Another Annie

Annie is one of Marina's favorite musicals. So we were looking forward to seeing it today. It was a long drive from our house to the theater, so we picked up some snacks for the drive. We made good time going to the theater and arrived early. We had very good seats. We sat and relaxed as we waited for the show began.

As usual, Marina was excited when the show began. At intermission we picked up drinks and noticed two glass chandeliers in the arts center. It turned out they were designed by Dale Chihuly. We remembered seeing his works a few years ago.

We both enjoyed the show. After it was over we found the actresses playing Annie and the orphans in the lobby, so we stopped for a picture before returning to the car for our trip home.

All About Animals

Since Marina is on her winter break, I decided to take today off to spend with her. We both slept in and took it easy this morning. After brunch, we decided to go to the Museum of Nature and Science to see two touring exhibits which are leaving soon. When we arrived we found it was very crowded. We managed to find a parking spot at the Zoo and we walked over.

We started off by going through the Extreme Dinosaurs exhibit. There were plenty of people  there, but Marina was still able to try out some of the hands on activities. She helped remove a dinosaur skeleton from the sediment it was encased in, touched real dinosaur bones, helped recreate Pangea and collected six dinosaur stamps through the exhibit. At the end she looked through a screen which showed the skeleton as the dinosaur might have looked.

After we went through that exhibit, we went through the exhibit next door – Nature’s Amazing Machines. This exhibit showed how animals are uniquely adapted to the animal’s behavior. Marina waited in line to try out two different types of wings. We play an activity where strength was tested. By the time we finished with that exhibit, we were ready for a late lunch.

Since the Museum was so crowded, we decided to go to the Zoo for lunch. Unfortunately, it took us a while to find a restaurant that was open. So we were very hungry by the time we finally sat down to eat. Once we finished our lunch, we decided to look around the zoo. The animals were quite active during that time. We saw four young lions chasing each other around, a snow leopard roaring, three sea lions sleeping all snuggled together and a seal swimming around.

We left the zoo before it closed and took a rest in the car. We had tickets to Zoo Lights, so we had a short wait until we could go back in for that. When we saw the line forming we went back into the zoo.

We knew that there would be princesses at Zoo Lights, so we went there first. They weren’t there yet, so we were first in line when Anna and Elsa showed up. After we took photos with them, we picked up hot chocolate and went in to see the lights. When we have gone to Zoo Lights in the past we’ve always seen long lines for the carousel and train. Since the lines were short this time, we decided to do both. It was fun to ride the train through the lights. Then we went to the carousel where Marina was happy to ride a black panther.

We spent the rest of the time looking at all the lights. We took a brief trip through the Asian animals where we saw a sleeping fisher cat. Once we went through all the lights, we were ready to go home. We’d had a fun day but it was a lot of walking!

The Last Jedi

Over the past year Marina has become quite a big Star Wars fan. We’ve been so busy, we haven’t been able to see the new movie, The Last Jedi, until today. Marina was excited. She wore her Rey costume and brought along the stuffed porg she got for Christmas.

We went to the our favorite theater to see The Last Jedi. We arrived a bit early and I was glad I had purchased our tickets online because the place was packed.

Marina was excited when the opening credits began. The movie was full of action and Marina was fully engaged the entire time. She only talked to me a few times. When it was over, she was quite happy with it. The fact that Rey was the center of the story only made it better for her!

Princess Holiday Concert

The Princess Holiday Concert presented by Wands and Wishes had become another annual tradition for us. As usual, Marina was excited to go tonight. Unfortunately, the Belle Enchanted Christmas costume that she has worn every year we attended no longer fits her, so she had to pick something else. She chose the Ariel countryside dress.

Despite having to battle rush hour traffic, we arrived a little early for the show. We immediately saw a friend of ours who was dressed as an elf. Marina and I found two seats at a table and then got in line for refreshments.  I was surprised Marina chose water to drink instead of hot chocolate. A few minutes later, she got up from the table and came back with hot chocolate loaded with marshmallows.

When the concert started, Marina stayed at the table to watch. But shortly after it started, she got up and joined the kids on the floor in front. It turned out she had found a seat right next to Cinderella! As the performance went on she moved around a bit. During Cinderella’s story time, Anna sat next to her and greeted her with a big hug.

After the concert was over, we waited around for the line to shorten so we could have a little extra time with the princesses. While we waited, Marina brought our friend the elf a cup of hot chocolate. Once the line was gone, we got photos with all the princesses and spent time talking with them. We also managed to get pictures with Santa.

We were among the last to leave the event. I don’t think Marina wanted to leave at all.

