The Light Foundation Scholarship Fund threw a fancy dinner to celebrate my 35th AA Anniversary. 70 friends, family and clients gathered in the Monet Ballroom at L’Auberge de Sedona for a delicious dinner and the most scrumptious cake designed by Andrea at Cake Couture. Opera Diva Ashley Galvani Bell entertained with arias from well-known operas accompanied by Karl Kessler on the viola and Chao Liao on piano.

It has been a custom throughout my sobriety anniversary dinners to give Angel Awards to those I know who have exemplified kindness and loving caring to others throughout the past year. This year, the 4-year old Carney twins, Livia Lauren and Augusta Elle, who I refer to as “the gorgeous geniuses” got the Littlest Angel Award, as well as their own personal celebratory cake. Other recipients were Carmen Griffin, John Noonan, Jeremiah O’Brien and Priscilla Kruse.

Several friends of mine were asked to speak; Peter Fudakowski Oscar Winner for Best Foreign Film, Tsotsi in 2006 and was one of only five people at the dinner who had ever seen me take a drink, Gail Galvani Bell, one of the founding board members of the Light Foundation Scholarship Fund, Kathy G. Mezrano, owner of Kathy G. Catering from Birmingham AL, Peter Hummel, an entrepreneur formerly of Dallas, Texas and who now lives in Reno, NV, Carla Pennington, Senior Produce of The Doctors and the Dr. Phil Show and who has been through the Sedona Intensive and Kevin Schaefer, Senior Vice President – Wealth Management–Merrill Lynch, San Francisco, who has been a close friend of mine for 30 years also was a guest speaker.

My two adorable and sweet sisters, Jeannie Barron and Margie Gilbert from Birmingham, Alabama were at the gala as well.