School Lights

I was invited to attend their private event at the zoo holiday lights through the university I graduated from. We went last year with Mr. Chuck and Miss Judy. This year everyone wanted to go again.

We learned a few lessons from last year and arrived a bit later. By doing this we avoided the long line to get in. Our first stop was picking up hot chocolate and a snack of popcorn and cookies.

We were really close to where Santa was taking photos with school mascot. The line looked long, but it moved quickly. So Marina and I went through it. Then we went to look at all the lights. Every year the lights are arranged differently. We really liked the way they were set up this year.

As we went through the zoo, Marina participated in a scavenger hunt to find all the symbols hidden throughout the zoo. We compared notes with others along the way, but we still missed two of them. Even so, Marina got a candy cane for her efforts at the end.

Once we got through the zoo, we headed home. It had been a long day. We were all tired, but it had been a lot of fun!

Nutcracker Tea Party

Last year, Marina and I attended the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea. After it was over, she said she wanted to make it an annual event. We both agreed we should also invite Miss Judy. Fortunately, we were all able to go together today.

We hit a bit of traffic on the drive, but we still arrived ten minutes early. Shortly after that we were shown to our table. As usual, the table was beautifully set. We all ordered marzipan tea.

After sipping our tea for a few minutes, our turkey “cottage pies” arrived. They were delicious, but very hot! This year, Marina actually ate the whole pie! Next came scones. Miss Judy loved the clotted cream and eventually we asked for more. Marina used quite a bit of lemon curd with hers.

As we finished our scones, we were brought the sandwiches and sweets. Marina tried, and enjoyed, everything. She was happy that her favorite cucumber sandwiches were included. After we ate most of the food, we were all stuffed. The owner came by our table for a short visit. She recognized us from our previous visits and we told her how much we love this event.

We listened to the story of The Nutcracker. The storyteller did a wonderful job! Then she introduced their Sugar Plum Fairy who danced for us. She had a different costume this year which we all loved. After she danced, she gave candy to all the children and posed for photos.

Marina went into the lobby and participated in the crafts. She came back with a frame she had decorated. We said goodbye to everyone and went home feeling happy.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Marina loves the show Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We saw it this summer at a dinner theater, but she was more than happy to see it again. A friend of ours was playing the Pharaoh in this production, which made it more fun to see.

Marina chose to wear a sparkly blue dress. She wanted to wear leggings with it, so I found a pair of white ones with multi-color hearts on them. She loved that they had many colors like Joseph’s coat!

First we went out for brunch, then we drove to the theater, which is a bit of a drive. We arrived early, so we got drinks and snacks before going to our seats. As usual, she was very excited when the show started.

Marina was excited that the narrator made here entrance right behind us. We were in the front row, so we saw everything close up. At intermission, Marina went to the lobby to eat her candy bar. Then she came back the rest of the show. Our friend was great! He even waved to us during the curtain call.

After the show, we went to the stage door and waited to speak our friend. He greeted us with warm hugs and talked to us for a little while. We also spoke with some of the other cast members, including the narrator. Marina wanted to meet the actor who played Joseph, but he didn’t come out. So, we went home. It had been a great afternoon.

Christmas Parade

We decided to go to the local Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting. We hadn’t been there before, but it sounded like fun. It wasn’t too cold, but we bundled up just in case.

We circled in the parking lot for a bit but ultimately found a space that wasn’t too far from the end of the parade route. Quite a few people had gathered already. We stopped in a store to buy hot chocolate then we looked for a place to watch. We found a place near some very nice people. While we waited, we got to know them a little bit.

When the parade started, Marina stood with the children we’d met. We saw several marching bands, cub scout packs, characters and floats. At the end was Santa on a fire engine. After the parade was over, we moved a bit to see the tree as it lit up for the holidays.

A band started to play and we went over to the stage for a closer look. They played a lot of songs Marina liked. While we were listening, we saw many of the characters from the parade. So we got photos with a polar bear, walking candy cane and gingerbread man. The we saw Anna and Elsa dancing near us, so we took one with them as well. 

When the concert ended, we said goodbye to our new friends and walked to the car. It was a fun evening!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Earlier this year, Marina and I went to see a show at a children's theater. At that time, they announced they would be presenting Anansi, Western African spider stories this fall. She let me know she wanted to see it. So when tickets went on sale, I got them. Good thing I did because the shows filled up quickly.

When we arrived, the owner, recognized us immediately. She showed me a photo from The their last show that I gave her. She said it is posted in her office.

Before the show began, Marina spent time talking with the children who arrived. She sat on the floor in front of me through the show. Anansi was a collection of folk tales performed in a variety of different types of theater. There was a dance, a puppet show and a radio play. Marina enjoyed all of them.

When the show was over, we got photos with the cast. We spent a bit of time with one of our friends. She commented on how tall Marina has grown.

Rent

Two weeks ago, Marina and I saw the opera La Boheme. I knew the musical Rent was based on this opera and the 20th anniversary tour opened this week. I thought it would be interesting to see them both close to each other. We invited her aunt to come with us since Rent is her favorite musical.

