Groupon Deal: Portraiture at JCPenny for a Killer Price

I have to hand it to groupon.com.  I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure it out.  Their latest deal is something I won't be turning down:  $40.00 for enhanced portrait package at Salt Lake JCPenney Portraits locations.  For the nominal fee of 40 bucks, you get:

• Six single-image enhanced portrait sheets, 10”x13” or smaller
• One Be Squared portrait, 10”x10” or smaller
• One single-image CD
• Standard sitting fees for all subjects in the photoshoot are waived
• 40% off additional purchases of portrait sheets, greeting cards, collages, posters, or enlargements made that day

That's a $209.89 value, families of Utah.  So if you have beautiful kids (and we all know you do,) this is something you really don't want to miss out on.
Here's the catch:  You need to login to groupon with an email address and location (can't get any easier than that).  Catch #2:  you can only buy it for two for days, and the quantity available is limited.  So move! move! move! move! move!  I'm buying one myself.  Don't make me leave you in the cold on this one :)

The Premier Sports Medicine Clinic in Utah is Accepting Patients!

If you're suffering from a sports-related injury, there is one doctor in the valley who stands head and shoulders above others in his field.  Dr. Joseph Albano of Salt Lake Regional Regenerative and Sports Medicine specializes in regenerative and sports medicine.  Regenerative medicine is revolutionary and is on the cutting edge of research and medical solutions for sports related injuries.  Because it focuses more on the bodies innate ability to heal itself, it gravitates away from the idea that surgery and medications are always the answer.  Regenerative medicine is the process of creative living, functional tissue to repair damaged and injured parts of the body (joints, for example, like a basketball injury in your knee or a tennis injury in your elbow or shoulder).  Because regenerative medicine uses a person's own cells to generate the new tissue, the healing process is much more "organic," more natural, and can often help the patient avoid more traumatic steps like surgery to correct the problem.  Dr. Albano treats musculoskeletal problems ranging from sports injuries to other orthopedic issues, and from minor to long-term problems.  He is also well-known for his work with professional athletes in Utah, including professional dancers, professional skiers, and pro soccer players.  If you are suffering from any of these types of pain, call Dr. Albano and make an appointment at 801-424-5067.

Zahra Charity

Yes, this is a consumer site.  But we at Cohezion have causes we believe in, too.  Utah-based non-profit Zahra Charity (ZC) is one of them.  The primary purpose of the organization is to build a specialized Neuro-rehabilitation center (called the Moulay Ali Institute for Rehabilitation, or MAIR), in Marrakech City, Morocco.  It's goal is to repair the severe lack of Neuro-rehabilitation care in Morocco.  Both children and adults with neurological disabilities caused by traumatic brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injuries in Morocco need care, and ZC's goal is to build up a medical base and facilities that will care for them.
Through charity events and other means, Zahra charity aims to make the world, and Morocco, a much kinder place for people who suffer from neurological problems and/or disabilities.
Please visit them at www.zahracharity.org, and watch our blog for more updates on some spectacular events that will take place in the near future.
For direct donations, you can also visit them at http://www.zahracharity.org/ZahraLC/?page=donations.

Dreaming of Home-Cooked Dinners....

There is no time to cook in my life.  I have a full time job.  I have harp lessons, I have screenplay readings, I have doctor appointments, my kids have extracurricular lessons, and I have a vibrant social life.   I cannot cook, I cannot plan, I have two ravenously hungry little ones and a lonely chihuahua at home.  Enter DREAM DINNERS.  The caps are not a typo.  It is me shouting:  DREAM DINNERS!!!  
Here's how it works:  Sign up for a 2-hour session, in which you will assemble everything you need for 12 home-cooked meals.  Read that again:  h-o-m-e--c-o-o-k-e-d.  No franken-nuggets, no cheap toys clacking around in the back seat as you bus children around, no orange tongues stained from whatever horrible punch they give your kids in those oh-so-convenient fast food kid meals.  Sorry, got off-track there for a minute.  So you get a two hour session, everything you need for 12 meals, to be kept in the freezer for later convenience.  No prep, no clean-up.  Leave the mess there.  It.  Is.  AWESOME.
Jean and Danielle are the owners of the Orem Dream Dinner location.  They also have a cooking website called What's Cooking Orem (www.whatscookingorem.com).
And, if you're not convinced yet, here's a video of them explaining what this silliness is all about:  http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5763803&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=aab300&fullscreen=1
They're adorable, no?  So, if you have a life, kids, appointments, something resembling a schedule--this will be your salvation.
http://www.dreamdinners.com/main.php?page=locations&store_id=99&state=Utah
P.S.  If anybody wants to make the pilgrimage to Orem anytime soon to do this, call me.  I'm serious.

Chicago Dogs in Salt Lake City--Yum!

One of Salt Lake's best little eateries makes it's home at a Texaco station. You heard right. A Texaco station. And if I need gas at lunchtime and there are ten nearby gas stations, guess which one I'm going to head for? The one with the KILLER hot dog restaurant. Johnnie Beef's is one of Utah unique small businesses that has gained both traction and local fame for it's authentic pure beef Chicago dogs, Italian beef, bratwurst, and shakes. The food is so good, in fact, that it's transcended it's status as an appendage of Texaco and pretty much overshadowed everything around it. Who wants a couple of dry powdered donuts or a Monster drink, for example, when you can have a "Chicah-gee dawg," as Johnnie himself would loudly call it as he fixes it for you.
The part we'd really like to call attention to on Johnnie Beef's doesn't have anything to do with deals or discounts. Johnnie Beef's is just good. That's all. It's notable because of the high quality of a product that is generally considered to be painfully pedestrian.
It's 10 AM and I'd like one now. Is that gross? I don't know, and I don't care. We heart you, Johnnie Beef's!

7360 S. Union Park
Midvale, Utah 84047
(801) 352-0372
(Inside the Texaco Station at the In & Out Market)

Miss the Newspaper Days?

As a former journalist, I truly and sincerely mourn the steady decline of newspaper sales in Utah.  Journalism is a hallmark of the American tradition of free speech and a traditional forum for the sharing of opinions, ideas, and local events.  In short, it's an institution.  And in spite of the internet's all-powerful reach, I believe print media still deserves a strong position in our world.  Think about it:  subscribing to a tangible newspaper says something about you, your lifestyle, what's important to you.  It can mean a daily routine that helps you keep abreast of what's happening, stimulate your mind, and help you form ideas.  And it tells your children, neighbors, friends--anyone who spends time in your home--that you care about what's happening in the world, and that you support the idea of serious journalism, as opposed to the "white noise" of the amateur blogosphere online.
Utah's two largest newspapers, The Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, are both morning papers.  You can subscribe for a daily edition or a weekend package, which includes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday papers.  The link to subscribe to either of the Media One papers is http://subscribe.mediaoneutah.com/
There are several other papers to consider, as well.  The Ogden Standard-Examiner, The Provo Daily Herald, and the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin are all options that might make sense, depending on the location of your residence or workplace.
Whatever your situation, please consider making the newspaper a regular part of your life again.  It's a good thing :)

Macey's does Food Storage

You have your pick of grocery stores along the valley. But only one specializes in food storage. Macey's, which has locations in Clearfield, Lehi, Ogden, Orem, Pleasant Grove, Providence, Provo, Sandy, Spanish Fork, Tooele and West Jordan, has an entire section devoted specifically to food storage and disaster/financial hardship preparedness. It's unique to Macey's, and it's a great way to put your mind at ease a little bit at a time. Watch for their regular "Gigantic Case Lot Sales". It can save you a lot of money and a lot of worry.