I'm a British expat living on the north Oregon coast with my fiancé, Jai. Journalist since 1997 & blogger since 2008, this is my personal blog where I share my life adventures & favorite things!
We were provided with complimentary candy and goodies during this event. Yum! This post also contains affiliate links.
Last Thursday, I was invited to attend an event at See’s Candies in Eugene to celebrate their re-opening. The store had been located in the Valley River Center for almost 40 years, and made the move last Monday to their new location at Lindsey Crossing. To get the word out, media that cover the region were invited to come and check out the location and taste some of the new offerings. The timing on everything worked out perfectly for us, since we were traveling all over the place for events last week; not to mention, I have a dear friend that lives near Eugene and was able to grab lunch with her and catch up before the event.
The location at Lindsey Crossing is very accessible and easy to find, which is why the store wanted to move there – Jai and I had never driven to this shopping area before and it was effortless getting there. Once we arrived, the staff welcomed us in and invited us to try any of the candies that caught our eye. Talk about being a kid in a candy store!
When they asked me what I’d like to try, I knew I had to taste the White Mint Truffle. I’m a little obsessed with peppermint and I love white chocolate, so it looked like something that was right up my alley!
If you love mint like I do…I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in this one. YUM!
We sampled so many delicious candies at this event.
This is the Milk Bordeaux, one of their most popular offerings.
I snapped this photo at the exact moment that Jai bit into a piece of Maple Cashew Brittle. The look you see on his face was him saying Mmmmmm because it was even tastier than he expected!
During the event, they had a fun contest where we all split into teams of two and competed to see who could pack a box of candy the fastest. Jai and I got a crash course from the pros on how to hold the candy cups for maximum efficiency – it’s a little like dealing cards!
Special thanks to Cariann for offering to hold my camera and take these photos of us!
Jai and I finished our boxes at almost the same time, but his box looked better than mine so he was the winner this time. 😉 We got to keep the boxes that we packed, and were both given a copy of See’s Famous Old Time Candies: A Sweet Story by Margaret Moos Pick as a prize. We learned all kinds of fun history and trivia about the company – for example, did you know that the famous candy conveyor belt episode of I Love Lucy was filmed at See’s Candies? When I was participating in the candy contest, I told them that I resisted the temptation to shove it all in my mouth instead of the box the way Lucy did. 😉
At the end of event, we were all given a fun See’s tote bag packed with goodies to take home. It was perfect timing, since we spent the week staying with Jai’s brother and sister-in-law in Portland – really, what makes a sweeter hostess gift than a box of candy?
Where to Find The New See’s Candies Location in Lindsey Crossing:
When I was at the advance screening for The Lone Ranger last week, I also got a sneak peek at the trailer for Delivery Man. This movie, coming November 2013, stars Vince Vaughn as a loveable-but-aimless slacker who gets the shock of his life when he finds out that his donations to a fertility clinic resulted in the births of 533 children twenty years ago. This unexpected journey leads to him to discovering an unconventional kind of family that might just give him some of the fulfillment he’s always searched for. I’ve always maintained that family is what you create, be it the nuclear family with 2.5 kids and a dog, or the group of friends that can always lean on each other for support – and that’s the message that this film hopes to convey. The trailer got quite a few chuckles in the theater, so I’m looking forward to checking it out later in the year!
Will you be seeing this flick when it hits theaters?
Complimentary ticket to FitBloggin’ provided for live blogging one of the sessions.
Happy Monday! I’m back from FitBloggin’ and all the other fun events I went to in Portland/Eugene last week! I had a fabulous time. I was a live blogger for one of the sessions on Saturday morning – click here to read my transcript for that – and I was able to attend so many valuable sessions, from SEO panels to 6 AM workouts. Here I am at a demo for Total Gym XLS:
I got to meet so many fabulous people this week – there were all kinds of fun parties and gatherings with delicious snacks, dancing and fun. And I may or may not have participated in karaoke…
Well, they had “Harder to Breathe” in their song book – how could I leave without singing the song that I named my Twitter handle after? If I were on The Voice, I wouldn’t have gotten a single chair turn, but it was all in good fun. 😉
My head is swimming with knowledge, anecdotes, tips, tricks after this weekend! I have a folder bursting with business cards, an inbox packed with email and a living room full of swag. There was far too much happening at FitBloggin’ to include in one post, so I’m going to be doing recaps of each session & event I attended all this week. So stay tuned!
