Gala-riffic!

Last night was the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Winter Gala. It felt like prom night! After searching far and wide for a dress, I found the perfect one, fitting for the occasion. I had a hair appointment scheduled. Unfortunately it was a little late, so I ended up running around like a maniac, trying to get ready on time.

But all in all the event was a blast! We started the night off with our meal. Salmon, roast beef, asparagus, pasta salad, and potatoes, followed by some gourmet chocolate truffles. Mmmm. Then afterwards we took a little stroll through the few open galleries. After that, we decided to visit the Thomas Chimes: Adventures in 'Pataphysics exhibit that was open especially for the gala. It really was incredible. I especially loved his "white paintings". The rest of the evening consisted of meandering around the museum, taking advantage of the open bar (mostly with sodas!), watching people dance, and even dancing a little ourselves, although Rob's knee wasn't up to it. I would absolutely attend next year!

So, I'm sure you'd like to see a few photos.

Still goofy at a formal event:




Some shots of the museum:








My lovely dress that just so happened to be on major clearance:




And the happy couple:

I'm hyphenated.

On our 8 month anniversary (yesterday), I finally went to the DMV to change my name. I know, I'm a total slacker. Well, there were some obstacles along the way, like misplacing my birth certificate. But I am officially a hyphenated gal. I always thought that was kinda silly and just assumed I'd take the new name and discard my old one. But after thinking about it, it'll be less confusing if I keep both names. Because of my tendency to procrastinate, I figure I'll have my maiden name on a lot of my stuff for a while. This way, people won't think that pre-marriage Melissa is a different person than post-marriage Melissa.

I trust you all had a lovely Valentine's Day. Ours was low-key, just how we like it. My hubby was sweet enough to shower me with flowers (gerber daisies at work and roses at home), which I know is totally against his values. So props to him. Plus I got them on the 13th so I'd be surprised. Sweet. So V-day night was spent eating take-out and watching Jesus Camp.

We kept it low-key this year because as a V-day gift to each other, we bought tickets to the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Winter Gala. It's a black tie event, so Rob can get some use out of his tux, but I need to find a dress! After taking the day off to go to King of Prussia mall yesterday, I came up empty handed. Now I have two weeks to find the perfect dress/gown. No pressure though.

In work news, I'm a big wig now! Well, technically on March 1st. I got a promotion, which came with a hefty salary increase. They are so good to me. Now I'll be heading up my own department as the Director of Creative Services, which sounds fancy, right? I'm really excited about having some more responsibility. It's amazing how much things have changed since I started here in June of 2002.

In family news, we're headed to my parents' house this weekend for my father's 50th birthday. Woohoo! It'll just be me, Rob, my grandfather and my parents hanging out at home. My mom wanted to take him out to a nice dinner, but he doesn't want to have to dress up! Ha! So, happy birthday, Dad! You're the bestest!