Cross One Off The Bucket List!

I never dreamed when I wrote "A Personal History With Champagne" in my blog last July 10 that some very special grandchildren of mine were paying attention.

Katrina hosted our Christmas get together today at her and Brad's home in Fort Dodge. We had agreed that this year we weren't going to give gifts - just be together and enjoy the day.......

which was the best gift possible for a grandma who doesn't see her adult grandchildren all that often anymore. Now that I'm retired, they're all working and busy. Zachary was going to have to leave early to get back to Des Moines to work. A quick phone call bought him an extra hour.

We didn't have a lot of time with Alyssa as she and Evan had Christmas with his family earlier in the day and didn't get there until late afternoon.
It was these three, Katrina, Zach & Alyssa who remembered what I had written in my blog - that there are three times a year I always drink champagne, that I've always wanted to taste Dom Perignon and that maybe it was time to start a bucket list with a bottle of Dom Perignon at the top of the list.

So when they handed me a gift bag with "Welcome To The Naughty List" printed on it, my first reaction was: "You weren't supposed to get me anything".  Then I realized it was a bottle and thought they had gotten me a nice bottle of wine. When I saw the wired top of the bottle, I stopped. "You didn't!" I said as I looked at each one. "You didn't, did you?" I could tell by the grins on their faces - they did. I pulled the bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne from the bag. To say I was flabbergasted would be an understatement. I could hardly believe what they had done for me.
My first thought was "I have to save this for a special occasion, but what will that be?" Katrina reminded me that I have three choices: New Year's, Mother's Day or my birthday. I've already decided my birthday is too far away. It might be Mother's Day....but what if I don't live that long?
I still can't believe I am going to be tasting Dom Perignon for the first time on New Year's Eve. I will use one of my crystal Claddagh glasses - and I will lift it in a toast to three of the most loving and thoughtful grandchildren of all time. Thank you for a very memorable Christmas. I love you.