Concert, Stanford and More...

10/28/11 Friday
Bridget won tickets to see Thompson Square at the Rancho Bernardo Winery.  She has Fridays off, but I do not.  She got their CD autographed, picture, met them after the little concert and had a great time.

11/29/11 Saturday

Game Day at USC.  No Big Deal.

We tailgated at The Founder's Room at the Galen Center.  They always have a great buffet and we can relax before the game and watch several other games on their TV's. 

Today USC is playing Stanford, with their Heismen candiate.  Here is a picture the Coliseim took during the game.  It was a 360 and if you were in your seat when the camera panned your section you got in the picture.  U2 also did this at their concerts.

Note the intensity.  The game was very close and USC was ahead, but Stanford tied the game to send it to OT.  It was the first OT game we have seen in person.  We matched touchdowns in OT, then Stanford scored and had to go for 2 points.  They made it.  USC's time and we were on the 3 yard line when the running back fumbled in the end zone.  Stanford recovered- Game Over.  It was a great game despite the loss.

We went back to Connie and Russ's house.

10/30/11 Sunday

We got up and of course Connie had a fabulous breakfast for us.  We headed to home and I choose to go through Orange County instead of the Inland route.  We were making great time in the carpool lane when the Jag lost power.  I was able to pull of to the left and shut off the car.  In August, I was having the same problem and it would restart after awhile.  I had to replace the throttle assembly.  We called the AAA and waited for a tow truck.

As we were waiting a CHP pulled up and asked us what the problem was.  He said he would not let the tow truck hook up up on the freeway.  He was going to shut down the freeway and push us to the next exit.  So yes, the Taylor's shut down Interstate 5 in Mission Viejo.  It was kinda surreal as the freeway shut down and the CHP pushed us off the freeway.  The tow truck was aware of what was happening and was waiting as the CHP pushed us into a strip mall off the freeway.

We had looked up Jag repair shops on the internet, but the tow truck driver knew a repair shop about 1 mile away.  Of course nothing is open on Sunday.  I wrote a note and put the key in the mail slot.  Connie and Russ drove to our rescue and drove us home. We fixed them dinner and they left to go back home.

Turns out the fuel pump quit.  Not something that happens when you are driving, usually when you stop.  Picked the Jag up the next weekend.  What an experience.

The First Grandson

10/4/11 Tuesday
Jen called around noon our time.  She was going to the hospital at 8pm and they were going to induce labor.  Quickly made plans to fly to Dallas.

10/5/11 Wednesday
Early morning flight from SD to Love Field.  Got in around 1pm and nothing happening so we ate lunch at Sonic and drove to the hospital.  The hospital looks more like a hotel then a hospital.

There was no progress today so Jen got to eat dinner and we will try again tomorrow.  Brian got to stay in the room with Jen.  Couch that made into a bed. 

Courtney and David came up and we left the hospital to eat dinner.  We went to Gloria's, close to the hospital.  Good Tex Mex food, the sour cream enchiladas were delicious.

http://www.gloriasrestaurants.com/locations/glorias-frisco

We stayed at Jen and Brian's new home.  They moved in 10/1/11.  Here are some pics:

10/6/11 Thirsday
We woke up and got breakfast at Sonic.  Do you think we like that place?  They opened one in Vista and one in Santee, not that close to where we live so we make up for lost time in Texas, where they are all over.  Happy hours are great. 

We went to the hospital and they broke her water and gave her an epidural.  Game on.  Well not much happened so we went to Five Guys for lunch.  They are coming to California and it's great.

http://www.fiveguys.com/

Not quite In-N-Out but a different good.  We went back to the hospital and hung out.  The hospital was great, all the coffee, tea, etc... you could want.  They even fed Brian and he could get anything they had in the snack room.  I seriously put a dent in their coffee inventory.

Brian's parents came up from Waco and we decided to stay at Court and David's place and let the Ingrams stay at Jen and Brian's place.With no real progress we went home to eat pizza Court and David got from a local Italian place.  Talked to Noah and gave him an update and tried to go to sleep at 11:30.

