My Class of 1988 Reunion

My Senior Picture - Class Of 1988

My closest friends from high school at my wedding in 1999
Left to Right: Shelly, My sister, Me, Amy and Amber

I just got the word from Classmates.com that a 20 year reunion is planned for October 18th. Wow, has it already been 20 years? If I'm correct I think my graduating class was a little over 300 people. So, of course I didn't know everyone in high school. It just doesn't seem like it's been 20 years already. To be honest it just seems like yesterday that I was in high school. My high school years were the best years of my youth. Well, for me anyway they were the best only in a social manner. My grades in high school could of been a little better. I think at that point in my life my social grades were more important than my academic grades. I think I was just your normal teenager enjoy the friends scene. I look back now and realize how many friends I had. I always seem to be going places and hanging out with my girls. I've stayed in touch with a few of my friends from high school but not many. As I've grown older I've become more selective with choosing my friends. Today I only have a few select people who I like to hang out with. Most people are just way to much maintenance for me. Over the years I've seen pictures or run into some of the people from high school and it always shocks me to see how much they have changed. Sometimes it's not always for the better. God, have I changed that much? I still feel like the same person except I think I'm a little wiser about life. Well at least I hope I am. I know it sounds crazy but for some reason I keep thinking that my fellow classmates are going to look the same as they did in high school. I think my brain is stuck in a time warp. I've recently talked to a few of my friends that I have stayed in contact with and it sounds like they all plan on making it to the reunion. I was happy to hear that. I have mixed feeling about going. On one hand I'm excited about going and having a night out in my old home town with my old friends. On the other hand I'm not really sure I want to go. What if I don't recognize people? Will there be people there that I know? Will they recognize me? Have I also changed in my appearance. Uggg, so many questions! I've been told that I pretty much look the same from high school. Well except for the extra 20 pounds I put on from age and pregnancy. Oh ya, and my hair isn't blond anymore and I don't have the big 80's hair. It's back to my natural color which is brown and my style is a little more with the times. My class alumni had 5 and 10 year reunions but I never did make it to those. I think if I don't make it to the 20 year reunion I'll regret not going. So I've sent in my rsvp for my husband and I. We plan on staying in my home town over night. We decided to make a night out of it. We don't get out much since our daughter was born. Let me tell you, it's hard to find a babysitter that you trust. So of course grandma is going to be the day care for the night. When I was responding to my rsvp I noticed a few responses for no on the list. So I decided to check these people out. Come to find out one of my classmates just recently passed away last February. I had a huge crush on this guy all through high school. I was shocked to hear this sad news. He was only 37 and died from a massive heart attack. Way to young to die. It's amazing how time changes everything. Through the years I often thought about one of my friends who had muscular dystrophy. Her name is Denise and we became friends in 4th grade. I think it was around 1980. She had been in a wheel chair her entire life. We just hit it off and stayed friends until we graduated in 1988. My mom often told me that people with muscular dystrophy die at a young age. I use to take her to all her classes starting from 4th grade through our senior year of high school. I was even the one to wheel her up to get her diploma when we graduated from high school. We lost contact a few years after graduating which I regret. I wish we had stayed close. I've often thought about her over the years and wondered how she is doing and if she is still alive. It would be nice to see her at the graduation and know that she has been living a happy and full life all these years. Maybe I'll get a chance to hear this. That would be wonderful news to hear. Now I just need to find the perfect out fit to wear for my exciting night out. I think I'm going to go with the little black dress outfit. God, I can't even tell you the last time I wore a dress. LOL!