Hello New Friends From FitBloggin’!
For those of you that I met at FitBloggin’, welcome! You probably got one of my nifty Contest Corner stickers at the conference – I have a fitness & weight loss section over on that blog which documents my ongoing journey. My fiancé and I were on the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Panel from June 2012 to April 2013 and lost a combined 86.9 pounds, 13.9 BMI points and 55.7 inches during that time. I so enjoyed meeting all of you and hearing your stories!
Travel, lodging, meet-and-greet with Mr. Snake and all other experiences provided by Buffalo Bill Center of The West.
If snakes creep you out – I’m sorry, but I tried to warn you! 😀 Mr. Rattlesnake here would have freaked me out in the wild, but fortunately I met him within the confines of his glass cage at the Buffalo Bill Center of The West. As we toured the five museums within the Center, we were lucky enough to get a peek behind the scenes at the Draper Museum’s lab. This area is not usually open to the public, and was very securely guarded. There were all kinds of fascinating things within, including Mr. Snake – much like their Raptor Experience, the Draper also puts on a live snake show, which sadly I missed. I did, however, get the opportunity to be rattled at within the lab.
I thought this little guy was cute – but he wouldn’t be very adorable if I met him in the wild!
The Draper’s lab area was fascinating, and I really appreciated getting a chance to see it. Because the museum features a lot of stuffed animals on display and also does research on specimens, there was a whole lot of taxidermy in this room. I’ll take this opportunity to remind everyone that the Draper uses specimens that have been victims of poaching, accidents, or natural causes.
Right next to the rattlesnake was a tank of flesh-eating beetles. I recognized these right away as the insects which are used by taxidermists to clean off the bones of animals – see, I learned something from watching reality shows about taxidermy! 😉
Our awesome tour guide showed us some of the things they were working on, including this section which I have dubbed “The bird morgue”.
In case you were wondering…it smelled about as fresh as it looks. The surreal humorist in me thought it was funny that the bird bones were in takeaway boxes! Hey, if these birds had already passed away, at least their bodies can be used for research and educational purposes!
There were also tons of plastic tubs full of bones!
I was amused by this incredibly creepy taxidermied heron. I’m not exactly sure what happened to it, but it’s clearly seen better days as it appeared to be getting some repairs.
Speaking of taxidermied birds, we also saw this shelf of ducks and other fowl from the 1800s. We asked if these were going to be put on display and learned that they can’t be put out in public, because taxidermists back then used arsenic when preparing the animals! However, they are useful specimens for the Draper to keep secured so that they can refer to what ducks looked like during that time period.
Finally, we saw one of the more peculiar donations the Draper has received: Our guide showed us this plastic container of fur stoles which had been sent to her. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with these!” she laughed. Apparently, the Draper receives some very bizarre packages from patrons wishing to donate specimens – I can only imagine!
Whether you find taxidermy to be interesting, funny, or a little creepy, we can all agree that the research and education provided to us by those like the staff at Draper is very important to society. I was very appreciative of our tour guide and all the staff of the museum for sharing their knowledge and anecdotes with us!
Would you enjoy a peek inside a lab like this? Or did you “Nope” right out of this post when you saw that snake?!
I’ve only just gotten back from Wyoming, and now I’m hitting the road once again! On Wednesday, I’m heading to PDX to catch an advance screening of The Lone Ranger. Then on Thursday, I’m off to Eugene to visit a dear friend and attend a blogger event for the opening of a See’s Candies store. And Friday through Sunday, I’ll be back in Portland for FitBloggin’13! I’m very excited for the conference and will be participating as a liveblogger for a session on Saturday morning, Stop Keeping Up with the Joneses.
If you will be at FitBloggin’, please let me know – I’d love to meet you! Likewise, if you’re in the Eugene area and will be at the See’s Candies event (Or would like an invite), get in touch!
