<strong>UPDATE//</strong>Ladies and gentlemen, we have some winners!

I love how you all never go easy on me in these contests - you know, the ones in which I ask you to pour out your heart and soul for everyone, including lots and lots of strangers, to see.

I really appreciate you all for doing that. I was touched by what each of you had to say about the amazing women in your life, and each was another reminder to me why I love blogging so much. Hearing your stories and the tales of your experiences is such a pleasure.

Though I want to give each and every one of you a ticket to the swank that's gonna go down at <a href="http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=ejIRK6OWG&amp;b=4951645">Wine, Women and Shoes</a> this weekend, I said <strong>I'd pick the author of my favorite story as a winner, and that Random.org could choose a winner, too</strong>.

So, here was the story I chose:
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The remarkable woman depicted in this story aside - because all of the women about whom the contestants wrote are remarkable in their own way, and I wasn't about to judge these stories based on some presumptuous quantification of their merits - I enjoyed how this story read almost like a tall tale, like a portrait of Super Mom, and how the numbers - 11 births, 9 children, 5 potatoes and a hand full of cheese - painted a picture in my mind.

So, Sunshine, <a href="mailto:tasha@tashadoestulsa.com">e-mail me ASAP</a> with which night you'd like to attend Wine, Women and Shoes. Congrats!

And now for the <a href="http://Random.org/">Random.org</a> winner: Contestant No. 5!
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Wow. I really love Brigid's story, too. <a href="mailto:tasha@tashadoestulsa.com">E-mail me</a> and we'll get you squared away with tickets.

Again, thanks to everyone so, so much for playing. Send love to those amazing women in your lives.
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Now that <a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/p/tulsa-events-this-weekend_2472.html">you have your plans for this weekend all sorted out (or, if you don't, this link is an easy way to fix that</a>), let's think about next weekend for a minute or five.

About the post title - no, this isn't a rich Frenchman's if-you-were-trapped-on-a-desert-island request. In fact, it's one of my favorite Tulsa fundraisers, and it's all to support <a href="http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=ejIRK6OWG&amp;b=67551">YWCA Tulsa</a>. The name tells a lot about why I'm so crazy about this event.

<a name="more"></a>First, <a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/2009/12/still-shopping.html">everybody knows that TDT likes her wine</a>. No secrets there, am I right? Second, <a href="http://www.cindywmorrison.com/">I love and cherish my girlfriends in a way in which the author of Girlfriends 2.0 would be most proud</a>, and thanks to the powerful services of organizations like <a href="http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=ejIRK6OWG&amp;b=67551">YWCA Tulsa</a>, we all get to see gender and race inequality come closer to eradication every day.
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And last but most definitely not least, there's the shoes.

I don't talk about this very much, y'all, but I love me some shoes. For me, it's not about owning as many pairs as I can get my hands on. Instead, it's all about good design and high function. It's the same reason I'm obsessed with lingerie. I'm fascinated by an article of clothing that can work really hard and be worn every day and still look amazing. To me, that's magic.

At the Wine, Women &amp; Shoes fundraiser, a girl gets the best of each of these three worlds. Here's the rundown of what's going on at the event this year.

<strong>Patron Wine and Ballet Experience</strong>
When: Friday, June 11, 6-8pm
Where: Tulsa Ballet on Peoria
Enjoy exquisite hors d'oeuvres, fine wines poured by California vintners, a live auction featuring exclusive wine country trips, and a special performance by the Tulsa Ballet. <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103361425974&amp;s=2417&amp;e=001QE4QL8QvnqAyAqgFAb5qsft1m5quxGCl7vxW_uglHSyGU-hS12VXMNnge6JDAn9gtLZ_NF9YqNBfKnJ3wZrUrS80_iXgDNSZaSNz2A5h5Fy5eISx3Rt3K75lfQgmJ8KAN539P0MU-7W0-kBfCLdqT6PYXxNrebLynr77wA-8XPBZCUNoeV508dfdzO68ScL5g4edRgd5Pt5zePywnJwqvvu5OAvkiY6z-o0Ws_dlYI0ZH72l9HlJvA2cO7Oh8VQzwfbufwCbew767lVAxDHM_Q==">Make your reservation here</a>.

