The Auction
Marilyn mistressmarilyn and I are back from the 'Hearts & Roses' Benefit Auction we attended this evening. Though we both placed bids on a number of packages during the silent portion, we were unfortunately out-bid on almost ever item. (It happens.) So the evening cost us far less than it might have. (smile)
The dinner tickets were $75 per person. (Which I believe is a fairly standard price locally for most charity auctions.)
The catalog included a letter of greeting from Mayor Potter and was really nicely done. The venue was good -- and not far from our house -- and the dinner was excellent! (You don't often see that at charity events, so we were pretty impressed! Steak and shrimp served with new baby potatoes and asparagus with absolutely the best Hollandaise sauce I've ever tasted -- even in upscale and expensive restaurants. Yummy!)
The Special Appeal was in support of the all-city band, which performs in the Rose Festival's Grand Floral Parade. It was heart-warming to see $15,000 raised. Marilyn and I made a donation of $100 for the appeal.
We tried bidding on the Sunriver Getaway, which was a nice package! One week in a Sunriver Condo with no seasonal restrictions, that included tickets to attend the High Desert Museum. But we quit after our bid of $750 was topped. (grin) Just as well!
We found out tonight that there's a good chance we might still get to take our Las Vegas trip, though! We bid on a Las Vegas package at our own autumn auction in 2004 -- and were slated to take last August. We were going to see The Boys appearing in concert at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, on Saturday, August 27. We'd booked the trip and paid for our concert tickets, but we bowed out at the last second when our cat April got so sick. We were on death watch that entire weekend and the following Monday. We had her put down on Tuesday, the 30th.
We never regreted that decision. We couldn't have left her home when she was so ill. We'd have worried the whole time we were away, meaning we wouldn't have had a good time. And to come home to a dying cat? We'd have never forgiven ourselves. We figured it was okay to let the trip go, money spent or not...
And we'd given our trip away to our friend Leslie, who had arranged for the donation of the trip to the auction in the first place. She used the package for her 40th birthday celebration in Vegas. But tonight we attended the auction with her, and she told Marilyn she'd see what she could do to get the trip for us! What a nice surprise! Neither of us will hold our breath, in case she can't work it out. But it would be lovely if she could.
(We had such a great time in Las Vegas last April for Marilyn's 50th birthday. That's the last time we were there.)
It was delightful to be in at an event where we were both treated like queens. Seriously! The men were attentive and flirtatious. And the women were friendly and warm. There were lots of hugs and kisses, which was just right for an event with a Valentine theme!
Marilyn looked fabulous, as always, wearing a short black dress covered with a rose design. She also wore the crystal heart necklace I got her years ago when I worked at Lipmans, which was a very upscale department store in those days. (Long since bought out by the May Company.)
I wore black dress slacks with my black, pink and red flowered blouse. It's see-through, so I wear a tight spaghetti-strap top under it. I love the design of the sleeves, which come down in a point and cover my hands. (Except for my recent French manicure. Kris did a really good job the last time I was in.) I wore a heart-shaped locket with a heart-shaped ruby that belonged to my mother. And my red sandals that showed off my pedicure nicely! (I had more toes done with gold polish, which I always enjoy so much.)
When the actual auction ended we joined a Conga line, with Marilyn directly behind the leader. We were given the cutest 'flashing lips' pins to wear as we danced through the room, circling all the tables and adding people as we went! I'd say around 80% of the people there took part, believe it or not!
We ended up on the dance floor, which was perfect! Then many of us stayed to dance. I think Marilyn and I would have stayed longer, as the men kept dragging us back every time we tried to leave. (grin) But we'd met up with Leslie in advance for a drink and then drove with her, and she was ready to call it a night... That's okay, though. It's still nice to know we had the option to dance the night away if we wanted to!
So we got home before 11:00 p.m., which was fine...
...On another note, both Marilyn and I have felt slightly under the weather today. I won't go into details, but at first we were suspecting food poisoning, although we had no idea what food would be at fault. Now we're wondering if we have an intestinal bug. (ugh) I'll spare everyone the gory details. I think saying 'intestinal' gives enough clues! (smile) So it was probably best to get home when we did. (I was in a total sweat as it was. (grin)
It's nice to go out, which we don't do all that much. And as we both love to dance, that was great, too. But it's just fun to be around people who so clearly like us. (We were thanked repeatedly by several people for attending.)
Really, it's another case of seeing just how warm and friendly people can be! (I honestly feel sorry for people who don't get a chance to experience that, the way we do.)
The GFP party is coming up next Thursday night. It will include some of the same people, plus others who weren't there. Again, it's easy to look forward to it, knowing how nice everyone will be toward both Marilyn and me...