Worlds of Enchantment

Disney On Ice usually comes to town twice a year. The show Worlds of Enchantment was here this week. With our schedule this month, the only time we could go was tonight, so even though it was a school night, we decided to go anyway.

Marina decided to wear her Anna costume. After we ate dinner I realized the show was half an hour earlier than I thought it was, so we ended up rushing out the door. I was worried about rush hour traffic. Fortunately, it wasn’t bad at all and we got there quicker than I thought we could.

We picked up some snacks and went to our seats. There were quite a lot of little girls seated around us, so we talked with them until the show started. As the lights went down Marina hugged my arm and thanked me for bringing her.

The show was made up of four main stories – Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, Cars and Frozen. Marina, along with the rest of the audience, was happiest during the Frozen portion. She and I sang along loudly to all the songs.

After the show was over, we said goodbye to
 the people near us and went out. It was very cold outside and we hurried to the car. It didn’t take us long to get home and we got ready for bed right away.

Enchanted Beauty

This afternoon we had tickets to see Beauty and the Beast at a nearby theater. Marina wanted to wear an outfit that looked like Belle’s peasant dress, but ultimately decided to wear the yellow costume instead. When we arrived, the employees at the theater loved her outfit.

We found seats in the second row. Before the show started we got a snack. They were also selling light-up roses. Marina asked if she could have one. I finally agreed. As we waited for the show to begin, we looked through our programs. Many of the actors we had seen before, including those playing Belle and the Beast.

Seated behind us was a four year-old seeing her first show. At intermission, Marina happily spent time talking with her and showing her the “Hidden Mickeys” on the set. We both enjoyed the performance. After it ended, Belle and the Beast were in the lobby. She spent a few minutes speaking with the actor who played the Beast. We met him after Dracula in October. He remembered us and talked with us for a while before we took a few pictures. Then we got pictures with Belle as well.

 

 

Before we left, I wanted to speak with a friend of mine who was the assistant stage manager for the show. As I talked to him, Marina saw the actor playing Lumiere, still in his costume. She asked if we could get a picture and he was happy to pose. Marina was pretty happy with how the evening turned out.

Super Christmas Picture

This afternoon we had an appointment at the Broncos Training Facility to have our picture taken with the Broncos three Lombardi trophies. Marina and I couldn’t agree on what we should wear. She wanted to wear Broncos gear and I wanted us to dress up for the holidays. We finally compromised and wore sweaters and dark pants.

We hadn’t ever been to the practice facility before. We checked in quickly and went down several levels to the field. It was huge. We got in a very short line for our pictures. When it was our turn, Miles the mascot had just walked in. The photographer called him over and her joined us in our photo. Since there was no one behind us, we got a chance to take a good look at the trophies. We also heard from a staff member that a teen club is in the works. We were both excited about that!

On the way out we took a few more photos with Miles and Marina talked to two cheerleaders who were there. They had their Super Bowl rings on, so we took a good look at those as well. Marina also got a cookie as we left. It was a fun adventure.

CU at Zoo Lights

This evening was a special preview at Zoo Lights for alumni of the University of Colorado. As an alum, I was invited to attend. Marina was interested in going and we invited friends to go with us.

We had no trouble finding parking at the zoo. There was quite a line to get in, but it eased up as I picked up our tickets. We had hoped for small crowds, but since everyone has arrived around the same time, it was congested.

Shortly after we arrived we found where Chip the buffalo mascot was posing for pictures. Marina greeted him with a big hug. She also wanted to see Santa. That line was much longer. So, we got hot chocolate, funnel cakes and churros to snack on while we waited.

We got our photos with Santa and then spent the rest of the evening checking out the lights. This year the lights have been completely rearranged so it was fun to see the new set ups.

It took us several hours to get through the zoo and we were tired by the time we got to the front. We were all ready to go home!

Porgy and Bess

After finishing up the tree, Marina and I got ready to go out. We had tickets to see Porgy and Bess at the Aurora Fox Theater. We had invited some of our friends to join us. We had the same seats we sat in for Dracula and it turned out the people in front of us did too! We enjoyed talking to them before the show started.

The story line of Porgy and Bess was a more mature one. It had fights and murder, drug usage and racial tension. I explained some of the issues to Marina before and after the show. Despite all the serious issues in the show, Marina enjoyed the music and dance sequences.

After the show, we stayed around and met up with some of the actors. The actor who played Porgy had been Dracula and he remembered meeting us last month. We also chatted with an actress who starred in Dreamgirls, which we saw nearly two years ago. After meeting the actors we saw the house manager was waiting to close the theater, so we hurried out. It was a fun evening.

Moana

It’s been three years since Disney released a new princess movie. We’ve both been looking forward to seeing Moana, the newest one. Marina didn’t have school today and I took the day of so we could see as soon as it opened. Last month I bought her the Moana costume, so there was no question what she was going to wear today.

Marina had an appointment today. She wore the costume there and was happy to show it off. After her appointment was over, we picked up one of her friends and went directly to the theater.

We went to a theater which we haven’t been to in a long time. It includes a restaurant, so Marina ordered a shrimp platter for lunch. Then we headed into the theater to get ready for the movie.

We were pretty early for the movie, so we ate our lunch while we waited. A little before the previews started two more of our friends joined us and we all settled into our seats for the show.

We all loved the show. Moana was an engaging character and the music was amazing. Marina and I loved it so much that we bought the soundtrack on the way home from the theater.

Sugar Plum Fairy Tea

I've been wanting to visit a local tea room for a couple for years now. So I was happy we were able to attend the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea this afternoon.

Marina wanted to dress like a ballerina, but none of her ballet clothes fit her anymore. She finally decided on a pink dress decorated with crystals and pearls.

We had an easy time getting to the tea room and arrived a bit early. The room was beautiful and was already decorated for Christmas. The music from The Nutcracker was being played. Marina was thrilled to see her place marked with her name.

We started with marzipan tea. It smelled and tasted delicious! The tea room owner welcomed us to the tea party and then the food came out. We started with hot turkey pottage pies. Marina was a bit nervous about trying it, but she liked it so much she ate the whole thing.

Marina was a bit impatient waiting for the next course, so she and the three year old at the next table tried to pass the time together. But the food was worth the wait. She was thrilled that there were cucumber sandwiches. She didn’t want to try the quiche, but she did like the turkey crostini. I showed her how to eat a scone with clotted cream and jam. She enjoyed it but thought it was a bit messy. For dessert, she had a chocolate reindeer cupcake, but after eating the gingerbread she was too full to eat anything but one pretzel antler.

After we ate, the owner told the story of The Nutcracker. Then the Sugar Plum Fairy came in a performed two dances for us. She was very good. After she danced, she visited each table and let each girl select a colorful candy cane. The girls had the chance to create a pretty snowflake with stickers and sparkles. Then they had their picture taken with the Sugar Plum Fairy in front of the Christmas tree.

As we walked to the car it was clear Marina had a wonderful time. She wants to make this a new Christmas tradition for us.