Rob & Julie Snow Family Blog

• I had some interest in the address for Le Nonne. It’s 129 N. 100 E. in Logan.

 

• Another funny potty story (sorry). We were out and Nate had to use the bathroom but he hates the loud public toilets. So he said, “Mom, I’m going to cover my ears and you can hold my pee pee down, okay?”.  Uhhhh, no.

 

• I refinished a small bookshelf. It was a lot of work to sand that baby by hand. I ended up begging Rob to do it after the 5 minutes I spent trying.  It turned out pretty good for a first try, but it’s the wrong color :( I’m not sure if I’ll get the urge to do that again anytime soon.

 

• Thanks again for all your book suggestions a few weeks ago. I want to read a few of them but a friend has A Fine Balance all ready to lend to me, so I’ll go with that first. If it goes well, maybe I’ll start reading some of the other suggestions.

Rob’s cousin is married to an authentic Italian. His food will prove it. They own a restaurant in Logan called Le Nonne (The Grandmothers). I could tell you all about it, but you might think I’m biased. So here’s a 2007 article from KSL that will explain it perfectly.

One of the places in Italy to find phenomenal food is to go north, to Tuscany. Well, last week I found phenomenal Italian food here in Utah by going north, to Logan. Logan is home to one of the best Italian restaurant I've eaten in anywhere, a lovely little place called Le Nonne, which means "the grandmothers" in Italian.

Le Nonne is the endeavor of Tuscan-born and raised PierAntonio Micheli and his wife Stephanie. And together, they've created a truly magical slice of Tuscany up in Logan. I remembered Chef Micheli's nummy gnocchi from his old Salt Lake restaurant called Il Capricio. And that homemade gnocchi is still the best I've ever eaten. But before diving into that exquisite gnocchi I treated myself to Le Nonne's beef carpaccio: slices of filet mignon so thin you can see through them, topped with fresh arugula, a squeeze of lemon, olive oil, and shaved parmesan.

Chicken and beef choices at Le Nonne are plentiful and served in generous portions by a skilled, friendly staff. I highly recommend pollo al funghi, which is pounded, lightly floured boneless breast of chicken sautéed with champignon mushrooms and finished in a marvelous Marsala sauce. And I also loved my order of tagliata. That's a plate of thinly sliced New York steak medallions topped with fresh Italian herbs, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil.

So for authentic Italian cooking that would make Italian grandmas proud, you'll need to head north to Le Nonne in Logan.

May I just suggest the bruschetta?? Oh. So. Good.

The whole family was at the restaurant last Saturday to celebrate the marriage of a cousin. While there, I took advantage of the setting to take some shots. I like what I got, but I wish I would’ve gotten a shot of the other dining room and the back patio (with live music on the weekends). Beautiful.

 

Le Nonne

My (Julie) brother got married last month and Rob and I took the pictures of the ceremony and reception. Cammie had a friend do her bridals, so you won’t see any formal portraits here. Mark and Cammie have been together for almost 2 years and have a super sweet daughter named Racheal.

When they were deciding on a date, my mom called the meteorology station to inquire which day in the month of June had the least chance of rain (historically, speaking). They were planning an outdoor event in my parents’ beautiful backyard. But, as you all know, June was very wet. Sure enough, June 20th came and it poured all day. The festivities were quickly moved to the church and ended up being perfect anyway.

Some of my favorites are the black and white “getting ready” shots. I’ve always loved the photojournalistic style. Candids really are where it’s at. Rob and I follow (online) a number of top photographers from around the world (why not get inspiration from the best??) and one thing all of them have in common is the ability to capture the emotions of the moment. I think black and white is especially appropriate for this because it draws the attention to the faces and dilutes the distractions from the heart of the shot.  

My other favorite shots are, of course, the details. Still life is beautiful. One thing that I don’t particularly like among many photographers is the use of extreme shallow depth of field…especially when it comes to flower or nature shots. Flowers are so intricate and one of the supreme creations on this earth. Why blur?? I like to get as close and as sharp as possible so the real gorgeousness can be seen and appreciated.

Here’s a slideshow we put together for the couple. Family and friends can see the rest of the pictures here.

