I have a soft spot in my heart for after-school programs. For years I worked at Sunset View Elementary school running their after-school program with a Wonder Woman named Melanie Bliss. We had snacks, we played games, we did homework, we did plays, dance, sang, cried (there were tears) and bonded as teachers and students. I tell you what, three cheers for after-school programs!

Hip

Hip

Hooray.

Ok. So, speaking of after-school programs, every year for the past eight years Brent Brown-- the Provo auto guy who will actually bend over backwards for you--hosts an Easter Basket Auction with proceeds going to help after-school programs as well as summer school programs. It was included in Utah Valley Magazines Top Ten Charitable events and it is happening tomorrow!

Here is the dish:






Thanks Brent and Kim Brown and those involved!

One of the trends you cannot ignore around the Wasatch Front is a growing population of women who like to take photographs. Some even have their own business, some will shoot for free, and some lather their blog with pictures for posterity/Grandma/Dad on business trips/You get the idea.

Surely you know what I am talking about.

So let's have some fun with this growing population.

I have a fabulous red Jo Tote (a camera bag for ladies) to giveaway to a lucky shooter. Jo Totes are made to house your camera, equipment and (as you can see above) a lovely green apple. Perfect for the serious and the casual photographer.

Here are the rules
(enter in the comments section of this post):

1.) To enter you must live in Utah.

2.) To enter you must be a photographer of the female variety. (Don't be down, boys.)

3.) You must post a link in your comment to a photograph you have taken.

4.) If you have a photography business, feel free to offer discounts to c jane readers while you are at it.

5.) You have until March31 (one week) to enter. We will close comments at midnight.

6.) The winner will be picked by a surprise judge--a fellow female, Utah photographer!

7.) Now I am just trying to get to 10.)

8.) Alright, husbands can enter for wives, but boyfriends can't for girlfriends. (Put a ring on it.)

9.) Feel free to blog about this giveaway on your own blog. I never turn down publicity for this blog.

10.) I made it!

Questions? Email me at [email protected]

Best of luck ladies!

Dear Provonians,

Many years ago Provo was blessed with a Rubio's. Rubio's fish tacos. I remember going there with my brother Topher, enjoying a little taste of Baja on a sunny afternoon across the street from Provo High. All was well.

But it came to pass that Provo did not see the joy of Rubio's fish tacos and the franchise was taken away from us. We were a lost people, we were too ignorant to see the error of our ways.

And now look, Orem has a Rubio's.

On behalf of me and my tribe I beg you to not let Rubio's slip away from our society. Even if you have to drive to Orem for a fish taco plate, I plead with you (as one who doesn't generally celebrate franchises in general) to do so regularly. Weekly. Please keep this business in place. Fish tacos lovers unite!

530 East University Pkwy, Orem, UT 84097

(Across from University Mall)

Love,

c jane

While on my way to my sister in law Megan's house the other day, I turned on to University to see the end of the old Riverside Country Clubhouse. The entire building was being demolished, flattened, vanished into the cold, dark recesses of history.

Before the new clubhouse is built I'd just like to ask for a moment of silence for the old structure. A moment of silence, here, on my blog. Start your sixty seconds now:









You might wonder, what is with c jane's sentiments towards the old edifice? I reveal this to you. Much of my high school life was spent eating at that clubhouse. My family went there for the Monte Cristos and a slice of grasshopper pie. Come to think of it, I might've eaten there more than my own home in those formative years.

Nevermind that it was more like an Old Folks Home than a Country Club. Decorated to the hilt with turquoise silk flowers and stuck with a funny, musty smell.

Nevermind that it served mostly denture-friendly food, soft cordon bleu and salted steamed veggies.

Nevermind that only two percent of the time my order was brought to me as I had ordered it.

Nevermind that we were the only Bulldogs in a sea of T-birds.

I shall always remember it fondly, with green awnings and jazz music in the ballroom. And I can never forget the raspberry vinaigrette, best in all the world.

Adieu old clubhouse.
Until we meet again in my memory . . .