Nutcracker Night

The Nutcracker is an annual tradition for us. We had tickets to see it this evening, so after a few hours at home, we got ready to see it. Marina wore her red dress with a gold tiara. Her gold shoes even looked like ballet slippers!

We left early but we ran into traffic, so we weren’t as early as we hoped. Fortunately we didn’t have any trouble finding a parking space, so we still arrived in plenty of time. We picked drinks and a snack before the show. We weren’t allowed to bring the drinks into the theater, so we finished them before the show began.

We had seats with a great view of the stage and Marina was excited to see it again. As always, the show went by quickly. Marina listed her favorite dances as the Arabian, Russian and Marzipan. Although later she added it was all the sweets she loves.

When the show ended we went quickly to the car. We had a fun weekend but it was very busy and we were exhausted.

Star Wars Hockey Night

This evening we had tickets to Star Wars Night at the Colorado Avalanche game. As soon as Marina heard about it she wanted to go. I had picked up the Rey costume for the new Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi. We haven’t seen it yet, but Marina was happy to wear the costume.

I received an email listing all the extra activities for Star Wars Night, so we went to the Pepsi Center early. Once inside, we located three locations with cosplayers. Marina had her photo taken with all of them.

We picked up our collectible Star Wars hockey pucks and wristbands for a photo session on the ice after the game. Then we found our seats and went in search of the last group of cosplayers. Marina was thrilled that this group included Princess Leia.

We picked up some snacks and drinks, then we went back to our seats to watch the hockey game. It was a fun atmosphere and we enjoyed talking with the father and daughter behind us.

The beginning of the game was somewhat dull – there was no scoring and both teams were playing sloppily. So Marina and I went to the Comic Con green screen booth in the middle of the second period. Marina posed with a BB8 toy with a light saber. Two young ladies came by after us and the three of them created some silly photos. Next we went to get in line for photos with Bernie, the mascot. The line was long, but it moved quickly. Bernie was dressed as a stormtrooper for the night.

It was the third period by the time we got back to our seats. In that time the Tampa Bay Lightning had scored 5 goals, the Avalanche only one. The last period was the most exciting. The Avalanche scored three goals in a row, but they were not able to take the lead. The final score was 6-5 for the Lightning.

After the game, we joined the other participants for photos on the ice with cosplayers. It took about half an hour to get it set up. While we waited, Marina played I Spy with the people sitting around us. That definitely helped pass the time. It was after 11:00 pm when we finally had our turn. By then we were really tired and ready to go home. Fortunately our drive home was fast and we went to bed right away.

Fishing You A Merry Christmas

Marina and I have been going to the Aquarium Breakfast with Santa for six years now. Marina decided to wear a new Ariel costume, the dress she wore on her tour of the countryside. She looked really pretty in it.

We were given a table with a great view of the tank and more space than most. It was perfect. We were all hungry so we went to the buffet right away. Marina ate lots of eggs and bacon as well as a waffle.

We had a great view of the mermaids while they were swimming. Santa made a brief stop at our table before her went in as well. Marina spent much of that time interacting with the smaller children who came to the tank to watch.

After breakfast, we browsed the gift shop for a little while. Then  Marina and I went into the Aquarium. It had been a year since our last visit, so it was nice to see it again. Marina even posed for a few Ariel themed photos for me. We made sure we were in place for the mermaid show and at the end of the show we waited a little while to made sure we got a photo with the mermaid as well.

After going through the Aquarium, we went to the 4D theater for a show. The next movie was Coastal Predators, and Marina thought that would be good. We ended up waiting for quite a while, so the movie attendant said we could stay and watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as well. We were happy to do that! The theater has been revamped and had some surprising new features – including being poked in the back and feeling like little fish were at our feet. There were some sprays of water. After each show we were laughing.

Once the movies were over, we decided to go home.

Christmas Concert

It has been quite a while since Marina and I have attended a symphony concert. So, we were both looking forward to the Christmas concert this evening. After school today we ate dinner and got ready to go. Marina wore a Santa inspired outfit. She looked really cute!

Marina decided she wanted to take the light rail downtown. That turned out to be a really smart plan. The performing arts complex had seven events scheduled for around the same time! When we arrived there were people everywhere. We saw a group called The singing group singing carols outside the concert hall. We’d met one of the performers before. During the song she pointed to us. We were surprised and pleased she remembered!

We went into concert hall and bought drinks and snacks. We left our coats at our seats and went to check out the activities set up for kids. We were surprised to see Santa sitting in the middle of the room. There was not line, so Marina posed for a photo with him. Then she sat down and made a paper bag reindeer puppet. As she was working on it, we saw the singing group come in. They had used a room there to change their clothes. Marina immediately ran over to say hello.