A big congratulations to Mark, Cammie, and Racheal. We love you!

 

There is still a little time to register for our Foto Friday Print Drawing.  Swing over to the photography blog to see the requirements.  What are we asking?  Just a little link love on your blog, facebook wall, or twitter feed.  If you mention us on one or more of these services and email me about it by Thursday at Midnight you will be entered to win a free print of choice from our Foto Friday Collection.  The print size ranges from 5x7 to 11x14 depending on how many services are used to link to us.  How cool is that?!?!?!  Check out the details here and get that link love coming.

We have been doing Foto Friday for a year now!  Check out the photography blog for the year in review and to win a free print! 

One Year of Foto Friday

The other day I (Julie) wrote a really long and involved post about fake chicken. Man, it was a good one. At the very end I was trying to insert a picture (a very disturbing picture of a bright red chicken sans feathers) and Live Writer crashed. Of course, I forgot to save my well-written post. I was heartbroken and too upset to start over. Maybe one day when I get annoyed to my brink again with fake chicken I’ll write it again. So sit on the edge of your seats.

The real reason for this post is to try to get myself out and socializing more. My brain is turning to mush and I need to do something other than the norm.

I have a couple of activities planned that I’m inviting all (or any?) of you to join with me.

1-I need to get the kids to the zoo. I’ve waited way too long and now the heat is stifling, which I abhor. But they’d have a blast.

2-Ballet Under the Stars on July 10th at 8:30pm at the Murray Park Amphitheater. Wow. Who knew amphitheatre had an h after the p. Interesting. $8.

3-Rob and I have reserved a campground at Sunrise above Bear Lake for August 21-22. We can probably fit one other small family in our site or you can get your own. We’d like some other kids around Nate’s age so he has someone to play with in the water.

4- Adrienne, Dustie, and Whitney, it’s about time for our annual girls’ dinner out. Or maybe an overnighter where we can split the hotel bill and and do what girl’s do best. PAARRRTTAAYYYY!!!!

5-Rob’s gone with the scouts the week of July 20th and I don’t want to be stuck home the whole time with just the kids keeping me company. So I’m looking for something to do or somewhere to go. Must be cheap…or free. 

Anyone have any other fun things to do? This request includes things with the kids and without. Thanks!

PS. I’ll fee like a big loser if nobody comments.

I suppose every parent has a bunch of potty tales from their toddlers/preschoolers. Here are a few of mine. Sorry, they’re a bit graphic.

• Nate’s not afraid to bare it all for everyone to see. He has no shame. The other day we were at Cabela’s and he went into the restroom. I was waiting out in the common area outside the bathroom near the front of the store. He doesn’t like the loud flushes of public toilets, so he came out yelling for me with his hands over his ears and his pants and underwear around his ankles.

 

• He was playing at a neighbor’s house one day (don’t worry, it wasn’t any of yours) and I went to pick him up. We were walking down the driveway and I noticed something. I said, “Nate, WHAT is THAT?”. He hung his head and said, “Sorry, mom.” Yep, a big poop was sitting their on someone else’s driveway. I hesitated, decided to have him take off his shirt, pick it up, and throw them both in a trashcan. Disgusting!!

 

• We were at Ikea the same day as Cabela’s and he told me he had to poop so into the restroom he went. A few minutes later an older gentlemen came out and asked me if I was his mom. Turns out, Nate had improperly used the urinal…

Since this is my first child, I’ve honestly just never thought of all the things I should cover when I potty train. It never crossed my mind to make sure he knows what the urinal is and is not for. I told Rob he needs to sit down and have a serious discussion covering all the do’s and don’ts of all things bathroom. I’m sure I’ll have many more of these stories to come. Oh, joy. But you’ve gotta admit, they’re pretty funny.

Unfortunately, with life as busy as it is, Rob doesn’t get to hit his cans as much as he’d like. But back in the day of our dating, the kid was a rockstar!

