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.

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. 

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. 

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.

Frozen Friends

We’ve been to quite a few events featuring the characters from Frozen. But we were excited about the one scheduled for tonight. It featured Anna and Elsa in their outfits from Frozen 2. They were also bringing Sven along. Fortunately, our friends were able to join us.

Marina and I wore our travel outfits from Frozen 2. We arrived early and we had a great table inside. Our friends joined us a little while later. Marina was thrilled to see them.

After we ordered our food, it was our turn for photos. I took lots of different poses with the characters. Of course, Marina wanted to hug them all! We ate dinner. Marina even joined the group for the singing and dancing part of the evening. But the best part was hanging out with our friends tonight.

Wish Lantern New Year's Eve

One of our friends is in town for her Christmas break and Marina and I both were looking forward to seeing her. So we invited her to join us for their New Year’s Eve Dinner with Rapunzel. Marina didn’t want to wear a costume, but I convinced her to wear a Rapunzel inspired dress of mine. Our friends borrowed Rapunzel t shirts from me, so we were all dressed up!

We arrived and found we had the same table as last night. Since our friends hadn’t been there before they took some time figuring out what to order.

After we ordered, Rapunzel came by our table. We recognized the actress. She posed for pictures with all of us and loved our Rapunzel inspired clothes.

Our food took quite a long time. Fortunately we all had salads to keep us from getting too hungry. We were able to see the entertainment from our table which was fun since neither of the girls wanted to join the kids for it.

After the entertainment our food finally made it to our table. As usual, it was all really good and we all enjoyed the meal. We all had a fun evening.

Marina and I didn’t have any other plans for New Year’s Eve. We watched the ball drop in Times Square as it happened, but neither of us felt like going to bed. So we were both awake at midnight. So we had a toast and ate some grapes as we watched the downtown fireworks on TV. After that, Marina was ready for bed.

Star Wars Dinner

Marina and one of her school friends wanted to get together today. So I dropped Marina over at her friends’s house for a few hours this afternoon. We had reservations for the Star Wars Dinner at Oblio’s this evening, so we invited her along with us. She was excited to join us and even borrowed a Rey costume for the event. Marina wore her Leia Bespin dress again.

We had hoped to arrive early but instead we were a bit late. We were seated on the enclosed patio “in the middle of the action.” We ordered a pizza to share and our drinks. Both girls wanted “Dark Side Chocolate Milk.”

While we waited for our food, Rey, Chewbacca and Darth Vader arrived. We recognized Rey right away and she seemed happy to see us. Since we were on the patio, we got the photos first. The girls didn’t eat much – I think they were too excited. Both of them happily took part in the Jedi Training with the younger kids. They especially like the light saber duels with Darth Vader and Rey.
After dinner both girls said they had a good time.

Dinner with Santa

This year, Marina and I have enjoyed going to character meals. Tonight they had Dinner with Santa and his Elf. We arranged for a large group of us to go. Marina wore her Elf dress.

We arrived just as the fun was starting. Just as our food was delivered, the elf told us it was our turn to visit with Santa. So I went with the girls for pictures. Our friend went over her list with Santa and let him know that “Sissy is on the Naughty List.”

The girls joined in for the songs and games. After those were over, Marina spent time chatting with the Elf and Santa, even calling me over for more pictures. We were there pretty late, but everyone was having such a great time we didn’t realize it.

More Frozen Fun

Last week, we brought friends for dinner with Anna and Elsa. This week it was the same dinner but we invited other friends to join us.

We met these actresses last week. They loved our costume from Frozen 2, so we told them we’d wear the other costumes this time. We wore the dresses that are from the movie’s opening scene.

We were running a bit late, but we arrived at the same time as our friends. Our seats which she said were “right in the middle of the action.” We were in the covered patio where a large space had been cleared for the performers.

After we ordered our dinner, Anna, Elsa and Olaf arrived, The actress playing Anna was the same as last week and she remembered us. Since our seats were in the performance space we could stay at our table and see everything. Marina took every opportunity to talk with the actors. It was a lot of fun.

