20 Year Reunion ~ Dinner

Saturday evening we went to Anthony's Banquet center for the reunion dinner.  It was probably my favorite part of the reunion.  I don't think I've ever laughed so hard for so long as I did this evening.



It was a beautiful evening...We brought Aimee with us to the dinner.  She is a hoot.



There was a little photo memorial of the classmates that we've lost.  Angi in the upper left was actually on the reunion planning committee and was diagnosed with Lymphoma and died very suddenly around a month before the reunion.  It was extremely shocking as it was only perhaps 2 weeks from when she was diagnosed to when she passed away...she had 4 kids and was a devoted mother ~ it was a tragic loss.   There were some raffles that evening and proceeds went to her family which was really nice.



Dusty, our reunion chair....



is quite a character.  And she is an artist....that deals in ahem,  

adult subject matter.

So she had some of her artwork that she was raffling off.  Most of Dusty's artwork were landscapes...but there was one that was a nude.  Of course it became the goal to win this artwork (no surprise that Dan thought it would be hilarious if I won it and put tickets in the envelope).  Sadly (or not), we never stood a chance.  The person who proudly won had stuffed the envelope with $90 worth of tickets! 

 

There was just a lot of goofing around and



smiling and

 

laughing.

It wasn't the kind of reunion where people were checking to see how you measure up in relationship to everyone else.  There was of course, the "catching up" conversations, but it was really mostly about just being together and having fun.   It's hard to describe, but there was something about being around people that we've known since we were little (in some cases, all the way back to Kindergarten) ~ that just lent itself to such a relaxed atmosphere.  And it was so much fun.



Ami and I tried to take a photo together.  But we ended up just laughing so hard ~ Dan just stood and snapped photos of us.



Which I'm glad that he did because this really depicts my experience at the reunion.



I literally just laughed the night away.  My sides hurt for two days afterward and my cheeks hurt too. 



When I saw my friend Whitney on Friday night she said that she thought Dan and her husband John (whom we had never met) would get along.  It turned out that John was so great!  He was friendly and funny and I liked him immediately.  By Saturday night Dan and John were having quite the time together.  Here they are being "high rollers."

I think they had $16 between the two of them.



Aimee had to get in on the fun.

All sense of decorum was out the window by this time.  There was just all sorts of ridiculous fun.  Parenting, jobs, responsibilities weren't on anyone's radar at this point. 

Dan had a really great time as well.  We joked that he and John thought it was their reunion too.  They certainly fit right in and had just as much fun (if not more!) than the rest of us. 



After this photo was taken we left and went to the Richland landmark "The Town Crier."
Where things continued to deteriorate.
I sat across from Jim, pictured below and I don't think I hardly said a word, I was laughing so hard the entire time.  He was our class president and is now an attorney.  He is beyond witty and had me in stitches.  I had to get up and leave the table because I couldn't recover.  And it really was just the humor ~ I had one drink the entire night.



We stayed at the bar until it closed. 

Then we stood outside the bar and talked and laughed some more.  Then part of the group decided to go get on a boat. 



And when it was all said and done, we were the last Bombers standing.  Except for those on the boat, but I'm pretty sure they were sitting.  From left, Me, Whitney, Jim and Chris.

I was so happy that I went to the reunion.  It was great to see friends happy and doing so well,  and it was nice to let go and have fun.  I think I got 7 1/2 hours of sleep the entire weekend.  There was a function on Sunday at noon, but we opted to head home.  I was exhausted (in the best possible way).

A big thank you to my mom who watched the kids for us!

RHS 20 Year Reunion ~ School Tour

(My friend Whitney took this photo of Katie with her daughter, Ava.  So sweet!)

We met at our old stomping grounds on Saturday at noon for a school tour.  Families were invited to come and see the school, which honestly didn't seem very much like it used to.  There had been a LOT of remodeling.  When I was in school the main building housed the "mixing area" ~ which was the major Senior hangout outside of the cafeteria.  It was a large area lined by the Senior lockers where the "bomb" (inlaid tile) was proudly displayed in the middle of the floor with benches surrounding it.  Rumors flew down to the Jr. high of Freshman being forced to wash the bomb if you stepped on it.  Nervous 9th graders knew better and I remember anxiously eying it myself when I first started school.  It was High School lore that spanned years of students...gone.  We were more than a little dismayed over this.  Apparently "the bomb" is in safekeeping until it is determined where it will be displayed.  This did not go over well.  We were all suddenly transported back to being 18 and this news was just not okay.  :)

There were additional changes like a "credit union" that was actually run by the students.  The cafeteria was expanded and classrooms added in lieu of the "mixing area" to accommodate the growing school.  (Again, so wrong...class should have just been held on the bomb!)

 

Our gym is fantastic.  I spent many, many hours there....cheering at games and attending cheer practice for 3 years.



Olympic Gold medalist, Hope Solo was a Bomber.

 

We toured the classrooms and it was fun to see the kids sitting at the desks.  I loved school and I have to say, walking through the classrooms did make me miss the world of academia.  I could very easily go back and pursue another degree if I didn't feel like I wanted to put that time into my family instead.  Sometimes I wish I could live two lives and do both.  



