Thursday, December 31, 2009

Rose Colored Glasses

Tomorrow marks 2010.

If I may, I must add something to your list of things to do in 2010. See the Broadway musical, Memphis! This is a MUST see. I've seen my fair share of musicals and plays over the years, but few of them have made an impression on me in the same way Memphis did. If you can see it on Broadway, all the better. If not, track down a roadshow or even a version done by your community theater. Whatever you do, try to make it your business to see this thrilling show.

Now, for a favorite Beeny tradition.

Richard and I spent our first New Year's together in 1998. I returned from New York days earlier and unwittingly picked up a fun pair of New Year's glasses. It was the whole end-of-the millennium-thing, so 1999 New Year's glasses seemed especially cool.

I had no idea when I bought them, that snapping a family photo while wearing New Year's glasses would become a family tradition.

A year after our first New Year's picture, Richard and I sealed a capsule at our wedding, with the promise to break the seal at a black tie affair in 2024, surrounded by all the same people who attended our wedding. I became fixated on how great a pictorial display of family photos would be at our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary party.

I don't know how many other photos we'll have, but we sure as heck will have at least one from each New Year's Eve. Before packing the photos and the glasses away each New Year's Day, I take a moment to type a short description of what we did and who we were with.

It's been fun to reminisce about how we've spent the past ten New Year's Eves. Some years festive and social - surrounded by family and friends. A couple other years Time Square and a Broadway show. Still others more subdued, joining neighbors for Chinese food and board games, and then of course there were a couple of years Richard and I had to set the self-timer on my camera because we literally did nothing but sit at home. Always something different, but always fun. Check out a few of our pics below.
So how about you? How will you be spending this New Year's Eve? Black tie and champagne or board games and Chinese? Or, is it something in the middle?

Pola, Matthew, and I arrive back in Dallas at 3:45, so New Year's Eve in our house will be Chinese with a dash of R & R. New Year's glasses included. How about you?

Signing off until next year!

10 comments:

Heather @ HouseofShine.com said...

Yep definitely a New Year's of hoping we stay up late enough to see the ball drop and getting a few foods of choice to eat at home.

In the long run those are my favorite New Year's Eve celebrations anyway...spent at home with family.

lindsaymarie said...

new year's eve for me will be a party at my apartment, the living room is covered in string lights and streamers and ready for dancing! i'm planning to spend the big midnight buildup on my roof, watching the fireworks.
i think one of my most distinctly memorable new years was spent at the baggage claim at the baltimore airport, after having watched the last sunset of the year (i think it was 2007) from the air. at the airport, strangers were all wishing each other happy new year, it was a pretty cool experience.
happy new year, HLA.

Cheryl Houston said...

Lindsay- the airport new years eve sounds very cool.

I'm not a NYE fan. After too many years of over expectations and my friends boyfriend hitting on me one year I pretty much packed it in. I can remember several years where I was at home either suffering from or recovering from strep throat.

One of our first NYE in Park City, UT was fun but for the most part I'd rather be tucked in at home with the ones I love. The boys will be with me tonight and I don't know what we'll do but I can guarantee it will not be wild and crazy.

Peggy said...

Although I'd love to be dancing on table tops signing Auld Lang Syne (which I don't know the words to)with loud music and streamers and blow horns.... mostly, and lately it's being in bed before midnight strikes.... getting old!

This year wil be weird, my 16 year old is going to a party, which is fine, but I'm just worried about him being on the road coming home from the party.

And DD is having a few girl friends sleep over, having Chinese food and playing board games while watching Chick Flicks that they finally understand at age 14.

But I must admit 1999 was quite interesting to see what would happen to EVERYTHING when we struck midnight into the new Milleneum!

Katie said...

I will heading to down to Louisville here in a few hours to ring in the New Year with all of my girlfriends from college. We will be having a nice dinner together and then heading out on the town for the night. (Peggy, we're going to Bardstown Road- the strip of road that we drove through that was PACKED with cars at all the bars).

Have a Happy New Year, HLA!

Peggy said...

Katie~ I remember that.... I thought it was cool ... I love adventures... it looked like a fun place to be at 23!!! You were a great tour guide....

Cristine said...

Matt and I were lucky enough to spend a NYE with the Beenys once. I have a picture of us with Claudia's special glasses. There's a special picture of the night down on our Hall of Foam in the basement.
We're very lucky to have friends in our neighborhood who have a NYE party. It changes from house to house but the core group of people are always the same. It's always good to be surrounded by friends
Happy New Year everyone. May 2010 be full of love and laughter.

cassie p said...

Well, I work tomorrow, and since I have to get up at 5am for work, I plan on being asleep by my normal time of 10pm! HAHA, I feel like an old woman (no offense ladies). But I am a "grown up" now with a job and a house and all!

Chaotic Kristi said...

friends gathered round in our home, keeping the pups safe from fireworks!

Robin said...

We had a gathering of friends and as a craft activity, we MADE 2010 glasses with some glitter glue. :-) If I had logged on in time I would have sent the template...