The whirlwind end of the year!

The end of the year was a real whirlwind!  After our three-month stint as Camp Hosts at San Elijo and the Thanksgiving jaunt to Quartzsite, we started making preparations for Christmas.  

After decorating the house, we delivered the animals to Alisa and Corey, picked up Brooke and headed for Las Vegas where we met Jacque, Jeff, Rachael and Kyndi for three days on “The Strip”.  Christmas decorations were abundant and the town was starting to wind up for the Christmas and New Year’s rush.

We walked the strip until we could walk no more.  The girls were fascinated by the sights and sounds.  We saw show girls,

 spiders,

water fountains,

beautifully decorated hotels,

and rode the roller coaster atop the New York, New York casino.

We ate until we could eat no more 

and went to a variety show. (They wouldn't let me take any pictures!)   All in all, we packed a lot into a short amount of time.

After Las Vegas, we all flew home for a “catered” dinner from Filiberto’s, our hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint across the street.  The eating and partying started in earnest the next day.  We all headed for Alisa’s for a giant reunion dinner.

The next morning, Claudia and I, along with Jacque, Jeff, Rachael and Kyndi headed for Scott, Tye and Kate’s for a terrific breakfast.  

We then returned home to let Rachael open her gifts before flying back to Texas for work. 

After Rachael left, the rest of us headed for Alisa and Corey’s again (they have the only house that will accommodate us all) for Christmas dinner.  There were 15 people there that night and we did put away some grub! 

The next few days were spent sightseeing the area and spending time with the kids before they had to fly back to Texas. 

Claudia and I want to wish you all 

a super and Happy New Year!