Tis the Season to be Harry! By: Lane

First of all I would just like to say Happy Holidays! Seeing as it is also December 25 ... Merry Christmas!!! I hope you all had or are having a great time this season and maybe got some super duper presents! Speaking of presents, Ella mentioned in her last post that I had been gallivanting (yes I know, awesome possum word usage there) through Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and perhaps a certain Harry Potter World. I would just like to confirm that it is all true! All of it! Arrest me now! I've been shrinking my duties as a world-wide bloggeress and I'm ready for the cuffs!! Thankfully for me, Ella is a very forgivable person, although I'm not allowed to say or type a specific word. It rhymes with borry and starts with an s, but as they say: the blog must go on! Now on with it! I would would like to make just one more excuse and that is that on the same weekend that I strolled through (in my humble opinion) the most magical place in the world or at least the USA, I went to my cousins wedding. The only reason we went to Orlando was because of his wedding and as an early present my parents knowing what a HP (Harry Potter) dork I am gave me tickets to the wonderful place. Ok, ok, I'm done with my excuses for now. Lets get the show on the road...

When you first walk in through that brick archway, it was (or at least to me) was the most pottical (potter and magical) place I had ever seen! The first thing we did, because I had gone with every family member who attended the wedding, was go on the one, the only: Dragon Challenge Roller Coaster. It was am-AAA-zing! Once you walk through twisting paths that are both indoors and out that lead you to a difficult decision: you must choose between the blue or the red roller coasters. We first went on the blue one because it had the shortest line, but we eventually went on both the blue and red multiple times. After the blue one, half of my family was winded and had whiplash, but the few brave lungs that survived went on another three times on each blue and red roller coaster. I have heard that they are differences between the two, but I didn't notice any differences. If you have gone on this ride, please tell me if you felt any differences. I like to imagine that we have billions of readers that always leave comments for Ella and I and that every time we read them it just makes our day because they are so precious to us. A girl can dream, right? That's a whole other story, so the point is that... I loved every second that I speed through the humid Florida air and laughed hysterically instead of screaming because my weird brain has never worked completely right.

Next, we took a break and relaxed by walking down "streets" that are supposed to resemble Hogsmeade and they did for the most part. We went into Honey Dukes where I got a Chocolate Frog that I have yet to open because I want to save it for as long as possible.

Then we stood in line for a short viewing of a Harry-like experience at Ollivander's, where you stand in a small room that looks like the front of Ollivader's store in the first HP movie and a man dressed in Potter-world like clothes chooses one person to be "chosen" by a wand. I have to admit, I was a little jealous of the cute 6 year old who got to be "chosen", but can you blame me? It had really cool special effects that would have been cooler if it had been used by me :) As soon as you exit the room, you are pushed into the rest of the wand shop where I got Luna Lovegood's wand. They have tons of different wands, from specific character's wands to just generic wands and to wands belonging to different groups.

After our mini-break, we (or those could fit) went on the Flight of the Hippogriff. It is mostly for smaller people because I had to squish my legs in the tiny wicker car, but it was still fun to feel a slight breeze rip through your hair. As you chug along, you pass by Buckbeak where you have to listen for Hagrid's instruction on how to approach a hippogriff and Hagrid's cabin and zoom right next to Hogwarts castle where you get an excellent view of the front and of Hogsmeade.

We then went on the tour of Hogwarts. As you walk through the line that leads to a roller coaster like ride that is like a day-in-the-life of Harry Potter or aspects of his life, you pass by talking pictures and paintings that are very life like and we go through Dumbledoor's office where he speaks to you. During the ride a dragon breaths fire at you and a dementor sucks out your soul. Sounds fun, doesn't it? It is!

Then finally, we went shopping!!! Why yes, of course we needed one more memento of our trip to visit HP world! We went to Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods where I got a Remembrall and a postcard that you can get stamped at the Owlery with a Hogsmeade post mark! Also, they had robotic owls above you that had fake owl poop dripping down the wooden beams. I thought that was very detail oriented of them.

Then last, but not least we rested on benches beneath the pooping owls (they don't actually drip anything on you, it just looks like they will) with a nice, cold cup of delicious Butterbeer! It tastes like cream soda with a layer of spiced whip cream on top. It's a non-alcoholic drink, if you were wondering that is either served cold or frozen and that if you pay extra for it, comes with a collectible mug. They are many other shops to visit, like Zonko's Joke Shop, Three Broomsticks Restaurant, and Hogs Head Pub that I personally didn't get to experience but if I ever get the chance to go again, I will make sure I do. By the way, in the bathrooms, Moaning Myrtle talks to you. I think that is so funny that someone moans at you while you are going to the bathroom! Anyway, I hope that this is sufficient enough to make the bloggesphere like me a tiny bit more with each post.

Always Harryiffic,
Lane

A Snowless Story By:Ella

Hello there,
Long time no post or read or whatever. You get what I mean. This a post where I don'treally know where I'm going with. I just felt bad because I realized that I havent posted anything in a while and the whole reason I decided to start a blog with my friend was so that she could fill in those empty silences when I'm neglecting to post and vise versa but obviously that idea is down the toilet. So a message to Lane: I know you've been busy going to Harry Potter Land in Universal Orlando but what happened to that white board I recall you mentioning a few moons ago!?? You know the one with all of the post ideas. But anyway like this post, our blog is kind of just a bunch of random crap that we've accumulated and put into word form. But it's all in good fun I suppose.

W-w-w-winter, you see what I did there I tried to make it seem like I was shivering. Isn't it funny? Yes? No? Yep so anyways I love winter with the freezing air and the whole "I'm dragging my foot because it's frozen and if I use it, it will shatter into a million tiny pieces." No actually I love winter because like the picture at the top its beautiful. The snow, hot coco, fires (in fire places), and how everything looks clean and just all around pretty. Well actually growing up in California I never had this unless I went up to the mountains. Which my family never did.

Life in California in the Winter when it's not raining or wet.

But anyway when its raining in California during the winter I always liked the idea of just staying inside and watching movies with snow in them like the Chronicles of Narnia.

I actually kind of feel sorry for this series because It came out during the time of Twilight and Harry Potter craze. And people started to forget about it after the first movie. But I remember you Narnia!! I honestly love these movies and books so much and I highly recommend them. Even if you're not a big reader they're really easy to read and in the books they don't dilly dattle around and cause you to get bored they get strait to the action.

Another movie has to be White Christmas. It's the BEST christmas movie EVER!!! I watch it every

year about 5 times and my parents watched it when they were little too. And when I have kids I'm going to force them to love it also. I mean seriously what's not to love about old hollywood movies. It's got singing, comedy, fashion, love and a drama. Also if your a war movie junkie then there's war in it too. Plus I love the whole idea of a little snowy inn surrounded by trees gives me a warm Christmasy feeling inside.

Now just some wintery photos.

Ok I know this could be a Halloween party but I like to think of it as a really awesome New Years bash!

These girls were waiting outside a Beatles concert. I wish woman would still wore curlers outside. I think they look like really cool girls you would see when you come home for the holidays.

Even Daria's cheery around the holidays.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!