Universal Studios Beats Disney Any Day

Besides going to Wizarding World in Orlando I had a chance to revisit Universal Studios on Sunday when my fiance finally got done working.

I've been to Disney twice now and I truly love Universal much more. I'm more of a thrill rider and less of a novelty rider. I love roller coasters, fast moving rides and scary rides. Disney is targeted more towards kids and their thrill rides are definitely lacking IMO.

I'm sure when I have a kid of my own one day I will enjoy Disney more. Especially for the educational aspect.

The day we went to Universal, the weather was a perfect 80 degrees. Not too hot and not too cold.


We stayed at the Dolphin Hotel which is actually a Disney Hotel. Last year we stayed at the Swan Hotel which is directly across the lake and pictured below.


We went to a show at Universal called Animal Actors which is a show featuring animals that have starred in Hollywood films. They were so damn smart! Like smarter than your average human being smart!


Can you guess who this celebrity dog is? Yes, it's the one and only MIB 2 dog sans the talking :)


This orangutan was hilarious! She mimicked every facial expression that her trainer did and had a full on interactive skit with him. Look at the little drama queen!


This parrot was trained to steal money! HAHA the genius of it all. An audience member was asked to stand up and place a ten dollar bill on the palm of his hand. The bird flew out, grabbed the bill, and flew back to the trainer.

I bet you many criminals would pay top dollar for this birdie.


One of my favorite areas at Universal is the part that looks like old school New York. You know, back when people called trash "refuse".


E.W. and I had an impromptu photo shoot on one of the hidden street corners of old school New York. I so wish that I lived back in that era. No Iphones, Facebook, Twitter....wait no blogging. Hmm, I'll have to rethink that statement.


I did an old school b&w shot of E.W. I would probably have been a marvelous photographer back in the day. Famous even!!


Jurassic Park used to be the most popular area of the park back in the 90's when the movie first came out. It's now long forgotten with the new Wizarding World commotion but it's still a great area to come and reminisce.

Remember how terrified you were when you first watched Jurassic Park? I think I might have peed myself. I remember bringing a blanket with me to cover my eyes during the scary parts.


Yes that photo on the bottom left is of me as a dinosaur. Why do I look like an Egyptian/Asian dinosaur? Don't ask me. And yes that is the actual dinosaur leg that we had for lunch. Kidding, it was a giant turkey leg that tasted strangely like ham.

Next we went to Toon Land which is kind of like stepping into the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". All of your favorite cartoons and comics come to life in this section of the park.

Marmaduke was being a very naughty dog and pulled me halfway across town!


Some ship from some cartoon I do not know of.


Best part was spraying riders off the side of the ship. Once in a while, a few riders would get angry with us. Hellloooo, you are on a ride that makes you soaking wet. Why get mad when you get sprayed just a little more?? Once you get off the ride, you can go spray innocent riders and see how fun it is for yourself.


E.W. made fun of me for posing so pretty on an electric chair. He asked me to make an ugly face and I just couldn't do it.


This guy was super creepy. When he leaned down over me he started moaning and grunting making me extremely uncomfortable. I ran away as soon as I got the picture.


OK, I confess. This photo was taken on the one day we went to Disney World but I really like the picture so I wanted to stick it in. I thought I could get away with it but then noticed Lady & The Tramp behind us. DUH. I don't feel like putting the Disney pics up just because that would be awfully contradictory to my blog post title.


Another favorite part at Universal was the I Love Lucy tribute museum. Lucille Ball is my #1 idol. I can watch her shows over and over again. She is one of 3 people that can make me laugh out loud.

All of you I Love Lucy fans are going to love this. This was how her set was built for the show. You can see the Tropicana on the right, next her kitchen, the living room, her bedroom and the nursery. Behind the set are the bleachers where the live audience would sit. And you can't see from the photo but there are a bunch of Philip Morris ads all over the studio.

Didn't Desi Arnaz die from lung cancer??


One of the famous outfits that Lucy wore on the show.


