Orlando (or how to do Harry Potter World as an Adult)

July 21, 2016July 22, 20162 Comments

Last weekend, Dan and I went on a FREE trip to Orlando.We stayed at a fancy hotel and ate lots of yummy food and flew in business class. It was the best. Absolutely. How?? Dan won a contest at work- his company sponsors Houston’s MLS team, the Dynamo, who host a fly-away trip every year for the sponsors. So us, and 25 other lucky people from a few different companies, traveled with the Dynamo to their away game against Orlando. They planned a super trip and we are so grateful.

Gah, he’s so cute!

After an early dinner, we hopped on a bus to the game! Orlando has a huge fan base, so there was a big turn out. They’re currently building their own stadium, but until then, they play in the Citrus Bowl. We got to spend the pre-game down on the field watching the players warm up before heading into the stands. It ended up being 0-0, but we still had a great time. Aside from being booed as we left. Eek.

Saturday morning, a few us decided to wake up early and try to get to Universal Studios as soon as it opened- we Ubered and got there right at 8! SO worth it. The lines were infinitely shorter those first couple of hours, so we barely waited for anything. If you’re planning a trip, that is my #1 tip. Also, HARRY POTTER! Man. It is so impressive how well done it is. It’s actually split up between the 2 parks- Islands of Adventure (Hogwarts/Hogsmeade) and Universal Studios (Diagon Alley). You can even ride the Hogwarts Express between the 2 sides if you have a park hopper pass! You get to sit in your own little cabin 🙂 I liked Diagon Alley a bit better because it had a cozier feel (the alley is actually hidden off of a London street), although the rides on both sides are great. It blows my mind how much technology is incorporated into the rides now! In the Hogwarts castle, you actually felt like you were playing quidditch with Harry 😉 And BUTTER BEER. It was so yummy. We drank several- the frozen kind was perfect for the hot, hot day. They even had their own craft beer- Universal Studios, adult style.

Other than The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we really liked The Mummy and Jurassic Park rides. Clearly I enjoyed it:

I debated posting this photo, but figured I should be honest about my experience.

I’ve been dying to visit Harry Potter world since it opened, but not quite enough to plan an entire vacation around it, so this trip was such a surprising treat! Dan isn’t the most excitable guy, but after we got back he kept talking about how much fun he had at Universal. He’s a kid at heart 😀 Butter beer lovers unite!

The Middle Sister Comes to Town

May 21, 2015May 21, 2015Leave a comment

Tara came to visit this weekend! I love spoiling her when she’s in town since that isn’t super often, and because she’s still in grad school. It’s fun to be the big sister! Plus, sisters are great because you don’t feel the need to constantly entertain or try to impress. We hung on the couch and went grocery shopping and just enjoyed time together. Very nice. I’m sure Dan felt right at home since he grew up with 2 sisters too 😀

Don’t worry- we still did lots of fun things! Friday, we checked out Dolce Vita, which I’ve been meaning to try forever. Can’t go wrong with Tara and Italian. Our pizza was piled high with arugula and fantastic and the old house it was in was charming. We even sat right next to the open kitchen and could watch them whip everything up. Then we bar hopped along Westheimer- pinball at Poison Girl and Margaritas at the new El Tiempo. (Sidenote: Add pinball to the list of things I can beat Dan at. I’ve found #2!!! Shuffleboard is the other, in case you were curious.)

: Look how cute.

Saturday morning we went down to Market Square Park to attend “Puppies for Breakfast”- the title of this event is confusing, as we didn’t actually eat the dogs… They just had a lot of vendors set up as well as rescue groups. The breakfast part consisted of food trucks! And they had a puppy bowl in right in the middle. Barley pranced around and got his typical insane amount of attention. One guy even strapped a go-pro onto him. Hoping to see that video because he completely face planted while wearing it- he’s not the most coordinated pup. I’m a mean dog mom, finding amusement in his falls. I’m expecting that to be the case with real human children too. Hopefully they’ll all forgive me.

: Hiding pup.

: My boys 🙂

: Go Pro!

: Winner of the Puppy Bowl

That night, Dan’s company hosted a family night at the Dynamo’s game. We gorged ourselves on corn dogs, sliders, and ice cream sandwiches at the tailgate, then headed over for the game. They won! 3-1! It was an exciting game.

Looking like 2 dads.

Sunday morning the skies opened up and it poured. We somehow made it church, but that’s about it. Dan and I didn’t even watch the Rockets game. But they made it to the semi-finals! Guess I can be a bandwagon fan.

Come back soon, Tara! Our guest room is always open 🙂

The Super Hero In-Laws

May 5, 2015Leave a comment

Friday was a blast! Dan’s boss gave us tickets to the Houston Dynamo suite, which was great (even though we lost to FC Dallas) and then we met his parents for drinks at D&T Drive-In, which I personally think is one of the cooler places to drink a beer in Houston. I love that they still have the old sign in front. I’m assuming new ownership as it’s part of Treadsack now (as is Downhouse, yum), so it’s neat that they chose to keep the sign.

So as mentioned above, Dan’s parents came to stay with us this past weekend! We always have a great time with them and this weekend was no exception… although it was a little bit different type of fun! Ha. Dan’s dad helped him put in all the fence posts around the back yard and his mom helped me paint the dining, living, and sun rooms. It was a productive weekend to say the least. They are amazing motivators to get things done and have more energy than we do. It’s impressive and so appreciated.

Having a fresh coat of paint on the walls has REALLY brightened it up. One of the biggest things I would change about the house (if it wasn’t prohibitively expensive) are how low the ceilings are, so having white walls make them feel just a bit taller 🙂 I ended up choosing Benjamin Moore White Linen and love that it’s warm without feeling yellow. We also tested out Frostine and Simply White. Dan is still complaining that it feels like an insane asylum, but I think he’s mostly kidding 😉 But I am in love and can’t wait to do the trim next weekend (because right now it just looks dirty :/). The furniture is still pushed in the middle of the living room at the moment so the house feels like a wreck, but sitting in the midst of white is quite dreamy. I’ll post better pictures once everything is back in place.

Testing out colors

The cutest little helper. Who was more in the way than anything.

We also decided on a horizontal fence and Dan will start putting on the planks this week!!! It’s going to look amazing. And he gets to buy a new toy- a nail gun. Because apparently the one we already have isn’t strong enough. I swear, the amount of tools we have… Yay for house projects!!

So funny that prior to painting I was finally starting to feel like the house was really coming together. Felt homey, (most) things had a place, and I just generally liked it but still knew what had to be done. Then everything came off the walls for paint and I’m starting fresh again. Ha. Hoping we get to the kitchen soon!!!