♥ Theme park trip!

My mother in law had her birthday this weekend and she wanted to go to some theme parks for her birthday! I haven't been to a theme park since 2013, so I was really excited to go. We went to Universal on Sunday and Disney on Monday :)

Last time I went to Islands of Adventure, the Harry Potter area had opened up pretty recently. I remember going to Hogsmeade, but I think Diagon Alley wasn't part of the parks at that time, so this was my first time visiting. I was totally in awe of how beautiful the place was! It was such an immersive experience. And of course I had to buy myself some house merch...Last time I went, I bought Gryffindor merch, but as I've gotten older I've realized I actually belong to Slytherin :p Therefore, I needed to replace my few pieces of outdated gear! I really enjoyed watching people use the specialty wands to interact with various easter eggs around the park; like there was a mermaid lantern that spouted water if someone waved their wand at it.

Gringott's was beautiful, like walking right into the movie! I'm a huge sucker for dragons, so I was delighted by the dragon on top of the bank. When it spits fire, you can definitely feel the heat if you're standing below it! The ride was very cool as well. My poor husband was having trouble with the 3D rides though, so he opted to go have a pint with his dad while the rest of us went on Escape from Gringott's.

Other highlights of the Universal/Islands of Adventure part of the trip were the Velocicoaster (speedy! scary! makes you go upside down! I love Jurassic Park and velociraptors!), King Kong ride (BIG animatronic), the ET ride (very weird but also somehow wildly charming, also very nicely air conditioned), us being weirded out by the Cat in the Hat ride, and finally, at night, riding the elevated trolley in Seuss land to look at all the beautiful Christmas lights around the park.

I'm not a big Disney person, so I have less to say about it, but I did have a wonderful time there as well ♥ I AM a big Haunted Mansion person, though, so I did get some merch just from that one area. I've been looking for a Loungefly that spoke to me for a long time, and finally found one in the HM gift shop, as well as an excellent spooky clack fan. We went right when the park opened so we could ride some big name attractions, like Tron and Space Mountain.

Did I mention I didn't have my phone at all during this trip? Oh my god TT_TT My phone's touch screen broke randomly a few days before, so I had to stick very close to everyone else in case I got separated from them without a phone. On the other hand, I brought my 3DS in my bag to play during long line waits in Disney, so I took it out and was taking pictures of my family and the castle on my 3DS LOL. I don't feel like unscrewing the back panel to get the images off the microSD card, but maybe some day in the future I will.

Anyway, it was a lovely time and I had a blast enjoying the Christmas decorations, rides, food, and family togetherness. I will treasure this memory, and hopefully one day in the future we can all go to Epic Universe!