Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey

Trey and I were very excited to ride the Forbidden Journey. Joshua was not convinced it was for him, so he and Nate went to the "Flight of the Hippogriff" while Trey and I forged on to the Hogwarts Castle.

I love the way Universal Orlando has such an entertaining wait line ... there was no stand-in-the-sun-and-suck-it-up here! The line leads into Hogwarts Castle by way of Mrs. Sprout's Herbology classroom complete with Mandrakes and other magical plants. From here, we entered the castle and experienced all kind of cool features ... the house points, Dumbledore's office (and a guest appearance by Dumbledore himself!), talking portraits, the Mirror or Erised, the Defense against the Dark Arts classrom, and an appearance by our movie-heroes, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Entering the Herbology classroom

Mandrakes!

Entrance to Albus Dumbledore's Office

My iPhone camera was clearly no match for the dark corridors of Hogwarts Castle, but it was an amazing trip through the world of Harry Potter. See these links for some great photos:

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Harry Potter Theme Park

And for a good summary of the ride itself, see this link:

Review of the Forbidden Journey

For Harry Potter fans, this park (and this ride) are absolute must-do events. And even for those less enthralled (or completely unfamiliar), the park is a fun and magical place well-worth the visit.

Comments

The Change of Command Ceremony

Last Friday, my Family and I participated in the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division change of command on Fort Hood, Texas. Hubby became the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment and joined a wonderful group of "Red Dragon" Soldiers and Families. It's a dream come true for us ... one of those things you hope in the back of your mind you'll get to do one day, but know realistically that the chances are slim you'll get to do it. When I first saw his name on 'the list' that the Army publishes, I was elated for him. No one knows more than I do his passion for the Army and for the Soldiers in it. He is a wonderful leader and cares so much. We both knew that this would be the adventure of a lifetime. We explained this new job to our two boys (ages ten and six) as best we could and they kept saying, "We'll have 500 new friends on Friday!" as their summary of the discussion. =) The ceremony was amazing, a st

Rooftop Promotion Party at Old Ebbitt

We decided that 21+ years of military service and a promotion to Colonel warranted an extra-special celebration. Since the promotion ceremony was at the Pentagon, we had lots of great venue options in our Nation's Capitol. We loved living in the National Capitol Region and really wanted a very "DC" experience. After researching and asking lots of DC expert friends, we decided on the Old Ebbitt Grill and their Rooftop Terrace. We could not have dreamed up a more amazing space. The views are absolutely breathtaking, the staff is professional, friendly, and accommodating, and the food is delicious. The combination of passed hors d'oeuvres, embellishment platters, and a mini bar ensured that everyone was well-fed and able to enjoy each other and the venue. Adding mini cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes topped off a delicious evening. The Rooftop provided the perfect venue for our big weekend. Even the weather cooperated with our plans and we enjoyed a light bre

TORCH and ADVON

Photo: ADVON returning from a year-long deployment. Okay, I have to admit that after 15+ years as an Army wife, I don’t know what ‘TORCH’ and ‘ADVON’ stand for. Something about advanced party … but there’s no ‘p’ for ‘party’ … so I just don’t know. I do, however, know what it means. It means your Soldier comes home FIRST!! We’ve never had the honor of either of those designations. My husband somehow manages to get himself into the ‘stay-behind-and-make-sure-all is-well-out-here’ job and comes home late or last. Not that I’m complaining, though, as I am happy these TORCH and ADVON folks get here and get the place ready for everyone else to come home. In a way, it’s reassuring to me. The wheels are turning, the process has begun … our unit actually is coming home and coming home soon! Homecoming becomes reality, not just a long-sought-after dream. It’s good to see our unit patch and our unit Soldiers back at home, on U.S. soil and on our Army installation. It’s heartening to w

Fabulous Army Life

Search This Blog