High Stakes Weekend

This weekend was unusual. Unusual in what way? Glad you asked. Oh sure, we still had to do the running around to karate and swimming and a hair cut for C, but Saturday night was going to be different.

Oh wonderful Saturday night. A night that used to contain such promise, such excitement. Usually Saturday nights are spent on the couch, maybe some wine involved, probably me falling asleep and D telling me to go upstairs because I’m snoring.

This Saturday night we had made arrangements for C to go to her friend’s house while D and I went to her school’s silent auction fundraiser. I didn’t have the highest hopes, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was held at a banquet place not far from home, and after dropping off C we weren’t horribly late (more like fashionably late).

We check in to get our table assignment (table 16 – like the organizers somehow knew we should be in back!) (and of course, it would have made too much sense to organize the list of attendees alphabetically so it took two people about 3 minutes longer than it should have to find our names) and a program. There were two auctions – the silent auction and a live auction.

Dinner was to be held in one room, and the silent auction items (over 150!) were in another. Wait staff walked around passing hot hors d’oeuvres. Conversation was a dull roar. Adult beverages were plentiful. No one ran around bumping into people or things!

D and I agreed on a basic strategy. We’d get a glass of wine, wander around and look at all the items. Then we’d decide what we’d like to bid on (if anything). Now, I’m a gambler. I mean, even insurance is gambling (the customer is betting he’s going to have a loss, I’m betting he’s not) if you want to look at it that way. So you can probably see what’s coming, right?

There were only 4 sets of parents from C’s class in attendance. Two of the moms are ones who spend a lot of time with the class, doing creative stuff and helping out…Since they donate their time, it’s only right I donate money, right?

Each class had put together a basket of items for the silent auction. C’s class did “Reading is Fun – Classic and Award Winning Children’s Books”. The opening bid was a bit high, but nowhere near the actual cost of the basket and items (seeing as we had to send in $10 to fund the basket, and there’s 19 kids in the class, you can do the math). It wouldn’t do to not bid on that, so I quickly wrote my name and the minimum bid.

The teachers and staff each contributed things, and there were three baskets full of fun things. One basket in particular seemed to have a lot of Disney related items in it, so I wrote my name and the minimum bid. There was a beautiful basket that was referred to in the auction catalog as “Let’s play dress up” - 2 children’s gowns, tiara, jewelry, and a jewelry armoire. The gowns (what we could make out from the tulle the basket was wrapped in) were exquisite – almost too good for dress up. D thought C would absolutely love that, so more writing. I (unbeknownst to D) bid on a package that included 2 passes to Lake Compounce (I figured since I knew I wanted to go this summer at least once, why not get the school some benefit too?). We bid on a table and chair set that was painted prettily with dragonflies….we bid on a wall hanging and fireplace thing. Dangerous, I know…

Bids were sealed at 7:00 pm and dinner was served. We were seated, in the back with other kindergartners’ parents (we knew everyone already, from birthday parties and D’s having grown up in town). After dinner, the live auction started. There were some really cool things being auctioned off (I’m not talking about the golf or dinner with the priests) – there were things like a ride to school on a fire truck, or a garbage truck (insert obligatory Teamster joke here – we did!), mayor for the day, different kinds of birthday parties (at the fire house, a CSI party at the police station, princess, spa, etc.)…

The evening ended around 11:15, at which point we had to settle up. We had successfully bid on five items (one during the live auction – a pair of sunglasses that no one had bid on during the silent auction – I just wanted the evening to end).

C slept over her friend’s house (her first sleepover!) so you would think I slept really well once we got home. Not! I kept waking up thinking something was missing. So, I can’t win.

Now I just have to convince more parents to come with us next year and have even more fun!