The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Sunday morning the girls and I woke bright and early to go to Universal to spend the day at Hogwarts!  I love love love love Harry Potter!  I have read all the books multiple times and am amazed every time I think of how J.K. Rowling created this whole other world, so to speak.  What an imagination!  As you enter Hogsmeade, the train and train station are directly to the right.  Then it is the village which is like being in the movie.  I have to admit... I totally teared up!  It was awesome and the Hogwarts School rises up from the back and is beyond amazing!  I was a total geek!  The first thing we did was ride the Dueling Dragon rides.  Both of them!  Awesome!

Then we ate lunch at the Three Broomsticks.  I had a traditional fish and chips and butterbeer!  For all you Muggles, this is what they drink in Hogsmeade.  If you don't know what a Muggle is... well... I can't help you!  :-)  We then went to the school.  They said it was a 45 minute wait and I swear the biggest chunk of time is walking through the rat maze to get to the ride!  We seriously didn't wait that long and the next thing I knew... we were in the school!  It had the floating candles, Dumbledore's office, the Potions room... oh, it was all beyond words!!!  Then you get on the ride.  This was the best ride I have ever been on.  It goes through and a lot of it is virtual reality where you feel like you are flying along with Harry and then it will pop into a scene and the Whomping Willow is about to hit you, then back to a virtual screen.  It was absolutely amazing.  If you know anyone there that weekend and said some crazy girl got off yelling "This was the best ride ever!!!"... it wasn't me... I'm just sayin'...

Many of the pictures moved and talked

The Sorting Hat

 Dumbledore's office

Then went to Dervish and Banges and to visit Olivander in his wand shop.  He does a little show and it is just like the movie where Harry gets his wand!  I cried.  I admit it.  Olivander came down the stairs and picked a little girl from the audience.  When the wand "picked" her with a light shining on her and her hair blowing, I cried.  It was fan-flipping-tastic!  They give each child the wand that "picked" them.  I thought that was so nice.  Not that they aren't making enough money off people who are silly enough to buy a $30 Gryffindor t-shirt or anything like that... I am just saying...  I do want to go on record and say that I did not buy the Gryffindor robe for $99.  I was tempted, but resisted.  Go me!

That will so be Jemma when we take her!  I know where to go and what to do to get picked!  Oh yeah!!!

We then hit the rest of the park where we saw the Poseidon show and rode the Hulk roller coaster, Spider-Man ride, the Cat and the Hat ride and trolley, and Doctor Doom's Fearfall.  We had so much fun!  Suessville is so fun and over the top!  The teacher in me was in love with it all and wished my classroom could look like that!

He loved my shirt!

The Hulk.  This one was rough!  

Then we went back to Hogsmeade to see the school lit up at night and ride one more time.  We had no wait at all.  I wanted to go again, but got outvoted and they were about to close.  Seeing it all lit up was magical!

 We ended the night with a dinner on the City Walk at Pastamore.  It was fantastic!  We got to eat outside because the weather was fabulous.  A darn palmetto bug (aka giant roach) freaked us all out for a few minutes, but then it was good and we all finished our meal with our feet up on the table legs!

This is a view of the City Walk.  There are so many restaurants and shops there.

The next day, Chris and Julie headed off to the airport.  Chris's flight left at 8:30 and Julie had an 11 1/2 hour drive ahead of her.  Dreama had accidentally booked the 8:30 p.m. flight, so we went to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping before I took her to the airport.  I stocked up on Princess gear and we had a great lunch and lovely talk!  I dropped her off and hit the road for home.  I was so sad to leave my friends, but sooooo happy to be on my way to see my main girl!  She was in our bed when I got home sound asleep.  I leaned over and whispered, "Mommy is home."  She never opened her eyes, but said in the sweetest little voice, "Mommy" and just wrapped her arms around my neck and didn't let go.  Yes, that brought tears to my eyes!

I am blessed to have such great friends and had the best weekend.  I am also blessed to have a sweet husband who lets me go on a spending spree and have these weekends with my buddies.  I am a lucky woman!