Universal-ly appealing

It's been a few weeks, but my good feelings about our trip to Universal have not diminished. It was an absolutely packed day, but so much fun! As you'll see in the list below, we rode about a million rides, but still have more we could do on a return visit (I'm crossing my fingers that one day I'll get a roller coaster buddy to ride The Hulk with me!).

The main reason for our visit was to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is divided into 2 sections across the parks: Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Both were completely charming down to the smallest detail and I wish we would have had more time to spend in the different shops. We were not alone in our Harry Potter love -- I would guess 60%-70% of the crowd was decked out in some sort of Harry Potter attire (us included) -- and by the end of the day, we could hardly shuffle our way through Hogsmeade.

I do wish I would have better understood the locker situation before going. At Universal, you have to put your stuff in a locker to ride most of the big rides and at times, the locker lines were a total bottle neck. We ended up going back to the park entrance and doing a full-day locker rental for everything but a phone and credit card. It was nice to be hands-free for most of the day, but it also meant we were pretty cold without our jackets when it started to rain. It wasn't the end of the world though, and Molly got herself a new Minions sweatshirt out of it. Next time, we'll know!

I think the week between Christmas and New Years is one of the most crowded, so I'm happy we sprung for the Express Pass. Without it, we would have been in line all day and only able to ride a few things. The one disappointment was that the new Harry Potter roller coaster (Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure) was not included on the Express Pass. We heard at one point that the line was 5 hours long, so there was no way we were going to be able to fit it in with everything else we wanted to do.

In terms of favorites, I think we all loved the Harry Potter ride in Hogwarts Castle the best (the Forbidden Journey ... you feel like you're flying). The other Harry Potter ride, Escape from Gringotts, was really cool too. I also liked the Transformers ride and Molly was a big fan of the Simpsons Ride. Many of the rides have the same kind of set-up -- you're in a little car that doesn't go much of anywhere, but through use of video and the way they move it around, you FEEL like you're falling or rushing forward, etc.

Here's a recap of everything we did. Can you believe it?

Islands of Adventure:

• Hogsmeade
• Flight of the Hippogriff
• Wand purchase (everyone said we HAD to get this, but I'm not actually so sure ...)
• Jurassic Park River Adventure
• The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman
• Storm Force Accelatron
• The Cat in the Hat
• Dr Seuss Trolley Ride
• Hogwarts Express (Hogsmeade station)

Universal Studios:

• Simpsons Ride
• Kang & Kodos Twirl and Hurl
• Men in Black
• Diagon Alley / Leaky Cauldron for lunch
• Escape from Gringotts
• Minion Mayhem
• Shrek 4D
• ET
• Transformers
• Hogwarts Express (London ... platform 9 and 3/4)

Islands of Adventure:

• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (the best!!!)
• Caro-Seuss-el
• Hogwarts castle light show
• A few spells ... then dinner and home!

Dinner at the end of a long day - exhausted, but happy

Festivities

Once again, we made the most of our holiday break, packing in as much fun and family as humanly possible. We celebrated Christmas in Palm Coast, Fl with my side of the family, zipped over to Orlando for a day of nonstop fun at Universal Studios (I'll cover that in a separate post!), and then had a week back home with Jon and Adina in town.

Molly got everything she wanted for Christmas (a hot glue gun, Babysitter's Club books, bath bombs and shower gel) and also something she didn't even know she wanted (a Nintendo Switch!). I also got everything I wanted (a road trip, walks on the beach, time to relax and watch the Great British Baking Show). Jason seemed happy with a couple of rounds of pickleball and a trip to the Chicago History Museum. We all loved the time spent with family.

Here are a few highlights from our trip:

Molly didn't fully submerge in the frigid water, but my nephews could not be stopped

Sean and Sus - the last Christmas before Baby R!

Finding good stuff in their stockings on Christmas morning

 Now, moving on to New Year's Eve:

We decided to go festive, even though we celebrated at home, with party outfits (on the ladies), decorations, and noise makers

We cooked an awesome meal - oysters to start, then short ribs, cheesy polenta, and a yummy celery/cilantro/sesame side salad from Adina's new Alison Roman cookbook

Post new year comfy clothes and champagne

Riley, the party puppy, with a leftover noisemaker

I feel like there are good things to come in 2020. Happy New Year, everyone!

Wrapping up

I'm assuming most people that check this blog are on our holiday card list, but if not, here's this year's edition:

I say "this year's card" like we send one every year, but we totally skipped 2018 and sent out a St. Patrick's Day card the year before

Things are definitely slowing down at work for the year. I finished all of my shopping and it's been kind of nice. I'm feeling like I have a little extra time to read, listen, watch, and hang out.

When clicking around online, I discovered that I am Enneagram personality type 9 (the Peacemaker). I think this is the most common. I was at dinner the other night with a couple of friends and 3 out of 4 of us were 9s. We were also all middle children, so that is probably not all that surprising.

I finished Sally Rooney's first book, Conversations with Friends, which I loved, and then wasn't sure I liked, and then decided was a pretty excellent book after all. Read it (or listen, which is basically how I read these days) and decide for yourself. Plus, I really want someone to talk about it with!

