NHS Class of 1996 Reunites 20 Years Later

I waffled back and forth between wanting to go and not wanting to go to my 20th high school reunion, with NOT wanting to go being the stronger feeling most of the time.  Plus, it was the same weekend as Ragnar CO, and those ladies are my people, so it was really hard to not participate and I was leaning toward "probably not going."  However, I knew that once it was actually happening I would have felt sad that I missed it which moved me in the direction of "possibly going"  Then, my closest high school girl friends all started sending messages about going and meeting up, some of whom I hadn't seen since my wedding, so that pushed me over the edge to "going."

And I am really glad I did.

It was a surreal night.  I mean...TWENTY years have passed since I graduated high school, yet it doesn't feel that long at all, even when I consider how much has happened in those 20 years.  And seeing those kids, who aren't kids at all anymore because we are all nearing 40, but still feel like the same kids I graduated with, was really strange.  Everyone looked so much the same--a few wrinkles here, a few pounds there, but really, that 18-year-old was still in there inside all of us.  But thankfully, there was also a great deal of change.  Classmates who had once been timid were confident, classmates that were once self-centered had learned over the years that the world is much bigger than themselves.  People were living, for the most part, happy lives, raising families, doing things that they liked, enjoyed or loved and that they felt made a difference in their world, and there were some who were even making a difference in the wider world.  It was good to see the happy.  Even if, by the end of the night, it was like reliving the end of our senior prom: a lot of drunken revelry.  Haha!  Some things change, but some stay the same!   

It was so good to see my girlfriends.  That was my favorite part!  We danced together like we always did back in the day, from church dances to school dances, first on the floor and last to leave!  They are such beautiful, wonderful women and I am so proud to count them as friends, so many whom I still see and a few that it had been much too long.  Love them all!  And so grateful for their friendship that kept me grounded and level-headed in my high school years.  The reminiscing was so much fun!  Our biggest question now that so many of us are parents: what were our parents thinking letting a group of 15 teenage girls go camping in the forest together with no chaperones??

What a great time!  I'm glad I convinced myself to go.  Even though I still really missed my Ragnar CO girls.

When we landed in Seattle they had us get off onto the tarmac and take a shuttle to the terminal.  It was weird.

Brunch with Mom and Dad before they left for the weekend!  I missed getting a picture with Dan and Nicolle, but they were Kim and I's gracious hosts for the weekend.  Kim and I loved our Saturday patio chat with them and feeding the fish!  So relaxing and a good way to calm our unwanted reunion nerves.

Reunion family BBQ with my best gals: Kim (my date for the weekend), Liz, Katie, Amy, Chelsea and Alissa.

Hanging out with James, my senior prom date!

Liz, Kim and I thought it would be such a good idea to have a lunch heavy on garlic the day of the reunion.

Ready to party!  Amy, Liz, Alissa, Miriam, Katie and Kim.

Me, Jenny, Amy, Miriam and Liz.

Erin, Kim, me, Carol, Jenny, Katie, Amy, Alissa, Liz and Miriam.

Jenny, Adrienne, me, Alissa, Ali and Alyssa.

Nicole, Denise, Grace and I.

 

Photo booth fun!

Killer Drillers!!!

I won a gift basket drawing!  WHA??!!!  Yeah!

Old friends are the best friends!  Love my Carrie Holmes!

Our bang game was strong in '96.

With Eliana and Grace.

When you go to high school in Bellevue, Washington...personalized macarons.

It was a pretty good turnout, well over a third of our class.

I'm in the very back!

Getting our groove on!!

Looking like we danced until 1am!

Seen in the bathroom stall in the airport.

It was a good one, WA!