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sometimes a break from routine is just what you need
Our friend Emily Cook who I met in Hong Kong has been living back in Australia since we said our goodbyes last year. We were very excited to host her here in Orlando for her 2 (ish) week visit to the USA and do some fun things while she visited. I was glad she was here while Encore Performing Arts was doing our Hello Dolly! show featuring Jodi Benson. I can't even tell you how amazing Jodi's performance was. It was super inspiring watching her rehearse and perform, and I loved singing in the choir, making some new connections and remembering my love of performance again.
Jodi and I had a very sweet moment in her dressing room on opening night where I got to tell her all about how special Ariel is to me, and she gave a hug and some kind words. I regret not asking for a photo, but she was in show mode and I was trying so hard to remain professional. She did however ask me to help hand out her cast gift to everyone, which was a very special keepsake!
Once the show was done, I had a lot more time for Emily activities. After picking her up from the airport and grabbing some American Panera Bread, the next day was spent showing her the American classics like Target and Walmart.
She even brought me my fav Aussie treaties, so we swapped with some American treaties like Bahama Bucks Snow Cones-
We did another day that was half Epcot half Hollywood Studios.
Hollywood Studios was a short and sweet adventure. We did get to go to Oga's Cantina where the Storm Troopers invaded. Emily also kicked my booty in Toy Story Mania.
We did a Disney Springs day to go see Inside Out 2. It was one of my favorite sequels to a movie. I felt like the movie did a great job keeping the same pace and fun energy as the first one.
After Disney Springs, we had yet another American icon, Chick Fil A.
Emily's parents helped us score a DVC rental at Saratoga Springs, so we were able to stay a night with Emily and hang out at the pool and have some chill time. 
We showed Emily the classics like Seuss Trolley, but the highlight was the food at Circus McGurkus, who has upgraded their menu! Chicken and waffle with peanut biscuit was stoooopendous and the pizza on a stick was so uniquely tasty!
Minion ride was just as lame as it always is, Men in Black is way better.
The day was super great, but the night got even better with the new night show, CineSational. So glad places are really utilizing drones these days, because they look so incredible in the sky. This new nighttime show is not to be missed. It really has a little bit of everything, drones, water fountains, color projections, everything. And you can take a little nap in the Central Park grass while you wait for it to start.
Next stop on the list was to SeaWorld. Weather was a bit more difficult this day, so lots of things down, but we did have a great time visiting with the animals.
We did an Aquatica Water Park day, and it was the busiest I have ever seen it. We rode a couple slides and floated in the lazy river, but we didn't last long because of the crowd.
We also got to watch the new Disney Springs drone show from the resort! It was super nice and one of the highlights of her stay with us.
We ate at the Saratoga Springs Artist Palette, and were so surprised at how tasty everything was! The pizza was super good. We even tried the milk and cookies cupcake, which I'd say was one of the best Disney cupcakes I have ever had since it wasn't too sweet.
cookie dough inside!
Kung Fu Panda area was fun. We learned Kung Fu similar to Turtle Talk with Crush at Disney. Honestly felt a bit like being in an exercise class being led by someone who had never exercised before, haha.
The new show was a fun little bop along in the air condition. Those dancers are workin' their tails off, but I would recommend checking it out.
We did all the classic Harry Potter stuff as well. Butterbeer was the absolute must of the day, but Mike and I finally tried Butterbeer ice cream, and I would highly recommend!
Our other big theme park day was to Universal, where I'd argue we had the best time.
It was hot and a very long day, but it was really fun. Big highlight was going to the new Dreamworks area and visiting Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and the Trolls attractions and shows.
The new Troller Coaster was just the same as the old coaster, with cute new themeing.
Shrek's home was very cute, and can't stop here without a Shrektzel. The green dipping sauce tastes just like nacho cheese, which really threw me off, but it was good!
My favorite part of the day was meeting my bestie, Green Goblin who scared the heck out of me.
Don't worry GG I still love you.
Before we sent Emily off back to Australia, we made sure she tried American goodies like Olive Garden and Jeremiahs ice cream. We were sad to see her go, but I know we will see each other again soon.
Before Emily came, Mike and I visited the Orlando Science Center one rainy day. We only ended up spending a few hours there, but there was lots of stuff to do and see.
We also met up with our buddies Madi and Alex at Disney Springs Wine Bar George for some snackies and delicious food on fire and a large strip steak.
We met another buddy from HK of ours at Disney Springs, Felix and Sharon! So happy to reconnect with them.
We also had a great 4th of July where we prayed no one would accidentally blow up our house with fireworks, and thankfully they didn't, but it was close.
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