Back to Hogwarts 2026 🚂

It’s time to board the Hogwarts Express to go back to Hogwarts!!! ✨🚂✨

And for the first time ever, it feels like I really am! 💕 We experienced so much Harry Potter magic while we were over in England.  From passing by Kings Cross Station, to feeling like we were Muggles walking around London.  The Lego store even had a few Harry Potter displays... it was cool to be surrounded by so much wizarding magic.

But the greatest experience by far was visiting 'The Making of Harry Potter' at the Warner Brothers Studio in London!!! ✨ I still can't believe that we were on some of the actual sets for the movies... it all feels like we were walking through a dream!!! 😊

Today, I wanted to share one very special memory from our tour when the donkeys, Eliot and I were in the Platform 9 3/4 area with the Hogwarts Express train.

Naturally, we brought the donkeys with us during our adventures.  We also brought their Harry Potter wizarding robes from Build-A-Bear with us so we could take some photos of them.  Right before you entered the Platform 9 3/4 area with the train, there was a luggage display.  Most people were walking right by it, so we thought that might be a great place to take photos without being in the way of everyone else visiting the exhibit.

Eliot and I found a quiet bench behind a register in the Platform 9 3/4 room, and we set to work changing the donkeys into their wizard robes and scarves.  After getting Meep Meep in Gryffindor, Brother in Hufflepuff and Eeyore into Slytherin, we were prepared to take them back over to the luggage display for their photo op.  However, the cute little "donkey-sized" Hedwig plush that I brought with us had other plans and she fell behind the railing of the display directly behind our bench.  She fell too far back for us to reach, so Eliot went over and asked the girl working at the register for help getting her.

She came right over, climbed over the railing and rescued Hedwig, chuckling at how cute she was.  Then she noticed the donkeys sitting on the bench with me in their little wizarding robes.  It was clear she thought that might quite possibly be the best thing ever, and she couldn't get over how cute they were.  We held them up to give her a closer look and she said we needed a Ravenclaw.  Then, I reached into our shopping bag and carefully took out the tiny fabric Ravenclaw robe Christmas ornament that we had literally just bought at the store around the corner.  Eliot and I told her we've been looking for tiny Ravenclaw robes that would fit on Duffy for years, and now we finally had some.  (I would probably have to adjust them a bit once we got back home to the states, but we thought they'd work.)  She just about tripped over herself with giddiness.  

Before I knew it, she came back from the register with two envelopes that looked like Harry's Hogwarts Acceptance letter.  They were fake prop style letters with the little seal printed on the back and everything.  She wanted us to have them since we were having such a great time at the exhibit.  She told us not to open them because nothing was inside, but they were fun little keepsakes of our time at the Warner Brothers Studio. 

Eliot and I thanked her over and over as she insisted that we have them.  It was clear that she really enjoyed interacting with us and seeing the donkeys all dressed up.  And truthfully, she probably sees all kinds of people while working there.  It was probably refreshing to see people genuinely having a wonderful time and enjoying themselves. 

And it was a wonderful moment of magic for us... ✨ I plan to put both of the envelopes in a scrapbook (with the photos) so we can always enjoy them and remember it.  Plus, since we have two of them, I can display both the front and the back of them!

The rest of the story isn't quite as magical as that.  Eliot and I packed everything up and headed back for the luggage display.  After taking a few photos, the donkeys also got to pose with the Hogwarts Express and at the Platform 9 3/4 luggage cart.  Some people weren't so kind while waiting for us at the train and luggage cart, but at that point, I didn't really care.  The actual employees working there thought we were great, and I wasn't going to let anyone else ruin the magic that we had just experienced.  After all, life is short so you might as well have fun and enjoy it.

And that's the story of our magical experience on Platform 9 3/4. ✨🚂✨

Happy Back to Hogwarts Day Witches and Wizards!!! ⚡️❤️💙💛💚⚡️

Happee Birthdae Harry!!! 🎂

Hello Muggles!  I just wanted to pop in quickly because it's Harry Potter's birthday!!! 🎂 

If you're following me on social media, then you already know that Eliot and I were able to visit the Warner Brothers London Studio Tour of The Making of Harry Potter while we were overseas.  I have SO much to share with you about that experience, but it'll have to wait for another time because I need to actually do it justice.  

