Thanksgiving Weather and High School Reunions
Hope you had a good weekend. We’ve got a busy travel week ahead with Thanksgiving — and it looks like weather will be a factor in a lot of big cities as people try to get to their holiday destinations. Mainly a storm system coming out of the Pacific Northwest that will give us all sorts of messiness over the next few days including rain, winds and snow. (OH NO! 
) We’ll keep you posted throughout the week on how conditions could affect your plans (and I’ll make sure I keep up on my blogging to update you here)
Off topic a bit, My husband had his 20th High School Reunion this weekend.
I was surprised to see how anxious he was leading up to it! (Shh – don’t tell him I said this). We had a few discussions as to whether or not I should come with him (since this is really his night to catch up with all his old buddies and classmates – and I didnt want him to worry about entertaining me while he tries to socialize). At any rate, I ended up going, and having a great time. I found a couple of things worthy of blogging about. One comment I overheard between two women. Here’s the way it went:
1st lady: “Hey there!! (looks at nametag of 2nd lady) (we’ll call her Jenny) How are you Jenny? Long time!!”
2nd lady (Jenny): “Oh yeah – hi. Great…(long pregnant pause) I never thought you liked me in High School…”
1st lady: “uhhhh…no that’s not true! I loved you…uhhh…Really! Wow- did I leave my drink over there?”
(Exit stage right)
True event. I left the names out to protect the innocent.
You could write a whole book on High School Reunion Stories. Some of the stuff I was overhearing was priceless. Thank Goodness for nametags! There were a lot of quick non-chalent glances at lapels thorought the evening…I have to admit I was a little nervous about meeting some of his “old” girlfriends, but luckily all of the women I did meet were wonderful and sweet…and happily married now!
The old 80s music was fun – and most people had just enough pictures close in their pocket or pocketbook to show off their wonderful kids and spouses. A lot of hugs and smiles and good times were had by all. (And the open bar certainly helped with the first few seconds of familiarizing yourself with someone you haven’t seen or thought about in 2 decades) I have to admit, I longed to see some of my old high school friends from way back when. It’s such an important part of who were are and the path we began our careers and lives on. It made me a little melancholy thinking back to such years of insecurity and “what do I want to be when I grow up”. I think it’s important to remind ourselves of those formidable years and how we learned so much about ourselves through others.
Do you remember your high school reunion? Do you have any funny stories? Please share them here!
JD
A year ago I went to my 50th high school reunion and I had not been to a reunion in about 40 years. Some of my classmates I had not seen in 50 years. We went back to the school we graduated from and went to all of our old class rooms. The school now is a jr. high school. I think some of us looked better now than when we were in school. We did have a great time and my husband said everyone made him at home. My reunion was in China Grove, North Carolina. One stop light. Between Charlotte and Salisbury, North Carolina. We are having another class reunion next year and I can hardly wait. We had dinner at the Country Club of Kannapolis and I was ask to get up and tell about my life for 50th years. I almost peed my pants. I was never one to speak in public, but I did get up and say a few words. I wanted to pass out. Scared to death.
Janice,
I only went to one reunion, and it was my 20th also, but that was a long time ago in a place which will remain unnaned in SoCal. There was so much posturing and stretch marks on so many egos I could barely stand it. I did, and do still have a couple of folks I call friends out there, but the funniest part was looking at the expanding waistlines and the receding hairlines :>) I still have all my hair and the waist has only changed 2 inches. And as my ole Daddy used to say about hair…”it can turn gray…it can turn green….just so it doesn’t turn loose.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
Tom
Good stuff Tom! I am really thinking about trying to compile some funny stories about High School Reunions. I was out the other night with Laurie Dhue and Juliet Huddy (yes, we all like one another here — no cat noises!) and they also had some really good stuff from their reunions. It almost seems surreal – bringing you back to a time when a lot of us had no idea what the future would hold, and in a blink of an eye, it’s 10 or 20 years later. I’m really fascinated by human behavior in this environment!
Hi Janice,
I haven’t been to a reunion yet. They didn’t do anything for 10 years so maybe they will for 20 (which is in 2 years). Part of me has no interest in going, I wan’t really part of any crowd. Another part of me is curious to see what everyone is up to. We’ll see what happens in 2009
Unrelated, I am home sick today and was able to watch you for a minute before I lost control of the TV to cartoon network. Your dress looked to be green, greenish-blue. I didn’t think you could wear those colors in front of the green screen. Wouldn’t it blend in? I guess not because you didn’t appear to be a floating head on screen. LOL
Hey Kim!
Keep in mind the green screen I work on is 80s fluorescent green which is not a color that is especially flattering on me!
Yes, can you believe the aqua outfit I am wearing is not “keying out”??? (this is a word the engineers use for the floating head potential) I didn’t think I could wear blue/green either, and had to do a “screen test” with it before wearing it live! I think the engineers are getting better at “tweaking” the chroma key. My roomie Jill Dobson said exactly the same thing when I was on air! As soon as I walked in she said “You are wearing GREEN! I never thought you could wear green on the Green Screen!”
