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.

Goodnight Moon

A friend of ours is currently performing in the children’s show Goodnight Moon. He offered us free tickets if we wanted them. We invited my niece and nephew to go with us.

We arranged to meet at the theater. Marina and I arrived early. The building was decorated for the show which was fun, but we had to climb a lot of stairs to get there. After I picked up the tickets we waited for everyone else to arrive. When the theater was opened for seating we found a group in the second row.

When the kids arrived I brought them to the seats we saved. Marina was thrilled to see them and insisted on sitting next to my nephew. She played with him until the show started.

Goodnight Moon was funny and charming. After the show, we waited in the lobby for our friend. He greeted us with hugs and we introduced him to everyone. We had a nice chat with him before heading home.

Another Nutcracker

This afternoon we had tickets to an annual tradition - The Nutcracker. a few family members were scheduled to join us, but unfortunately my niece was sick today. So they had to stay home.

Traffic near the performing arts complex was terrible and it took us quite a while to get into the garage. Once inside there were plenty of places to park. So we made it inside easily. I bought Marina a hot chocolate and we went to our seats.

As usual, we enjoyed The Nutcracker. After this run, the Colorado Ballet is retiring their sets and costumes, so it was good to see them one last time.

Fireworks, Family and Fun!

Last year, Marina and I went to the Red, White and You fireworks show the day before Independence Day. The show was great but the wait for the show was a bit dull. We found out later that Marina's aunt, uncle and cousins were also there. But there were so many people there we didn’t see them. When we decided to go this year, I arranged to meet them there. Marina was excited to go.

We didn’t leave as early as last year, so we ended up parking a bit further away than last year. And since the walk to the park was mostly uphill, it was tiring. We found a spot not far from the lake where we spread out our blanket and saved space for everyone. About an hour later, our family showed up. Marina immediately wanted to hang out with her cousins.

Marina had fun with the kids while we waited and we shared the snacks we brought. When it was time for the show, we realized we had a great spot. The fireworks looked to be right above us.The kids were especially excited by the show.

After it was over, we gathered our belongings and said goodbye to everyone. The walk back to the car was much easier. When we got to the car, we could see that there was a traffic jam trying to get out of the parking lot. So we decided to wait for it to clear up. It ended up being a longer wait than expected. After 20 minutes we got out of the car and started talking with the other people who were waiting. In total, we had to wait about 45 minutes. Once traffic started moving we were on our way home quickly.

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.

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.

Musical Cats

Marina has wanted to see the musical Cats for a long time. She has enjoyed every Andrew Lloyd Webber musical she has seen – and then there is her fascination with our pets. When it was announced this season I bought tickets early. It was a good thing too because the short run sold out quickly. Marina decided to dress as a black cat. So she wore a black dress, her black cat ears and cat paw gloves.

For some reason, they didn’t allow anyone go to their seats until 15 minutes before the show. So it was a bit chaotic. At least we had time to take a few pictures before it started. We also saw plenty of other people wearing cat ears.

At the very beginning, we had actors dressed as cats roaming up and down the aisles. Marina loved that! She was completely absorbed in the show, only looking at me when I was pointing out a nearby actor. The cast of the show was really good. The dancing was amazing and the music was beautiful.

When the show was over, she said she liked it. Her favorite part was “Magical Mr. Mistoffeles.” That song was pretty spectacular. We were all impressed with the performance of “Memory.”

Family Enchantment

Marina and I have been going to Disney on Ice shows for years. This year, her aunt and cousin wanted to join us. So we arranged to go together this afternoon.

Marina is not allowed to dress up for the shows anymore, so she wore her Alice in Wonderland dress. We left early to avoid the crowds. We got a good parking spot and easily got into the building. We picked up drinks and went to our seats.

When the show started, both girls were drawn in by the show. We saw a long Toy Story segment followed by The Little Mermaid. The second part started with a short scene from Cars and ended with Frozen. When the show was over, we took a few photos near the ice before walking out to the parking lot.

Family, Santa and Holiday Lights

Last year, Marina and I enjoyed going to Santa’s Village. Since her cousins live close by, we invited them to join us this year.

We decided to meet early. Right as we parked we saw that her cousins was already there and very close to where we were. Then we headed inside. Maisey was a bit timid with us at first, but Barrett immediately responded to the holiday lights.

