My Little and I went to the Minnesota Harvest Apple Orchard in Jordan Sunday.

We boarded the apple picking wagon immediately upon arriving, heading out to the orchards as the skies threatened more rain. I decided to pick a peck of Haralson apples, which are the best for baking, so we walked down the long row looking for a tree not yet picked over. Five minutes later our bag was full.

We lugged the bag back to the car and purchased tickets for the corn maze. Five minutes after walking into the maze we were lost. My Little called it “an adventure.”

Last Saturday, my Little and I went on our first outing beyond Shakopee.

We made a trip to The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul campus to learn about birds of prey.

I suggested the idea after having seen a Raptor Center presentation in Litchfield. Plus, it’s one of the activities offered in local libraries’ Museum Pass program.

The Raptor Center is a bird hospital of sorts, taking in 800 raptors a year for rehabilitation. About half of the birds are released back in the wild.

This summer has flown by. They always do.

But two months after signing up as a Big Brother Big Sister volunteer, I’ve been matched with my Little. And guess what? We both like ice cream.

Well, what kid doesn’t like ice cream? But I thought it was a good start.

We met two weeks ago. I was introduced to her family and I told her a little about me. We signed the necessary paperwork agreeing to BBBS’ rules and then went out for ice cream. We chatted like all girls do about things we like and things we’d like to do with our time together.

So, I had my Big Brother Big Sister interview.

I don’t consider myself a bad interviewee, but it’s definitely strange being on the opposite side of the notebook. I prefer to ask the questions, take the photos and steer the conversation into a useful direction. I see now how uncomfortable it is when that one question pops up that you’re really not prepared to answer.

The question was: How do you describe your ideal Little?

Welcome to the next phase of my life. I’m going to be a Big Sister.

Well, at least I hope so.

I recently applied to be a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. I have been thinking about being a mentor for a couple of years now. Considering myself a fairly stable and upstanding member of the community – I have no traffic tickets, I vote regularly and try to keep good hygiene – perhaps I could be a positive role model in someone’s life.