Jurrasic Park, WaterWorld, and Butterbeer

Alan and I went to Universal Studios again last Friday. We were able to do some things that we didn't find time to do when we were there a few weeks ago.

Since Alan has motion sickness problems and I have back problems, it is difficult to find rides that we can enjoy together. The only ride Alan could safely ride was the Jurassic Park Ride and it was one of the best parts of the day.

In Harry Potter World, I rode "Flight of the Hippogriff." Short and fast ride, but it was a lot of fun. Alan wouldn't go on it with me. :-(

Afterwards, we experienced our first taste of  "Butterbeer" - a favorite drink of the students at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series of books. And, no, it is not intoxicating. There is no actual beer in it. We were a little surprised at how good it was. I thought it would be quite carbonated, but it was only slightly so, thank goodness. I HATE carbonation. The flavor had a definite butter taste and a kind of rum or butterscotch flavor. It kind of reminded us of eggnog.

This trip to Universal was better in a lot of ways than our last. 

* First of all, since I have my temporary handicap placard, we were able to park in the handicapped parking lot which is a lot closer to the park. This was a true back saver for me.

*Second, Alan insisted on renting a wheelchair for me so I wouldn't have to walk so far and so I wouldn't have to stand in long lines for the rides. Because of my wheelchair, we were able to get in the Express Pass line for all of the events. This saved us from having to wait in 45 min. lines. Yes!!! We were able to ride the Jurassic Park ride twice because of that. I'm a wuss, so I wore a poncho so I wouldn't get wet. I'm sure glad I did. I would have gotten drenched otherwise.

The only show we didn't see the last time we were at Universal was "WaterWorld". We did attend it this time and enjoyed it a lot. Interestingly, since we barely got there in time to see the show, all of the handicapped (wheelchair) areas left were in the splash zones except for a couple of spots on the farthest side. Fortunately, we were able to watch the show without getting wet.

There were some amazing pyrotechnic special effects used during the show. Pretty amazing what they can do. 

At one point, an airplane flew in and landed on the water. If I had known, I would have had my camera ready to video that portion. It was pretty amazing!

After our time at Universal Studios, we drove to the temple where we were able to do a session. This was our Stake Conference weekend and we are always encourage to go to the temple on Friday in preparation for our meetings on Saturday and Sunday. I love being in the temple with so many friends from our Stake. I love being around people who have the same values, beliefs, and ideals that I have. What a wonderful feeling of love and camaraderie exists in the temple. In my opinion, it is the happiest place on earth.

A Little Disappointed

A few weeks ago, after my doctor approved my application for a handicap placard, I stood in line (although it was the shorter line since I had an appointment) at the DMV and turned in my application, only to hear the man behind the counter tell me that my placard will only be a temporary one. What? I thought it would be a permanent one. It is only good for about 3 months.

I know I'm not as disabled as many people are and I haven't used this privilege much, but there are times when I really need to be able to park closer. It was very difficult when Alan and I went to Universal Studios and we had to walk so far back to our car. I was in extreme pain once we finally arrived. 

Oh well, I guess life is full of disappointments. I will get over it, no problem!

Finished Bathrooms!

Alan has been working every weekend for the past 3 weeks to paint all three bathrooms. He painted all our oak cabinets with a pearl white color - the same color he used on our hallway display unit I wrote about in an earlier blog. 

Here are some before and after photos:

Master Bathroom

(Not a good representation of before the painting since I forgot to take a photo until after the cabinet doors and drawer front panels were removed. Oops!)

(After)

Guest Bathroom 1

(Before)

(After)

Guest Bathroom 2

(Before)

(After)

I think Alan did a terrific job with the painting. He worked very hard to accomplish one bathroom per/weekend. I have to give him lots of props for that. I love that man of mine. 

Alan created this painting station in the garage by placing plywood over the trailer creating a huge table of sorts. It worked well for him. Very creative!

The painting of these three bathrooms and the hallway display unit was Alan's birthday gift to me this year. I really appreciate the gift! 

Best gift ever!!!