The Veronicas

Okay, So, I’m Not Dead…

Hello blogging world and anybody who actually reads this. School is out for the summer (cue Alice Cooper), and here I am, without a life. This means blogs are heading your way. Being a ‘mini wrapper,’ my blogs are by no means as grown up or intellectual as the other blogs, but hey, I’m 15. What do you expect?

Rascal Flatts-wise, it’s been going well. They do love their chocolate. And let’s just say that we found another band that loves the chocolate just as much.

The Veronicas. Heard of them? You have now. They’re a mix of pop with guitar riffs and electro beats. It’s hard to categorize them. Let’s leave it at ‘amazing.’

I’ve been a fan of them for three to four years or something to that extent. They’ve only recently made their name in America, but they have a huge following in Australia. I’ve seen them three times in concert since they decided to come back to the mainland, and each time, I’ve been impressed. They have a lot of energy, their band interacts with the audience, and gosh, they are tiny. They’ve got to be my height, maybe shorter.

The last time I saw them, May 10th of this year, we decided to go Rascal Flatts on them and design them Hershey bars for their Revenge Is Sweeter Tour, because nothing says sweet like Hershey bars (it’s cheesy, but you love it). I was a bit worried about their reactions because their pretty much the opposite of RF. Rascal Flatts are your American country band. The Veronicas are twin sisters from Australia, and they’re 10 or so years younger than any Flatt guy. But their reactions were priceless. They’re so cute, and they remembered me from previous shows. I love them. :]

Expect more blogs, by the way. We all know that chocolate is going to somehow tie into everything I do with my parents.

- Ellis

Hershey & Rascal Flatts

Well the moon and the stars have finally aligned for my daughter Ellis, and Hershey and Rascal Flatts have joined forces..

If you follow this blog even a little, you know that Ellis is a Rascal Flatts fanatic and follows their every move.  Well, The Hershey Company keeps our whole family happy, so this new promotion combining both of them is almost too good to be true.  If somehow she could get Rascal Flatts to our neighborhood, I don't think she would ever let them leave.

Make sure to visit this link so you can sign up early and often.. I know Ellis will!

Roller Derby-itis

When an outing to attend a Cincinnati Rollergirls game was suggested recently, images of bad 1970’s Raquel Welch films flashed across the windshield of my mind and I automatically jerked the wheel to avoid the entertainment train wreck I thought I saw coming. But after an open-minded perusal of a game program where tongue-in-cheek aliases such as June with a Cleaver and Mae C. Stars labeled photographic expressions ranging from snarling grimaces to feigned angelic innocence, I knew I had erred on the side of snobbery. 

And so we went, eight intrepid game goers, knowing not what the evening held in store but exhibiting blind trust in Michelle the Instigator (who was suspiciously absent this night, but that's another story.)  In fact, we all were first timers but Bob; and he patiently endured the onslaught of questions that were pelted at him while we grappled with understanding the game.

 

Roller Derby is a blast, completely and absolutely. The campy appeal of the game atmosphere, the players’ obvious hunger to sack the competition, and the small venue all combine to make this sport a bawdy adventure that would appeal to anyone with half a sense of humor and even a slight propensity toward boisterousness.

 

There's already been a second outing for our group, and the third is around the corner. If you have Roller Derby in your city, round up your kids, a group of rowdy friends and anybody else who likes to cut loose and support your local team.  You won't be sorry. 

Memorable June Occasions

Happy June anniversary and mini more to:
 

Sweet Deal

Chocolate Bailout!

With everyone else in the country getting a Bailout, have you gotten yours ??  Me neither..

But here is our chance for sweet revenge...FREE CHOCOLATE

That's right...Mars has launched  “a massive effort (that) aims to spread joy across America by giving away as many as 7 million full-size packages of Mars chocolate.”   Every Friday through the end of September, you stand a chance of getting a free chocolate bar or candy because of the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act.

Who said Recessions weren't sweet!

Memorable May Occasions

May Day! May Day! Anniversary wishes for:

Look who's pretty as a present for our May birthdays!

Scientists Unveil Chocolate-Fueled Race Car

If you didn't catch this sweet news, you are going to want to read it. Chocolate not only makes the world go around, it can also make your car go as well. Can you just imagine pulling up to the "chocolate station" to fill er up! No more gas fumes and smog in our cities, only the sweet smell of chocolate in the air.

