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.

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.

Painting Party

Marina’s birthday was over a month ago but it was during Spring Break. Since many of her friends go out of town, we usually wait to have her party. Since our April schedule has been crazy we weren’t able to have the party until today.

We’ve been enjoying painting classes and the instructor we’ve had. So we decided to have a painting party. She chose a painting called “A Girl With Her Dragon.”  We were all excited.

I showed up early and set up some snacks alongside the cake. The cake was actually a group of cupcakes made to look like a blue dragon. Everyone showed up early, so they had time to socialize, have a snack and get their smocks on. Some of the girls wanted to change up the colors of the painting, including Marina. She wanted hers to be an “ice dragon.”

We spent the next two hours working on our paintings. We took a break to let our paintings dry and had cupcakes. Then it was time to paint again. All the pictures looked different but clearly they had a fun time making them. Marina customized hers and it came out looking great.

As soon as everyone else was picked up, we headed out.

My Fair Birthday

To celebrate Marina's birthday, we had tickets to see My Fair Lady. We had a long drive to get there so Marina brought the Hamilton soundtrack into the car and we listened to it along the way. She sang along with most of it. The entertainment was nice since it took over two hours to get there.

When we arrived it was raining pretty hard. We went inside as quickly as possible. We checked in and went to our table. The nice older couple we were sharing with were already there. All of us had a nice conversation as we had dinner. We even shared pictures of our pets! The actor playing Henry Higgins was our server.

Before the show, the host announced Marina’s birthday. She was both pleased and embarrassed. The show was a good one. I’ve wanted to take Marina to see this show for a long time. She really enjoyed it. She especially liked the fancy costumes. At intermission she had a big piece of chocolate cake. I put a candle in it and we sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

After the show, the cast was lined up in the lobby. We got photos with all of Marina’s favorite characters, including Henry and Eliza. We were pleased to see the rain had stopped when we left the theater. The drive home didn’t take quite as long as the drive there, but it was just before midnight when we finally got home. Marina went to bed right away.

Birthday in Wonderland

An escape room near our home offers a game called “Alice’s Magical Wonderland.” Marina wanted to try it for her birthday this year. Marina wore her Alice costume, of course, and Ainsley was the White Queen. We arrived early and looked around the place as we waited for Marina’s friends.

We were all excited for the game. We were searching for the crown of the Queen of Hearts. It took us a while to get our first clue unlocked. As the game went on, everyone contributed to moving us along. At times we got stuck and we asked for clues. With 15 minutes left, I was concerned we wouldn’t figure it out in time.

However, the last 10 minutes we made some good progress and I knew we were close to finding it but we were running out of time. When we were offered an additional five minutes we took it. And with two minutes left, we unlocked a trunk by the door and the girls screamed as Marina pulled the crown out. She wore it as the host took our photo.

After our adventure we went to a sandwich shop nearby for lunch. I had preordered a sandwich platter which was ready when we arrived. They had a semi private room in the back so we went there and I quickly set up for the party.

After lunch we sang “Happy Birthday” to Marina and had cupcakes. Then she opened her presents. Then everyone hugged and left.

Birthday!

Marina was in full birthday mode today. She wore her new Harley Quinn shirt with a sparkly skirt and her red and black socks. She used her new straightening iron on her hair and asked me to put it into pigtails. She took Jurassic Park themed cupcakes in for her class, but there were extras for other friends as well. She said it was a good day!

I picked her up after school and she chose sub sandwiches for dinner. After we ate, we had the mini chocolate cake she picked out. She ate her piece before opening her presents. She was pretty happy with them.

For the rest of the evening Marina played with the cats and her phone. After her shower, the two of us watched Legally Blonde on TV. She was happy to hear the star of the movie Reese Witherspoon shares her birthday.

In the Heights

Today was my birthday. We had tickets to see In the Heights. One of our friends has been obsessed with this show for a while and she has shared this enthusiasm with Marina. So both girls were very excited to see the show.