I’ll start from the semi-beginning. The first time I went to Rob’s house after we had met, he took me down to the basement. There stood, on a riser, a drum kit. Sweet, I thought. This guy is cute and he’s a drummer! So that meant he wasn’t quite as straight-laced as he seemed. Niiiiice. Julie was intrigued…

Come to find out, he played in a multitude of bands in high school, including a hard core band. There’s a picture somewhere of him at that age playing at a club with his shirt off and a mean look on his face. Everyone who knows Rob knows he’s the nicest man alive so it’s really funny to think of him in that other light.

He even played in a band on his mission.

When we met, his new band, FOUND, had just formed and they were awesome. I mean, really great. They played at clubs a couple weekends a month and won every Battle of the Bands they ever competed in by a loooong shot. Since I was the drummer’s girlfriend, I tagged along and helped set up and take down his kit. I wasn’t really into photography at all back then, but I ended up being the band’s photographer. The band members ended up going their separate ways a couple of years later, sadly. But they sure had fun while it lasted.

The above picture was taken at a Christmas event in downtown Salt Lake City. Doesn’t this look like album art? Don’t ask me how I did it. This was years before I took up photography as a hobby. I took it with someone else’s camera, have no idea how I imported it into Photoshop, and don’t know all that I did to it. But I think it is unedited except for the “colored pencil” effect applied to it. Fun, huh? 

Here is a little more more eye candy from shows at Liquid Joe’s and Port-O-Call. They are completely unedited (if I remember correctly). I guess I had an eye for taking pictures even before I knew what I was doing. The quality is a little poor because of the size of the original files.

 

 

My (Julie) niece had her 1st birthday a couple of weeks ago and we celebrated with a family party at my mom’s house. My sister asked us to take some pictures and her one request was to get one of Jordin smiling. I guess there aren’t too many documented moments of this.

So we tried the swing. It worked!

This girl loves to play with her boobies.

A few more cute shots.

Family can check out the rest of Jordin’s pictures here. You’ll know what the password is.

Do you dance crazy when no one is looking?

I dance crazy when my kids and husband are watching, but don’t dance at all when no one is looking. What’s the fun in that?

Do you like to sing in the shower?

Not out loud but I constantly have songs stuck in my head and it seems to happen most often while in the shower.

What is the one, single food that you would never give up?

Ice cream. I have it almost every single day. Baaaaaad Julie.

What is your weirdest "quirk"?

Freaking out about my throat drying up before I fall asleep. I HAVE to have a glass of water next to the bed and I HAVE to take a gulp RIGHT before I lay my head on the pillow and then swallow AFTER I get comfortable so I can limit the possibility of needing another drink before I fall asleep. I won’t even talk because that increases the odds. It’s pretty bad.

What do you think is the most useless class in high school?

Study skills. I guess some people need it, but who wants to study about studying??

Have you ever gambled at a casino?

I’ve been tempted but no.

Where did you go on your first airplane ride?

The St. Louis airport on a family trip to Nauvoo.

Last thing you bought?

A toilet seat, this time with plastic hinges. We had metal hinges and Nate’s “misses” corroded them so much that the whole thing broke apart yesterday. Pleasant.

Favorite Sundae topping?

Probably marshmallow. Kind of juvenile, huh?

If you don’t know the words to a song do you improvise?

Oh, yeah. I’d be the BIGGEST loser on “Don’t Forget the Lyrics”. Rob makes fun of me for not knowing more than 5 words to every songs.

Favorite cheese?

Gruyere.

If you weren’t in the profession you are, what would be your other dream profession and why?

A few things, actually. Obviously planning people’s vacations would be a really fun job for me. I’d love giving them amazing memories.

Or some kind of consumer advocate. I dislike so many of the business practices out there and it really irritates me when companies, government, etc. take advantage of people.

But maybe a business consultant. I have great ideas and love telling people what to do (hehehe) but I’m not that great at carrying out those ideas myself. Plus, consultants make a lot more money than my other two options. 

Can you remember your earliest childhood memory of happiness?

Running naked (except for shoes) two houses down to my great-grandma Clonts’ house where she fed me lucky charms. I was two or three.

Can you remember your earliest childhood memory of fear?

I was afraid of falling from the treehouse when I was three or four.

What is your perception of how people see you?

Quiet, somewhat smart, and boring.