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you are well.

Me?

Tired. I am really tired. My midwife told me to get as much sleep in these next few weeks as possible. I don't always do what I am told (hardly ever, really) but this time I am soaking in this advice. So go out and have some fun for me?

This weekend, do this:

Park your car at the Wells Fargo building. Parking is free, open to the public and you don't have to fight for a spot on the street.



Walk across the street to Communal (make reservations ahead of time) and toast to the Salt Lake Dining Awards Winner for Best Restaurant in Central Utah. Try anything but don't miss the pork belly or the pot roast. Also, if I am not mistaken, the Kershisnik paintings are hanging throughout the dinning room. Don't deny good art and Sunday Dinner, it wouldn't be right.



Take a stroll down the street to the Provo Theater Company. The Mortal Fools Theater Project--those who brought us the terror of Frankenstein last October--is now showing The Glass Menagerie. This is a deeply emotional and thought-provoking play by Tennessee Williams. I have seen the production and recommend it to you whole-heartedly. It features some of Provo's best actors and is directed by the unfailing David Morgan. I don't think I breathed the entire production, I was entirely captivated. It is worth your time to see Karen Baird fire off Amanda's lines as though they were her own.

On that note, I really love the Provo Theater. I love the intimacy of the theater. I love the layout of the seats. I love that you can slightly hear the buses go by outside, adding ambiance to the play inside. When I look back on the many, many performances I've seen there I don't think I've ever been disappointed. It always seems to have professional acts, steps beyond community theater.

And now for the best news. c jane readers can get 20% off their tickets by entering Cjaneprovo on the final page before the purchase in the coupon box. This on top of the fact that tickets are already relatively cheap: ten bucks for students, twelve for general public. This deal will run until the play ends, so if you can't go this weekend you've got the next week and weekend to go.

See the Desert News review and synopsis of the play here.


*photo from Project Domestsication

My guess is that after a thought-provoking play you will want to discuss (you will be done by ten o'clock). You are welcome to walk west over to Spark where you can enjoy a non-alcoholic-yet-exciting-in-its-own-way drink at the bar and stay there until you're able to answer this question about the play: who was the hero?

I am the hero of this date night, I know that much.

Let me know how it works out, will you?

When asked what I wanted for my birthday I replied "good food."
I must've been a good girl this year, because that is exactly what I got:

March 11, actual birthday:

Speck Pizza from Pizzeria 712 after consuming this pizza, it is hard to believe better pizza exists in the world. And yes, I've had Bianco in Phoenix. The flavor, it is insane.

Photo completely stolen from the now-defunct blog The New Awesome.

March 12, birthday lunch with family:


Bahn Mi sandwiches at Rooster a fusion of Vietnam and French culinary wonders on a hearty baguette. So good I had to invite my whole family to try.
(Right now only made by special order, but it can be done!)

More photos:

Lucille et Moi (J'ai la pregnant face no? C'est la vie!)





My family, part of them anyway. Chup made them all say something nice about me before dessert. I like that tradition.


Betsy says "Try the cucumbers! And maybe the carrots!"


Page, my older and wiser sister.


Oh, fancy ring!


Dad came later. Better than never.


Jesse and Lindsay stroll downtown after lunch. Lindsay is due with their fifth child in August, a daughter.
Yes, I said fifth child.


Speaking of Jesse, later I noticed he tried the whole, "Add your name to the gift tag" trick.
Better luck next year, Jesse.


March 13, dinner at Sundance Grill Room with my best friend Wendy:

Server Nathan talked me into the short rib pork. Oh mighty, it was the best Sundance Grill plate I've had in thirteen years. Risotto and some sort of heavenly gravy. Too bad I am short on my own ribs these day, or else I would've consumed the entire dish.

More photos:

Travis, Wendy and I just devoured the starters.


Oh, I love being complimented (again).


Oh, Wendy loves the camera.


Birthday earrings, love Wendy.


It was really snowing up at the resort. But it is never too cold for a HOT photo like this, cha cha cha cha.