10/7/11 Friday
12:30am Brian called, Jen was at 9 cm.  We hurriedly got dressed and went to the hospital.  The boy just did not want to come out and since they were approaching 24 hours since they broke the water, the doctor decided C-section.  Something I was familiar with 3 times over.

Introducing- Luke Barrett Ingram

See more of the details at:

http://jenandbrianingram.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-labor-and-delivery-story-part-1.html

http://jenandbrianingram.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-labor-and-delivery-story-part-2.html

After we got to meet out new grandson we left the hosiptal tired and drained.  We got donuts for breakfast and took a nap.  Afterwards back to the hospital to see him. 

Courtney and David came up. After visiting we went out to dinner at Texadelphia.  David took us there when we were visiting last Thanksgiving.  It's a great place.  We started with chips and queso, and had Hickory, two Founder's Favorite Beef, and South Philly.

http://www.texadelphia.com/

10/8/11 Saturday
David got up early and got breakfast from Panera.  The rest of us were trying to catch up with sleep.  Today was the big game in Texas.  Texas vs Oklahoma.  Bridget's dad was from Oklahoma and we dislike UT going back to the 60's when we lived in Texas.  It was a no brainer who we were for.

For the game we had Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken dip, veggies and of course Margaritas.  Courtney and David have one of those Margarita Blenders and it is great.  Courtney and David are great party hosts.  OKlahoma dominated today and won 55-17. 

After the game we went back to the hospital to visit the Ingram's and their new family member.  We left the hospital around 7:30 and went to Dickey's Barbeque Pit.

http://www.dickeys.com/default.aspx

Bridget ordered the Brisket and I ordered the Pulled Pork and Sausage.  There were some Oklahoma fans getting Texas BBQ on their way back home.  The food was good.  He went back to Courtney and David's place since tomorrow was Sunday.

10/9/11 Sunday
We woke up and David was having issues at work.  Phone calls back and forth.  Also the AC broke.  This happened in August right before our visit.  It was so hot then Courtney and David stayed with friends. 

Courtney made the call to go the Dream Cafe and we would bring David back something.  We have eaten at Dream Cafe before and it is always good. 

http://www.thedreamcafe.com/

We ordered the pumpkin pancakes, Belfast Benedict and Strap Hanger Bacon,  we brought David back a Melrose Culb.

Off to the hospital.  This would be Jen's last night there.  The hospital served a steak and lobster dinner on your last night of stay.

We left the hospital and it was pouring.  We drove around looking for a place to grab dinner.  About half way between the hosptal and Brian and Jen's new house was a burger place, so we stopped there.  Kenny's Burger Joint.  Great name.

http://kennysburgerjoint.com/

We ordered a BLT and Rueben with sweet potato fries.  Nice and messy in a good way.

Oct 10, 2011 Monday

Luke was coming home.  I went to Dunkin Donuts and got coffee and donuts.  We decorated the house and waited.

Bridget and I went for a walk in the neighorhood.  A lot of homes were decorated for Halloween.  Than night we fixed spaghetti at home and enjoyed Luke.

Oct 11, 2011 Tuesday

I left to go back to San Diego.  Bridget was staying through Saturday.

10/12/11 Wednesday

Bath time and trip to the doctor.

10/13/11 Thursday
USC played Cal today.  Luke's first USC game.

Planning the next trip back.

For more details see Jen's blog.

http://jenandbrianingram.blogspot.com/2011/10/our-new-house.html
http://jenandbrianingram.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-labor-and-delivery-story-part-1.html
http://jenandbrianingram.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-labor-and-delivery-story-part-2.html

Big and Rich

September 11, 2011

Well, I walk into the room
Passing out hundred dollar bills
And it kills and it thrills like the horns on my Silverado grill
And I buy the bar a double round of crown
And everybody's getting down
An' this town ain't never gonna be the same.
Cause I saddle up my horse
And I ride into the city
I make a lot of noise
Cause the girls
They are so pretty
Riding up and down Broadway
On my old stud Leroy
And the girls say
Save a horse, ride a cowboy.
Everybody says
Save a horse, Ride a cowboy
                     Big & Rich


We saw that Big and Rich were going to be at the LA County Fair right after a USC football game so we had to go.  We stayed Saturday night at Connie and Russ's house, so Sunday we got up and went to the Fair.  The fair was just around the corner from Connie and Russ's house.  We walked around the fair, ate dinner and then it was concert time.

