Last week I went to Disney's Frozen on Ice with my dad - and for the first time in forever, we spent some quality time together. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration (I really just wanted to make a Frozen reference in the title ;)…) my dad and I aren't that distant, lol. I guess what I mean to say is that since going away to school, I haven't been able to spend as much quality time with him or with any of my family. However, now that school is over - I have been trying to scoop up these moments even more-so. It's like being away from home (for school) made me realize just how special things like this are, and that they should never be taken for granted - and therefore, I've grown to appreciate them much more.

Now I know what you're thinking… what "grown" adult goes to see Disney's Frozen on Ice with their dad…? I may be 22, but that doesn't stop be from being a Disney fanatic - and it certainly doesn't stop me from going to Disney's Frozen on Ice (with my dad). Most 22 year olds would probably be too embarrassed to go to such a thing with their dad (let alone write a blog post about it), but not me … haha.

(terrible lighting, but you get the idea)

I didn't care that I was primarily surrounded by giddy 4 year old girls dressed as Anna / Elsa. I was also pretty giddy myself… ;D. While I didn't dress up in a full blown Anna or Elsa dress, I did sport a side braid and wore a blue shirt (obv. channelling my inner Elsa ;)…). My blog doesn't cover fashion / beauty because it isn't really my forte, but I will share this short little aside with you. I rarely if ever braid my hair to go out in public (lol) because I find that I always have problems with it falling out. And yes, while braids are supposed to be somewhat messy with pieces of hair looser than others - mine always tend to fall out nearly completely and I find myself constantly having to re-do them over and over again and ain't nobody got time for that on-the-go. I stumbled upon a "Faux-Braiding" Refinery 29 article a little while ago, and bookmarked it because I have always been intrigued by braids, but have never been able to do them. My hands just don't have that kinda patience / skill… lol. I have looked up many video tutorials, but I don't know how to hold 15 different sections of hair when I have only 2 hands… haha. BUT! Fear not - if you have similar troubles - because there is hope -- even for me. I was super excited about the "Faux French Braid" that R29 demonstrated in this article because it offered a simpler (or at least - it seemed simpler to me) solution to French braiding that more or less created the illusion of a French braid through a series of "knots". I altered it slightly (but used the same technique) to make it a side braid… because Elsa sports a side braid ;). I was pretty proud of myself, and thus took a selfie (which I typically despise taking). It may not be "legit," but I think it certainly faked the appearance of a real French braid pretty well - and it didn't fall out by the end of the night!

We saw the show at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, and the drive into Brooklyn reminded me of / felt like we were driving back to Pratt. It was a relief knowing that's not where we were headed, lol. Instead, we drove past it and continued until we arrived at Barclays. We got there a few hours early because we wanted to beat rush hour traffic, so we had some time to kill. We went into the Atlantic Terminal Mall (which is right next to Barclays) and went into Target (for no particular reason really). We found ourselves pointing out and poking fun at all of the Frozen merchandise there was - literally every aisle we went down had something Frozen. We saw Frozen bedding, sippy cups, dolls, board games, clothes, etc. This wasn't shocking, but I guess we were more apt to notice it all since Frozen was on our mind for later that evening. And while it may have been silly, it was quite fun actually. In the toy aisle, I joked that I was going to get a (way too small) singing light up Elsa dress and wear it that night. Basically plaster Anna or Elsa's face on anything and its sale value instantly increases, lol. Olaf's head was also a big selling point… at Barclays they tried selling snow cones in Olaf head-shaped cups for $16 - basically, you were paying for Olaf's head.

We ate dinner at Shake Shack (which was conveniently right next to Barclays). We saw so many little girls dressed up that were clearly going to the show also. After we ate, we headed over and sat down in our seats. We got there about 30 minutes or so before the show started, so I made my way down to the floor level. I wanted to get some shots up close of the rink because it was colorful and pretty … ;). I was able to snap a few before getting yelled at by one of the seating officials… who told me I needed to go back to the seat I paid for. (Oops. #sorrynotsorry). I knew I'd probably get yelled at, but took my chances anyways.

There was a woman with five small children sitting behind us (maybe aged 3-7 or so)… and they were beyond excited. At points they were screaming / "singing" so loud that I could barely hear the audio from the show itself. I also got kicked in the back of the head many times. I guess that's one downside of going to a show where the audience is dominated by little kids. However, I didn't say anything, and decided to just merely let it go because I didn't want to spoil their night, but it was still annoying. The woman turned around during intermission and "apologized" but she still proceeded to say nothing to the kids about their behavior… so it wasn't a real apology… She also made a comment to me and my dad saying that we were "worse" because we didn't have any "kids" with us. #howrude #disneyisforeveryone #goawaytroll

It was every bit as magical and incredible as I could have ever hoped it would be. As a girl who's never been to Disney World / Disney Land (still working on this goal) and who has never been to a Disney on Ice show before - it was a real treat. Frozen couldn't have been a more perfect "Disney on Ice" production. I mean come on… when they came up with the idea for Frozen - they must have known it would be a no-brainer brilliant idea for Disney on Ice. The show opened up with classic Disney characters taking the ice (i.e. Snow White, Ariel, Cinderella, Woody, Buzz, Nemo, etc. - and of course, Mickey and Minnie). Everything from the lighting, the special effects, the skilled skaters / performers, and of course the music -- it was really all quite something else. I was not expecting sparks to fly, "snow" to fall, or for the giant blow-up ice monster to be fuming ice breath. Speaking of skilled skaters - it still amazes me that they were all as talented as they were. The guy playing Kristoff did a few back flips on the ice, and my mind was blown. It was basically like watching a Broadway show - but on ice. Every person probably had not only a background in theatre and acting - but also in ice skating / dance.

One of my favorite quotes by Picasso is:

Every child is an artist.
The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

This may be a pretty bold thing to say - but I feel like art school ironically beat out the artist in me, and therefore beat out part of the child in me. A large part of my time since graduation has been trying to find my way back to being an "artist" and following my heart more than my head / what other people are telling me to do.

Frozen being directly related to being an "artist" may be a bit of a stretch, but I think it certainly relates to feelings about "being a kid." I feel like Disney is one of those things that was meant to be loved by all ages - young and old. No matter how old you are, you shouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed to love Disney (among many other things). I hope this post has maybe reminded you that it's okay to channel your inner kid from time to time - and to not lose sight of the innocent curiosity that you once had.