Jasmine and I enjoyed this year’s Beaverton parade. She brought home a bag full of giveaway goodies – candy, beef jerky, pencils, and a book. (Well, the jerky didn’t make it home – we devoured it on-site.)

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Jasmine started Middle School this week. Along with changing classes, taking the bus and meeting new teachers – she also gets a locker.

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A very special moment happened for Jasmine while we were at Universal Studios.

While walking around Diagon alley, Jeff let us into this rather unassuming doorway next to Ollivander’s Wand Shop.

There were only up about 10 of us in the group and we walk into this dark room floor-to-ceiling with the little boxes.

A wizard comes out of a door, walks down the stairs and chooses Jasmine. Watch the videos to see what happens next.

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One of the most popular rides at Universal is the virtual roller coaster with interactive movie inside the Gringotts bank. Impossible to miss because of the huge fire breathing dragon on top of the building. People were waiting hours in line for this ride. Including us since they did not have special access for wheelchairs until well inside the building. Was waiting over an hour and having the ride break in the middle down worth it? No. Coming back the next day and waiting 45 minutes to ride it twice….sure. And watching Helen Bohnam Carter reprise her role and eat major pieces of scenery during the ride was an additional treat.

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There are two Harry potter themed areas, one in both parks. By far the largest and most detailed was Diagon Alley. Every nook and cranny was filled with something unusual. We visited every day and could have spent more time exploring. If you are a crazy Harry Potter fan or just a causal observer you can not help but be totally engrossed.

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