Friday, April 30th, 1999
At school
Jessie sorta knew about the suprise party. One of the tell tale signs was that John was the only one who brought her a birthday present on Friday.
It was a gag gift, but she liked it anyway.
(Please note: "John" with the "h" refers to John Bruckner. "Jon" refers to Jonathan Cross.)
I don't have a picture to go with this story, but it's not important. The other sign she knew something was up was when I called to RSVP. I was kinda sick, so I didn't bother to disguise my voice. I was really really scared to call. Not only because I'm afraid of the phone, but because I was scared Jessie would answer and I'd freak out and give everything away. Anyway, I called, and Jessie answered. I was like "Is Wanda there?" (Wanda is her mom) she's all "Yes, who's calling?". I hadn't expected her to ask that, so I started freaking out. I didn't want to make up a name because then her mom would be like "I don't know anybody by that name, tell them they have a wrong number". I was like "Um...UM...nevermind" and I just hung up.
At Casey's Party
The only people who went to Casey's party were the Brown sisters, and Jess MacDonald and I.
Casey getting ready to greet people
I think Jess took this picture. It's Natalie dancing, and me looking/feeling very uncomfortable
Natalie and Christine holding hands
Kelly, Jess and I eventually resorted to sitting outside. None of us knew anybody else at the party (except Casey, Natalie and Christine, of course), and there was no body out there to feel uncomfortable around. Each table had these centerpieces that were plastic bowls filled with water and a candle floating around. There were also little stars on the table. At first we were just playing with the fire, and eating taquitos, but by the end of the night we were smoking the taquitos and lighting the little stars on fire.
Casey helps Kelly light her taquitos
Kelly putting her taquito out
(For the record, Jess would not stoop so low; she was purely a bistander)
Everybody having a dancing orgy
May 1st, 1999
Kelly Brown, sleeping
Jessie's party
Shannon blowing up balloons before Jessie's arrival
Jessie's mom, setting up the video camera to get Jessie's reaction
I wanted everybody to get together so I could take a picture, but they were being really slow about it, so I fired this warning shot
Eventually they got their act together.
Not pictured: Karl Balch, who had some sort of a track thing he had to go to and as a result didn't get there till like nine o'clock
We went out to play on some playground stuff kinda by her house.
The first time I tried to take the aforementioned picture I tripped as I was talking it, so it got all screwed up
"I'm stuck! I want my Mommy!!!"
You know those little noisemaker things they give out at birthday parties?
Jon's got really screwed up (note how I cropped this picture to have exactly half his face in it. That's cool, isn't it?).
Jessie with cake all over her face
Jon made some sort of a balloon critter
Stephen looks like he has a really funny shaped head in this picture
Shannon and Jon look like an old married couple
I got my hands on a picture of Jessie when she was trendy
May 2nd, 1999
On the way to the street fair, we stopped at this yard sale, where Jon bought a little kiddy toy magician for two dollars. Then we passed by this church which was trying to convert people. There was this guy who was wearing this hat that said "I love Jesus". I was like "Nice hat" and he was like "You like it? You can have it" and I was like "No thanks" because I liked it very sarcastically. He gave it to me anyway. It's on of my most prized posessions.
Then we went to this record place, Spin, and I got a Green Apple Quick Step single for a dollar. You've never heard of the band Green Apple Quick Step, have you? They're this little no body band. I don't even know if they're still together, but I've been following them since I was like six years old. I had been carrying my cloths and stuff in some plastic bags. I put the CD in there, and left it at the Coaster station. Jessie took it with her on the Coaster, and then forgot it. They threw it away. A CD I have searched for for years, and it got thrown away. Not to mention all my cloths, some of which were actually my mother's. This story does have sort of a happy ending. A couple weeks later I was at Off The Record with Eric Myers, and I got their full album, Reloaded.
I love this picture. It's Natalie and Kelly Brown.
Me, wearing my "I love Jesus" hat backwards
Karl in the hammock in Jess' room
