Sixteen in Quarantine

Despite the whole state shut down because of the COVID-19 virus, we did our best to celebrate Marina’s sixteenth birthday. We both slept in this morning. After we were both up and dressed, we went to drive up church. The pastor met us at the car and we all prayed the birthday prayer over Marina as well.

As we headed home, Marina asked for cinnamon rolls for breakfast. So we stopped at the grocery store. This was the first time she had seen a store since all the craziness began. When she saw the empty shelves, she said it looked like a zombie apocalypse.

At home, I made Coconut Shrimp for Marina’s birthday. Just as I was finishing it up, one of our friends came over to celebrate with us. We all had lunch together and Marina opened her presents from me. A little while late we sang Happy Birthday and ate cake.

The Merchant of Mumbai

Marina and I  were both looking forward to the current production at one of our favorite theaters, The Merchant of Mumbai. It was a Bollywood version of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. When we arrived at the theater, we immediately saw a friend, who has appeared in several  shows at that theater. That was a nice surprise.

The show was a fun one. It used some of the Shakepearean dialog with Bollywood dance numbers. The humor was also played up. And the costumes were gorgeous.

After the performance was over, we got our traditional photo with the cast. It was a great night!

Dinner With Super Heroes

It was Super Hero Night at our favorite restaurant tonight. We invited one of Marina's friends along. Marina was excited that she was able to go. Marina wore her new Captain Marvel dress. We loaned her friend a Wonder Woman dress. She loved it!

We arrived after the crowd and were able to sit down quickly. We had a cozy booth inside. The characters were Wonder Woman, Batman and Spiderman. All three of the actors recognized us. We had a bit of a wait for our pizza, so we all went outside for superhero training. The girls participated in some of the activities.

After the training, we went inside for our pizza. After we all ate, we headed out. We dropped her friend off at her house and then Marina and I went home.

Ballet Fairy Tales

A few years ago, Marina and I saw the ballet Coppelia performed by a small ballet company. We’ve wanted to see other shows of theirs but couldn’t schedule them. Today we were looking forward to seeing their Fairy Tale Suite. Marina decided to wear her new Mulan dress with a light wrap.

We arrived at the theater, it was one we hadn’t been to before. We saw lots of little girls in princess outfits, they reminded me so much of Marina when she was little. The show was a short one, but it was cute, combining the stories of Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Beauty and the Beast and an Asian Empress.

After the show, there was a small tea party in the lobby. We had snacks and met a few of the dancers. After a bit of a wait we saw the choreographer for the show. He also dances in The Nutcracker that we see every year. We were excited to meet him and he was gracious enough to talk with us for a few minutes. After that conversation we went home.

Painting Hogwarts

Since Marina has been so into Harry Potter, I signed us up for a class at Painting With a Twist for a Hogwarts picture. Marina was excited and wore one of her Hufflepuff outfits. We arrived a bit early and bought drinks. Marina quickly befriended the young woman sitting opposite her.

The painting was more difficult than it appeared. This time it was me that got frustrated. Marina was very supportive and helped me catch up when I fell behind. When she was almost finished, she added the flags of each of the houses to her pictures. She was quite happy with it.

This class started at 8:00 pm, so it was pretty late when we came home.

Pagliacci

When I bought season tickets for the Opera Colorado season, I wasn’t sure if Marina would want to see Pagliacci. But when I explained the story to her she was excited to see it. The opening night was tonight and we had tickets to see it.

Initially, Marina didn’t want to dress up for the show. But when I suggested a black dress and a goth look, she liked that idea. Once she finished her hair and makeup, she was very pleased with how she looked.

We arrived with plenty of time for the show. As we walked through the lobby, we saw a photo booth. Marina put on a black fascinator and picked up a peacock fan to pose for photos. The woman taking the pictures loved how she looked.

We brought drinks and went to our seats for the show. When it finally started it was obvious early that the subtitles were not working. While we both watched carefully, it was hard to understand what was going on. At intermission, an older man asked us about the subtitles. Marina ended up talking with him and his wife through the entire intermission.

Fortunately the subtitles were working for the second act, so we were able to follow the story. After it was over, Marina said she liked it. We were able to get home fairly quickly after the show although Marina had a hard time settling down for bed.

Dreaming of Summer Luau

For a quite a while, our favorite pizzaria has featured the characters from Frozen at their character dinners. Tonight we were happy to see someone different. It was a Dreaming of Summer Luau featuring Ariel and Moana. It’s been a tough few weeks and we were looking forward to going with our friends. Marina decided to wear my pink Ariel dress. She really liked it, we just had to pin it in a few places. She looked pretty in it.

We arrived a bit late and were seated on the patio in what seems to be our usual spot. Ariel and Moana came by our table shortly after we sat down. tonight’s special was a Luau Pizza. Marina loves pineapple on her pizza so we ordered that along with the wedge salads we all love.