Some high schoolers did face painting for the kids.  They loved it.  Even my kids are "proud of the cloud!"  :)

 

After we left these rooms we were walking out of Mac Hall (Remember "Mac Hall" RHS grads?) and Andrew saw a Roly Poly in the hall way. He asked, "Mama, can I go get it?"  (We had already passed).  I told him yes, but to hurry.  I turned to watch as he ran back, bent down and then stood up with his face dissolving into tears.  And if you have heard Andrew cry...well, I just thought, "Oh dear..."  The child wails tragically...and wail he did over his devastation from the death of a bug.  I hugged him and he cried and cried as we walked and the wife of a fellow graduate (whom I didn't know very well) looked at Andrew and said, "I don't blame you, I don't want to go on this stupid tour either."  He stopped and looked at her in shock ~ because "stupid" is not allowed in our house (just because we really don't want that applied to people and so it's just easier to disallow it in general) and here a grown up was saying it to him.  Basically like the equivalent to profanity to Andrew and it momentarily snapped him out of it.  Kids are kids even when you are at your high school reunion! 



So, to explain why my High School was called "The Bombers" and had the highly controversial mushroom cloud as it's symbol....(Mom or anyone else in the know, please correct any of the details that I get wrong, because I am not researching this and purely going off my memory, which is definitely not always the most reliable.)  The "Hanford Area" where many people in Richland are employed originally started during WWII.  It was where they processed the plutonium for potential atomic bombs in WWII.  (Giving us our mushroom cloud symbol).  It was top secret and most of the workers didn't even know what the project was that they were working on for the government.  It really is such fascinating history ~ with people coming from different parts of the country to do the work and many of the women and men (including married ones) were separated and slept in different dormitories.  (I imagine this was the economical housing ~ There were also many small houses built during that time that are still in Richland).  During that time, the workers gave a day's worth of their pay to buy a Bomber plane that flew in the war.  That Bomber was named "A Day's Pay" and it is depicted on the gym wall ~ Hence, our name, "The Bombers."  That being said, the mushroom cloud was a very controversial symbol and there were letters that would pop up from time to time in the "Tri City Herald" about how it was inappropriate.  I wonder if people still fight it or if it has been put to rest....anyway, the term "Proud of the Cloud" was born as a result. 



Signs like this certainly did not exist when I was in school.




Or this.  I can only imagine all of the people bent over their phones in this area of the school, running into each other left and right.  While I do love my iphone, I honestly wish they just weren't allowed during school hours. I feel like it just provides a distraction for the kids.



We posed outside the gym.  Again, we were the last ones at the function!



We were feeling very high school in this photo.  :)

I went back to Mom's house after this and put photos on facebook for friends who were not at the reunion.  There were people who really wanted to come, but just couldn't and it was fun "seeing" them on facebook sending their greetings and commenting on photos.  I have to say, it gave me a new perspective on facebook and it was really fun.  It provided a "virtual" reunion, so to speak.  Then we got ready and headed out for the dinner...which was where the fun REALLY started!

20 Year High School Reunion!! ~ Friday Night

Updated to add: My mom left this comment about the details of my car...thanks, Mom for the fun history. "The Bug was a 1963. We purchased that VW from a lady in Richland named Dixie Shortess. When we purchased it, it had 50K miles on it. Your dad was going to sell it, when Mike said, "No, I want that for my first car!" Your Dad lovingly restored it to pristine condition and it saw both of you thru school. He purchased that car for $600 in 1976, and sold it in 1998 for $3500." 

 

I can't believe it's been 20 years since I graduated from High school.  I feel really fortunate to have had a great high school experience and I was really looking forward to going back and seeing old friends, catching up and just having fun.  As the time approached I started to feel a little nervous!  I started fussing about what I would wear, and became a little like a teenager again!  So much so, that when I called Dan the day we were leaving he answered his phone and said,

"The gold hoops."

And yet, I told Dan that it was a good reminder about how the kids feel among their peers.  I have found myself lately talking to Matthew about peer pressure and being self assured rather than worried about what his peers think, and here I was, a grown woman completely fussing over this very thing!

I look back on my time in high school and feel really fortunate.  I think I had a great graduating class.  I mentioned that to Dan and he thinks I hold this opinion because I  "really like people and have a high tolerance for them."  I'm not sure...I do like a lot of different types of people, but I still think I had a great class.

