Our Family "Holiday" Trip Part 1

Hello to you and Happy February!

A lovely month filled with thoughts and little reminders
that say I LOVE YOU and promises of spring. 

I hope this finds you well.

I am doing well. 

I'm very behind in my blogging because of some internet problems and a little discouragement combined. I'm going to work hard
at catching up. And I'm going to be working on the blog a little.

I'd like to change the name. Is that bad?
I want to change it to match my instagram 
account and the name of my business.
In case you don't know what that is, it's 
The Shabby Gypsy.
I would really appreciate your thoughts on that.

I have not had good experiences with posting lately.

I lost my last post that took me three hours to

complete.

But I'll not whine about it ;) I know everyone has

their issues with theses things from

time to time.

So... Here I am being brave..well not too.

It's taken me a week to feel like doing this again!

Haha.

I'm going to share about our Nutcracker trip and then 
there will another post about the For King and Country
Christmas concert that we adults attended.

How fun it was to surprise our grand 

daughters and our youngest daughter!
We made a mini-vacation out of it because Phoenix is 220
miles from our mountain home.

Not a very good picture but who doesn't love a giant peppermint cookie? 

It was delicious! The six of us shared it.... We were saving our 

dessert allowances for later.

Driving into Phoenix many times offers a lovely sunset.

The Saguaro cacti add such beauty to the landscape. 

A timeless desert treasure. They are actually protected by laws.

Our motel room was lovely. My husband always does a great job of choosing our accommodations. Thank you, Honey!  

I brought a long all kinds of food, Christmas books to read, cozy throws and decorations to celebrate the holiday experience. 

It made it much more like home.

I wanted to have a little something for the girls

and were the giggles excited to see gifts under the tree! 

This sweet threesome came from the holiday craft show that I went to.

They are on my list of favorite things.

Hungry munchkins enjoying a snack. Jeff had picked this little party

tray up and it was perfect!

This little peanut LOVES her hot cocoa! It's not just the lovely flavor but 

I'm sure, in her little heart, that she associates it with celebrating cozy, family times.

Don't most of us? I do for sure. She was so happy that we brought some along. 

Can you tell? It just makes me smile!

Jammied, snuggle bugs with their new stuffed friends. 

 Getting ready for the Nutcracker Ballet. Even that part was so special. Isn't there just a magical excitement in the air while getting all dressed up to attend a special event?

The little princesses. The tiaras were a bit of a challenge to

 keep on their heads but it was so worth it! Every little girl deserves to feel 

like a princess many times over.

The tree in the motel lobby. I always enjoy traveling during the holidays. The festive feeling seems to envelope everyone and transport us into a happy bubble of time. The lights..decorations and the anticipation of holiday gatherings, celebrations, special events,  food and the giving of gifts. I love it all!

I apologize for the quality of some of my photos. Sometimes you're 

feeling thankful and doing good just to capture the moment!

The excitement is building as we leave in the motel shuttle. Jeff was particularly thankful for this because our 15 passenger van does not fit in the parking garages! Also, finding a good spot in the downtown area during a big event,

 can be a real challenge.  

Those are some happy faces!

My daughter liked the bathroom mirrors. 

Oh.. what a gorgeous smile she has and those eyes just light up!

(hmm.. does she look a little mischievous?)

 Sorry... A proud, mama moment.

Here we are about to enter into another world. As the orchestra music begins

 and fills the room,  you hold your breath and wait for the magic to unfold. 

The following photos are property of the Ballet Arizona website gallery.
As I'm sure you know that cameras are not permitted during the performances.

Words cannot express the feelings I had while watching as these dancers took on their roles so perfectly and led us through this outstanding and most beautiful production.

The lighting, costumes and stage sets were so magnificently created and we were drawn into the drama, suspense and gloriousness of each scene!

The grace, poise and energy of every dancers flowed to every 

corner of that hall and left us in awe. 

The curtain call. 

What a triumphant accomplishment and unforgettable experience

 to be part of something so utterly perfect and divine.

What a wonderful time we had. 

It was a delight and such a privilege to be able to attend.

 I would love to see it again and again!

*************

Here are a few facts about the Nutcracker.

Ivan Vsevolozhsky and Marius Petipa adapted Hoffmann's story for the ballet. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music. Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov designed the dances. The Nutcracker was first performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on 18 December 1892.

(from simple Wikipedia)

While reading through the program, we learned that

 a pair of pointe shoes costs

about 75 dollars and they only last for one performance. The AZ Ballet budget for these special shoes, alone, is 200,000 a year!  

Our tickets were quite pricey and we learned that the cost 

of our tickets covers only a portion of the cost of the production.

The company is sustained mostly by donations.

This photo speaks for itself!

So sweet!

Thank you for being so patient. It was not my intention

 to be posting about Christmas on the first day of February!

But I hope you enjoyed it.

_____

Now to share just a tad about what's happening currently.

I've been deep cleaning and de-cluttering and doing some decorating. When I 

declutter my house, it also de-clutters my head. 

(Did you know that clutter has been named as one of the #1 stressors for women?)

It's been much needed and I'm enjoying the moving around 

of some of my vintage

suitcases and books. 

I'm putting the finishing touches on my winter canvas and enjoying the elk

in our fields. The heavy snow has driven them down to the lower country

to feed. They are so beautiful!

I'm also working hard at focusing on my work and making better use of my time

Puttering is such a robber.

What have you been doing?

 I hope you're staying warm and enjoying 

this last little bit of winter.

Thank you so much for coming by.

Peaceful wishes for your week.

Tamara XO