i heart ... pizzeria bianco

i finally went to pizzeria bianco.

i know, i know ... what took me so long?!

it's not easy to get in, ya know.

that's what took so long.

and my dear sweet friends were not keen on the idea of
going down there and waiting for 2+ hours to get in.

so i had to make a reservation which is no easy task.

it's like calling for concert tickets!

you have to call at a certain time on a certain day
and hope that your call gets through when all the other people in the world
are calling at the same time for a reservation...

when i finally got through the only spot left was
5pm on a thursday night in one month.

i took it!

but hello! who can make it to dinner at 5pm on a thursday night?

but if you have a reservation for pizzeria bianco
you do what you have to do to be there.
and somehow we made it!

so what's the big deal about pizzeria bianco?

here's the big deal about pizzeria bianco:

#1 chris bianco won the james beard award for "best chef of the southwest"
(the "oscars" of the food world)

#2 the new york times named pizzeria bianco "the best pizza in the nation".

#3 vogue magazine named pizzeria bianco "the best pizza in the world".

#4 pizzeria bianco has a zagat rating of 29
(the highest rating possible is 30,
and for a little more perspective,
nyc doesn't have a restaurant rated higher than 28)

#5 gayle - oprah's gayle! - went there for the oprah show
and you can watch video of it here.
her review was, ""... unlike anything I've ever tasted. … it had me at hello."
and when oprah announced her search for the best pizza in america
pizzeria bianco was the most recommended pizza by oprah's viewers.

(gayle with chris bianco)

#6 martha stewart has eaten at pizzeria bianco herself,
and has had chris bianco on her show
and chris bianco has an 8 page spread in her
may 2009 issue of martha stewart living!

(martha with chris bianco)

#7 chris bianco makes every pizza himself.
(and even makes his own mozzarella!
i mean, come on! who does that?)

so what did i think?
was it all that?

yeah. it was.

i ordered the "biancoverde"
(fresh mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, ricotta, fresh arugula).

it was great,

however,

i should have known better and ordered

the "wiseguy"
(wood roasted onion, house smoked mozzarella, fennel sausage).

the "wiseguy" is what pizzeria bianco is famous for.

but i don't like sausage.

shows what i know.

of course we all shared each other's pizzas

and with my first bite of the "wiseguy"

i knew that this is the pizza that sets pizzeria bianco apart.

it was so good.

so was it worth all the effort?

definitely.

p.s. - i cannot wait to go back and have a "wiseguy" of my very own!!!

p.p.s. - read this article from the arizona republic's jaimee rose.

i heart ... tea parties

yesterday stacy invited me to a tea party.

"the course of history shows that as a government grows,

liberty decreases." - thomas jefferson

"there is only one way to kill capitalism,

by taxes, taxes and more taxes." - karl marx

it was a fun time

(yes, it's true. even with the heavy message).

thomas jefferson came too,

because, ya know,

he is thomas jefferson.

it was his first political rally

and he loved it!

seriously.

he loved people watching ...

... and clapping.

two of his favorite things!

and he got passionate too.

just look at him.

his mother's translation ...

... "don't mortgage my future!"

i heart ... general conference

President Thomas S. Monson

i love general conference weekend,
for a couple of reasons.

first of all, i look forward to hearing from
the Prophet and the Apostles.

and second of all, let's just be honest,
it's nice to watch church in your pajamas twice a year.

my favorite moments were:



Quentin L. Cook - "during the past two years in the united states and across the world, there has been a dramatic increase in the discussion of our faith and beliefs. this is not new; it has happened periodically throughout the history of the church.

in 1863 charles dickens, the english novelist, went on board the passenger ship amazon, which was bound for new york. his purpose was to report on the latter-day saint converts who were emigrating to build up the church in the american west. there had been thousands of converts who had already emigrated, and much had been written, particularly in the british media, about them and their beliefs. most of what was written was unfavorable.

