Urban Indulgence

Last night, I indulged at Urban Indulgence hosted by Urban Tulsa Weekly at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. It was so much fun and all for a great cause! This evening featured sweet treats, gourmet cuisine, fine spirits, rambunctious entertainment and $1,000's in prizes and giveaways. The best part? One-hundred percent of the proceeds for the night benefited Tulsa Advocates for the Protection of Children and The American Diabetes Association.

I admit to having indulged a little more than I had planned, but the cream-filled puff pastries topped with just the right amount of caramelized sugar were absolutely worth it! Mrs. Oklahoma International 2009, Rachel Roberts, and her lovely mom, were on hand, selling raffle tickets for a guitar signed by Toby Keith. Rachel is one of my favorite people. It was so great seeing her! I also met up with my friend Cassondra, a volunteer and fellow fundraising committee member for Kendall Whittier Inc. The ballroom was lined with tables offering sweets, pizza, pasta, beer, and wine. When I arrived just after 7 pm, the ballroom was packed.

I know that at $25 per person we raised a lot of money for juvenile diabetes research last night. And...did I mention the puff pastries? Eating puff pastries, ice cream, and some delectable toffee to fund research is precisely my idea of a good time. I also spend a lot of time chatting with Steve Smith of KBEZ. He interviewed me on KBEZ before Mrs. International last year, and I saw him at several events, including the last summer's Tulsa Wedding Show. I'm pretty sure Steve and I had a heart to heart while surrounded by sweets last night. He asked me a lot of good questions -- questions that I'll be thinking about for a while -- and I learned that his daughter and I have a lot in common. :) It was great seeing Steve again. He definitely got me thinking.

Cassondra and I decided that Urban Indulgence is going to be an annual event for us. Wow. As Rachel Ray would say, "Yum - o!" Hats off to Urban Tulsa Weekly for planning a wonderful event that will help a lot of children and take steps toward better treatment options and a cure.