Be Our Guest Tea Party

Our plans this morning included attending the Be Our Guest Tea with Belle today. Marina decided to wear her blue Belle dress since she’s always worn the yellow one. We arrived a bit early for the tea party, so we waited in the lobby until they were ready to seat us. One of the servers told Marina she was glad someone wore Belle’s blue dress!

The table was beautiful. We had a choice between Mrs. Potts Vanilla Tea and an Herbal Rose Tea. We both chose the rose tea. Marina liked it – with two lumps of sugar, of course!

As usual, Marina was very hungry and couldn’t wait for the food to arrive. We started off with scones. Marina has perfected the art of eating a scone with cream and jam. She even tried the lemon curd and discovered she liked it. As we finished our scones, the rest of the food came out. It was filled with sandwiches and pastries. Marina was a bit unsure about the spinach quiche, but she tried it and liked it. When we were both full we still had food left.

As we ate, we listened to a signer perform “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Then Belle joined the party. She visited every table and handed out cupcakes. After everyone finished their tea, the girls went to make a craft enchanted rose.

We took more pictures with Belle at the end of the party. But before we left, Marina played with a little baby who was there with his mother and sister. Clearly she had made a new friend!

Meeting Molly Brown

Marina and I had tea at the Molly Brown House about two years ago and we’ve wanted to go back. Today they offered a “Meet Molly Brown Tea.” It sounded like fun. Marina wore an old-fashioned dress made by a friend of ours.

We arrived just in time for the tour before the tea. This year they allowed me to take pictures without flash during the tour. So Marina posed in nearly every room. She enjoyed the stories about Margaret Brown as well as admiring the contents of the house.

By tea time, Marina was hungry. Margaret met us as we entered the tea room. Our plates were already set before us. We were given a short description of the food and tea was served. Marina tried nearly everything on her plate and said she liked it. She also liked the tea – she added two spoons of sugar.

We listened to Margaret speak while we ate. We got pictures with her before we left. Then we completed the tour in the kitchen. Marina browsed the gift shop for a little while and I bought her some candy sticks. Then we walked back to the car.

We spent a few hours at home before our friends picked us up. We went to a dinner theater for The Unsinkable Molly Brown. It was a long drive, but we all had fun talking during the trip.

Before the show began, one of the actors made a few announcements and asked if anyone was celebrating a birthday. Marina raised her hand to announce she will be turning 13. They gave her a free dessert to celebrate.

Marina was impatient for the show to start. Once it did, she watched with interest. Since we had just been at Molly Brown’s house, we noticed the historic inaccuracies in the story. But we still enjoyed it.

After the show was over, we got photos with our servers and the actress who played Molly. Then we left for the long trip home. It was pretty late and Marina fell asleep in the car.

One Hundred Years of Hockey

The NHL is celebrating its centennial and as part of the festivities a traveling exhibit arrived at the Pepsi Center this weekend. It sounded interesting, so I picked up Marina after school and we decided to check it out.

We arrived at the Pepsi Center and walked over to the tented area where everything was set up. Right away we met some of the Avalanche Ice Dancers. Marina happily posed for photos with them and got their autographs.

I really wanted to see the Stanley Cup, which was on display. The line was pretty short, so we didn’t have long to wait. Marina looked at the engraving from the Avalanche 2001 win before we had our pictures taken with it.

We went through the small museum they had in a trailer next. We got to see the evolution of hockey equipment like jerseys, sticks and ice skates. There was also an interactive screen which allowed us to look closely at the Stanley Cup. Marina also posed for a photo in front of a mock Avalanche locker. They actually were able to put her name above her! Finally, she signed a large plaque which will be given to the team after the exhibition is over.

I knew Marina would want to try the virtual reality Zamboni game, so we went there and waited in line. As it turned out, the man in front of us was the Avalanche TV announcer Mike Haynes. He was very nice and we talked to him and his son while we waited. As expected, Marina enjoyed the game!

Marina also played a game using a hockey stick to hit balls into a goal. Next we checked out the radio station booths which were set up there. Marina got some goodies, including a foam hockey puck and a soda cozy. She won a Taylor Swift calendar and even got to meet one of the DJs she listens to. She also got her hair sprayed red with lots of glitter.

We didn’t want to wait in the huge line to meet the players that were there and Marina didn’t want to try the ice skating, so we decided to go home. The trip home took a while but we both agreed it was a fun time.

