The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I got back late Tuesday night from my amazing trip to Harry Potter World with my best friend, Kristen. We had the BEST time! We've been best friends for 15 years, and this is the most uninterrupted time we've had together just the 2 of us, and it was glorious. 10/10 would recommend!

I won't go into all the details because I doubt most people care about HP World the way the 2 of us do. If you have any specific questions about what we did, what we loved, what we wished we had done differently, ask away!

Our trip was scheduled for Saturday - Tuesday with 2 days of tickets for Universal Studios on Sunday/Monday. We decided to add Saturday at Epcot Center once we arrived in Florida because they were having their annual Food and Wine Festival.

On the way to pick Kristen up, wearing my awesome HP shirt!

HAD to try poutine and we LOVED it!

Wine flight? Don't mind if we do!

The beignet that was not a beignet and we threw it away, sad.

Look at that funnel cake, yum!

We only went on 1 ride at Epcot.

We spent a lot of the trip looking like a couple, ha!

One great thing that we did on this trip was set no rules for ourselves and not go crazy with forcing in EVERYTHING. We slept in every day, took it easy, relaxed, and enjoyed ourselves. We didn't want to come home exhausted from our vacation and were on the same page the whole time. Such an amazing feeling.

So Sunday we did NOT get up early to rush to HP World and got there around 12:00 or so. There are 2 parts to HP World - Diagon Alley is in the main Universal Park and Hogsmeade is in Islands of Adventure, so we got a park-to-park pass to be able to enjoy all the Universal parks. We didn't go to the water park, so I can't tell you anything about it.

First thing we saw once we go to the HP side was King's Cross!

The Knight Bus

No. 12 Grimmauld Place with Kreacher peaking out

Our first view of Diagon Alley!!!!!!!

We might have been 100% freaking out here!

There are 4 Harry Potter rides - Escape from Gringott's, Hagrid's Motorbike, The Forbidden Journey, and Flight of the Hippogriff. We are NOT rollercoaster people but decided we would try all of these. And were scared sh*tless the whole time about it. On Sunday we did Escape from Gringott's and Flight of the Hippogriff. Gringott's was a mix of some rollercoaster elements but a lot of 3D stuff. 

Scared before we got on!

It was definitely scary but we survived and both said we would do it again. Now that we know what happens it would probably actually be fun the second time, ha.

After that we felt like we deserved a treat, so we had some lunch at The Leaky Cauldron and had our first taste of butter beer...the sweetest nectar of the Gods.

SO DELICIOUS

We went into all the shops in Diagon Alley and then decided to head to Hogsmeade. A definite annoying part was the line to take the Hogwarts Express. Took us an hour to ride the 5 minute 'train' ride - which basically covered what takes 15 minutes to walk. But definitely an experience!

Our first view of Hogsmeade! We loved the 'snow' on the buildings.

And more butter beer at The Three Broomsticks!

THE CASTLE!!!!!!!!!!

We shopped in Hogsmeade and rode The Flight of the Hippogriff, which is described as 'family friendly' but still scared us ha. We had heard there was a Death Eater show at 7:30 so we hung around for that.

One more butter beer while we wait!

A Death Eater! Run!

Islands of Adventure closed at 8:00 so we went back to the hotel, read, watched crap tv, talked and just vegged.

Monday we headed back to Universal to ride our last 2 rides - the 2 we were most scared about and buy gifts for the kiddos.

Is this cute or nerdy? Both? Ha!

We actually got a ton of comments on our glasses ha. Thanks, Target!

I had to take a picture in the Simpsons area because Trent loves that show!

I got him a Bart Simpson hoodie, ha.

Hanging out with the dragon

We didn't take many pictures on Day 2, but we DID ride Hagrid's Motorbike and The Forbidden Journey. Hagrid's Motorbike was a 50-mph rollercoaster and I wanted to cry through most of it. I'd do it again because it was way cool, but it was also very scary. The Forbidden Journey was a virtual adventure and I like those because I can close my eyes when I get freaked out ha. It was my favorite ride for sure!

We ended up getting wands for all our girls, the hoodie for Trent, and Rhett {Kristen's son} loves The Cat in the Hat, so she got him a stuffie from Dr. Seuss-land. Which also had some very weenie rides that we rode and LOVED ha.

