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.

Star Wars Skating

Since the new Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker, opens tomorrow, there have been a lot of Star Wars themed events. Tonight was Star Wars Night at the Colorado Avalanche game. Marina decided she wanted to wear her Princess Leia Bespin dress. Fortunately, the hairstyle was easier to recreate than it looked.

We arrived early to pick up our tshirts and get photos with cosplayers. Unfortunately, there weren’t many cosplayers this year. We figured most of them were probably at sneak previews of the new movie. So it didn’t take long for us to get photos with them.

As we got our shirts, we saw Santa was set up nearby. I managed to convince Marina to get a quick photo with him. We picked up drinks and snacks and headed to our seats. We were excited to see that Bernie, the mascot, was wearing a Baby Yoda costume!

At the first intermission we looked around for cosplayers but only saw the same two groups as before the game. We did run into Bernie and took a quick photo with him before going to our seats.

At the second intermission we went to Bernie’s doghouse for pictures. We took a young man sitting next to us, along. He was very excited for a picture. We got there a bit later than we hoped, so we missed quite a bit of the third period. The Avalanche scored as we walked back to our seats, so we all cheered as we walked. Unfortunately, the Avalanche let their lead slip away and they lost 4-2.

Star Wars and Basketball

Tonight was the Denver Nuggets Star Wars Night. Marina was wearing her Chewbacca onesie. I had on my Vice Admiral Holdo dress. We arrived early for the game, so we went in search of cosplayers. We found a group right in the lobby. We also saw groups of Nuggets dancers. So we got photos with all of them.

We walked around looking for cosplayers. We also picked up our Star Wars tumblers. They had ones with either the symbol of the Rebellion or the Empire. We decided to get one of each.

We picked up drinks and went to our seats. The Nuggets played really well in the first half and were up by a large margin at halftime.

During halftime, we took photos with more cosplayers. We found the woman dressed as Ray, who Marina had seen on screen before the game started. We asked around and found that Rocky the mascot usually does a meet and greet, so we waited to see him. Unfortunately, he never showed up.

We missed most of the third period waiting for Rocky, so we went back to our seats for the rest of the game. It had become a closer game and the Nuggets eventually lost their lead. Fortunately they were able to come back and win the game 111 to 105.

After the game we were ready to go home. It had been a very long day!

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.

Halloween at the Zoo

It’s a Halloween tradition for Marina and I got go to Boo at the Zoo. Marina decided to wear her new Mulan costume today. We wanted to get an early start, but it didn’t work out as well as we hoped. We ended up having to walk quite a way.

When we finally got into the zoo, we found out where the characters would be so we didn’t miss them. Then we were on our way. We looked at some of the animals along the way around. Marina was much better at spotting the small trick or treat stations than I was.  She collected quite a bit of candy.

Near the entrance we saw Kylo Ren and a Bounty Hunter. By the carousel we found Snow White, who was played by a friend of ours.Then we went to the primate exhibit where we found Captain Jack Sparrow. He recognized us immediately. Near Tropical Discover was Maleficent who recognized us as well. She hugged us both and we talked with her for a few minutes.

By this time, we were hungry, so we stopped for lunch. Marina had a quesadilla. It was nice to sit and rest for a while. At noon, the characters changed. So we headed back to some of the spots. At the carousel we ran into Moana. She was played by an actress we haven’t seen in a while. Then we went to the tropical exhibit where the Evil Queen was lurking. We had a nice exchange with her as well.

Once our visits were done. We headed to the car, which was quite a walk. We were both very tired but we’d had a fun time.

Maleficent at the Movies

Marina has been on fall break this week and she has spent most of it with her dad. I was able to take time off today to spend with her. So we decided to see the new movie Maleficent: Mistress of All Evil. We went to the for a lunchtime showing.

Maleficent Mistress of All Evil was more action packed than the first Maleficent movie. When it was over, Marina said “I think I have a new favorite movie.”

Star Wars and Soccer

Marina and I have been interested in attending a Colorado Rapids game for a while. Tonight was Star Wars Night. So, even though it was a school night, we decided to go. Marina wore her Rey costume and I had a Star Wars inspired dress.

