Princess Pizza Party

Marina still likes to dress up and attend princess events, however now she prefers to do it when a younger child is with us. So I when I saw the Moana and Ariel party at a pizzeria I invited a friend and her niece to join us. Marina wore her Ariel costume and added jewelry and a tiara with pearls.

When we arrived it was a bit chaotic. We were happy to sit down. Our server took great care of us. Marina and I ordered a large pizza so we would have leftovers later in the week. While we were waiting, a huge plate of breadsticks were brought to our table, Marina loved those.

Right before our pizza arrived Moana and Ariel came by our table. Both girls got a necklace from Ariel and a heart of Tifiti from Moana.

After we ate, Moana and Ariel each sang a song. After that we waited to pay our bill. But before we left we signed up for the party next month. We’d had a fun evening.

A Little Night Music

Ever since Marina learned she has the same birthday as Stephen Sondheim, she’s been interested in his shows. A Little Night Music is one that is not performed very often, so I was excited to take Marina to see it at a local theater. She dressed up in a cat sweater and sparkly skirt.

I bought her a cream soda to drink and we went to our seat at the theater. The show was a bout relationships and while Marina did find some humor in the dialogue, she was a bit bored at the show. She did enjoy the cookies I got her at intermission.

We did know a couple of actors in the cast but Marina didn’t want to stay afterwards to talk with them. It was late and she had school the next day.

Wizard of Oz Ballet

Marina and I have been fans of the ballet for a long time. We were very interested when they announced they were presenting a new work – The Wizard of Oz. The downtown area was still very crowded so we gave ourselves plenty of time. Despite that, we still ran into terrible traffic and it took us quite a while to park. Once inside the theatre, we picked up drinks and snacks and waited to sit down. There was a technical issue and we waited for a long time.

 While we were waiting to be seated, a friend of ours joined us. Once the technical issues were settled, the doors to the theater opened and we made our way to our seats. The show started shortly afterwards. The ballet was a good one. It combined traditional ballet with modern twists and took a humorous tone throughout. The special effect were impressive.

 After intermission when the lights were going down, Marina shushed us because she didn’t want to miss anything! After the show we lingered in the theater and took some photos in front of a fun backdrop. That allowed traffic to ease up so we weren’t stuck in traffic when we left.

Musical Theater Showcase

Marina shares her birthday with Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Over the years, she has become a fan the musicals they have written. The symphony had a concert featuring the music of both of these composers. We were both excited to go.

There were quite a few events going on downtown this weekend so we left early to avoid parking issues. It took a bit longer than usual, but we managed to get a good spot and arrive early at the concert hall. We bought drinks – Marina got a chai latte.

We went to our seats about half an hour before the concert started. Marina had brought her Nintendo DS with her, so she played on it until the show began.

We were a bit disappointed that our favorite conductor was not conducting the concert as scheduled, but we still enjoyed it. The concert featured three soloists. One of the women was a character actress who brought lots of character to each song she performed. The first half was all Sondheim songs. Marina has seen a few of those shows, but she didn’t seem to remember many of them.

After intermission was all the Andrew Lloyd Webber music. Most of those songs she recognized. She especially liked the selections from The Phantom of the Opera. The male soloist gave an amazing performance. After the concert was over one of the singers was in the lobby to sell and sign her merchandise. Marina had wanted to meet her, but the line was very long, so we decided to go home.

More Mermaids!

Last month, Marina and I went to a paint and sip class for a mother daughter mermaid painting. This weekend they had a class for another one. This painting was inspired by the Disney movie The Little Mermaid.

We were running a bit late, so we arrived just as the class was getting started. Each of us took a stencil to draw on the shape of the mermaid. Then we started creating the gradient background. That was fun but it took a while. Then we filled in the mermaid. Marina had a few issues with hers, but this time she calmly dried the paint and fixed what she didn’t like. In the end she was happy with how it came out.

Comic Con Concert

Two years ago, Marina and I attended A Salute to Comic Con at the Symphony. We’d both had a great time. When the schedule came out with it on the schedule again this season we both wanted to go again.

Marina wasn’t sure what to wear tonight. She ultimately decided to be a Lolita doll. She put on a Victorian dress I recently got for her with her striped tights. I put her hair into spiral curls and she gave herself rosy cheeks and wore false eyelashes. When she was done getting dress she said, “I nailed it!” I wore my Catlyn Stark costume from Game of Thrones.

We left the house early so we could get through rush hour traffic. Fortunately it wasn’t too bad and we arrived early. We were disappointed that there weren’t any cosplayers this year. It was also surprising that not many attendees dressed up either. We checked out the activities. Marina decided to make a Lord of the Rings leaf pin.

We bought drinks and went to our seats which were right up front. Marina chatted with many of the people around us – mostly those whose costumes she liked.

Our favorite conductor came out dressed as a dragon to start the show. We heard music from Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Mary Poppins and The Lord of the Rings. We both enjoyed the concert and we were fortunate that it didn’t take too long to get home.

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.