We ended the night with pizza and Harry Potter trivia in our hotel room!

Tuesday we talked about hanging out by the pool but ended up just lounging in our room. Our flight out was at 4:00 so we checked out at 1:30 and headed to the airport. Super long day of travel with some delays but finally got home at 11:00, whew! So much fun! {And I guess I can't help share way too many details!}

Paige being extra cute Wednesday morning in my HP gear! XOXO

I couldn't get this to insert where I wanted it in the post, but it's really cool what the dragon does every 5 minutes!

A trip a decade+ in the making, and we had the absolute best time!

Currently: Harry Potter on the Brain

Current Book

Current Song

Kacey Musgraves new album is on repeat A LOT in our house!

Current TV Show

This was WILD!

Current Podcast/Audiobook

I'm still in book 8 of my re-listen of Outlander and am still listening to the Cold podcast season 2, but I took a break to listen to a few of Glennon Doyle's podcast episodes.

Current Drink

Still sipping on my delicious coffee from this morning!

Current Food

I think I've had 3 salads from Chipotle in the last week.

It is the best!!!!!

Current Shame-Inducing Pleasure

Current Outfit

Before class yesterday, felt cute ;)

Current Celebrity Crush

Feeling all the feels for Harry Potter...keep reading to know why!

Current Mood

EXCITED!!!!!

Keep reading for why! {grin}

Current Anticipation

I'm leaving TOMORROW for Harry Potter World!!!!!

Current Wishlist

A vacation with my best friend!

OH WAIT! That's what is happening tomorrow!!!!!

{Pic is from 2008 - look at those young babies!}

Current Movie

I'm behind!

Still haven't taken the girls to the Paw Patrol movie or Trent to see Jungle Cruise

and Allison and I need to pick something soon to go see.

Current Picture

Date night!

Champagne Campaign

We had a team-building outing over Labor Day weekend with the AmpedUp instructors and had such a great time! We called it the Champagne Campaign...but we didn't have any champagne, ha. There is something extra special about this workout studio {which Brent calls my cult} - I have never felt more acceptance and love in a workout place EVER. 

The instructors who were able to come met up for a lunch at an amazing restaurant on the lake, and then we rented a boat to go out on the lake and hang out. Such a great way to spend a beautiful afternoon!

Sam {owner} ~ Tonia ~ Lina ~ Susannah ~ Allena

Half of our instructor team after lunch - isn't that a gorgeous view?

Ready for fun on the boat!

~Sam ~ Allena ~ Lina ~ Stacey

Lina teaches jazzercise and Body Pump.

She has been a huge inspiration and help to me.

Most of the Body Pump instructors

{Yes, I took my shorts off - this was not a good look for me ha}

~Victoria ~ Me ~ Michelle ~ Lina

The water was AMAZING!!!

I'm so thankful to have found this studio and taken the plunge to becoming an instructor - it can still be stressful but at the end of the day, it's so worth it!

Book Clubiversary

Y'all know I love books and my book clubs. I also love traditions, celebrations, and dessert. Well, I realized this summer that my OG book club had our first meeting in August 2011 and we met this summer in August, so I decided we needed to celebrate 10 years as a book club!

Susie got onboard with the plan {she was hosting} and made a dessert for us. I got candles and we had fun celebrating together!

We've had people join and leave over the years, but 5 of the original girls are still with us and we have so much fun together. We've read 45 books, consumed countless bottles of wine, eaten lots of food, and had too many laughs!

One of my favorite things we do is our annual holiday gift exchange and dinner at Maggiano's, and I'm planning that now for this year. {By planning I mean getting a reservation ha!} I think this is our 6th year to go - see I didn't lie about loving traditions!

Here's to a lot more years of laughs, food, and ESPECIALLY books!

August 2021 Book Review

How is 2021 two-thirds over? I really can't believe we are knocking on fall's door - hard to believe too when most days over the 10-day forecast have highs of 99 ha. Anyhoo, let's talk about the books I read in August!

I had a great month of reading and read 12 books. 5 non-fiction {who am I?}, 3 by POC authors, 1 audiobook, 2 books for book clubs, and a lot I really loved, yay!

