Tuesday, February 7, 2012

A Night to Remember

A Night to Remember
A Valentine's gift to a group of men and women born in 1941 and before.

The decorators went all out for A Night to Remember.

Seniors started arriving at 5 pm, and their hosts were ready.

The kitchen was so calm and organized that I was in awe.

I was also in awe of this hipster couple's coooool rags!

To say nothing of this dishy duo, who did lots more than dish out salad.

(They did dish more than a few platefuls of the crisp, green stuff, tho.)

A bunch of the young adults brought soup...delicious soup, too!

It wasn't exactly a soup kitchen, but it was definitely a soup cultural hall!

And it didn't take long for the joint to fill up.

In fact, the joint was pretty much hoppin'...

And so was the show, beginning with the violinist.

(rapt audience)

(highly humorous master of ceremonies to the left)

Gotta love a sultry siren singing "Willow, Weep for Me."

This chanteuse wrote a love poem to the folks and sang it a cappella.
(exquisite)

While this young woman sang "Fly Me to the Moon."
(We landed safely.)

Remember "Cockeyed Optmist" from South Pacific?

We sure do, thanks to this sweet and sassy singer.

Another lovely lady sang "Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me."
(She killed it.)

(Even though love is doing pretty well by her just now...) heehee

This pair put Dancing with the Stars to shame with their Lindy Hop.
(Whoa, Daddy-O!)

While our oh-so-sultry siren came back with "The Look of Love."
Ahhhhh...like buttah.

The barbershop quartet belted out "Heart of My Heart"...
(with so much panache we made 'em do an encore).

I guess there's no respite when you're this good!

My hubby, Bishop Dave, got up at the end to say a few words.
(Sweet,funny, and more than a little inspirational.)

Then he called up the two great gals who spearheaded this effort.
(Needless to say, the audience gave 'em some love.)

Boy, did they ever pull off a wonderful evening!

(With a little help from their friends, of course...)

Actually, they had lots of help...and lots and lots of friends, too. Rumor has it that the gym was chock full of young adults the night before this event, and they didn't go home until 12:00 AM. It takes a lot of effort to make a big hall like this look magical, and the dropped ceiling was only part of the world-class decorating they did. That place looked ready for a wedding! Honestly, we are so proud of them all that we can't even express it, from the way the place looked to the way the food tasted to the amazing show they put on for one very appreciative audience. Perhaps a 90-year-old guest (who looked about 70, by the way) said it best of all when she came up and tearfully expressed her gratitude to arguably one of the greatest young single adult wards ever... She said that it was a wonderful evening, just wonderful, and that our young people's hearts were clearly filled with love.

I think she got it right. They gave their audience last night the loveliest of gifts, and every single person in attendance was so, so happy to receive it.

Great job, Monta Vista ward!


=)

PS. And yes, for those who are wondering, my introductory poem went off just fine. I'll post it (or at least, excerpts of it, because it's pretty dang long) later this week.

click below for more happiness

26 comments:

Unknown said...

That looks like a magical evening.

larainydays said...

Unbelievable. What a sweet gift for both the givers and the receivers.

Brian Miller said...

how cool is that...what a treet as well...it looks like it was decorated really nice...and sounds like a lot of fun to be had...great gift

Leovi said...

Wonderful photos, a fun dinner, I love the decor and lighting.

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

Looks like a wonderful event.

Betty Manousos said...

that looks like fun!
looks a great evening had by all!

anitamombanita said...

oh, seeing some of those senior faces made me smile...will you say hi to Bob Crozier for me, pleeeease. I always got such a kick out of him; seeing his face made me miss him....and those MV "kids" are awesome!

jen said...

Great idea. We have a single ward in our stake. Hmmm.

Gina Kleinworth said...

Looks like a VERY ENJOYABLE event.

Daydreamer said...

Looks as if everyone had a great time, killing you softly with her song..or not lol

Unknown said...

what great decor... and SOUP! and SONGS! Such a fun night.

LeAnn said...

Wow, lovely decorations, music, food, entertainment and loads of fun. What more could you want!! I am so impressed. I find that a lot of wards don't make much of an effort any more to put on a great event. Sad, I think!
Thanks for sharing it all in your usual flare for writing.

Jen said...

Everyone looks like they had a great time from the helpers to the Seniors! Awesome!

Donna said...

Looks like a wonderful evening that made lots of magical memories!!!

Unknown said...

I am totally impressed. What a great bunch of young adults. Truly they gave those folks a night to remember.

Darlene said...

I would have loved being there. It sounds like a great time was had by all. The decorating was terrific! No wonder those young people were up so late doing it. The program must have been wonderful. I can't believe all that talent. We have so little in our ward that it is sad.

There is just nothing like a well designed thought out ward party. I am looking forward to the posting of your poem though, so don't forget.

Karen Mortensen said...

Looks and sounds like a fun, fun night.

Grandma Honey said...

What an unforgettable evening in so many ways! I'm sure the YSAs learned much, and what love they spread. It was obvious they went all out....even right down the the chair covers..it DID look like a wedding!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

That type of evening...that era...is my era. My music. When lyrics meant something...and you could understand them.

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

That type of evening...that era...is my era. My music. When lyrics meant something...and you could understand them.

Jenny said...

Awwww...this is wonderful. You are all so darned cool.

karen said...

What a beautiful evening! You have some wonderful young adults, but I also say that they are only as great and inspirational as their leader. Kudos to Dave and his lovely wifey.

Caroline said...

Oh my! That looks like so much fun! What a special evening and it looks like they really gave everyone a night to remember!

p.s. I loved the decorations! That must have taken some time to pull together--that alone!

Susie Clevenger said...

What a beautifully magical setting...It was a happy event for giver and receiver and for me who just got a glimpse through photos

Connie said...

What a wonderful evening that must have been! I can imagine the young adults were there until midnight the night before. The decorations are beautiful!
Sounds like a good line up of entertainment.
What a blessing for the seniors.
What a blessing for the young adults.

Unknown said...

Looks like a lovely evening--and I knew you'd be a hit!