Monthly Archives: August 2017

By now, everyone who has been to Disney or hoping to bring their family to Disney knows one thing with absolute surety… Disney World has AMAZING FOOD!  Not only does Disney World have amazing treats and goodies inside the parks, but they also have some pretty darn incredible restaurants.  In fact, they have so many wonderful restaurants it can be tricky to figure out where you might want to spend a little extra money and dine!

We get asked all the time by family and friends coming in town what are some of our favorite places to eat.  The funny part about this is that when we came to Disney ourselves, we didn’t know that most of these places existed.  We were actually kind of clueless and now that we are blessed enough to live here… we’ve been able to experience some of the amazing dining experiences that we think you guys might like!

Here are our top 7 sit down restaurants in Disney RIGHT NOW.

  1. Yak n Yeti (Animal Kingdom):  This one takes first on our list because we stumbled upon it during our first trip to Disney when Linc was 3.  We were starving and wanting a break to just sit and relax.  I had sort of read about Yak n Yeti but couldn’t remember any of the details of the reviews.  I couldn’t remember if it was just a pop in and hang out restaurant or whether it was fancy.  We didn’t even have a reservation (which I do recommend) but we went on in anyway for an early lunch and boy am I glad we did!  Yak n Yeti is a gorgeous sit down restaurant with pan-asian flavors and culture!  The food is incredible and there is something for everyone to enjoy!  Even our little picky 3 year old chowed down on his lunch and special drink!  Hands down we think this is one of the best places to eat if you are enjoying Animal Kingdom.
  2. Jiko:  The Cooking Place (Animal Kingdom Lodge): We stumbled upon Jiko one night on accident!  Our friends happened to be staying at animal kingdom and we spent the day with them enjoying the pool!  On our way out, Tuck and I thought it would be easier on Linc if we just fed him dinner at the resort than trying to get him home and whip something up.  We actually thought we were heading to the dining service area Boma, but we happened to make the wrong turn and ended up in Animal Kingdom Lodge’s fancy dress code required restaurant (without a reservation).  Jiko is a beautiful restaurant featuring African, Indian and Mediterranean Cuisine along side an open show kitchen and wood burning ovens!  I have to say, we were a little nervous at first since Linc was exhausted and in the phase of “I just want chicken and hummus for dinner”.  We were amazed at how delicious our meal was and even how wonderfully unique and delicious Linc’s pizza was!  There was no pizza left on the plate.  In fact, there was no food left on any plate.  We ended up deciding to splurge and ordered appetizers, entrees and desserts!  This is a great restaurant if you want to have a quiet fancy dinner where there is a bit of flavor for everyone!
  3. Sanaa (Animal Kingdom Lodge):  This is a fantastic lunch spot for the whole family.  We first tried Sanaa with friends of ours on a somewhat rainy day.  The beauty of this restaurant is that you can spend some time hanging out and enjoying the animals at the Animal Kingdom lodge if you have some free time.  There is a beautiful little place right outside where you can see the animals roaming around!  We sat outside for a bit before the rain hit and enjoyed watching the Giraffes eat their lunch and counted the Zebras!  After, we popped right in to Sanaa and enjoyed a delicious and diverse lunch. We started with an amazing bread and dip appetizer of different types of Naan bread and dips!  Linc enjoyed pizza AND chicken and a special dessert where you could paint your own brownie.  Tuck and I both had the burger and I will tell you, it’s the best burger I’ve ever had in my entire life.  I still CRAVE that burger and the sauce on the bun!  If you have some downtime or want to just relax and enjoy a nice long lunch, Tuck and I definitely feel like this is the place for you!
  4. The Wave (Contemporary Resort):  Hands down friends this is our favorite place to eat for breakfast!  We’ve been there on several occasions:  before heading to the park with friends, for birthday breakfasts, Father’s day and we also took my parents here when they came to visit!  The breakfast buffet at The Wave is AHHMAZING!  I’am not a breakfast fan but anytime we have plans to eat at the Wave I can hardly contain myself.  I’m like a kid of Christmas morning!  They have all the breakfast favorites you can think of and of course it’s all you can eat.  I’m talking about Key Lime Eggs Benedict, Sweet Potato silver dollar pancakes, Mickey waffles, Lox, mini Quiche, hashbrowns that you just can’t ignore and of course GRITS!  The best grits I’ve ever eaten in my life and that’s saying something!  It’s the perfect breakfast place before heading off to the Magic Kingdom if you want something a little more formal.  When I say formal, I don’t mean dressing up.  I just mean if you want somewhere to sit and pig out with your family without being bombarded or rushed!  Oh my gosh you guys, now I want to go there this weekend for brunch!
  5. California Grill (Top of Contemporary Resort):  We saved this one for last because it’s just incredibly special!  There is no place on earth like the California Grill!  You will absolutely need reservations and it is super fancy.  This is a great place to celebrate an anniversary or birthday!  It’s just a great place for special occasions.  Located on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort, the entire side is nothing by windows overlooking the Magic Kingdom!  The food is amazing whether you choose just appetizers or an entire main course.  It’s fresh and seasonal and cooked to perfection.  But the best part about the California Grill?!!!  Try and go in the evening when the fireworks are going to go off.  They dim the lights and set the scene by playing the magical music throughout the restaurant that is timed to Magic Kingdom fireworks.  You truly get a front row sensational view that is unrivaled.  I was like a little kid with my forehead pressed against the window pane as we watched the firework show during our dinner!
  6. T-Rex (Disney Springs):  This is big time fun for dino lovers in the family!  When you walk in you are transported to a time where dinosaurs ruled!  It’s visually stunning and you get a show while you eat!  By show I mean the dinosaurs come to life, the weather patterns change and the restaurant comes alive.  We stepped in for lunch one day to take a break from the heat!  Linc loves dinosaurs so we thought hey, win/win!  We were super surprised when not only was it entertaining, it was delicious!  We all ate every bit of food on our tremendous plates (the portions are very generous).  After we went over to explore the Paleo Zone where you can get in and dig for dinosaur bones and pan for treasures.  Linc was in heaven!
  7. Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar (Disney Springs):  If you are an Indian Jones fan you better RUN to Disney Springs to check out the very incredible and true to the movie 1940’s Hangar Bar!  They serve delicious drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic (I LOVE Teddy’s Tea).  They have a small selection of appetizers that are delicious and leave you licking the plate!  It’s the perfect place to hang out and grab a drink!

