Magical Number Seven.

Seven Harry Potter books. 

Seven years at Hogwarts. 

Seven Horocruxes. 

Seven Quidditch players.

Seven Weasley children. 

Seven of us going to Harry Potter World. 

Something magical was bound to happen today. 

Chris leaves next week for the rest of the summer, 

so we drove up to the Snider's to have a final departing adventure at 

Universal and Islands before his pass expires. 

Low and behold, of all the times we've gone 

[seven to be exact]

we've never managed to go on the Dr. Suess rides. 

Go figure.

Rye-Rye did not like when our fish went up high, 

and when he figured out that I was controlling the height, he wasn't happy. 

Chris and Emree got front row!

[He politely asked the worker, Sharon, if they could and she accepted] 

What a nice witch. 

Right before the HUGE drop on the Hippogriff roller coaster, 

I got one of my best shots of the castle. 

Yeah. 

I'm a wizard. 

Hogwarts has this rule that you can't bring bags or large cameras onto school grounds, 

which I completely understand. 

You have no idea how many muggles have tried to steal wizard artifacts.

Filthy blood traitors.

However, on this particular occasion we had Rita. 

The seventh member of our group. 

And because she decided to join us - we were able to use the 'child swap' room, 

meaning I was able to bring my camera through the castle. 

Can you smell the magic?

I've never been able to take photos in Hogwarts;

[Magical number seven]

In line, some chonga woman took a modelly photo in front of the mist machine.

Chris liked the idea so much so that he wanted his own 'mist-model' photo. 

And yes, Rita is always this photogenic. 

"When we get to the doors turn around real quick and smile and I'll take a photo" 

"Hurry!"

At least Eva understood. 

 Gryffindor is always winning.

 Talking portraits.

 Harry's prophecy, before it was smashed. 

I almost broke the glass case and took it.

 Dumbledore, before he died. 

 The Sorting Hat.

Forbidden Journey = best ride ever. 

Harry Potter World = best island in the park. 

Reluctantly, we left Harry Potter World and moved on to the other islands.

We ate our packed lunches at a Jurassic restaurant.

And then we experienced something that changed our lives forever. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please hurry to the egg nests, one of our prehistoric eggs is hatching!" 

Ohmygosh, are you serious?! 

A dinosaur egg is hatching!

Grandma! Kids! Eva! Hurry!

"These prehistoric eggs haven't hatched for 3.4 million years" 

"Come on baby dinosaur - push" 

You think I'm joking? 

A good 50 people crowded around to watch a plastic dinosaur hatch out of an egg.

People stopped eating their lunches and ran over to get photos. 

What did they think they were going to see --- a real hatching dinosaur?

Look at the crowd that gathered:

They even had four TVs up top for when the crowd gets too big and can't see the egg.

I brought my underwater digital camera.

The colors are all distorted and gray - so it looks best in black and white. 

We got soaked on Popeyes. 

Rett really had to pee while we were in line, but we were so close to boarding the ride; 

I told him to pee when we got splashed. 

He waited, 

Thank goodness. 

We watched the twister presentation for the first and last time. 

It's just one of those rides you only do once.

Little Rita got her days worth of exercise, 

I can't believe how much she's walking. 

Such a big girl. 

This seventh time was indeed special. 

In it's simplicity - it was magical. 

Sometimes it's just the little things.