Talk about the world being one big Candyland ...............

http://www.physorg.com/news160755240.html

Charm City Surprise

In October I became a member of the 40 and over club. So far, I am not too bothered by the accomplishment.

Sharon, the girls and I are "Foodies" and not only love to eat good food, but we find ourselves often watching the Food Network. One of our favorite shows is Ace of Cakes, which is a reality show about a bakery in Baltimore that creates some of the most amazing, one-of-a-kind cakes you will ever see.

Well, for my Big 4-0, my girls and Sharon wrote to the fine folks at Charm City Cakes and gave them probably way to much information about me so that they could create a special birthday cake to celebrate this event.  See Sharon's article "Ace of Birthdays" for her perspective of the event. 

Since Hershey, Pa. is only about 90 miles from Baltimore, we decided to make this "Birthday Trip" a doubleheader and have fun at both places. We flew into Harrisburg, Pa. which is actually one of the nicest, easiest airports I have ever been. We proceeded directly to Hershey, and went to East Chocolate Avenue to visit Jennifer Krahling, and the customer service team there that helps us make sure we have plenty of Hershey's Chocolate on hand for our customers. They were very gracious; and we told them all about our trip to Baltimore.

The leaves were in all of their Fall splendor and the drive to Baltimore was absolutely beautiful. We had never been there before and stayed at the Henderson's Wharf Inn .  It was very comfortable, and we were able to walk to shops and restaurants close by. We even saw the famous Domino Sugar sign. Baltimore is definitely a city I want to spend more time in some day.

The next morning we proceeded to Charm City Cakes for our scheduled pick up of my "surprise" cake. It was just so cool to see the building and the people we have watched on the show for the last few years, and they were extremely nice. Chef Duff and Geoff were in California so we did not get to meet them. But Mary Alice was there; and the girls were very happy to find out that Elena was the one who made my special birthday cake.

So I know what you are thinking: tell me about the cake already will you! OK, I will.

The cake was Bananas Foster flavored, and a Willy Wonka themed creation, with me sitting on top dressed in--you guessed it--Willy Wonka garb. Scattered around the cake were custom Hershey's miniatures (made out of gum paste so that we can keep them forever) basically detailing the favorite things in my life. From my wife and daughters to my cats and hobbies, they were all there on custom Hershey's miniatures bars. It was truly wonderful and something I will always cherish.

We left Baltimore and headed back to Hershey Pa. where we checked into the Hershey Hotel. We stayed in the Hugs and Kisses Suite, and ate cake for 3 meals a day for the rest of our stay. My girls thought the world had turned upside down because we let them eat cake whenever they wanted.

A wonderful trip, and a wonderful 40th birthday.

Ace of Birthdays

Have you heard about Ace of Cakes? Chase, our youngest daughter, is a huge fan. She loves the cooking channels and found this show to be one of the coolest. Chef Duff is the creative genius behind a unique cake shop, Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, Maryland. The show, Ace of Cakes, is a 30 minute recap of the concoctions made during a week. They've created cakes that are replicas of baseball and football stadiums.  My personal favorite is a cake made for the touring Broadway cast of Avenue Q but the life-size guitars are awesome too.

Scott's 40th Birthday was in October and as a special treat, the girls and I had a cake made by Charm City Cakes. Scott is our Willy Wonka so he is sitting on a throne on top of the cake. Of course, we had to have wrapped Hershey's bars so we sent a list of Scott's favorite things--eBay, Starbucks, our cats Coco and Mocha, etc--and those became the wrappers. Scott was speechless, literally. The creativity was inspiring.

The Birthday Boy himself wrote a wonderful article about this event from his point of view. For his full account, please see "Charm City Surprise". 

Save One For Yourself!

Customer Service, I never could have imagined what a hit your candy bars would have been.  Everyone loved them.  Matter of fact they loved them so much there wasn't even one left on any of the tables at the end of the night.  Unfortunately Peter and I didn't get ours, someone took them too.  Anyway just letting you know everyone loved them and I would recommend them to everyone for any occasion. Thanks again for the GREAT job on the wrappers!" - Joyce and Peter B.

CARSON wrappedhersheys.com was thrilled to be a part of Joyce and Peter's special day and so pleased to receive this photo. Shame on those naughty guests for taking every last Hershey's bar... but not to worry, CARSON sent a couple of keepsake wrappers out to the happy couple.