Anyway,
I'd like to thank everyone who was involved in celebrating with me this week.

Mostly Chup.

He's the best.



He's also 14 inches taller than me.
(Next year I am asking for stilts.)

I had a feeling all day yesterday I was going to be surprised sometime this week.

I never feel like I am going to be surprised.

Mostly, because I don't really like being surprised.

But last night I received a call from Chup in Richmond, Virginia. He was scheduled to be gone all week and I was trying to be heroic in not caring about his presence on my birthday. You know, in the grand scheme of things having your husband away for one birthday really doesn't fall under the category "personal tragedy."

"Meeting is canceled. I will be on the first flight home in the morning."

He surprised me.

So I canceled all plans. Chup, The Chief and I spent the day eating Beto's breakfast burritos, Provo Bakery sugar cookies and lounging about as a family. After the best nap I've had in weeks, I awoke to a glittery present on the front room coffee table. It was from my mother.

Two surprises in one day.

I am happy to report, my fear of surprise is dissipating.

One more and I might be totally healed.

8:13-I decide for birthday week Girl Scout cookies are on the breakfast menu. Thank you Samoas.

10:02-Visits from Lucy and neighbor Janna. We eat Booty, cheese curd, more Samoas and some wafer-like apricot tasting cookies from China. Don't ask how we came by those cultural treat. Let's just call it a unexpected miracle.

12:03-Ellen shows up for a fitting. She professes undying love for Diet Coke. I profess an undying love for the way her bodice is starting to fit.

12:53-I leave for a date with Ashlee.

1-4- Ashlee waves her magic wand over my hair and instantly my hair color has "depth". Well, not instantly because there was that part I had to sit in a chair with tinfoil curled around my head and receive messages from some distant planet. All while I ingest a sizable contribution of Girl Scout Trefoils.

4:33- Lucy and I take our babies to the park where they discover a cache of pine cones.

4:53- We return home and make pine cone soup.

5-7:40-Is a blur. Something about raisins, sippy refilling and an expired box of Pasta Roni I found in the depths of our food storage. The Chief ate it anyway.

8:00- I meet up with Stacey--a beautiful woman, wife and mother of one--who joined me for Dinner Club at Communal. It was a very pleasurable evening listening to Stacey muse on various topics like, motherhood, blogging and her unbelievable luck at winning contests. She also wore interesting jewelry and dark painted nails. I do love dark painted nails.

Joining us at our table was good friend Nat who brought along a bouquet of friends, while Simy and Gary from UPP and his wife sat nearby. Owners Colton and Joe were more than hospitable and the night was relaxed and pleasurable. And that pork belly . . . well . . .

10:15- I thanked my babysitters, nephews Van, Clark and Matthew who sent me to bed laughing about their overly-obvious observations about our family. As in, "Why don't you have any good food in your house?"

It is a delight to be an aunt to clever human beings.

10:33-One more Samoa before bed never hurt anyone.

(Except it did. I had nightmares all night long, and I am not about to blame the pork belly.)

Tonight I went on a double date.

It wasn't supposed to be a double date really, it was supposed to be me, Chup, my mom and Lucy. Chup and chicks--if you will. But this afternoon, Lucy opted out because her baby isn't feeling too sharp so Ric her husband asked if he could go in her place.

So double date: me, Chup, Mom and Ric. A little different, the idea of mothers going on dates with son in laws. But this is 2010. Right? Anything goes?

A couple hours before the date was set to begin, Mom called me.

"Ric says he is going to pick me up, like a real date." Which didn't surprise me, Ric is the tender gentlemen. My sister married well. I taught her all she knows.

Our double date went to see my brother Topher's latest play (he directed) Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Hale Center Theater. We picked tonight because the cast included our talented/funny friends Brett Merritt, Hailey Jones Smith and our effervescent neighbor the great Natalie Wheeler.

Moments before show time, Topher texted me and asked me to "make sure and laugh."

It wasn't a difficult request to answer.

