Let's Celebrate! - Christmas Parties and Our 48th Anniversary!

We returned to St. George from Hawaii from our wonderful Thanksgiving holiday on December 1,

and we jumped right into the next holiday.

We had three Christmas parties that week.

I enjoyed a nice Relief Society luncheon and program 

and the NAI Christmas Party was the next evening.

It was held at the entrance to Zion National Park at a nice restaurant, the Majestic View Lodge. 

We were served a delicious buffet,

then we played a slant board, bean bag toss game for money and prizes.

After about ten of the party guests had tried and missed,

Roger and I each tossed the bean bag in the $20 slot,

which put us in the group of about ten who competed for big prizes, like a big screen tv, 

a hover board, a large set of dishes, etc.

Neither of us got it through the holes on the prizes round,

but on the toss for money after that, I won another $20.

I guess it was that softball pitching I did 

in the vacant lot across the street when I was in the 5th grade!

NAI always has such fun parties!

We had a White Elephant gift exchange, 

and we won a new, really nice throw (under my feet).

This is the first time we have ended up with a nice White Elephant to take home!

That evening, after we returned home, Mindy and Jeff, with their friends Kristen and Craig and Jeno and Adam arrived and stayed overnight 

on their way to celebrate Jeff's birthday in Las Vegas.

Roger and I fixed them pancakes with fresh raspberries and candy bacon for breakfast, 

then off they went!

That night was our Branch Christmas Party, 
which was a nice ham dinner.

We have so many dear friends in this branch and our socials are always a lot of fun!

Monday night was a performance of the Southwest Chorale and Orchestra's performance of The Messiah, 

which I sang in when we first moved to St. George.

Anne and Jay Taylor invited us, with the two couples who were on the Viking Cruise with us, 

Annette and Lynn Taylor and his sister and Pat and Clyde Sitterud, over for dinner,

then we went to the concert together.
Oh, how I love, The Messiah!

Anne always sets such a lovely table.

We enjoyed these guys so much on our long cruise on the rivers of  Europe,

and it was a joy to get together with them again!

Anne served some yummy soup in a bread bowl, Pat brought a delicious salad 

and I made a chocolate torte for dessert,

in honor of Pat's obsession with chocolate.

Celebrating Our 48th Wedding Anniversary in Las Vegas

This was to be a bit of an unusual Christmas Season for us this year

because our first grandchild got married - 
Sydney Young to Jake Walker on December 19th.

We told Stacy that we would come early to help her get ready

(the reception was held at their home in their backyard in Mesa),

so we did all of our own Christmas preparations early, so we could head to Mesa, then stay over for Christmas.

We had our Branch Sacrament Meeting Christmas Program on December 13 instead of December 20 

so I could direct the choir.

We performed, "Angels We Have Heard On High,"

"It Came Upon A Midnight Clear," with a male and a female soloist (they sounded amazing!),

and "Silent Night," all with piano and violin accompaniment. 

Many came up and told me how they now had the Christmas spirit.

Right after our meetings, we packed up the car for our 13-day stay in Mesa and headed for Las Vegas 

to celebrate our anniversary and stay overnight at the Aria.

Roger sweet-talked the check-in person (no one can believe that a couple can stay married for 48 years!) 

and we were upgraded to a 180 degree view of The Strip in a Junior Suite.

This time of year is always a good time to stay in Las Vegas

because there are typically not the big crowds so close to Christmas,

but there were still plenty of party revelers around!

We booked a reservation at Le Cirque in The Bellagio.

The original famous restaurant is in NYC

 and it is known for its gourmet French cuisine.

We each ordered from a prix fixe, three-course menu.

They first served a wonderful sashimi appetizer and the most delicious selection of unusual breads.

For a first course, I ordered the lobster and avocado salad.

Amazing!

Roger ordered the yellow-tail Hamachi salad.

He loved it!

For our main courses, I had the John Dori fish fillet with grenadine-poached rhubarb and warm eggplant salad

and Roger had the paupiette of potato-crusted sea bass.

Oh. my. goodness!

For dessert - 

chocolate souffle for me . . .

. . . and their famous chocolate ball,

which disintegrates when the warm sauce is poured over it,

for Roger. 

They also brought a beautiful little plate of truffles after dessert, 

and they presented us with a clever little box of chocolates for our anniversary.

After dinner, we walked through the Bellagio terrarium, 

which is always beautifully decorated 

with live flowers and plants for Christmas.

Roger set up the camera, 

standing in the exact spot and focusing in on it, to get a couple shot.

We waited and waited for the right stranger to walk by to take our pic,

and (oops!) this is what we got.

Oh, well, maybe next year!

And, by the way, in case you didn't notice,

I got a lot of mileage out of my silver Christmas poncho!
And I wore it a lot more throughout the Season.

Next day, after a delicious lunch at our favorite, Mon Ami Gabi,

we drove to the SAS shoe outlet 

to get my Christmas present from some of the kids.

These are so comfortable!

Then we hit the road for Mesa.

Before I leave my post on our pre-Christmas, 

I wanted to show our decorated house, with our stained-glass Nativity.

And new this year is the beautiful little pieced quilt my sister, Joan quilted for me.

The Gabrielsens trade names for Christmas, and this year the Morrises had Roger and I.

Doesn't it look pretty on our little table behind our couch?

I will treasure this and every year it will remind me of my much-loved, very thoughtful and talented sister!

Now, off to Mesa!