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune - Oh goodness this was magical {literally and figuratively}! With a really wonderful underlying message about acceptance, and I was totally here for it. This story follows a government worker who is tasked to review an orphanage for children with magical abilities and what happens to him when he gets there - it is a transformative journey and a beautiful story. To me it read with the whimsical quality of a Roald Dahl novel but for adults, utterly fantastic - I cannot say enough good things about this book.

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory - I continue to enjoy the books in this series - they are loosely related, so you don't need to read in any particular order. This one might have been my favorite. I love that this whole series in some ways is a traditional chick lit/romance novel but also touches on hard topics of race, mental health, women issues - so much!

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid - TJR continues to write amazing novels! I still think her earlier books are my favorites, but this one was so interesting and unique. It follows the 4 children of a famous musician on the day of their annual summer party. I love that the story flipped from the present to their history starting when their parents fell in love. All of the siblings have layers to them and are struggling, but I loved seeing how they all cared for each other. TJR just knows how to write a book!

1776 by David McCullough - I am trying to continue learning as I age and was loaned this book by a friend. It was interesting and SO detailed, but I guess I wasn't expecting a 300 page book to JUST cover the first year of the American Revolution. I mean obviously the book is called 1776, but it was just SO SO detailed. I feel like I learned but it wasn't the most engaging. :/

What You Wish For by Katherine Center - I continue to like Katherine Center books. I wouldn't say she's a favorite author but I keep coming back because her stories are definitely engaging and enjoyable. This followed a teacher at an elementary school whose former crush turns up as the new principal at her school. It had several interesting tidbits {dealing with loss and disability} that kept it from being too fluffy and I really couldn't put this one down.

Someone Like Me by Julissa Arce - After reading American Dirt a few months ago, I recognized I needed to read REAL stories of immigrants, and my friend {Hi Veronica!} recommended a book by Julissa Arce, who went to her high school. Well, I found this YA version at our library and checked it out and really enjoyed it. Julissa shares her life growing up in Mexico, moving to Texas, and her life living her as an undocumented immigrant. Her story was so complicated and I can't imagine going through all the things she experienced. I'm trying to get Trent to read it {but, a GIRL wrote it, sigh}, and she has other books I want to read as well!

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai - Well, if this wasn't super timely with everything happening in the Middle East right now! In 2020, I bought Drew a child biography of Malala and have been meaning to read her full memoir and finally did. Man was this fantastic! Not only is her story something out of a movie but she is a gifted story-teller and an amazing woman. I was awed throughout the book by her courage and unfailing hope. This is a must read!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - We read this for in-person book club and it was just okay. I got sucked into it and wanted to finish it but it wasn't anything spectacular. A doctor has a patient who killed her husband and hasn't spoken since, and he's trying to figure out what happened. I didn't see the ending coming but wasn't super invested in the story.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary - ADORABLE! A girl and her grandmother switch lives and both experience big changes and growth. Leena is on a forced work sabbatical and Eileen is in a rut at 79. I loved these characters and story overall. It was written so well - I laughed, I cried, I smiled throughout.

The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn - I listened to the audiobook of this and was fascinated. I have a slight fascination with cults and have read books about Charles Manson and David Koresh and have watched some documentaries about Jim Jones but hadn't read any books about him. This was insanely well-researched and highly engaging. I couldn't stop listening! If you've ever been curious about this story, it is 100% worth the read.

Think Again by Adam M. Grant - This was our selection for BFBC and I really enjoyed it. It definitely gives you a lot to think about in the ways we think and interact with people. I loved that the author was very fact-based but also used humor to present his arguments. It was a drier book {non-fiction} but had so many engaging stories to highlight his points, well worth the read.

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano - Holy snarkies. I ended the month on such an emotional rollercoaster. Edward is the only survivor of a plane crash, and this story alternates from the day of the crash to Edward's physical and {much slower} emotional recovery after moving in with his aunt and uncle. Goodness did this touch me in so many ways. The whole time I was reading the chapters in the plane I can't help thinking over and over how all these characters are dead and how hard it was to read about them - it was an amazing touch of the author's to mix these chapters together. Then reading Edward's story was so heartbreaking yet hopeful. I cried so many times but also felt like it ended so beautifully and in such a realistic way. FANTASTIC read.