Chris & Sarah

Hampton Beach
Friday, August 01, 2008
We went to Hampton Beach in New Hampshire (the Santa Cruz of NH) last week with Jared and Caroline. We were supposed to go to a church function, but plans changed and we were already in the area, so we just stopped by to play for a while and have lunch. Right before we were about to leave, we got the kiddos some ice cream. Here is what happened…..

Kenna’s First Pigtails!
Friday, August 01, 2008
OK, since McKenna has been born, she has had great hair. There was a lot on top since day 1, so we would always do a curly mowhawk. Then, when it got too long, we just kinda twisted it back and put a clip in it. But, she has never really had hair on the back of her head (or anywhere besides the top). Just last week I thought she might have enough hair for pigtails and tried it. Here is the outcome…..

Just Golfin’
Friday, August 01, 2008
As most of you know, Chris loves to golf and is really good at it, so it wouldn’t suprise you that Beckham loves it too. Yesterday I told Beckham that after his “nap” (or playing in his room for 2 hours), he could go golfing with Dad. So, for 2 hours Beckham carried around his golf clubs waiting for his Dad to come home. Here are a couple pictures and a video of Beckham hitting balls at the driving range. *Notice his tongue is out in all the pictures (you may not be able to see it, but trust me….it is)

It’s Been So Long…….
Friday, August 01, 2008
Hey everyone,

Sorry it’s been so long since I have posted anything, but we were in Utah for Chris’ sister, Shannon’s wedding. We forgot our camera and were using my Mom and Dad’s for the trip, but I forgot to download the pictures before I left and now I don’t have them! Which is killing me because I want to post them and show everyone. Some are really cute. But, I will see if I can get my Dad to burn me a CD soon. So, hopefully you can expect Utah pictures soon.

Revere Beach
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
This is Revere Beach (our closest beach). It is pretty nice, but slightly ghetto. But, hey, it’s still a beach Look how cute the kids look next to their names in the sand. Also, notice how McKenna has no fear when it comes to water…kinda scary! She just crawls in the water and when a wave hits her in the face, she doesn’t care. Enjoy!

4th of July in Boston
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
We had a great 4th of July, Chris was able to be home with us for most of the day (letting his employees close early by themselves =| ) The parades here are not in the morning like they are in provo, they are in the evening. So, at 5pm we went to the Wakefield parade (our neighboring city) which was pretty lame. They had fire trucks and things the kids liked, but the floats were so far apart that the kids started getting restless. But, you know us, we got some really good pictures in! After that we came back to our house had a BBQ and drove around looking for fireworks (there were a ton of people setting off the HUGE illegal ones in their front yard!) All in all, we had a fun time. Enjoy the pictures!

We Made the Front Page!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Here is what we saw on the front page of our newspaper this morning. A large picture of Chris in front of our store holding lotsa pizza boxes! Pizza Pizza!

ITEM PHOTO / JONATHON M. WHITMORE Chris Elwell, owner of the new Little Caesar Pizza on Union Street, is shown outside the shop Sunday. Little Caesars fires up ovens on Union Street in Lynn

By David Liscio / The Daily Item

LYNN — Hail Caesar!

The newcomer on Union Street is already attracting a steady clientele.

Little Caesars opened its doors in the strip mall at 24 Union St. in mid-June, following closely on the heels of a sister shop that went into operation at 7 Hilldale Ave. in Haverhill in May.

Financial auditors Jared Beal and Mark Payne, who have relatives in the Boston area, invested their savings to become Little Caesars franchisees, “As financial consultants we were experienced in analyzing balance sheets,” said Payne. “Every way we looked at the Little Caesars business model we found the same result; a business opportunity that motivated us to make a career change.”

Former coworkers at a leading accounting firm, Beal, 29, and Payne, 32, already had three Little Caesar stores open in Sacramento, Calif., with a fourth under construction, when they decided to open two more in Haverhill and Lynn.

By the end of 2008, they plan to have six Little Caesars up and running in their corporate chain, Payne said. While building their business in the Sacramento market, the investment partners continued to search for more growth opportunities. They found them in the metropolitan Boston market and its suburbs.

“Boston is a great pizza market and we’re excited to be opening two stores here in as many weeks,” said Beal, who plans to move to Boston. “We believe Boston pizza lovers will really appreciate the industry-leading value, quality and convenience Little Caesars provides. Families are working hard to stretch their budgets and their time, and we look forward to offering a large, fresh, pepperoni pizza that’s ready when Boston consumers are, with no waiting or need to call ahead.”

Some of the menu items to be featured in the stores include HOT-N-READY Pizza, Crazy Bread, Caesar Wings and Caesar Dips.

“Becoming entrepreneurs was definitely a transition for us,” said Payne. “However, with the simple operating model, training and ongoing support from the corporate office, it’s been very rewarding for us and our families even though the economy has become more challenged.”
To maintain its growth, Little Caesars supports franchisees with strong processes and a proven system that includes: ongoing training and support, architectural services to help with store design and construction, preferred lenders to assist with financing, the ongoing research and development of new products, and effective marketing programs and support.

