![\"P9053299\"](\"http:\/\/mixhart.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/P90532991.jpg\")
<\/a>If you follow this blog, you’ll know that my daughters and I are big fans of the television show Once Upon a Time<\/em>. My nieces are also fans. I like Once…<\/em> because the acting is superb, the writing interesting (the story is dramatic fantasy, full of twists and turns), and because it’s a feminist show\u2014the women are the main characters and they’re multidimensional.<\/p>\n *The above 3 pics are taken by either Miranda Hart or me. I can’t be sure who took which one as our pics are so similar.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n My youngest daughter, Pippi, has been a huge fan of Lana Parrilla (Regina, the evil queen) since she started watching the show over a year ago. She dresses up as Regina (the evil queen) or Regina Mills, the mayor of Storybrooke, when she plays pretend with her cousin Artemis (a huge fan of the show too). Also, Pippi was Regina Mills, Mayor of Storybrooke, Maine, for Halloween.<\/p>\n This spring, I took my girls to Stevenston, BC <\/a>for a tour of Storybrooke, to encourage their interest in the dramatic arts (who am I kidding, it’s because we all love the show!) and also because Stevenston is the most quaint\/picturesque little West Coast community ever!<\/p>\n Pippi is a huge fan of Lana Parrilla. Pippi wants to be an actor when she grows up (as well as a wildlife biologist). Lana is Pippi’s acting mentor, Regina her favourite fictional character and Once Upon A time her favourite television show. Pippi has a replica of Regina’s skull necklace as well as a fake “heart” (as Regina collects hearts) and a giant poster of Lana Parrilla on her bedroom wall.<\/p>\n How the universe conspired to bring Lana Parrilla to our doorstep, I’ll never know\u2014but it happened. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Lana Parrilla came to Kelowna to serve gelato at a friend’s Italian bistro this long Labour Day weekend and Pippi, Tabby, along with their cousins, Nem and Artemis, and\u00a0Tabby’s best buddy Makaila, were there to meet her.<\/p>\n What kid has their biggest celebrity mentor show up in their home town? And to make the circumstance even more wonderful, Lana spotted Pippi and Artemis (dressed as Mini Reginas) right away and stopped to point to them, smile, hold her hands to her chest in humbleness and then give them a big thumbs up.<\/p>\n Lana was very sweet to the girls as she served them gelato and chatted with them. She is as flawless in person as she appears on television. I thank Lana Parrilla and Sandro of Il Tavolino Italian Bistro for giving my girls a wonderful day.<\/p>\n We’re looking forward to watching season 5 of Once Upon A Time<\/em>\u00a0at our house and also trying some more delicious Italian treats at Il Tavolino Italian Bistro<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Sometimes I think my kids live in a world as magical as The Enchanted Forest.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>Who knew going for gelato could be so magical?<\/h4>\n
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