Did you read the Harry Potter books?  I couldn’t put them down.  I even had to read some parts while eating chocolate since they ate it so much in the stories!

So since my family and I are big fans, we drove over to Orlando during the holidays to spend the day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  It was incredibly fun to see it all come to life.  I was amazed at how much effort was put into the details.  They had snowy rooftops, weathered shop signs, a smoking chimney, freshly baked cauldron cakes, moving portraits, floating candles, and moaning Myrtle’s voice echoing in the bathrooms!  We even lucked out with some cooler weather that day so it made the park seem more realistic.

I especially loved being there at night.  The atmosphere is incredible.  When the sun started to set, all the shop windows in Hogsmeade lit up with a warm inviting glow.  It was the perfect setting to bundle up, sip on a butterbeer, and pretend to be a wizard for a little while.

(If you can’t make it to the park in Florida, they’re opening one in Los Angeles in a few years!)

Most photos shot with my iPhone

(Me with my mom on the porch… was a windy night!  Shot with the Fuji Instax (my new toy!)

(Photos below are via Instagram.  You can find me @leahsak)


Happy New Year!!!  Hope you all had a great time over the holidays!  Scott and I went to Florida to visit the fam.  We had a fun time hanging out with everyone and making our Greek family recipes.  We also made our way over to Orlando to spend the day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  I’m such a huge HP fan… photos coming soon!

So I was tagged by Betül from Ballad of Seasons to answer 11 questions and to also include 11 things about me.  I’ve also tagged 11 other bloggers at the end of the post… can’t wait to read your answers!

RULES:
1.  You must post these rules.
2.  Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3.  Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4.  You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
5.  Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.
6.  No tag backs.
7.  No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’  You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

11 THINGS ABOUT ME
1.  I collect matchbooks, stickers, and small decorative dessert plates.
2.  I’m part of a big fat Greek family (3 sisters, 1 brother, and 12 nieces and nephews) and I’ve always lived in warm climates near the ocean.  I was born in Florida and moved to southern California 10 years ago.
3.  I was a member of the Orange County Astronomer’s club for a year.
4.  For some reason I have a really great memory.  I usually remember specific details about things that people would normally forget with time (like what color shirt a friend was wearing at a party 10 years ago).  Weird.
5.  My new liquor drink of choice is a Hemingway daiquiri (when it’s made right).
6.  I’ve hated dolls and the color pink since the day I was born.
7.  I love trekking and camping in the mountains just as much as I love getting dressed up and going out to dinner in Vegas.
8.  Somewhere in the gene pool I acquired some pretty great coordination skills and can pick up a new sport (or video game) quickly.
9.  Some people call me a dude because I’ve always liked “dude-like” things, but I’m not a dude, I’m just myself.
10.  Small talk has never come naturally to me and I tend to keep to myself, but I’m always working to change that.  Also, I never get caught up in gossip.
11.  I make a mean minestrone soup!

Betül’s Questions:
1.  Describe yourself with three words and give three words that describes the person you want to be (are they the same three? lucky you!)
Explorer, Open-minded, Honest…….. Fearless, Patient, Photographer!

2.  Tea or coffee?
I love fresh brewed white or oolong tea.

3.  Who is the most beautiful woman on earth? and the most elegant one?  same for men?
I really admire my mom!  She’s beautiful inside and out.  She’s the most loving, altruistic, fun, optimistic, and stylish woman I know.  Also, my other half, Scott, is such a stud.  He’s an incredibly positive person and helps me see that anything is possible.  Also, Grace Kelly always oozed elegance in all the old Hitchcock films and I really miss Paul Newman.  What a man.

4.  Have you ever been deeply affected (positif or negatif) by a movie?  which one?
E.T.!  I love everything about it… the story, the music, the characters, the lighting, the humor… and I cry every time during the scene where E.T. “dies”.

5.  What would be the best movie to watch on Christmas (doesn’t have to contain Jingle Bell tones, can be anything)
The original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or Christmas Vacation).

