Sky Ball VII

This past Saturday, Roger and I attended the Sky Ball. Neither one of us have ever been to one before, so we weren't too sure what to expect. It turns out the Sky Ball is actually a pretty significant fund raiser for the Joint Reserve Base. The money raised goes to help a variety of causes, such as Snow Ball Express (something for children who have lost a parent in the war), providing wounded soldiers with prosthetics, Operation International Child (an organization that collects school supplies for the children in Baghdad and Afghanistan) just to name a few. There was also a silent auction going on during the event.

For me, it wasn't exactly what I had thought it was going to be. The name implied something different (like maybe there would be dancing or something). It was held at an American Airlines hangar and they had a bunch of planes set up on the tarmac, which was cool to look at.

The highlight of the night though was the "Red Carpet." For the high rollers who could afford to donate a lot of money, you could purchase a seat on an AA jet, which flew into Alliance Airport. Then everyone deboarded the plane onto a red carpet and walked the red carpet into the Sky Ball. Well, one of these "high rollers" was the actor Gary Sinise! Now, I'm not one to think that I would get all gushy over seeing a celebrity. But I couldn't help but get a little ga-ga over seeing Gary Sinise up close and personal. He walked down the red carpet and I took several close pictures of him with my camera as he walked by. I felt very paparazzi-ish :) Another highlight of the night was hearing from Mike Durant. The real Mike Durant, as in the pilot that was shot down in Mogadishu and who the movie, Black Hawk Down, was about. Hearing from him and seeing him in real life was pretty amazing!

So all in all, it wasn't the night I was expecting. But it was still fun. And as we sat at a table full of high-ranking officers, I was glad Roger and I made the appearance. If nothing else, it was good face for Roger. And a fun excuse to get all dressed up!