Oh, the drama. Junior high was tough anyway. Us girls are so hormonal as we enter our teen years. I cried...alot. But it was a time of discovering who I was, fitting in. I was a cheerleader. I had a "boyfriend". I was very involved in our church youth group, taking mission trips and attending church camp with many of my classmates. I wasn't really popular, never been the popular type, but in Berryville, we all knew each other. It was like family, sometimes dysfunctional like most families :), but family nonetheless.
When we moved to Ft. Smith, I was pretty sure life was over. It doesn't take much when you are 14 to think that. :) Rather than seeing what an honor it was for my daddy (a job promotion), I just knew I was being pulled away from everything comfortable and what I thought was vital for my life. Looking back, I see that God had a plan for me. I eventually found new friends, a new church, was able to take Spanish that I have used extensively since then...there was a reason for our move. At that time you couldn't have made me see that for anything. I am embarrassed when I think back about the drama, but I suppose that is part of growing up too.
Fast forward 20 years. I still have dear friends from Ft. Smith. I am able to keep up with some of them on Facebook, and one of my closest friends through e-mail and a once in a great while visit. As you know, I missed my high school reunion last weekend due to the College World Series. And it is not that I didn't have friends there, but most of my closest high school friends were not there, so I wasn't devastated (just bummed about the money I lost in the process :).
However, the class of '89 in Berryville still invites me to their reunions too, even though I moved away before my sophomore year. I had gone to the 10th reunion and really enjoyed it. I knew that I wanted to go to this one. Mark said I am the only person he knows who goes to their junior high reunion. :) I don't get to see many of my classmates in person in between reunions but through the magic of Facebook I have been able to "reunite" with many of them. As I posted yesterday on there, I am thankful for those friendships, because anybody who can experience the ups and downs of junior high and still call you a friend is a friend worth for life.
So last Saturday, after the babysitter arrived (thank you, Stacy), we headed over to Eureka Springs. By that time I had changed my mind three or four times on what to wear though it was a "casual" event. And in the hour before the reunion, I almost talked myself out of going. What if nobody remembered me? Recognized me? What if people thought it was weird for me to be there? What if I had nothing witty or fun to say? I am not exactly a social butterfly. In the end, I decided that since we had hired a sitter and had a night alone, we really should go. So we did.
When I walked in, I just felt...home. There were a few people who didn't recognize me nor I them, but overall, most people looked like they did in junior high, just a little older (though not many as old as I feel some days :). It was very casual, mainly just hanging and talking, though there was a slideshow and awards. (Do you know what award I received? The least changed! Can you believe that? I have all of these lines a.k.a. wrinkles across my face, and I got the least changed...oh, and I tied for the most kids) By the end of the night, my cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing. We had a really good turnout, and we even had some members of "other classes" like the class of '87 join us.
I wouldn't go back, in time that is. I am happy where I am in life, though I wish I could be a bit younger some days. But I am thankful for those times for helping build who I am today. And I am thankful for the friends, both new and "classic" who have loved me in spite of who I am. Thanks, BHS Class of '89 for letting me be part of the fun!
Some photos:
Me with my friend Jan...we were cheerleaders together and did a lot of church activities together. We have been able to reconnect via Facebook which has been such a blessing to me.
This is my friend Robin. I didn't get to talk to her much, but it was good to see her. She and I were cheerleaders together and spent alot of weekends at each other's house.
We lined up across the street for a picture together. I felt a little funny joining in since I didn't officially graduate there but someone talked me into it, saying I was an '89 grad...just not there. :)
Wesley and I were dear friends in junior high. His wife Crystal is beautiful, inside and out.
It is funny that I forget that EVERYONE grew up the last 20 years. When I left, Wesley's brother Sam, was just a kid. Now he is a grown up; he co-manages the place where we met for the reunion. I don't know why it was such a surprise for me to see him as a grown up; I guess that in my mind, he still is that little kid I waved goodbye to 23 years ago...
I am thankful for a husband who is comfortable in social situations, even unfamiliar ones...that is opposite of me. He just chatted with friends and spouses of friends. This is the spouse of our reunion organizer. They hung outside, mainly because it was REALLY hot inside.
Here is a group of us. I didn't take this picture; it was posted on Facebook by another classmate and I saved it. I took my camera but didn't take tons of pictures (which I realize is hard to believe with me); I was too busy chatting and catching up with friends. That is one thing I would change...more pictures. Anyway, we had a good time. Ahhh, the memories of my younger years...
You are so brave! I did not go to my reunion. Partly because it was in Colorado and partly because most of the folks that I went to school with have still not grown up. Glad you had a good time.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had fun!
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