Big and Rich
with Cowboy Troy

They mix traditional country sounds with hip-hop, rock and the occasional Native American yell. One of their most notable songs is “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.” In 2007 the duo released a new album entitled Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace which contains their No. 1 single “Lost in the Moment.” They are also two of five members of Muzik Mafia, along with Gretchen Wilson. Special guest Cowboy Troy joins in. John Rich can add to his list of credits 2011 winner of Celebrity Apprentice.

Gretchen Wilson

The identity she wears so guilelessly is one that resonates strongly with fans of country and Southern rock—the independent, take-no-guff, hard-working and hard-partying country girl. Along with her hit debut single “Redneck Woman” which soared to No. 1 on the Billboard country charts, her debut album Here for the Party, entered the country album chart at No. 1 and the pop album chart at No. 2 with sales of 227,000 copies, the biggest opening week for a new country artist on record. Since she has released albums All Jacked Up, One of the Boys and I’ve Got Your Country Right Here and hit singles “Work Hard, Play Harder,” “Here for the Party” and “All Jacked Up.” “I’d Love to be Your Last” is not only a single but was a double 2011 Grammy Awards nominee.

You know im here for the party
And i aint leaving till they throw me out gonna have a little fun gonna get me some
You know im here, im here for the party
                             Gretchen Wilson

We had great seats.

It was a great concert.  Love those whiskey drinking country singers.  They played all the hits. Big, Rich, Gretchen and Cowboy Troy were great.

Utah Utes vs Trojans

September 10, 2011

Are you ready for some football?  Heck yeah!

This year we ordered single game tickets instead of the nickel package to USC football.  The weekends fly by when there are home games and depending on the time we are gone all day Saturday and part of Sunday.  I guess we are getting too old.

Anyway the first game we are going to is the Trojans vs the Utes.  The PAC10 expanded to the PAC12 so University of Utah and the University of Colorado joined.  It' a pretty big deal for Utah.  I've followed the Utah sports program for many years, have a red shirt and Noah was almost a Ute until they cancelled their men's cross county and track program.  He even took a visit and bought a sweatshirt.

The Browns (Connie and Russ) and the Taylors (Bridget and me) are always up for new things.  The kickoff was 4:30 so we decided to try Moreton Fig.  It's a new restaurant on campus.  The game day menus are themed based on the opponent.  Today for example they had a beehive sandwich on the menu.  Utah is also known as the beehive state.

http://www.moretonfig.com/Home

Hence the name.  The big Moreton Fig Tree on campus.

The game was very close.  USC was again playing to the level of their competition.  USC was ahead 17-14 and with time running out Utah was going to try for a game tieing field goal. USC blocked the FG and ran it back for an apparent touchdown.  The team rushed the field and the refs threw a penalty flag.  They took the points off the scoreboard and called a penalty on the Trojans.

 

Final score 17-14.  Not so fast, my friend.  On the way back to the Brown's house the score was revised.  USC won 23-14.  The penalty was a dead ball foul meaning it happened after the play.  The touchdown counted. 


Below is an article in the paper about the controversy and betting.
Most Las Vegas sports books had the Trojans favored by eight. Anyone who bet on USC needed those six points to win their bets. Taking away the game-ending TD allowed those who bet on the Utes to cash in.
That alone might not have been a problem for the bookies -- except that two hours after the game ended, the Pac-12's head of officials announced that game officials had misinterpreted the rule. Players on the bench can't be given a "live ball" penalty for celebrating/taunting. Only players on the field can.
The players on the bench should have been given dead ball penalties, which cannot take points off the board. USC got their six points back and the final score was changed back to 23-14.
USC covered again.
Unfortunately for gamblers, many Vegas sports books refused to change the score. 17-14 was their final number and they were sticking to it. According to RJ Bell of Pregame.com, dozens of angry USC bettors demanded to be paid, to no avail.
A few bookies did relent, and changed the score for USC. But during the time between the ending of the game and the rule change, most Utah bettors had already cashed in, meaning those books paid out to both sides.
So an already controversial rule has now created plenty of real headaches for gamblers and sports books. And if you bet on USC, we hope you didn't throw your ticket away









 





Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-09-12/sports/30155576_1_torin-harris-usc-trojans#ixzz1m1BfgFNC

Texas in August

August 24, 2011

We got up early and made the flight to Dallas. We wanted to see Jen pregnant so once got in Dallas we grabbed a quick lunch at Sonic then drove to Jen and Brian's apartment. They had not unpacked much because they were looking to buy a house. Jen was starting to make a quilt and needed some guidance. Bridget is a pretty good seamstress so they started working on it.