At the end of the day, we watched the Mardi Gras parade that came through all of Universal. Tons of floats and stilt walkers throwing beads at you!! Nobody threw beads at me though so I had to steal some from E.W!! Booo.

Spring Break Giveaway With Room It Up!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Room It Up for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Hey everyone, there is an exciting $250 giveaway going on right now! And I'm hoping one of my blog readers will win it! This is such a great deal that even I have already entered :)
All you have to do is "Like" the Room It Up Facebook page and enter their Spring Break Giveaway contest.
-One grand prize winner will receive a $250 gift certificate to Roomitup.com!
-And five second place winners will receive an awesome RIU beach towel set.
-And you have to enter by March 19th to be qualified for the running!

Room It Up designs and manufactures a coordinated lifestyle collection designed to Personalize Your Space. Their exciting accessories range from totes, cosmetic cases, essentials for campus living, home and closet organization, beach necessities, and their huge back to school product line.
Room It Up is your one stop for trend and style for everyday life!
Here are a few things I picked out that are must haves for me.
1. Hot Pink Cozy Throw 2. Pink Magazine Organizer 3. Leopard Pencil/Brush Case
4. Leopard Lap Desk 5. Retro Dot Flip Flops 6. Retro Dot Towel Set

Dear......#3

Dear Engagement Ring. You are so beautiful and expensive that I am so paranoid wearing you. I refuse to get you wet and I refuse to leave you at home without hiding you in the most inconspicuous place. When will this paranoia end? It's very exhausting constantly thinking about you. I must check my finger 100 times a day to make sure you're still there!

Dear Wizarding World. YOU ARE AMAZING. You have made my wildest fantasies come true. I have been dreaming to spend a day in Harry Potter's shoes since I was a little girl. Thank you, Universal for making my dream come to life. There was nothing better than spending the day roaming Hogsmeade, touring Hogwarts and drinking butter beer. *sigh*

Dear Disney World. *singing* "Now I've had the time of my life. No I never felt like this before. Yes I swear it's the truth, and I owe it all to youuuuuuu". Where else can you tour 8 different countries in 4 hours?? NOWHERE.

Dear Friends and Family. Thank you for all of the Bday wishes!! I felt extra loved this year with the overwhelming emails and messages. I feel like I will age more gracefully because of you lol.

Dear On Demand. You suck balls! You don't work anymore, you are pointless and worthless. How am I supposed to watch the Jersey Shore and Office episodes that I missed if I can't even turn you on. Please stop telling me to call Comcast and go fix yourself!

Dear Facebook Stalker. Stop messaging my friends and family on Facebook and telling them I'm a Craigslist prostitute. First of all, if I HAD to be a prostitute, I would go through a Madame and not Craigslist. Only the ugly prostitutes and transvestites go through Craigslist. Second of all, didn't Craigslist close down their prostitute section because of all of the mental serial killers? And third of all, if I was a prostitute I would take a money bath every night. And I don't...soooo...hah lol. Noone believes youuu.

Dear America Idol. I am forced to watch you every week and and to tell you the truth, the only episodes I find remotely interesting are the first episodes where they show all of the loony bins who think they can actually sing. Once they weed out all of the crazies, the entertainment value of your show plummets severely. In my own humble opinion of course.

New Sexy Swimwear At Express

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I bet that most people aren't even thinking about the summer right now but it'll be here before you know it and if you don't start summer shopping soon, you will be stuck without a cute swimsuit!
Isn't that how it always happens?
Well there is no reason to be lazy and prolong your swimsuit shopping this year. Express has tons of sexy women's swimwear in stock right now!
I absolutely love how fun and flirty the new swimsuit designs are. Express has many different types of swimsuits for all shapes and sizes such as the monokini, the string bikini and the must have strapless and hater tops.
These are my two absolute favorite Express swimsuits...

The pink one reminds me of something Paris Hilton would wear and the purple one would be perfect to wear during some physical activity...on the beach of course:)

And a little something exciting for my blog readers!

For a chance to win one of ten $200 Express gift cards, all you have to do is sign yourself up for Express e-mail.
The sweepstakes ends 4.21.11 so don't miss your chance to be the sexiest girl on the beach. And don't forget to check out the sweepstakes rules.
Dive into the season's sexiest swimwear at Express!!

