Jordan Overman with Override Films puts together a lot of our custom videos for our luxury listings.  His work is second to none and we're not the only ones who think so. Check out his website or follow his facebook page.  Jordan was excited when he heard about our North Pole Express event and he volunteered to put together this killer video of the experience. Check it out. 

Heidi and I stayed a night in Salt Lake last week for one last getaway before the baby arrives. It was just the two of us and it was terribly refreshing. We basically ate, did some Christmas shopping, slept, slept, and ate some more.

The first stop was Taqueria 27 at 1615 s. Foothill drive. We're both street taco fans and we love Tacos 180 and Masa in Utah County so we were excited to try this place. We ordered 2 steak, 2 mushroom, and 2 pork tacos with a side of delicious mango guacamole. Very very good. High quality ingredients, fun atmosphere, and delicious food.   If you're in the mood for fancy tacos and you're by the University of Utah then give this place a try. Maybe not the best place if you're looking for a gut Bomb. They're about $3 per taco, think quality over quantity.

We stayed at the Sheraton with our Starwood points. Online they advertised as newly renovated with fancy beds. Maybe their website hasn't been updated for a while since neither description seemed to describe our room. Here's a tip, DO NOT let them put you by the ice dispenser! And if you're hoping to rent a movie through the hotel's movie service, forget it. They don't have one. To keep things positive, their black out curtains worked like a charm. We didn't wake up until 11 am. That's right 11! I haven't slept in that long since high school. Sometimes you just don't realize how tired you really are. The ice machine woke me up...again, which was the only reason we even woke up at that time.

Other highlights included eating at Our favorite indian restaurant, Bombay House, a night cap at Farr's frozen custard which was mediocre, maybe we didn't order the right flavors. Shopping at Trolley Square which is making a solid comeback, church on temple square, and then breakfast at The Original Pancake House. We love that place. We went at 2pm and it was packed. We waited 10 minutes to be   seated. The greeter told us they were opening up another location in Sandy and seriously considering Lehi as well which would be rather exciting.

Time flew by but it was so much fun. Be sure to take some time out of your busy schedules and enjoy Salt Lake every now an then. There's lots to do and enjoy and eat! Be sure to share your favorite places and events in Salt Lake with us.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas. It was a wonderful day full of family, food, gifts, love, games, sugar, snow, and memories.

We are no longer allowed to do  FHA loans within the first 90 days of an acquisition or title transfer. We've provided the 91-180 day  FHA guideline to help understand this  going into 2015

Make sure that your purchase contract is AFTER the 90th  day of acquisition or title transfer.  There are no exceptions to this FHA guideline

Two years ago Influence had their Christmas party at a swanky bowling alley. Last year we all enjoyed A Christmas Carol at the Hale Center Theater. Both events were really fun and lavish. This year we met at Washington Elementary school's cafeteria. Sounds lame, right? Yet it was the most fun of all.

Next week Influence Real Estate will be taking one of the most under privileged schools in the state and providing each kid with what we hope will be the time of their lives. We're calling it the North Pole Expess. Many of these kids are in the Road Home program, several are essentially homeless, and for many, Christmas will be just another day with no feast, no gifts, and no festivities because they lack the resources.

As a brokerage we wanted to make a difference. So we spent the past six months, planning, coordinating, fund raising, and essentially trying to bring people together to provide an awesome Christmas surprise for these 400 kids at Washington Elementary School. Next Wednesday (Dec 17th) we will be taking the entire school on chartered buses to Heber Utah to enjoy a ride on the North Pole Express. Not only do the kids get to enjoy a train ride, a chance to meet Santa, and hot chocolate, but thanks to several incredibly generous local donors we are also providing each kid with a killer lunch, a scarf, gloves, a hat, and chocolate caramel apples from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

So what does any of this have to do with our brokerage Christmas party? Last Wednesday late at night in the school's cafeteria we got together and wrapped 400 hand picked gifts for each kid in the school. These weren't just any gifts, these were dream gifts that each kid had told their teacher that they secretly wished for for Christmas. 400 hand picked, hand wrapped, and personalized for each individual at the school. The kids have no idea they'll be receiving a gift which makes it that much more exciting.

Needless to say we are over the top excited for next Wednesday and the entire experience has helped us all enjoy the Christmas spirit.

We just wanted to send a huge CONGRATULATIONS to our friend and mentor Steve Black for earning his black belt in jiu jitsu. He's already a black belt in taekwondo and now after years of training he's earned his blackbelt in jiu jitsu under the prestigious Pedro Saur Gracie system . It was an inspiring process to watch over the years and reading the the article below makes me want to get back on the mats and roll with him again. 

