2012 Gala

The theme for this year's Gala was, "Enduring Valor: Illuminating Traditions of Excellence."  Pretty snazzy, right?  I swore off of doing the silent auction last year and had trained Molly to take over.  Well, Molly decided she liked doing the Silent Auction so much that she wanted to be in charge of the ENTIRE Gala!  Crazy - right!?  (She actually joined our Development team in July and is now over the events for our Foundation.) 

So, being the friend that I am I said I would handle the Silent Auction again this year, but only if I could have Erin helping me.  They quickly agreed and I went to work on ideas of how to present the items.  I spent a ton of time looking at DIY blogs, Pinterest, Michael's to form ideas of how I wanted it to look.  I already knew the colors I wanted and just needed a inviting and creative way to combine everything.  Molly and I had already discussed the previous year about using frames to hold the descriptions of the Silent Auction items and I liked it! 

Erin and I met pretty regularly or were constantly on the phone with ideas and colors and she spent hours and hours at stores purchasing everything.  She also was very instrumental in keeping the design simple and elegant.  She painted all of the frames, candlestick holders, decorative balls, little wooden sticks...  Seriously, so much help!!  We spent a few late nights at the office putting together the descriptions and frames (we were there one night until 3 AM).  But it created a very relaxing environment for the day of the event. 

In the process of getting ready for the Gala, it was announced that it was going to be Black Tie optional...  Oh dear, that meant a floor length dress and it had to be nice.  Luckily, Macy's pulled through and my dress ROCKED!  Major thanks to my mother's surprise visit on my birthday, she took the dress home and took off about 5-6 inches since I am a shorty!  Seriously, I put it on and felt like a princess!  Having never been to Prom, this was my night to get all dressed up and just have fun... 

 So, here are a few pictures from the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn't have pulled it off this year if I didn't have Erin with me!  She calmed me down when I was angry and helped me stay calm when my nerves were getting the best of me!  THANK YOU SIS!   :)  I am waiting for Erin to send me the pictures she took on her phone of the two of us - our tradition for the last FIVE Galas!!

Proud

Day 9 - Something you're proud of in the past few days.

That would have to be the Silent Auction - I really am proud of the way that it ended up looking. I am proud of the help I received!

I am just grateful to see that I do have a little bit of creativity! I thought that my sisters were the only ones that received that gene! :)

Gala 2011

Gala Time!!!

I was lucky enough this year to have help with the Silent Auction from Molly and Erin! I was able to pick everything and as I was cruising around the various linens, I found one that just caught my eye and an idea was planted!

I received approval for my idea and presented it to my trusty helpers. I was thinking of using peacock feathers this year and pulling the beautiful colors from the feathers to create a nice antique and elegant look. Molly came up with an idea of how to present the actual items and I took charge over the decorations. I was informed that we would have some high profile people this year viewing the silent auction and therefore it needed to look wonderful! This only helped to heighten my level of anxiety!!! I am a bit of a perfectionist and this just made that go into overload!

We worked until our fingers were blue, printers hated us, and we saw all three staff shifts in the HSC/SCC. I was exhausted when Wednesday, September 7, finally arrived. Because of the crazy rainy weather it was decided to pull the Sponsor Reception into the Card Room and therefore push my Silent Auction into a Solarium. I was nervous to have it so far away, but it worked out well with the lighting and staging for the auction.

I ran home and threw on my dress, fixed my hair, added darker makeup, and met Erin to carpool back to work together. Erin and I had our yearly picture in front of the ice sculpture - this is the third! Crazy!!

Now, so you can see how the Silent Auction turned out - I have posted some pictures. There are pictures showing Molly and I wearing the Tiffany & Co. necklace and bracelet that were being auctioned off as well. They were a beautiful set and I would have loved to put the starting bid of $800 on them if I could have... Maybe next year!

This year I believe the Silent Auction looked the best EVER! I know that I couldn't have done it without the wonderful help and ideas from Molly and Erin! They helped to make me laugh when I was ready to bite! They helped calm my nerves when I thought the tablecloth wouldn't look good! They also spent hours and hours of running to and from Michael's all because something wasn't exactly how I was picturing it. We made a great team! THANK YOU!!!

It's GALA time!!

You know it's Gala time when:

~ There is a huge leak that happens the day before.
~ It's 6:45 AM and you've already been at work for an hour.
~ There's a cute dress with your name on it! :)
~ Items are removed and added to the Silent Auction the day of.
~ You are beginning to have a receding hair line, and you're a girl (due to pulling out your hair)!
~ You are popping anxiety meds like candy!
~ You are blogging because you are too stressed to focus.

Alright, I realized I have to get back to work..... I just can't believe it is Gala time already and I don't feel prepared! Wish me luck, cross your fingers, and say a lot of prayers - we all need it tonight! :)

50th Anniversary Gala

It's OVER!!! All my hard work and long hours and we are done!! YES! I am sitting at home and it is only 4:00 PM! WOW! I have an entire evening to just PARTY! Plus, today is my friend Merry's birthday and so we are going to dinner to celebrate! Seriously, this is a great day!!!

I just noticed that I have been using a ton of exclamation points but it can't be helped!! :)

Okay - back the the Gala...

I got to work at 7:00 AM and it was as if we hadn't been working late the previous two days at all! I was scrambling as name tags suddenly had legs and walked off! My tablecloths for the Silent Auction were removed to be placed on the bar and so the stress I felt was a bit much at this point! It was the beginning of a CRAZY day - I even got into a yelling match with my boss's boss! Dumb move!? Yep, thought that I was going to be packing my bags at that moment! I still can't believe that I lost it a little bit there.
Fortunately for me, I had to make a trip to Michael's and Staples to pick up items and could get a breather. Also, Erin showed up and like a great big sister made me feel better and get energized! I always felt like I could handle a situation pretty well with people that like to push buttons, I was wrong. Don't worry, by the end of the night he hugged me and said that the auction was the best one he'd seen and appreciated all hard work and long hours! Whew!! I didn't realize how stressed out I was until this morning when I got up and could barely move because my entire body is sore! Tears were shed (what?? I'm a GIRL!) and with the many prayers said by wonderful friends and myself... I survived.

Good news is that I met Senator McCain! He is very nice and he touched my arm! Yes, I am learning to rub shoulders with the up and ups! Ha ha ha! NO! I was just lucky to be standing in a good spot as he walked by. :)

I do have pictures, but due to HIPPA can only post those without residents, unless I can crop out their faces. Hmm.. Maybe I will try that! It was a great night and the Silent Auction looked very classy and elegant, just the way that I wanted it! OH! I can't forget the gorgeous dress that my friend Rachel let me borrow! I felt like a queen! I had so many compliments on the dress that I might not give it back to her! This final pic is of Kristina, Daryel and myself after the Gala ended and we were packing up to go home around 10:45 PM. It was a long day and we were all tired, but we made a GREAT team! Seriously, I would do anything with those two!
I will post what I can! Thanks for the many prayers and putting up with my crazed attitude the past couple of weeks! I am ready to party and enjoy life once more!