'i went on board their ship,' wrote dickens, 'to bear testimony against them if they deserved it, as i fully believed they would; to my great astonishment they did not deserve it.' after observing and mingling with the converts, dickens was impressed with them and described these english converts, most of whom were laborers, as being 'in their degree, the pick and flower of england.' "


i love this because i love charles dickens, and to hear his favorable view of the saints makes me very happy!




Richard G. Scott - "when we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances, then come what may, we have no reason to worry or to feel despondent."




Russell M. Nelson - quoting President Joseph F. Smith, "a man may fast and pray till he kills himself; and there isn’t any necessity for it; nor wisdom in it. . . . the Lord can hear a simple prayer, offered in faith, in half a dozen words, and he will recognize fasting that may not continue more than twenty-four hours, just as readily and as effectually as He will answer a prayer of a thousand words and fasting for a month. . . . the Lord will accept that which is enough, with a good deal more pleasure and satisfaction than that which is too much and unnecessary.”





Dallin H. Oaks - "testimony is to know and to feel. conversion is to do and to become."





the two most powerful moments for me were the from talks by
Jeffrey R. Holland and President Thomas S. Monson.




Jeffrey R. Holland - i cannot take one or two quotes out of this talk to put here on my blog. this talk has to be read from start to finish. in this talk, Elder Holland speaks of something that is "central to the significance of the Atonement," and it is something that is completely new to me. that is why this talk was so astounding to me.




President Thomas S. Monson - "now, a word of caution to all—both young and old, both male and female. we live at a time when the adversary is using every means possible to ensnare us in his web of deceit, trying desperately to take us down with him.

there are many pathways along which he entices us to go—pathways that can lead to our destruction. advances in many areas that can be used for good can also be used to speed us along those heinous pathways.

i feel to mention one in particular, and that is the internet. on one hand, it provides nearly limitless opportunities for acquiring useful and important information. through it we can communicate with others around the world. the church itself has a wonderful web site, filled with valuable and uplifting information and priceless resources.

on the other hand, however—and extremely alarming—are the reports of the number of individuals who are utilizing the internet for evil and degrading purposes, the viewing of pornography being the most prevalent of these purposes. my brothers and sisters, involvement in such will literally destroy the spirit. be strong. be clean. avoid such degrading and destructive types of content at all costs—wherever they may be! i sound this warning to everyone, everywhere. i add—particularly to the young people—that this includes pornographic images transmitted via cell phones.

my beloved friends, under no circumstances allow yourselves to become trapped in the viewing of pornography, one of the most effective of satan's enticements. and if you have allowed yourself to become involved in this behavior,


cease now.


seek the help you need to overcome and to change the direction of your life. take the steps necessary to get back on the strait and narrow, and then stay there.

may we say, with joshua of old, 'choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' "




wow! when the prophet says, "now a word of caution to all..."
this means you really need to listen.

and the words, "cease now" -
well, that is something really powerful coming from the prophet.







there were 3 talks about temples
(by Richard G. Scott, David A. Bednar, and Gary E. Stevenson)
so naturally, we felt like going to the temple after conference
and that's exactly what we did.
it was a nice way to end conference weekend.
i think it has to be our new tradition!
here are some pictures:













do you see the moon at the top of the picture?

i heart ... U2

... and so it begins.

the nervousness.

the butterflies in the stomach.

the sleepless nights.

and the pure joy!!!

U2 is coming

to phoenix

october 20th

and the tickets go onsale next week.

oh, the worry...

will i get the tickets i want???

aaaaaggggghhhhhhhh!!!

i can't take it!!!

i heart ... natalie

it was natalie's birthday!

yay!

she had a party at the park.

she told me for her birthday she would like a

polly pocket with orange hair and a

princess cell phone.

natalie has always been a girl who knows exactly what she wants

(and of course she got exactly what she wanted).

i heart ... ammon

(ammon and his ginormous freak orange)

on saturday ammon was baptized into

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

it was such a nice baptism.

his sisters and cousins sang "if the Savior stood beside me".

when ammon came out of the water

3-year-old connor said, "is it my turn?"

after the baptism we went to ammon's house for

pizza and pies.

(he does not like cake!)

it was such a fun day!