We were right by all the activities. Marina got up for them at first but then returned to the table. She did get a seashell and heart of Tifiti from them though. After we ate we headed home. It was the fun night we all needed. 

A Musical Space Odyssey

Marina and I are regular attendees of the symphony. However, we’ve been interested in seeing a concert by another group closer to home. Their family friendly Space Odyssey concert sounded like it was right up our alley. Marina decided to wear her Rey costume today.

When we arrived it was a crazy scene. The concert was very popular. We spotted some Star Wars cosplayers and took some photos with them before finding seats in the second row.

The concert was a fun one. Marina recognized much of the music and she loved it. She even expressed interest in attending their Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony when they perform it next month

A Gentleman's Guide

After performing the song from A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder in her Broadway Showcase class, Marina became a fan of the show. We saw it last year and we liked it so much that we were looking forward to seeing it again. We made plans to see it with one of our friends.

Marina wore a Hufflepuff dress again today. We met up with our friend early and headed to Conifer which is in the foothills. When we arrived, we located the theatre and looked for a place to have dinner. We found a nearby Mexican restaurant.

After we ate, we went to the theater. Marina was seated next to a young lady. The two of them started talking and found they had quite a lot in common. So they talked until the show started.

We all enjoyed the performance. Marina’s favorite is still “Why Are All the D’Ysquiths Dying?” that’s the song she performed for her class. As we were leaving, the actor who played Monty was behind us as we left. We got a quick photo with him before we drove home.

Puffs

Over the past year, Marina has become a huge Harry Potter fan. She’s especially enthusiastic about the house she was sorted into on Pottermore – Hufflepuff. When I learned about a Harry Potter play called Puffs, I told Marina about it. She asked “Puffs, as in Hufflepuffs?” When I said yes, she insisted we see it.

Since today was Valentine’s Day, I gave her a present of two Hufflepuff dresses. As I expected, she wore one of the dresses with a Hufflepuff sweater and scarf to the show tonight. She was very excited to see it.

We arrived early and a friend of ours was at the box office. She was excited to see us. When the theater opened, we picked seats in the front row. There was a bit of a delay in starting the show, so Marina used that time to talk Hufflepuff with everyone around us.

When the performance finally started, Marina was completely involved. Although the story covered Harry Potter storyline that she hasn’t read about yet, she still got a lot out of it. Because we were in the front row, we were given M&Ms at one point in the show and Kleenex when Cedric died.

The show was funny and we both enjoyed it. After it was over, the cast were in the lobby. Marina wanted to talk to all the lead actors. They loved her outfit. We took some pictures with them before heading home.

Frozen Wedding Party

We were excited about tonight's character dinner. It was Anna and Kristoff’s Valentine’s Day Wedding. Marina and I wore our Frozen 2 dresses for the occasion.

It started snowing right around the time we needed to leave. It was heavy enough that it took us an extra 15 minutes to get there. So we were super hungry when we arrived. Our favorite server took our order quickly. We all got salads and polished them off quickly.

While we were waiting for our pizza, Marina socialized a bit with the actress who was playing Elsa. Sven also came over to our table where he played with us.

Our pizza arrived at during the “wedding” ceremony. The actress who was playing Anna finally saw us and gave Marina a big hug. After the ceremony, we took photos with all the characters. Then we got ready for the drive home. The streets were covered with snow, so it took a long time and it was late when we arrived at home. 

The Scottsboro Boys

Marina woke up feeling sick this morning. However, we had tickets to see The Scottsboro Boys. A friend directed the show and another friend was acting in it. Marina wanted to go, so we went to see it.

There was a delay due to technical issues, so we waited in the lobby for quite a while before we could sit in the theater. Marina was pretty quiet during that time. We were glad when the doors finally opened and we could sit down.

Despite being a long and serious show, it went by quickly. The story was about a group of black men who were wrongly convicted of a crime. It was a powerful story and Marina got caught up in it despite being sick.

After the show was talked with the director about the show. We also got a chance to speak with some of the actors, including our friend. Once we’d done all that, Marina was wiped out. We picked up dinner and went home.

Off to Neverland

Eight years ago, the ballet presented Peter Pan. Marina and I really loved the show. When it was announced as part of this season, we wanted to see it again. We invited some friends and family to join us.

Today was cold and snowy. Marina’s school was cancelled. So we were a bit worried about getting downtown to the show. Fortunately, not many people were on the roads and they were clear of snow. We decided to take the light rail to be safe.

When we arrived, we went to the box office. They had a great offer on seats today so I asked if we could upgrade ours. The man we were speaking to was very nice and he arranged for all of us to be on the main floor instead of the Loge level. However, we were all in different sections.

The show was as wonderful as we remembered. The "fairy fixers" that each child got were slightly different but still fun. And the moment Tinkerbell was brought back to life was spectacular!

Once it was over, Marina and I walked to the light rail station. We only had to wait about 10 minutes for the train to arrive, but the trip home seemed very long. We were both very tired and ready to go to bed.

