Harry Potter y'all

So my trip went like this:
Tuesday, roughly an eternity before the crack of dawn, I wake, pack, load the car, feed Darcy, leave, return for something critically important which has been forgotten, screech down the freeway, to arrive at the airport less than 2 full hours before departure. Have a Diet Coke to recover.

Make it to Memphis with no difficulty. Have a delay while sitting on the plane at the gate to repair a broken seat belt. Three men with tools are required. Fly to Orlando, jump on a waiting shuttle, and chat with published author while traveling to the Dolphin.

Become convinced I'll be the only unpublished writer present. Fret.

Check in, order a burger, unpack and flop on the bed, wishing I'd never heard of Disney World, but I had a ticket. Go downstairs to find water shuttle to Epcot. (Photo: boat pickup place and view of sandy beach from said boat.)

Ride the water shuttle to Epcot. Watch the Princesses for a bit then jump from shady spot to shady spot while purchasing and inhaling bottles of water. Go see Canada, the United Kingdom, and the big dome thing. Don't see it all but determine Harry Potter's world deserves a fresh outlook so return to my nicely chilled room around 9:00 p.m.

Wenesday, pick up the car as soon as the desk opens, get instructions from the valet and drive straight to Universal (because I am not someone to be messed with when there is a plan to be executed). After I park, I follow the horde ALL THE WAY THROUGH UNIVERSAL'S City Walk and it's a long way. I breeze through the "check bag" lines because I have full pockets but no bag. Cleverness point to Cheryl. Good job, Cheryl. Pockets rule. The arch to Hogsmeade says "Respect the Spell Limit". That's cute, right?

(And if you've never read or seen the movies, I can't help you. Probably come back tomorrow, OK? Seriously. Not even the movies? I don't get it.)

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts, teach us something please..."

Take the long, open way around Islands of Adventure to Harry Potter world and snag one of the special tickets you need to even get in. And then, covered in sweat head to toe and some dripping in my eyes, I found the crowds. I checked out the castle and the Forbidden Journey test seat which I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fit in and decide to go to Ollivander's for some "wand choosing the wizard" action. Two hours later, I made it through the line for the 10 minute show and into the smallest space in the entire world ever created to sell things. The crowd pushes me towards the door. I go with it.

Then there was a pumpkin juice and a butterbeer and a trip to Honeyduke's and Zonko's joke shop. I stopped to see the Hogwart's Express and dropped my butterbeer mug. I wanted to sit down and cry (not really) but I would have been trampled. Trampled, I tell you!

It was crowded. But cool. Cool in a "hey, that's kind of neat way" not in an actual cool way. I'm pretty sure the face of the sun would have been cooler. At least that's a dry heat.

While in line, I saw a golden snitch, this set of quidditch supplies trying to break free, the entire collection of Gilderoy Lockheart's published books, complete with moving photos, and the post office.

 Oh, yeah, and that guy who escaped from the dementors? He's still on the loose. And the wanted posters move too.

Tomorrow I'll tell you more about the reason I went to Orlando. You might think it was to immerse myself in a fictional world. And it was, just not so much this fictional world.