Weekend Recap and Giveaway Winner- (Warning - Picture Overload)

Happy Monday my friends!  How was your weekend?  Ours was good, but busy as usual.  Friday night we had the Black-tie Charity Ball and the honoree was Jeff Skiles who was the co-captain of "The Miracle on the Hudson" last year.  Do you remember that story? Sure, you do!  I only wish we could have seen Captain Scully in person as well.  However, Jeff was quite humble and quite hilarious to say the least - he would make a great stand up comedian! :o)  The temperatures were SO COLD in the ballroom (and my dress was sleeveless) that I had to put on my husband's tuxedo jacket for most of the evening. 

The cocktail hour didn't start until 7:30 (much later than normal) and dinner not until 9:30.  Then, they of course, had the speeches, etc. before serving dessert or drawing tickets for the raffle giveaway.  Needless to say by 11:30 my back was in such pain due to sitting under the air conditioning vent and being so cold that we left before dessert and the drawings.  Well... about 15 minutes after we left, we got a text from Steven's boss that said I had won 2 free roundtrip tickets on Contiental Airlines - WOO HOOO!!!! I was SO EXCITED!  We had won 2 free roundtrip tickets on Jet Blue last September and now 2 free ones on Continental - YAY!  The funny thing is this was our 5th dinner to go to and the first 3 we never won a thing! HA! 

Here are a few pictures from the evening.   The place there is GORGEOUS to say the least - WOW - just check it out - but please excuse the picture quality - I don't have a clue WHY my camera chose Friday night to start acting up! ARGH! Anyway, just click on each photo to enlarge it if you'd like.

This is at the beginning of the evening:

Inside the ballroom as you walk in:

This is what the walls were made of upstairs: - it was a gorgeous green tapestry

glass piano upstairs:

One of the chandeliers upstairs:

One of the chandeliers in our ballroom - it kept changing colors all night long:

This is from the very top floor (3rd floor) looking down - I thought it turned out so neat:

same chandelier:

painted picture on back of denim jacket on table as you walked in:

Our table:

This was called the Art Gallery Restrooms.  You walked through the art gallery literally to get to the bathrooms:

Picture 1 of women's restroom:

Picture 2 of women's restroom: (sorry, I didn't realize until just now that I was in the picture too) - HA!

Our banquet hall before people started getting there:

Upstairs hallway:

Etching of women upstairs on the outside windows:

End of night right before we left:

I was in severe pain here though you couldn't tell it: And I'm so mad at my camera because I love this picture of Steven and I but the lighting totally sucks on it - guess I could make it Black and White though, huh?!

We finally got home and in the bed about 1 a.m. (it was about an hour or so drive) and got up around 8:30 Saturday morning.  We were SO TIRED.  Then the husby and I ran to Costco and Home Depot and before we could get home, he began feeling really really ill.  We had just gotten in the house and he ran to the bathroom and had it coming out both ends.  Either he had contracted the stomach virus or he had food poisioning - we're not sure which.  A couple who were there with us that night both said they thought the food was bad as they were sick too - but not like him.  I felt so bad for him.  I had to take him to the hospital because he couldn't quit throwing up for 3 hours straight and was becoming dehydrated.  However, as soon as we made it to the hospital, but not gone in, he began feeling much much better, so we didn't have to go to the ER after all - thankfully.  He's still not feeling up to par but is much better than he was. 

Sunday we had my son's volleyball team's all you can eat pancake breakfast and it was good as usual. (don't worry - I only had 2 - ha)  The rest of the weekend consisted of us just hanging out and trying to relax.  Steven had to change up his work schedule today so he could take our daughter to get her braces off finally - she is SO happy and excited! I can't wait to see her without them on. It's been a long 2 years and she is more than ready! :o)

Now... onto the winner of my giveaway - I did this the old fashioned way and recruited a helper who told me to ask you guys to excuse the way she looks as she had been working on school projects and doing her chores and wasn't looking her "best" - ha!  Also, please excuse the background - this is our office and we have not made it to updating this room yet:

 

 

And the winner is:  Drumroll please..................

Traci66!  WOOT WOOT! Congrats Traci! Please send me your address via email so I can get your dish out to you!  Thanks everyone for playing along - I hope to have another giveaway in the near future. 

Well, you know the drill - time for me to hop and get ready for the work day ahead.  I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed day and thanks for stopping by!  :o)

Lots of love and hugs!