Our road to Disney and Universal was not paved with flowers and sunshine. That goes without saying. I could go into logistics about Make A Wish’s former CF rules, refusals, and hope coming our way again, but that’s another story for another blog post. Suffice it to say, it was a bumpy, long road…until it wasn’t.

When the time came for us to approach the kids and say they were getting wishes, and to ask what they wanted, both of them thought pretty hard. I, myself, hoped for Disney, but didn’t push either of them in that direction. I did mention to the obsessed-with-Harry-Potter Kennedy that there was this magical place called Diagon Alley at Universal Studios, but we discussed other options. Things like trips in an RV, remodeling the bedroom were discussed among others.

When the day came, the wonderful Wish Granters asked the kids what they wanted.

Kennedy said, “I want to see Harry Potter World!”  (It was only then that I learned when you wish for one FL theme park, you get both)  I was not upset by this declaration.

From that moment everything flew by in an instant. Before any of us knew it, we were in the limo and on the plane for Florida.

Months of planning, talking, anticipation all came down to that one moment…

You know the one…

The one where we stepped through the brick passage and onto Diagon Alley.

Every moment after when Kennedy’s face looking like this —->>

Excitement. Spotting everything left and right, pointing out everything.

When Ollivander selected her and her sister (believing them twins, methinks) to get their own matching wands.

When she saw, and felt, the dragon breathe fire down on us.

When she sat in the sidecar (look how tiny, my goodness).

Every moment in Diagon Alley that day was so much magic we could have gone home right then and never complained a moment that it wasn’t worth it.

To see K become completely immersed into the world we both loved so much.

Every single second was one I wanted to bottle and hold onto.

That was the moment I knew magic was real.

And the look on her face made every struggle that led us up to and through the brick passage way was worth it.

So damn worth it.