Universal Studios

I have wanted to go to Harry Potter World (i know that's not what it's really called, but that is what I call it) since I heard it was being built. Last year Lindsey and Kurtis went and I thought I was going to die of envy. If you didn't know I love Harry Potter. Like wish it was real. Well, when we found out we were going to Florida I knew there was no way I was leaving that state until I visited Harry Potter World. Well, Tuesday was the day. Mike and Rachel were kind enough to watch Alice so we had an entire day for a Harry Potter Date Day. It was so awesome. I couldn't stop giggling the whole way there and then I pranced around like a nerd the whole day singing the Harry Potter theme song over and over again. This is what we say walking in the gate. It was all I could do to stop myself from sprinting all the way to the castle. Who cares about the rest of it. Thank goodness Andy was there to keep my feet on the ground.

Our first stop was breakfast at a cafe. Yummy croissant breakfast sandwiches. Next was Marvel comic area. Here we rode Doom which was awesome and then Hulk which was also awesome, but I had a hard time walking straight afterwards. Man that thinks thrashes you around, but it's crazy. I will tell you January is the time to go to Disney and Universal Studious. We never waiting more than 30 minutes to get on a ride and most of the time it was only 10 or 15 minutes. Here at Universal we had fast passes so we never waited more than 5 minutes, most of the time we just walked on. It was awesome. Next we walked through Toon Lagoon. After seeing what people looked like getting of the rides we decided to skip all of them. People were drenched from head to toe. They even had giant size driers that you could stand in to get dried after the ride. No thank you. No chaffing for me. Next was Jurassic Park.
I was excited about this. When Jurassic Park came out my dad and I went and saw it twice and then I went and saw it again with a friend. If it is ever on TV I have to watch it. It's just so awesome. Well, the only problem today was that the one ride we could go on was closed I was bummed, but only for a second. I then picked up the pace once again skipping in singing all the way to Harry Potter. Oh and I wasn't disappointed. See that smile on my face. It never left. In the next day my jaw was killing me. I had smiled so much I had to massage the knots out of my jaw. No joke.

First we (I mean me) ran to the castle. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Every inch of the space is magical. You truly feel you are in Hogwarts Castle. Who cares about standing in line when you get to see the dungeon, the greenhouse, dumbledore's office, a classroom where it actually snows (it's really bubbles, but it looks like snow), the great hall and the sorting hat. It was awesome. See still have the stupid smile on my face.

The ride was awesome. I have never been on anything like it. So fun. I even had to close my eyes on the part with the spiders because they were so creepy and I can't stand spiders. We loved the ride so much we went two more times.

Next we rode flight of the hippogriff. We just walked right on and rode it twice. It was so fun. I couldn't believe it was a little kid ride. Hagrid's hut was so cute and so real. Next was off to the Dragon's Challenge. Once again we just walked on. three times. That was also a super fun roller coaster. I was having a blast. Not so sure about Andy, but he was a trooper. He let me be crazy and do what ever for the whole day. What a great husband.

The longest line we waited in was to get into the Olivander's Wand Shop. Andy didn't understand why I would wait 30 minutes to stand in a little shop, but I had been looking forward to it all day. Thank goodness the couple next to us were nice and chatty. I talked to them for about 20 minutes. We were one of the last people in the shop before it was full so we were lucky to stand in the front. The lady that i had talked to before was short like me, but somehow she got tucked in behind some tall people. I grabbed her hand and had her stand in the front with me. Lindsey and Kurtis had told me about the shop and I was excited to experience it myself. They said they pick one person to do the demonstration while everyone else watches. They even bought me a wand from the shop. Well, I figured I would just be watching since there were some kids in our group and I figured one of them would get chosen. Nope. The guy choose me. Probably because I was giggling around with a giant smile on my face. The picture is stinky. It was really dark in the shop.

It was so fun. I was given different wands to wave around and say magical things while pointing it at things. The first one blew something up, the next killed a plant and the last one was the right fit which caused wind and lights to flash. It was AWESOME. When I looked down at the wand and it was the same wand Lindsey and Kurtis bought me. Yep it was my wand. I loved it. After Olivander's we were off to walk through Hogsmeade. I couldn't believe how they truly made the movie come to life. I kept waiting for Harry Potter to come running down the street. I couldn't wait for lunch. Lindsey and Kurtis told us to eat at the Hogshead. I even called Lindsey to make sure I got the best stuff. We had chicken pasties, fish and chips, frozen butterbeer and pear juice. It was all so yummy and of course I had to take a picture with my souvenir mug of frozen butterbeer.
Last stop was the candy shop Honeydukes and then a picture of the Hogwarts Express. I was sad to say goodbye to Harry Potter world, but there were a few more rides to ride so off we went to Dr. Seuss land.
One of the cutest thing I have ever seen. You really felt like you were in the land of Seuss. My favorite was the Cat in the Hat ride. Loved it. I just wish Alice was there to see it. She would have loved it. By the end of the day my jaw hurt and we both where super tired and missing Alice. On the way home we stopped at whole foods, one of my other favorite places in the world and then we were back at the hotel swimming with Alice. It was a wonderful day and it was all I hoped it would be. Now I can't wait to go back when the build the new part of Harry Potter world in like 5 years.