Although I have no idea how much was donated in our behalf, I do know that it was enough to merit our wearing a VIP band on our wrist all night. I hope that this somehow made up for the fact that we were NOT dressed to the nines, in fact we barely made it past the sixes. So if anyone asks...we were the 'eccentric' philanthropists at the party. Yeah...that works.
Tables were strewn throughout the aquarium, offering hors d'oeuvres size menu samples from some of the best restaurants in town. I skipped the caviar table not only because that stuff tastes nasty, but because it's just rude to serve fish eggs at an aquarium. Live music was enjoyed and a dance commenced on the patio that overlooked Lake Michigan. The dazzling view of Chicago's glittering skyline was even more spectacular than the fireworks show.
But the highlight of the evening? For us, it was the discovery of a Madagascar Cockroach that had escaped from an exhibit. This baby was HUGE and it was just about to enter the main exhibit area and either cause a commotion, or meet an untimely demise. Well, seeing as we were playing the part of the eccentric philanthropists that night....we rescued him.
Mark scooped him up while I squelched the desire to have a panic attack. We began to look for an employee but opted instead for a discreet toss of the critter back behind a partition at the Amazon exhibit. Surprisingly, no one even noticed we were carrying a large cockroach around; maybe he looked like an hors d'oeuvres?
These are the cupcakes we were given to take home as we left the aquarium.
Everyone got one, even people who did not save a bug's life.
