I won’t lie…it’s a little sad to be going through these photos because I MISS vacation :] We had the absolute best time on our babymoon and we don’t regret one bit of it! It was hard to skip Thanksgiving and miss the family time that we would’ve normally had, but it was also so relaxing. Especially coming out of a busy season!
This whole idea came up because we were just so exhausted. And it felt like there wouldn’t be any time without an agenda until January! Between David’s school, our business, and work with Cru, we’re maxed out a lot of the time. And we did a couple short trips away this summer, but by the time we got to the end of our 2 or 3 day trips, we had just begun to unwind from preparing for the trip in the first place! So we decided we had to get away for a full week, no work allowed. And after lots of planning and checking around, we decided on going to Florida and experiencing the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Because it just felt like something I had to do before I became a mom. :]
We got an Air Bnb in Daytona Beach and spent 2 full days at the park in Orlando, and four days doing whatever we wanted in our apartment/Daytona. It was AMAZING! We spent one of our days having “thanksgiving” together in the apartment, but on those other days? We just cooked food, took naps, watched TV, read a TON, and went for walks on the beach. It was so good. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t work for 6 consecutive days, and David even gave himself permission to put grad school work on the back burner for the week. Friends, no matter where you’re at in life or what season you’re in…there is no denying that rest is good. Also, we certainly could’ve done something less extravagant and still had an amazing time. So don’t think you can’t make this happen by just having a staycation :] For us, at this time of life, we loved being able to spend a little more on the days at Universal, and then just eat in and keep it low key on the days in. It was the perfect last big thing to do together before Oliver comes and the timing was amazing. We got to head into the end of the semester refreshed and connected.
Here’s our babymoon adventure in iPhone images and some real deal camera photos as well :] If you love David and the selfie stick or want a sneak peek into Harry Potter World…this one’s for you.
Our trip down the first day took forever, but it was worth it!
Day one was our laziest day of them all. Besides going to the grocery store and taking a beach walk, we stayed in a rest coma all day long.
First image on the left…my initial reaction to walking into Hogsmeade. There were tears. And for some reason I thought I’d want to take pictures of everything. But I was so overwhelmed that I only took out my camera for about 20 minutes total.
Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley the first day! It was definitely my favorite meal. And as a bonus we got a free glass of butterbeer because I got intimidated and forgot to order the keepsake mug the first time around. We tried the frozen and regular version and both were amazing!
Two of my favorite Diagon Alley features :] On the left, me inside Madam Malkins. The robes were super pricey, but you could still try them on! There was even an enchanted mirror commenting on your look :] And on the right, the phone booth outside the entrance to Diagon Alley (which looks exactly like the street front described in the books!!!!), you could dial for the ministry of magic!!!
My two favorite views :] Hogwarts at night and Gringotts looking so majestic. The dragon breathed fire every 10 minutes or so!
Going on the Hogwarts Express was one of the best parts! Both train stations looked so realistic!
Here’s my 20 minutes with my MarkIII out :] I only took it out for a little of Diagon Alley, and I don’t regret that at all! It was so fun to just experience it without worrying about taking pictures!
Celestina Warbeck was one of the multiple shows throughout the park.
The Goblin in the bank exchange would actually answer your questions!! He didn’t seem to want to tell me anything about Harry Potter’s whereabouts though…
Store fronts in Diagon Alley :]
Yep, it was PACKED!
No matter at Grimmauld Place or on the beach, I was a happy camper all week long!
Back to iPhone pics for our Day 3 recovery day!
Day four was our thanksgiving! It was a little bit of a struggle in an Air BnB kitchen, but we made it work. What an experience :]
Day 5 aka actual Thanksgiving, back in the park! Yes, it was a bummer not being able to ride any of the rides, but most attendants took pity on me being pregnant and would let us go through the express line! That way we could take our time going through the lines (which were all so interactive) and David could ride without any wait time. And yes, I made him ride every ride by himself…and tell me about it in detail. This is us in Gringotts. Probably one of the most impressively realistic parts of the park!
Butterbeer ice cream from Florean Fortescue’s!
Our second day was when David brought the selfie stick. And he clearly had a blast with it. I had to be SELECTIVE with what you’re seeing because he was snapping pics like crazy.
Platform 9 3/4 :]
We minimally explored other parks of Universal…and David took selfies with what we saw.
Ollivander’s wand shop was one of my favorite parts! So realistic! I couldn’t believe how high all the wand boxes were stacked.
Hogsmeade :] I got a little snap happy because I knew we were leaving soon!
Yay! We only bought two souvenirs (which was so difficult :]). I got a Hufflepuff scarf and we got an interactive wand! There were about 30-40 different spots in the park where you could actually do magic! If you did the right wand movement, something would happen! Yes, slightly embarrassing to be at least 2 feet higher than everyone else doing magic…but it was SO fun. On the left I’m making water fall from the cauldron!
Our last day at the beach! it was the only day nice enough to go out on the beach! The rest of the days were terribly windy. We spent the afternoon reading in our beach chairs with feet in the sand and it was wonderful! And then we took some self portraits at sunset :]
You wouldn’t believe how much of a struggle tripod portraits can be :]
Yep, I made David take some maternity portraits of me. This is week 28 I believe!
This is David cheering that we were done taking pictures!
Thanks for sticking through the whole post! If you have any vacation questions, feel free to ask!