Close to the entrance was the line to meet Santa. So we decided to get that taken care of. As we waited, Emily took the kids to hear Mrs. Claus’ story time. Maisey didn’t want a photo with Mrs. Claus, so we took one of her with Marina. When it was our turn, Maisey was not at all interested in meeting Santa. So Barrett and Marina had their picture taken with him.

After seeing Santa, we followed the path to see the reindeer. All the kids were interested in them. Then we headed inside for hot chocolate and crafts. I got hot chocolate for everyone while Marina and Maisey decorated plates. Marina was so helpful helping Maisey get the colors she wanted.

Next, we got in in for the wagon ride through the lighted trees. All the kids were very patient while we were in line. They all seemed to enjoy the ride once it was our turn. After the ride, we looked at the lights at the other end of the garden before walking to the car. We’d all enjoyed spending the evening together!

Dia De Los Muertos Celebration

We’ve been going to the botanic gardens Day of the Dead Celebration for the past few years. Last year Miss Judy came with us and enjoyed it. So we invited her again this year. She, in turn, invited Bethany and Jeremy to join us. It was going to be particularly emotional this year as we would be remembering a family who was killed earlier this year.

The weather was cool and rainy this morning but we decided to go anyway. It seemed to take a long time for everyone to be ready to go, but we were fortunate that right as we arrived we found someone who was leaving the parking garage, so we got a good parking spot.


When we arrived we found the crafts under a large tent. Marina wanted to decorate a sugar skull, so we wall watched her as she made hers. Judy, Bethany and Jeremy went to watch the Aztec dancers while Marina created a flower wreath and she made paper marigolds which she gave to Judy and Bethany.

We all went for warm drinks and once we had them the Lucha Libre wrestling had begun. So we watched that for a while. Our next stop was the community alter. Judy and Bethany got emotional as they added a family members’s name to the display. I helped Marina with a card with her great grandparents’ names on it.

We went into the Japanese garden where Marina showed everyone the koi pond. Then we wandered around the perimeter of the garden. By then Bethany and Judy were tired, so we decided to leave. On the way home, we stopped to have tacos for lunch.

One Singular Sensation

We saw A Chorus Line last fall. Despite that, Marina still wanted to see it again when another theatre announced they would be presenting the show this fall. Aunt Ann wanted to see the show, so she decided to join us.

We all met about half an hour before the show started. Marina ordered a Shirley Temple to drink and got a snack since it seems like she is always hungry! She even spent some time looking over her program before the show started.

A Chorus Line has many mature themes. I think Marina was able to understand many of them better this time. She still enjoyed the performance, especially the song “Dance Ten, Looks Three” which is still her favorite

After the show Marina said she didn’t want to wait to meet the cast. We didn’t know any of the actors and Marina said she was tired, so we headed home.

Rent

Two weeks ago, Marina and I saw the opera La Boheme. I knew the musical Rent was based on this opera and the 20th anniversary tour opened this week. I thought it would be interesting to see them both close to each other. We invited her aunt to come with us since Rent is her favorite musical.

We met up early to try and avoid rush hour. We didn’t succeed in that, but fortunately we had plenty of time to get there. Once we arrived at the theater we got drinks and settled into our seats. Marina sat by her aunt during the show.

Since I wasn’t sitting by Marina, I couldn’t see her reactions but afterwards she said she really liked it. She and I talked about the similarities to La Boheme. I had to explain a few things about the storyline, but she picked up on much of it on her own.

Polish Festival

This year, Marina and I have been exploring various cultural food festivals. And since we have Polish ancestry, we were very interested in the Polish Food Festival this weekend. We decided to go there for lunch. When we arrived, we started off by eating potato and cheese perogies. We really enjoyed them. We sampled some “Angel Wings” for dessert.

We decided to take a look inside the church. It was beautiful. Once we did that, Marina acted a bit bored. I wanted to watch some of the folk dancing, so we decided to try a potato pancake until the dancing started. As we were eating it, one of her friends from school walked by us with her family. They picked up some food and joined us in the shade of a tree.

After we ate, we watched the folk dancing. Then we all went to see the church since her friend's family hadn’t seen it yet. The girls wanted more dessert, so I gave them tickets to get some. Marina chose cheesecake!

Since it was such a hot day, we decided to head home. It had been a fun festival.

