Tuesday, February 12, 2008

The Long and Winding Road - 30th High School Class Reunion

I've been waiting for it. I knew it would come. And I was just sure it would be a few weeks, months, or maybe days away from my vacation. But for once, I got lucky. I'm hardly ever lucky. I got the email about my 30th high school class reunion last night. I moved away from my home town a year or so after high school so it's not like I can just free a night on my calendar. I have to save money for plane fair, car rental, get vacation off work, close my ears to the kids pleading to go with me when I go away but can't afford to take. It's not a simple thing for me to pick up and leave for even a few days. I think I'm a prisoner. Anyway, amazingly, my reunion is while I'm on vacation in Cincinnati this summer already. And the weekend after, not of, my already paid-for romance writers' conference. I mean, wow! It worked out perfectly. Obviously, I graduated in the Class of '78. Norwood High School. It should have been Northwest High School, but that's another story... Anyway, high school was fab. I was 2nd lieutenant in the Flag Corps. I was co-editor of our high school paper, The Mirror. I was on the year book staff. I hung out at the disco getting down with lots of John Travolta wanna bes almost every night. I took a college night class or two while still in high school. I loved it. Still, I was nothing compared to my cousin, Vicky, who was president or vice president or almost every other club in school (my same graduating year), drum majorette, and on the drill team. Despite that, she's so nice no one can even be jealous of all her accomplishments, not even now when she has a rich lawyer husband, a huge, beautiful mansion of a house, and 4 lovely children, and looks to still be a size 6. Maybe only a 4. I loved 1977 and 1978 - and even 1979 (my Air Force schooling year and the Drum & Bugle Corps - more flag twirling, marching, and discoing). Of course, we didn't think we looked weird with the Farrah Fawcett winged hair, polyester jump suits, all the men with long and fluffy hair, gauchos, John Travolta white suits... We thought men with short, orderly hair were the strange ones, the nerds. I loved disco, but my husband was in the opposite camp - the "Down with Disco" group, the hard core rockers. I like rock 'n roll, too but then I like variety and I love to dance. I'm all over the place tonight. It was a really tiring day at work, so I'm scatty. But I was flying this morning as I was so excited about the reunion. I'm wondering why. The 10th (only reunion I've gone to so far) wasn't that great. Only one of my good friends came and I didn't recognize her at first as she had shaved her head, and died the little bit of spiked hair a shiny orange and she'd replaced her huge glasses with contacts. But once we connected, it was good to see her, and another friend. One guy I thought was a friend in high school totally snubbed me. My cousin was the center of all her worshipers so I didn't see too much of her, although she, of course, was her usual sweet self. My aunt and uncle get together once a MONTH with their high school class. Now it's morphed into all the people who graduated in the surrounding 5 - 10 years as well. They have lunch at the Golden Corral up the road from my dad's house. My aunt and uncle just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary if that gives you any idea of their graduating class year. I think they're awesome. So if they can do that, I can go at least one more time. It'll be interesting to see what everyone looks like. My boss today said it's amazing, the voices stay the same. He only attended his 40th class reunion and none in between. My mind is boggled. It doesn't feel like it's been 30 years. Time's flown! I don't feel old. But THIRTY FRICKIN' YEARS! That sounds like forever! I wonder if they'll play our prom theme - Long and Winding Road by the Beatles. The other choice was Bread's - gawd, I can't remember which one - not "Baby I'm A Want You". Something more appropriate for a class theme. Bread was okay, but not great. That's not my favorite Beatle's song, either, although I love the Beatles. I guess it has been a winding road, but it doesn't feel that long, not that long at all.

11 comments:

Jennifer said...

If?

If a picture paints a thousand words, then why can't I paint you? The words will never show the you I've come to know.
If a face could launch a thousand ships,
Then where am I to go?
There's no one home but you,
You're all that's left me too.
And when my love for life is running dry,
You come and pour yourself on me.

If a man could be two places at one time,
I'd be with you.
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.
If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,
I'd spend the end with you.
And when the world was through,
Then one by one the stars would all go out,
Then you and I would simply fly away

Class of 1980, and I have NO idea what our class song was -- probably "Hot Blooded, check it an' see. Gotta fever of a hundred and three. So come on baby do ya do more than dance..."

Have a BLAST at your reunion, Ashley!

Molly Daniels said...

LOL:) Class of 1984 here...
It seemed the 10th was like a one-upmanship of 'so how much can You drink?' and everyone trying to sound successful. My 20th was more relaxed; some of my friends were divorced; some had kids by then; and I got to brag a little because my 1st book had just been pubbed.

The ha-ha factor? Daughter was born 3 weeks before the 10th (I'd teased my OB-GYN about attending with me if she hadn't been born yet!) and caboose 4 months before the 20th! I promised to not make this a habit...

Unknown said...

IF!!! That's the song. We voted on IF and LONG AND WINDING ROAD. If was a good Bread song. That was bugging me. I thought about looking it up on the Internet but it was late last night and I was tired and I've been at the day job all day.

Thanks!

My husband loves "Hot Blooded". He used to play it all the time.

Class of 80? You're right behind me. Weren't those good times?

Unknown said...

Molly - By my 10th, I had 3 children and several of my classmates also were parents already. I know my friend Bona (the one with the spiked hair and contacts) and my cousin Vicky and my other friend Vicki did. I wanted to attend my 20th, but the senior person in my department at the day job already had her vacation booked and she refused to let me go away at the same time, even for a day. I was ticked!

Bronwyn Green said...

Hey, I was in the flag corp too - until they needed more trumpets in marching band, that is.

Class of 85 here...and haven't gone to a reunion yet. Maybe I'll go for the twenty-fifth.

Unknown said...

I pass on reunions. I went to too many high schools to remember anyone in particular

Brynn Paulin said...

I hope you have a great time. It's so cool that it landed on a week when you're already there.

Ronda Del Boccio said...

Wow - You're actually excited about a reunion. How cool!

Most of the girls in my grade (I went to a girl's school) were so nasty that I don't much care whether or not I see them again. :D

Oh - and I think size 4s are WAY too small. :D

Happy writing!

The Story Lady

Molly Daniels said...

Forgot to mention...I twirled a Flag also:) My niece did the same about 10 years ago...I got out there and discovered I could still toss (and catch!) a 1 1/2. Ahh, those were fun days:)

Unknown said...

Flags were so much fun. I loved twirling them. A couple years ago, I started doing taekwondo, and although they didn't have flags, they did have bow staffs and swords and I loved twirling them. That was my favorite part.

Caffey said...

Ashley, even with my hearing loss, I loved to feel the music, and I loved the disco too. The Bee Gees, and many of the pop singers (Carpenters, John Denver, and more that I've forgotten) My hubby still likes the hard rock. He was into the Doors, Van Halen and the like.

I missed my first reunion, I think it was the 10th. I was about 8 months pregnant and couldn't take the long trip to go. I was a loner in HS and didn't socialize (it was too hard to communicate) so I really didn't associate with anyone so there really wasn't anyone to go see so I didn't go to any of them since. Seems they did reunions more in the past than they do now. I do know that they are having a new show on TV Land starting early March, like a reality show, of HS Reunions. I don't usually watch those reality shows but this one I'm going to check out!

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