Jelly Belly

Today we took the Jelly Belly Factory tour. They showed us how they make their famous Jelly Bellies and then gave us all a free bag of the little guys to munch on. It was a lot of fun for the kids. Danny ate one of their trick flavors: "rotten egg". He almost threw up. The guy next to us tried "skunk spray" and had a similar reaction. I stuck to the yummy flavors. 

Which brings me to my next thought. 

I have totally gone off gear with my healthy eating!!! I need to get back on track. I need to somehow figure out how to eat healthy on the go. I think my biggest problem is that I give myself permission to eat worse on the road. That is definitely not going to work long term. Something to think about... 

Tara 

Road Trip

For the last 5 days, my mom, my kids, and I have been on a road trip. Thus far, we have been in Phoenix, and our next destination is Denver. The weather has been beautiful and clear, hovering in the 70s, with a fresh cool breeze, much to our delight. My mom has been working at a quilt show at the Phoenix fair grounds (hence the reason for the road trip), as she will be doing in Denver, having officially become a Carny. So, while she has been doing that, the kids and I have been having fun! We spent a whole day at the Arizona Science Center. Literally, five and a half hours. It was really great with all sorts of hands on things for the kids to do. Even my four year old was entertained the entire time. We learned all sorts of things, while we played and watched demonstrations, that got our minds moving and thinking. We even watched a 45 minute Imax film about migration that was really interesting and had great detailed shots of butterflies and small crabs. For lunch, we ate at City Bakery, which was excellent, albeit expensive. I got an idea for another side dish: white bean salad. It is something I would have never thought to make, but tasted great! 

The next day I took the kids to Piestewa Peak in Phoenix, determined to climb the Summit Trail. It was marked moderate, but I thought, "With a little determination, we can do anything." Well, it was steep, rocky, crowded, long, and hot! And after many breaks, a few encouraging pep talks, a mile long trek, and an hour and 50 minutes, the kids gave out on me and we started back down...with only about 400 feet to the summit. It took us another hour and 30 minutes to get back down, but we were rewarded with great views and amazed remarks from other hikers that the kids had made it so far. When we got to the bottom, we were exhausted! It was great, though, to get out and get some exercise and sunshine. It was also a great relationship builder between the kids and I. Although, we sure missed daddy there to carry and drag us all along!

Today, we got an exciting oil change! Okay, it was uneventful and took all of 5 minutes, but it could have been exciting, if you use your imagination. Then we went swimming in the hotel pool, which was a pleasant temperature, and ate lunch at Jason's Deli (a great deal).

 Everyone here is all excited about the Super Bowl, and I'm pretty sure Chipotle was giving out free food to fans with t-shirts, since there was a line of about 300 people coming out their door, all bearing Cardinal t-shirts.

We head out tomorrow towards Denver, so I will keep you posted! 

Something in the air

There is a hint of Autumn in the air today. Last night the air was cold. The temperature was perfect today. When I went outside I didn't feel hot or cold, just pleasant. There was a constant breeze like there usually is in this area. I just felt like being in the air was healing something inside me. I can see why people would go the sea to get well. There's something in the air. The mysteries the Lord has laid out in this world are many and I hope he will reveal them all to us in the end. I want to be able to read the book. Wouldn't that be great? 

Sunshine, Waves, and Sand

Today we went to the beach and it was wonderful. No broken bones this time! The weather was perfect: sunny and breezy. The waves were breaking far off shore and were very mild, so it was perfect for the kids to get some body surfing in. I even got out there with them! Even my son was getting into playing in the waves. He kept wanting to go out further into the water. As I was sitting in my beach chair soaking in the sun and the breeze, I felt so blessed. Today was a good day. Oh yeah, on the way home my middle daughter said, "Mom, I really like that you play with us at the beach." That made me feel like I had done my job today. 

Film Festival Sneak Peak

Tonight I went to the Temecula Film Festival Sneak Peak. This is running every Thursday night in a vacant business suite for 7 weeks. The films that are shown are films the Film Festival Committee are considering for the festival. After a film is viewed, each viewer fills out a questioner about the movie. Depending on the ratings from the viewers, the movie will or will not be shown at the festival. 

The first film we saw was a feature film tentatively called "Still Water". This film is a thriller, so it is exciting. The directing is sharp, and the cinematography is appealing. The acting is surprisingly good, giving it a Hollywood feel, as opposed to "filmed in the back yard." The writing was unpredictable, although my husband did call it. There was great character and story line development. I felt like the writer did a good job with the flow of things. Overall, very professional and a movie I would recommend, although it was a little crude...but what thriller isn't. 