Don’t let his age fool you. He might be a grandfather and an LDS bishop, but he’s as tough as they come.

On any given day, Steve Black can be found at the Pit Elevated in Orem pursuing his passion of Brazilian Jujitsu. At 62 years of age, Black has the skills to submit just about anyone.  Even guys less than half his age, who thought they could take him, have had to “tap out,” Jujitsu’s way of crying uncle.
And on Sundays, Black’s alter ego can be found in a chapel presiding over the Provo Young Single Adult 262nd Ward as bishop.

Black, a Brazilian Jujitsu brown belt, looks like he could have been a model for an Arnold Frieberg painting. Standing broad-shouldered at 6’3″ and weighing 230 pounds of lean muscle, he reminds some of Captain Moroni.

As big as Black is, though, he has the disposition of a gentle giant outside of the ring.

“I enjoy the learning martial arts, but I don’t enjoy the violence,” Black said.

Black grew up in Indiana during the 1960s. He got involved in his middle school’s judo club and was soon introduced to the importance of martial arts.

“I remember there was a school bully when I was in the eighth grade. He would pick on everyone. There was this one time during free period that he grabbed me by the lapels of my jacket and went to attack me,” Black said. “I remembered my judo training and threw him on the ground, and it was the last time he bullied anyone.”

Whatever Black pursues he devotes his whole self to it. That goes for both Brazilian Jujitsu and the gospel.

“He is always passionate about everything he does,” said his wife, Karen Black.

Anytime Steve Black is in the gym training, people behave around him. The bad language, dirty jokes and foul behavior stop when people train with him.

“Steve … has helped me both on and off the mats,” said MMA fighter and Black’s friend Jesse O’Rullian. “He is a really great guy.”

Black, for the most part, does not have to say anything — the other fighters just know.

“You don’t have to preach the gospel all the time, and I don’t do that at the gym. I just live the gospel, and through my example people just know,” Black said.

Through his example and service, Black has helped a few guys at the gym become active in church again.

“He will help a lot of the guys,” Karen Black said. “We get calls all the time from different guys from the gym, and Bishop Black will always help them.”

Steve Black always had an interest in martial arts. He served his mission in Singapore during the height of Bruce Lee’s popularity. However, from high school all the way through his late 30s, he never trained formally.

Black would take his sons to a Taekwondo school, and eventually the instructor asked him to join them. Steve Black did and, at age 40, earned his second degree black belt.

Black met his Brazilian Jujitsu instructor, Pedro Sauer, while helping Sauer find real estate so he could set up his jujitsu schools. Sauer, a smaller man, invited Black to come and try out his classes. During the classes Sauer went on to submit the much larger Steve Black five times in less than five minutes.

“I was amazed that this guy smaller than me could just do whatever he wanted to me,” Black said. “It was a humbling experience.”

Determined to improve at Brazilian Jujitsu, Black began learning everything he could from Sauer.

“I kept coming back to learn, and after eight years of training I have finally got my brown belt, and in a year or so I hope to get my black belt,” Black said.

Despite all of Black’s success, martial arts takes a toll at 62, even for the most skilled of fighters. He and his family know there are risks.

“I’m impressed with Steve,” Karen Black said. “But I just do not want him to get hurt. We are at the age where we have to conserve what health we have left.”

Steve Black credits the gospel as one of the biggest helps in becoming a skilled fighter at the age when many men give up on taking care of their bodies.

“There are so many things the gospel has helped me with in this sport. If it weren’t for the Word of Wisdom I don’t know if I could still be doing this at 62,” he said. “Humility is another thing. I see big, strong guys come in and get submitted by little guys and they never come back. If you let pride get in the way you stop learning.”

- See more at: http://universe.byu.edu/2013/11/19/1fight-the-good-fight-mormon-bishop-doubles-as-martial-artist/#sthash.kyGZDPBD.dpuf

We took the family to Alpine's living nativity this past week and it was awesome as usual. We got tickets for opening night for the very first session and it was packed. From start to finish the experience lasted about an hour and a half. We were told that they planned on having over 7 thousand (sold out) visitors this year over the course of the four days they would be open.



Kids loved seeing and petting camels, a donkey, sheep, goats, and various birds. My favorite part was the reverence in the second barn where the live baby Jesus was housed. The baby Jesus was a pretty adorable little baby.



Tickets are sold out this year so put it on your calendar to reserve tickets next year. It's really a wonderful Christmas experience. The crowds got longer as the night got later. I would guess it would take at least 2 hours from start to finish for most people unless you parked and then walked up to the nativity rather than wait for the trailers to drive you up.



For more information go to:



http://alpinelivingnativity.org