November 30, 2014

Reflection

As we fly home to reality (yes I have discovered United Airlines Wi-Fi) it is time to reflect on the last fun-filled week. We had a lot of family togetherness yet we managed to get along although three of the group loved to play, "let's pick on mom!" Sometimes it was deserved, most of the time it was not. Anyway, there are some observations we made throughout the week:

1. Approximately 1/2 of the world's population is in Orlando with most of them visiting Harry Potter.
2. It is an urban myth that Florida is a warm place to visit. 
3. There are no driving rules in Florida or no one there has read them.
4. Disney is still the leader in amusement park management. Universal is fun but you can see the difference in talent and park management.
5. Spare change does not exist. Either you spend it at the toll roads or you spend it at yet another gift shop.
6. All rides end at the gift shop

But to be positive, Disney, Universal, Sea World, and all the other numerous attractions in the Orlando area entertain and bring together families from all over the world every day. We saw more smiles than frowns, especially on us, even though the weather was not the best and the crowds could be overwhelming. It is a wonderful thing to be able to overlook the negatives because there were so many positives that are now fantastic memories of our week together!

 

November 29, 2014

On Campus

Today we trekked over to Tampa which is 55 miles west of Orlando, to see the University of South Florida campus and where Alex spends all of his time. He lives in graduate housing on campus and his apartment is very small. I would have liked to take some paint to it and add some interior decorating but Alex is happy with the state penitentiary look and reminded me that it is just temporary until July. He gave us a walking tour of campus which is large and filled with palm trees. At the student center a poster was advertising Winter Wonderland day when they will be bringing in real snow for the students to sled on and play with. Alex didn't think that he would be participating! Our next quest was to find a beach. I've been asking Alex since he has been here if he had been to the beach. Well now I know why he hadn't. We had to drive 30 miles to get to the closest beach. I guess I'm geographically challenged. Just like people outside of Colorado think all Coloradoans live on the side of a mountain, I think all Floridians live on the beach! At the end of the day it was sad to say goodbye to Alex but the best thing is that he will be home for winter break in just two weeks!

USF Bulls amongst the palm trees!

Star student

We found the beach!

November 28, 2014

Lights, Camera, Action!

I love movies and I watch more TV than I should. Well, today I enjoyed both but not from my couch. I lived it in person. Yes, we went back for a third day of fun at Universal Studios. We stayed clear of Harry - too many people today - but instead explored the rest of Universal. It was great because I visited all my favorites in entertainment. First we passed through Springfield and visited our favorite family, the Simpsons! We went on The Simpsons Ride which was hilarious! The humor was right down my alley and it seemed like the adults on the ride had way more fun than the kids because we got the jokes! Then it was off to go on an E.T. Adventure on a simulated bike ride to take E.T. home. It has been too long since I've seen that movie. Then, my all-time favorite...Men in Black. The ride is called Alien Attack and involves shooting aliens. I was the winner in my car with 125,000 points...aliens beware! Great movies and great ride. Other entertaining attractions involved Beetlejuice, Terminator 2, Shrek, Twister, and Revenge of the Mummy (Paige and Alex were on their own for this rollercoaster ride). The Animal Actors show was as cute as it sounds and Paige the pug lover was ecstatic to see Frank from Men in Black make an appearance. Alex was our movie expert and gave us the background scoop on many of the Universal productions and actors that were represented at the park. It was a great day even though it was cold...again. We started the day at 46 degrees - it was warmer in Colorado! No amusement parks tomorrow so we get to sleep in and dream of E.T. going home to Springfield with the Terminator during a tornado caused by an alien attack....

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