Fantasmic23
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2008
Since February 2008, we've been heading down to WDW every year. After we returned from every trip, a certain co-worker of my husband's always said: "You have got to go to Universal the next time you head down to Florida." My husband would always smile and nod politely, never admitting that his loyalties laid with the Mouse.
Yet, it was the same old thing as soon as we approached the Orlando area: My kids would squeal with delight at the billboards featuring Spider Man, Shrek and Jimmy Neutron. I would always have to explain, "That's at Universal; We're going to Disney." A chorus of disappointed, "Oh, man!"'s would always follow and even my husband would gaze wistfully at Spidey as he drove on down the line. Over the years, I had pointed out several times that we're movie buffs ... Movie die-hards. We watch "Jaws" over and over again (In fact, the only reason why my husband wanted to see Martha's Vineyard was because "Jaws" was filmed there) and the kids can recite the lines from the "Shrek" movies verbatim. We owe it to ourselves to at least go to Universal once, right? No. My husband's mouth would always set in a tight, firm line. He worshipped at the altar of Walt Disney ... And nowhere else.
Come mid-March 2011, my husband received word that he had some unexpected vacation time coming to him shortly before Easter. The kids would be off, too, for April break. "Pick somewhere", my husband tempted me. My suggestion of Busch Gardens was shot down. As was King's Dominion (I was selecting places that we had driven past on previous Disney trips). Niagara Falls was out as was Lancaster County, PA. Maine? No. New Hampshire? No. Vermont? No. I was running out of states. Just for fun, I casually mentioned Florida and the "U' word. My husband literally froze. "Well," I began gently, "It wouldn't be cheating on Disney since we'll be there in late November. Why don't we just see what it's all about and if we don't like it, we'll never go there again."
My husband quickly agreed but there was one catch: I had to plan the trip and I had to find a deal. Okay. I immediately got to work and visited the Universal website. There was a good deal but it involved ... He Whose Name Shall Never Be Spoken In Our House. Yep. Potter. It was a good deal, though: Free breakfast at the Three Broomsticks, early admission into the WWOHP and I also found a hotel that gave us the fourth night free. I quickly booked, forked over a deposit and chewed on my fingernails.
Now, we were not Potter fans. Sure, I had bought the first book (Stiff and unread) and I had bought the first film (Unopened, still wrapped in plastic). Whenever I mentioned that we should give the film a whirl, my husband waved the thought away and reached for one of the Pirates of the Carib movies. The kids would always be in hysterics over this "Harry Potter Puppet Pals" video on YouTube, but would always look away in disgust anytime I suggested we watch the film or read the books. What was it about Potter that made everyone in the house so hostile?
So, we now had a solid month before our Universal trip. I did what I do to prepare before any trip: I watch movies. I started organizing "Universal Movie Nights" and we sat through the usual suspects: "Jaws" (again), "Shrek", "The Mummy", "Men in Black", "The Simpsons Movie", "Twister", E.T." Everyone's excitement about our upcoming trip was building, but I knew there was a piece of the puzzle still missing.
One horrible, rainy day however, I made myself a cup of tea, grabbed a few cookies and reached for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on a whim. My husband was at work, the kids were locked in a room trying to teach our Siberian Husky how to talk and I could watch in secret. So ... I watched. The tea quickly became cold and the cookies went uneaten as I delved into the world of Harry Potter ... And loved it. The kids joined me shortly, a bit concerned that my attention was elsewhere (i.e. I didn't care that they had gotten the dog to say "I love you"). They surrendered and sat down on the couch and began to laugh when Ron began making fun of Hermione: "It's not LeviOsa, it's LevioSA ..." "Rewind that!" they kept telling me. I rewound all the way to the beginning and they, too, sat on the couch captivated. I knew then that my husband would like the movie. He would love it, I was certain of it. Like all of his favorite movie series before (Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Matrix and his token POTC), I knew he would be engrossed.
My husband came home later that night and knew something was up. My son was darting around the house (Using a stick for wand) humming Hedwig's Theme and my daughter was in the corner reading the first book. I was watching "Dogma" since seeing Alan Rickman had made me crave another one of his films.
"I finally watched 'Harry Potter' today," I admitted a bit sheepishly. "The kids did, too, and we all loved it. I think you'll really like it. You just have to give it a chance." When I grabbed the cars keys and my husband asked where I was going, I said, "To Blockbuster to get the other films."