She finished her puppet a few minutes before the show started, so we went to our seats. We had a few minutes to look over the program before the show began. We were both pleased that our favorite conductorwould be conducting the concert.

The concert featured two children’s choirs, the Symphony Chorus and a soloist. We enjoyed the variety of musical numbers in the show. She particularly liked the Polar Express portion. She was quire pleased when the soloist walked past her seat and gave her a nod. Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance and we managed to get a photo with them at intermission.

We both enjoyed the show. Afterwards we were hoping to meet the soloist, but he did not appear in the lobby afterwards. So we went to the light rail and went home.

Beautiful Night, Gorgeous Lights

We had record high temperatures today, so I thought it would be a great night to see the Blossoms of Light at the Botanic Gardens. I picked Marina up after school and we went directly there. Traffic was pretty bad, so it took about an hour to get there.  Fortunately when we arrived we were able to park and get inside quickly.

We started by having dinner in the café near the entrance of the gardens. After we ate, we bought hot chocolate and started out.

As always, the lights were gorgeous. Marina loved the trees filled with purple lights and my favorite was a tree wrapped in two shades of blue lights. As we walked through, the event got more and more crowded. So we found ourselves negotiating through people.

Even though it wasn’t very cold, we still stopped for a while to sit by the fire pit – one of Marina’s favorite spots. We talked to another family for a little while before finishing up our trip through the garden. We stopped for a bit at the interactive light display. Unfortunately a large group of ids cut in front of us so Marina decided not to take a turn controlling the display.

We had an easy trip home which was a nice change from the long trip there.

Merry Mascot

Last year Marina and I had a Christmas photo taken at the Broncos Training Facility with the Lombardi trophies. This year they offered the same opportunity or a photo with Miles the mascot and cheerleaders. Since the Broncos have not won another trophy since then, we chose Miles and the cheerleaders.

I asked Marina if she wanted to dress up for Christmas or in Broncos gear. She immediately responded, “Broncos!” So we put together an outfit of an orange Broncos shirt, a blue skirt and white leggings. I found a blue and white Santa hat to finish the outfit.

I picked Marina up after school and we drove to training facility We arrived right on time. After changing out clothes, we went to the practice field for the photo. Miles wasn’t there yet, so we waited in a short line. In front of us was a super fan who showed us photos of herself with many Bronco players.

While we waited, two Broncos cheerleaders socialized with everyone. They even gave Marina a signed picture. After a little while, Miles made his entrance wearing a Santa suit. He high fived and hugged the kids in line. Then he and the cheerleaders got in position for the photo.

We had a short wait before our photo. Marina sat in front of a sleigh where the cheerleaders were seated. I stood next to Miles. After our photos were taken, we headed out.

Follow Your Heart

Being the Disney fans we are, Marina and I never miss a chance to see Disney on Ice shows when they come to town. We had tickets to see the show Follow Your Heart this evening. Marina wore a dress with Alice in Wonderland on it to school today, so I thought she would wear it to the show. Instead, she surprised me by putting on her Alice in Wonderland costume when we got home.

We hit rush hour traffic on our way to the show. There was also a little bit of snow. But arrived with a bit of time to spare. We picked up drinks and Marina picked out some caramel corn to snack on during the show.

We had good seats although the people around us were rather unsettled. Marina was pleased that characters from the movie Inside Out were included in this show. She also got excited to see that Mulan was included in the princess montage.

During intermission, she had fun talking to the kids who were seated around us. She admired their costumes and they liked hers as well.

In the second act, Marina loved the Finding Dory segment. She told me it was her favorite set of the show. During the Frozen segment that closed the show, she happily sang along with the songs, so did much of the audience.

We didn’t hurry out as so many people did. Still, we were able to get to our car quickly and the trip home seemed to take no time at all.

Holiday Tree Lighting

This year, Marina and I decided to check out the city tree lighting. When we arrived, we saw the huge tree in the lobby and found Mrs. Claus there. We got a few pictures before heading outside for the festivities. We picked up hot chocolate and some roaster almonds. We were visited by elves and Olaf who gave Marina candy canes.

 

We settled into seats near the fire pit while watching a dance performance. A bit later we went over to a pen to see two live reindeer. Marina liked being able to pet them.

When it came time for the lighting, we moved closer to the stage. It was fun to count down to the mayor flipping the switch. Once the lights were lit, a police escort brought Santa in on a fire truck. Marina found a spot on a ramp where she could see better.

After Santa arrived, we took pictures with carolers, walking Christmas trees and a reindeer. By then we were a bit cold so we went back into the building. Inside, we met up witha friend of mind from elementary school, and her daughter. She showed us a wreath she made. It was beautiful.

 

We checked the line to see Santa, but it was really long, so we decided to go home.