A Chocolate Day

Recently Tuff and I got to tour the Edward Marc (also known as Sherm Edwards) chocolate factory.  We have blogged pictures from the store in the south side but never did we go to where the chocolate is made.  Mark and Meaghan walked us through the process.

Meaghan and I standing by a giant batch of swirling chocolate

Mark explains the chocolate line in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wLZE3VtFGE

Freshly made terrapins and terrapin video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzNBQae6UlA

Mr. Muckle, the new Master Chocolatier, and Mark, General Manager of Pittsburgh Operations/old Master Chocolatier (always the Master Chocolatier in our hearts!).  They are pouring caramel for the terrapins. 

Wall of chocolate molds, including giant chocolate bunny

Mark shows us their oldest chocolate machine

Tuff does a hillarious impersonation of the giant bunny mold

All of us in the cooler!  Tuff forgot to look at the camera.

Overall picture of the factory and chocolatiers

Shipping center

Chocolates to be shipped

They have a store attached to the factory.  The store pictured below is not the same as the store in the south side, which has the Milkshake Factory, but instead has bunches of fun molded chocolates and lots more.

 Some of the chocolate shapes include the giraffe, pictured below.

Handcuffs

Sea shells

Golf balls!

Cake toppers

Adorable monkeys

And finally what would a trip to the chocolate factory be without a . . .

Senior Pic Remake
Please scroll down to view the Senior Pic Remake and the senior pic.

Other than eating lots of chocolate Tuff and I are really enjoying our time in Pittsburgh.  Starting last Friday, Tuff played basketball with the Steelers traveling basketball team.  They have been playing games all over western Pennsylvania since March and just asked Tuff to join in on the fun. 

Warm-ups.  There team name is the Footballers.  And just like the website has Tuff's number wrong, so does the basketball team.  Maybe #37 was meant to be?  Its really #31.

Benched for the first quarter.

Pregame huddle.  Tuff is in there amongst those huge guys.

Our small group came to support Tuff.  They are the best!

Tuff did get a few dunks, including a sweet one arm slam assisted by Ben, but I failed to capture them on camera.  I was having a hard time in the gym getting good pictures.  I have a few videos.  They are from the end of the game; at this point no one is really playing basketball:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNmFIXUXPL8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wLZE3VtFGE