Holiday Jazz Game

I don't go to very many Jazz games any more but I thought it would be really fun to go to a game with Sean and Tashena while she was in town over winter break.  I got tickets for the game last night against the Portland Trail Blazers and not only was it a really exciting game but it was so much fun being with Sean and Tashena.  We laughed and laughed when we weren't cheering our heads off!  The Jazz were ahead for the whole game, sometimes by as many as 23 points, but they let the Trail Blazers come back in the fourth quarter to get within one point!  The last five minutes of the game were really exciting and the crowd at Vivint Arena was out of control!  I haven't been to any games this season and I hardly recognized the team (Sean mentioned the same thing) but the players that I did recognize played very well last night.  Donovan Mitchell ended the game with 35 points, including some key free throws in the final minutes and a three-pointer with one minute left in the game.  Joe Ingles hit quite a few three-pointers (he made six of them during the game) in the first quarter to open up the game for the Jazz and it was incredibly exciting to watch.  Rudy Gobert had an absolutely beautiful block against Damian Lillard in the final seconds that pretty much sealed the game.  Our new player, Jordan Clarkson, also had an impact in his first game in a Jazz uniform.  He ended the night with nine points (which is pretty good since he only had one shoot-around with the team to get familiar with the offense).  The Jazz ended up winning 121-115 (Tashena thinks that she is a good luck charm).  This game was so much fun!

Christmas 2019

I had the best Christmas with my family this year!  We had our traditional cinnamon rolls and orange juice and then spent most of the morning opening presents.  We take turns opening presents, one at a time, starting from the youngest (Sean) to the oldest (my Mom).

Santa Claus really came through this year!  I got an Instant Pot (I have vowed that I will use it), some new Dr. Martens boots (Sean mentioned that I get a pair every year), a bunch of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies on Blu-ray because I got rid of all my copies on VHS (Sean mentioned that I am the only person in the world who has physical copies of movies any more), and a season subscription to Broadway Las Vegas.

My sister made everyone a blanket with our names embroidered on them (she recently got an embroidery machine for her business).  We opened them at the same time and they were a really big hit!

Tashena got a new iPhone with a case and some new clothes.

Sean was a very happy boy because he got a PlayStation VR and some games.  He has been waiting and waiting for Christmas to come so he could play with it!  We will never see him again!  After opening presents most of us took naps until our big Christmas dinner.  After dinner we played cards and then Marilyn, Kristine, and I went to see the movie Little Women which we all absolutely loved (review coming soon).  It was a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2019

I spent Christmas Eve with with my family and we had so much fun!  We played Shanghai rummy all evening while eating all manner of treats (both of my sisters are excellent cooks).  Then, as is tradition,  Sean and Tashena opened their Christmas pajamas and modeled them for us (we all got Christmas pajamas this year but we didn't model them).

Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Houses 2019

Last night Marilyn, Sean, Tashena, and I made our traditional gingerbread houses.  We have done this every year since Tashena joined our family and we always have so much fun.  Here are our finished houses.

Making our gingerbread houses.

Sean's House.

Tashena's House.

Marilyn's House.

My House.

Our Gingerbread Village.

It was so nice to be able to relax all day and spend time with Sean and Tashena (I am so glad she is home from college for a little while).  I am really looking forward to a lovely holiday.

The Nutcracker 2019

Last night was such a lovely evening!  My friend Angela and I had a really fancy dinner at Bambara, one of my favorite restaurants downtown, and then we walked across the street to Capitol Theatre for a production of Ballet West's The Nutcracker.  I enjoyed both immensely!  Seeing this ballet is one of my very favorite Christmas traditions and I anticipate every scene!  The party revealing the Christmas tree to Clara and Fritz is enchanting, the Nutcracker coming to life and leading a group of toy soldiers against the mice is magical, and the dance of the Snow Queen and her snowflakes is dazzling!  When Clara and her Nutcracker travel to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, I love all of the divertissements devised for her entertainment!  My favorites are the Arabian dance because it is so exotic and the Russian dance because it is so athletic (it gives me goosebumps)!  I wait through the whole ballet to get to the Grand Pas de Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier because, in my opinion, both Tchaikovsky's music and William Christensen's choreography are incredibly romantic.  Sayaki Ohtaki danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy beautifully and she had great chemistry with Adrian Fry as her Cavalier.  I also really enjoyed Beau Pearson as Mother Buffoon because he was quite the ham (he even got the audience clapping which I don't remember happening before).  The children in the cast were wonderful and I especially enjoyed Jax Steele as Fritz because he seemed more mischievous than usual and Mother Buffoon's children because they were adorable.  Everything about this production is so magical, particularly the special effects as the Christmas tree grows in size, the snow falling in the land of the Snow Queen, and the fireworks in the finale, and it makes me feel like a child again.  I really enjoyed being able to see this ballet with Angela because she thought it was just as magical as I did!  It is the perfect way to celebrate the season and I highly recommend getting a ticket to one of the remaining performances (go here).