Highlights from November

I decided that since November was somewhat calm for Brian and I and we didn't have too many pictures of any 1 event, I figured I could do 1 post for the whole month. Here's what we were up to in November:

First, I started my job out here on the 2nd. I feel extremely lucky to have found a job and relatively quickly in this economy. I'm still doing accounting work, as it seems to be a good fit and there are more jobs available in this field. I'm not going to lie...it's been a tough transition. I left a great company in Utah with amazing co-workers who made my job even better, but the job's been good so far and I'm learning new things.
On to the pictures and stories behind them. So, one Friday night Brian and I were tired from the work week and didn't feel like cooking so we decided to be adventurous and try a BBQ place Brian had heard a commercial for. Now, Brian loves BBQ, and since he's from Texas I would say he knows what's good and what's not. Now, we went to this restaurant (as seen below)

Yeah, I thought it was a strange name too...

Sadly, I'm a pretty picky eater. Actually it's not sad for me because I don't care, but I'm sure others get bothered by it. I don't eat Pork, which is kind of a big BBQ menu item. Thankfully Brian was really nice and accommodated me since we shared the platter we got. We chose to have the brisket and beef ribs. Here's me with one of the ribs.

So the meat was okay...not great and the sides were...eh. I think poor Brian was disappointed since he has yet to find a place in the LA area that can compare to the BBQ in Texas. And, since I went to a BBQ place when we were in Texas I can also say that this paled in comparison. Oh well...I guess we'll keep looking.

November 22nd marked our 9 month anniversary so I decided to make a yummy dinner. I chose to make a BBQ chicken pizza and apple crisp for dessert. I love making both of these dishes. There is something to be said about a nice homemade pizza crust. Here's Brian about to dig in.

Do you see my cute little Turkey guy on the table? My mom gave that to me. It's so cute!

Here's a picture of the apple crisp. I love this stuff. When I was at Ricks (or BYU-Idaho as it's now called) my roommates and I loved making this to share with our friends. It's perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We thoroughly enjoyed it.


A couple of days after that yummy meal we decided to finish the pizza, so Brian was reheating it while I was on the phone with my parents coordinating Thanksgiving. While I was on the phone I heard a crash, so I walked into the kitchen and this is what I found...

Yeah, Brian had put the pizza on the counter, but it wasn't completely flat so with the heavy side at the end, the pan flipped off. I guess Brian was standing there as it happened. Funny, huh? And, yes we still ate it. :)

Later that week Brian and I headed to La Verne to join my family for Thanksgiving. It's so great to be close to family again. My aunt and uncle live in La Verne, which is only an hour east of where I am now. My parents came up from San Diego as did my cousins who live in Corona. It was so great spend time with them. Sadly, the only picture Brian took was of the dinner table before we all sat down.

Isn't it beautiful?! We enjoyed a delicious dinner and then played games and ate some more (chocolate pie is necessary in my family).

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we were lucky enough to attend another USC game. My dad had gotten us all (my parents, aunt & uncle, and Brian and I) tickets to the USC vs. UCLA game. This is a huge deal because of the rivalry that exists between the teams. My dad hadn't been to one of these games since he was in college, which meant that I had never been to one. It was so fun teasing the UCLA fans that were around.

Here's a picture of Tommy Trojan. Do you remember him from my other post? He looks a little different this time, doesn't he?
Yep, that's right. He's covered in duck tape and had been protected by students that entire week so that the UCLA fans wouldn't do anything to him. Gotta love the rivalry!


Here I am with a little "Fight On" banner that we got for free! I was showing my Trojan pride!

We had different seats this time, on the other end of the field, but they were still great seats. It was a lot colder that game than the other before. Contrary to popular belief, it does get chilly in Southern California in the winter. Granted it's nothing like what I've experienced in Idaho or Utah, but it's cold in it's own way.


Hooray! We won again! It always feels so good to beat the Bruins! It was such a fun Thanksgiving weekend and a good month! Brian and I just love getting to spend so much time together!