Best Vacation in the Universal 2019: part 4

For our third full day, we did something we've always talked about doing but had never actually done before: took a rest day. We decided to spend our day playing at the pool and taking a much slower day to rest and chill. It was great. The pool at the Hard Rock is really big, fairly shallow throughout, and has a really fun water slide.

We swam and snacked and napped and generally laid low for the rest of the day until our much-anticipated trip to the Chocolate Emporium for a late-afternoon, pre-supper dessert fest. We'd seen the Chocolate Emporium on previous trips but had always run out of time/stomach space to squeeze in a visit. Not so this day. We made sure to get ice cream and cake. We ordered a bunch of options and extra plates, and everyone got to try a bit of everything. And then we had to be rolled back to the hotel.

This is near the Hard Rock Cafe in Universal City Walk.

These are the sample- we didn't order all of this.

One of the available options for returning to your resort from the City Walk area is by boat. We don't use it terribly often, because sometimes, it's faster to walk. But, the girls had been wanting to ride the boat, and we figured this would be a great time to do so.

After our Dessert Extravaganza, we went back to the resort to have "Christmas." Mom and Dad had brought a few gifts for everyone (even though the trip itself was supposed to be our gift), we had gifts for them, and my aunts, uncles, and cousins had sent gifts, as well.

These craft kits from my aunt have come in HANDY during the craziness that has been 2020.

My parents gave Brynnie her special baby doll, and I'm not sure any baby has ever loved her baby more. Also- she is wearing a hat with the gloves still attached + a new hair bow. She loves some accessories.

Whispering sweet nothings to her baby.

I love this picture of Claire. Amiee brought them Kenyan dresses and headbands, and my cousin's little girl bought them each little Christmas books.

BONUS CONTENT:

Because we're so infrequently together these days, we took a little time to get some family photos. The girls did a really good job being sports about it all, too.

In our fancy clothes

Waiting their turn

I read a tip ages ago that recommended that if you need a stranger to take a group shot, find a teenager/college-aged kid. They are going to be very in touch with how to use phones and how to get the best angles. We waited for a few minutes until a family with a 13- or 14-year-old daughter walked by and asked her if she would mind. She knocked it out of the park, y'all. She even gave us a couple different orientations. THIS IS SOLID ADVICE, AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Look at that!

We were SO pleased. That said, we took a few selfies, too, just for fun:

And now, our official school portraits for the 2019-2020 school year:

Even though this wasn't an official park day, we had a blast and got some needed rest. Great idea, Mom and Dad! We fully approve.