Ten year high school reunion, did you go?

[suzi]

Reading through this thread, I was trying to remember why I thought my 10 year reunion was so awful. Other than the fact most people hadn''t changed much yet from they way they were in high school, other things are coming back to me now...lol. When I went to my 10th, I was just about to get married. The reunion was in July, and my wedding was coming up in September. Lots of people had already been married for several years by then. I remember a few catty remarks from former classmates about being "still single", and repeatedly explaining that I was engaged and about to be married soon. Like I had to justify it or something.

I remember thinking that somehow I didn''t measure up! But at the 25th, many of those who had seemed to look down on me at the 10 year reunion for waiting so long to get married were now the ones who were divorced (some many times over) and single, but here I was with a 15 year marriage under my belt, a successful career, and some nice bling on my left hand.

. I guess it didn''t occur to me back then that the reason so many of them had been married for several years already was because they skipped college and got married right out of highschool, while I was busy getting an education and getting my career off the ground. Several of those who got married right out of highschool got married because they were pregnant, and almost none of those marriages ended up lasting.

I think now that I''m older and wiser, these reunions aren''t so bad after all. I will probably continue going as long as they keep having them.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Good going Sipper....sounds like you were on top of your game!!

Wonder if they would want to change places with you now? I bet they would!!

DKS

 

[Nicrez]

Very active in school actually, but I was loathe to go. I had planned a vacation around that time and wasn't going to change plans for it when they finally tracked me down for the invite...

As I saw it if we hadn't kept in touch in those 10 years, likely we were not close enough to care 10 years later. And that was the case. My closest kept in touch, and the rest fell away. I am not one to relive the past for old times sake, so it felt like a forced nostalgia. I grew up past that town, and to go back I would feel like Al Bundy and his nostalgia of his football years...

I wish them all well, I hope the "nerdy" guys all have billion dollar software companies, and the "ugly" girls alll turned into international supermodels, but I was happy being friends with the few I still speak to. Back then my friends spanned all groups and the tension was always something that annoyed me. I never understood that. So the rivalry and comparisons and one upmanships between these groups would just be a waste of patience on my part.

 

[suzi]

Date: 7/19/2007 10:46:32 AM
Author: door knob solitaire
Good going Sipper....sounds like you were on top of your game!!

Wonder if they would want to change places with you now? I bet they would!!

DKS

Thanks! I don''t know if they''d want to change places with me, but I can tell you this...I''m sure glad my life turned out the way that it did, instead of the way some of theirs turned out.

 

[suzi]

Date: 7/19/2007 10:57:05 AM
Author: Nicrez
Very active in school actually, but I was loathe to go. I had planned a vacation around that time and wasn''t going to change plans for it when they finally tracked me down for the invite...

As I saw it if we hadn''t kept in touch in those 10 years, likely we were not close enough to care 10 years later. And that was the case. My closest kept in touch, and the rest fell away. I am not one to relive the past for old times sake, so it felt like a forced nostalgia. I grew up past that town, and to go back I would feel like Al Bundy and his nostalgia of his football years...

I wish them all well, I hope the nerdy guys all have billion dollar software companies, and the ''ugly'' girls alll turned into international supermodels, but I was happy being friends with the few I still speak to. Back then my friends spanned all groups and the tension was always something that annoyed me. I never understood that. So the rivalry and comparisons and one upmanships between these groups would just be a waste of patience on my part.

For a long time I felt that way, too (about not keeping in touch and not reliving the past). But something really unexpected and wonderful happened to me a litte over a year ago which made me change my mind. My best friend from highschool and I reconnected after many years of loosing touch. We had stayed in pretty close contact through our early college years, despite going to different schools, but as time went by we got involved in different things (me mostly just working and studying, she with sororities and cheerleading and dating) and we sort of grew apart. Then she went to the east coast for law school after college, while I stayed in the midwest and worked in various hospitals. Fast foward nearly 20 years...another old highschool buddy talked me into signing up for Classmates.com, so I did then proceeded to forget all about it. LOL! Meanwhile, my former best friend''s sister talked her into doing the same thing. She said one of the first people she looked for when she signed up was me. Lo and behold she saw my name, and decided to send a message on the off chance I would want to hear from her after all these years. I was on vacation when she sent the message, so I didn''t see it until I came home nearly a week after she''d sent it. But as soon as I saw her email, I wrote her right back. Gosh, after all those years it was good to hear from her. It turns out she''d moved back to the midwest a few years ago, was married, and lived only about an hour away from me! We corresponded via email for several days, then we started talking on the phone. After a couple of weeks we decided to meet up in person. Wow! It was like no time had passed and we were just as close as we were back in highschool! We''ve now renewed our friendship (it''s actually even better now that we are grown and mature

) and we see each other on a regular basis. Our kids are even becoming good friends!

After that, I went back and put more information about myself on Classmates.com, along with a recent photo of myself and my family. I''ve had several other people who I had long ago lost contact with email me. It''s been really nice. Most of the people who''ve contacted me moved away after highschool and live in other parts of the country (one fellow who contacted me actually lives in another country and works for UNICEF). It''s been great catching up with all these people I had fond memories of, but hadn''t seen in years.

 

[Fly Girl]

We went to my 5th. We had been married for one year, and I had classmates with 1 or 2 babies, and one had three. I spent the whole evening explaining why we didn''t have any kids yet. Happily skipped the 10th (still didn''t have kids). Finally went to my 25th, mainly to show our kids (now ages 8 and 11) the small town where Mom had grown up. Had a great time, and it was pretty easy to explain why we weren''t grandparents yet.

This summer is my 35th. Won''t be going. Planning to take the youngest child to college just then. I don''t miss skipping the reunions. Life is about the future (my kids), and not about all these people in my past.

 

[door knob solitaire]

You know after all the not so great stuff...when it all boils down...it is great to see people in a different light than you remember...or a different path than what you imagined for them.

The biggest druggie turned out to be a bank president with military honors ....who knew? One of the not so popular girls turned out to be a TV news anchor. One slacker owns his multimillion dollar custom home building co. And there were so many physcians and attorneys...yeah, some girls gained weight...but they were still the sweet lovable friends you knew. Many were stay at home moms...some were laborors. I think seeing what paths every chose is the best part. Contests aside...you knew them before.

FLYGIRL...the kid thing to your story was really funny...as it ended up to be the reason you returned...and now the reason you won''t be there.

everyone was blabbing about the kiddos and showing all the cutesy photos. Argghh. I know what you mean by the comments... and the main one of why don''t you have kids? I heard that too. And still would if I returned. I am the last of the mohicans I suppose.

DKS

 

[ephemery1]

My 10th is this November! Since one of my good friends is planning it, I''m definitely going. I think it''s just a get-together at a local bar... nothing too elaborate.

Like someone else mentioned, with the advent of Facebook and MySpace and AIM, I think high school reunions are becoming sort of pointless. All my current closest friends are people from high school, so I see them weekly anyway... and I see everyone else out at the bars every Thanksgiving and Christmas... no need for a special designated day.