Beal and Payne will partner with Chris Elwell, 28, Jared’s brother-in-law and a former loan administrator at a credit union, and Rocky Jagir, 23, a former investment banker, who will both help run the Boston stores.

Elwell, of Saugus, is both franchisee and general manager of the Lynn location. A recent graduate of Utah Valley University, his role running a pizza shop is a drastic department from his previous job as a commercial loan officer.

“We have 20 part-time employees right now and though we have plenty of parking we’ve had lots of walk-in traffic,” he said, noting the draw remains Little Caesar’s $5, 14-inch pizza, either cheese or pepperoni. “The dough is made fresh every day. Nothing is frozen.”

The pizzeria is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on weekends.

“Jared and Mark have a strong team, and they’re looking forward to providing more value to more people in the Boston area,” said Bob Mazziotti, senior vice president of franchise development, Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. “Little Caesars has been in business for nearly 50 years, and remains well-positioned today in this competitive market segment.”

Founders Michael and Marian Ilitch opened their first restaurant in Garden City, Mich. in 1959. Little Caesars built more stores in the U.S. in 2007 than any other pizza chain and today is the largest carryout chain internationally with restaurants on five continents. For more information about Little Caesars, available franchise opportunities and markets, and the Little Caesars Love Kitchen, go online to www.LittleCaesars.com or call (800) 553.5776.

Little Caesars also has a long history of giving back to the communities in which it does business, and Beal and Payne plan to make a difference in Boston by bringing the Little Caesars Love Kitchen to the area.

The Little Caesars Love Kitchen, a pizza kitchen on wheels that travels the nation providing hot pizza meals to the homeless, disaster survivors and rescue workers, made a difference for more than 15,000 people in 60 locations in 2007. Since its inception in 1985, the Little Caesars Love Kitchen has provided meals to more than two million people.

He Loves His Trains…
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Square One Mall here in Saugus is really great for grown-ups (great shopping — there is a TJ Maxx and Homegoods), but it is also good for the kids. There is a train that the kids can ride for $2. Beckham has been really into trains (Thomas the Train especially), so of course, he absolutely LOVES going to the mall. He always says “remember that guy at the mall? He says “All Aboard” and then lets me on the train!” Here are a few pictures of him riding the train and me and Kenna watching.

What a Cutie!
Friday, June 27, 2008
I just thought she looked really cute this day….Especially with her matching bow!

McKenna Turns One!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
On June 19th we celebrated our baby’s first birthday! I can’t believe how fast they grow up. I know she is not grown up, but it is happening too quickly. It was a small party (my mom, brother, sister-in-law, niece and us) — we celebrated a few days early so my mom could join us before she went home. It was so fun.

I can admit to being a bad mom…here is what happened. I had McKenna’s little cake in front of her while we were singing “Happy Birthday” to her and I was holding the candle. Well, she wasn’t even trying to grab at the candle I was holding, so I put it in the cake. BAD IDEA! She grabbed at it and started screaming at the top of her lungs. Like I said, I can admit I am a bad mom She is just fine, no burns, it just scared her. But, it was good for some funny memories when we pull out the video camera and watch it a few years down the road.

She is such a wonderful little girl. She is and always has been a great baby. We love her so much and have enjoyed every moment of her in our lives.

A Beautiful Day at Cape Cod
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
We took a trip to Cape Cod 2 weeks ago and it is such a beautiful place. The water is so warm it almost makes you feel like you are in So Cal. But, then you look around and see all the beautiful trees and remember that you aren’t Caroline, Emilie, Mom, Beckham, McKenna and I all took the 2 hour trip together (that was fun). We ate lunch at a small cafe and I am pretty sure they had never had that many kids in their restaurant at once EVER. They were not very accomodating or friendly at that. But, all in all, we had a blast.

We Moved to BOSTON!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
We finally did it…..we moved out of Provo! Chris graduated in April and days later was training for our new career with Little Caesars Pizza. That’s right, we have started up our own Little Caesars franchises out here in the Boston area. My brother Jared and his partner Mark have 3 Little Caesars franchises in Sacramento, but wanted more. That is where we came in…we were willing and able to move wherever they wanted us to, and since there are none in Massachusetts, this was a great place to go! So, we moved here the last week of May and so far, we already have 2 stores open. Chris is running one in Lynn, MA and my brother Jared (who moved out here with his family too) is running one in Haverhill, MA. So far things are going well. Chris is never home, but that is to be expected because he has to be there open to close everyday until he can train a manager. They are expected to open the 3rd store in Lawrence, MA within the next few months. Needless to say, life is pretty crazy right now, but hopefully it will slow down soon and we will be able to keep in better contact with everyone. I am going to really try and keep up this blog!