Happy New Year!

And, may all your baked goods rise to perfection in golden goodness.

Catching up a bit, after John's Aunt Pris' (please see the post below) funeral, John and I left for Utah to spend an extended visit with his mourning parents. They live in a suburb of Salt Lake City that's close to the beautiful mountains that make up the Wasatch mountain range. This includes the famous skiing-only resort of Alta, where we ski. I took some photos which I'll post later in the week, but we only skiied twice because my wretched knees were acting up. However, we did ski on the only day when it snowed.

One of the things that John's Aunt Pris really enjoyed was visiting with John's parents. She often joined them in Las Vegas (a 6-hr drive south from the Salt Lake City area) to gamble and enjoy the sights. In a way of celebrating her love for the town, we wound up taking a last-minute trip to Vegas the day after Christmas.

It was my first trip, so I took a few photos. Like the Utah pics, I'll post them later in the week as well.

Finally, John and I would like to thank everyone who has sent their condolences to his family for their tragic loss. We appreciate your sentiments as well as your prayers during this time. Also, thank you to everyone who participated in the Menu for Hope. The food bloggers of the world raised $60,000 (last year's take was $17,000) to help feed the world through the UN's World Food Programme. It's an honor to be a part of this thoughtful and collaborative effort.