Calling All Pub Crawlers!

One bus, several beers in hand and loads of PHE folks and friends...it must be the famous SF Pub Crawl! Thanks again to City Sightseeing for this fabulous donation. This is a hot sign-up event at the auction and definitely a favorite amongst many people. This is a special event just for PHE and friends.

SAVE the Date: Friday, June 11th
Time: 7-11pm
Pick-up: Embarcadero Bart Station
Cost: $35/pp

Board the bus right off Embarcadero BART station, jump on the bus to find beer and wine waiting for you. With drinks in hand you tour the city with old and new friends. After a nice tour and a few beers we hit three really fun and different bars/pubs.

If you are interested in the double-decker buses check out City Sightseeing for more information. This is a fun activity anytime time of year especially with kids. I highly recommend this tour during the holidays. A fun way to see all the holiday lights.

Hiking and Hamburgers with Sitka and Mrs. Voris

Just in....Sitka (Mrs Voris' dog) and Mrs. Voris will be your guide on a 1 to 3 hour moderate hike in the beautiful Open Space of the Mt. Tamalpias Watershed. After a few hours in the open air, enjoy a picnic with homemade hamburgers and all the fixings. Sitka will promise to eat your leftovers!

What You Need: Walking Shoes, Layered Clothing, Water, Your Appetite.
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 4, 2009, or alternative date: Saturday, May 2

All snacks and food will be provided to the members of your family. Vegetarian options will be provided upon request.

Kids vs. Wild - Family Camping Trip (LIVE Auction)

The third year running...Stokes Family Camping Trip is once again a hot LIVE auction item. Whether you like to camp or not this is the trip for you. Last year's theme was Wacky Olympics...this year Kids vs. Wild. Many PHE families attend as well as new friends to meet. See program for more details and picture board displayed at the Gala. Dates July 23-26.

What’s included:

• Pinecrest camping location/site
• Tent (if you need it)
• Fri night dinner & adult beverages
• Sat night catered dinner & adult beverages
• Breakfast Saturday & Sunday
• Smores at the campfire
• Disposable plates, cups, napkins & flatware (for everyone at camp)
• Friday morning mountain bike ride (adults only or very experienced teen)
• Friday night happy-hour for the ladies
• Lots of games, activities, beach fun, campfires, night parade, movie night, dance night & much more fun
• Pay showers down at the store or typically an outdoor shower set up at camp

What do you need to bring:

• Tent, sleeping bags
• Folding chairs for your family
• Snacks, drinks, coffee, tea, lunch (there’s a burger shack at the lake)
• Personal items, such as clothes, toiletries
• Beach gear

Here's what last year's winner Katheryn Lindenauer had to say:
"We were the lucky winners of the Pinecrest family camping trip from last year’s Spring Gala auction. We heard from our good friends how much fun it was, so we decided to bid. Our experience exceeded our expectations. We are a family of five and not experienced campers. Getting our tent (Ron called it the ‘taj mahal’!) was a feat in and of itself. Fortunately there were many people willing to help us out. Once we got settled, and after laughing at ourselves, things just got better and better. There was something for everyone. Here are some of the highlights:

• My little shy 5 year old throwing caution to the wind during family dance night. He was a sight to see!
• The girls making new friends, both big and little. Some of their favorite things: playing on the raft in the lake, competing at the Olympic games, free time to just climb rocks and explore with new and old friends.
• For Jim: the best technical downhill mountain bike ride ever! He loves a challenge.
• For me: watching the crazy dads race inner tubes on the lake… I don’t remember laughing so much for so long. I also had the perfect bike ride and enjoyed sharing mai tais with new friends.

My new friend, Otis, said it best, “This is better than Disneyland!” Overall, we had a really fun time and were impressed at how organized Ron and Lori were in the planning and execution of the whole trip from meals, games, activities... there was never a dull moment."

stokes family

beach fun

wacky olympic games

dad's tube race

sat night catered dinner

Hotter Class Basket - DATE NIGHT!!!

It's been decided....it's so good it has to go into LIVE Auction!

Need a night out? This class basket includes the time of your life... you will laugh, cry, sing and shake your hips... This is the Matt Nathanson/Jack Mannequin night out! If you are lucky enough to get this basket you will receive 2 tickets to the Matt Nathanson/Jack Mannequin Concert at the Warfield on April 7th. You will also receive a gift card to Nordstrom to buy that special something for the evening, an additional gift card to Pasta Pomodoro for dinner before the show and two BART tickets to get to the show safely.

A quick bio on Matt Nathanson...He is a local guy gone big. He most recent release is "Some Mad Hope" his 10th record. Lets just say Matt is the hardest working guy in the music business...He has been writing songs and performing for over 20 years and his recent success has catapulted him into the spotlight. In the last few months he has been on Good Morning America, David Letterman as well the Ellen show. He is a current "you oughta know artist" on VH1 and has spent several weeks in their top 20. You have probably heard his music on any of number of TV shows from Private Practice to One Tree Hill. His current hit "come on get higher" is really sparked the attention of the mainstream public including other
major artists Like Sugarland....They cover the song on their latest record. He will be performing with Sugarland this summer on their arena tour.

Matt is without a doubt one of the best live shows you will ever see. He is not only a great musician he is a phenomenal entertainer. Matt has personally donated to this auction the 2 tickets, 2 t-shirts, 1 sweatshirt, a signed copy of his latest record as well as a signed poster. The basket is worth over $350...so take advantage of this and bid...it will be well worth your investment into our great PHE!

Thank you to Amy Samrick for coordinating this basket!

Jamaican Me Crazy, mon! - LIVE Auction

Head to Montego Bay for a night of reggae and rum. You and nine of your friends will be "transported" to Jamaica for a night of steel drums, jerk chicken, coconut shrimp, red stripe beer and Caribbean cocktails.

