The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I just got back from an incredible trip with Zahara. She turns 11 this summer, and as a huge Harry Potter fan, I knew the perfect gift for her would be a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks in Orlando! It was even better than I expected!

We spent four days and three nights at Universal's Endless Summer Resort--Surfside Inn and Suites. The hotel worked out perfectly. Staying onsite at one of the more budget friendly hotels was terrific. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the staff was friendly, and the shuttles to/from the parks were frequent and convenient. We also loved cooling off in the pool after a long day at the parks.

Earlier this spring I enlisted my amazing sister-in-law Amy to help with the surprise for Z. Amy designed a letter from Professor McGonagall welcoming Zahara to Hogwarts. We printed a bunch of copies and put them around the fireplace.

It's hard to tell who was more excited--me or Zahara. We both were giddy with anticipation for our trip. We bought Harry Potter shirts and borrowed an interactive wand from a friend. We read blogs and books on how to best approach our time there. After all that research, I decided the best approach would be to go with the flow. I wasn't anticipating riding most of the rides and had no must-see attractions, other than the parks themselves. That attitude served us very well during our trip. It was one of the least stressful trips I've been on.

Here are some of the highlights from our trip:

Universal Studios Florida

Diagon Alley is incredible. I honestly felt like I was in the books. The level of detail on every store front and display was awesome. Feeling the dragon breathe fire was a real experience! The Tale of Beedle the Bard was worth the stop. We did the Ollivander experience and there were only four of us in the room. Zahara and I both got selected by the wandmaker. Such fun! We didn't purchase the wands, but it was well worth the time.

We purchased a park-to-park ticket and I 100% recommend that! The Hogwarts Express alone is worth it. It's just a fun ride and is different in each direction. But more than that, we loved the freedom of being able to hop around and explore at our own pace. If lines were long in one park, we could just hop over to the other one.

The best thing in Harry Potter World was the frozen butterbeer. I can't describe how delicious and refreshing this drink is! We shared one a day and it was a highlight of the trip.

Seuss Landing was whimsical and more fun than I expected. We spent most of our time in the Harry Potter world, but we did explore the other parts of the parts too. The Cat in the Hat ride was adorable and the If I Ran a Zoo was fun. 

Minion Villain-Con ride was fine, but the line leading up to it was so clever. The posters, booths, and advertisements for bad guys was adorable. 

We did the Men in Black ride on the last day. I had fun shooting the aliens. Again, the line leading up to the ride was filled with fun scenes. I liked the breakroom and the supervisor's office.

The Bourne Stuntacular show was amazing. The effects were incredible. You don't need to have seen the movies to appreciate the show, but if you're a fan there are so many fun pop-outs. Warning for sensitive folks, Z hated the show because there were too many flashing lights, loud sounds, and 4D surprises. 

There's so much more to cover about our trip, but this is getting long enough. I'll report more in a second post. Suffice it to say, it was an incredible trip and I am eternally grateful for the one-on-one time with my favorite daughter :)

Southern Africa: A Trip of a Lifetime

For years Dan and I have said that we would celebrate our 40th birthdays with an African safari. It's a huge bucket-list item that we knew we wanted to do right. After hearing about my parents' trip for their 40th anniversary, we started planning our trip modeled after theirs.

We consulted with our travel agent, my parents, friends, the Internet, and many library books and came up with this final itinerary. I wouldn't change a thing!

1. Cape Town - 3 Nights

2. Hermanus - 2 Nights

3. Franshoek - 2 Nights

4. Sabi Sands Game Reserve - 3 Nights

5. Victoria Falls - 3 Nights

6. Johannesburg - Departure City

Though we are experienced travelers, we decided to work with a travel agent for a few reasons. First, we are still in Covid times. Travel restrictions and health requirements are constantly changing and we did not want to be figuring out each country/city/hotel's policies. Second, even in the best of times crossing three countries with multiple international and domestic flights and visas is challenging. Working with an agent allowed us to just enjoy our experience without having to think about the logistics. I cannot recommend using a travel agent highly enough. Helen Kirby from Rhino Africa was especially fantastic!

