It's hard to top last year's cruise (shout out to my girl Ktlamber!), but we did manage to get away for a long weekend and visit Florida for some very touristy things.
First, we went to Universal Studios to see all the Harry Potter getup. We loved just walking around Diagon Alley and taking the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade. There were some pretty cool rides as well, but I soon discovered that my sweet husband is very prone to motion sickness. After flying through Hogwarts on a broomstick, he was feeling a little queasy (as he should!). The ride through the Hogwarts castle was scary, like, dementors-sucking-out-your-soul scary! We loved riding through Gringotts, though. The goblins were perfect. Of course, we got butterbeer. Lendrum got the frozen butterbeer, which was much tastier in my opinion. I got the normal, which tasted cream soda with butterscotch whipped cream. Since I am not a fan of cream soda or whipped cream, it wasn't my favorite. But you can't visit hogsmeade and NOT get butterbeer, right!? The rest of the park was okay-ish. We discovered a curse in the mummy's tomb and saved ET from the bad guys. The highlight was definitely Harry Potter. It was fun just to pretend we weren't muggles for a day.
The next day, we went to a Braves spring training game. It was a terrible game. The Braves lost by I don't even know how much. But we still had fun seeing the players up close. We sat the first couple innings on the lawn and then a nice lady offered us her seats right behind home plate. Lendrum was in heaven.
That night, we drove across Florida to the Gulf side. We had dinner on the beach overlooking the water just after sunset. We spent the next day at Clearwater Beach. I loved this. The sand was so white and the water was beautiful. And the weather was sunny all day long. It was just the best day. I love the beach so much. I am so happy that I live near the beach and can visit other beaches as well!
Our last day was spent driving back to Charleston. We made it in time for Devin's Court of Honor. And then it was back to work for me. What a fun trip! It was MUCH needed. This has definitely been a stressful year for me teaching-wise, but I am glad Lendrum and I are in a position right now to take little breaks and spend time together.