I'VE UPDATED! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE! PLEASE SCROLL THROUGH THE THREAD FOR MORE.
Yet, it was the same old thing as soon as we approached the Orlando area: My kids would squeal with delight at the billboards featuring Spider Man, Shrek and Jimmy Neutron. I would always have to explain, "That's at Universal; We're going to Disney." A chorus of disappointed, "Oh, man!"'s would always follow and even my husband would gaze wistfully at Spidey as he drove on down the line. Over the years, I had pointed out several times that we're movie buffs ... Movie die-hards. We watch "Jaws" over and over again (In fact, the only reason why my husband wanted to see Martha's Vineyard was because "Jaws" was filmed there) and the kids can recite the lines from the "Shrek" movies verbatim. We owe it to ourselves to at least go to Universal once, right? No. My husband's mouth would always set in a tight, firm line. He worshipped at the altar of Walt Disney ... And nowhere else.
Come mid-March 2011, my husband received word that he had some unexpected vacation time coming to him shortly before Easter. The kids would be off, too, for April break. "Pick somewhere", my husband tempted me. My suggestion of Busch Gardens was shot down. As was King's Dominion (I was selecting places that we had driven past on previous Disney trips). Niagara Falls was out as was Lancaster County, PA. Maine? No. New Hampshire? No. Vermont? No. I was running out of states. Just for fun, I casually mentioned Florida and the "U' word. My husband literally froze. "Well," I began gently, "It wouldn't be cheating on Disney since we'll be there in late November. Why don't we just see what it's all about and if we don't like it, we'll never go there again."
My husband quickly agreed but there was one catch: I had to plan the trip and I had to find a deal. Okay. I immediately got to work and visited the Universal website. There was a good deal but it involved ... He Whose Name Shall Never Be Spoken In Our House. Yep. Potter. It was a good deal, though: Free breakfast at the Three Broomsticks, early admission into the WWOHP and I also found a hotel that gave us the fourth night free. I quickly booked, forked over a deposit and chewed on my fingernails.
Now, we were not Potter fans. Sure, I had bought the first book (Stiff and unread) and I had bought the first film (Unopened, still wrapped in plastic). Whenever I mentioned that we should give the film a whirl, my husband waved the thought away and reached for one of the Pirates of the Carib movies. The kids would always be in hysterics over this "Harry Potter Puppet Pals" video on YouTube, but would always look away in disgust anytime I suggested we watch the film or read the books. What was it about Potter that made everyone in the house so hostile?
So, we now had a solid month before our Universal trip. I did what I do to prepare before any trip: I watch movies. I started organizing "Universal Movie Nights" and we sat through the usual suspects: "Jaws" (again), "Shrek", "The Mummy", "Men in Black", "The Simpsons Movie", "Twister", E.T." Everyone's excitement about our upcoming trip was building, but I knew there was a piece of the puzzle still missing.
One horrible, rainy day however, I made myself a cup of tea, grabbed a few cookies and reached for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on a whim. My husband was at work, the kids were locked in a room trying to teach our Siberian Husky how to talk and I could watch in secret. So ... I watched. The tea quickly became cold and the cookies went uneaten as I delved into the world of Harry Potter ... And loved it. The kids joined me shortly, a bit concerned that my attention was elsewhere (i.e. I didn't care that they had gotten the dog to say "I love you"). They surrendered and sat down on the couch and began to laugh when Ron began making fun of Hermione: "It's not LeviOsa, it's LevioSA ..." "Rewind that!" they kept telling me. I rewound all the way to the beginning and they, too, sat on the couch captivated. I knew then that my husband would like the movie. He would love it, I was certain of it. Like all of his favorite movie series before (Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Matrix and his token POTC), I knew he would be engrossed.
My husband came home later that night and knew something was up. My son was darting around the house (Using a stick for wand) humming Hedwig's Theme and my daughter was in the corner reading the first book. I was watching "Dogma" since seeing Alan Rickman had made me crave another one of his films.
"I finally watched 'Harry Potter' today," I admitted a bit sheepishly. "The kids did, too, and we all loved it. I think you'll really like it. You just have to give it a chance." When I grabbed the cars keys and my husband asked where I was going, I said, "To Blockbuster to get the other films."
I'VE UPDATED! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE! PLEASE SCROLL THROUGH THE THREAD FOR MORE.
