Les Miserables: A Mother-Daughter Date

I found this picture on google images and just added the Paris 2013.

The day she turned six years old, Mikaela asked me if I would take her to Paris for her birthday.  I told her that 6 was much too young to appreciate that city and (pinkie) promised her that when she turned 13, we would go together.  (Truth be told, I never thought she would remember.)   Well, if there is one thing I can say about my daughter, it's that when she gets an idea in her head, it's lock and loaded and she never lets it go.  Needless to say, our trip to Paris is no exception.  For the past six and a half years, Mikaela has been reminding me incessantly...and at first counting down the number of years and then more recently, counting down the number of months, until we venture to the "City of Love."

Mikaela at 12...just one more year till Paris.

We will be going...most likely this Fall, after I find a really good deal on airfare and lodging (the City of Love est très coûteux--is VERY expensive).  In the meantime, I thought it might be fun to take her to see Les Miserables.  So today, we had a mother-daughter date at the movies.  I wasn't sure what to expect, since I'm normally not a huge fan of musicals, but I have to say that Les Mis is the BEST movie I have seen in years.  I absolutely loved it--even all 2 hours and 30+ minutes of singing, (which normally is not my "thing").  It was an incredibly moving and powerful performance by the entire cast.

If you haven't seen it yet, it's definitely worth the money to see on the big screen.  Here's the trailer:
   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNKcLXvuF7g

FWIW, I think the movie is probably more appropriate for teens 14+, but nevertheless, I'm glad we saw it together.  There were so many "life lessons" in that movie which sparked some really great discussions about how you choose to live your life.