The Lion King Has Returned

Marina and I really enjoyed The Lion King when we saw it four years ago. So we were excited to see it again at the when it returned. The first time we saw it we arrived a bit late and missed the opening song “The Circle of Life.” So I made sure we had plenty of time today.

Marina decided she wanted to dress like a cat for the show. She didn’t have any animal print dresses, so we tried a shirt of mine. It worked pretty well with leggings. Then she added her headband with cat ears to complete the look. She also brought her baby Simba toy we got at Disney World.

We were a bit early for the show, so we settled into our seats to wait. A family with kids about Marina’s age were next to us, so she was happy to chat with them.

The show didn’t disappoint us. Marina was particularly interested in the lionesses, especially Nala. She was also fascinated by the puppets used throughout the show.

At the end, we had the opportunity for her to have her picture taken with one of the lionesses. Of course she wanted to do that! The actress loved Marina’s outfit and told her she looked ready to be in the show. I think that was exactly the reaction she wanted.

Thankful Tea

In honor of Thanksgiving, Marina and I attended a "Thankful Tea" this evening featuring Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Marina was excited to go. Apparently growing up has not changed her love of princesses! She wore her Belle costume, however, the weather was cold, so she had to put warmer clothing underneath.

We arrived just on time and joined two young girls with their mothers at a table. Marina was the oldest girl there, but that didn't bother her at all. Shortly after we arrived, Belle came in. She quickly greeted Marina and gave her a warm hug.

Once the tea party started, Belle gave each girl a book to create. Marina got right to work, drawing Belle's different dresses inside. We enjoyed cookies and apple spice tea. Later, Belle read stories to the girls and passed around mementos from the Beast's castle.

At the end of the tea party, each girl posed for photos with Belle and she signed their books. Then we all bundled up to leave. We'd gotten quite a bit of snow during the party.

When we came home, Marina made herself another cup of tea and settled in to watch Beauty and the Beast.  It was the perfect way to end a sweet day.

Return to the West Side

Marina was sick yesterday, so I wasn’t sure we would be able to go to West Side Story at the as planned. Marina didn’t feel well this morning, but she wanted to see the show, so we decided to try.

We had a long drive to the theater. Marina was quiet, probably because she was texting her friends. As we walked in the door, she said her stomach was bothering her again. When we arrived at our table we found we were sharing with a family that had two children right around Marina’s age. That immediately made her feel better and the three of them happily talked during lunch.

I had warned Marina to take it easy with food. However, when the salads arrived she dug in. She also ate a bit of her chicken. After eating, she said she felt fine.

She was excited when the show began. At times she seemed a bit restless and occasionally she and her new friends talked a bit. During intermission we ate dessert and talked more. Marina also warned them about the gunshot effect coming up in Act 2. They seemed nervous about it.

Act 2 was shorter and even though the show ends in tragedy, everyone enjoyed it. We took pictures of the kids with our server. We also looked around to meet more actors, but there weren’t as many as we usually see. We met the actors playing Tony, Anita and some of the gang members.

Our trip home took longer than usual, so we were tired when we got home. We spent the evening relaxing, grateful that Marina was feeling better.