Wednesday, December 15, 2010

When Life Gives You Lemons...


This week Scott and I had to go to Orlando for two days of tests.  We thought about driving back and forth, but the first appt was at 6:45am, so instead of driving and hour and a half, my thought was "HOTEL"... so we booked a room near the medical center for two nights, and decided to turn it into a mini-vacation.

Orlando... sometimes I don't give that town any credit other than a town built around Disney.  We rarely drive past the Disney exits... we enter that magical area... and as they so cleverly designed it, we never have to leave.  The memories of my kids growing up going there year after year, many times a year (season pass) have made life all the richer.

So... now we were venturing into Orlando, the city. Our hotel, of course, was near another theme park... Sea World.  All the hotels are so themed, so we were treated to a 1950's style hotel with aquas and yellows and polka dots.  It was really cute.  Big flatscreen TV's were everywhere, with very calming videos of sea creatures swimming slowly by.  Here is the pool area... told you everything in this town is themed...

The first night, as we parked in the lot, we were treated to the Sea World nightly fireworks show just over the fence.

I did some research before we left, and did I have a surprise for Scott.  The first night we drove to Winter Park (a suburb) and went to a restaurant called The Paris Bistro on Park Avenue.... need I say more?  It was FABULOUS.  I ordered Bistro Salad and Cunard Aux Peches (although I chose the cherry sauce), and Scott ordered Onion Soup and Lapin Aux Pruneaux.  Both dishes were fantastic.  I was too embarrassed to take a picture of our food like I do in Paris, but I have to say, the meal was as good as anything we've had there.  Here are a few shots I took from outside the restaurant...


You walked along here to the restaurant entrance.





If you look closely, you can see the red velvet banquets, and the gold and red toile wall paper... tres chic!  If you are ever in Orlando... be sure to give this place a try. It is in the middle of a very upscale shopping area.

Speaking of shopping... it's not my favorite thing to do, especially malls... but the following day, it was so blasted cold (seriously...it was 25 degrees that morning) that we decided to try out Mall of Millenia after his appt that morning. 


 As far as malls go, this one is TOPS.  It's really open and airy and beautiful... pristine bathrooms and public areas, and the most whimsical Christmas decorations I've ever seen.  Scott allowed me to shop for my Christmas presents from him, so that did make it a little tolerable.  Yes, there was a Louis Vuitton store, and I swear that man would have sprung for one, but I had set a budget for Christmas, which was light years from the price of that purse, but it was absolutely gorgeous in person and so sleek to the hand!

Even though Scott would have bought it, I am the sensible one, and instead chose this little number...




 The Cuisinart Griddler. As you can see, it can be a panini press, a half grill/half griddle, or full grill/full griddle... and bonus, the heating plates go in the dishwasher!

We leisurely walked the mall, stopped for coffee and walked again.  For dinner we went to Brio Tuscan Grille... we weren't expecting much for a mall restaurant, but we were blown away by the food.  Again, a meal we will remember.  I had crab and shrimp cakes, and Scott had grilled salmon over angel hair pasta.  YUM.

So we had a wonderful few days of eating and shopping.  A time that could have been depressing and ugly, was actually a lot of fun. Hope you've enjoyed this impromptu tour of Orlando.

To coin a phrase... when Life Gives you Lemons...

12 comments:

Simply Debbie said...

MY DEAR TERI AND SCOTT,
I AM SOOOOOOOO VERY SORRY ABOUT THE REOCCURENCE OF that cancer that never fights fair...
BUT...YOU ARE BIGGER, WISER, AND FULL OF LOVE....than cancer is.
I WAS OVERCOME WITH TEARS WHEN I READ YOUR POST ABOUT THE BRIDGE AND THE LOCK. WHEN I SAW YOUR LOCK AMONG SO MANY OTHERS, IT WAS JUST A SPIRITUAL TIME AND I SAW HOPE...HOPE...HOPE....NEVER GIVE UP THE FIGHT BECAUSE PRAYER, LOVE, MIRACLES AND SHEER WILL OF DETERMINATION KEEPS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM UP.
IT IS WONDERFUL YOU DID SUCH SPECIAL THINGS IN BETWEEN DOING TESTS....THE LOVE WILL BE REMEMBERED MORE THAN THE TESTS.
I THOUGHT TERI IT SAID YOU BOTH WERE HAVING TESTS.....ARE YOU OKAY.....
I WILL ADD SCOTT BACK ON TO MY PRAYER LIST IF YOU WOULD LIKE
STAY STRONG MY FRIENDS AND WHEN YOU ARE NOT LEAN ON FRIENDS AND FAMILY, WHO LOVE AND CARE ABOUT YOU.
HUGS
SIMPLY DEBBIE

TeriGigi/Girl Meets Paris said...

Thanks for praying Debbie. It is only Scott, not me.

(((hugs)))

Kori said...

Praying for you...great post and photos are gorgeous. I hope you and your family have a very blessed Christmas. Kori xoxo

myletterstoemily said...

oh dear, i think you may have made a BIG
mistake! the vuitton bag is so buttery
gorgeous.

oh well, you slather a lot of butter on your
paninis.

keeping scott in my prayers.

love,
lea

Cathi said...

What a wonderful getaway for you and Scott, Teri despite the circumstances. When life gives you lemons, indeed - you definitely know how to celebrate each day!! Sending my love to your family! Enjoy the season! xxoo :)

A Tale of Two Cities said...

I'm glad, my friend, that you were able to have a delightful stay in Orlando in spite of Scott's tests. Praying that the results will be good news! I'm thinking that grill could be a lot of fun....

Happy Holidays,
Debi

Jenny said...

Lemonade at Christmas time....what a good idea. I am praying for y'all and making some lemonade over here myself...I am so encouraged that you and Scott both make the most of these situations, though you are not trying to be you are an inspiration. Blessings to you this Christmas time.

Dawn said...

I love how you turned a "not very fun trip" into a "very fun trip"...you encourage me, and you and your sweet husband are in my prayers...xoxo
Merry Christmas!

Lea @ CiCis Corner said...

I just saw your comment on another blog and loved the name of your blog and decided to wander over and check it out. So enjoyed my visit!

My best friend since 8th grade lives in Orlando, so I've been there many times. I do love the Mall of Millenia!

I've been to Winter Park too but not that particular restaurant, but will make a note of that for next time.

Christmas blessings to you!

Faded Plains said...

I love that you guys are making the best of the trip...sending lots of well wishes and prayers.

Mya said...

My sister lived in Orlando for maybe 40 years at least, until her husband retired from his vet practice.
Over the years we saw Orlando change from a pretty city built around lakes, to the megatropolis that it is today. Both sizes have their advantages. Orlando comes close to having everything that one can imagine. Winter Park is a beautiful little village, and they have great art festivals.
I am glad that you had some time to visit the city, and that you both enjoyed yourselves.
The grill/press looks very interesting. We expect a cooking/grilling/pressing video before too long.

Vava (aka Virginia) said...

Terri - you make the best lemonade of anyone I know!!!! Love this post! xoxo

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