The next film we saw was a short. It was called, "The Amazing Renaldo". This was a very cute movie with cheesy acting and a low budget feel. However, I am convinced that is the way the director wanted it to feel. I do not feel like they were trying to do something out of their league and fell short. It was very entertaining and funny. A definite feel good movie I would love to have around to show people at a party. Quirky and artistic.

The third and last film we saw was also a short. It was called, "Swimming." This was a slow, low budget film that had a touching story with a little quirkiness thrown in. The acting of the supporting characters and extras was a bit weak, making it feel like you were watching a movie being made. The main characters were fluent though. Interesting story worth the time it takes to watch it. I enjoyed this film. It touched an abstract part of me. 

It was neat to be able to be a part of this process. Considering going again.   

Emergency room again!

My husband is an incredibly competitive guy. He does not like to lose. So on Friday, just to beat me out, he dislocated and fractured his finger while we were at the beach! The best part: He didn't even wince. I was balling of course when I hurt my arm, and he calmly walks up to me and says, "We have to go, I broke my finger." Then he shows me his mangled finger that was in all the wrong places. Another lady we were there with even asked him if he was in the military before, when he was trying to relocate his finger with a calm expression like it was no big deal. So, anyhow, we ended up at the same emergency room, with the same insurance that doesn't start for a few more days. Oh, the dramas of life. This is the x-ray of his finger and a picture of his splinted hand. 

Restaurant Review

Today my mother and I went to a new restaurant in Temecula called Rodrigo's Mexican Grill. It is decorated well with unique architecture like thick wood slated walls and geometric lamps. Classy Mexican art graces the walls, but it is not overdone. There is this great wall hanging at the front hostess desk with ceramic plates hanging from a wood slate. The waitress was very attentive... ok a little too attentive. My mom and I were there maybe 30 minutes and she came to our table about ten times. I think the combination of her being new and it not being very busy at 2:30 in the afternoon on a Thursday, made her a little anxious to serve! I honestly have never had that problem before. I was tempted to tell her something different every time she asked how everything was, just to keep her busy. However, I kindly replied that everything was great. 

The food was typical California Mexican. (So glad to be back!) It wasn't anything particularly special, but good. The chips were a little thicker than I tend to like, but that is a matter of preference. The salsa was great. Fresh, spicy and smooth. I had the two shredded beef taco meal with rice and beans. My mom had the lunch tostada. We both had iced tea. The iced tea was great! Our meals were both lunch specials which cost around $8 each. Not too bad for an air conditioned, classy atmosphere, midday lunch, with an exceptionally attentive waitress. So, would I recommend it? I really feel neutral about it. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it, but if asked about it, I would say it was good.  

A Day With the Family

Today we went to a beach in San Diego called Torey Pines. When we got there, the tide was in and there was really no beach at all. The parking attendant said it was on its way out though, so we decided to stick it out. This is normally a small beach with no dry sand as it is. Surprisingly, it was really nice that the beach was short as we could sit while our kids played and they were right in front of us. The water has warmed up considerably in the last month or so and it was pleasant. I had a lot of fun playing frisbee with my husband. The kids had fun playing in the water, collecting seashells, and playing a little frisbee themselves. It was overcast, but not cold and we all enjoyed it. DH got burnt, but the rest of us are just pleasantly tanned. Overall, a very relaxing and enjoyable time.

Opening Night

Last night my mom and I went to the opening night of "The Merc". Merc is short for mercantile and is a new music hot spot for Temecula. Three different music groups played, all high schoolers. The first one was a guy that played a jazz, rock, blues type tune on his electric guitar and had his computer as a band. Never seen someone perform like that and he was great! He lacked a little stage presence, but I think that will probably come with time as he is more and more exposed to audiences. 

The second group was a 16 year old singer/songwriter and her acoustic guitar guy and electric guitar guy. Her songs were great! Radio worthy writing, really. I was impressed. Her voice could use some training and she needs a good sound guy, but otherwise, very promising. She could submit her songs to some singers and probably have a number one single. 

The third group, complete with dad living through his kids guy running the video camera and setting up sound, was an all male rock band that looked goofy, but when they started playing they were great! They surprised me with their mature sound and the singer had a great voice...was not expecting that. Great music overall for the entire night.

The Merc has a little work to do before they can be great. They served drinks and cookies before the show, which was a little elementary, but then had no drinks (not even water) for the rest of the night. That's a long time to be at a place with no refreshments. They said they are working on getting their food service license. I think putting a coffee house in the front part of the building would boost their attendance big time and they have the room. Maybe I'll call someone. I also think leaving the doors open so people walking by can hear the music would boost attendance. Last night it was mostly the band's family and friends that were there and these bands definitely deserved an audience. No pictures, sorry. I forgot my camera. I did take some with my phone, so if I figure out how to get those onto my blog, I'll post them.