A to Z Blog Challenge - U

Letter U

Umbrellas

Sometimes I like them. Sometimes, I don't . Sometimes they are more of a "pain" than they are useful! For example.... I do not like using them if I know that I am going to be getting in and out of the car. I get MORE wet just trying to take down my umbrella and get it into the car, than if I had just not used it! If I am going to be getting in and out of the car frequently when it is raining, I would rather use my rain jacket. I remember when my girls were still riding in strollers when I went shopping at the mall. It was NEVER fun to have to deal with an umbrella AND a child in a stoller! The only time that I really like using an umbrella is when I know that I am going to be out in the rain for a while.

Unicorns

When I was a teenager, I collected these! I had unicorn figurines, posters, and even notebooks with unicorns on them! In my house now, you will only find one unicorn. It is a beautiful ceramic one that was a wedding gift from my mother. My girls think I was a bit "weird" for liking unicorns so much back then! LOL!

Underwear

When I think of this word, I think back to one of our first camping trips with our "camping friends". We were camping up in the mountains of north Georgia and one of my friends forgot to pack underwear for herself! The nearest town was very small and the only stores that might possibly carry ladies underwear were a grocery store and a drug store.... and neither of them did!! We ended up having to drive across a mountain to a bigger town to find a Walmart! We have some great memories from that trip!

Universal Studios

Last Summer, I took my girls and Rory to Florida so that we could visit Universal Studios. Our main objective was to go to Harry Potter World!! We had a wonderful trip!! One that we will never forget!

Unbelievable

This is a word that I use quite frequently. I use it for just about everything! Of course, I say it with much expression, like this.... "UN-BE-lievable!!!"

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE GOING to Universal Studios in Orlando to visit Harry Potter World (HPW).

 -- If you don't have a "special" pass to get in early... you have to enter HPW thru the Jurassic Park section and wait in a line JUST TO ENTER HPW!!

-- You have to have a YELLOW TICKET in order to enter HPW!

-- The wait can be HOURS in length to get into HPW! ~ Depends on what time you get there. ~ My advice is to get there EARLY!

-- Once you enter HPW, you can not re-enter without standing in line again in Jurassic Park.

-- Once you are in HPW, the line to ride "The Forbidden Journey" (inside the castle) is approimately an hour long. (Could be shorter. Could be longer.)

-- Use the lockers INSIDE the castle to store your belongings in, instead of the lockers near the train. The locker time is corresponds with the length of the ride wait. It's crowded in there, but worth it so that you don't have to pay for your locker time. --- They will MAKE YOU get a locker for your belongings, unless they are small like a cell phone or a small camera that can be secured on the ride.

-- The line to ride "The Forbidden Journey" is partly outside (In the Greenhouse) and partly inside the castle. If you can... bring your sunglasses and/or hat!

-- If you have  a place to secure a small camera -- TAKE IT!! You will want to take photos inside the castle as you wait to ride.

-- If you have $$$ on you, then yo can purchase drinks (even beer!!) while waiting in line in the Greenhouse.

-- The Forbidden Journey ride is AWESOME!!! But, if you are prone to motion sickness... then, this ride is not for you. It is partly virtual flying, mixed with spinning, and tilting... and.... I have no idea how else to describe it!!

-- Wear shoes that stay on your feet, if you can. Your feet dangle!

-- Hogsmeade is really neat! But, is a small area and is very crowded!

-- Be prepared to wait in a long line to get into The Owl's Post & Ollivander's Wand Shop. They only allow so many people into the shops at a time.

-- If you bring a card or letter that is already stamped, you can have it postmarked with the Hogsmeade postmark and mail it right there!! (Outside the Owl's Post) No waiting time!

-- The candy store & joke shop are neat to go into, but they are very small and they only allow so many people in at a time. The wait is not long, tho.

-- The main souvenir shop is the one located under the castle, as you exit the ride. It is VERY crowded!!! But, has some wonderful souvenir's!!

-- If you want to purchase a wand and don't want to stand in line to enter Ollivander's... there is a kiosk outside the castle where you can purchase a wand. Price's range from $25 to $50.

-- If the line for the Butterbeer is too long at the kiosk.... go inside Hogs Head and purchase it there. It tastes a lot like a butterscotch cream soda! YUM! (They also sell real beer inside, too!)

I'm still here!!

Ya. I got "lost" for a little while. Adjusting to a new schedule and routine threw me for a LOOP, but I think I have finally fallen into a "rhythm". June has been a busy month!

June 4-6th.... Hubby & I went to Panama City Beach for a short weekend. We were invited to stay with friends at their condo that they have there. What a beautiful place it is! And the view was incredible! It is located very close to Pier Park, which was fun. It was wonderful to get to go to the beautiful Gulf Coast before the yucky oil made it not-so-pretty.

The week of June 14-18th... was VBS at our church. My daughters and I were "Crew Leaders" for the week. This meant that we guided (and were in charge of!) a group of 6-8 kids to the various "stations" set up in various rooms. VBS was from 8:45-12:00 each day. By Wednesday, I felt like it had been TEN days instead of only three!! I am still not sure what made it so tiring, but it was! It was also a lot of fun, tho.

Of course, we have still been training our new puppy (Chester) all this time, too! I do believe that he is FINALLY house-trained, tho!! YIPPEEE!!!! He is still not sleeping thru the night, but he is getting better. Instead of waking up between 3 & 4:00am... he is now waking up closer to 5:00am. I can handle that!

On June 15th, we had him neutered. So, not only was I dealing with VBS that week.... I was also dealing with a puppy that had just had surgery! The instructions say... "Do not let him jump, run, or get excited for 7 to 10 days." --- Do you know how HARD it is to keep a puppy from doing those things????? It was pretty near impossible! It's been over a week now, and he seems to be doing fine. I check his "private spot" every day.... (just to make sure nothing's come "undone"!)... and he looks fine.

This week, has been WAY more relaxing! Plus... I have been preparing for VACATION!!!

If you look back to my post on 4/9/10... you will see that Dtr. #2 had come up with a plan for our family to go Universal Studios this summer. Well........ her technique WORKED!! We are leaving tomorrow morning!!! Can I hear another... YIPPEEEEE!!!!! Hubby is not going. He chose not to, but said that we (my girls and I), could go. So, that is what we are doing. Dtr. #2's b/f is going with us, too. It should be a fun trip! I am beyond excited!!!

So..... once again.... you will not hear from me for a few days. But, this time.... I have a good reason!