One of the perks of going to a Jesuit University is that we get a small break for Easter. As someone who doesn’t celebrate this Christian holiday, Easter break is simply a few extra days for me to relax before the onslaught of finals.

Last year I spent the whole break confined to my bed, alternating between sleeping, eating and watching Doctor Who on Netflix. But this year, I did something a little more exciting…one of my best friends, Rachel, convinced me to head down south and visit her in Miami!

It was one of the best trips I’ve taken in a while. We saw “The Hunger Games,” enjoyed an all you can eat sushi buffet (a challenge which we glad accepted) and I watched Rachel play quidditch. She also showed me a stereotypical Miami “study break” by taking me to the beach.

However, the highlight of my vacation was definitely the small road trip we made from Miami to Orlando in order to visit the Islands of Adventure …

… and none other than The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

I’m not sure what my favorite part was – road tripping for the first time, getting my wand picked out by Ollivander himself (ash with unicorn hair!), tasting butterbeer for the first time, flying with Ron and Harry over Hogwarts or eating at the Three Broomsticks. I don’t think I can explain how amazing it was, except to say that the whole time I was borderline crying from happiness.

It had been so nice to just get away from everything, but visiting the world of one my favorite childhood books was the icing on the cake to an amazing trip.

Now that we only have about a month left of school, I’m more than glad that I have some warm memories to get me through to May 5th!