Poor Harry

Who knew that I'd be a screamer? I sure didn't. Screaming apparently helps me through roller coaster rides. I felt sorry for the guys who ended up sitting next to me -- I'm pretty sure they went temporarily deaf for a couple hours.

I wanted to save babbling about my trip to Universal's Islands of Adventure on Wednesday for last because I needed time for my brain cells to recover from the three consecutive roller coaster rides I ended up hopping on. That's in addition to the two I rode at Busch Gardens. Would I chalk it up to masochism? No, not really. I walked through the park, took plenty of pictures, stowed away my stuff, then hopped on to whatever rides were open.

They were all absolutely terrifying. I struggled to keep my eyes open and silently chanted all the passwords I knew ( yes, even the ones from work) to prevent myself from chickening out and heading to the closest exit.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was the best part of the theme park. From sipping a butterbeer to taking a photo next to the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 and 3/4, it was pretty incredible to see the books transformed into reality. I browsed my way through Ollivander's, Honeydukes, Dervish and Banges, and Zonko's. The place was packed.

I hopped on two rides here: The Dragon Challenge and Harry Potter and Forbidden Journey. The latter was pretty impressive; it made you feel like you were actually in the Triwizard Tournament alongside Harry. The former just made me feel sick. I was pretty sure something in my brain came loose, too.

I couldn't resist trying my luck on a water ride -- it looked like so much fun. Stood in line for an hour at Ripsaw Falls. It wasn't as terrifying as the other rides, but I did get soaked. Rather than pay $5 for a cycle inside a people dryer, I opted to walk around until I dried out.

I ended the day by hanging out with all my favorite Marvel superheroes -- Wolverine, Cyclops, Captain America, Spiderman, Storm and Rogue. I posed using some of the moves I learned in kickboxing class. See that fist? Haha.

But what's more frightening than rides? An 8-ounce gummy bear. How gross. Who would eat that? And imagine all the stuff it would pick up if you dropped it. I just had to take a picture: