Wedding Trip: Miami and Settling in!

Jer, my Parents and I woke up super early on Wednesday. Our flight left Orlando at 7 a. m. so we were up at 4 a. m. While early, our travel was pleasant and uneventful. We landed in Miami and discovered that Miami's rental car center is like three miles away from the terminal. At any rate. we found our rental company and were successful in upgrading from a Full-size car to a mini-van, which was good. With five people and seven bags, we would have been cramped. As it was, we were able to tuck away one of the seats in the van.

We ate breakfast/lunch at Denny's then got stuck in traffic from an accident, and with only a lane (rarely two) in each direction through the keys, this had a significant impact on our travel time. When we got to the vacation rental, we were several hours behind where I'd hoped to be at that point- and we all know about how well I deal with being behind schedule. To top it off, even though the rental office had given us keys, the unit wasn't completely clean yet.

Jer, my mom and I went to the county clerk's office to get our marriage certificate while my dad and Janet settled in and sorted out the rental/cleaning situation. We made it just in time to get the paperwork sorted out. On our way back, we stopped by the grocery store for some essentials (read, tequila), and headed back. We headed off for a late dinner at Sparky's Landing in Key Colony beach. Sparky's was busy and loud, but the service and food was good.

On Thursday, we had a lazy morning and went to see the Turtle hospital. Sea Turtles were overfished and are now a protected species- but they face dangers from debri, boats and chemicals in the water. We learned about sea turtles and then got to look at and feed a bunch of turtles- some small, some large! We had a great time! We topped the day off with a leisurely lunch at Islands, then spent a while frantically deciding which beach we wanted to get married on. Ultimately, we opted to eat in that night. We made roasted veggies and ribs. Yum!

Wedding Trip: Orlando!

Our awesome friend Danielle dropped Jer and I off at the Charlottesville airport very early Monday morning. CHO is still under construction, but there is a new bar/restaurant that wasn't there the last time I flew through Charlottesville. Jer tells me it's been there for a long time, but I don't remember it. Our flights were uneventful, and we spent part of our three (turned four) hour layover in Atlanta in style!

Vacations and Airports are both for Day Drinking, so that's what I did. Jer's non-alcoholic beverage is hiding behind my mimosa.

We landed in Orlando to find unseasonably warm and humid temperatures and took a Super Shuttle to our hotel near Universal Studios. We ate at Denny's and lounged by the pool waiting for my parents to arrive. When they did, we wandered around looking for food and ended up at an understaffed/under supervised Italian restaurant staffed entirely by Argentinians. Jer's cheesy pasta was delicious!

We were up early to be at Universal when it opened and speed-walked to Diagon alley. We knew the parks were going to be very busy, but couldn't justify the marked up express passes. By the time we got to Diagon Alley, there were already lines to enter Harry Potter World. 

The lines were long, but I had to admire the way Universal kept them moving. We were always in line for a while, but we never stood in the same place for long. It was a much more comfortable line experience than I have had at other parks. We spent some time in Diagon Alley, and even found Knockturn Alley. Jer bought me two Horcruxes as a wedding present. Slytherin's Locket and the Gaunt ring. Both look awesome and may just turn me into a collectable fiend. Oddly, I've been pretty good at avoiding this fate so far. Dad bought me a Holyhead Harpies pin, which is fantastic. I added it to the new luggage bag I purchased for the trip.

Anyway, we went on the Escape from Gringotts ride, had some cider/beer and watched the Tale of the Three Brothers, explored shops, then jumped on the Train to Islands of Adventure/Hogsmeade. The great part about this park was that not only did they sell beer and hard cider everywhere, but you could drink it in line. Lines are way better with a cold, refreshing boozerage.

In Hogsmeade, we had Lunch at the Three Broomsticks (actually pretty good) and sent home a few Potter Postcards postmarked (sort-of) from Hogsmeade. We rode the broomstick/Hogwarts ride. I spent a good thirty minutes trying to get close enough to giant pitcher plants in the Greenhouse section of the line to decide if they were real or not. They are not. 

After, Jer and my mom rode Flight of the Hippogriff while my dad and I rode the Dragon Challenge ride. I picked up some Pumpkin Juice as we left, but we were all so tired that we choose to call it a night. We stopped for dinner at CowFish- a restaurant in the Universal City Walk area that serves sushi and burgers. Perfect! All in all, a great and very full day!

Less than two weeks to go!

We're excited and gearing up for wedding bonanza with a set of celebratory mugs. We're such dorks.

Matrimony Checklist: Panic Attack!

We have about three weeks before Jer and I get hitched! We're counting down the days until we leave for our trip in excitement, but in true Anaya fashion, also a small amount of panic. The last few days of list making have solidified our choice to have a very small wedding. We both appreciate everyone's happiness for us, even though we aren't planning a traditional wedding.

Here's to pictures soon!

Matrimony countdown: Less than a month!

We have less than a month until Jer and I get hitched! We're both really excited, and busy wrapping up the few last minute details.