With “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” making its way to shelves, I felt like now was the perfect time to share my own journey to becoming a witch. I’ll be honest, I’m a full out geek when it comes to HP. I did shed a few tears, as Matt can confirm, but I am not ashamed. I am so excited to bring the world of Harry Potter to my own children’s life.

In honor of Harry Potters birthday, we planned a July visit to the magical world of Hogwarts. Yes, the tickets are a little pricey and the rides aren’t the greatest, but the atmosphere was simply spell binding. We plan to take another trip as a family just for that, given this time we will wait until they are older. BUT, i’ll be honest, the kids actually loved it despite their age.

You get to the main entrance of Hogsmead and it’s like walking into your best dream. Everything looks just like how I imagined it. It’s beautiful. We immediately headed towards Hogwarts castle. The castle itself is the line for a ride, but just waiting in line is amazing. The pictures even talked to you. The ride itself… it made me want to throw up all my chocolate frogs, but it was still creative.

In the past, we have tried to make homemade Butterbeer, but it is nothing compared to real life, Three Broomsticks, Butterbeer. We got the frozen kind, which was more like a slushy and the kids LOVED it. While the barista was pouring it, she totally ripped out the nozzle and the slush was gushing out everywhere. I was so tempted to run and put my mouth under it, but I stayed composed and held myself back. Well, Matt held me back. What a waste…

We went back to sit down and the kids guzzled the drinks. They couldn’t drink it fast enough. And when Matt and I would try and get our own drink they would move around to all the other family members in an effort to get the most creamy goodness that they could.  My sister also got a pumpkin juice and says it is her new favorite drink, so if you plan to visit anytime soon, know that both drinks are good options.

It was extremely important to me that I visit Ollivanders while we were there. It would have been a travesty if we didn’t. I was really hoping that I could have been the one that had a wand choosen for them, however, when you are holding a baby, the workers seem to look right past you… But don’t fret, I will survive. That didn’t stop me from letting a wand choose me, though. I spent a good 40 minutes wandering around the shop waiting for a wand to speak to me. In the end, I picked Sirius Blacks wand. I feel like I could relate a lot to him in the books and I really admire the qualities he possesses. He is fiercely loyal and protective. He is head strong and physically and mentally tough, sometimes to tough. He is not afraid to stand up for himself or others. And, he is an amazing friend. Plus, we are both Gryffindors. I am also happy to report that Taelynn was just as excited as I was! I still have to work on Tyce a little bit…

We did eventually venture out to the rest of Universal Studios. I was so amazed at how well the kids did, especially in the blazing heat. They were intrigued with the shows, especially the animals in the movies. They loved getting to pet them all at the end! Even Taelynn, who is normally terrified of animals.

Just look at their faces! They were staring at the stage the entire show.

My grandma and grandpa were with us, which was a blast! And let me just say, they are troopers! My grandma was so against using a wheelchair despite her bad knees, but eventually gave in half way through the day. That is when she discovered that having a wheelchair at a theme park has it’s benefits. We got to go straight to the front of the line from there on out. (It was a packed day to!)

There was a lot of walking and sites to see, PLUS donuts the size of our faces to eat! One of the highlights was going on the studio tour. We were able to see inside the studio filming Superstore. Plus, we got to experience a flash flood inside a subway station. It’s amazing how our imaginations really are the limit. (Fun Fact: Growing up I always wanted to be a movie director or videographer).

Overall, the day was a success and I am so happy we got to share some of the magic with our kids!

Next stop…DISNEYLAND!!! Haha I wish…. eventually though!