Tuscan Twilight

Last night was the annual HOPE (Help Offer Private Education) dinner & auction at our school.  This is an event that takes a year to plan and is highly anticipated. 

Hope Dinner

I look forward to it because it's about the only time that a person has a chance to really dress up around here.  My mom is a sweetheart and always buys my dress.  Unfortunately, I spent most of the evening pulling this one up to cover my bra and I even bought a new one just to wear with it!

This year's theme was Tuscany.  As always, the decorations were fabulous.

Hope dinner decorations

They even decorate the bathrooms.  It was the best meal to date.  There was a salad, spicy soup, appetizer that resembled lasagna, beef with couscous, and a yummy dessert of vanilla ice cream with strawberries & blueberries atop half a frozen lemon.  I would never think to mix lemons and ice cream but it was divine!

The 2nd graders always provide the entertainment by singing & dancing.  The big ticket items in the auction are projects completed by each class.  We didn't bid on any of them this year but I took a picture of each of my kids' projects.

6th grade table

Each child painted a tile to match the above painting.

6th grade table close

Jace's class did this stained glass window.

3rd grade window

Lily's class made an art cart.

Kindergarten art cart

I won the only thing I bid on and that was a certificate for a birthday party at the gymnastics club with $50 in pizza and a Dairy Queen ice cream cake.  I paid $80 for it so I think I got a steal. 

We sat with our neighbors and 2 other couples we didn't know.  As always, Ray was Mr. Social and he abandoned me the last 2 hours of the auction (did I mention there's an open bar).  I told him I'm bringing a date next year because I don't figure he'll notice!  I was hoping to go home around 10:30 because we had a big church service to prepare for this morning but Ray wasn't done partying so we had to meet up with everyone at the KC Hall afterwards.  I had my maximum of 1 drink but felt hungover today with a bad headache.  I'm calling it my sober hangover.  Ray, on the other hand, could barely talk when we left at midnight but felt fine today!