Bob’s Birthday Dinner, Christmas at DePaul

December 7, 2017

Tonight, Liz and I joined Bob and Julie for a nice dinner and a Christmas concert at DePaul. We had a bit of a rocky start, as everyone was fighting traffic to get to the restaurant… but things ultimately worked out in the end.

At White Oak Tavern, watching Bob open a birthday card and gifts. We were able to settle in with a drink, and got our meal served (and finished) with just enough time to spare.

We arrived, right at 7PM, at the St. Vincent de Paul Parish.

The whole exterior was lit up with these fantastic lights, that kept changing every few moments.

It was a really nice effect. And these projected images/designs were done on all sides of the church (along both Webster and Sheffield).

Inside, the room was already full to capacity when we arrived.

Admiring the interior.

Bob and I ended up standing behind the last pew. Liz and Julie found a seat, somewhere along the back (near the right side of this photo).

After a few songs, some of the organizers moved everyone back into the vestibule. They needed to clear space for the choir, who would eventually walk down the main aisle, and circle the entire room a few times, before eventually proceeding onto the stage.

Once the choir took the stage, a lot of us latecomers were allowed back in. And two rows of folding chairs were set up, to allow us seats. Bob and I were lucky to get a few, right behind the final pew.

The whole performance was right around an hour, a pretty perfect amount of time. While there were a few instrumental pieces at the start, the bulk of the performance involved the orchestra as well as the choir.

I was reminded a lot of my high school days, participating in both orchestra and choir. It was really nice to hear these familiar songs performed (with newer arrangements), in such a fantastic space.

Liz told us that for DePaul employees, there’s a lottery system in place for anyone who wants tickets to this event. She’s put her name in for the last three years, and this year was the first time she’s gotten tickets. Quite the gift for all of us.

Outside, some of the fancy electronics that projected all the colors and patterns onto the church exterior.

With it being just after 8PM, the four of us decided to head back to White Oak Tavern. Mostly because we saw they had a $5 special on champagne.

So nice, we did it twice.

We had a lovely post-concert meal, with a mixture of drinks and desserts.

While there were several dessert options, I ended up going with the carrot cake. And it was HUGE! I did give it a good go, but got 50% through it at best. Given the size of this thing, it felt like it was my birthday celebration.