Happy New Year!

Pictures from New Year's Eve Prime Rib Dinner and Dance at Venture Out:

We had bought tickets for the Prime Rib Dinner in Baja Bistro (on the resort property). We got there about 15 minutes before it was scheduled to start and many folks had already gotten their food and were eating! These seniors, they are early to EVERYTHING!

Volunteers were managing all the stations -- carving, handing out baked potatoes, refilling the salad bar.

Chef Arthur and the volunteers did an amazing job! It was all delicious!

Note: one of our line dance instructors last week said that VO (the abbreviation for Venture Out, the resort's name) stands for "Volunteer Often"! She was one of the carvers of the prime rib for the dinner!

We had also gotten tickets for the New Year's Eve "All that Glitters" dance...

Table decoration -- we had gone early (like about 20 minutes), expecting that we would be the last ones to arrive at our table. Our tickets assigned a table when we bought them and we knew that we were seated with 6 other people who had bought their tickets together. We were amazed to find that we were the first ones at our table to arrive!

They had a photo backdrop set up so we went over before the dance started to get our pictures taken...

Each couple gave their phone to the couple in line behind them to take the pictures!

Enjoying the end of 2023 and looking forward to 2024!

We figured that there were about 50 tables -- so about 400 people in attendance!

The music was provided by the Desert Brew Band. They played quite a range of music. We enjoyed dancing...

... there was a large group out on the floor for a line dance during the band's break (there were some folks line dancing to the band's music too).

At midnight, the balloons were released from the ceiling...

Kisses, champagne, and singing of Auld Lang Syne celebrated the beginning of the new year!

I think this was the first New Year's Eve party I have ever attended, and Carl said it was the largest he had ever attended. We were glad that we went, but... we are thinking that future New Year's Eves may be celebrated on NY time (earlier in the evening if we're out west) and in our own living room!