Day 3 in Medford

i thought this posted yesterday, but it didn't...

My final day in Medford was just as much fun as my other two. Marisa and I went on a tour of the Harry and David factory. We had a blast. The factory was super busy preparing for the Christmas season. That made the tour even better. We saw a woman put a gift basket together in 40 seconds! That is talent. We watched a batch of Moose Munch be made, English Toffee be enrobed (coated in chocolate), peppermint cheesecake dipped in ganache and drizzled with red and white chocolate, peanut butter cookies prepared for the oven... I should stop there, it is making me hungry just thinking about it. The smell when we got off the bus was decadent. I think it was Moose Munch. Regardless of what it was, I wanted it. We received samples at the end of the tour. Two cookies and a mint truffle. Yummy… I am saving mine for when I get home. Marisa was kind enough to give me hers for Kyle. She is so sweet!
This afternoon Ethan has karate, and then we will head to the airport. I am very sad to go, but can’t wait for my next trip. I want to bring Kyle up here to enjoy cooler weather and great scenery.
(Will post photos soon!)

P.S. I got this post on Facebook last night from Marisa. When I got back from the airport last night Hudson ran to the door yelling "Mommy" and "Erin". Then he stopped dead in tracks and said "Where is Erin?" He was disappointed when i told him that you had to go home.
I didn't get it until this morning. Nothing like making someone cry first thing in the morning... ;)

I can't thank Matt, Marisa, and the boys enough for letting me come stay with them. I promise to do it again soon!

Day 2 in Medford

Today was a busy day. We started off with attempting to do a photo shoot of all of the boys. We got a few good shots (thank goodness). We packed up the boys and headed to Ashland. Marisa warned me that people there tend to be "organic". She wasn't lying. We packed a picnic and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I saw some interesting things while we were there. A garden on top of the cab of a truck. (I wasn't able to take a pic of the entire "house"), a seven year old girl who had no imagination, her extremely passive-agressive mother, and a hippie in a long velvet skirt try to climb on the play structure. I also saw the most beautiful park ever. So green and lush. I loved the water all around, too.
Marisa and I were able to get some girl time. We headed to the Harry and David store and then out to Jacksonville. Both were amazing. I found a few cool things at Harry and David and was able to take a pic in front of the truck. So cool! Jacksonville is a cute little town. Quaint stores and restaurants. I am in love with "old" towns, and this one was no exception.
We are all getting ready to head to bed. Tomorrow I will be heading home, but not without a full day of fun!

Day 1 in Medford

And no pictures. :( I forgot my battery in the charger at Marisa's. I was so scatterbrained when we left. It is tough work getting three boys out the door. I don't know how she does it. I think she is Super Mom. Marisa is such a good friend that she would drive 30 miles to a town just so I could get a sweater on sale in the color I wanted. (Which could not be found in Phoenix.) We took the scenic route to get there. We started off our road trip at a scrapbook store that is going out of business. Everything was 75% off! If you know me, you know I love a deal. I got some good stuff too! We drove through Jacksonville, stopped at the Applegate General Store and Cafe for lunch. This might be my new favorite place because they bring you ranch in a squeeze bottle (like a ketchup bottle). And they make pretty good shakes, too. We then headed to Grants Pass to get my sweater. Headed to the mall (that was an adventure) and then to Jo-Ann's for fabric for the boys' photo shoot tomorrow and then home. After dinner Ethan and I taught Hudson how to play Candyland. That was especially fun because Hudson won! I think it was beginner's luck. Now the boys are asleep and it all is quiet. Looking forward to our adventures tomorrow... I will have photos to post, promise. :)

Impromptu Date Night

Kyle and I thought it would be fun to go to Bookman's and trade-in some books. I love browsing used books stores to see what treasures I can find. We brought in boxes of stuff. They didn't take much of it, but we got a pretty hefty amount in credit. :) And of course, I almost spent all of it in one night. (Sorry Hunny...)

We were starving even before we left for Bookman's. We couldn't decide on anything. We headed to Oregano's and there was a wait. (I will never understand how there is a wait at 8:45 at night.) So we kept driving and saw that Liberty Market was still open. If I could only use one word to describe that place it would be AMAZING! And that is an understatement. We walked in at 8:55 and they didn't have any problem with us ordering. (They close at 9.) Everyone who worked there was extremely friendly and helpful. I got the Sloppy Joe and Kyle got the Meatball Panini (which is not even on the menu). Kyle gave me a hard time about getting the Sloppy Joe, that is until he tasted it. It was the best Sloppy Joe I had ever had. Bye, bye Manwich. I have a feeling that I will start craving them. Not good.


It was nice to spend the evening with Kyle. Starting next week he will have Sundays off, so we can start going out on Saturdays!!! I am sure you will be able to find us at Liberty Market.



A little history on the "real" Liberty Market... It was actually a grocery store that served the Town of Gilbert for many years. I remember it when I lived there. I was sad to hear when it closed. I am so happy that the owner of my two favorite restaurants (Joe's BBQ and Joe's Farm Grill) has restored the building into a great restaurant. For all of my out of town friends, if you come to visit we will go to all three of these amazing restaurants. You will not be disappointed.

Mannywood, AZ

September 7, 2009

“Mannywood is alive in Arizona” –Vin Scully

Kyle, Brandie, and I went to the Dodgers/Diamondbacks game at Chase field. Kyle thought it would be fun to make a Mannywood, AZ sign for the game. So of course, I ran with that idea. We have become huge Manny fans since he has come to the Dodgers. With the help of my Cricut (which never disappoints), I made the sign. Well, it is actually a banner since it is so long. Almost 7 feet!!! I was given tickets from my wonderful company and knew exactly where we would be sitting, so it was perfect.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we would get the exposure we did (national television!!!). I just wanted to get on the Jumbotron or something.

Here is the list of where I know we were seen on television:
L.A. feed of the game
Phoenix feed of the game
SportsCenter on ESPN
Baseball Tonight on ESPN
Fox Sports Arizona Final Score
Channel 7 (ABC) in L.A.
Channel 12 (NBC) in Phoenix

The following people saw us:
Kyle’s mom
Kyle’s grandparents
Uncle Bobby and Aunt Dolores
Uncle Tino
Sonserey
Amanda, Mark, Ranae, and Zac from work
Shawn
(If you saw us, let me know and I will add you to the list)

Here is a picture of us on SportsCenter: