The Lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City...

were beautiful last night.

We started the evening with A Christmas Carol, which was performed at the Hale Center Theatre in West Valley City. Highly recommended! Then we feasted at The Macaroni Grill in Salt Lake, and finished the evening with a walk through Temple Square. It was incredible! Every little branch supported a string of lights. My favorite spot was the reflecting pond with the illuminated floating bubbles.

That said, I'd like to remind everyone of the four basic food groups at Christmas. Candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup. ...Anyone know what movie this is from? It's one of my favorites.

And, to top things off, my youngest has decided to put Santa to the test this year. When he sat on his lap last week, he asked for a squirrel.

Yes, a squirrel.

A real, live, teeth-and-claws-squirrel.

His older brother, who visited with Santa next, asked for a pony and a girlfriend. To which Santa replied, "You're too old for the first, and too young for the second." Unfortunately, he didn't give the youngest a witty reply, so Christmas morning will be interesting, unless Santa finds a way to bait and trap some furry rodent while traveling over Wyoming or other nearby state that hosts such critters.

Happy Holidays!

Good Times

It's been a while since we met, but holidays and other events have a way of bringing friends back together, especially friends who love to talk about books (and many other things--some of which I could never talk about here--but that's what makes them so fun).

We met at local restaurant and were treated to many surprises of the evening, including dessert on the house and a bottle of wine bought for our table by a friend of a friend. Thank you, Paul! The 7 Deadly Zins is a new favorite vino. And thank you, Ted! You helped make the evening special.

I love these ladies. They are one of the many blessings in my life.

I don't know what I'd do without them.