Though it will be impossible to fully document our incredible trip, I'll try over the next series of posts to bring you with us through our trip of a lifetime! Get ready!

Dear Asher: 6 Years

Dear Asher,

Happy 6th birthday! I think I say this every year, but this might have been my favorite year so far. You are just so darn loveable. I mean, look at this face!

I love that you genuinely want to spend time with us--whether it's going on adventures in our forest, reading books, playing with Lego, doing science experiments, baking, or just being silly together. We always have a good time playing. You're also becoming more independent though. You've taken your first solo flights (to Texas and Florida) and are getting better at solo play.

You graduated kindergarten and are on your way to first grade! This school year was a big adjustment for you and it wasn't always smooth sailing. But you did a great job communicating with us about what you need. Your teachers also helped a lot, getting you extra help to learn how to write better. Now you're reading, writing, drawing, and doing math problems in your head for fun. Oh, and you're learning Hebrew too. It's a lot! Even though you are still a reluctant reader, it's fun watching you discover the world around you through this unlocked talent.

You made some good friends this year in school and still remain close to your buddies from the Pod from last year. You had several playdates with many of the kids in your class and you got "married" a few times to Roxy, Raquel, and Eva. But Zahara and I still seem to be your number one girls.

I wouldn't necessarily call you an athlete, but I'm proud of the efforts you've been putting in with karate, soccer, swimming, and skiing. Karate and soccer weren't your favorites, but you'd be happy skiing or swimming any day. It's so fun watching you learn a new skill! You'll be out-skiing daddy and I next season!

You finally lost your first teeth just this week! I know you've been telling everyone that you already lost teeth but that's not true. You grew shark teeth just like your sister and the baby teeth are hanging around forever. I'm sure more visits from the Tooth Fairy are just around the corner.

One of my favorite things about you, other than your incredible sense of humor, is your empathy. You are (almost) always thinking of others. You ask about how people are feeling, how their days are, if they'd like to share your food. It's incredibly endearing. Paired with your hilarious sayings, like "this oatmeal is kind of dry if you ask me," you just keep me smiling all day long. Not counting when you go full Hulk mode and start throwing pillows, of course.

Ash, we love the young man you are today and can't wait to see what the next year holds for you. Happiest of happy birthdays! We love you!

NYC Vacation

Earlier this summer, Dan and I shipped the kids off* and snuck away for a quick break in New York City! We were celebrating the trifecta event of Dan's birthday, Father's Day, and Juneteenth!

Dan got us a great deal for a hotel near Bryant Park. We took the train up and were able to walk everywhere. It was perfect! Here are some of our highlights:

Food

Obviously I have to start with the food. We had a few must-dos but were otherwise fairly open to what the city chose to put in our path. Must dos included:

Pizza

• I wasn't picky about where this staple came from, but I wanted it hot, huge, and greasy. I was very satisfied with my slice of white from Joe's near Broadway

Bagels

•  I was aiming for a perfect bagel from Ess-a-Bagel, H&H, or Russ & Daughters. We ended up getting breakfast at Best Bagel & Coffee and it was still pretty good. As they say, it's the water that makes the bagels so chewy and light.
  
  

Meat

• Prime Grill was my favorite NY Kosher establishment, but sadly it closed in 2017. Le Marais is always a good choice though. I got the ribeye and Dan got steak au poivre (pepper-crusted steak). We split the duck and veal spread. Dan liked it, but it wasn't my favorite. We also got a chocolate mousse dessert to go, which we happily ate in our comfy hotel bed.
  
  

Pasta

• We stumbled upon Eataly, a super fun Italian market. We sat at one of the food counters and ordered fresh pasta while Dan drank a Chinotto. I loved checking out the vibrant fruit and veggie stands too. We didn't have as good of luck at Becco, Joe and Lidia Bastianich's restaurant. It was fine, but I expected more.