New Frozen Friends

Last month we took our friends for Dinner with Villains. They enjoyed it so much we invited them from Dinner with Anna and Elsa. They were both looking forward to it. Marina and I decided to wear our costumes from Frozen 2.

We arrived a bit late but our table was waiting for us when we got there. We were all hungry so we all ordered salads. Marina really likes the wedge salad. She and I also got chicken wings for our entrées.
While we were waiting for our food, Anna and Elsa came to our table. This time, they used a new company to supply the actors, so we didn’t know either of them. They loved our costumes and made a big fuss over Marina. They even asked Marina how old she is – I think they were trying to recruit her!

When our food arrived we were all ready to eat. Marina only ate a few of her wings. Then she went to join in on the activities with the princesses. When it was time to leave, we all agreed we’d had a great time.

Dinner with Villains

We’ve been going to a local pizza place for character meals for quite a while, but we were particularly excited for the Villain’s Dinner Halloween Spooktacular this evening. Since we know Judy loves the villains, we invited her and Chuck to join us. Marina had a new Ursula tutu to wear. I wore my Maleficent dress. We both had fun putting on villain make up. Marina especially loved the new Ursula lipstick I recently bought.

Chuck and Judy picked us up. We were running a bit late, but when we arrived there was still a line to get in. It didn’t take long to get to our table, which fortunately was inside the restaurant near the kitchen. Since it was a cold night, we were happy about that.

The Villains at the Halloween Spooktacular were Maleficent, Ursula and Captain Hook. As it turned out, we knew all three of the actors. Marina and I ordered our usual pizza and Chuck and Judy decided to share a calzone.

After we ordered, the entertainment started. Usually the entertainment takes place outside, but since it was so cold, they moved it inside. It was a fun change. Maleficent set up to sing right by our table. And when Ursula sang “Poor Unfortunate Souls” she made the conditions of the deal with Marina. She loved that! Later on, Captain Hook came by and told pirate jokes to us.

As usual, the food was good. Chuck and Judy really enjoyed themselves as well. We made plans to attend another event together next month.

An Enchanted Dinner

This evening, our favorite pizzeria had an Enchanted Dinner with Belle and Cinderella. We made plans to attend with our friends. Marina decided to dress up as Cinderella. She was especially excited to wear a pair of new sparkly light blue heels. I wore my Belle dress and we added fancy capes to help us stay warm.

When we arrived, Angie and the girls were already there. The restaurant was still being set up, so Cinderella and Belle came outside and visited with us while we were waiting. Once everything was ready, we went to our table. We also had our usual server.

Shortly after we sat down, Cinderella came by to see us. She’s an actress we know so it was fun to see her again. A little while later, Belle also came by. Our friends loved having time with them and Marina enjoyed hanging out with them.

Marina wanted a wedge salad and I also ordered a pizza. The salad came with dressing, which Marina usually doesn’t like. But she didn’t seem to mind and she ate the whole thing minus the tomatoes. She also had a slice of the pizza.

After we ate, Marina took the girls outside for songs and stories with the princesses. While they played along, Marina stood with the parents and watched. When storytime was over we got ready to leave. We’d had fun with our friends.

Dinner With Harry Potter

Marina has been obsessed with Harry Potter lately. So she was very excited when our favorite pizza place scheduled a Dinner with Harry Potter and Hermione. Of course, she wanted to wear her Hufflepuff outfit and she brought her stuffed owl as well.

We arrived just after the seating started and the owner told us where our table was. Right when we sat down Harry and Herimone came by. We recognized both performers from previous dinners. They spent quite a lot of time with us throughout the evening which suited Marina just fine. She was so excited to talk about her for all things Harry Potter.


Even with all the fun she was having, Marina managed to eat a Caesar salad and a slice of pizza. When it was time for Wizard Training it was dark outside. Marina was fully engaged in the activities. After Wizard Training, she chatted with the characters for quite a while before letting me know she was ready to go. Clearly this was one other favorite character dinners. 

Dinner With Super Heroes

Our favorite pizzeria took a few months this summer off of their character dinners. They recently started up again. Tonight was Super Hero Night. We decided to attend the early seating because Captain America and Wonder Woman were appearing then.