My 10th year reunion just past, and I didn’t go. Not enough time has passed. It’s all still fresh, really. I still remember everything and everyone. Catching up wouldn’t be as much fun. I think it would be fun to go to my 20th, though. Lots of good stories, changed appearances, and what not. I hope ours has a open bar like your husbands JD. What isn’t fun after 3 or 4 Jack and Cokes!
My husband and I went to his 10 year reunion a couple of years ago. We enjoyed talking to everyone, but we talked to the same people we see all of the time. It was the craziest thing…everyone filtered back into the same groups as in HS. No reason to reunite with people we see on a regular basis.
By the way, I so enjoy watching you during my lunch break. I see your spot on “Happening Now.” And, obviously, I read your blog. I enjoy your enthusiasm. Keep up the great work!
By the way, have you ever met Mike Amor? That’s my cousin’s husband. He works out of the Miami bureau, but he does work there in NY periodically.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Julie!
Thanks for writing, and for the nice compliments. I haven’t met Mike, but I will shoot him an email to see if he responds! You are sweet as can be. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
Wow Janice,
The three of you beautiful ladies at one place…were the men able to concentrate? :>) We’re weak, I know.
Tom
JD, in my opiniion (free ya know) you should have went to your husbands reunion to show you off. Men like to show their spouses off and silently brag about their accomplishments.
Also you are making memories with him and sharing his memories, now you can relate to him when he tells you school stories. The more you bond with each other, the more you can enjoy each other. Marriage is like having grandchildren you have to suffer through your children to get them. In marriage you have to suffer through the first 10 yrs, (just kidding) but it does get GREAT after the first 10 yrs.
P.S. I think the 2nd lady in your story was a bit un-gracious to say the least.
I can tell you fresh high school stories lol ‘09 =]
Alright Avi! I kind of wish I kept a diary while I was in High School to be able to remember all the memories. Keep a diary! You’ll be glad you did!
Dear Janice,I just LOVE your blog and all the cartoons;you have a happy spirit!!!!!
Betty
I went to one class reunion it was only after five years. Most everyone was pretty much the same then. My thirtieth is next year (2008). Think I will go to this one if they have one.Bet it will be totally different then the first one.
Love watching you on T.V. Keep up the good work. Even if you are telling about a bad storm heading my way, somehow after watching you talk about it, it doesn’t seem quite as bad.
You always brighten my day!
Janet
Thank you Janet. I wish I had better news to deliver in the weather! Especially as we head into this busy Thanksgiving holiday…it’s going to be messy in a lot of areas this week. I always try to keep smiling despite the bad news sometimes.
I have been to my 20th reunion basically the hot guys were just okay. The okay looking guys had gotten hot. You could not tell who was rich or poor. I had a person tell me they were sorry for being mean to me in HS, I could not remember it happening. He apoligized for 10 minutes, said it had bothered him for 20 years. Poor thing, he was too cool for me to care about.
Anyway I have been back, I have gotten to my DH. They are a fun party like class, lots of food, fun and stories. Very different than mine.
Yep JD you were a trinket, I bet he was a happy guy too!
WHY IS IT JANICE, AFTER OUR 40TH REUNION THE CLASSMATES THAT WERE SKINNY ARE NOW FAT AND FAT ARE NOW SKINNY AND 70 PERCENT ARE DIVORCED, IT MUST BE DUE TO THE WEATHER!!!!
Love the cartoons and the stories!
We had our 53rd high school reunion last summer (Calvert High-Calvert, Texas). We used to shout “To School No More in ‘54!” I retired from teaching at our 50th reunion, ‘04. I just couldn’t get out of school! LOL! We had the largest class the school had in years, with 19 graduating. We had 8 girls and 12 boys in our class, and the teachers had to intervene if we wanted anything to pass when it came to a vote. Wonderful teachers and excellent education.
The school is open for a while so people can look around. Then, everyone looks around at the town and the cemetery, then meets in the next town at a hall for visiting. A barbeque meal is catered and there is more visiting. Then, the country western band starts to play, and we all start shouting. We laughed and said it was just like high school. Our same bunch of girls, waiting on someone to ask us to dance! Only a few people are left to dance, from younger classes. (Of course, now, if someone were to ask me to dance, my knees would not cooperate!) Our numbers are dwindling. But, we have all remained friends, and close, over the years.
Quite a few people didn’t come to the last one. I hope they will come next time. As much time as we spent together in school and out, these were more like brothers and sisters than just people who happened to be in our class.
I’ve only been back to one college reunion. Our 50th will be next year. The one time I went, I was taking students over for an open house of the Art Department. I was wishing my old friends were still there.
I clearly remember being a freshman there, and reading the school newspaper about students who were returning for their reunions, and how it was in their time.
Anyway, those reunions and memories are great. I’m putting a lot of my memories and experiences, plus art work, on my blog. People seemed to enjoy my “little stories” and the pictures that go with them.
Write those things down. You and others will cherish them later. And label all those pictures while you can! I’ve inherited all the old family photos, most not labeled, and now that all my older relatives are gone, I’m having a time trying to figure out who those people are, as I try to write our family story.
Great stuff Cecelia! — I love your stories. I agree that we need to all write things down just to have something to look back on. Thanks for writing!