Posts Tagged ‘BBBS’
BBBS: Circus 2011
Once again Jessica and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Shrine Mosque for a dose of sequins, colored lights, clowns, and elephants. As always, we enjoyed the show and had a great time; Jessica went from “omg clowns are scary!” to “look how many autographs I got!”, so I guess the evening was a success!
The evening was extra special for a couple of little girls in the audience: Aleena and Alexia Havens, who were injured badly in a house fire a few months ago and have been in Shriner hospitals until last week, got to thank the emergency responders who saved their lives, and enjoy the circus in style.
Here are some highlights of the evening:
Motorcycle + high wire + ORANGE

I present you this cheerleader

Here are some of Jessica’s photos, too!
Leave her some love in the comments!
BBBS: Back to School Shopping
This year Big Brothers Big Sisters gave “scholarships” of $50 to each Little specifically for clothes and shoes for back-to-school. Jessica and I shopped at TJ Maxx, Rue 21, and Target; she came away with four shirts, leggings, jeans, hairbands, and some unmentionables.
Of course, new clothes means we have to have a photo shoot!
I’ve been reading a lot about photography and I really see how a reflector or some kind of fill flash would have helped in the late evening light. Somehow, though, I doubt Jessica will care one way or the other ^_^
When we get together next, Jessica is going to write a thank-you letter to the donor who made our awesome shopping trip possible and to BBBS for being all-around awesome!
BBBS: Third Anniversary

Jessica and I have been matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters for three years today.
We celebrated yesterday by stuffing our faces at CiCi’s Pizza.
NOM NOM NOM.
Then we invaded our friends’ house, where Jessica and Keegan and Kadence played hide-and-go-seek and tag with various twists. Mainly, this involved running around the house as fast as possible, with the roles of chaser and chasee being exchanged at random. The only rule is, if you “die” (that is, wipe out on the kitchen floor), everyone points and laughs! Then you are “healed” with magic, and it’s back into the fray! Weapons included: a plastic pistol, an empty Dr Pepper liter bottle, a vacuum hose, a pair of shoes, a ball, socks, and a stuffed Hulk toy.
There were capes involved.

The evening ended with a quiet round of “Go Fish”. Kadence is a master of the game, and won all our cards. Twice.
It was much less-planned than our previous match anniversaries have been, but Jessica loved it. Here’s to many more years like the three we’ve already shared!
BBBS: Harold and the Purple Crayon

Big Brothers Big Sisters is pretty awesome about getting us free or discounted tickets to kid-friendly events, and Jessica and I have been making an effort to see as many plays as possible. When BBBS sent out an email that they had tickets to Harold and the Purple Crayon, my inner three-year-old went “SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” and I promptly reserved our tickets.
My inner three-year-old was not disappointed.
Actually, I wouldn’t take a very small child to see this; the actress (yes, actress) playing Harold and the one playing Harold’s girl friend wore baby-face masks that were downright creepy, and a scary Martian and evil witch add some scary moments. Otherwise, it was very entertaining; there was no dialogue, except for the unseen narrator, so the actors had to express everything through movement. The minimal set design echoes the simplicity of the books, and the projected animations and props were mostly adorable. As an adult, I really appreciated the artistry that the five-person cast brought to the production, which lasted about an hour, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.
Obviously, we couldn’t take photos once the production began, but I did take some prior to the play:
BBBS: Bowling with Jessica

Jessica and I went bowling the other day.




And despite having the gutter railings up, and earning the screen above, neither of us cracked 100 either game. Oh well…. better luck next time!
These photos and more on Flickr.