Boat leaves for the island at 5:30pm on Saturday, June 27. See you in Jamaica.

Hosted by Steve & Melissa Oldenbourg. You and your friends won't want to miss this dinner party at the Oldenbourg's house! Get ready to bid, bid, bid during the LIVE Auctionfor this must have dinner party.

Last Year's dinner...Back to Bourbon Street...authentic crawfish boil with jazz band to boot. A legendary event!

Fun Events Coming Your Way

Welcome to all the fun with none of the planning or prep!!! We've got dinners, parties, events and who know's what. Check back often to see what's been added.

Back to Bourbon Street
Suck dem’ heads and pinch dos tails!. Join us for an authentic Cajun celebration and crawfish boil. You and seven of your closest friends will be transported to the French Quarter for a night of hurricanes, etouffee, beignets, zydeco and jazz. Laissez les Bon Temp Rouler!
Date: 6/28/08 Donor: Melissa and Steve Oldenbourg

SF Pub Crawl
Hit the local San Francisco pub's with old and new friends from PHE. Enjoy touring SF in an open top double-decker which will transport you pub to pub. This will be a sign-up event at the auction. You are welcome to buy as many spots as you would like. There will be 70 spots up for grabs. Date: TBD Donor: http://www.travelsf.com/

Margarita Party
Joe & Shelia's 4th annual margarita party is up for grabs one last time. This is the Stokley's last year at PHE and your last chance to enjoy this fun evening with them. You will be served the food of Mexico, listen to some music and of course drink margaritas.
Date: TBD Donor: Joe and Shelia Stokley

PHE folk like a good party!

Check out party pictures from the 2005's Stokley Annual Margarita Party, 2006's Hot, Hot, Hot! Caribbean Party for 10, and 2007's Ulitmate Bar Hop w/ Tapas and Infused Cocktails.

Parties are always big money makers! Get on the party band wagon, gather some friends and host your own!

Need some ideas...look no further!

• 50’s, 60's, 70's, 80's Parties,
  
• A Night in Casablanca, A Night at the Prom, Aloha to Summer, Beach Party
  
• Brew Pub Party, Carnival in Rio, Casino/Monte Carlo, Chef's Dinner
• Dancing through the Decades, Wine Country, The Enchanted Forest
  
• Space/Futuristic, Great Gatsby, Hawaiian/Tropical, Hollywood, Murder Mystery
  
• International (India, Mexican Fiesta, Asian), Jungle Safari
  
• Little Black Dress, The Lost Gold Mine, Mardi Gras, Martini Party
  
• Mystic Margarita Madness, My Big Fat Italian Dinner
  
• Phantom of the Opera, Picnic in the Park, Pleasure Party, Poker/Cigar Party
  
• Raiders of the Lost Ark, Renaissance/Medieval, Roman Toga
  
• Scrapbooking, Speakeasy, Sports, Summer in the Park, Summer of Love,
  
• Viva Las Vegas, Baby!
• and....who knows what else!

Love to do things with the kids? Host a kids party or outing!

• Campout party
• Pizza making party
• Soccer Party
• Princess Party
• Cupcake Party
• Hip Hop Dance Party
• Game Party

Just to name a few!!!

Wondering what's come in so far???

Great Getaways: Enjoy three nights and four days at this beautiful lake house. This gorgeous lake front home is located in the gated community of Hidden Valley Lake in Hidden Valley, only minutes away from Clear Lake and Calistoga. This modern home features a large master bedroom with views of the lake, and two addition large bedrooms as well as three full bathrooms. at a Lake House with friends. The ammennities are wonderful and include a modern kitchen, cable TV and music, a pool table and plenty of deck space to lounge about. There are lots of nearby activities such as golfing, hiking, fishing, wine tasting, bike riding, swimming, or you can choose to do nothing but relax!

Tickets/Kid Stuff: PH Music Studios (over $600 in offers), Golden Gate Fields, Bay Area Discovery Museum, Lawrence Hall of Science, deYoung Museum, Gilroy Gardens, Touchstone Climbing Gym (Concord), Disneyland Tickets...

Fun: Wine Country Limo Service for 6, Diablo Lanes, Grayson Golf Course, Embassy Suites (WC), Summerfield Suites (PH)...

Personal Services & Other: Professional Crown Molding Installed, Jazzercize, Pinkies Nail Salon, Walgreen's, Daphne's Greek Cafe, Orchard Nursery of Lafayette, Walnut Creek Honda, Professional Rose Pruning...

Classes: Zagone - memory end table; Scott - French gift basket; Ashlock - platter; Barden - photo quilt; Hotter - cooking school; Maffei - quilt

Parties: Flip Flops & Lemon Drops (ladies sign-up party), "Back to Bourbon Street" Dinner party for eight, Pot Sticker Party

PHE 4th ANNUAL SPRING GALA 2008

Welcome to what's happening with the 4th annual Spring Gala! A fun and exciting evening awaits you and will include gourmet dining, fantastic music and much more. Highlights of the evening will include both a silent auction and a live auction supporting important programs that enhance our kids' education at PHE.

DATE: Saturday, April 5th 2008
TIME: 5:30pm to Midnight
WHERE: Contra Costa Country Club, 801 Golf Club Rd, Pleasant Hill
ATTIRE: Cocktail (no jeans allowed at country club)

Hey, this sounds great, how can I get involved?

1. Buy your tickets to the Gala early
2. Invite your friends and family to attend
3. Volunteer for a Committee
4. Donate your time, money or stuff for auction
5. Stay posted by checking the blog weekly
   
6. Go ahead; indulge yourself in a fun evening at the Gala and help make this year the most successful ever!