Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts

Tis the Season

Tis the season to be busy fa la la la la la la la LA! Goodness this past week has been absolutely hectic!

Last week, I got into a bad accident and my car was totaled. Worst timing ever! I had zero time to go car shopping, but we made it work. Friday, was H's work Christmas party which was held at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Saturday was our 1st annual Christmas party here at the house. We also squeezed in car shopping on Thursday night and Sunday afternoon.

Friday, I went to get my hair done and had my first blow dry bar experience thanks to inspiration from the fabulous Pam. Then it was time to check into the hotel and get ready for an epic company Christmas party.


Obsessed doesn't even begin to explain how I feel about Harry Potter! I had been to the park twice before, but never got to truly experience it since it's always so flingin' flangin' crowded. They shut down the park and it was open only to H's company and their guests so about 250 people at most. I almost had a tear in my eye as I walked through the shops and could actually take in all the details and even hear Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom! No lines for the rides, unlimited butter beer and pumpkin juice and of course great food and open bar. Such an amazing night!

Hogsmeade with Hogwarts in the background

Zonkos Joke Shop

Honey Dukes

Hogwarts at night *magnificent*

Inside Hogwarts

I got to ride a Nimbus 2000. eat Chocolate Frogs, and I even sported a butter beer mustache

I was chosen at Ollivanders to test out a wand








After party at City Walk... this may not have been a good idea :-P
*oy*

The next morning, we woke up and checked out and drove home to get ready for our 1st annual Christmas party at the house. I spent the whole day in the kitchen cooking and baking while H mowed the lawn and got the fire pit and patio area ready. We were barely ready in time when guests started arriving. 

Soooo much food! 

Dessert table
Caprese wreath
Egg nog and gingerbread martinis
Hot cocoa station with marshmallows, chocolate dipped candy canes, and baileys and amaretto nips

I also had buffalo dip in the crock pot, cream cheese sausage balls, peppermint bark, shrimp cocktail, and so many people brought more goodies which was a huge help!

Ladies pic

Our 1st Christmas party was a success

The highlight of the night was the gift swap

Such a busy yet amazing weekend! And I'd do it all over again if I could :)

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Dry Shampoo Review

I have very fine hair and have to wash it every day or it gets even more limp and oily. I usually shower and
wash my hair after work after my workout, but yesterday was the day I had been waiting for.. for several years. It was the release of the final Harry Potter movie. It was raining when I got home which means it was humid outside and I was feeling extra oily and icky, but had no time to wash my hair before going to the movies with H. After trying out the dry shampoo from Tresemme a few months ago I wasn't impressed, but I kept hearing great things about Suave's dry shampoo and decided to buy it. I hadn't used it until last night and the results are... I loved it! It worked a lot better than Tresemme's and it also smells amazing! It has a very fruity smell that H noticed and said, "OOooh what are you wearing?" I laughed and said, "Nothing, it's my dry shampoo". The Tresemme's dry shampoo was a "quick fix" while I felt this dry shampoo did what it was supposed to do and replaced washing my hair to go out for the evening. Perfection!


My hair instantly felt a lot cleaner and got the body back that was there when I had blow dried it the evening before and again.. it smelled great! As for the movie.... INCREDIBLE! I blubbered like a baby and was super emotional the entire time. So sad to see it end, but so amazing at the same time. The world has spent the past 10 years reading the books and watching the movies, and it all ended this weekend. 
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Urban Decay 15th Anniversary

If you loved Urban Decay's Naked Palette but were looking for a little more pop of color, then you'll love their 15th anniversary eyeshadow collection that was just released (and to no surprise already sold out). But have no fear, they do have a email notification that you can sign up for when they become available again.


You can find it on the Urban Decay website.

I love Urban Decay eyeshadows because the pigment in them is a lot better than other eyeshadows I've worn including MAC. Plus, combined with UD's Primer Potion, they last all day/night.

On a completely different note may I just mention how super pumped I am that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II will be released in less than 2 days?!!!!


LOOOOVE this poster of Neville! It's his time to shine!



