Getting gala-morous, for the children!

I've been looking forward to the MMSF gala for months! Although I didn't get as gala-morous as I wanted to be (I had to cancel my MUA appt. with Ann), I had a blast regardless! But let's rewind a little bit.

I flew in Thursday night, and after a two hour SuperShuttle fiasco I arrived at home. For the first time in a long time, I was home with my mom and no one else, with no crazy plans to rush around for. My mom and I stayed up for hours chatting about my childhood, and what's going on with her now. It was really nice and relaxing! I think we could have stayed up until the morning. 

On Friday, I worked from home and met up with Cass for lunch at Dosa. The last time I saw Cass was when I was torn between moving to LA or Seattle. It's amazing how much can change in 5 years. She looks happier, healthier, and I was so glad to see her that way. I wonder how I looked to her? Hopefully just as happy, probably a bit unhealthier. HAH! Anyway, after lunch I felt SO sick. And I had an upset stomach for the rest of the day/night. WHAT A NIGHTMARE! I was so worried that I wouldn't be better by Saturday. But thank goodness I was. Matt flew in at midnight and had his own SuperShuttle fiasco. They are SO not super.  

Saturday morning came and went, and all I could eat was plain bread and plain rice. Yikes! I normally don't mind getting sick because I get skinnier.. but losing weight this past weekend meant that my dress didn't fit as well. NooooooO! Matt and I did some shopping at Stonestown before lunch, and then I went and got my mani/pedi on Fillmore while he ate lunch. Before we knew it, we only had an hour to nap and it was time to get ready for the gala! 

The pre-gala event that Charles hosted at Muka was pretty low key and was actually a great way to ease us into the night. We met other volunteers and friends of theirs, and the alcohol started flowing. There was one moment, where I said 'omg this is so awkward'... rather loudly... by accident... and Alan heard it and called me out. -_____-  The Muka event wasn't as awkward as I thought it might be, so I think it was a success. 

And on to the gala we went! We hoofed it over to City Hall, and the bottom of my dress was so narrow that I'm pretty sure it took me 2x as many steps as everyone else to get there. I was sweating up a storm when we finally got inside. The venue was gorgeous! And the grand staircase, is everything I thought it would be in the mood lighting. 

Vic kept bringing us food from the VIP area, LOL. Alan and Alom were all over the place exploring. Matt was helping girls up who were falling down the stairs. Kelly was making new friends, especially with Anne. And Charles was dancing up a storm. WHAT A NIGHT! Me? I was taking it all in and enjoying every moment. My favorite moment, was the one where I laughed the hardest. Alan had one of those handy dandy wallets made out of special paper, and Vic said 'hey Alan, let me make you a new wallet' before grabbing a piece of paper from the table and folding it the hotdog way. I decided to do it too!!! So we made ghetto paper wallets for Alan, and then we poured our drinks on them to see if they were waterproof. HAHAHAHA. It was so ridiculous, I loved it! 

The cover band was pretty awesome. I also liked the DJ music. The gala was SO FUN, because it was like a nightclub but everyone was dressed nicely. Everything was clean because of the wait staff, and there was enough space for all of the guests even though there were so many! I think all of the guys had enough to drink at the open bar. All for a great cause, and all had a great time. I hope that I get another opportunity to attend a gala as fun as that one!! My only regret is not waiting in line for the photo booth. Although, we did get some group shots in. 

And luckily, the photographer at the entrance got a pretty good one. Before the storm. 

What a blast! I'm so glad Charles pressured me to attend, and I'm even more thankful that I was able to convince everyone to go with me! We hung out at Vic's hotel afterward to wind down the night. A few more drinks, some pizza, and lots of banter. 

Sunday morning proved to be a bit difficult with a hangover. Matt went to lunch with the others, and I met up with Nancy for a looong overdue lunchy catchup date! I had to cancel my dinner with her on Friday, so I was really glad that she was free on Sunday to hang out. We talked and talked and talked, and caught up on ten years of lost time. I've missed her SO MUCH. The laughter, the reminiscing, and all of the things I've missed in her life that I finally got to hear about. We talked for so long, that we decided to get Philz after lunch. And then we talked more over Acai bowls while strolling down Valencia. It was just so pleasant, and by the end of the day I think we were really and truly were all caught up. =) 

St. Pat's Dash

I finally did the St. Pat's Dash! And it was pouring rain all morning, and freezing cold. My regular cropped athletic leggings were definitely not enough to keep me warm, especially when we were waiting at the starting line.

After we started running, I warmed up quickly. The rain was pretty annoying all over my face and in my eyes. I guess it didn't matter after the first mile or so anyway, because I was drenched. I was definitely eyeing the runners that had hats on! They were so much more prepared than I was...

Sarah was the fastest jogger, which I expected. She ran solo, and I too ran solo at a slower rate. Sam, Matt, and Sean must have walked more than we did, because they were behind me. I think everyone was a little bit miserable when we first met up, because we only got 3 hours of sleep (actually Sam came after she got off work and didn't sleep!) but by the time we finished the 5k we felt great.

I fell off track with my training schedule for Beat the Bridge, so I wasn't really prepared for this run. However, with the weather and my inadequate gear, I don't think it mattered too much. I was more concerned about securing my footing and dodging puddles than I was about my time. Considering the shape that I was in, I am happy with my pace time!! My Beat the Bridge pace was 12:28 last year, so even though this is a shorter run I think I am showing decent improvement!

We played drinking games and ate junk food at the apartment after to celebrate. And it was TONS of fun. Maybe not the best idea to calorie load after getting a great workout in to start the day.

Hopefully we won't binge eat/drink as much after the next run. HA!

Forrest and Mandy do Discovery Park

Last week, Seattle gave us a surprisingly beautiful Spring weekend with sunshine GALORE. So Forrest and Mandy went on a short hike through Discovery Park! This was my first time meeting Mandy, and she is such a sweetheart. She looks like a stuffed animal, and even though she's a younger dog she behaves in a much calmer manner than our dear Forrest.

There was a lot of mouth biting between wrestling. 

A few intense moments where both struggled for dominance.

And Forrest pulling his favorite rolls and spin moves! 

They played wonderfully together. They are perfect! 

And Forrest was on good behavior all day at the park. 

I brought a backpack along because I wasn't sure if Forrest would make it all the way to the end of the hike. I could tell he was exhausted after we were about halfway through, but he just kept trekking! Didn't have to carry him at all. The whole time, he was just excited to keep up with Mandy. I think these two will have many more hiking dates to look forward to! I also had a great time catching up with Chelsie, and I'm so glad that she suggested it.