Anastasia Musical

Marina has been very interested in the animated character Anastasia. That interest sparked when I bought tickets for us to see the Broadway tour of the musical. I got the tickets about a year ago, so we had to wait until today to see it.

Marina wore her Anastasia costume to the show. We had tickets for the matinee performance. As we made our way into the theatre many people complimented Marina on her outfit. She was pleased with that.

The show ended up being very different from the movie. It was darker with all the magic elements removed. Added to the storyline were references to the murder of the czar and the Soviet government that took over. Despite all the changes Marina enjoyed the show.

Birthday Renaissance

Going to the Renaissance Festival is something we do every summer. We invited Marina's best friend to join us. And to top it off, today was her birthday!

The girls both dressed up for the festival. Marina wore her Anastasia dress. We left the house early but unfortunately we ran into a huge traffic jam. We ended up arriving in Larkspur an hour after the festival began.

We went immediately to the jousting field to catch the first joust. We saw Sir William was not jousting again this year. So we cheered for Sir Duncan. After the joust was over we approached Sir William on his horse and talked with him for a few minutes.

Once we left the jousting area, we browsed the shops. The girls were both most interested in the jewelry stores. Along the way, we met up with many well dressed people who we stopped to take photos with. Marina was particularly excited to see a young man dressed as Link. Marina's friend wanted to take an elephant ride. So we made our way to that part of the festival. The line wasn’t too long and they got to take their ride.

We went to the Pavilion to see some actors we know. Marina was pleased that Princess Erin was there as well. As we were getting ready to go to lunch, a loud clap of thunder shocked us. It was followed by heavy rain. We took shelter in the Pavilion for nearly an hour until it passed. When the weather cleared we picked up turkey legs for lunch and settled on the jousting field to eat them and watch the afternoon joust.

After the joust, we met Opal, the new fairy. Then we went to see the Vodca Family, a belly dancing act.We found seats close to the stage and before the show started, we saw a dancer we know. She spoke with us briefly before and after the show. The show was funny and the dancing was quite impressive.
 
As soon as the show was done, we went straight to the chapel for the knighting ceremony. We had missed the first part, but Queen Anne was still there. She greeted Marina with a warm hug before she and the King knighted the girls. The royal court even sang a short birthday song for her friend.

Next on the agenda was the Princess Tea party. On the way, we managed to find the unicorn and take photos. We went to the jousting field for the Princess Party. We were thrilled that Queen Anne was able to join us. Marina was introduced as their special friend. The skit the cast performed this year was particularly funny.

After the tea party, it was time for the final joust. We picked up snacks at Friar Tuck’s Bakery before we found our seats. The joust was fun and our Knight, Sir Duncan, won. As we headed out, the girls wanted to go on the pirate ship ride. From there we went to the main gate. There, we got a chance to talk with Sir William for a while. The other jousters joined him, so we took photos with them as well.
As we left the festival, a huge rainbow appeared in the sky. It seemed to be our guide back to reality.

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.

Once Upon A December

Today was Marina's last ballet class of the year. Her teacher decided to make it a party day. The girls were told to dress in their prettiest tutus. Marina chose one that was modeled after a gown from the movie Anastasia and a Santa hat with a tiara attached. Her classmates looked adorable as well, many choosing to dress in a Christmas theme. Their teacher wore a fancy pink tutu that looked straight out of The Nutcracker.

During class time we could hear Christmas music and giggles from the studio. The girls were obviously having a great time! With a few minutes left, they showed us a Rockettes-inspired kick line they had learned.

For the last few minutes of class, they girls had cookies and punch. It was clear they all had a great time today!