Holiday Celebrations!

Just because the calender says it's January doesn't mean that the holidays are over! Quite the contrary, when the new year rolled in, the celebration has just begun! My personal feeling is that 2010 is going to carry the theme of New Beginnings! Not only is it the start of a new decade, but for so many of my dear friends and family, we're all looking forward to wonderful blessings in 2010!

Because our celebrations are just beginning, last night we were so blessed to help start the year of New Beginnings with good friends, both old & new! We were invited to share in a wonderful evening filled with laughter, love and the most amazing meal with friends through my fiance's office. One couple has been friends of ours for a long time, I just met the hostess and her wonderful husband for the first time last night. What a wonderful, welcoming couple they are.

While the temps outside here in WI were -3 last night, around the family dinner table the temperatures were so warm and full of love! There was a beautiful fire in the fireplace, the candles were all glowing and the Christmas trees (yes, plural treeS) were all still up and decorated beautifully. We toasted a new year, we toasted to our new engagement and we toasted to the prospect of an improving real estate market.

From the very first Waterford Crystal Goblet of a fine white wine from Carmel, CA to the last drop of delicious Kona coffee, and the last crumb of the delectable dessert plate (German Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Cheesecake... mmmmmmm) the evening ranked first class every step of the way.

I've never seen someone entertain so effortlessly and make an entire meal from scratch while conversing with such ease in my life. Diane, my darling, you and Tony are the ultimate hosts! Your cooking was absolutely stellar... your tenderloin, melt-in-your mouth delicious. I've never had a pear served how you had prepared them. The pear was baked in a 3 stage process. The surprise was that the pear was cored and stuffed with a jalapeno pepper. So if you can envision, the sweetness of a ripe, juicy pear, enhanced by the spice of a hot jalapeno pepper... melded together with a divine sauce and baked to perfection... yes, that was a very special taste. (you'll have to note the picture... it was the dessert plate. See, the meal was just so wonderful, that I forgot to snap memories of the beautiful table setting or our other wonderful courses.)

To all my good friends, family and blog followers, I hope 2010 is a year of New Beginnings for you too! There's wonderful blessings happening everyday, sometimes we just need to stop a moment and open our eyes just a little bit wider. Slow down and enjoy the celebration!