So today I just wanted to stop by to share a quick photo of Eliot and I standing in the Great Hall... which was absolutely incredible.  This was the very beginning of the tour and we both had no idea about the magic was to follow it.  I still can’t quite believe that I actually walked through the soundstage where they filmed the movies!!! ⚡️❤️💙💛💚⚡️

Anyways... more to come at some point in the future!  But for today... 

Happee Birthdae Harry!!! ⚡️

Back From London 🇬🇧

Eliot and I are back home in Maine after an incredible trip to London!!! 🇬🇧 We've been back for 10 days, and I've spent a lot of those resting and recuperating from our trip.

It was such a whirlwind eight days... but we had an amazing time and got to do most of the things we had hoped to!  Of course, there's never enough time.  We were also there during another massive heat wave, with temperatures regularly between 90° and 95°.  I don't usually leave the house when it's that hot unless I have to... so walking around the city of London wasn't something my body was totally equipped for... especially with my endo.  But I somehow managed- even if I hit the brick wall a few times during the trip. 

Eliot and I are absolutely certain that we'd like to go back to London... sooner than later if possible.  We only scratched the surface of things we wanted to do and see, so a return trip is definitely on our radar!  I'm hoping to go into more detail about our trip at some point, but I'll leave you with a few quick morsels today!  

We were able to see many famous landmarks.  We explored the Tower of London and Kensington Palace, took a Thames River Cruise, rode on the London Eye, took (most of) a bus tour and rode over the Tower Bridge.  We also drove by Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, and many other landmarks on our bus tour.  

Unfortunately, a few of the famous landmarks were undergoing massive construction, so they were a bit lackluster.  We did get to see Kensington Palace, but the famous gates were not there.  And I saw Westminster Abbey, but we couldn't go anywhere near the front of it due to construction.  (But there's always next time!)

The thing I was most looking forward to was seeing Big Ben (aka the Elizabeth Tower).  That's the first thing I think of when someone says London- and it did not disappoint.  It was spectacular and it took my breath away.  And I'm so thankful that Eliot and I saw Big Ben on foot, from our river cruise and rode by it one last time on our bus tour.

We also got to see some shows during our trip.  Our first night out, we went to see Six- which was absolutely incredible.  (I had never seen it, but I loved it!)  We also went to The Globe Theater to watch Much Ado About Nothing.  Then on our last night, Eliot, Sara and I went to see Hercules (his parents and Elissa had already seen it). 

One of the things I was most looking forward to was our Disney Princess tea at the London Hilton.  This afternoon tea was the only one I knew that was officially partnered with Disney.  We had a wonderful time with Eliot's family, although some of the food was really weird!  (I'm looking at you cheese thing!)  The desserts were all mostly amazing.  And I really enjoyed dressing up in a pretty poofy dress for it.

The other thing I was really excited about were the Harry Potter things on our list.  While we drove by King's Cross Station, we never did get inside to see Platform 9 3/4.  We also didn't make it over to Soho to visit the House of MinaLima store.  However, none of that mattered to me after we spent Sunday afternoon and evening exploring the Warner Brothers Studio Tour of the Making of Harry Potter.  Oh my gosh... I can't say enough things about this wonderful experience.  I was completely in heaven- seeing the props and costumes up close and wandering around the actual sets from the movies!!!  Eliot and I both want to go back to this and spend an entire day there.

We also went to the Mundo Pixar Exhibit... which wasn't something we had planned on doing, but we ended up having the best time!  I saw an advertisement for it on the subway and once Eliot and I found out that it was an immersive exhibit of Pixar sets, we knew we had to see it!  Eliot's mom Nori went with us our last day in London, and we had so much fun taking photos!  (Our little donkeys also got in on the photo fun!)

Eliot and I also got to do a bit of shopping in London.  We hit up some of our favorites... Disney Store, Lego Store, M&M Store, Build-A Bear Store and an unplanned trip to Selfridges.  We had a blast taking photos of all the London themed decor in the stores, we got a few London souvenirs and the donkeys all got London t-shirts and outfits.