It's My Birthday And I Can Relax If I Want To

I turned 24 today and I have decided not to have a big party like I have had for the past 3 years. It's just takes too much out of me to find a venue, create a guest list, find an outfit, etc.

By the end of all the planning I end up being too exhausted to truly enjoy myself like I should be on my birthday.

Honestly, I don't even remember too much from my past three birthday parties. Don't get me wrong, I had TONS of fun but thanks to the countless free bottles and my poor judgment, it has been a joyous blur.

As you can see, I am not very mentally aware in my birthday photos and I progressively got worse as they years went by.

So this year, because I am engaged and am beginning a more adult phase of my life, I have decided to just have a nice quiet dinner with my fiance.

A year ago I probably would have thought this to be quite dull but this year I am super excited to spend alone time with E.W and to talk about our very exciting future together.

I have no clue where we will be going to dinner tonight but I will be sure to take a few pics :)

And to make up for this year's lack of party, I can't wait to celebrate my 25th birthday in Miami next year!!! Gotta celebrate getting old!

I have created a face chart to show how I have aged over the years. In 1987 I looked like an adorable Gerber baby, in 2003 I had my awkward ugly year, in 2007 I dyed my hair blonde and regretted it, and in 2011 I think I look just right :)

Visiting Harry Potter At Universal Studios

I took a trip to Orlando, FL the other week and visited The Harry Potter Wizarding World at Universal Studios. I've been a HP geek since I was in grade school and know pretty much everything there is to know about Harry Potter.

Don't believe me? I dare you to quiz me.

I'm proud of my HP knowledge. I think Harry Potter was the greatest piece of literature ever written.

It's the second best selling book next to the bible. And I believe that if both books had come out at the same time, that HP would def be in the number one spot.

The movies are pretty cool too but they lack the tiny little details that made the books so special.

That's is why visiting the Wizarding World was so amazing coz it was like bringing the books to life. It was like stepping into the movie. No words could describe the awesomeness. Only a true Harry Potter fan could appreciate it.

Play this music while reading my post for the full Harry Potter experience!!


As I entered Hogsmeade and turned the corner, my jaw literally dropped. All of the perfectly crooked, snow-capped houses, the butter beer stand and the HP music blasting in the air was enough to make me feel twelve again.


Right at the entrance of Hogsmeade stood the Hogwarts Express full steam ahead. The conductor chatted with me with a British accent before taking a pic with me.



As I walked further into Hogsmeade, I could see Hogwarts in the distance. It was stunning. Just like I had imagined.While gazing at it, I began longing to be wizard just like I had done as a child.


Most of the shops in Hogsmeade were actual shops straight out of the book. No crappy Universal gift shops in HP world. Everything was as authentic as could be. A HP geek's fantasy!

While I waited in line to visit Dervish & Banges, the wand shop, I passed by the Quidditch store which displayed a quaffle, a snitch and some Quidditch gear. Nimbus 2000's could be bought inside for $300!! But what do you do with a broom that can't really fly once you get home?


Once in the wand shop we witnessed a little boy get fitted with his wand. It was awesome...just like in the movie!! The first two wands shattered stuff around us and when he put his hands on the third wand, he lit up, air swooshed around him and angels sang.

It was crazy how the shop looked identical to the one in the movie. Thank you Universal for hiring the Harry Potter movie set designer to make the Wizarding World! He done good!


My next stop was Honey Dukes!! They had all types of normal candies and even HP candies such as chocolate frogs, chocolate wands and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans.

I've been wanting to try the Every Flavor Jelly Beans since I was about 15 so I got a big bag of them.

Now when they say every flavor they really mean EVERY flavor.

A few flavors that I tried were dirt, vomit and soap. They really taste exactly like what they were supposed to!!! Dirt was the grossest and was almost enough to make me lose my breakfast. Other nasty flavors were boogers, earwax and sardines. BLAH

I can't wait to offer my friend some yummy jelly beans when they come over my house. *evil laugh*


Zonko's, the joke shop, was attached to Honeydukes and was filled to the ceiling with jokes and pranks from the HP books. Who can forget extendable ears??


