The Next 20 Years

This past weekend found us running like chickens. .from CT scan of Tristan's foot, to homecoming parade, to homecoming game, to my hometown parade, to family dinner, to my TWENTY year class reunion and back again.

WOW!

 

First of all, I must say it seems surreal that these people. .the only ones I knew for the first 18 years of my life. .have been distant for over 20 years now!! We graduated with a few over 50, and about 20 of them showed up to the parade or the dinner. .and probably 10 more had good excuses for not being there.

Is as the custom. .we gathered early to catch a float for the parade! They have a parade for nearly every 5 year reunion. .dating back to at least 1956.

This was the first encounter many of us had had with one another in at least 5 years, if not 10 or 20.

I was happy to find 2 of my closest buddies there. .Katrina. .the blonde to the left. .and Dana. .the brunette snapping the photo! She is a fellow blogger friend, that I was fortunate to catch up with a few years ago via our blogs! In fact. .we go WAAAAAY back. .and I promised her a little surprise. .

. .a photo I found in our sophmore yearbook, that happened to be at my folks'. We were in the boys bathroom in the middle of the night at a yearbook lock-in. .and got caught!! We just wanted to know what if would be like to do our business and carry on a conversation at the same time. .I'm sure that there was a hideous pic of Katrina and I too. .but my yearbooks are packed away.

We had absolutely the MOST fun talking, telling stories, and laughing. .a SUPER time!!

This photo was snapped as the guy retreating by foot (no idea who he is) started to pop a water balloon on our friend Brian (he swallowed a car eraser in the 1st grade and we'll never let him forget that). As Brian tried to deflect it back on the unknown intruder. .it popped. .spewing right over Katrina and drenching me. .as you might notice the expressions of surprise from the females. Without thinking, I jumped up and sat on Brian's lap, doing a little "lap-dance" to remove water from my butt onto his. .pretty sure in hind site that the whole performace didn't look too good to an audience. .hoping no one I knew recognized me :-)

Dev and Cami got to ride with Grandma on the library float and throw candy.  Cami said "I was a good thrower. .but I hit a couple kids on assident." And I had to admit that I hit a few kids on accident too!

After the crazy kids got up from their naps. .I offered to watch the big kids. .numbering 9. .while the Catholic family members attended mass.

They were wild. .

. .and crazy. .

. .and ran so fast that I couldn't even begin to keep up!!

My extra baby sitters were here. .doing important things. .like texting!

I finally got the little kids to stand in the same spot so I could snap their pictures. .which was great. .for 2 seconds, until Dylan decided she needed to pick flowers instead. .

. .and before 2 more seconds had passed. .we had Grandma's flowers picked faster than a herd of grasshoppers. .

But she DID enjoy the lovely bouquet of purple flowers that we left for her in the kitchen.

This was the closest I came to getting a photo!! Cami would NOT look up, because she had injured her foot in the flower frenzy.

So after an hour of Auntie Mel chasing two-legged ants. .we decided it was movie time. .

. .and tractor driving for the men!

. .and they were quiet as could be. .

. .until the Tickle Torturer arrived!! Thankfully we got everyone settled back down just in time for Grandma to come home and watch 'em while we snuck out for drinks and dinner!!

The weekend was just what I needed to refresh. .and gain new perspective!  To be among old friends is priceless. .if you have never had to move from everything you had ever known to another community. .you may not understand what I mean. .It's is just comforting to be with people who knew you before you knew yourself!! And though, a lot of things have changed in 20 years. .NOT alot of things have changed in 20 years!! The time went too fast. .and there are too many questions that I didn't get to ask. .even harder to believe. .is that when we hook up in five more years. .several of us will have kids in college. .many will have high school age kids. .and some will even have grandchildren. .God forbid that to be me!  But as fast as time flies. .a few months will fly by, and it will soon be time to celebrate 25 years!

WOW!!

Have a super week, ya'll!!