This past week Jefferson and I had a Florida Adventure! We have spent the past year and a half reading all the Harry Potter books. We would read a book then watch the movie. At first he just listened to me reading but then the middle of 2nd grade he started reading his 20 minutes each day and then I would finish the chapter. It was so fun to see his growth and love of reading develop with the love of this fun story. It seemed only fitting that he should get to experience the magical world of Harry Potter at Universal Studios after all his hard work.
Day 1
We left SLC on a cold clear day. Jefferson got the window seat on the plane and couldn't get enough of seeing the city from so high. We entered Orlando right at sunset and soaked in the view. As soon as we got off the plane Jefferson commented on the humidity, noting that his hair was getting wet. (Thankfully that was the warmest time of our entire trip), our weather was very much a Florida winter in the 70s. We made our way to the Aventura Hotel and Jefferson couldn't get enough of the view from our room. And then headed to city walk for Jefferson's first dinner at Margaritaville, he loved his drink and being able to watch football from the bar.
Day 2
The next day we started the magic in Hogsmeade. Jefferson's favorite ride was Flight of the Hippogriff which he correctly called Witherwings. We then walked through the castle and saw Dumbledore's office, Harry Ron and Hermione, and found the sorting hat. We skipped the ride because of Jeffersons tendency towards motion sickness. Next we took our first ride on the Hogwarts Express. This ended up being Jefferson's 2nd favorite ride which we went on 6 times. We got some Exploding Bon bons from Honeydukes and snacked on a pumpkin pasty and ginger newt while waiting for Hagrid's ride. Lines were not bad at all, but to occupy us the few times we waited we did Harry Potter trivia. The people that noticed our game were so impressed with Jefferson's 9 year old detailed knowledge of the story. Sadly Jefferson did not love Hagrid's but I felt like I was literally flying through the air on a motor bike and now understand the hype of this ride. Next we headed over to Jurassic Park and got a big splash on the River Adventure. And then it was off to The Three Broomsticks for lunch, Jefferson tried his first butter beer and was a fan. We also tried potted cream butter beer and fish and chips- all yummy. Then it was time for checking out Hogsmeade. I found a Niffler and we watched the Triwizard Tournament begin. We found a quidditch set and Hedwig. At the Owlery we wrote and sent a postcard to Brad and Carter- postmarked from Hogsmeade. Then we headed to London on the Hogwarts Express and found platform 9 3/4. We found our way to Diagon Alley and headed to Gringotts. Jefferson loved the ride. Then it was time for getting a wand at Ollivander's where Jefferson was praying he wouldn't get picked because he didn't want to have to choose between the wand that chose him and the wand he really wanted. So after all his debating he chose Dumbledore's Elder wand. And then of course it was time for magic, but we first had to get some energy so we took a break and tried Fishy Green Ale and Pumpkin Juice with beef pasties. It was so fun trying the food and candies from the book. We followed the map to find places to do magic, Jefferson got the hang of it pretty fast. We saw the dragon breathe fire and checked out the menagerie where I found a Pygmy Puff- so cute! We headed back over to Hogsmeade, just in time for the castle show. It was a magical way to finish the evening. On our way back to our hotel we tried the "Worlds Best Hotdog" and both fully agreed- it was.
Day 2
Jefferson was so sweet and let me start and finish the day at Hagrid's, he was just happy to do trivia in line. We checked out more shops in Hogmeade and did magic. It was fun to find little treasures from the book all around the town. He got real excited when he found the marauders map and a Nimbus 2000. He had so much fun doing all the magic- which was not all super easy and did require some skill. We took a closer look at Honey Dukes and found Chocolate Frogs, Every Flavor Beans, and even found Felix Felices. We then headed back to Diagon Alley and heard Celestina Warbeck's Christmas concert- Jefferson was not such a fan of that. We then exchanged our muggle money into Galleons so we could do some shopping in Diagon Alley. We did the Escape from Gringotts ride one more time- which Jefferson declared "is so so much fun." We lunched at the Leaky Cauldron and toasted our butterbeer. We tried scotch eggs, fishermans pie, and sticky toffee pudding- all delicious. And then it was time for checking out more shops, doing magic in all the spots- even the secret locations and watching the Deathly Hallows play- which Jefferson really loved. We found fudge flies, fizzing whizbees, and jelly slugs. The Mirror in Madam Malkins said my shoes look comfortable and that Jefferson looked scruffy. We gave Gilderoy Lockhart a thumbs down and found the Daily Prophet. In Weasleys Wizard Wheezes we found Decoy Detonators, Fever Fudge, Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougat, and an Extendable Ear. We found a Quidditch shop with an actual Firebolt. Our favorite magic moment was when Jefferson made a frog shoot water and then another burst of water shot out and hit a lady walking by who got all confused about where the water came from. We laughed and laughed and laughed! Between the 2 of us we completed all the magical challenges in both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. We ended our time in Diagon Alley with a potion snack- Felix Felices for Jefferson and Tongue Tying Squash for me with some beef pasties of course. In London we called the Ministry of Magic, talked to Stan Shunpike on the Knight Bus, and saw Kreacher when we knocked on #12 Grimmauld Place. Then it was our last ride on the Hogwarts Express and this time we found Hedwig, and then back to Hogsmeade. We didn't find any lines so went on Flight of the Hippogriff 4 times in a row. And then after searching for 2 days in the Castle shop we found the destroyed Horcruxes and the sword of Griffindor and a copy of the Marauders Map. We ended the night with the Castle Christmas show and one more time on Hagrid's. It was so magical with all the lights and Harry Potter music. Everything we wanted and more. Aunt Ann picked us up at the hotel and we were ready for some relaxing days.
Day 4
Aunt Ann spoiled us with according to Jefferson "the most cozy bed ever" and a delicious french toast breakfast- really better than a B&B. We spent the day at the Kennedy Space Center where we got to explore and interact with all sorts of NASA equipment, including life size space shuttles. Jefferson especially loved the 3 story space playgound with giant worm holes- so fun. The most impressive thing was the Hubble Telescope and the Atlantis- massive! After the space center we had a fun visit with all my Florida cousins and a delicious Cuban dinner.
Day 5
Aunt Ann again spoiled us with a delicious waffle breakfast and then it was off to the beach. It was so fun to walk in the ocean with Jefferson and remember being in this spot with him when he was 1 years old and being in the spot when Brad got the call that Jefferson's birth mom wanted to continue with the adoption. It is such a special beach for me, and this day was perfect. After the beach we met up with more Florida family at my favorite Dixie Crossroads. Jefferson declared the powdered corn fritters super yummy and the rock shrimp- the best shrimp he has ever had. It was a perfect Florida vacation.