We met up early to try and avoid rush hour. We didn’t succeed in that, but fortunately we had plenty of time to get there. Once we arrived at the theater we got drinks and settled into our seats. Marina sat by her aunt during the show.

Since I wasn’t sitting by Marina, I couldn’t see her reactions but afterwards she said she really liked it. She and I talked about the similarities to La Boheme. I had to explain a few things about the storyline, but she picked up on much of it on her own.

Justice League Preview

Marina and I saw the movie Wonder Woman this summer and we both really enjoyed it. So when we had a chance to see a preview of the new movie Justice League featuring Wonder Woman, we jumped at it.

Marina wore her Wonder Woman t-shirt with the tiara and cuffs. She even used the Wonder Woman makeup pallet! When we arrived there was already a long line to get in. It took quite a while for us to check in so we talked with the woman and her daughter behind is in line.

Once the movie began, Marina was completely engrossed. She hardly even ate any popcorn. Occasionally she asked me a question, but other than that she just watched. After it was over, she said she couldn’t wait to see it again.

We went right home after the movie was over and Marina got ready for bed. It was a fun evening but we were home late and Marina has school tomorrow.

Cinderella Opera

The first opera I took Marina to see was Cinderella when she was seven. That was a long time ago and since then she has developed a love for opera. Today we had tickets to see a local touring production of Cinderella. I thought it would be fun to see it again. Marina chose to wear her Cinderella inspired dress with sparkly jewelry.

We wanted to arrive at the theater early since it was a general admission event and we hoped to have good seats. Marina wanted to sit as close to the front as possible but I convinced her to go back a few rows.

The show was a one hour abridged version, which was fine with us. The performance was in English, which made following it much easier than traditional opera. We all enjoyed watching it.

After the show was over, there was a short question and answer period. We had hoped to get a picture with the performer playing Cinderella, but she didn’t stick around for very long. So we headed out.

Football Bus

Marina had the day off today so I decided to work from home today. Marina slept in for a while, then she watched videos on her phone until lunchtime.

I planned to take a long lunch and we drove to a shopping center where we found the Sunday Night Football bus. Outside the bus we picked up a few freebies – a license plate cover and a football poster.

 

While we were on the bus, a cow mascot came on with us. We had fun getting a few photos with him as well. After checking out the bus, Marina played a game. She tossed a ball into one of the buckets and won a cup that changes with temperature.

After checked out the bus, we ran a couple of errands before heading home. Marina seemed to enjoy relaxing the rest of the day.



La Boheme

This evening we had tickets for opening night of La Boheme. We got all dressed up. Marina wore a floor length pink dress. She looked so grown up!

The performing arts complex had four events all starting at the same time, so we decided to take the train. It was a bit windy at the station and we had to wait about 15 minutes for the train to come.

Once we arrived downtown, we had a short walk to the opera house. Marina loved seeing downtown at night. We picked up drinks and a snack for during the show and went to our seats.

As usual, Marina was excited when the show began. I heard her laughing at the funny situations and clapping after songs. At the first intermission, I asked her if she was following the story. She said, “Most of it.”

The second act was sadder than the first. I had warned Marina that it had a sad ending and she was able to figure out that it was Mimi who died at the end.

When the show was over, Marina said she enjoyed it. We walked over to the train station and only had to wait a few minutes before our train came. By the time we arrived at home we were both very tired.

Dia de los Muertos

We attended the Day of the Dead Festival at the Botanic Gardens last year. We had a great time and one of our friends said she would like to join us the next time we went. So we invited her to join us today. Fortunately, she was able to come.

Marina wanted to dress up, so I had her try on a black lace dress of mine. It fit her pretty well. We added a flower wreath from the Renaissance Festival. She looked great!

We picked up our friend, then drove to the Botanic Gardens. Not only was today the Day of the Dead Festival, it was also a free day. So we were concerned about finding parking. Fortunately, we found a great spot right away, so we were quickly into the gardens.

We started by getting Marina’s face painted. The line was slow but the face painter Marina got was amazing. She created a design to go with the flower wreath she was wearing. She looked beautiful and received compliments all day.

We checked out a few of the crafts. Marina made her own picture for an ink press and designed a frame. She also decorated a clay “sugar skull.” After the crafts we watched a few bouts of Lucha Libre wrestling. Marina even got her picture taken with one of the wrestlers.

We went into the gardens which were fabulously decorated. There were banners everywhere and statues put up for the Day of the Dead celebration. We got a chance to look at displays set up by families to honor their loved ones who had passed away. Near the Japanese Garden was a greenhouse with colorful sticks that we could write loved ones’ names on. Marina wrote one for Melanie our cat and put it in a display for pets.

We decided to stop for lunch. Marina got a salad with grapes and goat cheese. She also tried my chicken mole panini which she also liked. While we were eating, she talked with two ladies who were sharing our table. They talked about cats, anime and Comic Con. She clearly had made some new friends!

After lunch we went into the greenhouse to see the tropical plants. Our friend knew a lot about those plants and she talked about them with Marina. After we looked at the greenhouse, we looked around at the gift shop for a while. By then, the gardens were getting very crowded, so we decided to go home.