When we arrived we found a parking place easily but then learned we had to walk around the whole stadium to pick up our tickets. Once inside we picked up our Star Wars blankets and went looking for our seats, which were on the side of the stadium where we parked. The temperatures were staring to drop and a strong wind was blowing.

As we walked we came across a group of cosplayers, so we took photos with them. When we arrived at our section, we found another group of cosplayers, including Kylo Ren. Marina always loves to exchange banter with him!

We bought drinks and found our seats. Shortly after we sat down, we saw another group of cosplayers nearby, so we went to take pictures with them. One of them was a Harley Quinn inspired Jedi which Marina loved!
We verified that we had seen all the cosplayers so we settled back into our seats. Just as the game began it started to rain. Fortunately there were empty seats in a cove section near us, so we moved there for the rest of the game. Marina used her new Star Wars blanket to stay warm.

Despite not ever having seen an MLS game before, Marina and I really enjoyed it. The first half was scoreless, but with only ten minutes left in the game, the Rapids scored the first goal. It wasn’t long afterwards that the LA Galaxy came back and score to tie the game. As time was winding down, the Rapids got a penalty shot. There was a lot of build up to the kick and it went into the goal. It was very exciting. In the end, the Rapids won 2 to 1.

Fortunately, the park isn’t too far from home. So it didn’t take long to get there. Marina went right to bed since she has school tomorrow.

Star Wars at the Stadium

The Colorado Rockies Star Wars Night is an event Marina and I have enjoyed the past few years. We were looking forward to the game tonight. Marina wore her Rey costume again and I dressed as Qi’ra. We left the house two hours before the game, hoping to get to the stadium early.

By the time we parked the car, rode the shuttle to the stadium and got through security, we weren’t as early as we hoped. We went immediately to the parade staging area so we could take part in that. As we waited for the parade, we talked with the people around us who were all very nice.

The parade was fun. We walked through the inner hallways of the stadium until we arrived at the entryway to the field. We walked all the way around the ballpark. Marina and the kids around her gave high fives to the people in the stands. Marina was so sweet, making sure to greet everyone who reached out to her.

After the parade was over, we walked around the stadium to find cosplayers and take photos with them. We also picked up our t-shirts. Marina was happy that they are purple this year. By then we were a bit hungry, so we got a snack and then got into line to see Dinger. We were early, so we were close to the front. When Dinger arrived, we got through the line quickly.

Marina wanted ice cream, so we picked some up on our way to our seats. By then it was the third inning. The game was a close one, but the Rockies lost 6-5. That was a bit disappointing. We left the game as quickly as we could. The game had been nearly four hours long and we were ready to go home.

Super Hero Night

This evening, Marina and I had plans to have dinner with our friends again. It was Super Hero Night. Marina was excited to see them. She dressed in her Harley Quinn clothes and asked me to put her hair in pigtails.

We arrived just as the event was getting started. Our friends showed up a little after we did. Wonder Woman and Spiderman showed up a short while later.

The girls each got a cape and mask to wear. They looked so cute in them! Marina took them both over for superhero training.

 We checked the schedule and saw they have more princess nights coming up in June, so we will likely get back together for some of those.

May the Fourth Be With You

May 4 is Star Wars Day. Marina and I decided to celebrate by going to the event at the air and space museum. Marina wore her Rey costume and I dressed as Qi’ra. When we arrived there was a line to get in. We passed the time by talked to the two young men in line behind us.

When we finally got in, we immediately saw Darth Vader, so we got photos with him. We saw that certain numbers on the wristbands were able to get in the X-Wing Fighter. It turned out mine was one of them, but the time was later in the day. Marina was excited about that.

We wandered around looking at the booths and taking pictures with cosplayers. We went on a bounty hunter scavenger hunt which was fun. Marina also got into the cockpits of some of the planes.

When we were ready to leave, we asked if we could go into the X-Wing early. Since there wasn’t much of a line, we were able to do it quickly. The two men we met in the line saw we got into the X-Wing and I could tell they really wanted to do it as well. So we asked they be able to join us and they were able to get into it as well.

We made a final sweep around the museum before heading out. As we did we ran into Kylo Ren. Marina was happy to get a photo with him.