Right next door was Dogweed and Deathcap, the exotic plants store, which had screeching Mandrakes in the window. Am I confusing you Muggles yet??


Next was a clothing store which had Hermione's Yule Ball dress in the window sill. It wasn't an actual store but a fake storefront.


Ron's car was crashed into a tree in one of the lines to a ride!! I was sad to see there was no Whomping Willow. But there was an exact replica of Hagrid's hut!!


One of the things I just had to do before I left the Wizarding World was to try a Butter Beer. And because the line for the outdoor stand was a mile long, we ventured into the Three Broomsticks to get one at the bar.


It was so amazing inside. They even sold British foods like Shepard's pie and umm...other British stuff that I can't remember.

My Butter Beer cost me $4 for a tiny cup and for any other drink I would have been outraged but this was Butter Beer!! Oh Universal..taking advantage of us naive HP freaks.


In the book, Butter Beer is supposed to taste somewhat like butterscotch and it warms you and and makes you feel great. In the real world, it tasted like cream soda with a thick butterscotch foam on top.

And even though I hate cream soda, I drank it all! Because I'm greedy and want to take in everything Harry Potter that I can!!


Ok Muggles, hope you understood all of my Harry Potter lingo. I gotta go pray for J.K. Rowling to make another HP book.

BYEEE

How To Style Your Dog Vlog

Blog Milestones - 100 Posts And First Vlog

I have been so distracted lately that I didn't even realize that my last blog post was my 100th post!!

100!! yay!!

It might not seem like a lot a year from now but it sure seems like a lot right now. I really do love blogging so much and hope to do 100 more posts this year! I might be blogging well into my 80's...haha.

I did something else that I never thought I would do. My first Vlog!

For those of you who are saying "Umm....Vlog?", it's a blog done with video. I will be doing a lot more videos in the future because frankly, I like talking much more than I do writing.

LAZY ME.

My new channel on youtube is called Jewelz - Girl Stuff and I'll be doing tons of videos on stuff girls like, do, want, etc.

So if any of you sexy girls have suggestion for my future videos... email me at Jewelzblog@gmail.com!

I will even mention your name/site if I use your idea!!

Ok ok, I won't keep you waiting any longer... here is my very first Vlog. Enjoy!!

An At-Home Chemical Peel To Look Younger

I've always had a problem with dead skin on my face to the point where I have considered doing a chemical peel at the doctor's office.

Layers of dead, dry skin can be caused by tanning, insufficient exfoliation and even genetics. My problem is genetics. My dead skin doesn't shed often which causes a backup of rough dry skin on my face and clogged pores. Blah!!

When I got asked to review InstantPeel I was very skeptic on whether it would work or not.

Well Ladies & Gentlemen...

This is the first review that I have done and afterward can happily say that I have become a life long user of this product. InstantPeel is amazing. No lie. The photos below is all the proof you need.


Before using InstantPeel, I needed to steam my face for 5 minutes to soften the skin. I took a hot shower so that my skin would be extra soft. Need to make sure it all comes off!

Once my skin was baby smooth, I applied InstantPeel all over my face in circular motions and it started working right away!!! A thick layer of dead skin started to melt off of my face!!

It sounds gross and looks gross but all of those white clumps on my forehead is dead skin peeling right off!


I thought all of my skin was going to peel off of my face!

But it was amazing how smoothly the dead skin peeled off without irritating healthy skin layers. After the short treatment, my skin felt soft and silky with a radiant complexion.

My skin was so smooth that when I rubbed it with my fingers it made a *squeak* *squeak* noise. That's what I call squeaky clean!!

The procedure needs to be repeated every 2-4 weeks, so no more bothering with daily exfoliations.


The best part about the treatment was how much smaller my pores looked. Not only did my pores look smaller but my complexion evened out as well. No more red blotchy spots yay!

Having a truly clean face feels so invigorating.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.