an enchanted evening at pier 27

Happy October, Folks!
Things have been a little off in our household, so sorry for the lack of posting lately. Sometimes, life takes priority over blogging, and this was one of those times.

The past week Tim and I were up in the San Francisco Bay Area staying with my parents. Tim was supposed to meet clients up there all week and so we figured why not turn it into work AND play! Most days was spent hanging out with my mama while everyone else was working (we dropped off some donations at the Salvation Army and inevitably came home with a patio set), and one of the days we had a gala to attend (similar to THIS one).

Best "vacation" ever.

This gala was again an anniversary fund-raiser, and Tim's company was a sponsor. It took place at Pier 27, which is also known as the America's Cup Arena {for those of you who didn't know, the America's cup sailing competition took place last week in the San Francisco Bay. It occurs to me that if you a) don't sail or b) don't live in the area, you may not even know what it is! I only knew it was happening because of the traffic haha}

The New portion of the Oakland/SF Bay Bridge. // All black-tied up for the shindig!

The venue for the gala was spectacular. It overlooked the race area, and was filled with sailing paraphernalia.  Twinkle lights were strung across the room on repurposed rigging, decorative pillars were former ships masts; the bar and cocktail tables were even made from the salvaged hulls of retired sailboats. It was really something.

Diet cokes and a sunset over the America's Cup boats. A perfect evening!

In contrast to the first gala we attended, this one was black tie. Uh, seriously, let me go peruse my gowns to see which one I will wear...HA! I ended up wearing a slinky floor-length black prom dress that was mercifully still in the back of "my" closet at my parents' house. It wasn't too dated, yet anyway. I managed to not get a single full-length photo, silly me.

SF Mayor Edwin Lee // Edward Norton

There were some big headliner-speakers at this event, too. Edwin Lee, mayor of San Francisco, spoke about this company's legacy in his City. Edward Norton (yes, THE Edward Norton!) spoke about the importance of  affordable housing in inner-cities, and Shaun Donovan (Secretary for Housing and Urban Development) talked about governmental policy changes that will support this company's cause. A heady night, that's for sure.

At the end of the evening

Despite the awkwardness of the long speeches (I'll admit I was a little lost on the policy stuff!), it was a fun night. It was fun to play dress-up for a night on the town, even if we felt like we had no purpose being there. It still was an adventure!

The Bay Bridge at night