Nutcracker March Dec 26th

Becky and "From Russia with Love" nutcracker

Harley and Becky with the "Penguin King" nutcracker

These images were taken by my father Pat De Grand. To see more photos please view our yahoo photo album at the following link: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bluediverbeck/slideshow?.dir=/7814&.src=ph
To view the actual website and to see all 50 nutcrackers click on the title of this post. There is a map on the site which shows where each nutcracker was placed. Like a scavengar hunt, we used the map to find as many nutcrackers as we could during our limited 2 hours parking alottment. We focused our search around Seatte's main shopping hub and holiday festivities in the Westlake Center. There we found Macy's all decked out with a huge star hung on the side of the building, a carousel, a gigantic Christmas tree with lights, horse drawn carriages, lights galore and much more! It was absolutely beautiful!

The life size nutcrackers were painted by Seattle artists and sold in a silent auction. The fundraiser benefited the NW Center which serves disabled children and adults. The event itself was sponsored by the Pacific NW Ballet.

On a side note.....a little bit about me you may not have known. When I was a very young girl I dreamed of being a ballerina. I have always loved ballet and was in ballet and dance lessons when I was 8. Unfortunately I was so shy that when my friend decided not to take dance the following year I was too afraid to take it by myself.

I have seen the nutcracker ballet in Seattle back in 1998 (before I began to lose my hearing or knew about NF2). Funny thing is when we went out for some food after the show I was asked by the restaurant to be in a tv commercial. Hehe. All I did was stand there and pretend to be very enthralled and cheering on this guy (who I think was the owner or marketing person) playing a pin ball machine. I never did see the commercial.

I absolutely LOVE the music of the Nutcracker Ballet. In fact I actually had the CD and played "Dance of the Sugar Fairies" when our bridesmaids and groomsmen marched down the isle of our wedding. We also played the rest of the CD as interlude music before the wedding started.