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Good Reads

I realized I never did a review of Lauren Conrad's book "Style". 


I picked it up at Target (my happy place) and loved it so much that I picked up another copy the following week to send to one of my best friends for her birthday. (we both share a love for all things LC)

The book is great for showing how to style your clothes, how to best pack and dress for a plane trip, and what closet staples you should have. She has great hair and makeup advice as well. Out of all the celebrities out there, I feel like I associate with her style the most and covet her closet more than anyone elses. I don't ever recall thinking to myself, "What was she thinking?!"


The book also helped my ever growing love for a pair of Christian Louboutin heels as Lauren is seen wearing in the above picture, first outfit on the left. 


As for what I'm currently reading.. I just finished "Water for Elephants" and I can't rave about it enough. The book was incredible, and one of the best books I've read since I dug into the Harry Potter series a few years ago. And the best part is, I LOVED the ending! As some know, I gave the Twilight series a try a few months ago and definitely thought the books were better than the movies, but was highly disappointed with the way Stephanie Meyer ended the series, it was just so anti-climatic to me and I was thinking "This is it?! Are you kidding me?! Everything led up to this?!" *Sigh* So it was nice to be extremely satisfied with a book's ending especially one that has been made into a movie starring Robert Pattinson. That was more of a Twilight reference (or Harry Potter.. loved Cedric Diggory!) than a "because he's hot" reference. 


Now that I finished "Water for Elephants" I've been re-reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" to refresh myself before the final movie is released this week. *Insert heart pounding enthusiasm* There's just so much incredible detail in the Harry Potter books that they can be re-read over and over again. 


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I have Goosebumps

Yes I am a HUGE Harry Potter dork! They just released the 2nd and final trailer for the final movie. One word describes it and it's AMAZING.

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Getting to Know You

Found these questions on another blog and thought it would be fun. Hope everyone had a great weekend! 


Getting to Know You Sunday with mannland5. Be sure to link up if you want to participate! :)



1. have you ever gone to see a movie by yourself?
No, I haven't

2. would you rather go through a tornado or a hurricane?
Definitely a hurricane... and I live in Florida which means they're inevitable. I've experienced both hurricanes and tornadoes, but tornadoes are definitely much scarier. If that funnel comes anywhere near where you are or your home.. everything is gone. 

3. have you made summer vacation plans?
Yes.. lots! Friends are coming down to visit next week and they've requested to go to Aquatica at Sea World and to go to the beach. 




Next month one of my best friends from high school (one of the ones who's preggers!!!) is coming down to visit since she's going to a wedding down here. I'm not sure what will be planned yet, but I'm so excited to see her!

End of next month, is our 1st wedding anniversary, our closing on our house, and my parents coming down to visit so we can go to my brother's graduation from the marines.




End of July, one of my best friends from college is coming down and he's looking forward to us showing him "everything" haha. He wants to go to Disney, bars in downtown Orlando, the beach, and the day cruise to the Bahamas out of Ft. Lauderdale.. big week but it'll be so much fun. 

In August, another couple that H and I are close to from back home are coming down so we can all go on a cruise together to Mexico and Central America. 



Last but certainly not least, we'll be wrapping up our summer with a long weekend in Miami and Key West. We're on the quest right now to recruit friends to join us. 

Love the summer time! And I love that we moved to FL... we don't need plane tickets for any of our summer fun this year! 

4. what's your favorite accessory? 
My H :0)

Material things.. probably my new Kate Spade purse and definitely my engagement and wedding rings! 

5. have you ever been thrown a surprise party?
Ha.. my parents tried throwing me a surprise Sweet Sixteen... but I found out about it from my big mouth high school boyfriend. I still had the party, it just wasn't a surprise anymore :-P

6. are you friends with your neighbors?
Right now, no because we're in an apartment complex and counting the days until we move into our house. We've already met a few of our neighbors in the neighborhood we're moving to and they seemed really nice so we'll see... 

7. what's the last movie you saw in the theater?
It was either Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part I or Little Fockers.






