Chihuly at his best

There are not words to describe the beauty of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and the glassworks of Dale Chihuly. It is breathtaking. Colorful. Regal. Whimsical. Eyecatching. I am SO glad that we spent the afternoon there. Our first exposure to Chihuly was the Spencer Theater, Alto, NM several years ago. We saw the magnificent ceiling of the Bellagio in Las Vegas four years ago, his work at the Wichita Art Museum, the Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma as well as the Tacoma Art Museum. And now this...what a blessing, and what joy the artist brings to all our lives. Our lives are enriched by this afternoon.

Congratulations to Pine Ridge Pres youth!!!

There is a Director of Christian Education and a Junior High Youth Advisor, who (foolishly--or maybe wisely?) challenged their young people to the following: raise $1000 for World Vision 30-hour famine and the youth could dress the adults in outfits of their choosing from the thrift store--to be worn in church on the following Sunday. AND - if they should raise $2500 (how could they possibly do that??), the youth could dye their hair the colors of their choice. Can you guess what these energetic and enthusiastic young people did? They raised OVER $2500 for World Vision, and were delighted to fulfill the challenge. Carla's hair is now huckleberry blue and pink..and will be that for the next few weeks! Our hats are off to these two, to the fabulous youth of Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church in KCMo, and to the generous folks who pledged to the cause. Since Carla is on her way to her national APCE meeting next week in San Antonio, her Dad has suggested she wear a pin that reads "Ask me about my hair", giving her the opportunity to share the story of what one church (properly motivated) can do for a good cause. We are SO proud of all of you!!

Reflections on Christmas

There are two different worlds in Las Vegas....the glitzy world of  The Strip with all its bright lights, no clocks, and way too many people...the pic of  the three Hiltons  taken as we left the Barry Manilow Show at the Hilton LV  (appropriate, don't you think?)  Jo & Scott spent 3 nights at Caesar's Palace, so we got a small taste of that side of the LV life.  The picture of Jo, Scott and Mary shows a part of the Christmas decor on The Strip.  And on the other hand--you have the permanent residents of Las Vegas who live normal lives, just like you and me - and rarely take in The Strip!

Included is a picture of the five Sparks grandchildren.   In the back is Carla Hilton.  The front row is our hostest (with the mostest!) Sally Sparks Suppe, Jo Hilton Peters (and yes, she does have pink hair!), Nancy Sparks, and her brother Steve, who both live in Phoenix.  Best of all was the joy my brother and I shared in watching our adult children thoroughly enjoy one another and share in Christmas preparations as well as clean-up!  Jim and I each have a son-in-law who fit right in and seemed to enjoy all of us as well.  My brother, Jim Sparks, and I are sitting in our niece Sally's home in LV, where we all headquartered for the holiday. Sally was a fantastic hostess, and what a joy to watch the younger generation be in charge. It was a Christmas with new traditions happening--Christmas Eve at Sally's was a Thai dinner, primarily prepared by Sally and her brother Steve, and the guest list included four young women students from Peru whom they had invited for the evening--a delightful addition to our family gathering.   Our Christmas afternoon gathering/dinner was part of Sally's tradition since she married in to an Italian family.  We were joined by some of her husband, Ray's, family and enjoyed a lasagna dinner.  

Christmas Eve worship was truly a highlight.  You will see Jerry pictured with Pastor Jim Houston-Hencken from First PC, LV.  Prior to this calling, Jim was an Associate Pastor at FPC Midland, and they are all like family to us, especially their children, Peter & Paige.  (See Paige's 10th birthday in a prior blog.)  The music program at FPC is magnificent, and we were overjoyed at hearing their 35-40 voice choir on Xmas eve as well as the Sundays we were able to worship with them.  (You may recall that we spent two months in Las Vegas with the H'H's following Jerry's retirement,  so we feel very much at home with that congregation.)

Christmas morning was just the Hilton family celebrating in our motor home, with our felt Christmas tree hanging on the wall.  This tree was originally made by my cousins, Sue and Carl (from Sequim WA) for his mom (and my aunt Bea) when she moved into the retirement home.  It is perfect for our motor home, and we love knowing who made it  and who has used it in past Christmases...just a little bit of family tradition from the Sparks side.

For more pictures of our Christmas in Las Vegas, click on this link:

http://cjoshoot.blogspot.com/  

You'll enjoy her pictures as well, and I didn't want to duplicate her choices, so please check her out.

The Sparks family last celebrated Christmas together in 1984 in Phoenix, and our parents were with us.  How they would have enjoyed this gathering as well..and it was a Christmas we will long remember.