14 Days of Summer- Universal Studios

Universal Fun

Oh baby, Hot! Hot! Hot! Did I forget to mention how hot it is here? If you haven’t read the previous Day 15 or Day 14 posts, please do. I complain about the heat in those posts as well!

Universal Studios. Jeremy and I visited here on our first vacation together back in 2002. It’s been awhile. Things have grown and parks have split. Tickets have gotten more expensive. Instead of buying park hoppers to visit all their parks, we chose to do one- Universal Studios. Isaac really wanted to go on the Minion ride (thanks again to advertising on Nickelodeon!) so we chose that park. Additionally, he loves Spongebob Squarepants, so double bonus attending Universal Studios.

We got to park and within minutes of walking in we see the 90 minutes wait for Minions ride. We get in line that is totally outside and HOT. Did I mention it was hot outside? Lol. Sweat dripping, Isaac begged for a water. Jeremy was super dad and jumped out of line an hour into our wait and brought back three drinks and a pretzel. Fast forward an hour later and in a shade under two hours we were experiencing the one and only Minion ride. Olivia said she didn’t like the 4-D experience and took off her glasses moments after starting. Isaac loved it, but said he didn’t need to wait again in line. LOL. Good buddy. Instead he chose Bob, the $30 plush, to take home. Yes, you read that right. $30 for ANOTHER stuffed animal. (insert my rolling eyes!)

We spent the next few hours back in the kid land, complete with character meet and greets that you can see in the picture below. The kiddos loved it. Jeremy commented on how different this trip was than 2002! Jeremy loved the Barney show- Not. We did enjoy anything in the AC though!

Olivia and I really enjoyed the Men In Black ride because it spun you around as you zapped aliens. Transformers ride was also a hit, although Olivia took off her glasses so she wasn’t scared. Isaac giggled throughout the entire ride trying to get away from the evil transformer. He loved the screeching tires as our movable carts felt as if we were truly speeding away. The parade was cute and I love the picture of Olivia and Edith interacting. It was adorable. We are pretty sure that she wanted Olivia to come out and dance with her, but her handler said no. Plus the characters loved Isaac’s minion Bob. Too cute!

We ended the day with the craziest rollercoaster the park had. The boys waited an hour in line and Olivia and I hung out in the AC child/parent swap area. When the boys finished going on the ride, Isaac got to ride back-to-back, as he got to go again with me! Great deal for me- an hour of AC then an immediate rollercoaster ride. Sweet!

Leaving the park was the wildest part of the entire day. Universal needs some lessons from Disney here. The parks all released at the same time so thousands of people funneled out of the parks at the same time. It was insane. We got an Uber and the kids were cashed out within minutes into the ride. All-in-all another great day.

39 Days of Summer- Drive In Movies

Family Bonding in the Dark

Well we have been trying to get to the Van-Del Drive-In Theatre for about two weeks now. The first time we ventured that way, it was closed. Not open everyday. Second time we scheduled to go it poured down rain. But tonight was the night! Perfect weather and two great movies- Despicable Me 3 and Cars 3. 

We loaded up the SUV with everything we thought we needed. Two sleeping bags and two pillows. We packed a small cooler with some drinks. We arrived around 8:35 p.m. WAY TOO EARLY. Newbies. We parked toward the front when I noticed all the SUV's were parked further back. Jeremy suggested maybe it was harder to see. We got out the pamphlet. Yep, we parked by the wrong colored markers. Only cars could be parked that close so we moved back. We got lucky enough to park beside Olivia's friend from dance class. They were also first timers at the drive-in. It helped to have others in the same newbie boat!

When the first movie started, there were at least 15 minutes of previews. By this time it was 9:30 p.m. or so. Kids were already starting to get tired! They laid in their sleeping bags and we put down the seats so it made lots of room. It was SO hard and uncomfortable. We said next time we would bring folding lawn chairs! Live and learn. 

The kiddos made it through the first movie, but about 5 minutes into Cars 3 Olivia was out and about 20 minutes later Isaac was out too. Jeremy and I had not seen Cars 3 yet so we stayed and watched the end. It ended at 1:30 a.m. WOWZERS.... we're too old for this! Everyone had a great time and the kids are already asking to go back again. It was a good time and it didn't cost too much. It was $21 for our entire family. Look up your nearest drive-in and treat yourself to a movie!