Dessert

• You know I love a good dessert. We had some pretty good ones while on vacation. Some of our favorites were the ice cream from an ice cream truck in Bryant Park; the black and white cookie from Zaro's in the train station; our chocolate mousse bomb described above; and multiple baked goods from the delicious Marvelous by Fred. We loved that patisserie so much that we actually went back a second time for the freshly baked brioche!

Activities

Broadway--Hadestown

• We had to see a show while we were in town, and what better show to see than the one for which my cousin won a Tony!! That's right. I'm related to a two-time Tony award winner, Bradley King (hey Brad!). 
  
  

Brad designed the lighting for Hadestown, a retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. At first I wasn't sure what to expect from the lighting, but wow did it deliver. The show is incredible. The music is dark and jazzy, the story is told so well, and the scenery is magical. Honestly, it's one of the best shows I've see. Highly recommend!

Highline

• We spent a day walking around the Highline. It was such a wonderful way to see the city!

Books

• We made a quick stop to The Strand to see the miles of books. It's fun seeing a place in person that I've read about in many books (like Dash and Lily's Book of Dares). I especially loved the rainbow book wall and the blind date table!
  
  

It was a quick trip but it was much needed. I love getting away and seeing (and eating!) new things. Now we're ready for our next adventure!

* I've said it before and I'll say it again--Dan and I have the BEST families. Our kids were awesome adventurers and hopped on separate planes to visit grandparents. Coincidentally, they both left from the same gate at BWI only a couple of hours apart. 

Dear Zahara: 9 Years Old

Dear Zahara,

Happy ninth birthday! You have grown up so much this year. It's amazing to watch you mature into the clever, hilarious, caring, prankster you are.

Zahara, you are so full of passion. You're an avid reader (thank goodness for the library!), and love mostly fantasy or magical realism. You finished all of Harry Potter, Land of Stories, Wings of Fire, most Roald Dahl books, and many more. You also continue to be a great artist. We signed you up for art classes this year and your class painted a giant mural!

You've overcome some of your fears this year including riding a bike. You're super speedy on that thing. Daddy got a bike this year too so the two of you are able to ride together. You and I have been running together! You joined Girls on the Run and worked your way up to a 5K (3.1 miles). We have now run four 5Ks together. I'm so proud of your perseverance and grit.

After a hard run you of course need a nice relaxing spa. This has become another tradition of ours. Now on Sundays we have a whole routine with a steam, a face mask, and a massage. Sometimes it's over the top but it's sweet.

You got braces! You had a few baby teeth pulled and had an expander and three brackets put in. You're doing such a great job taking care of your teeth. It feels early for braces, but so many of your friends have them now too. I'm glad you're in good company.

This summer you'll be returning to Pinemere, a sleep-away camp in the Poconos! We were so proud of your bravery to spend ten nights away. This year you'll have three whole weeks of archery, swimming, arts and crafts, Shabbat dinners, and of course spice challenges (you're the Spice Queen, apparently!). 

I know you'll have a great time at camp, but secretly, I know you'll miss your brother too. You two recently separated for a week while you each spent time with a set of grandparents. You only made it a couple of days before you called Asher on Hangouts to see if he wanted to chat. I LOVE THAT! It's not always roses and sunshine, but we see you guys continuing to develop your relationship and it makes daddy and I proud. You're also continuing to deepen the relationships with your friends. In particular, you and Leticia are great friends to each other. You're also close with Amalia, Joni, Isa, and Abby.

Zahara, this year has been a delight. I'm so proud of the hard work you've put in this year to grow your social, emotional, physical, and intellectual skills. Daddy, Asher and I are your biggest cheerleaders and we can't wait to see what this next year brings. We love you!

See Zahara's other birthday wishes here.