So I survived The 20 Year Reunion...

I've never been big on reunions.  I figure, if I haven't looked you up for this long then why would I want to see you?  I missed our 5th year reunion.  I was still in college & trying to 'find myself'.  I missed our 10 year reunion because most everyone had little kids they wanted to show off & nothing about passing around strange kids all weekend sounded appealing.  But when my childhood best friend sent the notification earlier this year about the 20 year celebration, I was skeptical but interested.

Let's face it, the times of going to class reunions for the sheer purpose of seeing the skinny bitch in high school in a size 18 mumu are over.  Isn't that why we're on Facebook?  I guess at the ripe old age of 37, I was just ready to see some of the faces of the people of my childhood.  Don't get me wrong, there's a couple of girls I couldn't stand that I thought were going & aren't FB friends.... So the mumu motivation wasn't TOTALLY dead.  But I really just wanted to see some dear old friends. 

Do you understand the stress of going to a 20 year reunion?  Finding an outfit alone just about killed me!  And I don't have the words for how hungry I've been for the last 2 weeks.  But I figured I needed something to get my mind off the college football countdown so the last 2 weeks of my life have had more lettuce, shopping, & scanning old polaroids than any human being should ever have to endure!  Yeah... I volunteered to do the video.  Pretty sure it was more to keep me committed to showing up than to show off my mad video skills.  Of course, the video is pretty awesome so I feel compelled to include it. My hair was AWESOME in 1994.

Last night was awesome!  So many fun moments & quite a few awkward ones!  An old classmate's girlfriend called me ma'am in the bathroom.  Not kidding.  She straight up said, "yes, ma'am".  Another classmate's wife hung out with my baby sister growing up.  Of course, the most awkward moment was sitting down with the new wife of an old classmate that I didn't know. Except thru facebook.  I tried to compliment her on how I had loved following their story of a precious mixed family coming together. You know? To make her feel more comfortable & plus it really was a nice story.  Except I came off like a Facebook stalker.  And the more I said, the more weird it got. 

But other than a few awkward encounters, last night was perfect.  It makes me wonder why we don't do a better job of keeping up with the friends who help shape us into who we are.  OH! I also had my first encounter with someone that I don't know reading My Crimson Chaos.  I can't lie.  That was kinda epic!  But mainly it was old friends getting together, having fun, & remembering when.  Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop & look around once in awhile, you could miss it"...

I'm so glad I went to my reunion last night!  It reminded me of the importance of keeping in touch with those who mean something to you.  It's been 20 years. Since then,  I've purchased two homes, had a couple of broken hearts, seen 3 National Championships, buried a couple of people I love dearly, & endured the Mike Shula era.  The lines on my face & the rolls on my body are very much earned.  I'm 20 years older but last night I was just a small town girl having fun with the first friends I ever had. 

And that means the world to me!

Roll Tide Lori, Shannon, Josh, Kelley, Amy, Christy, Michael, Jamie, Christine, Charlotte, Kristy,  Robin, Amy, Lee, Donithin, Monica, Amy, Frederick, Jamie, John, Brandon, Brandy, Brendal, Wade, Kerri, Billy, Bron, Herbert, Wendy, Brandi, & Brandy.   

Roll Tide to my new friends Kerri, Crystal, & Alicia!

Oh, and Roll Tide Gary because nobody can photobomb like you!

You may not all bleed crimson but you're winners according to Crimson Chaos.