Food, Glorious Food

     It just wouldn't be my blog if I didn't post a few foodie pictures from our trip. As I go back through some of my pictures, I remember every bite. Like most people, I have been trying to eat a little healthier (and get off the pounds from the trip) so my pictures even make me hungry! Enjoy...without the calories!

     We always celebrate Christmas with my dad before we put him on a plane and send him home to my sister's house for Christmas. This was our second year having our celebration meal at Maggiano's Little Italy. This is a chain restaurant and if there is one near you...go there! They serve a family style meal that is such a great value and the food is excellent. There is so much food that the girls take home enough to have at least two more meals. This year we had everything from Chicken Marsala, Salmon and a Bowtie Pasta to Tomato Caprese, Spinach Salad and Creme Brulee...plus another appetizer, entree and dessert. It isn't a meal...it is an event. You can also order off the menu.

One of our favorite places to eat is Tommy Bahama's. 

The food is always interesting and just pretty! 

     My daughter and I shared a couple of appetizers. 

Coconut Crusted Crab Cakes with a slaw and

 Macadamia Nut Encrusted Goat Cheese with Flatbread. Yum. 

My dad had the Blackberry Brandy BBQ Pork Sandwich

My husband had the Blackened Fish Tacos

We all shared the Cinnamon and Sugar Plantains with Salsa

     This year we were able to head to Siesta Key, FL for a night the weekend before Christmas. We actually put my dad on a plane early Saturday morning and then we went to his home (without him) for the night. It is about 2 hours from Orlando. We had a few things we needed to take care of  and I also just wanted to spend a little time "at home" because I hadn't been there in quite a while. It is hard to explain how it felt to walk into my parent's home after over a year. The only way I can describe it is like a warm hug. I'm lucky to have a place to go that still feels like my mom. I slept in her bed, I knew where everything was located and as I walked around, I remembered so much about where she bought each item or who gave her something as a gift. Dad has made a few changes, but it is still home to my sister and me. The one thing I learned as our family moved around is that home is really where your parents live...it doesn't have to be the house you grew up in. I feel blessed that I had a chance to enjoy such a peaceful 24 hours. 

     One of our favorite places to go on Siesta Key, is the Broken Egg for breakfast. So, after having lunch and dinner at ocean front restaurants on Saturday, we headed out for brunch Sunday morning to the Broken Egg. 

This was my breakfast...perfection!

The basics-boring, but good I guess!

Gingerbread pancakes...have you ever seen anything so huge?

Bacon Benedict Florentine...yummy!

     We also had to make one trip to the little sushi place near my daughter's home. My dad wasn't convinced that he wanted sushi, but after eating here he loved it. I've tried it several places since my first experience here on our last visit and this is the best I've found. It is in a strip mall with no atmosphere...but, the sushi chef certainly knows what he is doing!

     The next few pictures aren't very good. It was too dark to see much and even harder with a camera. I wanted to share a few pictures of the new Fantasyland at The Magic Kingdom. It had just opened when we were there and it was so crowded. The drink below is from Gaston's Tavern and is called LeFou's Brew, named after Gaston's sidekick in "Beauty and the Beast". It is apple juice with toasted marshmallow and passion fruit-mango foam. I didn't think it sounded all that good, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

     Walt Disney World's newest castle is located in The New Fantasyland. It is the Beast's Castle and houses the Be Our Guest restaurant. I understand that the interior is amazing, but because it was new and it was Christmas, they would only let people with reservations for dinner inside. 

     Fantasyland is also home to the new Under The Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction. My dad and my husband did this and said it was very cute. My daughter loves it. We could barely see to walk around the area. It was a dark night and it was very crowded. I can't wait to go back in the daylight during an off season. That ends our culinary tour with a few highlights of some of the foods we enjoyed. I guess you can see why I really need to be on a diet when I'm not in Orlando! 

I am joining Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.

Please visit her for some of the best recipes in the Land of Blog!

  

Florida Christmas-The Trees

     I know we have moved past Christmas, but I have a few more pictures that I thought you might enjoy seeing. I don't like to bore you with the same pictures every year after the holidays. I'm sure you have seen one or two of these trees in prior posts, but sometimes they are just so beautiful, I have to take a picture again. I have a real love/hate relationship with Orlando and Disney at Christmas. There are so many people, the traffic is almost unbearable, and yet the decorations...simply stunning. 