The unplanned trip to Selfridges ended up being the MVP store of the trip though... because they had a Disney section that included a few souvenirs from Disneyland Paris that I have been stalking on eBay for months.  (Let's just say it was the most expensive bathroom trip ever.)  But I'm incredibly happy that the clock and mirror I had been planning to buy if we had made it over to Disneyland Paris are now sitting in my living room after being shipped here from the London Selfridges store in the UK.

All in all, we fit in a bunch of stuff and had an incredible trip.  (This is only a very quick overview, but I'll try to share more when I can!)  Eliot and I have got plenty of places we'd like to explore more next time- Covent Garden, The Borough, Buckingham Palace, King's Cross & Platform 9 3/4, House of MinaLima, Anchor Pub, the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Tour and more.  I also never got fish & chips or bangers & mash because both felt like too much for my stomach between my endo and the summer heat.  So I'll have to work on trying some English cuisine next time.  Plus, Eliot and I would like to explore more of England and the UK beyond London... like Stonehenge, Bath, Oxford and other Harry Potter filming locations.

Thanks for the adventure London!!!  We hope to see you again soon!!!  🇬🇧

We're Off to England!!! 🇬🇧✈️

We're so excited because Eliot and I are officially on our adventure to England!!! 🇬🇧

I'm looking forward to the fun... but first, it's time to buckle up for a long day packed full of travel.  This afternoon, we're taking the bus from Portland down to Boston- giving ourselves lots of extra time since we're traveling internationally.  We leave Logan tonight at 11 PM and fly overnight to London.  Eliot and I land in London tomorrow at 10:40 AM (or 5:40 AM Eastern) after *hopefully* getting some sleep.  His parents and sister Sara also arrive tomorrow, and we all land at Heathrow within an hour of each other.  Then, we'll probably drop our stuff off at our hotel before we jump right into sightseeing! 

Fortunately, I will have cell service during our trip!  I wasn't sure if I would be able to... but it worked out!  I just switched my cell phone over to Spectrum about two weeks ago and they were able to upgrade my plan to international for only $10 for the next month!  So if I have a chance, I'll try to post something on social media live from our trip!  (You can follow along on Facebook or on over on Instagram!)

Things online should look pretty normal in our absence.  I've already scheduled my daily social media posts for the week we'll be gone.  I also have a few blog posts that will be going live during our time away.  I'm glad that I was able to find time to write, because Eliot and I have been so busy the past few weeks that I was afraid I wouldn't have anything!  But thankfully I haven't been stressing myself out about it- focusing on getting ready for our trip abroad has been my top priority!

I can't believe this day is finally here- but I'm super excited that it is!  I hope we have a wonderful time and that this is just the first of many adventures with our new passports.

And so our journey begins!!!  London... here we come!!! 🇬🇧

One Week Until London!!! 🇬🇧✨🧚

It’s a very happy Topiary Tuesday because one week from today Eliot and I will be landing in London!!! ✨🇬🇧✨ I can hardly contain my excitement, but it's hard to focus on the actual trip when we still have so much to do.  Still, I wanted to pop by really quickly to share this photo of my adorable little plush pal at the Tinker Bell topiary near her fairy garden in the United Kingdom Pavilion of Epcot from our trip in April. 🇬🇧🌸🌿🌐🌳🌼 

Eliot and I are hoping Tink can spread a little magic because we’re going to need quite a bit of faith, trust and pixie dust to get through the mountain of things we still need to accomplish between now and our trip!!! 💚✨🧚✨💚

But we're slowly making progress.  We had a giant 4th of July order for Happily Ever Hatter that we just finished and sent out... but it's been requiring a lot of the printers' time.  So now Eliot and I plan to 3D print, assemble and finish as many Etsy orders as possible between now and next Monday before we leave for the airport.

Last week, we were very busy checking things off of my personal to do list- switching cell phone plans, moving storage units around, blood draws, helping Mom change her postal address.  It was a whirlwind, but it felt good to get things done!

