31 for 21: #29 Live Action

Sorry I didn't post on Friday, but we had to jump through our hats to get to Chattanooga and see Disney Princesses on Ice.

My very-best-friend-for-a-million-years moved this summer 2 hours north of Chattanooga and made the spread between us 4 hours... Growing up makes friendships complicated sometimes. She is one of 3 friends that moved away in a 4 month period. For the record, nobody else is allowed to move. Seriously. Or it's going to feel like I'm the one who moved.

But, I digress, as usual.

She called a few weeks back and asked if me if I wanted to take all our girls to see Disney Princesses on Ice. Her husband could get a discount. Oh, yeah! She called back later offering to give Elise her ticket as her birthday present...which I said yes to, if she liked it. :)

So, after another awful Elise-afternoon (I'm beginning to wonder if we should write half-days into her IEP...) I threw myself out of the car-line on Friday and proceeded to get hung up on every single possible traffic slow-down.

We got there a smidge late, but in time for all the good stuff. We got there in time for Aladdin, which is one of Elise's favorites...but even Aladdin could not assuage the fear of going down the open stairs of an arena...so, we are there late, and Elise is doing a wail/growl thing as she inches down the stairs to our VERY good seats....only a few dirty looks... As soon as we find our seats, Elise is promptly spell-bound by the lights and music, the stairs forgotten. After every single program featuring a princess, Elise would turn to me enraptured and plead "More? or home?" She was thrilled EVERY time I promised more to come.

Elise LOVES baseball, basketball, and hockey. I find myself wondering if she loves the sports or the venue. She loves the live action stuff. She loves to cheer. She stood after every program and clapped and cheered and "woot, WOOT"-ed.

Rather than take out a home-loan for concessions and memorabilia, I snuck in Princess Polly Pockets and Goldfish..which they received at the intermission...and after the trip to the bathroom, up and down the stairs and apparently freaky sinks in the bathrooms, everybody deserved a prize for being associated with us!! I am thankful I went with a friend as loyal as family and I didn't fly solo.

After the intermission, the final program was the entire story of Cinderella. Complete with the mice and magic. Elise was utterly enchanted and captivated. She gasped and was bewitched at every turn.

I am, personally, not sure if I was more beguiled by the show or Elise's pleasure. I expected Amelia to be thrilled, for her little heart to be filled with all the princesses and magic, but I didn't know what to expect from Elise.

Disney proved why they are a power to be reckoned with, once again. And why their name is synonymous with magic.