What a magical 24th birthday weekend!I am so grateful for all of the sunshine and adventures.
On Thursday night, Thomas and I headed to Orlando, Florida to celebrate and spend some time in the sun. It was the perfect break from a busy March. I really enjoyed my time in Disney- particularly at EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival. I created a Youtube Video with some of the highlights:
After working all day Thursday and arriving in Orlando on Thursday night, we were tired and desperately wanted a cocktail. We tried three places- all of them were either closing or not serving alcohol anymore… We were grumpy, but continued our search. We found O’Shucks- a small Irish pub near our hotel. Fortunately, they were still serving alcohol and it was karaoke night. This was very entertaining for us to see! After a few rounds, we called it a day.
On Friday, we got up and got brunch at Disney Springs. We had Wolfgang Puck Express- yummy! I enjoyed a hummus Mediterranean wrap and Thomas went with the classic favorite Turkey Club. We spent the day walking around Disney Springs, soaking up the sun, and exploring. Unfortunately, the balloon was not flying due to winds.
We headed back to the hotel and decided to go mini golfing at Gator Golf. The course was pretty cool, and included interesting wildlife. The wildlife on the course included Gators, a tortoise, mini alligators, and some fish. Thomas and I had a good time playing mini golf- unfortunately, I came in a close second. (I hate losing, I am very competitive)
After mini golf, we went to Universal City Walk to get some dinner and to explore the sights. It has been years since I visited Universal’s City Walk, and I wanted to see what it was all about. Thomas rocked a Mickey Mouse shirt, which may not have been the best move… but we had dinner and overall, had a great time. The Chocolate Emporium looked so cool and sold giant milkshakes. Voodoo Donuts was not open yet, but I will definitely have to take a trip back to try one! While we enjoyed our time at Universal, we are definitely Disney people. Disney Springs is definitely different than Universal City Walk and personally, I like Disney better.
Saturday was the BEST DAY. I set an alarm and we started our day very early. We took a shuttle to Disney Springs and rode the Characters in Flight balloon. It was a very cool experience! I actually found the deal online, and treated us for my birthday! I had a great time and really enjoyed the view.
Following the balloon ride, we walked over to Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort for a Mickey Waffle breakfast- MY FAVORITE! It was delicious as always. After Mickey Waffles, we went to EPCOT for the International Flower and Garden Festival. This day was truly magic!
We made a full day of EPCOT’s International Flower & Garden Festival. We started by exploring the park, seeing the butterfly exhibit, and observing the topiaries. Since it is Spring Break time, the park and rides were busier than usual. We enjoyed a few rides- Living with the Land, Figment, and Pixar Short Films. I take a few trips to Disney a year, so I was not upset about skipping rides.
We enjoyed lime margaritas in Mexico, Kung Fu Punch in China, and La Vie en Rose from France- Delish! We also enjoyed small plates. Thomas had the pulled pork from America, and I had teriyaki salmon from Japan and seared scallops from a fresh pavilion. The food and drinks were delicious! We spent the day in the sunshine, walking around and laughing, dancing, and filming the above video 🙂
After EPCOT, we went to Disney Springs for dinner. Thomas absolutely loves Earl of Sandwich so we had to have it at some point. I went with the Turkey Wrap and Thomas had the Chicken Avocado Sandwich- both were great. We grabbed drinks at the House of Blues and listened to some great throwback songs. The live entertainment at HOB was a perfect ending to a perfect day.
The next day was my actual birthday, and unfortunately, time to head back home. We boarded our short flight and made it back home in time for dinner and cake with my family. My mom is a baker and made a beautiful mermaid cake!
Overall, I had a wonderful birthday weekend and I am so grateful for my family, friends, and boyfriend. I felt so loved! I can not wait to see what 24 has in store for me. I hope for more laughs, adventures, and fun!
Becsea 