Weekend in Temecula

Our weekend started with a pool party. It was my nephew, Jeremy's, 7th birthday and his parents threw him a pool party. They even rented a water slide! The weather was still quite cool and so we had to start the party at noon when the sun was at its brightest otherwise it was too chilly for the kids to go swimming!

Here's Maddie landing in the pool and after splashing everyone! The kids had an awesome time. The adults did too even if we just sat by the patio, eating and chatting, while watching the kids hoot and holler in the water!

There was also a pool set up where the kids could play. It was a great day for a swimming party.

We left Jeremy's party a little after two. We were on our way to Temecula when we stopped at the Lake Elsinore premium outlets. What is an out-of-town trip without a quick stop at the outlet mall? I stocked up on a few things at Bath and Body Works. We bought a belated birthday present for Jeremy. Jojo was debating on getting a pair of leather shoes at Bass while I found a great pair of shoes at Naturalizer ($40.00 for a really nice pair of high-heeled pumps - 50% off!).

The whole reason we were spending the weekend in Temecula was to watch the stand-up comedy performance of Ray Romano and Brad Garrett at the Pechanga Casino and Resort. I have been looking forward to this show for about a month! After checking in at a nearby hotel, we had a quick dinner at the Pechanga food court and headed to the theater to find our seats.

Jojo and I had great seats. Here we are taking pictures of ourselves before the show started.

The entire show lasted about an hour and forty minutes. Jojo and I (and the entire audience) were laughing the entire time. There were times when I laughed so hard, my jaw started to hurt and tears rolled down my cheeks. It is an understatement to say "it was truly a great evening". The show ended with Ray Romano and Brad Garrett coming on stage to answer a few questions from the audience. Also, they showed some never-before-seen clips of their hit tv show "Everybody Loves Raymond".

The next day (Sunday) we walked over to Old Town Temecula which was exactly an 8-minute walk from out hotel. We've been to Old Town before and enjoy the atmosphere there. It was a gorgeous day! The sun was out but it was not too sunny (just the perfect degree of brightness for someone like me who doesn't care too much for sunshine!). The temps were very cool (upper sixties) and so the walk was pleasant. Old Town Temecula is made up of several streets lined with quaint shops, coffee houses and restaurants. We browsed some of our favorites like the gourmet cheese shop, the lavender store (which smells just divine!), the beautifully decorated boutique that sells gorgeous Christmas decors (where my mom bought me gorgeous tree ornaments the last time we visited), and my dad's favorite the Rootbeer shop (which sells every imaginable variety and brand of rootbeer).

Of course we had to stop at the Temecula Olive Oil Company. This is one of my mom's favorite gourmet shops. They make a variety of wonderfully fresh olive oils. It is so fresh that they actually have an olive oil tasting bar. I know it sounds kinda gross to be sipping olive oil - but theirs has such a wonderful, buttery taste. They also have a variety of other delicious products like spreads, vinegars, herb blends, sea salts, olives and more.

The goods at the Olive Oil Company are a bit pricey but definitely a luxury that is so worth it! After a lot of tasting and with the recommendation of the super friendly staff, we ended up buying two kinds of spreads. An asiago, parmesan, garlic spread that sounds as good as it tastes (it is wonderful with hot, crusty bread!). And a caramelized red onion and fig spread that we plan to slather over grilled fish or chicken. We also got ourselves olive oil and balsamic vinegar (not in the picture). In addition to our splurges, we got mom's birthday present - an assortment of the four varieties of the 2010 olive oil harvest - Olivum (original flavor), Roasted Garlic, Fresh Basil and Citrus Reserve. We're sending this via balikbayan box and it may get to Manila a few weeks after your birthday, Mom - but know that it's coming!