Double-Digit Extravaganza!! (Part 1 of 3)

Birthdays are a big deal in our household. Turning double digits?  

Well, that’s just momentous.

These photos are the tickets to an adventure of a lifetime: We took Little One on a Tweendom Extravaganza to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando, Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Titanic Artifact Exhibit, Disney’s Epcot Center, and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to visit Winter & Hope of Dolphin Tale 1 & 2, CoCo Key Water Resort & Mystic Aquarium.

We walked over 120,000 steps – thank you, pedometer – which translates to 52 miles!

In blue are links to Parts 2 & 3 of this story - yes – so remarkable, they deserve their own posts!

To explore the magical world of wizards & wands, chocolate frogs, Butterbeer & Platform 9 3/4, click Part 2: Harry Potter World

To see Winter, the sweet dolphin who lost her tail when she was only 2 months old, click Part 3: Winter & Hope
   

Animal Kingdom, Tree of Life, Rainforest lunch, up close with Little One’s favorite bird, Safari

  

Disney World’s beautiful Main Street and big smiles!

Cinderella’s castle, reserved birthday spot to see Disney’s Fantasy Parade & meet the characters, 
Enjoying Disney’s Ferry Boat ride, power lines on the I-4 – cool!! and Epcot Center

  

Gorgeous Annual Flower Festival at Epcot, Space Center, coral reef cuddles

 

  

  

Dad & Little One enjoying the water resort where we stayed. That slide was insane!

 

♥♥♥ And best of all was celebrating at Mystic Aquarium & CoCo Key Water Resort with family & friends. ♥♥♥

      

 

The Bright Spot – Enjoy the stories of Harry Potter World and Winter & Hope by clicking these blue links…or just keep scrolling, they’re next. We highly recommend both vacation sites!!  🙂

Dolphin Tale – Winter & Hope (Part 3 of 3)

As part of our daughter’s 10th birthday extravaganza, we surprised her with a special visit with Winter, the beautiful dolphin who lost her tail when she was only 2 months old. Her tail was caught in commercial fishing lines.

(Courtesy: Fintastic)

 

 

 

 

She is now 9 years old & lives with her best friend, Hope, at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

 

 

 

 

Our budding marine biologist was thrilled to meet them both and all the marine animals under treatment in the hospital.

 

Winter’s real-life rehab story has captivated audiences worldwide in Dolphin Tale & Dolphin Tale 2.

Both movies, starring Harry Connick, Jr. & Ashley Judd, were filmed on location at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium with Winter.

A look at the timeline these past 9 years and how Winter has inspired suffering children & veterans:

       

    

Our fintastic trip wrapped up with a trolley ride between the filming site rehab center & museum, dinner on the water, and the best memories of Winter & Hope!

  

The Bright Spot – Empowering your children to grow up living their dreams.

For Part 1, click: Double-Digit Extravaganza      For Part 2, click: Harry Potter World

Hide the Candy!

Easter is my favorite holiday.

I love that our daughter was born the day after Easter.

I sometimes call her my Little BunnyChickie.

 

I love that Spring just started. Everything awakens from Winter’s long freeze & is born anew. The air smells fresh & green baby leaves are

slowly unfurling. I love pussy willows and forsythia, big blossoms and tiny crocuses.

I love the Easter story of Jesus’ Resurrection & I love the trumpets at church that glorious, Holy morning when we all celebrate together in song & praise. I love & appreciate the religious traditions of other folks as I am a member of a very large, close-knit, multicultural, multi-religious, multi-international, multi-lingual family.

I love coloring eggs & decorating them with the kids. I love the little 50-year-old, wooden, hand-painted European Easter decorations from my grandparents. I love to mix those decorations with our little one’s pretty, handmade decorations from preschool. Old & new crafts together.

I love the Easter Bunny, the delicate, ceramic decorations, fragile Easter eggs, egg-citing hunts & yummy candies.

I particularly love pastel M&Ms!! I like all chocolate, but those tiny, pale- colored little chocolate dots of joy always seem to find my lips, hummm… I admit, I will steal bites here & there from my children’s baskets in passing. I’ll pass a lot – cover those baskets!!

I love the Easter egg hunts at farms, in fields, at church & at friends.

   Parties, celebrations, the Easter Bunny arriving on the fire truck!

I love Biblical epics on TV at this time of year and was particularly pleased with Mark Burnett’s The Bible miniseries ~ simply outstanding!!

The Bright SpotTM  – I love Spring & all the cheeriness of the season!