So the Turrills made their biennial trip to wonderful Captiva this month. It was a much needed vacation! And guess what? We discovered that when your kids are 5 and 8, a trip really CAN look like a vacation! HALLELUJAH! We waited EIGHT years to have a relaxing time at the beach! HOORAY!
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Because I'm a maximizer (and couldn't dream of being in Florida and NOT going to Orlando) AND because Mimi's bestie Mya was also going to be in Orlando mimi and I made a little 24 detour...
(Have you ever flown somewhere, then gone on a road trip from that place?! It's weird. I was driving through the smallest towns that were so foreign to me; so aggie but in a Florida way. All while listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).
When we got to Orlando, I couldn't help but take pictures of any sign that had Disney on it...
We all know how much I love Disney and I was SO disappointed that we weren't going to visit my favorite mouse :(
But not too disappointed because this girl was going to see her best friend Mya whom she's missed terribly since she moved to Puerto Rico with her mom. We were really excited to hang out with the girls AND go to Universal and see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
After 4 hours in the car, we arrived just in time to meet our friends for dinner at TGIFridays.
REUNITED!!!
And wearing the same clothes to boot!
(Mya's mom calls her Mimi too. SO TWO Mimis).
We had a fun time at dinner, then were off to our hotel for the night.
It was such a pretty hotel.
The night before excitement!
The girls finally fell asleep, then we woke up and got ready for the park...
(but first to check the Universal Studios app)
A little lobby breakfast chat...
HARRY POTTER HERE WE COME!
Mimi and her grandma, who was also part of the "girls gang."
(why do I get so excited when I see this siren?!)
I was so excited when I spotted Hogwarts...
...but first Dr. Seuss!
Lots of rides (that Mama tried not to throw up on) then..
HARRY!
We couldn't wait to go explore Hogsmeade...
Me and this girl couldn't WAIT!!!
Mya wasn't feeling super great, so she sat down with her mom (they aren't Harry Potter nerds) and Mimi and I explored just the two of us. xo That way we could really let our Harry Potter Freak flag fly.
BUTTERBEER!
The most disappointing part of the Wizarding World was that the Hogwarts Express was down..:(
When you are in Hogsmeade you have to go to the Three Broomsticks.
..and you HAVE to drink Butterbeer and eat a giant turkey leg (with your owl of course).
My own childhood dreams were coming true here...I love ET :)
And you KNOW I love Back to the Future...okay Universal, you're semi-winning me over...
Look, it's my high school car Scirocco that I drove in high school! ;)
And SIMPSONS!
Then off to Diagon Alley!!
Diagon Alley was DEFINITELY my favorite part...
We all couldn't wait to ride "Escape from Gringotts."
The bank is SO real! I remember when I first saw Al Roker standing in the lobby doing a news show when it first opened.
Look Julie! Buena Vista! Irish Coffees!
The marathon day was over...and we headed back to the hotel to part ways...
We had such a good time with Mya and Natalia and Abuelita..there were some tears shed at saying goodbye.
Mimi and I were staying in a different hotel that night before driving back to Captiva.
Maybe Mama booked a hotel near Disney Springs (used to be Downtown Disney). Maybe I made reservations at Rainforest Cafe. Maybe I needed just a little Disney if we were so close. Maybe I have a Disney Problem. :)
Funny backstory. I have made reservations for Rainforest Cafe EVERY.SINGLE.TIME we've been to Disney World. That started when Mimi was two years old. The first time we got on a bus from our Disney hotel with a tired, travel-weary toddler who melted down and we bagged the whole thing (after the 20 minute bus ride). And the second and third time went similarly (or we just made other plans). So trying to go here was risky, but we made it! And it was fun. I just knew she'd like it. And, in TRUE DISNEY fashion they were so accommodating to gluten free girls. The minute you step onto Disney property, the attitude changes...magic.
And of course, we HAD to go across the street and buy that $11 Maleficent caramel apple...(and a cake pop for Bode).
And we had to buy some Disney Lego figures (and feel guilty that Bode was missing this!)
Keep in mind that it was 10 pm after a long day at the park, but our need for Disney is strong.
Also our need for gluten free cupcakes.
We finally got to our hotel room, and sat cozy on our bed eating our treats and watching our shows. Mimi was asleep in nanoseconds and I ate not one, but TWO gluten-free red velvet sprinkles cupcakes (no joke. literally the best thing I've ever tasted) and watched the Real Housewives. Perfect ending to our big day.
Then it was back from our trip to our real trip...just one car ride away!
xox
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