A Night to Honor Him

Tuesday night was a special night. It was my first time leaving my baby with someone for more than an hour. My sweet sister-in-law watched Maggie when she has her own 10 month old. The occasion was a CPA Society dinner. Normally we would not go to all of these but this one was special. They were recognizing those who had taken and passed the CPA exam in 2009.

I had to leave at 4:30 to drive into the city. Traffic was horrible! It made me really appreciate the train. I really should have taken the train but I wanted our car so I could leave whenever I wanted. Overall, I wasn't as nervous about leaving Maggie as I thought I would be. I think it had to do with who I left her with. If I left her with a teenage babysitter the first time, I would have been super nervous all night.

The Dinner was at the Hilton downtown on Michigan Ave. They don't build hotels like this anymore. It was old but very ornate. Before the dinner, they had a cocktail hour. Brad introduced me to some coworkers and partners with the firm. Twenty minutes before the dinner started, Brad had to go line up downstairs, so that left me hanging out with one of the Real Estate Partners. He kept comparing his dog to a baby (I guess he was trying to relate to me- It didn't really work). But he insisted that I needed to drink if it was my first time away from the baby. I told him I didn't drink so he suggested a soda. It was a cash bar and I quickly glanced at the prices and either saw a $6 or an $8 next to soda/water. Yeah right!!! I am too cheap. I said I was not thirsty.

The actual dinner was in the grand ballroom. It was HUGE! I have been to big events in hotel ballrooms before, but this by far exceeded them all. The event was almost like a graduation. They called everyone's name and they walked across the stage. Families cheered and sent a messenger up front to take pictures. The food was pretty good- it is alway fun to be served a 4 course meal.

After dinner is where things got even better. They recognized 16 individuals for scoring the highest on the exam. Brad was one of the Excel Award recipients. We knew about this ahead of time but I didn't realize what a big deal it was. His name tag had this huge tag that said "Excel Award Winner." He was so embarassed as he felt it was a Nerd Alert. But I felt special being his guest.

The Present of the CPA Society presented him with a huge plaque and talked a little bit about him. After, they invited family and friends to come up and take pictures with them. I hope they send us the pictures because they had a professional photographer. My camera did not take very good pictures because the lighting was really low. But I will share what I have anyway.

I was wishing SO badly that Brad's parents could have been there. It was awesome- He is awesome. It made me realize how much Brad does for our little family. I am so lucky to stay home with Maggie- and he makes that all possible. It was good for me to take a night to spend with just him and remind myself how lucky I am. So- this is definitely a shout out for Brad. After a horrible busy season, this was just what he needed and deserved. What an honor! I was too proud of him, I couldn't hold it in!