WOW!!!!

That's the only way to describe our first New Year's Eve in Rio!! It was amazing! Sierra took a short nap before leaving the house last night around 9 p.m. All of us dressed in white, as the custom goes here in Rio. We headed to our friends' (Mara and Rodrigo) house for a bite to eat and cocktails before heading to Ipenema for midnight celebrations and The Black Eyed Peas!! We returned home sometime after 4 a.m. took showers, ate pizza, and went to bed!!! (sometime right before 5 a.m.) The pictures are better for sharing the experience this time... Mara preparing to serve desert.The "girls" before leaving for the beach.Joining the crowds on the beach for midnight toasts.A New Year's toast.

The 3 of us after midnight, listening to The Black Eyed Peas!!

The crowd to the stage.

Mara, Tati, Rodrigo's Mom, and Me enjoying the night!!!

Singing and dancing and smiling and sooo happy!
Bathrooms were hard to find and harder to get to. At one point in the night Sierra and I both had to use the restroom in an amazing way. So she and I, with Joe's escort, ventured through the crowds. On the way back, The Black Eyed Peas began singing "Where is the Love" (my favorite of their songs). I danced through the street, with strangers, the whole song, on the way to meet up with our friends. It was unbelievable!

Showered, fed and ready for bed!!!