So, yah, my fellow Weekly Volcano scribes think they’re so smart and clever in bringing you the elite “Best of Tacoma” pull-out in today’s edition.
But really, they don’t know jack.
I bet you in all of those pages none of them wrote about what really, truly is the best thing in this region, so I will take that liberty:
Zoobilee!
This was my very first year attending the impressive $200-ticket black-tie fundraiser for the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, and I’m never ever going to miss it from here on out.
I was the luckiest girl in Tacoma (naturally) because Troy Christian hooked me up with a ticket, and I really can’t be any more indebted to him. Thank you, Troy!
All of the fun started with getting ready for the night. Natasha came over to my house with a bottle of Veuve champagne in tow, and we rocked cheesy pop music while styling ourselves and our tresses.
As for me? I wore a voluptuous, long pink dress with the proper amount of delicate sparkles. I placed yummy, light pink highlights around my eyes and gloss on my lickable lips. I let my wavy long blond hair dangle as it tickled the center of my back.
Natasha was ready in no time flat. She wore a black strapless dress, a red wrap and her comfortable wedge flip-flops. She really stuck out with her red because nearly everyone was wearing black, and people commented all night on how smart she was for wearing those shoes.
Above the shoulders, Natasha slicked her wet, jet-black hair and put it into a low side bun and placed fresh baby red carnations around the bun. She decided that since it was raining, the only makeup she was going to wear would be red lipstick. She thought her hair and her natural face made a bold enough statement, and she was right. Natasha started wearing makeup only six years ago. Bitch.
After all of the final touches were made, our yellow chariot, the cab, picked us up. With great anticipation, we convened at Knapp’s to meet Karrie, Vicky V., Jack, Chaundra and Adam. Everyone looked exquisite.
Jack dropped the ladies off in front, and we pranced in like rock stars.
Being the quintessential social entrepreneur, Natasha went straight to work on the crowd. It felt like we stopped every 10 feet to talk with someone she knew, but it was a wonderful opportunity to meet such incredible people. Here’s the dish on just a few of them:
Gordon Naccarato’s gorgeous blue eyes pierced the gray drizzle.
Callie was wearing the beautiful yellow dress that she bought during Love Tacoma’s Hipster Boutique Tour. Her Eric was so very tall and handsome.
The Husky looked impeccable in his tux, and my first glimpse of him almost made me fall over.
Courtney’s hair looked amazing.
We caught Brad Allen making out with some girl by the crappy bathrooms (no surprise there).
Trinity was a vision.
Xitco Xpress won our best-dressed male award.
The Swarner brothers were hot; so were their dames.
Firefighter Scott was wearing brown goulashes with his tux. Adorable.
And, of course, the food was AWESOME. We nibbled on Katie Downs pizza, shrimp, steak and chicken skewers from Asado/Masa, and Duke’s chowder.
As for the beverages, well, there were so many that I really can’t remember, but the highlights were the Johnny Love Vodka martinis, the little mini Coors Lights from Cans, and the Patron margaritas.
There was nothing like wandering through the zoo watching the people and loving the multiple stages that were pumping great music.
Not even Mother Nature and her stupid rain could stop the fun. As more and more people got the alcohol flowing, the umbrellas started coming down, and people herded to the dance floor by the main stage where the Beatniks played most of the night.
To completely round out an absolutely perfect night, Karrie’s husband, Nate, picked us up. They went home, and Nate dropped Natasha and me off at Asado.
My Zoobilee devirginization ended with hearty laughs with our X Group family members who worked the event like champs: Sean P. Quinn, Clark W. Griswald, K to the K and Trina.
I’ll always love you, Zoobilee, and I can’t wait until next year.