch Mads learned she's a fan of catch and release fishing. I'll be lucky if I can ever get her to eat fish again. However she has no problem touching worms. She doesn't get that from me.

Korbin and Colton had no problem touching fish heads. Something else that is totally gross.

After packing up we left Grand Mesa and we went back down to Grand Junction.

After another day of visiting in Grand Junction it was time for us to leave and so we headed home stopping at Dinosaur National Monument and catching a bite to eat in Vernal. Back home again to a few loads of laundry, camp smells and life in general.
Thanks Colorado Eckardt's for making our trip so much fun!!!!! See you in 3 weeks:).

July 4th Weekend

On Saturday we enjoyed the 4th of July festivities. Our day began early with Jason out the door by 8:30 and on his way to Weber's testing center and myself and the kiddos going down to the parade an hour later to try and find a spot for us. Jason called not long after the parade had started and didn't miss much candy throwing. 

The kids loved the parade and all the good stuff and the grownups decided they enjoy a parade that only last about 40 minutes, age is doing something funny to us. We'll be grumpy all the time before we know it. The place to be is in the Valley. The parade only last 10-15 minutes and if you want to be in it all you have to do is show up a few minutes early. How fun would it be to be in a small town parade. Maybe someday we'll do it.
 Following the parade we went to a bbq at the Lucena's. We spent a nice long afternoon with them, their good friends the McDowell's and Mario (Mariana's brother) for great food and visiting.

At night we walked over to the local high school to watch the fireworks. On our way back home the conversation of pie came up. The next thing we know Mario went and bought 3 pies. After more fireworks we ate our dessert. Another fun 4th of July Weekend for the books!

Sunday..
Church was very nice today all the way around. Enough for me to almost forget the little things I missed today. I had a lot of really!?! moments. It was an off day for sure. After sacrament meeting Jason made some yummy t-bone steaks for dinner,we took a nice long walk followed by a homemade banana cream pie and a little planning for our trip.
 We enjoyed some of the simple things that this country has to offer this weekend. We can't thank our armed forces enough for all the sacrifices they make on our behalf!
God Bless The USA!