2012 Starting with a Bang

2012 started out with a death, a premature birth, a rush to the hospital, wisdom teeth extraction, a biopsy, walking pneumonia, a near car wreck, a lock down, and a lay off scare. These things happened either in my own family, or in our extended family. If one of these happened to you then you know who you are;) These events kept us on our toes, or better yet on our knees. I am so grateful for the merciful hand of the lord in watching out for those we love and answering fervent prayer. Prayer works. Fasting with Prayer works even better.

But before we get to any of that, January started just as it did last year; a girls trip to Hurricane UT to celebrate Sadie's birthday. With my grandmother nearing the end of her earthly journey in a matter of days we were surprised at my mom's decision to come along at the last minute. I realize how badly she must have needed to get away. The break was good for her.

Last year Lindsey Taylor came on the trip with us and I told her when we got back that she could just picture the trip from the previous year and feel like she was there with us again. We did so many of the same things; Cafe Rio in Cedar, movie night in Hurricane (go to War Horse only if you hate horses, not if you love them), Friday shopping in St. George, lunch at Applebee's, and a trip to the mall till it closed. The only thing different was that we picked up cupcakes at Sweet Tooth Fairy instead of doughnuts at Lynn's. I like to be with someone when they taste Sweet Tooth for the first time, however, we were too full from Applebee's to eat them right away. Instead we brought them back to the house for later. We got laughing at Lindsey's funny stories till we were in tears, just like last year! She's a good story teller. When we started getting delirious we figured it was time for bed. As it was nearing midnight Sadie said, "I didn't have cake on my birthday." I went in to brush my teeth while Sadie must have decided to bite into her cupcake. I heard a moan from the kitchen, "This is a good cupcake!" That was all it took for us to join her with forks in hand.

(Oh the debating that went on before Sadie decided to buy this purse.) A birthday dream come true.

On Saturday the three of us headed into Vegas leaving our dear mother alone in Hurricane. This felt strange but we all agreed that since she didn't have a ticket to the show, sitting in a comfortable house was a better option than sitting alone in a vegas hotel room. Using Matt's Marriott points we got checked in and got ready to head into the strip. It's a good thing we didn't dawdle because I took enough wrong turns to make up for any extra time we may have had. That was why once I parked the car it stayed parked till it was time to head back to the hotel. We walked to the Gand Lux Cafe because ever since last year, neither Lindsey nor Sadie could get their delicious meals out of their heads. By the time we walked back to Caesar's Palace we had only minutes to spare before.....CELINE!!!!! We all wore sparkles and were certain at any moment we would be mistaken for Celine herself. All three of us have been to her show previously, but this time it was completely different. It's got a more classic feel; simplified, yet elegant. The most amazing thing about the show though is always her voice, it's buttah on your ears. It's easy to get choked up at the beauty of it all. 

The conversation that went with this picture. Sadie: "I think my eyes were closed." 
The guy checking the picture, "No you're fine."

I was glad Lindsey had also given him her camera.

We were too wound up to go right back to the hotel after the show so we walked next-door to Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate. We couldn't stop talking about the show, the details, the songs, the clothes, the scenery, the duets. Sadie was certain Andrea Bocelli had died. I had to look it up when we got home and sent her an exact quote that said, "Though the rumors are that Bocelli has died, it is actually Pavarotti who croaked." But back to Serendipity. The frozen hot chocolate was good but not that much different from a frosty at Wendy's. Maybe that is because we were eating it wrong. Our waiter came to the table to tell us, "You are suppose to use a straw, not a spoon." The late night crowd had come out of the shadows we noticed as we walked back to the car. Here is what I have to say: Stay away from Vegas, nothing there is worth seeing that is worth wading through the filth to see it...except maybe Celine;)

Back in our room we chatted on some more till our eyelids could stay open no longer. The next morning my cell phone woke us around 8 am. I apologized as I tried to get it out of my tiny purse till I realized, wait, I left it on for one reason. We were waiting for THE call. This was it.