HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope that all your wishes come true and your 2013 is your best year ever!

New Year's Resolutions

Today we look back at 2012 and think about all the good and bad things that happened to us during the year.  There are plenty of TV programs covering the best and worst of 2012.  It’s also time to start making our new resolutions or goals, plans, whatever you call it.  It’s been said that by April or even sooner, the resolutions made are abandoned. But that's not my case.

I strongly believe in new year’s resolutions, which I prefer to call new year’s goals.  I have been faithfully making new year's goals since 1988.  I have a folder labeled “Goals / Plan of Action” where I have kept my resolutions since 1988 until 2007.  In 2008, I continued with the practice, the only difference is they are saved now in an efile in my computer. 

A tradition in my life has been to pause for a few hours on the 31^st, thank God for all His blessings during the year and then it's performance review time.  I take a look at the goals that I  had set for the near-to-end year.  How much did I accomplish?  I go one by one writing next to each resolution a “Yes” or “No” or “In Progress.”   I then proceed to start with my new list of goals for the new year.  I divide my list in categories like, for example, “Personal” “Financial” “Professional” and “Spiritual.”  Attached to my list, I have a series of pre-typed questions that I take the time to respond because I think that gives my life perspective.   The questions are: 

What would you like to have happen in your life this year?

What would you like to do, to accomplish?

What good would you like to attract into your life?

What particular areas of growth would you like happen to you?

What blocks or character defects would you like removed?

What would you like to attain – both little things and big things?

Where would you like to go?

What would you like to have happen in friendship and love?

What would you like to have happen in your family life?

What problems would you like to see resolved?  What decisions would you like to make?

What would like to happen in your career?

What would you like to see happen inside and around you?

Like I said, I have these questions pre-typed and I answer them year after year right after I have made my list of goals for the new year.  

Today I couldn't resist looking in my folder and reading the goals/resolutions I set many years ago.  I find it fascinating going back in time.  Just an example, in 1988, I wrote:  “Drive a Ferrari.”  What?  Lol!  I must confess that shocked me and made me laugh.  I can’t believe I wrote that.  Hmm, that was a naive and super ambitious Delma at the time.  By the way, we should make sure that our goals are attainable and work on a plan of action and a time frame.

I just love doing this every end of the year.  It’s such a good time to examine myself, my accomplishments and my failures.  Starting a year with a new set of goals is refreshing and gives my life structure and a roadmap to follow during the next 12 months.  

Are you a goal setter?  Do you typically set goals at the first of the year?  If not, why not?

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act.  There is no other route to success.” – Pablo Picasso

Merry Christmas

Mary - Did you know?

After having two extremely busy weeks in December, I am finally starting to mellow out and expect to have a few days of serenity and reflection. As a Christian, I celebrate the birth of Jesus, my Savior and redeemer. As a music lover, the song Mary, Did You Know is one of my favorites interpreted by American Idol Clay Aiken. View full screen because, you know, he is cute too. Here you have it.

Christmas at The Palazzo

On a cold and rainy evening, my visiting friend and I made a quick stop at the Palazzo and found these beautiful Christmas decorations with some friendly and “interesting” characters.  

Christmas at the Bellagio

Oh yeah baby, they did it again.  The Christmas display at the Botanical Garden of the Bellagio is absolutely beautiful.  They have several stunning polar bears, a beautiful horse, penguins, hundreds of poinsettias everywhere and a beautiful Christmas tree. 

Visiting the Botanical Garden at the Bellagio, and especially the Christmas display, has become a tradition for me since I moved to Las Vegas. I really enjoy the beautiful flowers, the attention to detail, the impressive decorations and, of course, the music.  At the time I went, they had two marimba performers.

It’s free to the public, it’s breathtaking, it’s crowded, it’s worth your visit if you are in Las Vegas.  Choose your favorite Christmas song from from my Playlist, turn volume up, and enjoy this amazing Christmas garden.

Polar bears made with more than 35,000 carnations.

Oh, oh, this baby bear was my favorite.  Isn't that cute?

Beautiful poinsettia trees.

Penguins ice skating at the sound of the Marimba players.  Cute.

Gingerbread village

Isn't this gorgeous!

My old-time favorite: the flower picture.

The Smith Center Private Tour

This week I had the privilege of touring The Smith Center for the Performing Arts also known as The Smith Arts Center. It was a one hour tour free to the public.

The Smith Center opened on March 10, 2012 at a cost of $470 million. The largest contribution, $150 million, was received from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. The building was named after the chairman of the foundation and his wife, Fred and Mary Smith.

Architect David M. Schwarz did a stellar job when asked to use a design similar to the Hoover Dam’s art deco style to build The Smith Center. The art deco style building has a tower at the corner with 47 bells. Everything in this building was very well thought out, including perfect acoustics, beautiful walls, chandeliers and stairways. The Italian marble when you enter the Grand Lobby is simply stunning.

The three main venues at The Smith Center are the Reynolds Hall (2,059 seats), the Cabaret Jazz Theater (258 seats) and the Boman Pavilion (250 seats).

Finally, Las Vegas has a high end arts center to host local and international artists. It is said that in Vegas we do things above and beyond and certainly The Smith Center is a perfect example. This is an elegant, classy and state of the art theater. I find it fascinating that now tourists will be able to integrate the arts into their numerous activities while visiting Las Vegas. What a spectacular evening would it be to have a nice dinner overlooking the Strip followed by a great performance at The Smith Center.

I’m looking forward to seeing the Joffrey Ballet coming up in January. I love ballet, so that will be a special treat for me and a special way to start my year.

I encourage any visitors coming to Las Vegas to visit The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Now, to us locals, we used to complain that we did not have a performing arts center. Well, now we do. Let’s support it in any way we can – by volunteering, by attending their great performances and even with donations, those who are in a position to do so. Let’s keep it clean and beautiful, it’s ours to enjoy and something else we have to be proud of.

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is located on 391 Symphony Park Ave., downtown Las Vegas.

THE SMITH CENTER VIRTUAL VIDEO

http://youtu.be/Vh6EnOXxP0I