Complimentary movie passes were received for the purposes of reviewing this film, along with a mini cupcake and plastic monster ring. 😀
Last week, my family and I were able to check out an advance screening of Monsters University at Regal Pioneer Place in Portland. Our crew consisted of myself, Jai, my future sister-in-law and her 5 1/2 year old nephew. We were all excited to check out the movie – Monsters, Inc. was our nephew’s favorite film, and he had never seen a 3-D movie before, so we knew it would be a memorable occasion.
Monsters University follows the college years of Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan as they attend the school of scares. Mike and Sully butt heads when they meet, but when circumstances force them to work together in order to stay at Monsters U, they eventually start to bond. With the help of their underdog fraternity, Oozma Kappa, the characters learn to put themselves in each other’s shoes and value each monster’s unique talents.
The film is really cute and silly, with humor for the whole family. I liked the attention to detail with the passing visual gags – for example, during finals week, we see a six-armed monster scurrying along with a latte in every hand! The movie has great voice acting, with Billy Crystal and John Goodman resuming their lead roles along with characters voiced by the likes of Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, and Charlie Day, who provided the voice for a fuzzy purple monster named Art. Day’s monster is essentially a G-rated version of his character on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which is one of my favorite shows, so I enjoyed his segments! All of the adults in our group really liked the movie and the short preceding it, The Blue Umbrella; this film is a great one to watch with your kids because there’s something for everybody. The only complaint that Jai and I had was that the movie ran longer than it needed to – we felt that the plot could have been more concise. But to be fair, we feel like pretty much every movie we’ve seen in the last 10 years was too long!
The 3-D on the film is a lot of fun, although I think some of the smaller children can get tired of wearing the glasses after a while. The 5 1/2 year old that we brought seemed to enjoy the movie overall; but he did mention that the scene where Dean Hardscrabble (Mirren’s character) flies down from the ceiling gave him a start because he wasn’t expecting it. I know they worked hard to make this movie goofy and not scary, but if your kids are really small they might find Hardscrabble to be a little creepy in 3-D.
Monsters University opens today, June 21st – if you’re looking for a fun film to take the kids to this weekend, I recommend giving this one a look!
Travel, lodging and other consideration courtesy Buffalo Bill Center of The West.
Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Wyoming for the first time. My destination was Cody, the town which Buffalo Bill AKA William F. Cody helped to create. Buffalo Bill saw the potential this area offered as a tourist destination, and it is fascinating to see the sites that he developed still bringing in visitors in 2013. During my trip, I saw countless historical artifacts, stayed in the same hotel that Ernest Hemingway once visited, ate “Cowboy cuisine” and so much more. Here’s a brief recap of the adventures I had:
Buffalo Bull Center of The West
The Buffalo Bill Center of The West is a huge museum that houses everything from a rifle presented to Catherine the Great to paintings and sculptures by renowned western artists such as Charles Russell. The following is a just small sampling of what I experienced at the Center of The West.
Plains Indian Museum
The Plains Indian Museum features a wealth of history and artifacts. Their newest exhibit, the Dyck Collection, just opened this past Saturday and we had the privilege of seeing the collection before it was open to the public. Paul Dyck was an artist (You will notice some of his paintings in a separate exhibit below) and a private collector of Plains Indian artifacts, amassing a collection of important historical pieces. These are significant in part for their age, as these treasures date from the 1700s to the pre-1890s.
Buffalo Bill Museum & Childhood Home
Of course, you will find a wealth of information relating to Buffalo Bill here! His childhood home can be found next to the Center’s sculpture garden – it was brought to Cody from its original location in Iowa in 1933 by rail. It was moved a total of four times before finding its current (and permanent!) location.
Me posing with holographic Buffalo Bill!
My family has a small tie to Buffalo Bill – when my great-grandpa was a child, he saw Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show when they toured the UK. The Buffalo Bill Museum includes a large map of the world spanning a wall that shows all the places where Buffalo Bill traveled.
Cody Firearms Museum
The Cody Firearms Museum is home to a vast collection of historical guns, from firearms owned by presidents to experimental patent models. There are all sorts of curiosities here, including a Swiss army knife that has a revolver in it! I found this museum to be absolutely fascinating.