Star Wars Hockey

Tonight was Star Wars Night at the Colorado Avalanche game. Of course, Marina was excited to go. She decided to dress as Rey. Last year she wore Rey’s costume from The Last Jedi. But tonight she wanted to wear the one from The Force Awakens. That meant I had to try and recreate the complex hairstyle. Fortunately I was able to come close.

We left early for the game because we wanted to pick up our t shirts and take photos with as many cosplayers as we could. But it turned out the doors didn’t open as early as we were told, so we had to wait outside for a while.

Once inside we picked up our shirts and then we went out to find the cosplayers. The second group we found include Darth Vader. We were told that Rey and Kylo Ren would be in that spot half an hour later. We definitely wanted to come back for that!

We went to our seats before going out to find more cosplayers and returned to see Rey and Kilo Ren. They were all happy to see her costume. After seeing all the cosplayers, we bought drinks and snacks before going to our seats. Marina wanted the mini donuts, so we got some of those.

The game, unfortunately, wasn’t as much fun as the Star Wars activities. The Avalanche played very sloppily and they lost the game 5 to 1.

After the game it took us a while to walk to the car and drive out of the parking lot. We were both really tired when we finally arrived at home.

Super Hero Saturday

Last year, Marina and I attended Fairytale Day at a corn maze. This year, she was more interested in going to their Superhero Day. So we decided to go after a late breakfast. Marina wanted to go with a Harley Quinn Look. She wore her new “Daddy’s Little Monster” shirt with jeans and her Puddin choker. Then I sprayed her hair pink and blue. She was happy with the look.

We arrived a few minutes before the event started. Marina mingled with the younger kids and made a pumpkin super hero craft. A short while later, Spiderman, Super Girl and Bat Girl arrived for the event. Marina graciously allowed the younger kids to speak first and helped the super heroes with their activities.

After the event, we decided to go through the corn maze. We used the trick we used last year with worked. We kept running into a couple of groups of people. It was funny. We completed the maze fairly quickly, collected our mini pumpkins as prizes and then decided it was time to go home.

A Night of Baseball and Star Wars

This evening was Star Wars Night at the Rockies game. Marina originally wanted to dress as Princess Leia, but at the last minute she changed her mind and decided to wear her Rey costume instead.

We arrived at the stadium early, so we went around the concourse to find as many cosplayers as we could and took pictures with them. When we finally made it to our seats we learned there was a weather delay. We sat and waited for a bit until it started to rain fairly hard. So we decided to pick up our Star Wars t-shirts. By the time we made it back to our seats, the game had finally started.

After the first inning, we headed toward Dinger’s photo spot for a picture. The line had already started to form. Fortunately it moved quickly when Dinger arrived. He was wearing his Jedi robe and had two stormtroopers with him.

On the way back to our seats, we stopped for snacks. Then we settled into our seats for the rest of the game. It was a fun one to watch and the Rockies won 4-1.

Star Wars Celebration

Marina has been very interested in Star Wars the past few years. So we wanted to check out the Star Wars at the Hanger event. Marina decided to wear her Rey costume from the most recent movie.

We wanted to leave early, but we didn’t arrive as early as we’d hoped. There was a huge line to get into the museum, but it moved quickly and we made it inside after a short wait.

The centerpiece of the museum is a large model of an X-Wing fighter. We were fortunate to receive a spot to get in it for pictures. Marian was very excited. We got into that line first. It took a while to get checked in and then we had to get into another line for our turn. Fortunately, we got friendly with the families around us and we took turns checking out other exhibits while we waited. When it was finally her turn she thought the experience was “really cool!”

Of course, Marina wanted her picture taken with as many cosplayers as possible. So we got photos with Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, stormtroopers, bounty hunters, a Sandperson with a Bantha, a Jawa and Sith Lords. A few people even wanted their picture with her. I was really excited to see Muppets characters in Star Wars costumes and insisted we get photos with them.

Marina posed for photos in front of two green screens and made some crafts. We bought barbecue “porg” sandwiches for lunch. We decided to try out one of the simulators since there wasn’t much of a wait. After that, we headed home.