November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we were thankful for sunshine! No rain today as we went back to Universal Studios for another visit. Of course with the nicer weather came more people to maneuver around. We went back to revisit Hogsmead and Diagon Alley but we also explored the rest of the Universal Island Adventure Park. They have a few rollercoasters there that you could not pay me enough money to ever ride on. I am not a thrill seeker at all. My idea of a thrill is going another mile when my car's gas gauge light comes on. We did have fun seeing other attractions together and we were pretty tired when we left. We had to leave before 6pm because we had a surprise coming for Alex. We didn't tell him that we arranged to have Thanksgiving dinner delivered to our condo tonight. The resort was offering this wonderful service but we led him on to think that we would just go out to dinner or get a pizza or something. He was happily surprised and it was delicious! The best part was the cleanup - easy peasy! We did miss being with our extended family today and are thankful for all our friends and family! Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thansgiving from Hogwarts!

Surprise!

November 26, 2014

Magical Day

There are not many words that I can say that would accurately describe Diagon Alley at Universal Studios.....Awesome, Incredible, Fantastic are three words that come to mind! They built it just the way you would imagine it to look and with careful attention to detail. Paige was our resident expert on all things Harry Potter and approved of everything. One of our first stops of course was Ollivanders Wand Shop where we picked up our wands. You can select the wand of your favorite character or choose your own. It was a difficult choice but I decided to go with Hermione's,  Paige with Ginny Weasley's and Alex with Dumbledore's. Don preferred to stay a Muggle. The fun part is that as you walk around Diagon Alley, there are spots to wave your wand and make things happen....awesome wizard fun! Then we hopped on the Hogwarts Express and went over to Hogsmead. This park had beautiful structures and the majestic Hogwarts castle. We enjoyed delicious Butter Beer here but we could have used something warmer as it was another cold, rainy day. I guess the weather completed our British experience. Throughout our magical day, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be JK Rowling and see what she created in her mind, now physically real and visited by thousands of people every day! 

  Diagon Alley

Hogwarts Express

November 26, 2014

Magical Day

There are not many words that I can say that would accurately describe Diagon Alley at Universal Studios.....Awesome, Incredible, Fantastic are three words that come to mind! They built it just the way you would imagine it to look and with careful attention to detail. Paige was our resident expert on all things Harry Potter and approved of everything. One of our first stops of course was Ollivanders Wand Shop where we picked up our wands. You can select the wand of your favorite character or choose your own. It was a difficult choice but I decided to go with Hermione's,  Paige with Ginny Weasley's and Alex with Dumbledore's. Don preferred to stay a Muggle. The fun part is that as you walk around Diagon Alley, there are spots to wave your wand and make things happen....awesome wizard fun! Then we hopped on the Hogwarts Express and went over to Hogsmead. This park had beautiful structures and the majestic Hogwarts castle. We enjoyed delicious Butter Beer here but we could have used something warmer as it was another cold, rainy day. I guess the weather completed our British experience. Throughout our magical day, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be JK Rowland and see what she created in her mind, now physically real and visited by thousands of people every day! 

Diagon Alley

Hogwarts Express

November 25, 2014

Soggiest Place on Earth

We were up and at it this morning and surprised ourselves by being at the Magic Kingdom gate before it opened. It was a little misty but not cold. We walked onto three rides without waiting but then the skies opened up and it poured rain. The scariest thing was that there was lightening as well and it was a little unnerving to be slogging through 2 inches of rain while seeing the bright flashes and hearing the thunder. I didn't want to be the accidental star of the Electric Light Parade! If this wasn't  enough, while waiting in line (inside thankfully) several phones went off with a weather warning - tornado in the area! Well, our Disney friends didn't seem too concerned about this and we figured that a tornado might add to Peter Pan's Flight so we stayed put. Luckily, there was no tornado and it didn't pour all day but we were pretty soggy all day. We still managed to have a great time and it helped that we had been to Disney World a couple of times before so we were just hitting our highlights. I felt bad for all the parents of young children - Paige only whined once so we bought her a beer and then she was fine! The best part of the day was that Alex arrived safely and we get to spend the rest of the week with him. Now it's the happiest place on earth!

Prost!

Rainy Kingdom

November 24, 2014

Because of Winn-Dixie

Today was our lazy, get-our-Florida-legs day. We didn't do much except for get ready for the rest of the week. Siri guided us to the local Winn-Dixie which of course reminded me and Paige of one of our favorite books. We found the liquor store first but then when we went into Winn-Dixie for groceries realized that we could have stocked up on our wine and beer there. In Colorado you can smoke what you want but you can't buy your liquor with your cold cuts! Tonight we topped off the leisurely day by realizing we can watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from a distance on our balcony. Perfect - I don't even have to get off the couch! However, we will not be lazy as we head off into the fray tomorrow to see the Mouse. Although most of our week will be dedicated to Harry, we felt we had to spend at least one day at Disney. Yes, we are optimistic that we can fit it all in in one day.....because we have an app for it! I was thrilled to learn that now you can set your fast passes with your iPhone app and keep track of wait times. I love technology!

At the vacation resort with thousands of our best friends!

Vacation supplies! Lessons learned from Don Wasson!

Subway on the balcony...life is good!

November 23, 2014

Florida Bound

I'm writing to you tonight from Orlando, Florida. Since Paige and I have the week off for Thanksgiving, we convinced Don to take off the week and go see Harry....Harry Potter! Oh yeah, Alex is an hour away in Tampa and he will be joining us Tuesday night and of course we came to see him too! Tomorrow will be the hottest day of the week but then the rest of the week will be cooler - with the highs in the 60's and 70's. This is still a little warmer than Arvada so we'll take it. Tomorrow will also be a day of exploring since it was dark when we got here. The last time we were in Orlando, we were chaperoning the high school band and orchestra trip when Paige was in high school and before that when our kids were in elementary school. We have never been to the Florida Universal Studios but were VIP members before kids in Los Angeles. So, we have new territory to investigate this week...stay tuned!

Family trips are a time for bonding....

Cool fluffy clouds below the plane.....

 

November 22, 2014

These Little Piggies

Paige and I started off our vacation with a much needed pedicure today. If you have never had one, you should treat yourself. Most pedicurists are much more thorough than when you do it yourself. Also, it is much more comfortable to sit back in a massage chair than lean over your winter insulation with your foot on the bathtub, balancing on one foot! And if you think about what our feet do for us on a daily basis - standing, walking, running, we really do need to spruce them up from time to time.