Cinderella Tea

We had reservations for a Cinderella Tea at a tea room we hadn’t been to before. Marina didn’t want to wear a costume, so she wore her Belle inspired dress.

At first we had trouble finding the place, but Marina spotted it as we were driving around. I found a parking place and we walked over. When we arrived we were taken to an outside area for the tea.

Everything seemed a bit disorganized. It took a while for us to place our order. Marina wanted to try the Black Vanilla Rose tea. When it finally arrived we both rally liked it. Unfortunately it took a very long time for our food to arrive. We were really hungry and Marina was getting a bit grumpy.

While we waited, we watched Cinderella dance. We had seats right in front so we had a great view. At first they couldn’t get the music working, so it was a bit strange watching without music. When they got the sound system fixed, she danced again. We all enjoyed it better with the music. We took photos of with her and the Prince.

When our food finally arrived Marina and I dug in right away. It was all petty tasty. We both loved the mini cream puffs though. After we ate we paid our bill and then went out for a carriage ride. Since no one else was ready, Marina and I got a private ride with no one else. It was fun. Marina loved petting the horse and the corgi that rode up front.  After our ride, we went back to the car. It had been a bit disorganized, but we still had a nice afternoon.

Twelfth Night

Seeing shows at the Shakespeare Festival has become a summer tradition for us. This summer one of our friends is performing in several of the plays again. So, of course, we wanted to support him. Tonight we saw Twelfth Night.

Shortly after we sat it began to rain. At first we planned to stay in our seats, but when it started raining harder we took shelter under some trees in the back of the audience. Fortunately it let up after about 15 minutes.

We went back tour seats and the actors started to gather on the stage for some preshow activities. We found our friend easily. An actress in costume walked down our row and complained she couldn’t find any children. I pointed to Marina and she invited her to speak with Lady Olivia. So the two of them went onstage and had a conversation with a few more actors before the show began. Marina said she was telling Lady Olivia some jokes.

The show started with a storm, appropriately enough. The rain continued on and off during Act I. At times the actors references the weather, but most of the time they ignored it. Fortunately it had stopped by intermission. I was impressed at how well Marina was following the action of the show.

After the show ended, we waited for the audience to clear out and then waited for our friend. Marina put away quite a few seat backs while we were waiting. He talked with us for quite a while. He asked if Marina had been onstage before the show – apparently he recognized her from behind! After we talked for a while, he took Marina onstage for a photo.

Alice in Wonderland Tea and Potion Party

In the late afternoon we got ready to go to the Alice in Wonderland Tea and Potion Party at the Lumber Baron Inn. We had been there for a play last year and were looking forward to going back. Marina is fascinated by the stories that it is haunted.

Marina decided to dress as Alice today while I wore my Queen of Hearts costume. We ran into some traffic along the way but still arrived early. The first groups of people we saw were not is costume, but as we parked we saw two women dressed in amazing Queen of Hearts and White Queen costumes. We also spotted a Tweedle Dee.

We were seated right away. We had a table for two in a spot where we could see many of the other people there. We loved looking at the costumes.

Marina and I decided to try a cinnamon flavored tea which we both liked. We also ordered potions – Marina’s was called “the Alice” which was lemonade with a special color changing effect. A short while later our food arrived. We each had three little sandwiches, including egg salad, which made Marian happy. We also each got a blueberry scone and a crumpet. The sweets were a coconut macaroon, a cheesecake cookie and a raspberry tart. Marina’s scone was huge so once she finished it she was full.

Throughout the tea we had a few chances to talk with one of the owners. Marina spoke to him several times on our first visit to the Lumber Baron Inn. Marina was happy that he shared a few ghost stories with us. She said at times she felt cold and wondered if one was nearby.

After we finished eating, there wasn’t much more to do. Marina had hoped there would be tarot card readings, but they weren’t offering them as advertised. So we took photos with the people in our favorite costumes before we headed home.

Unicorn Festival

Today was the annual Unicorn Festival. This year, we invited Ainsley to join us. After considering many options, Ainsley wore her Belle costume. Marina was excited to wear her new Anastasia costume.  I offered the girls capes to wear over their dresses instead of jackets since it was chilly today.

We arrived at the Unicorn Festival early. We found a really good parking spot and checked in quickly. We had to wait for about 15 minutes until the festival opened. While we waited a little girl asked if she could have her picture taken with Ainsley and Marina.

When the festival opened we went first to the Princess Palace. A friend of ours was dressed as Mary Poppins. We visited with her for a few moments. We also knew the actress playing Moana, so we took photos with her as well.

Next we went to the Mermaid Lagoon. Last year it had a long line all day. We arrived before it opened and had a short wait for our turn. We took photos with two mermaids before meeting Ariel. We got some nice photos there as well.