Walking into the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the 

tree is framed by beautiful chandeliers.

The trees at the Wilderness Lodge in the main lobby (above)

 and in the villa's lobby were both decorated beautifully. 

It isn't Christmas without a visit to Disney's Hollywood 

Studios to watch the Osborne Lights. 

The white tree inside the Dolphin Hotel...

...and Santa at the Swan Hotel.

Many of the displays are made of gingerbread, 

like this one in the Contemporary Hotel. 

     I couldn't end a Disney post without a little bit of Disney Magic. I haven't seen the movie, Wreck-It Ralph...but, according to my grands and my daughter...it is a great film, cute and has a good message. 

     I want to thank all of you for your prayers for our little friend Luke. The transplant went very well. Now, we wait. According to his mother, they are now waiting for the donor cells to take over. So, continued prayers that all goes well are appreciated. I will keep you posted with his progress. 

This is the Week! Luke Update.

     Many of you have been following along and praying with me for Luke, the young son of our good friends Rick and Jami Johnson. After a recurrence of leukemia, it was decided that Luke would need a bone marrow transplant. An overseas donor was found and over the past few weeks, Luke has been undergoing tests and treatments to prepare him for the transplant. It happens on Saturday! The bone marrow is to arrive around midnight and the process will begin. Above you see Luke in the hospital in St. Louis. The quilt is made of squares created by his kindergarten classmates and sewn with love by one of Jami's  friends. 

     Luke and his family left on Sunday to go to St. Louis, where he and his mom will be living for at least the next 100 days. Luke's dad and his two siblings will be back at home with visits on the weekends as long as no one has so much as a sniffle. What could have been a very difficult trip was made so special by our local and state firefighters, who have really taken an interest in Luke and his story. He had escorts from his house almost all the way as each department came out to show support as he passed through their jurisdiction. There were firemen along the highway, waving and cheering him on. What could have been a very frightening trip for Luke and his family was turned into a very exciting and special memory for this sweet little boy. 

     I can't begin to list all of the ways the community, friends, family and strangers have formed a bond of love around this family. They are blessed with so much support and I have no doubt that when Luke is well, they will pay it forward for the rest of their lives. They are the kind of people who have accepted this situation with such grace that I am in awe of them. Last night, Jami was requesting prayer for the child in the room next to Luke's. She is thinking of others, even though her own world is upside-down. 

     Ultimately, Luke is in God's hands. The next days and weeks are so crucial for him. If you pray, an extra prayer for this sweet child would be appreciated. If you don't, some positive thoughts and good energy would be wonderful too. In all our years of marriage and all of the families and children we have known along our journey, we have never had this kind of medical crisis affect a child we loved. It is so hard to watch his parents worry and to know what things this baby has been through so far, and yet Luke has taught me, my family and this entire community so much about being brave and taking each day one step at a time. 

Go Team Luke!

Tacky,Trashy and So Much Fun!

     It has been a while since I've posted. We had a wonderful Christmas in Florida, my daughter had 6 days off from work so we got to spend lots of time together. We got home and my dad was here for several days and the past few days have been just trying to get back to some kind of normal around here. I have several posts to share with you, but I really wanted my first post of 2013 to be "different" and this one certainly is! 

     One of the best things about having a Disney daughter is that she is always showing us parts of Disney that we don't know about. We were aware of Fort Wilderness, but since camping isn't something I do...we had never been to the campground. The girls arranged for us to have a golf cart and on Christmas Eve, the four of us (with me driving) took the golf cart for a spin around the huge campground at Walt Disney World. My first reaction (after I discovered I would be driving the cart on real roads with cars and buses) was, "I would never stay here"! After we spent a couple of hours driving around, visiting with the campers who were so friendly and seeing the decorations which were beyond extreme...I did have an attitude adjustment. I still don't think I'm a camper, but this environment of people saying "Merry Christmas", kids running up to us, amazing food smells and a general atmosphere of joy and family...well, I certainly wasn't in any hurry to leave. The pictures speak for themselves. We had such a great time that I'm sure this will be a Christmas Eve tradition from now on. 

I hope you all had a very happy holiday season!