Grease is the Word

When I was in fifth and sixth grade, my friend Heather and I constantly listened to the soundtrack for the musical Grease. So I was excited to take Marina to see it this summer. We invited Michelle to join us this evening.

Marina decided to wear her poodle skirt to the show. When we arrived at the theater she got plenty of compliments on her outfit. She was pleased with each one.

We went to our seats and Marina read over her program, looking for actors she had seen before.

Marina loved Grease from the beginning. She laughed at the silly antics of the T-Birds and enjoyed the high energy dance sequences.

After the show, most of the actors came out still in their costumes. Marina and Michelle had their pictures taken with Sandy, Danny, most of the Pink Ladies and the Teen Angel. Marina particularly enjoyed talking with the actors about the show and her outfit.

Once we had a chance to talk with the cast member, we went home. We'd had a great night in the 1950's.

Frozen Festival

As we planned our trip to the Renaissance Festival this year, we tried to schedule a time when Michelle could join us. This weekend was the only time we could do that. Our friend Justine was also able to come, so we had a larger group than usual.

Marina and I decided to dress in our Frozen costumes. She wore the Anna coronation dress and I was Elsa. Justine borrowed a Cinderella costume, but Michelle did not want to dress up, she did wear a tiara all day though.

We didn’t leave as early as we had planned and traffic was crazy getting to the festival. But when we finally made it we were all glad to be there. As we entered, Marina and I were serenaded by “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” We both laughed.

Once inside, the girls all took a run through the maze. We were surprised to see the first joust was taking place. We thought we had missed it. So Marina, Justine and I found seats to watch while Michelle had her hair braided.

After the joust, we wandered the festival and did some shopping. As always, Marina wanted her photo by the wishing well. We also came across Prince Charming. He hasn’t done his act at the festival for a few years now, but Marina was pleased to see him.

We sat down to watch the Endangered Cats show. Marina loved the black panther, who she thought looked like Jasmine. We also enjoyed the antics of the white tiger.

Marina wanted to get her face painted, so we found our favorite artist. Marina chose a star design in red and purple. She was clearly happy with the result. While we were waiting, the royal procession came by. Marina curtseyed and waved to the royals. Princess Elizabeth’s face clearly lit up when she recognized Marina. She waved to both of us.

For lunch, we had our usual turkey leg and were very happy to find a shady place to sit. I was impressed at how much turkey Marina ate. Michelle and Justine wanted to do more shopping, so they went out while Marina and I went to the second round of jousting. Of course, Marina happily cheered Sir William on.

Marina and Justine wanted to ride the elephant, so we all met there. After they got onto the elephant with another couple, the trainers decided to cool off the elephant by spraying him with water. They enjoyed the extra time as well as a cooling mist on their legs.

We all went over to the chapel for the daily knightings. After the ceremony, Marina and I went to meet Princess Elizabeth for her tea party. Once the rug was set for the girls to sit on, Marina took a spot right by the princess. The girls had fun talking about their adventures. Then Elizabeth told a silly story using the members of her court as actors. We spent a few minutes talking with Princess Elizabeth after the party and promised to see her next year.

Marina and I picked up a snack and went back to the arena for the final joust. We met the court poet who said he was looking for us all day. He then serenaded us with “For the First Time in Forever.” Marina was pleased and embarrassed.

Michelle and Justine saved us a spot right in front. As we were settling in, we learned we could get a favor for Sir William’s lance, then get it back from him after the joust. Marina’s face lit up and I knew we had to get one. Michelle and Justine each got one as well.

After the formalities of the joust were complete, the girls stepped forward to give Sir William their favors. Then the joust began. Justine was particularly excited with the action. In the end, Sir William and Sir Balin defeated Sir Joseph and Sir Arthur. When  the ceremony concluded, Sir William came back to the arena to return the favors to the ladies who presented them. He thanked them all and since he won the joust requested they all come to all of his jousts.

Before he could start, Marina gave him a collection of photographs we put together for him of our many meetings. He was very pleased. He gave Marina a big hug before returning her favor. He gallantly kissed the hand of each lady as he gave her the favor. By this time, Michelle and Justine were his fans as well.

We headed for the gate in time for King Henry’s closing remarks. The rest of the cast sang and danced but we only watched for a short time. By then we were all very tired and ready to head back to the present.