Now, Eliot and I are in overdrive mode and this week is going to be mayhem.  Between finalizing plans, packing, finishing our business stuff and making sure that we are prepared to leave the country for a week, it's going to be busy!  I've also got a few blog posts that I'm trying to get wrapped up between now and when we leave if possible.  I can already tell this is going to be another whirlwind week... especially with 4th of July and America's big 250th birthday this weekend.  But I couldn't let that pass without writing something to celebrate this big milestone in our history! 

Basically, I'm sure that I'll probably be trying to do multiple things at the same time... so by the end of this, Eliot and I will have earned that vacation!  Bring on the insanity!!! 

And so begins my own personal salute to all countries... but mostly America.  (On here we're starting the week with Canada and winding up in England). ✨🇨🇦🇺🇸🇬🇧✨

One Month Until London 🇬🇧

The countdown is on!  Eliot and I only have one month until we leave for London!!! 🇬🇧

Things are coming together and we're starting to prepare for our week overseas.  I've started to make mental lists of what we will need to pack.  Eliot and I have both been hard at work preparing the businesses for our departure.  And the most exciting thing is that we've made a list of what we want to do while we are there!

Obviously, we have included all of the "normal" touristy famous landmarks... Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, etc.  Eliot's sister and I are both huge Harry Potter fans, so we have also included a Warner Brothers Studio tour and visiting Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station.

And naturally, I had to include a few Disney things- like visiting the Disney Store in London!  (Quick side note: Eliot and I were actually trying to get over to France to visit Disneyland Paris for a few days, but it didn't work out this time.  But our passports are shiny and new; hopefully we'll be able to give them a workout over the coming years!)

I'm sure things will start to take shape more over the coming weeks as we finalize plans with Eliot's family.  We're both really excited about our upcoming London adventure!!!

Let the countdown officially begin!!! ✨🇬🇧✨

Our First Journey Overseas 🇬🇧

Two weeks ago, Eliot and I quietly applied for our passports. 🌎  It's something that we've been planning on doing for a while now (years in fact).  But without any actual trips overseas on the horizon, it hasn't been one of our top priorities.

As some of you may already know, Eliot’s sister Elissa has been in the UK studying abroad for her masters degree. 🇬🇧 We have been wanting to visit her, but between our busy schedules and all of our health issues, things haven’t come together... until now.

I am so excited that the stars have finally aligned and that Eliot and I are going "across the pond" to London for a week in July!!! ✈️ I've dropped a few subtle hints, but I didn't want to say anything until we had our passports in hand and our flights were booked.  Our passports arrived last Saturday, and we booked our flights later that evening.

I am so excited to be going overseas again!!!  This will be Eliot’s first trip to Europe, and my third time. 🌍 However, my trips were back when I was in high school (France) and college (Italy & Greece), so it’s been awhile. 😳  And I've never been to London, other than spending a few hours in Heathrow airport on my return trip from Italy & Greece.

So Eliot and I are preparing for our first journey overseas together. 🇬🇧 Here’s to filling these with lots of passport stamps and to many more adventures around the world. 🌍

The Future Is Calling Me… ☎️

Hi friends!  This year is flying right by, so I just wanted to pop in for a quick minute.  If you're following along on social media, you know that Eliot and I have been super busy in 2026.  We've already taken three Disney trips in the first four months of the year!

I'm hoping to post a few photos from those trips on here at some point.  I won't be doing a full trip review, simply because I don't have time for those anymore.  But I'm hoping to share a little bit more about certain aspects of our trips!  If you are following me over on Facebook or Instagram, you'll definitely see a few of our Disney trip photos there!

For now, here's a quick flashback of me hanging out in the United Kingdom pavilion of Epcot during the Flower and Garden Festival on our WDW trip back in April. 🇬🇧🌐🌳 

Our next few months are going to continue to be incredibly busy, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to write again, but I'll try my best!  If you follow me on social media, you'll definitely get all of the details of our adventures there first.  I will say that although I'm not ready to "spill the tea" just yet... it sounds like the future is calling me... ☎️