Jason and I went to the movies (gasp!) and saw Ford v Ferrari, which was a fun one to see on the big screen. I hope we're able to see a couple more movies over the break. Little Women, Knives Out, and The Rise of Skywalker are all on my list.

On the small screen, we started Season 3 of The Crown, and I am loving the new cast. Especially Helena Bonham Carter as my namesake, Princess Margaret. I'm also catching up on This is Us (on nights when Jason is out of the house). Sometimes it's fun to have a cheesy/heartwarming show to unwind to at the end of the night.

We also had 2 really, really good dinners with friends. Cafe Cancale - French seafood in Wicker Park - and Marisol - the restaurant at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

And for a little holiday fun, Jason and I went to what we think is our 4th Gezellgheid concert - Andrew Bird at the Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Ave. It's one of my favorite things to do in December and never disappoints.

Overall I'm feeling good about 2019. We still have a few more things to look forward to this year (um, Universal Studios and Christmas with the fam). But I'm really looking forward to next year. 2020 is going to be big. We have Susie and Sean's new baby to meet, a family trip to Switzerland, and then Jon and Adina's wedding in Portland. Not to mention a 40th birthday for a certain blogger ...

If I don't write again this year (and let's be honest, I probably won't!), have a happy, happy holiday season!

Joyeux anniversaire à maman

Now that I've recovered from the jet lag, it's time to post pics from Paris. It was a perfect weekend and I can't think of any better way we could have celebrated my mom's 70th birthday.

Since we've all been to Paris, we did a mix of "greatest hits" (Luxembourg Gardens, Napoleon's tomb, Rodin Garden, Musée d'Orsay, Musée de l'Orangerie) and things no one had done before (Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit at the Grand Palais, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Musée des Arts Décoratifs). 

But mostly, we just had fun walking around, exploring the different neighborhoods, chatting away, and eating alllll the good food and pastries. Happy birthday, Mom!!

View from Montparnasse Tower

Pizza and champagne for Mom's 70th birthday dinner

Your author atop the Arc de Triomphe at sunset

Susie about to dig into some falafel on the Rue des Rosiers

Visiting Monet

Macarons at McDonald's ... not bad

Nawlins

A few pics from our food, drinks, drinks, food, music, food, drinks tour of New Orleans:

Local beers from Gnarly Barley Brewing at the Longway Tavern. Our waiter was from Cincinnati and gave us a list of really good recommendations for the rest of the trip

Heirloom tomato salad with popped sorghum, white chocolate, and sorrel 

Napoleon House for a quarter Muffuletta sandwich and Boudin sausage

Does this even need a caption? Beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde

The happy travelers at Kingfish cocktail bar for Pimm's cup and sazerac.
I have no photos from K-Paul's, but rest assured we had all the favorites for dinner - fried green tomatoes, shrimp remoulade, chicken and andouille gumbo, pan-fried flounder with jambalaya ... It. Was. A. Feast. 

"Trash grits" for breakfast at St. Roch Market (a bit off the beaten path, but SO worth it)

Drinks on the front porch of The Columns Hotel overlooking St. Charles Ave.
Next up were oysters at Peche. Tip: talk football with the guys at the raw bar shucking oysters and they'll slip you a couple extra

More gumbo and boudin at Cochon. This was described as the Publican of New Orleans. I'd say that's about right 

Our final destination ... Bacchanal Wine. Also off the beaten path and well worth the trip. Enter through the wine store, pick up a bottle, and join the backyard party for live music. An absolutely perfect end to a perfect weekend

Sharing the love

I've made baguettes the last two weeks and am loving the results. The best part is, each batch makes four, so I can share the love with family and friends! Last week, I made pan con tamate (Spanish tomato bread) for friends at a BBQ. Today, I dropped off my extra baguettes with unsuspecting neighbors. I felt like a hero.

This is actually a photo from last week. The baguettes I made today were even better! 

A few other good things to share:

• This lovely article about Prince and his grand plans for an autobiography.
• The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead - not an easy read, but absolutely excellent.
• Derry Girls, a funnier than expected (and sometimes heartwarming) comedy on Netflix about a group of high school kids in Northern Ireland in the 1990s.
• Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew with Sweet Cream. I feel a little weird recommending something from Starbucks, but I am obsessed with this stuff. Bring your mug in and treat yourself! 

Back to school

I'm a couple of weeks late, but here's the fourth grader:

Molly, age 9. I'm late posting, but this WAS taken on the first day of school

I'm throwing this one in there, just because. We're not sure why this photo happened, but I think it's worth saving. My mom titled it "Whitesnake" (if  anyone remembers Tawny Kitaen)

We've had an interesting start to the school so far ... some of Molly's friends have been a little inconsistent. I think they're starting to notice who's popular and are on the lookout to upgrade. But overall, Molly seems more happy than not. There's always someone to play with. She's spreading her wings and starting to walk to school with some of the neighborhood kids. We'll see how it all goes. She's got to go through this stuff at some point or another ... might as well toughen up before middle school when the real drama hits!