We had seats in the front row. Once the show started, we all enjoyed it. Our friends both knew the music pretty well, so they knew exactly what to expect. After the show was over we all agreed we liked it.

Once we got into the lobby, Marina started looking around for the actors in the show. First, we found the actress who had played Vanessa. We were surprised to find out we’d been chatting with her mom before the show. She was happy to pose for a photo. Next, we found Usnavi and Sonny. We looked around for the actor who had played Benny. We had met him before and he remembered meeting us after Hairspray. By now he knew we’d be asking for a picture.

We had hoped to meet the actress playing Nina, but didn’t see her. But when I came out of the restroom I found her talking with Marina. She waited so I could get a photo!

Happy Birthday, Molly Brown!

We’ve been to the Molly Brown House Museum for tea in the past. Today we decided to try something else. For Margaret Brown’s 150th birthday, the museum held a block party. True to the name, the entire block the house stands on was closed off of the event. Marina decided to wear an outfit inspired by the era – a lace summer dress and a fancy straw hat with flowers. All day she received many compliments on her outfit.

We had a short wait to check in and then we started to check out the vendor booths. We found many places we go to had booths. Marina learned about military supplies at one booth and painted a firefighter’s badge at another.

We listened to two opera singers perform songs from Carmen and then Marina insisted we check out the animal shelter area where they had dogs and kittens up for adoption. She fell in love with them all – especially a black kitten that she held for a while.

Once she was willing to leave the pets behind, we went through the house and even found a new room that was recently opened to the public. As we left the house, we met the actress who plays Margaret Brown. She remembered us from the tea party in March and talked with us for a little while.

We each had a piece of birthday cake while we watched Mexican Fiesta Dancers. Marina said goodbye to the pets before we left the party. It was a really fun event!

Comic Con

For her birthday, I bought Marina tickets to Comic Con and she has been looking forward to it ever since. We arranged to go with Joe and Justine. We decided to go as DC Comic characters. Marina was Catwoman, Justine dressed as Poison Ivy and I wore a Batgirl costume. We all met at the light rail station this morning.

Our stop was near the beginning of the line, so we were able to sit together. By the time the train reached the convention center, it was packed.

We’d hoped to avoid long lines by arriving a bit after the event opened. That didn’t work out as we hoped. We ended up in a huge line waiting to get in. It took nearly two hours and we were pretty tired when we finally entered the convention center.

Marina and Justine went to the exhibition hall while Joe and I sat in on a panel. Then we all met up for lunch. Marina and I checked out more of the exhibit hall for a while and we found a friend of mine form high school. He was with Colorado Movie cars, so he arranged for Marina to be photographed with a jeep from Jurassic Park and me with the Batmobile. Then she met up with one of her school friends and her parents.

Marina and her friend went to a panel on kids and creativity while her parents and I walked through the Exhibit Hall. After that, Marina and I checked out more of the vendors and then went to a panel on Disney TV shows. She was pretty bored through it.

 

 

Joe and Justine left earlier than we did, so Marina and I headed to the light rail. On the way home we picked up dinner. We were both pretty tired by then.

Lucky Thirteen

Marina has been taunting me for over a year that she would be a teenager soon. Today, she officially became one. She’s been gloating about it for a few weeks.

This morning, Marina dressed in her pink cat dress with black cat ears. I let her open one of her gifts before school so she could add it to her outfit – fingerless cat gloves. She loved them!

She a bunch of mini cupcakes to school and handed them out during first period. I bought extras so she could give them to her other teachers and friends. She did that during lunch. After I picked her up, we picked up a pizza for dinner. As we ate it, Marina opened the rest of her presents. She was especially excited about the craft kits which she wanted to open and use right away.

This evening, Marina had her dance class, so we took in brownies for her classmates. She shared those at the end of her class.

At home Marina worked on some of her crafts until it was time to get ready for bed. It was a fun start for her teen age years.

Once Upon A Mattress

For my birthday, we had tickets to see the show Once Upon A Mattress. We hadn’t been to this theater before and I had a bit of trouble finding it with the setting sun in my eyes. When we found it we found a place to park that wasn’t too far away and walked to the theater.

