It's For The Kids

Aaron won tickets at work for a charity auction dinner for Child's Play hosted by Penny Arcade. According to their site, Child's Play raises money for toys for sick kids in children's hospitals across the globe.

So last night, we suited up and galavanted over Lake Washington to Bellevue, where the event was being held. I didn't really know what to expect, particularly because the invitation said that attire should be "semi-formal". I was in a dither because what is semi-formal? I panicked and borrowed a couple cocktail style dresses from my Mom, but then I had to find some sort of coat that didn't look like I'd just put on a ski jacket over an evening gown. Not a good look. At the last minute, after a minor freak-out episode, I decided to bag the dresses in favor of a warmer ensemble. I wore the same outfit that I had worn to a friend's Christmas cocktail party a few weeks prior. Lots of cashmere and wool and knee high boots. I felt a lot more comfortable, yet still dressed up.

As it turned out, I needn't have worried. The outfits of the other attendees were a mixed bag. Some girls looked like they were going to prom or like they had just come directly from being a bridesmaid in someone's wedding. Other people, like me, just looked like they were going to a nice party or to dinner at a swish restaurant. And, since it was a charity dinner put on by a variety of gaming companies, there were, ah, a few geeks. I even saw a guy dressed in a full Civil War period outfit. Oh, and one guy in a kilt. (He didn't have any bagpipes, though.)

There was a silent auction, snacks, drinks and mingling when we first arrived. At 8pm, the dinner and live auction began. The dinner was quite tasty. My two favorites were the bread (with herbed butter!) and the chocolate cake for dessert. We also had wine and champagne, which was lovely.

They auctioned off a varitey of game themed items (A PS3, a Widow PC laptop, and a chance to do a voiceover in Halo 3, just to name a few). People were bidding like crazy! I didn't see anything that sparked my need to spend, but it was fun to hear other people bid. (Now, if this event had been hosted by Sephora or a vintage handbag dealer, then I would have been waving my hands around, bidding and frothing at the mouth.) Aaron didn't bid either, but he did take some toys to work that were donated to Child's Play.

All in all, it was a festive and fun evening and I'm glad we had the opportunity to partake.