So far these are the restaurants we have visited and LOVED here at Disney and I mean LOVED!  We still have many that we want to try:  Paddlefish, Flying Fish, Beaches and Cream Soda Shop, and Sci-Fi Dine in Theater just to name a few!  And guys… these are just the sit down restaurants!  I can’t wait to share with you our favorite quick service restaurants and stop in treat shops!  There is just too many for us to name!!

One thing is for certain, don’t just be prepared for magic when you visit Disney, be prepared for amazing meals and bring your appetite!

If you’ve visited here, what are some of your favorite restaurants?!  Did we miss any that we should absolutely go and visit ASAP?!!!

our top sit down places to eat in Disney World!

 

Filed in:A Disney Life for Me | Disney SeriesTagged in: | | | | | | | | | |
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Lately I’ve been reading a lot of amazing books and those books have me reflecting on WHY no matter what is going on our lives, or how many times I say to heck with this photography as a business thing it’s just not “working out” , I seem to always find my way back to my camera.  It’s something that creeps into my heart and has a forever place.  No matter how many times I wonder out loud… why am I still doing this… in my heart I know exactly why.  It’s not for the masses.  It’s not for the instagram likes or followers.  It’s not to gain more notoriety or have others want to learn all my tricks.  It’s not for all the bookings or clients or e mail subscribers.

I continue to come back to my camera for him.  I continue to seek out all that I can learn because I know that one day he will need to see the magic he was born with!  I choose to pick up my camera because I want him to know how crazy beautiful he is and how crazy messy life can be!  I want him to see that there is magic in the moments that aren’t perfect!  I want him to know that his every day life was incredible just because his own light shines bright and he is in the world.

I want him to know that he mattered in every season of life and that no matter the ups or downs, there is beauty in every emotion.

I want him to understand how we love and man do we love with a raw grace and imperfection!

I continue to find my way to my camera so that one day, when he is grown up with his own family, he can remember the wild, crazy, adventurous little boy that stole many hearts!   I want him to be able to pick up one of our many family albums (with cracked leather and worn pages)  and find his way back to the boy with the big imagination and big dreams!