We bought drinks and Marina picked out a candy bar for a snack. The group behind us were friends of the actor playing the Jester, so we talked with them for a while.

The show captured Marina's attention from the beginning. She loved all the singing and dancing and laughed at the jokes throughout. At intermission she happily talked with the people around us. She asked the usher how she could meet the cast after the show and we asked if the Jester’s family could help her to meet the actress playing Winnifred.

Marina enjoyed Act 2 as much as the first. After it was over, she hugged me and said, “Thank you for bringing me!” We went into the lobby to wait for the cast. We met the actor playing the Joker and he pointed out where we could meet Winnifred. When we approached her, she gave Marina a hug and talked with us for a few minutes. We also got a chance to meet the actor playing Prince Dauntless.

As we walked to the car, Marina let me know she definitely wants to come back to this theater for more shows.

Birthday Tea Party

Marina and I decided to do something special for my birthday this year. We've been to a nearby "castle" for tea parties before, but all of them were outside. So we went for "High Noon Tea" inside today. We were both looking forward to finally seeing this beautiful place from the inside.

Marina wanted to wear a new pair of white fingerless gloves to the tea, but was disappointed when the white dress she wanted to wear no longer fit her. She tried on her Giselle costume and found it fit well and looked like a fancy party dress, so she decided to wear it. She looked beautiful.

We arrived at the castle a little before tea time. We had a table in the middle of the Great Hall. It was gorgeous. Marina had peppermint tea and we were brought an assortment of sandwiches, muffins, scones and desserts. We immediately dug in. As we ate, Marina kept exclaiming how happy she was to be there. She tried most of the food and found a few things she didn't like. But we both were soon full.

After we finished tea, we went on a tour of the castle. We learned the history of how it was built and the story of the owners. Each room had antique furniture and impressive artwork. Marina especially liked a portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, who we've been told is one of her ancestors.

After the tour was over, one staff member took Marina on a "secret tour" to a balcony that overlooked the Great Hall. She was very excited by that. Once the tea was over, Marina said, "I want to live here!"

Mermaid Birthday

This year, Marina wanted to swim with the mermaids at the aquarium. We met her firends and their families there for the party. The girls amused themselves until the party planner showed up to start the swimming.

First, the girls changed into their swimming suits. Then we went up to the top of the tank where they would be swimming. They were all fitted for wet suits, flippers and masks. As they waited to get in, we got to watch the mermaid show before they got into the water.

Marina got into the water first, she was able to fit her mermaid tail over her wetsuit, so she wore it into the water. She needed a bit of help to get there! After they were all in the water, I went to see them from inside the aquarium.

Another mermaid show went on when I got there and I could see the girls’ legs in the background as the show went on. We could also see Marina’s pink mermaid tail. Many of the people around me thought it was one of the aquarium mermaids! When it was time for them to get out, another mermaid show was beginning.

Once the girls dried off and dressed, we went into the restaurant and had lunch. We were all really hungry by then. We all enjoyed lunch followed by birthday cake.

After lunch, we took us on a tour of the Aquarium. Of course, we’ve been there many times, so it was all pretty familiar to us. At the end of the tour, the mermaids were having a meet and greet, so we got some pictures with them outside the water. The girls pet the stingrays for a little while, before we collected our belongings and left. We were all pretty tired by then.

Happy Birthday!

Marina was looking forward to a good day today. She picked out a sparkly blue dress to wear to school today and we bought cupcakes for her to hand out at school.

After school, I asked what she would like for her birthday dinner, but she was unsure. She wanted something with bacon – ultimately settling for grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon in them. She was even willing to wait for me to make them.

After dinner, we had a small chocolate cake. After she blew out the candles, she opened her presents. She seemed very pleased with all of them, especially the mermaid cuddle tail I gave her. After she ate her cake, she ran upstairs to try on her new mermaid swimwear as well.

When I asked her how her birthday was, she said, “Outstanding!”