2009 HBS Holidazzle

Friday night was the 2009 HBS Holidazzle. It was a black tie (optional) gala for all of the current HBS students and their partners. We had to be ready by 5:15 in order to catch the bus from HBS to the hotel. I was mildly surprised to discover that we'd be riding on a school bus (it was surreal to see people openly drinking on a big yellow bus).

We arrived at the Westin Copley around 6ish for hors dourves. It took me a little while to feel comfortable in my new dress (I got it second hand for a steal and then had it shortened about 6 inches), but as I looked around the room and saw the other girls all decked out, I began to feel like I'd gotten it right!

Dinner started at 7:00. Each section ate together, in separate rooms. That meant that I didn't sit with any of my usual partner friends, but I had the opportunity to get to know some new people. It was nice to spend some time with Eric's section, and during dinner there were slideshows, videos, and jokes about the first semester. There were lots of laughs.

An ex-colleague of Eric's made Jello shots for him to bring to the event, and I'm pretty sure our table had the most fun.

After dinner, we headed up to the ballroom for dancing and a dessert buffet. The dinner was just for first years to celebrate with their sections, but after dinner the second years joined us, so the ballroom was packed.

Everybody looked wonderful. Dressing up is fun! But know what? I think there were one or two people who didn't recognize me with my hair down (and curly).

Confession: I didn't dance. Not even to one song. The dance floor was uncomfortably packed, and I wasn't feeling the music. But I still had a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the company immensely.

I think my favorite part may have been seeing Eric in his tux. We picked it out over the summer, and I've been looking forward to this since we took it to the tailor! So handsome.

By the end of the night I was hobbling around. Heels really aren't my thing. I'm more of a sneaker kind of girl. We took a cab back to HBS, and it dropped us off pretty much as far from the car as possible. I walked very slowly with Eric, but when we were about three quarters of the way it just hurt too much. I took off my shoes and felt momentary relief. But then I noticed how cold the pavement was and my feet starting hurting in another way! So I ran. LOL. There I was, all dressed up, with my heels in my hand, sprinting across the HBS parking lot. I wish I had a video. It was an invigorating way to end the evening. ★

{Brooke took the first picture, another partner took the one of Dani, Brooke, and me, and Eric took the last photo. I took the others.}