I take heart in knowing that one day when he is old and gray, he will be able to remember just how his little hands fit into mine!  He will remember how my hair was always in a tinkerbell bun and how my feet were always bare, with no shoes while we walked hand in hand!

He will look back on his childhood albums and hear my laughter in his memory!  He will see his father’s strength in his gentle playfulness!  He will see our weary smiles as we slept with him in the “big bed” and kept watch over him through the night.  I continue to capture images so that he might remember the little things like the romantic picnics in the middle of the living room floor or the tender moments where we nursed a cut or scrape.  I come back because I want him to feel every bear hug and ugga mugga!

I come back to my camera because every child deserves to see themselves in the love light that their parents hold them!

We get one chance as mothers and fathers and we pray every day that we are doing right by our children~!  We pray that we are sending them off into their adult lives with good hearts and with love and light.  I breathe in deeply and hold fast in my heart that when I pick up my camera, I am helping these mothers and fathers that bravely stand in front of my camera show their children that no matter what was going on in the world at that moment, they were loved so hard!  That they had adventurous journeys, they had fairies and pirates and lost boys.  That they had magic and whimsy and laughter!

At the end of the day the only thing that will ever matter is how we loved and were loved.  That’s the legacy we leave behind and I want my son (and all the son’s and daughter’s) to be able to SEE  and always FEEL that love.

I want them to pick up these images and remember the child they once were and more importantly remember their parents in those moments and be able to connect with them on a different level!  A level of understanding and appreciation.

I want my grown up son to be able to pick up an image of the little boy he used to be:  wild, silly, fiery, stubborn, imaginative and rambunctious and come back “home” to those traits with his own children.

I don’t take photos for just for me…I take them for us (all of us).

I take them so that we can all see the magic!  The magic in childhood, in loving each other and in the every day!

 

 

 

 

 

Filed in:Personal | Real Is Better Than Perfect SeriesTagged in: | | | | | | | | | | |
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If there is anything that I believe in with all of my heart, especially as a mother… it’s that every single family deserves beautiful, FUN, and authentically true images of their family!  Images that they can look back on in one year, five years, ten years and then twenty years to remember that season of life!  Images that are true to who they are one hundred percent, images that capture their own special magic, and most importantly images that make you FEEL how much love there is in those bonds of parent and child/husband and wife/brother sister!

These days, everyone has a great camera and we all click away trying desperately to freeze these moments in time.  We use any means we can to capture our stories and our legacies and it makes my heart so happy!  Our moments need to be captured!  These moments, especially with young children are so fleeting and it is my hope that you are chasing every single smile, laugh, canon ball and adventure!

Sometimes though, we can’t always catch the moments on our own!  We all need a little help every now and then and so it’s my sincere hope that families are able to hire a professional photographer at least once a year!  I know for many it can seem like a lavish or unnecessary expense:  I have a good camera and I’m doing a great job on my own.  Why do I need to hire someone to take pictures of my family?!  Believe me, I thought that way too for a long time, until I finally corralled my family out to the beach for our own photo session.  There are so many benefits and reasons why you need to hire a professional family photographer and I want to share 7 of my top reasons with you!

