Kat Warren (of Kat Warren Photography and Low Tide High Style) was our photographer for the day, which freed me to race around like a crazy woman doing what I do best ... organizing and ordering people around. After she sends her photos to me, I will show you a lot more of what our event is all about. In the meantime, here is a Beginning and an End view of things so far.
We began set up on Friday morning, laying plastic to protect the floors of all of the event rooms at the hotel that we were using ... a process which has come to be known as 'Plasticating". Organizing the supplies and auction items for the next day took until well after dinnertime.
Saturday began for all of us at 7am ... and ended at midnight, when we finished packing up the last of our things, stowed it all in our Hospitality Suite, and headed for home. In that time, we had set up 80+ auction items, dealt with last minute registration and vendor issues, managed three seminars, changed clothes and had a wonderful dinner downtown with our special guests and speakers, and were treated to a wonderful program by Victoria Stilwell (who is a total LOVE, by the way!)
One of the last things we did, after most of our guests left and we had a quiet moment, was to take a group photo with Victoria Stilwell and Sheryl Matthys. (I wish we had done it earlier in the day, because I can see the exhaustion in each of our faces.)
left to right: Mary Ann, me, Victoria Stilwell, Kim, Gale, and Sheryl Matthys.
We will all reconvene at 9:30 this morning, to set up a few things in preparation for today's activities (which will be a Blessing of the Hounds, brunch with Sheryl Matthys, and a dog dancing demonstration by the Virginia Foxtrotters). Kat could only be here for one day, so I am today's photographer ... I sure hope I can handle it.
Thank you for all of the kind words of praise and support that we have received here, on our Facebook page, and in person from our guests who are enjoying the gathering. This is what keeps us motivated to work so hard to support such a worthy cause. I envision a day when a diagnosis of cancer in our beloved dogs will be a thing that can be effectively treated in most cases. Every dollar that we raise is a step toward this goal.