Domingos En Familia Con Chevy

So, it's been a few weeks since I posted in Domingos en Familia. Wanna know why? Because while the series sounded like an awesome idea when I got going, Sundays is usually the day where I think it's okay NOT to cook! But, have no fear, mami is here. Family to me means different things. I love Laurie Berkner's song about family because it's true: "when you're in my heart, you're in my family. When I'm in your heart, I'm in your family". This past weekend, I got a splendid chance to add to my family thanks to Mami Innovative Media and Chevy!

I had the opportunity to participate in the Cruze the City Beautiful event and drive around in some great Chevy vehicles. But more than that, I got to hang out with some fantastic women that I can now say I know and love and consider part of la familia.  We went to places that, I'm ashamed to say, I haven't been to either in a very long time or not at all. I hate when I forget what an awesome town I live in.  Of course, now I have some great places to visit with the frog princess.

Those of you that follow me on the Twitter saw picture of the fun that was had.  Here's a rundown of what we did:

We went on the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour (did you know I went to school in Winter Park? Remember that, there might be a quiz later).

Afterwards, we headed to Park Ave for a yummy lunch at Prato Restaurant (someone has GOT to tell me the recipe for that delicious non-creamy dressing on the caesar salad!).

As if that wasn't enough, we got a chance to make chocolate (if lunch wasn't so delicious I would've been good with heading over to Farris & Foster's for a chocolate coma). I fell in love with this place because you can go there to make chocolate with your friends, your significant other and/or your children! And if that wasn't cool enough, they played some funky music while we worked so I was dancing around while creating my fabulous chocolate wonderfulness. How cool is that?

This was followed by a wonderful tour of Harry P. Leu Gardens. Ya'll, the place is amazing.  It gave me a chance to pick the brain of the master gardener, Bob, as to what to do with my backyard.  And we also saw a ton of brides! This is definitely a wedding hotspot here in Orlando.  But, it's also a hotspot for the kids. Why you ask? They have storytime the first Monday of the month which also coincides with their "everyone gets in free" day. Check out their site for specifics.

This felt like a girlfriend's hangout day. You know why? Because when you are around positive women, you end up being drawn into the folds of friendship.  We were allowed to run loose in the city after the garden. Of course, I think the majority of us headed to a mall! At this point, I decided I should do a little driving though I'll admit that it was nice to be chauffeured by the other gals around town. I got to drive the Cruze Eco at that point and really loved the smooth ride. I found it to be very comfortable and the type of car I'd totally trade my SUV in for.  I also felt it would be in line with my mami swagger. Check out the pic below. What do you think?

The one thing I was impressed by with all the vehicles was the roominess. I thought the smaller models wouldn't be comfortable but, even the Sonic, Chevy's newest addition to la familia, was comfortable. Of course, I kinda fell in love with the Volt. It could totally fit a carseat in the back.  I was giddy when I noticed that it had room for 3 chargers!  This is most important when you are hanging out with a bunch of social media junkies.

Of course, all good things must come to an end and so, we headed to dinner at the fantabulous Fogo de Chão. I have been to Texas de Brazil in the past. But, Fogo was divine.  From the stupendous salad bar to their feijoada (which is what I loaded my plate up with).  Their spread is making me hungry just thinking about it.  I took no pics because I was busy stuffing my face. I won't apologize for that.

I'd love to detail out all of the different cuts of meats but, with 20 on the menu, they started piling up on my plate and all I could do was eat as fast as I could which meant that all attempts at remembering what I just had so that I could give you guys details went to hell.  And, because we hadn't had enough dessert throughout the day, I indulged in some serious chocolate molten lava cake situation that had me unbuttoning my jeans under my cool "Cruze the City Beautiful" shirt.

This was a perfect outing and a perfect topic for Domingos en Familia because I feel like I found 2 new families: my Central Florida Bloggers and Chevy.

Next time you are in the area, don't forget to check out these cool places that might not be your usual "tourist" attraction.  And if you get a chance, try to take that Volt for a spin (or the Cruze, or the Sonic or the...you get my drift).

*GM sponsored this tour.  Vehicles were provided for us to ride in and drive.  All meals and entry to the various locations were also provided. The thoughts, opinions and heartburn are all mine, though.