I mean, everyone laughed. The whole audience. But nobody laughed harder than the man sitting behind me wearing a bow tie. He laughed the hardest and it made me laugh that he was laughing so hard. Men in bow ties make me laugh anyway. But this man was exceptional.

True to my brother's form, the play was fast paced, high energy, littered with inside jokes and easy on the eyes. I think his short attention span makes up for much of his talent. I can tell you this: my brother's plays will never bore you.

After the play we went through the actor's reception line. "You were so great" etc. Kiss, hug, kiss, hug. I nearly pulled Natalie's wig off her head with my excitement. It was a wig, wasn't it?

When it was time to go we asked Mom if we could take her home.

"Yes, Ric. I will go home with these two." Mom informed her date.

"Oh," said Chup to Ric, "date didn't go so well?"

"Guess not. I am going home alone." Ric replied, unlocking his car.



For Dirty Rotten Scoundrels ticket information see here.

This week hosts my birthday, March 11th.

I am nine months pregnant, my husband has been carried away on frequent business trips, my heart says it is time to celebrate. So we are.

This week on c jane's Guide to Provo I am going to be writing about this week's daily celebrations. I hope our trial of enjoyment will catch on and will inspire you to try out some celebrating too. I mean, it is practically spring-- one reason to get out and party.

But first things first, on Tuesday March 9th Communal restaurant will be hosting their inaugural dinner club. Basically it is a night where the Communal chefs, Joe and Colton get to stray from their menu and show-off their culinary skills in a four-course dinner. Paired with excellent food, will be a brilliant art show from Brain Kershisnik. So basically, the best of Utah County in one night. There are two seatings, one at 6pm and the other at 8pm.

If you'd like to join me, I am going to the 8 o'clock seating. In fact, I have a reservation for two. Want to be my guest? You have to promise only two things, one) you let me ask as many questions as I want about you and your life, and two) you aren't boring. Oh, and also three) you aren't a pervert. I hate eating with perverts, totally ruins the taste of the meal. But boring perverts? Oh golly, the worst.

The first interested (and local) person to respond with the correct answer to this question wins a dinner with me at Communal's Dinner Club on Tuesday night at 8pm (I know, could life get any more thrilling?) :

While I have lived in Provo most of my life, I moved to Provo from the Bay Area with my family. But before that, I was born in this west of the Mississippi state ________.

You can enter either in my comments below or email ([email protected]), or facebook or at the grocery store . . .

For more info about Communal's Dinner Club see here.

I've got two options for you this weekend.

That is right, two whole options.

Friday Night:


Take your date out for an eventful evening. Start early at 5:45 so you can enjoy a leisurely dinner. Have you tried the Beehive Smashburger at Smashburger in Orem? It is worth trying, according to me. Here is a snippet about it from their website:
Smashburger’s menu features a special Beehive Smashburger made with Utah residents in mind. The Beehive Smashburger starts with a one-third or half-pound 100-percent Angus beef burger topped with honey BBQ sauce, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and haystack onions on a toasted egg bun.
The closer I am to giving birth, the more I love bacon, therefore this was an enjoyable burger for me to devour. I chased it with smashfries which are skinny fries tossed with olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Chup went with the smashchicken and also smashenjoyedit.



Drive down the parkway to BYU campus for the Courage to Shine concert. Our favorite Utah musicians will be there, Peter, Sam and my girlfriend Mindy all to benefit orphanages in Bulgaria. Enjoy the entertainment and fill your heart up right for giving to a good cause.

Did I mention Miss Utah will be there too?

After the concert finish off your evening at the Cocoa Bean Cafe with either a steamed milk or a cupcake or (why not?) both? Relax, review the evening and silently thank me (c jane) for planning such a delightful date.


Saturday Morning:
Chup and I love morning dates, so here is a creative one, also with a charitable cause!




Head to "the best kept secret in Provo" (which I always thought was the BYU Homecoming parade) the Run for Red 5k which starts at 10am at Independence High School. This 5K really benefits Utah County since all proceeds from this event go to the American Red Cross's local disaster relief funds which is used to alleviate the financial burden on community members faced with disaster. And hot dog do we need a fat relief fund because remember the WASATCH FAULT that terrifyingly runs through our town? But guess what else? Every participant gets a t-shirt!

