Treasured Family Journeys

My now 14 year old is obsessed with Paris and just France is general.  She dreams of going to France to see the Eiffel Tower and Disneyland Paris (hopefully one day that will happen!) But for now, what better place to celebrate her birthday than Chefs de France in EPCOT? The birthday girl (and actually my husband too) had the lunch combo with Croque Monsieur and French onion soup.  It looked delicious! The portions are extremely generous!  The soup was enough for a meal in and of itself.   I had the vegetable lasagna.  I have had this several times before and I always enjoy it.  Just a warning, don't fill up on the delicious french baguette they bring before your meal because all of the portions we have encountered at this restaurant are very generous.   The prix-fixe menu also includes a dessert of your choice.  I couldn't order a specialty cake for my daughter's birthday since this restaurant is serviced by an outside vendor (as are several othe

The Biltmore Estate is one of the most beautiful places to visit any time of the year.  But right now the tulips are in bloom and it is gorgeous! They also have these displayed near the tulips which goes perfectly with the Dressing Downton exhibit that is currently on tour at the Biltmore! Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times is a traveling exhibition with the premiere stop at the Biltmore Estate.  The exhibition is displayed throughout the house with explanations about how the fashion was applied during the time period and photos of the characters in costume.  Unfortunately, photography is prohibited inside the house.  But don't despair, there is a book complete with photos of the costumes and detailed information on them for sale in the gift shops along with a whole array of Downton delights!!  I picked up two books while I was there.     The fashions of Downton Abbey are on display at the Biltmore from now until May 25th 2015.  

My girls and I just saw this movie today and I can not believe we waited this long to see it!  It was amazing!  The costumes were astonishing!  Can you imagine wearing those beautiful costumes and that carriage, who wouldn't want to ride in it!   We did get to see the carriage while we were at Hollywood Studios over the Easter Holiday.  They even had an oversized replica of one of the glass slippers for you to hold while you took a photo in front of the carriage.  It was beautiful in person! It was fun to see some familiar Downton characters playing different roles in the movie.  Daisy(Sophie McShera) as Drisella was a completely different role.  And Lady Rose (Lily James) was lovely as Cinderella.  Disney really outdid themselves with this one.  I can not wait to see what Disney does with other live action princess movies!! 

We recently saw Harry Connick, JR in concert at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in Nashville,Tennessee. What a treat!  Let me first say, if you have never seen Harry in concert before, put it on your bucket list!  He is such a talented musician and wonderful entertainer (the band is unbelievable too).  It was a wonderful evening and one that I will treasure! We stayed at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville.  It is a very short walk (basically across the street) from TPAC. The hotel has recently been renovated.  The room was a nice size for a downtown hotel.    Huge floor length mirror The bathroom was nicely updated (except the shower seemed to be older) They even provided a little bath pouf (so cute!) We stayed on the club level and it was well worth it!  The food presentations were outstanding!  Before we left for the concert we popped by the lounge and had a whole array of appetizers. The night we were there they had hummus, pita chips, ch