Florida lovin'

          Though this post is coming a little late, Brent's family and I did go directly to Florida after our trip to South Carolina.  We had an incredibly relaxing afternoon by the pool at the hotel which we followed up with watching the SU game at a local Irish pub.  The following day we made our way to Islands of Adventure, Universal where I had a life changing day! Okay, maybe it wasn't life saving/life changing but it was a very intense day for me and my deep seeded Harry Potter love.  Having been to Florida only once when I was four, and remembering absolutely nothing from the trip apart from what the photos looked like, this was like the first time for me.  Nothing could have made my Hogwarts experience better.  I was so impressed by the attention to detail that was taken inside the castle and Hogsmead that I found myself feeling real magic all day long!  My incredible cousin Jeff was nice enough to come meet us for the day since it's only a half hour trip from his school.  He served as our own personal tour guide of the park and was equipped with many interesting facts one wouldn't know without being informed.  We had a blast all day at the park and after relaxing a bit we took on the night scene in Downtown Disney.  Jeff had mentioned an Irish restaurant earlier in the day and when we found it, we all agree it was absolutely incredible.  It was a large restaurant with a beautiful bar and a stage for live music.  After all of us sat at the bar enjoying a few drinks and taking in the authentic Irish music we were seated and served meals that I'm sure they serve in heaven.  The restaurant, Raglan Road, has a band perform there 6 nights a week who are accompanied by very talented Irish step dancers who danced close enough to us that we could have tripped them. The whole ambiance of the restaurant and the band kept us there until after midnight and wanting more when the band wrapped up, but we had to settle with buying the CD to listen to on the long 24 hour car ride home. 

          After Orlando we drove to Gainsville for a day to see Brent's cousin Nora play in her freshman year for the Florida Gators woman's lacrosse team.  After countless awards and accomplishments in high school, Nora isn't slowing down in college.  She's already tied the schools record for draw controls in a single game and has been named Rookie of the week twice for her division.  It was so nice to spend the day and night with Brent's extended family and cheer on Nora and she continues on her path of greatness as another female athlete of the Ellis family that is making a name for herself.