The Firebird Ballet

Marina and I have been attending the ballet for a long time, but we have never attended the Masterworks series. This year they were offering Serenade and The Firebird which sounded interesting. So we decided to check it out. We invited Angie, who loves the ballet. Marina wore lots of red sparkles today – she wanted to look like the Firebird.

Traffic was worse than expected, so Angie dropped Marina and I off so we could get to the theater. Once we arrived at the theater, I bought drinks and snacks for the show. Angie joined us just as the ballet began.

The first performance was Serenade. It was a beautiful sequence set to music by Tchaikovsky. It was a pretty dance we all enjoyed. After the first intermission, we watched Petite Mort – a more modern dance. Marina told me she liked the music. I told her it was written by Mozart.

After the second intermission was the dance Marina was most looking forward to – The Firebird. We were thrilled to learn that Maria Mosina was dancing the lead role. It was her last performance before she planned to retire. We all enjoyed the fantasy storyline.

After the ballet was over, Marina Mosina received a standing ovation. As we clapped for her, a series of her colleagues came onstage and gave her flowers. It was such a special moment to watch.

Sabrina Fair

We’ve been going to the theater with Adriana and Sabrina quite a bit lately. We’ve enjoyed checking out little theaters around town. When we found a small group putting on a play called Sabrina Fair, we knew we need to check it out! Marina wanted her clothes to reflect the French theme of the play, so she wore a pink and white polka dot dress with her pink beret.

We all had dinner together before we went to the theater. We were early but it was pretty crowded. We were fortunate to find four seats together. Marina and Sabrina sat together. Marina was so excited when the show started. It was a more mature play than she’d seen before, but she immediately liked Sabrina and she laughed at many of the jokes.

At intermission, she got a cookie with Sabrina and told me how much she liked the play so far. She was just as attentive during the second act.

After she show was over, the ushers let the girls pose on the set, which was very fun. As we were leaving, we saw one of the actors. We’d actually met him before so we chatted with him for a while and got a photo. Both girls wanted to meet the actress who played Sabrina, so one of the actors went and got her for us. We were able to get her photo as well. It was a fun end to our evening out.

Star Wars - The Power of Costume

Marina had two days off for President’s Day. So, we decided to take advantage of that and go to the art museum to see the exhibit “Star Wars – The Power of Costume.” We’ve both been looking forward to it. Marina wanted to wear her Princess Leia costume but on the wig that goes along with it. So, I rolled her hair into buns like hers.

When we arrived at the museum, a docent approached Marina and complimented her on her costume. We talked with her while we waited to pick up our tickets. Once we had the tickets, we went up to the exhibit.

It was really cool seeing the costumes up close. Marina was particularly interested in Princess Leia’s costumes. She hadn’t seen Episodes I, II and III, so I explained who those costumes belonged to. She and I both loved the outfits wore by Padme Amidala, Princess Leia’s mother. I took a ton of pictures and Marina didn’t even mind.

After the Star Wars exhibit, we went to the activity center where Marina created a fashion on a mannequin and drew her own designs. After a while we decided to check out the Japanese fashion display on the sixth floor. Marina found it interesting, but she was tired and ready to go home. So after the Japanese fashion we went home.

We hung around the house for the rest of the day. After dinner, we watched Star Wars Episode I together. Marina looked for the costumes we saw earlier in the day. She especially liked young Anakin Skywalker and the costumes worn by Queen Amidala.

Sleeping Beauty at the Ballet

Marina and I saw The Sleeping Beauty ballet a few years ago. We both enjoyed it and so when a touring production announced a stop near our house, I knew we’d want to go again. Marina had talked about wearing her Princess Aurora costume. But she decided against that, but she did want to wear something inspired by the Disney character. As she got ready to go she was much like Princess Aurora, changing her clothes from pink to blue and back again.

This was our first time attending a show at this arts center. It’s a very intimate theater and we were in the front row. Marina was happy with our seats. There were quite a few children at the theater. Marina passed the time talking to a five year-old seated next to her.

When the show started, Marina was excited. She whispered to me quite often throughout the ballet. She was impressed with the set and the costumes. Since we were so close, we could see all the beautiful details on the costumes.

At intermission, Marina talked more with the girl next to us and showed her pictures of our cats. Then we settled in for Act 2. Marina’s favorite part of that was the dance Puss In Boots and his partner.

The show ended fairly late so by the time we got home, Marina was really tired. She didn’t have much trouble getting to bed tonight.