When we exited the Mermaid Lagoon, we were at the Mad Hatter Tea Party. We planned to wait for the show but it was taking a bit longer than usual, so we browsed some of the booths. We went back for the show and after we got photos with Alice and the Mad Hatter, we stopped for lunch. I also bought fancy cupcakes for dessert.

After lunch, we decide to wander around the festival. The girls loved shopping the various vendors. Marina insisted that we stop by the Harry Potter Sorting Hat. She was pleased that both she and Ainsley were sorted into Hufflepuff. We ran into Peter Pan and Tinkerbell along the way.

We headed back to the Princess Palace where we took photos with Tiana and Jasmine. Cinderella arrived as we were there but her line was pretty long, so we decided to come back to see her.

We did a little more shopping. At one booth both Marina and Ainsley found necklaces they loved, so I bought them. By this time, Cinderella’s line had shortened, so we took photos with her.

We checked out more booths and the petting zoo, which both girls loved. They also went through the castle maze. By this point it was starting to sprinkle. Because of that, the line to sit on a “unicorn” was as short as we had seen it, so we waited for Marina and Ainsley to have their photos taken on the larger “unicorn.”

By this time, it was starting to rain. At the Princess Palace, Anna and Elsa were there. Since there wasn’t much else to do, we waited in the line. It was pretty cold by then so we teased Elsa that she must have brought in the bad weather.

We were all ready to go home but since Rapunzel was due in 15 minutes, we decided to take a photo with her and then go home. Unfortunately the waited ended up being nearly and hour. Marina got a bit grumpy. Eventually she went over to the Storytime Cottage and talked with the drag queen there. Apparently she was asking for makeup tips.

Eventually, Rapunzel arrived and we quickly took a photo with her. After the long, cold wait, we were all pretty miserable. We headed to the gate, stopping along the way to pet more “unicorns.” So we left the festival and stopped for dinner.

The Toys are Back in Town

This afternoon it started to rain. We ventured out to see Toy Story 4 at our favorite movie theater restaurant. We arrived a bit early and decided to order appetizer platters again. Our food arrived quickly. Since we were both hungry, we dug in right away.

As we waited for the movie to start, we talked to the woman sitting next to us. It turned out she works at the Renaissance Festival, so Marina was very interested in hearing what that is like.


We both enjoyed the movie. It was funny and sad at times. Marina admitted she almost cried at a few points.

Frozen with Friends

Marina and Ainsley have wanted to get together for the past few weeks.. So we invited her to join us for dinner with Anna and Elsa. She came over to our house a couple of hours early so the girls could get ready.

Ainsley was happy to dress up for dinner. She was able to fit into the Anna summer dress, so she decided to wear that. Marina had a tougher time deciding what to wear. She finally decided on the Elsa coronation dress.

When we arrived at the restaurant the owner met us at the door. Our friends were already at the table, so we went to join. Just as we did, Anna and Elsa arrived at the table. So we visited for a while and took photos.

Marina decided to have a salad for dinner while Ainsley and I shared a pizza. After we ate, the three girls went to watch the song and dance part with Zay. They even made sure she got a hand stamp.

After the performance was over we chatted with the princesses for a while and the Marina walked Zay to Angie’s car. Then we left and dropped Ainsley off on our way home.

Tarzan

Michelle is only in town for a few weeks this summer. Marina and I wanted some time with her, so we invited her to go with us to see Tarzan. We all saw it together six years ago, but we were looking forward to seeing it again.

We picked Michelle up this afternoon and ventured into rush hour traffic. It took 30 minutes longer than usual to get there. We were all pretty hungry when we arrived.

After going to our table we introduced ourselves to the couple already seated there. They were very nice and we all enjoyed talking with each other. One of our servers was playing Jane. We’ve met her a few times, most recently after A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.

We all had the potato cheese soup which was very good. Instead of bread there was a basket of naan on the table. Marina ate quite a bit of it. She ordered the fish which she ate some of. She did finish all of the coconut rice though. She even found room for pina colada cheesecake at intermission.

After we ate, we settled in for the show. It was a fun one with lots of vine swinging and dancing. We knew quite a few members of the cast, so that aspect was fun as well. After the show we got photos with our friends in the cast. And, of course, we took one with Tarzan and Jane. We had a long drive ahead of us, but we made good time.

Family at Fiddler

Marina and I saw the musical Fiddler on the Roof four years ago. We both enjoyed it so we were interested in seeing it when the national tour came to town. Aunt Ann sang some of the songs from the show in elementary school but had never seen the show on stage. We decided to go see it together.

We planned to have a quick dinner together before the show. Marina had a large snack before we left the house, so she had another snack. Of course, when we got to the theatre she wanted popcorn too.

