Florida Odds and Ends

Various odds and ends from our Florida trip:

The coach and captains.

Capturing the perfect sunset picture.

Some photos from the tournament professionals.

She's a Slytherin.

Late night swim with Abby.

Clearwater

Airport homework

Heading home

Universal - Harry Potter, Hogwarts and more!

On our one off day, Emily and I went to Universal Studios. This was Emily's big Christmas gift - getting to see all of the amazing Harry Potter stuff at Universal. We got some great advice from a seasoned Harry Potter visitor (thanks Karen!), and made the most of our day. We were up at 5:45am and out the door by a few minutes after 6 to drive up to Orlando and arrive just before the gates opened. For the first few hours, it was absolutely pouring and we had to make the most of things by going on indoor rides and shops. Once the sun came out, the outdoor rollercoasters opened up and we were able to go on those as well. Except for Hagrid's Motorbike, we went on every ride at least twice, going back and forth between two different Universal parks. By late afternoon, we'd had our fill and headed back to Tampa to have dinner with friends. It was a great experience for two die hard fans of the Harry Potter series and I'm glad that we took the opportunity and made the trip.

Even our rain jackets couldn't keep us dry for the first few hours.

Breakfast and butter beer at The Three Broomsticks

Inside Gringotts Wizarding Bank

The Knight Bus

12 Grimmauld Place

Hogwarts Express

Hogwarts

Hagrid's Hut

Clearwater

We didn't have a lot of down time when we were in Tampa, but Emily did her research so we were able to make the best of it. We spent Friday morning and Sunday afternoon in Clearwater, which was simply beautiful. Emily got to swim in the Gulf of Mexico, much to the shock of the Floridians walking the beach!

The Gulf in January is still warmer than the Atlantic in New Hampshire in July!

Techy in Tampa

The Sporting girls traveled to Tampa the first week of January to play in the DPL winter showcase. They won two games and tied the third, winning their bracket and getting the chance to play against competition from Florida and Georgia along the way.  Emily played the full 90 in all three games and played very well.  She had the game winning goal in the first game and an assist in the second game. They were disappointed in their play in the third game (the tie), but happy to win the bracket nonetheless.  Looking forward to seeing more good play from Emily and her teammates.

Game winner with less than ten minutes to go. The girls won 2-1, after being down 1-0.