All You Need is LOVE

...and a 48-hour getaway to Las Vegas. It also helps to have a good friend who is a hot shot with Marriott and who knows how to arrange fabulous accommodations and show tickets.

Cirque du Soleil shows are imaginative, amazing and non-stop feasts to the senses. LOVE is no exception. Inspired by the music of the Beatles, this show features gymnasts and dancers Here, There and Everywhere. Not sure which I enjoyed more - that cry-baby guitar or being in the sky with Lucy and all those diamonds.



The rest of the weekend was great fun, too, with fine dining, upscale miniature golf, dancing, and laughter. It was really Something!



No trip to Sin City would be complete without a celebrity sighting - like our breakfast encounter with comedian David Brenner.






We enjoyed our winter escape to warmer temperatures - but best of all was spending time with the Whitmans and the Wilsons. I always manage to get by With a Little Help from My Friends.

The Best Birthday Presence of All

Not a typo. My November birthday falls on or around Thanksgiving, and this past Thanksgiving holiday attracted our kids (and company) from their remote locations to our home on Hayden Lake. Consequently, I could not have asked for better birthday presents than the presence of my family and friends.



We happily reopened and dusted the Lake Place for the Thanksgiving weekend and our all-too-rare family reunion. This time we were also joined by Paul's mom Sue, Becky's friend Adam and Sam's friend Megan. In addition to Idaho, the states of Florida, Texas, Washington, California, and Wisconsin, were represented during my birthday weekend.













Food and celebratory drinks were on the agenda, along with jigsaw puzzles, robust board games, and outdoor pursuits.

The release of my long-awaited family cookbook prompted an impromptu signing by the self-published author. (The cookbook, however, will be the subject of future blog.)


My birthday could not have been brighter, literally.



But sharing our Thanksgiving table and savoring a multitude of blessings was upfront and center.