I Got My Letter

June 18 marked the day as the Grand Opening to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. June 18 marked the day that one of my dreams came true. I got to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

My mother and I were in Orlando’s Universal Studios for the grand opening. We arrived at the park an hour before opening, but we did not even get in the gates until one hour after it opened. So that is two hours right there. After we got into the park, we saw a VERY long line to the Harry Potter portion that is on the other side of the park. That is the moment a park worker told us in line that it would be anywhere from a five to nine hour wait. Oh boy!

We decided to wait in line. Some may call us crazy, but some may call us true fans. Let’s just say we got to know the people around us very well being that we were in line with them for about six hours inside the park. That is right – we waited in line for eight hours total just to go inside Harry Potter’s world.

The wait was worth it! The castle was by far my favorite part of the park. It was beautiful! Beautiful does not even cut it to be honest. The ride inside the castle takes you on a journey through the movies, and I felt like I was really there. The line to the ride was more like a ride itself because we were able to walk through the castle and see Dumbledore’s office, the Gryffindor Common Room, the Defense Against the Dark Arts and so much more!

The entire town of Hogsmeade was breathtaking. I felt like I walked right into the books. I was able to go to Ollivanders, Zonko’s, Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks! Oh, and the butterbeer was actually really good. The pumpkin juice on the other hand, not so much.

I have memories to last me forever, and I WILL return to Hogwarts one day!

In Great Company

Some great people I know asked me if I wanted tickets to the 2010 CMA Music Awards. Uh, yeah! So I was on my way…

My mom and I each got a ticket to the show, but these were not just regular seats. These were special seats. We were brought in by the producers of the show to be “official seat fillers.” So when celebrities or their managers leave or go backstage for a while, we go sit in their seat until they get back. The seat fillers had to do this only on the section that was the filming area around the celebrities so every seat looked full.

Throughout the night, I was in three different seats. The same goes for my mom. For most of the show, I was about 10 rows or so behind the celebrities. But when the seat fillers were called to leave their seats and come into the hallway, I was confused why. I stood in the hall for the length of one song, and then the crew grabbed me and seven others to fill in seats closer to the celebrities. As the eight of us were going into an empty row IN the celebrity section, the main crew woman pulled me aside and told me to hold on. I was left standing alone… in front of Tim McGraw. He was literally inches from me. And it was not just him. Beside him were Faith Hill, then Nicole Kidman, then Keith Urban. Seriously?! The funny part was that I was just left standing there staring at them. I tried to scan the section so that I was not freaking them out. But everyone in the entire celebrity section was looking at me. I am sure they all thought that I was not supposed to stand there.

Finally the main crew woman came back and decided to seat me in the second row directly behind Carrie Underwood! Yep, I was in the seat right behind her. On each side of her was her fiancé, Mike Fisher, and Hayden Panettiere. Wow. Then the group of Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw were just seats away. Eventually Taylor Swift comes back into her seat which is just four seats away. This is what I call great company!

So if you see any pictures or video from the show, I am the girl right behind Carrie in a maroon dress. I was only in that seat for the last 45 minutes or so of the show.

PS – in this picture, I am on the very left. All you can see is my leg (directly over Mike’s right shoulder), but hey – that is still me!

I’ve Gone Country

Tennessee people are supposed to love country music, right? I will admit that country has never been my first choice, but I do enjoy a select few artists and songs.

My sister and her husband LOVE country music and got tickets to a Carrie Underwood concert in Nashville. Carrie is someone I just started loving and I was so excited to go! When time finally came, it was my sister, her husband, his brother and I. It was a fun group of people and I knew the night would be one to remember.

It was about 45 minutes until the concert started and we were still at the hotel waiting on shuttles and taxis but nothing came. Finally, we gave up and decided to drive ourselves. Once we turned the corner downtown, we saw a massive line of people around the building we were supposed to see Carrie at. My sister and I jumped out of the car to run to the back of the line while the boys parked the car.

When I say long line, I mean long line. It was hundreds of people long. But I was pleasantly surprised that it moved rather quickly. The concert was even pushed back 15 minutes to ensure that the people in line got in. Phew!

This concert was a part of the Grand Ole Opry. One of the bands we saw was The Band Perry which I love! My sister introduced me to them before our trip and I love their music! We also saw Josh Turner. I could listen to his voice all day long. He was great to watch (and not just because he is a good-looking guy). Trisha Yearwood came out, but to be honest I had no idea what she sang. Then she started singing, “She’s In Love With the Boy.” I know that song! I had no idea she sang that, so I was very excited!

It was time for Carrie Underwood. She is by far the best performer I have ever seen. She is enjoyable to watch and she sounds perfect live! Everyone I went with agreed. She sang 6 songs, and I sang to all of them of course! I will also admit that I went camera happy and took a ton of pictures.

All I know is that I now have a greater appreciation for country music and I will definitely be coming back to more Grand Ole Opry concerts!