Birthday + Anniversary

Tim had a business meeting in St. George and we also celebrated my birthday and our anniversary, which both happen to be in November.

We made a quick stop in St. George. The temple their is so beautiful at night. I love our pioneer temples.

While Tim was at his meeting, I enjoyed shopping at the outlet stores. I got a little head start on the Christmas shopping. It was a beautiful day, 70 perfect degrees.

Then Tim drug me off to Sin City! It is a place you love to hate!

Is there any place like Vegas?!

... And what happens in Vegas stays Vegas! Really if it wasn't for the great shows they have there, we would never set foot in the place. Don't worry, I came home a winner!

We stayed at the Mirage, very nice!

This is the lobby of the Venetian where The Phantom of the Opera in playing, it is very impressive.

Another view of the lobby ~ so beautiful!

There is entertainment wherever you go.

Even if you think you've seen The Phantom of the Opera before, believe me, you've never seen it like this. I have seen it in Los Angeles and here in Utah but this production of Phantom surpasses them all.

We arrived at the theatre about a half an hour before the show was to begin and found it was very quiet and no one waiting in line. So we inquired to what was going on and found out Nevada does not use daylight savings time. Oh well, it gave us a little more time to work the slot machines!

The theatre design resembles the Opera Garnier in Paris. This is the first time Phantom has been performed in Las Vegas. David Rockwell, one of the most renowned designers of today, designed the $40 million custom-built theatre.

... Complete with red plush seats and curtains, gold statues and carvings, a hand painted ceiling topped with an 80-feet wide dome … and opera boxes lining the sides. The opera boxes have 70 colorful mannequins, which happen to built in Belgium. None of them are alike and each was has on a authentic period costume.

The centerpiece of the theatre is the chandelier. From our seats, Tim and I could almost reach out and touch it! It weighs 2,100 pounds and cost 4.5 million dollars to create. The shimmering chandelier is comprised of 29,444 individual crystals that were hand strung. It was breathtaking. In this version of Phantom, the chandelier hangs in four pieces during the beginning of the show. The spokes of the ceiling's dome support 32 cables that guide the chandelier into place and it takes 40 individual computers, complete with navigational software, to run the chandelier. During the show's climactic scene, the chandelier falls 45 feet in three seconds and stops only 10 feet above those seated beneath it – we could feel the wind rush as it fell.

The entire theatre is filled with surround sound speakers – the music is provided by a live 19-piece orchestra. So amazing!

Using Christopher's rating system it was a ten out of ten or an A++!

Phantom is billed as The Las Vegas Spectacular and I am telling you, it definitely lives up to its name. It is timeless and we left the theatre wishing the music of the night would never end!

Then say you'll share with me
one love, one lifetime
let me lead you from your solitude
Say you need me with you here, beside you
anywhere you go, let me go too ...

Thanks to my sweet husband for a chance to stop and smell the roses!