<strong>Toe-Tapping Wine Tasting</strong>
When: Friday, June 11, 7:30-9:30pm
Where: Tulsa Ballet on Peoria
This high-energy party includes a wine and shoe pairings, live music, and scrumptious hors d'oeuvres. <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103361425974&amp;s=2417&amp;e=001QE4QL8QvnqAyAqgFAb5qsft1m5quxGCl7vxW_uglHSyGU-hS12VXMNnge6JDAn9gtLZ_NF9YqNBfKnJ3wZrUrS80_iXgDNSZaSNz2A5h5Fy5eISx3Rt3K75lfQgmJ8KAN539P0MU-7W0-kBfCLdqT6PYXxNrebLynr77wA-8XPBZCUNoeV508dfdzO68ScL5g4edRgd5Pt5zePywnJwqvvu5OAvkiY6z-o0Ws_dlYI0ZH72l9HlJvA2cO7Oh8VQzwfbufwCbew767lVAxDHM_Q==">Make your reservation here</a>.

<strong>From Manolo to Merlot</strong>
When: Saturday, June 12, 11:30-3pm
Where: Renaissance Hotel, 71st Street and US 169
Wine tasting, shoe shopping, lunch and a fashion show all in one place...could it get any better? <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103361425974&amp;s=2417&amp;e=001QE4QL8QvnqAyAqgFAb5qsft1m5quxGCl7vxW_uglHSyGU-hS12VXMNnge6JDAn9gtLZ_NF9YqNBfKnJ3wZrUrS80_iXgDNSZaSNz2A5h5Fy5eISx3Rt3K75lfQgmJ8KAN539P0MU-7W0-kBfCLdqT6PYXxNrebLynr77wA-8XPBZCUNoeV508dfdzO68ScL5g4edRgd5Pt5zePywnJwqvvu5OAvkiY6z-o0Ws_dlYI0ZH72l9HlJvA2cO7Oh8VQzwfbufwCbew767lVAxDHM_Q==">Make your reservation now</a>.
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Look! Cake!

Whoops, I apologize. I get distracted when I see pretty, sugary things.

This fundraiser is fun, yes, and it's what Sex and the City could be if it could be compressed into two days and shipped to T-Town, but the best part of all is this: <strong>All proceeds support the platform at YWCA Tulsa that will promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for over 25,000 Tulsans this year. </strong>

And that, friends, is a big, big deal.

Now, of course I want you all to pull out your rolls of cash, your debit cards or your checkbooks and click all those Make Your Reservation links up there right now.

But, <strong>I also want to give away a bunch of tickets</strong>. Thanks to the generosity of YWCA Tulsa, I can do that.

<strong>Up for grabs are two tickets to the Toe-Tapping Wine Tasting on Friday night. I also have two tickets to the Manolo to Merlot luncheon, marketplace and fashion show on Saturday</strong>.

So, not only will you get to bring a friend along should you win tickets to one of these events, but you'll also get to hang out with me. And I promise I'll try not to embarrass you, but some things - like a propensity to walk out of a bathroom with toilet paper clinging either to my shoe or to the hem of my skirt - can't be helped.

I'm sorry. I've tried.

And did I mention the part about gallons and gallons of West Coast wine? Okay, good.

What about the bit about hundreds of pairs of shoes, just waiting to be ogled and tried on and - gasp! - given a test drive? Yeah? Okay, I just wanted to make sure.

<strong>Here's what you do to win: </strong>

<strong>Tell me a story about an amazing woman in your life</strong>. Maybe your mother should be sainted just for putting up with you through your teenage years (that'd be my case). Perhaps you're baffled at how a co-worker does it all. Maybe your best friend manages to be a fighter, a survivor and completely fabulous, all at the same time. Whoever she is, <strong>tell me about her in the comments, and do it before 11:59am on Monday, June 7. </strong>

I'll choose the author of my favorite story as the winner who gets first pick of either the Friday night or the Saturday event, so be creative and thoughtful in your story writing, okay? <a href="http://Random.org/">Random.org</a> will choose the second winner.

Good luck, all - and I'll see you at Wine, Women &amp; Shoes!