Toast of The Town

November 4, 2023, The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation held is annual fundraiser at Cleveland Browns stadium. It was my first time back since 2019 with a few canceled because of, you know and I could not make last year’s event. I had an outfit all laid out with a Calvin Klein sleeveless dress, grey with a lovely purple and red floral design. I had been trying to get out in this beauty for quite some time, awaiting the right event. Then I had a brain lock. I did not realize the dress had a side zipper, so I pulled it over my head which resulted in my blowing out a seam on the side. Damn! I did my Hulk thing and into the garbage she went (it was a $5 post-pandemic clearance find).

I made a quick audible and think I did okay…. One of my David’s Bridal liquidation sales, Mother-of-the-bride, pick ups.

I drove the speed limit and got to the stadium a little early to take a few photos in the stadium. The tenants of the stadium had a game the following afternoon, so they were testing everything, the scoreboards, the sound system, etc. I must admit, the place looked fabulous.

I really do not have any special stories from the evening. I saw friends I hadn’t seen in a while. I interacted with many people, always treated nicely, always treated as a woman. I got quite a few ma’ams, always a “she”. It’s getting close to a decade of Kandi and that “she” is still a gift.

My responsibilities consisted of walking the VIPs to the pre-event cocktail party (in the very cold stadium) and then helping the guests find their tables. Sound easy? No, it was not. For some reason, the 45 tables were not in numeric order. A handful of table numbers made some sense, but I remember table 34 being about 40 yards away from table 33. Table 26 was not even on my table map and was, of course, right next to table 16.

After “punching out” I was no different than any other guest. All the food and beverages I would like. Yes, I do this for the charity. I do this to get dressed up in a circumstance I would not have available to me otherwise. And yes, I like to eat and as you all know, I like to drink. I boogied before most of the activities occurred to get home early and to be a good girl.

I do want to take a moment to reflect a bit about my experience this evening. It was what I would describe as a high-end cocktail party. Many of the women there were decked out. And I will humbly say, I was easily one of the best looking women there. To walk in a large room full of people, in a very mainstream situation, where most of the attendees have net worth’s that dwarf mine and to feel so good about who I am, my presentation and how I am perceived….priceless!

All I can say is if you give of yourself, the payback you receive will be a hundred fold. I have so many more opportunities to sparkle and to do so in service to others before Christmas, I am truly very blessed.

Oh yeah…..we raised over $315,000 for an awesome charity! And I mingled amongst 415 guests!