A Most Magical Place Part 2

Hello All!

I hope you enjoyed reading about the first day Claire, Mom and I had in Orlando Florida last week! Here are the pictures from the second day of our trip. While Universal Studios is a separate park from Walt Disney World, the day was still quite magical. 

The first thing I need to let all of you know is that my family and I are HUGE Harry Potter fans. I mean, we used to wait in line to get the books the night they came out and then read the books out loud to each other so that we could all share in the experience. That being said, back when I was a sophomore in college, spring 2010, our whole family went to support Claire at a cheerleading competition set in Orlando. While it was a wonderful trip, we arrived one week ahead of the opening for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This time, we had not such problems. So, with no further adieu...

Dear Reader, 

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Before we headed around to Harry, we HAD to ride the Incredible Hulk ride! This is a little blurry, but it's from a Snapchat

She didn't know I was taking this...

Our first glimpse! 

Butterbeer!

Number 12 Grimmauld Place

A Most Magical Place

When still in school, I always thought it incredibly convienent that my Fall Break always fell around the third Monday and Tuesday of October; Claire's birthday is October 18th so I never had to miss celebrating her birthday with her. Very conveniently indeed, the University of Nebraska has not seen it fit to change the schedule of Fall Break. This worked out perfectly for me as I was able to surprise Claire with a trip to Walt Disney World for her birthday.

Though my mother and I planned the trip back in April, I only surprised Claire with it late last month. She'd been having a challenging week at school so it was just what she needed. Needless to say, she was more than a little excited.

We were in Florida for four days and went to four different parks. There will be more to follow but for now, here are some pictures of our first day, Claire's actual birthday, at Disney's Hollywood Studios park.

Opening a couple of presents before heading to the park

Mom is a Disney travel agent, and was very excited to share tips about the resort!

We stayed on property at Disney's Yacht Club Resort and were able to take a short boat ride to Hollywood Studios.

Bless her, it was only 10am and she was getting tired of all the photos I was taking 

One of my favorite rides! 

I had asked her if she was excited to meet Mickey, this was her response. Of course I took a picture ...

And of course she needed a selfie with Mickey!

Our waiter at lunch wasted no time in helping us celebrate!

After spending the day on rides and in shows, we went to Fantasmic! 

After Fantasmic, we headed to the Grand Floridian (another Disney resort that is on property) and watched the firework show from Magic Kingdom

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All in all, it was a truly magical day. Can't wait to share with you all the rest of our trip! 

For those interested: 

I mentioned that our mother is a Disney travel agent. Should you wish to visit Disney or are considering booking a trip, here is her contact information! 

sharon@magicmousetravel.com  

- Elise 

Happy House Warming :)

There are some events that just scream champagne, New Years and wedding toasts come to mind.  But in my opinion, there is nothing better than enjoying good wine with good friend.  Elise's and My friend Whitney just purchased her first residence, and that occasion definitely called for champagne.  A few of us girlfriends got together before going out to the Plaza Art Fair to enjoy a glass of celebratory Veuve Clicquot, one of my favorites.

One of the best things about champagne is that it literally goes with almost everything. Elise and I had a wine tasting a bit ago with a Master Sommelier  and, when talking about pairings, he said when in doubt champagne.  No need to tell me twice ;)

Another fun fact, champagne also has one of the lowest caloric levels of any alcoholic beverage.  While wine usually starts around 130-150 and light beer has 100, a glass of champagne only has 70 (great for all the upcoming holiday parties)!

So make sure to take time and celebrate the big and small things, with a glass of champagne. You know I do!