My Family in My Life: Harry Potter

Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Noteworthy Instagrams

I’ve had at least one photo shoot booked each week for about a month now, and due to the continuous photo editing, taking photos from my every day life with the “big girl camera” has become a little less enticing. I looove taking and editing pictures, but sometimes it’s nice to just snap an Instagram shot instead, ya feel me? A little less work.

There have been lots of projects going on around here, most notably the completion of our master bedroom decor, which took a mere two and a half years. I can’t wait to officially unveil the room (with photos from the big girl camera), but for now, here’s a little peek into what’s been going down. I came home from a shoot on Saturday morning and Matthew “surprised” me with the white ram as the latest addition to our gallery wall. Le sigh. (it is pretty though…)

storyboardtest006

The next photo is a shot from the kitchen dining nook, where we finally (just this weekend) found a great antique cabinet and shelf to fill the space. I can’t wait to find more antique doo-dads for inside the cabinet!

The cursory pup shots…

And last but not least, Matthew also surprised me with some new Potter paraphernalia this weekend, to include a Gryffindor scarf, a Platform 9 3/4 plaque, a framed Diagon Alley map, and J.K. Rowling’s supplemental HP books, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Needless to say, I was beside myself. It was like Christmas in June! Clear evidence that A) my husband really loves me a lot and/or B) he's coming up with more creative ways to get laid these days.

Happy Tuesday! :)

Harry Potter World, Part II

First off, sorry for the quality of some of the pictures inside the castle! It was so dark in there, and I was impressed that my camera was even able to capture ANY light!

Sooo… one of the first things we did when we got to HP World was get in line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which is the main event ride inside of Hogwarts. The line was long, and it was raining and sticky, but once we got inside the castle, all was well. :) Part of the fun of waiting in line is the tour you take through the halls and chambers of Hogwarts, including Dumbledore’s office, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and the Gryffindor common room. It was all done SO well. I was in awe. Totally felt like you were actually inside Hogwarts! Then it occurred to me that J.K. Rowling and the actors in the movies had been there right where I was standing, and I was tempted to kiss the ground a little bit. But don’t worry, I refrained.

The ride itself was completely mind-blowing. This is when I cried. (both times we rode the ride) It was way scarier than I thought it would be, though I really went into it not knowing at all what to expect. It was like a cross between a roller coaster and a virtual reality simulation, and there were dementors and dragons and big ass spiders, and you were flying with Harry through caves and over Hogwarts and the Quidditch fields, and at the end you’re back in the castle and all of Gryffindor is cheering for you and yep, I lost it. I was overcome by emotion after the awesomeness that was that ride. Tears of joy, I tell you.

Next we had lunch at the Three Broomsticks, where there was a fabulous selection of traditional dishes they ate in the books, like Shepherd’s Pie, fish and chips, etc. I ordered the frozen butterbeer (I’ve heard it’s much better than the iced butterbeer), and it was so, so good. Tasted kind of like a Werther’s or butterscotch. There was a thick layer of sweet cream on top and… my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it It was really rich and I couldn’t finish the whole thing, but I will be thinking about that butterbeer for weeks to come, I’m sure.

Here’s a few shots in the Three Broomsticks…

My shepherd’s pie

Butterbeer!

Dad and Joseph

Now, there’s one last thing I wanted to tell you about. Inside of Ollivander’s Wand Shop, there’s a little “show” you wait in line to see. It’s a small room with a maximum occupancy of 30 people, and you all pile in within the high walls filled with wandboxes upon wandboxes, just like in the stories. An old man with a very long beard plays Ollivander, and his voice is eerily similar to in the movies. He talks about wands and wand law and picked a little boy out of the crowd to be a part of the demonstration. He was the cutest little boy ever, maybe 7 or 8 years old, and I teared up yet again as I watched his wide eyed wonder. “Ollivander” handed him several wands to try and had him wave them at different things in the room, such as a pot of flowers that wilted immediately when the little boy cast a spell on them. His eyes looked like they would pop out of his head; he thought he was really doing it. It was THE cutest thing. Then, just like in the movies, when Ollivander handed the little boy his third wand, there was dramatic music and lights… a wand had chosen a wizard. :)

It. was. amazing. Pure magic. Oh, to be a kid again, eh? Personally, I don’t think we ever have to really stop.

It was too dark in the room, so this is the clearest picture I got. Love that the little boy was wearing a Gryffindor Quidditch team t-shirt. :)

And that about sums up our Harry Potter World experience! I would most definitely love to go back one day. But until next time, I think I’ll just dive back into the books… I hope you’ll give them a chance, if you haven’t yet!

Part 1 here.

Harry Potter World, Part 1

IMG_8300-1

Ok, so, when I was putting together this post, I realized that there’s no way I can squeeze all my Harry Potter World pictures and ravings into only one entry, hence the “part 1” in the title. There will be two parts.

And before I dive in, let me just explain to you a little bit about my love for Harry Potter. For those who also love Harry Potter, there’s no need to explain—you already get it—but for you who aren’t already fans and haven’t read the books, allow me to clear a few things up. It is probably tempting to think love for Harry Potter is very nerdy and rather immature, since it’s a children’s story, right?

Wrong. Well, wrong about the children’s story part, anyway.

I read all the Harry Potter books for the first time in Fall of 2010. I watched the final movie in the theater (I’d seen all the previous movies, but didn’t consider myself a die hard fan at that point), and after watching that last of eight movies, I was so in awe of the story and the way it ended that I decided to purchase the first book and give it a try. Two days later, after finishing the first book, I bought the rest and, literally, lived in that wonderful, magical world for about a month straight (some of the books are extremely long).

It was practically my reason for living during the period of time while I was reading the stories. Every morning I’d get lost in them while I sipped my morning coffee, I’d reward myself with some midday reading, and I’d read late into the night before bed. If we’re being honest here, some days I didn’t actually do anything else besides read. They are that good. I was completely amazed by J.K. Rowling’s brilliant story telling, and couldn’t even fathom that such an intricate world came out of one woman’s head.

But it’s the characters and the plot that get you. This is no children’s story… or it’s certainly not JUST a children’s story. Readers of Harry Potter grew up right along with the stories, and as such the stories changed and evolved over time. There are incredible themes of good versus evil, friendship, death, courage despite fear, and yes, love.

Nearly every important aspect of living and dying is addressed in these stories, and the writing is absolutely beautiful. These days, you don’t have to be a good writer to sell millions of novels (think Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey), but Harry Potter is the best of every world. I finished those books feeling like I’d just become a better person. They changed me.

Having said all that, I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear it’s been a dream of mine to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, which is a part of Universal Studios. And guys, it blew my mind (though it was a little smaller than I expected it to be). It was raining half the morning and pretty terrible weather overall the day we went, but that didn’t damper my excitement. They did an incredible job of accurately portraying Hogwarts and Hogsmeade right down to the smallest of details, and it was just… magic. A day I’ll always look back on with so much fondness. I was thrilled to have a fellow Harry Potter connoisseur and friend by my side, and we just had the BEST time.

More to come this afternoon on Hogwarts, dining (and butterbeer drinking!) at the Three Broomsticks, and a perfectly magical mini-show inside Ollivanders Wand Shop. Stay tuned!

Hogsmeade!