6.  What are your recent three favorite blogs? (honest answer please)
Seth Godin, Yatzer, Foodgawker

7.  What is your must-have in your hand bag?
Alba organic lip balm in pineapple flavor and a camera.

8.  Paris or New York?
Paris (but I love NY too!)

9.  Can you inspire us with a photo?  (just put a photo of your choice as an answer)

10.  What do you want to do/become before you die? (hm. is it a hard question?)
I want to continue to learn, grow, and challenge myself to become a better person every day.  There’s lots of traveling on my list too… Antarctica, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and outer space just name a few places!  Speaking of, can I borrow $200,000?

11.  What are you hoping for yourself in 2012?  Tell us three of your resolutions.
Well, I’m in the middle of a transitional phase.  After seven years of having my own biz as a jewelry designer, I’ve decided to leave it behind so I can dive head first into something I love – photography!  I love to cook and I’m dying to learn how to make some gourmet French dishes.  Also, I’m going to make more conversation with strangers (something I normally don’t do).

My questions for the 11 people I’ve tagged below:
1.  List 3 words and a color that describes you the best.
2.  If you had to pick one, which Muppet would you be?  Why?
3.  Share three different photos from your travels and tell us a little about them.
4.  What’s your favorite video game of all time?
5.  What is one accomplishment you are most proud of doing in 2011 and what is one thing you’d like to accomplish in 2012?
6.  What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
7.  What are your “go-to” pair of shoes right now?
8.  What was the last thing you bought online?
9.  What are three websites that you visit on a regular basis (besides Google, Twitter, FB)?
10.  Winter or Summer?
11.  What are you most passionate about?

I’m breaking the rules and tagging 12 people:  Lea Barlow, Lea Michalopoulos, Maryse Coziol, Kimia Kline, Jennifer Chong, Katherina, Elissa Braun, Karen & Valerie, Krystal, Ashley, Gregory Han, and Scott Gold

While visiting the fam on the west coast of Florida, we drove over to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to catch the Juno launch!   It was the first time I’ve seen a launch up close.  The most surprising thing about it was not how loud it was, but how bright and blinding the blast was… especially when watching it through the binoculars.  Amazing!!

Juno is on its way to Jupiter and will arrive by July 2016.  Once it gets there, it’ll orbit the planet for about a year to collect data about it’s structure and origins.  If you’re into those Discovery Channel shows about the universe like I am, then you’ll love digging around on the Mission Juno site… tells you all about it.

After spending the day at KSC, we headed to the Brevard Observatory which is home to Florida’s largest telescope… more pics to share in the next post.

Juno on Twitter

Tons of fun shooting with the Holga and Mini Diana (or Mini D as I like to call it) in Key West.  There’s a photo op around every corner… people almost killing themselves on scooters, great architecture, six toed cats at the Hemingway house, and even the southernmost point of the continental US.  That photo of the southernmost point buoy was a tricky shot.  There was a line of at least 20 people waiting to have their photo taken in front of it.   I just stood there for about 10 minutes patiently sweating in the heat for that exact moment of people walking away and people about to walk up.  The first photo was with my point and shoot… it’s funny, if you count my phone, I’m carrying four cameras around with me everywhere these days!

Here’s more shots from Key West. It’s hard for me to look at the key lime pie on a stick pic without drooling.  Going to find a recipe for that asap.

As a native Floridian, the Keys have always come through as the perfect summer playground for fun and sun.  There’s snorkeling, key lime pie eating, beer drinking, site seeing, and my personal favorite, people watching (it’s unmatched there).  It’s also the perfect place for finding unique treasures from local artists.  I recently went to Key West for a girls weekend and every time I’m there I make a point to stop by the KINO sandal factory.  You have to walk past the bars and hit the side streets to find this little hidden gem.  They’ve been pumping out sandals since the ’60s, and in this small corner shop the pungent smell of leather always smacks you in the face when you walk in.  At only $12 a pair, you are faced with the dilemma of not bringing home a whole bag of them.  So I picked these (#4 the Julia) and they’ve been glued to my feet ever since.  I love the knotted rope detail and the adjustable buckle.

They don’t sell to retailers or have an online store, so the only way to buy is the old fashioned way… using an order form and sending it in with your payment.

Key West pics to come.

KINO