The Pirates of Penzance

When Marina was in middle school, the theater department presented the operetta The Pirates of Penzance. It’s a show I really enjoy and Marina liked it. This weekend, the Gilbert and Sullivan Players were preforming the show with the symphony. Marina and I were both excited to see it.

Marina wanted to wear her tavern girl costume, but she couldn’t find it. So she created her won sea witch look. The performing arts complex was pretty full this evening. So it took a while, but we managed to find a spot on the top level.

When we arrived, we picked up drinks – Marina got a chai latte. We met up with some women who were in costume. Marina called them “Lolita’s.” She liked talking with them. Then we went to our seats which were in the front row.

The symphony was quite a bit smaller than usual for this performance. There was no set, but all of the actors wore colorful costumes. Since we were up close we could see everything well. The show was funny and well preformed. I had to explain the “paradox” of the show to Marina but she got it quickly.

After the show she said she really liked it.

Frozen With Friends

Marina and I were at the last Frozen 2 dinner a few weeks ago. We were scheduled to go again tonight with other friends. However, they weren't feeling well today, so we had to go without them. This time, Marina decided to dress as Elsa in her travel dress.

We arrived early and the staff were still cleaning up from the earlier seating. We chatted with the owner a bit while that was happening. Since the early dinner had run late, she asked if we would wait at the bar for a table to open up. We were happy to wait. When our table was ready, we invited her daughters to join us. Marina loved that.

While we ate, we got to know the girls. Shortly after our food arrived it was our turn to take photos with Anna, Elsa and Sven. We all went together. It was fun to interact with these actresses we have come to know.

The owner very kindly paid for our meal tonight. We weren’t expecting that. We’d had a fun night with all the changes.

Matilda's Return

Marina and I have seen Matilda a couple of times. I arranged a church group to see the current production today. Marina was excited to see it again, especially since one of her friends was in the group.

After lunch we went to the the theater to meet up with everyone. The show was fun. We liked the second act better than the first, especially the first song “All I Know I Learned From Telly.” And Marina always enjoyed watching child actors.

After the show, the cast were in the lobby for meet and greets. We talked a bit with a friend of ours who was in the cast. We also ran into the actor who played Miss Trunchbull. We’ve met him a few times, but this time he remembered us. I also introduce her to the actress, who played Miss Honey.

There was a line to meet the actress playing Matilda, but Marina was willing to wait in it. When it was her turn, Marina spent a while talking with her. She was especially interested in how she memorized all her lines.

After meeting most of the actors, we went home. Everyone from our group was already gone.

Disnenchated Again!

Last year, Marina and I saw the musical Disenchanted and we both enjoyed it. Some of our friends were interested in seeing it as well. So we made arrangements to see another production of it. We all went to the theater together.

We arrived early and we looked around at some shops nearby. The theater was a short walk after that. We bought drinks before going to our seats. The show was fun and a bit raunchy. The girls got a high five during the performance from Snow White. We all really enjoyed it.

Painting The Child

Marina and I both love the TV show The Mandelorian and especially the character The Child. A paint and sip location added two paintings of The Child to their calendar. The classes have been selling out, so I jumped at the opportunity to sign us up for tonight’s class.

When we arrived, we found seats had been reserved for us. We talked a bit with the instructor and the people around us. Of course, we’re all Star Wars geeks.

The first half of the class was creating the background of the painting. Marina wasn’t thrilled with how hers was going. Once the background was done, the instructor stenciled The Child onto the canvas and we started painting him. As the paintings came together, we were both happy with how they came out. The best part was when the black light was switched on and we saw how our paintings glowed!

After the class was over, we headed home. It was already Marina’s bedtime. But we agreed it was worth it!

Hansel and Gretel

Marina and I had tickets to the opera Hansel and Gretel this afternoon. We invited Ainsley to join us. It had been my plan to go to lunch first, but both girls had eaten late breakfasts and were not hungry. So we hang around the house for a while before we went to the arts center.

We arrived early for the show. There were no concession available, so there wasn’t much to do but wait. The girls talked and showed each other photos on their phones until the show started.

The opera was funny and easy to follow. Marina and Ainsley both enjoyed the performance, especially the tenor who played the witch. After the performance, we listened to the question and answer session where little kids asked questions.

After the show, both girls were hungry. So we stopped for a late lunch.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

 We had tickets to see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum this evening. Marina was amused by the name of the show. Since she likes the works of Stephen Sondheim and it’s a comical show, I thought she would like it.

We arrived at the theater early, so we ordered drinks. Marina got hot chocolate and a cookie. Then we took our seats. Marina liked the set which looked like Ancient Rome.

When the show started, Marina really enjoyed it. She thought it was weird and funny. She decided she wanted to meet one of the actors and ask him about a tattoo she saw on his arm. It wasn’t long before he came out. He was happy to talk to Marina about it. We also met up with the actor playing Pseudolus and an actress we’ve met a few times before.

After a bit of a chat, we went home.