Girls Trip!!!

On Thursday, Alecia, Michelle, and Sarah flew from Maryland to Florida. I had been looking forward to their trip for a few months (since they booked it). We are all Harry Potter fans, so the main plan for the trip was to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Their plane landed at 12:53 and we started the trip with lunch at Chili's. From there we headed to Sea World. Passholders had a bring-a-friend free option for January, so I was able to get them free tickets, which made it worth it to go for a few hours. It was a little bit cold and a little rainy, but we still had lots of fun. We fed the stingrays (my favorite), walked around some of the different aquariums, saw the penguins (my other favorite), watched a couple of shows and rode Mako--my favorite roller coaster. Hmm, lots of favorites in that day. After Sea World, we walked around the Florida Mall and enjoyed shakes for dinner. Then, it was back to my house where we watched tips and tricks for Universal Studios.

Alecia did not love feeding the sting rays, but she was a good sport.

I think everyone loved the penguins, can you see them there behind us?

Friday was the big day--the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! We got there before park opening and were in line for Hagrid's Magical Motorbike before 9. The wait for that ride can top 3 hours, so we were happy to see it at less than an hour. We rode it and there were a few things that felt a little bit off (long pauses). When we got to the end, the attendant told us we could ride again due to the technical difficulties. So, we did. I felt very lucky. It has been labeled by many as the best ride in Florida and the waits are always long, and, we got to ride it twice in less than an hour! It was pretty amazing, but I still think I like Gringotts a little better. Maybe I need to try them both a few more times to fairly judge???

In line for Hagrid's--with Hogsmeade in the background

We rode all the Harry Potter themed rides and a few others (The Mummy, Race through New York, and Alecia and I did Doctor Dooms Freefall). We browsed in the shops, tried all the different kinds of butterbeer--hot, cold and frozen. We also tasted butterbeer ice cream (thanks Sarah!), clotted cream (meh) and fudge. My favorite was the drinks. The hot was surprisingly good, but the frozen is still my favorite. It was an amazingly fun day. Except for the race to Hagrid's, we took the day at a leisurely pace. There was lots of laughter and just a happy feeling to the day. We have known each other a long time; they were among my first friends when we moved to Maryland, almost 10 years ago. Even though I have taken a slightly different path, I still feel very comfortable with them and they are just great ladies. I think all women need some girl time now and then to just recharge!

But, back to the trip. We opened the park and stayed until closing. We had dinner at City Walk and then headed back to my house where we watched a few more YouTube videos, but now with the perspective of someone who has "been there, done that!"

Saturday, we went to lunch at Chicken Salad Chick (another favorite ;). Then, we went and checked out Disney World. We only had a few hours before their flight, but it was just enough time to park at Hollywood Studios and take the Skyliner over to Epcot. We walked around the Epcot resorts and tried 12 (yes, 12!) different kinds of ice cream at the Boardwalk. Then, we took the Skyliner back to the car and I dropped them off at the airport.

These are a fun bunch!

It was perfect for me, I feel like I got all the benefits of a getaway, but, I still got to sleep in my own bed. Thomas handled the kids. They were my guests, but I didn't have to cook or entertain them, I was just part of their vacation. It was fun and I hope they come back and we do it all over again!