That night we all met at Jen's and decided on Texas BBQ. Court, David, Jen, Brian, Bridget and I went to Red Hot and Blue for dinner. The food was really good. After dinner we went back to Court and David's house. Jen made a cheesecake for our anniversary (8/21). I am a sucker for cheesecake.

http://rhnb.com/

August 25, 2011

We got up and met up with Jen. Bridget and I like the Cracker Barrel. Wish there were some in Califonia. We went to the one in Lewisville. After breakfast we did some shopping for maternity clothes, drove by the hospital and the house that Jen and Brian were buying (it was kept a secret so it wouldn't be jinxed). That night we went to Del Fresco's steakhouse. The steaks were fantastic. It was a great dinner.

http://delfriscos.com/dallas-details.php

August 26, 2011

David took the day off and took Bridget and me to a small taco shop for breakfast tacos. They were great. Dropped Bridget off at Jen's so they could sew.  David and I ran some errands.  Court and David made reservations for dinner at the Dragonfly at the Hotel Zaza.  We were seated in a private room which worked out well because we could talk.  When you left the room it was quite noisy.  I ordered a Root Beer Manhattan, but they came back and said they ran out of the Blackmaker Root Beer Liqueur.  I was really bummed so just went with a plain one.  Later the manager came by and said they found just enough to make me a Root Beer Manhattan and they comped it.  Sweet.  All of the food was great.  Three of us had sirloin steaks, two chicken  and one had salmon.  It was the end of Restaurant Week so we had an apetizer, mail course and then dessert.

http://www.hotelzaza.com/#dallas

August 27, 2011
Courtney, Brian's sister and Brian's aunt gave Jennifer a baby shower.  It was over in the Ft Worth area so Court and Bridget left to help decorate.  Jen and Brian went seperately.  That left David and I on our own.  We went to Kuby's Sausage House for breakfast.  David had bought us some meat seasoning from there a couple of years back.  I looked it up and made a note to try and go there.  The food was good and the deli was great as well.  We bought some sausages for the BBQ we were having later.

http://www.kubys.com/

Since Kuby's was by SMU David drove past so I could see the campus.  Then we went to one of my favorite places in Texas.  CENTRAL MARKET.

http://www.centralmarket.com/Stores/Dallas.aspx

This place is outstanding.  It makes other grocery stores seem ordinary.  They have a huge varitety of fresh vegetables, meat, fish, wine, cheese, party dips, salsa, bread etc...  We were geting marinaded chicken for the BBQ.  They ONLY offered 10 different marinaded chicken breasts. 

The shower went well and everyone met back at Court and David's house.  David did a great job cooking and we had a swell time.

August 28, 2011
Today was Sunday so of course we went out for brunch.  We went to The Grape Restaurant.  David and I tried the cheeseburgers, voted best in Dallas.  The girls had waffles and the Hatstack and Brian had the standard breakfast.  And of couse we started with pull apart cake.

http://thegraperestaurant.com/

Later that night Courtney made delicious chicken enchiladas.

August 29, 2011

We were sad.  Today we had to go back to San Diego.  Courtney, David and Brian had to go work.  Bridget, Jen and I went to Cindi's New York Delicatessen.  Good food.  We said our goodbyes and headed to Love Field.

http://cindisnydeli.com/

Jen got off to a good start on her quilt.


We had a great visit and like always we really enjoyed the food.  Even the weather wasn't that bad.

For more details and to see more pictures see:

http://jenandbrianingram.blogspot.com/2011/09/taylors-come-to-texas-part-1.html

http://jenandbrianingram.blogspot.com/2011/09/taylors-in-texas-part-2.html