  1. Every family member needs to be present!  When you hire a professional photographer, whomever the resident “photo taker’ of the house gets to finally be present in the images!  As the mom and the photographer of my own little family,  I have a million images of my son and my husband and son.  I’m never able to be IN the images because I’m responsible for documenting our moments.  It’s important for everyone to be present.   Years from now we will look back at all the adventures we captured and realize that our story is living and breathing in these images.  I want to be a part of that!  Even though I may not LOVE being in front of the camera because I feel my place is behind the camera, I know that it’s important for me to be captured as well!  Years from now my son will look back on these images and remember me.  He will see all the small details that make up his mother.  He will see how we were together, all of us, as a family and carry that with him wherever he goes.  This is probably the single most important reason why it’s important to have a professional photographer capture your family!  Everyone needs to be in the image!
  2. A professional photographer comes with education, experience and professional equipment!  These images WILL be beautiful!  They will be crisp and clear and have a certain style to them that you have researched and found fits your family.  As a professional photographer, I have spend countless hours on education and technique so that each one of the families that sits before me has the best quality images I can give them.  Your photographer will know which light is the best for your family!  They will have control over their cameras so that they can photograph you in any situation that might arise.  They have the best lenses in order to give you variety and depth in what you see.  Most importantly, professional photographers know how to shoot an image with a composition that is meant to be displayed as art in your home!
  3. A professional photographer can rally your family!  It’s important for you to enjoy your family!  It’s important to have images that are authentic and FUN!  A professional photographer will be able to take the stress out of the “annual family photo” by allowing you to just be mom for a little while. One of my favorite things to say to a client before we meet is that this session should and will be fun.  It should feel like a special evening out where you don’t have to worry about anything except playing with your child!  A professional family photographer should be skilled enough and have tricks up their sleeve to make your time together exciting and adventurous for every person involved!  As a mom myself, one thing I adore about having my own family images taken by a professional photographer is that I don’t have to worry about “getting the shot”.  I don’t have to worry about a tantrum or whether or not my son is smiling or running away!  I know that as a professional photographer they have that covered!  I can finally just be present in the moment with my family and not have to think five steps ahead every second!  I can be joyful, relaxed and playful!
  4. A professional photographer will see your family in the most beautiful way!  When you find someone that you truly trust to capture your family you should know that they will see your family in a different light than you!  As a parent, sometimes we are “too close” to our subjects.  We can be affected by the days events or whatever might be going on in our daily lives at the moment.  A professional photographer will view you and your family in a clean, bright love light!  They will see you in a way that is fresh and beautiful and as a result will capture images that are also endearing, raw and beautiful!  A professional photographer won’t see the flaws you think you might have, they won’t see the battles that went on to get everyone in the car and to the location.  They won’t feel the frustration or lack of patience.  They will see you in the most beautiful love light that you might not even know how to see yourself and as a result of that new perspective, those images that unfold will touch your heart in a way that can’t be described in words!
  5. A professional photographer will have a keen attention to detail!   As a photographer with education and experience under my belt, I can tell you that we see everything!  We are noticing everything around and take in the entire scene.  Each shot is perfectly intentional so that you receive a clean and beautiful image without distractions!  We notice if your hair is out of place and we will fix that!  We will know where the gorgeous light is shining and we will move you in that light so that your unique features truly shine.  We can make a crowded space feel as if you were the only ones present! We are able to give you consistent images that have been handled with the most critical care!  We take care of all the little things so that you can just enjoy these moments together!
  6. A professional photographer will be able to capture the candid moments and help you tell your story:  Everyone loves a great posed image.  It’s important to have that one great shot every year where everyone is looking at the camera and happy and joyful.  However, we aren’t always smiling and looking at the camera.  We are living and breathing and interacting and having our own adventures.  It’s in these candid moments that we truly tell the world who we are!  It’s in these candid moments that our story can shine!  A professional family photographer is able to see these moments as they are happening.  They can anticipate a moment and freeze it in time for you to see for years to come.  These are the images that show you just how you love!  These are the images that will live long after the years.  These are the moments that we don’t ever get to see ourselves and when we do… they steal our breath!
  7. A professional photographer understands and values photography in a way that truly celebrates every day life!  Most families will hire a professional photographer for the Christmas card photo but true photographers understand the need to document the every day life.  The real life verses the “celebration/special occasion” moments.  These are the moments where we aren’t in our Sunday best and gosh we may not even be on our best behavior.  These are the moments that bring light to who we are when we are alone with each other, left just to love and nurture and care for one another.  These are the moments where our legacy truly lives!

I could go on and on but to me, these are some of the most important reasons why you need to hire a professional family photographer!  These are the reasons that I hire a family photographer to capture our little family of 3 each year.  We can capture so many beautiful moments on our own and we have the ability to tell our story in a way that no one else can.  But, sometimes we just need someone else to step in and show us just how amazing we are when we are living life in the moment.  Sometimes we need a professional photographer to capture us just doing our thing:  being a parent, a wife, a husband, or just loving someone!

Time is fast!  It is like a speeding train that just won’t quit.  Our children grow like weeds and although sometimes the days feel so incredibly long the years we have with them are going to be way too short!  Photographs are what keeps these moments fresh.  Photographers give our fleeting moments life and sustainability!  They give us a gift that can’t be replaced and that’s the ability to visit our lives at any given season or stage and feel the flood of all the emotions and memories rush back into our hearts.

We can’t stop time but we can freeze it.  That’s an investment that is worth every penny!

 

Filed in:For Moms | Photography | Real Is Better Than Perfect Series | Tips and TricksTagged in: | | | | | | | | | | | |
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