Happy Times Round Up!

The last two weeks have been busy. I watched my daughter graduate with honors from Kent State University. That is the proudest moment of my life. After that, Kiddo and I went to Universal Studios Orlando for a few days vacation.

It was tough on vacation. I had to endure a luxury hotel, theme parks, rides, great food, drinks by the pool, and great weather. I'm not quite sure how we did it. It was a completely foreign experience to be on vacation and not chaperoning 200+ band, orchestra, and choir kids. I wasn't quite sure what to do.

Gringott's

I have to give kudos to Universal Studios. They did an amazing job recreating Harry Potter's Diagon Alley from the movies. The details were fantastic. The Escape From Gringott's ride was a lot of fun as well. My daughter and I, both big Harry Potter nerds, had more fun than should be allowed exploring both Hogsmeade (Universal Islands of Adventure) and Diagon Alley (Universal Studios).

The performers and the staff did a fantastic job bringing it to life. We enjoyed the Frog Choir, Tri-Wizard Pep Rally, and Celestina Warbeck. The singer who portrays Celestina has an incredible voice. I wish she'd performed more than three songs, but in the Orlando heat, I understand why the performances are short. The kids are out there in full Hogwards uniforms - shirts, sweaters, pants, and robes. Ick! I was hot in shorts and a t-shirt!

The Frog Choir

Krusty Burger

Based upon Facebook likes from family and friends, Universal did a great job on the Simpsons section of the theme park as well. We have a dear friend who loves the Simpsons, so we made sure to get plenty of photos there.  We even picked up a couple of things at the Kwik E Mart.

Kiddo rode more rides than I did because I am kind of a scaredy cat. I have somewhat more than a mild fear of heights, so the big roller coasters kind of freak me out. I love watching people though, so I had plenty of entertainment while she was on the roller coasters.

The Beach Pool

Every evening, we struggled. It was brutal being forced to sit by the beach pool while kind waiters brought us drinks. It has been a very long time since I have been that relaxed. It was amazing to just sit back and not worry about anything. I'm not used to that, but I could suffer through it. I'd probably need to practice it over and over.