Tonight Matthew and I went on a date! Now, this happens rarely enough that by itself it would warrant its own blog post, but this wasn't any ordinary date. It was an extra fancy, rubbing elbows with models and designers kind of date. VERY out of the ordinary for us for sure! :)
A guy named Kinero who works for Matthew invited us to a benefit fundraiser that he put on called Breath of Portland. It was set up to raise funds for orphans in Cambodia, but also to let everyone know about Kinero's upcoming adventures. He is leaving everything behind to travel the world and raising money to send new college grads to work for international humanitarian organizations. Quite a tall order for a kid of just 23, but he seems to be ready for the challenge. He threw one heck of a party, and was able to get a lot of people on board to support his mission. We were really excited to be part of it, and you can read more about Kinero's goals at his website, Breath of Cultures.
A few weeks before the benefit Kinero mentioned that he needed to find an auctioneer for his event. Lucky him, we happen to live next door to, and be really good friends with the finest auctioneer in the state! So we got to experience the whole thing with two of our best friends, which made it such a fun night. We knew it was going to be fancy, so we did a little shopping and found something nicer than jeans and sneakers to wear:
It was fun dressing up, and when Matthew saw my dress he pointed out that its the first time he has seen me in a dress since our wedding! Ooops. I guess thats a sign that I need to dress up a little more often!
I was certainly glad that we had dressed up when we got there - I lost track of all the young, hip, trendy models walking around, and the designers that were mingling with the crowd. There were people there from Project Runway, which I haven't seen but have been told its a popular TV show. Things didn't start for about an hour and a half after we got there, so we had plenty of time to people watch with Jessica and Wade. It was fun, and we did meet quite a few nice people while we were waiting for the show to get started. They did a silent auction first, which was really just people writing on a paper how much they were willing to pay for a certain item, and the next person who would come along would outbid them and so on. They had some pretty nice things up for auction, the biggest was breakfast with 10 of your friends with designer Kate Spade. After the silent auction finished up, the fashion show started. I have never been to a fashion show before, so it was really interesting to watch. There were 3 designers featured and it took about 15 minutes or so to show them all. Next up was the live auction, and Wade did a great job of getting people to open their wallets and support the cause.
As soon as Wade was done, the four of us decided to leave and go somewhere a little more laid back to grab some drinks. We ended up at Cornelius Pass Roadhouse and what a great place that was! I had never been there before, and now I cant wait to go back. There are numerous bars and buildings all spread out, and connected by paths lit with sparkly white lights. We grabbed a table outside under some trees, and got a late dinner and a few drinks. This was actually the best part of the night for me. The benefit was fancy and interesting, but it was really nice to kick back, relax and laugh our heads off with our friends. I wish that we could have stayed longer, but midnight came and it was time for us to pick our kiddos up before they turned into pumpkins.
This night made me realize that Matthew and I have to make it a priority to get out on date nights, either alone or double dates with friends. Since Rowan was born we have only gone out without the kids a handful of times, and now that she is getting older I think we can start doing this sort of thing more regularly. Its so nice to spend time in the company of other adults, especially for me since I am home the time. Its a refreshing change to talk to someone older than 4 once in a while! I treasure the time that we have with kids, and we will never be those parents that pawn them off every weekend or any chance we get. We know people like that and its not what we want for our family. But once in a while, maybe once a month or so, I think we can work it out so that we can slip away and have some time to ourselves. I never thought I would say this, but I am looking forward to dating again!! As long as its with my hunky husband ♥
A guy named Kinero who works for Matthew invited us to a benefit fundraiser that he put on called Breath of Portland. It was set up to raise funds for orphans in Cambodia, but also to let everyone know about Kinero's upcoming adventures. He is leaving everything behind to travel the world and raising money to send new college grads to work for international humanitarian organizations. Quite a tall order for a kid of just 23, but he seems to be ready for the challenge. He threw one heck of a party, and was able to get a lot of people on board to support his mission. We were really excited to be part of it, and you can read more about Kinero's goals at his website, Breath of Cultures.
A few weeks before the benefit Kinero mentioned that he needed to find an auctioneer for his event. Lucky him, we happen to live next door to, and be really good friends with the finest auctioneer in the state! So we got to experience the whole thing with two of our best friends, which made it such a fun night. We knew it was going to be fancy, so we did a little shopping and found something nicer than jeans and sneakers to wear:
It was fun dressing up, and when Matthew saw my dress he pointed out that its the first time he has seen me in a dress since our wedding! Ooops. I guess thats a sign that I need to dress up a little more often!
I was certainly glad that we had dressed up when we got there - I lost track of all the young, hip, trendy models walking around, and the designers that were mingling with the crowd. There were people there from Project Runway, which I haven't seen but have been told its a popular TV show. Things didn't start for about an hour and a half after we got there, so we had plenty of time to people watch with Jessica and Wade. It was fun, and we did meet quite a few nice people while we were waiting for the show to get started. They did a silent auction first, which was really just people writing on a paper how much they were willing to pay for a certain item, and the next person who would come along would outbid them and so on. They had some pretty nice things up for auction, the biggest was breakfast with 10 of your friends with designer Kate Spade. After the silent auction finished up, the fashion show started. I have never been to a fashion show before, so it was really interesting to watch. There were 3 designers featured and it took about 15 minutes or so to show them all. Next up was the live auction, and Wade did a great job of getting people to open their wallets and support the cause.
As soon as Wade was done, the four of us decided to leave and go somewhere a little more laid back to grab some drinks. We ended up at Cornelius Pass Roadhouse and what a great place that was! I had never been there before, and now I cant wait to go back. There are numerous bars and buildings all spread out, and connected by paths lit with sparkly white lights. We grabbed a table outside under some trees, and got a late dinner and a few drinks. This was actually the best part of the night for me. The benefit was fancy and interesting, but it was really nice to kick back, relax and laugh our heads off with our friends. I wish that we could have stayed longer, but midnight came and it was time for us to pick our kiddos up before they turned into pumpkins.
This night made me realize that Matthew and I have to make it a priority to get out on date nights, either alone or double dates with friends. Since Rowan was born we have only gone out without the kids a handful of times, and now that she is getting older I think we can start doing this sort of thing more regularly. Its so nice to spend time in the company of other adults, especially for me since I am home the time. Its a refreshing change to talk to someone older than 4 once in a while! I treasure the time that we have with kids, and we will never be those parents that pawn them off every weekend or any chance we get. We know people like that and its not what we want for our family. But once in a while, maybe once a month or so, I think we can work it out so that we can slip away and have some time to ourselves. I never thought I would say this, but I am looking forward to dating again!! As long as its with my hunky husband ♥