I had really good friends in high school, but never really felt like I ran with a specific crowd.  My best friend growing up was a year younger.  I had friends that were cheerleaders with me and some of my best friends had other friends that they spent a lot of time with...I sort of floated around and had a lot of different friends from all different crowds.  And I had a lot of fun.  A little fun "mom history" for the kids....I graduated in 1992 from Richland High School with I believe, 283 students in my graduating class.  When we voted for "Class Favorites" I was nominated for "Most Gullible", "Friendliest", and "Best Dressed."  I won "Best Dressed" ~ but definitely would have been more proud of "Friendliest."  I drove a 1969 (? Correct me if I'm wrong, mom) Volkswagon Bug that your Grandpapa restored.  It was white with red interior (I had tried to convince him to paint it pink), and had a license plate cover that said "Pretty in Pink" (because pink is my favorite color).  It replaced your uncle Mike's, which read, "Chains Required, Whips Optional."  You can see our differences started at an early age. :)  I used to get in trouble for laughing too much in class.  I would get started and could not stop!   I was Cheerleading Captain my senior year, and worked in the "Inquiry Into Science" program at the Hanford area for 3 hours a day during the school week.  I supported an engineering group.  I graduated with a 3.72 GPA ~ which I worked hard to raise after getting too many Bs my freshman year when I transitioned to High school.   I was always so frustrated as I'd get straight As/A-s and then a B+ in something like PE or Art!  I remember arguing with my Art teacher over my grade because I was so irritated that I tried as hard as I could and yet because I was lacking in artistic ability my GPA was lowered.  He didn't share my perspective. :) I was also elected Homecoming Queen, which meant I got to ride on the back of a convertible during the half time of the homecoming football game.  Which is kind of comical.  

Anyway, nervousness was so unnecessary.  I went to the reunion and had a fantastic time.  SO much fun.

Friday night started at "Jackson's" bar.

 

I met up with two of my best friends there.  Ami and Julie.  Both were bridesmaids in our wedding.  I met Ami when we were in elementary school and played softball together.  I didn't like her. :)  She grew on me and has been one of my best friends since Jr. High.  She came over the day my Dad passed away.  I remember her hugging me at the front door and then taking my face in her hands and saying, "You look terrible."  Only a dear friend can say something like that and have you know what they mean.   I'll never forget her bringing bags of food and just sitting with us all day and being a support and a comfort just through her presence.



Whitney is another sweet friend I've kept in touch with through the years.  She's one of the nicest people I have ever known.  We spent a lot of time together at the reunion.  It was so wonderful to see her and we had a great time together, but that's a story for one of the later events.



"GR", Jenn and Pete.  Mom had my kids at a baseball game with a friend of hers and GR's son, Ace that night.  Jenn's Dad was an OB/Gyn and in high school the guys used to love to say, "Rough day at the office today, Dr. Loynd?"  They thought they were soooo funny.  :)  Pete used to call me "small talk" in high school.  I am a total small talker.

I graduated with a lot of really funny people.  These are just a few of them.



Bonnie and Julie.  Bonnie is very sweet ~ I was touched that she came to my Dad's memorial service.



Dan, Jim (wife Amy) and that's Steve "photo bombing" the picture. :)

Jim and Dan went to parochial school together.  They were "CK Kids"  (Christ the King)  Dan knew some of the people from my graduating class either from elementary school or from sports, so he and I were off talking to different people a lot.  It was nice to not have to worry about him and know he was doing just fine. 



Chris was one of my favorite friends from high school and my prom date my senior year  ~ we doubled with Whitney &  GR, above ~ all of us were just friends and had so much fun.  Chris lost touch with a lot of us for many years after he went to Germany following college, but I was glad to see him at the reunion.  He received a stern lecture from me and has since promised to keep in touch.  :)  (For mutual friends reading this who are interested ~ he's now in Colorado with his wife, Amber and son, Jackson, who just turned 5.  He does a lot of hiking/biking and he's going back to school to become a physical therapist).



Julie &  Steve and....



Dan, me and Aimee were the last ones at the bar that night.  We drove Aimee home and sat and talked in the car for quite a while so we ended up not getting home until 3 am!  Aimee (and my friend Dana, who we lost 8 years ago) introduced me to Dan in college.  Aimee was a cheerleader with me, and we have a lot of memories together in high school.  We picked right back up again and had a great time at the reunion.  Aimee is SO funny and witty and is a great match for Dan's banter.

I had such a great time, I went home and could not sleep!  It was hard to settle my mind. 

One of my favorite memories was a girl who came up to me and told me that what she remembered about me from high school was that I was always nice to her.  It was the best compliment of the weekend ~ such a nice thing to say.

It was a great night ~ I talked and talked and didn't really take too many photos but had a fantastic time laughing and catching up with old friends.

Real Time.

I'm so far behind in my blogging that it isn't really "real time" right now.  I'm up at 4am (though I've been up for an hour and finally just got up)...my body is completely confused after a weekend of 7 1/2 hours sleep ~ total.  I know I have a few friends waiting on the reunion report and I can't wait to blog about it, but it was fantastic.  I haven't laughed so hard in so long.  Truly, my cheeks hurt, my ribs are sore ~ I feel like a complete train wreck from lack of sleep ~ but it was so, so, so much fun.  I went to school with some of the funniest people I have ever met and laughter was really what the weekend was all about.  Of course we talked and caught up, and it was so good to see people happy and well.  But it was mostly about being together and laughing.  A LOT.  I will blog about it more as I want to do it while the memories are fresh.  But first have to get caught up with some of my posts.