8 what's your favorite food network show?
I don't watch the Food Network but I love HGTV. I used to watch $40 a Day with Rachael Ray, but I'm not sure if that's even on anymore. 




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Eventful Easter Weekend

I'm so happy I finally work for a company that gives me Good Friday off. I've worked for 2 large companies before the one I'm at now and neither of them observed Good Friday and I always had to work while everyone else I know had it off. It was great to have the day off since H's parents had been down visiting us all week and we were both able to have the day off and spend it with them. They treated us to a day at Universal, so I was super excited that I was finally going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (If you don't know by now I'm a MAJOR Harry Potter dork...  umm fan!) The park was incredible! They really did an amazing job of replicating the movie sets. Hogwarts looks just like in the movies from the outside sitting up high on a huge rock. Once inside the castle, you walk up the grand staircase where some of the pictures move and talk like in the movies, you walk through the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Dumbledore's office, the Gryffindor common room, and then when you see the Sorting Hat you're about to enter the Room of Requirement which is where the  Forbidden Journey ride is located.

You can read more about the simulated ride here: http://themeparks.about.com/od/darkrides/fr/Harry-Potter-Ride.htm

And here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Forbidden_Journey

The Forbidden Journey ride was amazing to say the least, however after suffering from a bad bout of labyrinthititis this year, I was unable to enjoy it to it's fullest and probably never should have gotten on the ride. But my obsession and curiosity got the best of me. The ride is a constant conveyor belt that takes you into a simulated journey following Harry while he flies through several different scenes including a quidditch match, fighting off dementors, dragons, Aragog (Hagrid's giant spider), and over the Black Lake back to Hogwarts. You're constantly swaying up and down as if you're flying at high speeds. Not so great for those who are recovering from inner ear damage. I had my eyes shut for most of it, but I opened them right when there was a giant dementor hovering above us and yelled out with much enthusiasm "Expecto Patronum!" When the ride ended, I got off and realized I couldn't walk and stumbled with help from H over to a bench where I grasped onto his waist for dear life for the next several minutes until my equilibrium straightened itself out. I was so bummed for two reasons, I missed something I knew would be amazing for any Harry Potter fan, and I am obviously still very sensitive to certain motions. I've come a long way, and if all I can't do is some amusement park attractions then I'll take it. I can go shopping without feeling sick due to the lighting and noise in large stores, I was able to fly back and forth to Omaha for work, and my next test is my cruise in August with H and some of our friends. If I can resume these activities, I'm not going to complain about not being able to go on rides anymore.

H's parents LOVED the ride even though neither of them have read the books or seen the movies. They loved it so much that they went on it twice! They couldn't stop talking about it, and said it was their favorite ride all day!

Big kid excited to go to Hogwarts

Magnificent! Just like the movies.

Hogsmeade


Butterbeer was delicious! It tasted like cream soda with a whipped topping with butterscotch flavoring.

H trying butterbeer

Butterbeer mustache like Hermoine sported in The Half Blood Prince

Inside Dumbledore's Office

The Sorting Hat right before entering the area for the Forbidden Journey ride

Hagrid's House alongside the Flight of the Hippogriff rollercoaster

Flight of the Hippogriff
I did ok on this ride, but still not great. Gosh I really miss going on rides without thinking twice.

Testing out a Nimbus 2000

H and I with Hogwarts in the background

It was a great day, but definitely hot out. I can't imagine how people come to these parks in the middle of the summer heat. I made the suggestion that they should have small public pools throughout the park for people to dip into and cool off instead of those misting fans because it's just not enough. H's parents left the next day so we were by ourselves for Easter. I went all out and cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner, and felt it was too much work and money for just the two of us to do it again for Easter. So, we went to church this morning and then relaxed by the pool. I came back and cooked a pot of sauce for dinner which was thoroughly enjoyed by both of us. It wasn't hard to spend the holiday away from home, since H's parents were just here for the whole week and we got to enjoy them up until yesterday. I stayed festive and painted my nails in Essie's Nice is Nice instead of coloring Easter eggs. 


Hope you all had a Happy Easter with your families and friends and aren't in a "ham coma". 

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