The Whitney Gallery of Western Art
The Whitney Gallery boasts an array of western art pieces from the classic sculptures of Frederic Remington to the contemporary paintings of James Bama.
Draper Natural History Museum
The Draper Natural History Museum gives visitors a look at the ecosystem of the Greater Yellowstone area, as well as conducting their own local research. The Draper also puts on a fantastic bird of prey show, the Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience. The outdoor show gave us the chance to meet a great-horned owl, a turkey vulture, a golden eagle, a peregrine falcon and a red-tailed hawk. I love birds so I thoroughly enjoyed this show!
Plains Indian Museum Powwow
The Plains Indian Museum Powwow is an annual event that took place from June 15th-16th this year. In addition to enjoying the wonderful dance and music, we were also able to pay a visit to the on-site Learning Tipi, where Lakota educator Gloria Goggles discussed Powwow history and traditions.
Shopping
Powwow also features 40+ vendors booths with food, drinks, jewelry, art, and so much more. I spent about an hour looking through all the stalls and bought a beautiful necklace that matched the turquoise and brown dress I was wearing perfectly; I also bought several lovely bracelets to bring home as gifts.
I also picked up a few souvenirs at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center gift shop. Jai loves new socks, so I got him a fun pair to commemorate the trip, along with a cute tea towel for my dad.
Everything that I’ve shown you so far are just the activities that took place within the Buffalo Bill Center of The West – which, as you can see, is a lot! The following are other things that I experienced in Cody:
Cody Nite Rodeo
The Cody Nite Rodeo has been taking place for 75 years, and is a uniquely American experience. I’m sure I looked like quite the city slicker making my way over the bleachers in my business suit! 😉 For a little glimpse of the rodeo, check out this video I took during the event:
The Chamberlin Inn
I stayed at the Chamberlin Inn, a beautiful hotel that was founded in 1900. My room was charming and comfortable, with a very soft and cozy bed, coffee, and chocolates on my pillow. Ernest Hemingway stayed at this hotel in 1932, so I got a kick out of being a blogger working on my laptop in the same place where Hemingway finished writing “Death in the Afternoon”. 😉
Dining
From a bordello converted into a restaurant to Buffalo Bill’s buffet, Cody is full of delicious eats housed in curious historic buildings. I wrote a detailed recap of the restaurants I visited over on my food blog.
I really enjoyed my visit to Cody and although I was there for three days, I feel like I only just began to see what the area has to offer. There are still things in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center that I didn’t see – it’s that big! – and I never made it to any of the stores in downtown Cody. Oh yeah, and I hear that there’s a little place called Yellowstone National Park nearby, too. 😉 I was surprised by how much there is to do in Cody and I hope to return in the future so I can explore it further!
Thanks to Skin Energizer for providing samples for review purposes. This article is a recounting of my personal experience using this product – I am not a doctor (As I’m sure you can tell!) and this article is not intended to prevent or treat any condition.
I have really dry skin, so I go through a lot of lotion. I have to keep lotion on my hands all day, or they get very dry and parched, which is unpleasant; I also like to use overall body lotion, although I tend to forget to put it on. Recently, I received samples of Skin Tight Body Firming Lotion from SkinEnergizer.com, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, as I had just run out of my usual hand lotion.
Skin Tight comes in a long, tapered bottle that holds 8 ounces of lotion. It has a creamy, moisturizing consistency with a pleasant scent that is not overpowering. It works pretty well on my dry hands and makes a lovely all-over lotion as well. If you look around my house right now, you’ll notice a few bottles of this dotted around – one in the bathroom to use after the shower and one by my desk where I work, as I have to re-apply hand lotion throughout the day. The instructions recommend applying to targeted areas twice a day, but I’ve been putting it mostly on my hands.
As for the firming aspect, I don’t know – really, any areas of my body that need to be firmer are that way because they need more time at the gym to tone up, so that’s really not something a lotion can help with. Personally, I don’t believe any lotion can eliminate double chin. However, just as a stand-alone lotion, Skin Tight is moisturizing and smells good, so overall I’ve really been enjoying it.
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