We had the most brilliant activity at the ward yesterday. I've seen them happen before in past wards but it's never been the perfect set-up like it is here in DC. It was a service auction to raise money for Sub for Santa families for the stake. When we've done them at BYU, they're all students and nobody has any money to spend, plus the services were slightly less appealing anywhere else i've been. But let me give you a rough idea of how this all went:

First there was a silent auction beforehand where people just wrote down their bids and hoped they won for about half of the stuff. mostly cuz it would have taken all night otherwise.
We had a professional auctioneer come in and do the live auction. People had some amazing things on this list that went for quite a bit of money. This isn't the type of stuff you try to get a deal on, you know? You're there to spend the money. So we all had paper plates with a number on them that coincided with our names on the ward roster. Anyone who wanted to bid just held up their plate.

Examples of the brilliant services that sold:
Haircuts for a year for one person- $120
10 person extended Pentagon tour: $250 (i think?)
5 hours of automotive service (maintanance, repairs, ect)
60 minute massage- $90
guitar lessons, swimming lessons, piano, voice- all around $120
a signed football by Bronco Mendenhall
A signed jersey (some guy works for the NFL in our ward)
Singing telegram- $80
Stick-shift lessons, spanish lessons
A Lebonese meal for 6- 1$30
A "Colonial 1st Ward Calendar" Starring the men of the first ward... funny
3 month membership at a gym - $300
An overnight 4 wheeling trip to the Shanandoah valley
All expense paid hike
5 Oil changes- $200
Lunches or a work week
Graphic design business cards
Rock climbing for 4... ect

I think there was this tour that included the Capitol, Library of Congress, and something else for 10 people that went for $400, i can't remember. But really, it's the perfect set-up; a bunch of single people with careers, working at sweet places in DCthat can offer some pretty sweet stuff at no charge to the seller. Plus people are talented and creative so they come up with some cool things. I highly recommend it as a fundraiser if the situation fits. It was SO fun too, the auctioneer was amazing and she was really run to interact with.

I also went on a White House Christmas Open House yesterday. It was awesome, i don't think i've ever done an East Wing Tour and they had everything all decked out, Christmas trees everywhere, a 300 lb "gingerbread covered in white chocolate" house for the first lady, and then musical entertainment and pictures galore. It really is cool what my friend was saying, all the murals that you see of the first presidents, they're not replicas. That's really George Washington's portrait, the original. They'll host tons of partys there during the holidays and it was cool to get to be there during the first of the season to kick it off. It's really Christmas!