I picked Marina up from school and we went home and quickly changed our clothes. Marina put on her Wonder Woman costume and I wore the dress part of my Bat Girl costume. Then we quickly headed out.
We arrived a bit after the event started. We were seated on the patio and we were happy to see our favorite server.

Shortly after we ordered, Captain America and Wonder Woman stopped by our table. We recognized Captain America as an actor we we’ve met at many of the super hero nights. He called us “Friends” all night.

Marina and I were happy when our pizza arrived. We were both pretty hungry. After we ate it was time for super hero training. Marina was happy to join in. Once the training was over, we said goodbye to our friends and headed home.

Exploring Wonderland

About six months ago, a new hotel opened not too far from our house. This summer, they were having a Summerfest featuring Alice in Wonderland. Marina and I were interested in checking it out. Marina decided to wear her Alice costume.

We had to get up early this morning for Breakfast in Wonderland. We arrived at the hotel and found the restaurant easily. It featured a buffet breakfast with Alice, the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit. We filled our plates and sat down. Shortly after we did, the White Rabbit came by our table. Marina had a nice interaction with him and at one point he ran off with her purse causing her to chase him. Alice and the Mad Hatter also stopped by to visit.

After breakfast, we found the pool area to take part in the Cheshire Cat’s Scavenger Hunt. We found a few of the clues along the way. The hotel is huge and some of the clues we got help from the employees to find. Once we got them all, Marina received a prize – a fun light up necklace.

We were signed up for the Mad Hatter’s Escape Room at 2:00 pm, so we found a quiet place to sit for a while. We ate at the sports bar for lunch and then waited for our time I the escape room. We were the first to arrive but soon we were joined by two families.

The escape room was set up like a tea party with hats everywhere and clocks all over the wall. The Mad Hatter joined us and set us looking for puzzle pieces to solve a riddle. Marina and two girls found three keys and used them to open a complex lock. That produced a blacklight, which she used to look for the riddle. It took about half an hour to solve the riddle.

After we escaped the room, we were ready to go home.

Superhero Sunday

For the past two summers, we have gone with to the Fondue Fairytales. For something a bit different, Marina and I decided to try the Superhero Sunday even this afternoon. Marina wore her new Wonder Woman costume and I put on my Batgirl costume (although it was too hot to wear the cape).

We arrived a bit early, so the heroes weren’t there yet. We were the first to be seated. Shortly after sitting down, Spiderman showed up. We took some photos with him. Wonder Woman appeared a little bit later. She loved Marina’s costume.  There were only two other tables of people for the event, so we had plenty of time to hang out with Spiderman and Wonder Woman.

When our cheese fondue was ready we were ready to dig in. It was as good as we remembered it. It was followed by a salad and then the meat course. Marina tried the shrimp, ravioli, teriyaki steak and chicken. She seemed to like everything but she didn’t seem to eat much. She admitted she was saving room for dessert.

We ordered the dark chocolate fondue this time. We both loved it. Marina particularly liked the pound cake and chocolate chip cookies in the fondue. At the end of the meal we were both really full. Just as we were leaving, it started to rain pretty hard. We weren’t parked too far away, but we still got drenched. But it didn’t dampen our spirits. 

Super Dinner

We’ve been going to character dinners for quite a few months. The staff and owner are now like our friends. Tonight was Super Hero Night. Our usual dining companions were not able to join us, but Marina still wanted to go.

For the last Super Hero Night we saw Spiderman and Wonder Woman. This time we decided to attend the earlier seating for Batman and Super Girl. Marina wanted to wear her new Wonder Woman costume.

We arrived a bit late but there weren’t many reservations for the early seating, so we were able to order quickly. Marina got lots of compliments on her costume. Shortly after we ordered, Batman and Super Girl came by. We knew both of the actors. They spent a bit of time with us and asked Marina to help them with super hero training later.

We both ordered wings for dinner. They arrived pretty quickly. We were both really hungry so we dug in immediately. After we finished eating, Marina joined everyone outside. Super Girl even referred to her as Wonder Woman. She loved that! She mostly just listened in to the events, but at the end she helped the kids get their hand stamps from Batman and Super Girl.

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.

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.

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.