The run/walk welcomes participants of every age and fitness level, even you can do it.



After the 5k you are going to be hungry. The 5K actually provides breakfast, but just in case you want to try something new . . . Head to Joe's Cafe in Orem for the best Southern breakfast in Utah County. You will want to order the biscuits and gravy. I am telling you this because Chup said they were the best he has ever had. Chup is a connoisseur of biscuits and gravy so you can take his word for it. Or, if you like two witnesses, Scott Wiley has also declared the biscuits and gravy at Joe's the best he's ever had as well. And we might as well continue by declaring that Jed Wells said Joe's burger was the best he's ever had. I liked the grits. What?

Plus, you've got to meet Joe. You just have to. And ask him to do the moonwalk.

You'll see what I am talking about.



Happy Weekend!

So the other day Justin Hackworth comes to my house to take some photos. We were in the throes of painting my green living room gold. And Justin walks in and says (about the gold) "Wow gold. Interesting. Now what color are you going to paint it?"

As if the gold were the color we were ridding ourselves of.

And I said, "No, no. This gold is the color we are painting it."

And he says, "Oh. Oh!"

Silence.

Mr. Hackworth looks around slowly.

"Yeah. Gold." He mumbles.

"What do you think?" I asked him honestly.

"What do I think?" Looking slowly around some more. "What do I think? I think it is my favorite color! Yeah. I like it so much I wish I had a pair of pants in this color! That is what I think!"

That is why I like Justin Hackworth. The man is a joy to be around. I've got more stories to tell too, but you don't have time for those right now.

You don't have time because Justin is selecting his 2010 30 Strangers subjects and you need to enter--no matter where you live. This year's theme is mother/daughter like last year. Go to his blog and get yourself informed and then enter yourself to be photographed by one of Utah's premiere photographers for this charitable project. March 5th is the last day, and time is melting (like Dali) and Justin wants c jane readers to hear of it first. Be quick about it. Let me link you again, here.

p.s. If you had more time I'd tell you about how I was a Stranger last year and how much my mother and I enjoyed our shoot and photographs from the session. And about the pirate joke he told me and about how fun it was going the 30 Strangers soiree and . . . hopefully you are already gone by now.

Ellen came over today to fit me for my postpartum dresses.

And remember? I told you I'd blog about it?

The best news is that Ellen's measuring of my upper body was off. When she measured me last week I had different numbers. Today I was SMALLER. Yes, SMALLER. And she kept saying, "Oh wow. You are SMALLER than I thought." At that point I wanted to hug her, but I had about forty-nine pins in me and didn't want to poke either of us.

The muslin is just a mock-up, a shadow--if you will--of what my real dresses will look like. I saw the budding of ever-so-slight puff sleeves and the flattering cut of an empire waist (Ellen pronounces it like French Couture, ahmpeer waist). I also stood really still and tried not to breathe on her as she pinned me straight. I had El Azteca nachos not five seconds before her arrival, so I was sensitive to our proximity.

Three things about Ellen:

1. In reference to yesterday's post she said, "Leaving your college town makes you feel like an adult." Chup-sitting at the kitchen table with a chicken enchilada--really like that point. Maybe that was what he was feeling all along? He needed a graduation of sorts from Provo to feel like he had progressed?

2. Ellen also finds it silly when people assume Provo is so conservative. "It is a college town, where scholars live." And then she added, "I'd say most of my professors at BYU were/are Liberal. None of them are gun-toting Right-wing Republicans." (Ellen hails from Carlsbad CA.)

3. Ellen likes the pickled carrots from El Azteca. I'd say she's crazy, except then the point she made earlier about me being SMALLER would be moot. Cause she'd be crazy. But she's not crazy, she just likes pickled carrots. AND I AM STILL SMALLER!!!

Until next time . . .