We had the same seats we were in for Wicked, which we found funny since that was less than a week ago. The show started with an energetic performance of “Tradition.” The dancing was really enjoyable in the show. The second act was darker and I had to explain some of the history to her. But Marina still enjoyed the show.

Food, Fairytales and Friends

It’s been about a month since we’ve been to to a character dinner. Tonight’s characters were Aladdin and Jasmine. Since we just saw the new Aladdin movie, we were looking forward to it. Marina was disappointed to find her Jasmine costume no longer fits her. So she wore a Jasmine t-shirt and her Hufflepuff scarf.

Our friend brought her teenage son and his girlfriend with her. He looked less than thrilled, but he was a good sport. It was clear that Marina enjoyed having other teens to talk to.

We saw that Jasmine was being played by a friend of ours today. It was fun to see her. She gave Marina a big hug to greet her. Marina accepted a plastic bracelet and ring from Jasmine, but she didn’t participate in the activities. Instead, she opted to hang out with the other teens.

Our food was a slow tonight, so we were there a bit late. Marina ordered the barbeque wings again. They seem to be her favorite lately. It was a fun evening.

Family Fairytale

Marina and I have been going to see shows at dinner theaters for many years. For the summer show, Beauty and Beast, we thought we’d bring our family to see it with us. So we invited ten family members and friends to join us.

Marina didn't want to wear a costume today. So I bought her a blue Belle inspired dress. It was really cute. Unfortunately we couldn't really see it because she wore a red cape over it.

We met everyone outside the theater and spent some time catching up before going to the table. I was a bit surprised that Marina ordered the tilapia. She seemed to like it, but didn’t each much. She did, however, finished her dessert – a chocolate cupcake with “the grey stuff.”

We all enjoyed the show. Our friend was playing Lumiere. He wasn’t waiting tables today but he saw us before the show so he came out for pictures afterwards. We also took photos with Mrs. Potts (who was one of our servers), the wardrobe and Belle. It seemed like everyone had a good time.

Flea Market Finds

 This weekend a theatre we like decided to have a flea market – selling their costumes and props to help them raise money. When I told Marina she immediately wanted to go.

When we arrived at the flea market we ran into several actors from the shows we’ve seen. Marina was happy to look around. She was immediately drawn to the jewelry where she picked out a belt made of chains and keys from Jotenheim. We also got a pretty lace parasol and a few pieces of jewelry, including the necklace of Isis from A Hymn to the Goddess.

Of course, we had to look through the costumes. We found a few pieces that we found interesting. Marina liked the mermaid leggings from The Basque Things in Life. They looked like they could fit her, so we decided to get those. As I was sorting through, I found a black corset lined with a fur collar. The people there verified it was Freya’s corset from Jotenheim. I showed it to Marina and we both knew we had to buy it.

We spent more money than we intended, but we knew it was for a good cause. Before we left Marina put on the corset and tried out the parasol. She was quite happy with what we bought.

Defying Gravity

Marina loved the musical Wicked when I took her to see it five years ago. So when it came back to town, I decided to take her again. We were both excited to see it again. Marina decided to wear a black dress with silver sequins as a nod to Elphaba.

We decided to go downtown early and have dinner. When we got to the theatre we saw a huge crowd milling around. Apparently there was a delay opening the building. So I took the food to the car while Marina got in line. When I came back she had already befriended the people around her in line.

We had enough time to pick up drinks and Marina wanted popcorn. (I was surprised at that considering she just ate dinner.) It wasn’t too long before the show started.

The show was wonderful, just as we remembered it. Marina still loves the song “Popular.”  And “Defying Gravity” never disappoints. After the show we were both raving about it.

Barnum

This afternoon we had tickets to see the musical Barnum at the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs. We ran into more traffic than we expected but we still arrived early for the show.

Since we were early, we spent some time looking at the display of “curiosities” from PT Barnum. Those were interesting, although some were kind of gross!

The theatre was decorated like a circus. There were colored lights strung over the audience and huge posters on the wall. The musicians we replaying circus music. It was a fun atmosphere. Fifteen minutes before the show started a group of actors came out and interacted with the audience.

The two little girls next to me had several actors show them card tricks. We enjoyed watching them.
Once the show started it was filled with acrobats, jugglers and other stunts. It was a great show and Marina loved it. Marina waved to an actress we know at the curtain call.

As we were leaving the theatre, Marina mentioned we never got to see the mermaid mentioned in the show. But when we got to the lobby, there she was! Of course we got a photo with her. We waited in the lobby for our friend and talked with her for a while. As we were talking, the actors who played PT Barnum and Jenny Lind came by. So we took photos with them as well. Traffic wasn’t as bad going home and we made good time back to Denver, arriving around dinner time.