Thursday, November 19, 2009

Ten Years

I can’t believe I graduated High School ten years ago. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday and then sometimes it really does feel like forever. Either way, I always knew I wanted to go to my 10 year reunion. I mean, my family moved away my first semester of college so I never even got to go home there for Christmas that first year. So I never really got to see anyone once I graduated and left for BYU. Plus, who doesn’t want to go to Florida??

Since we had two free tickets from those morons at AirTran from when they botched up our trip back in June, we used those. And our awesome friends Bob & Suzanne let us crash at their house AND let us use one of their cars the whole time. So….a pretty cheap trip!

We went to Orlando one day (the one day it was absolutely FREEZING…thanks to a tropical storm in the Gulf). We walked around Downtown Disney which was a ton of fun, despite being so cold. Summer did great, and I seriously started crying when I saw some workers dressed up with a wand filled with glitter sprinkling it on little girls’ heads. One day!!! My little girl will be running up and getting glitter in her hair! It was so adorable. Derrick just rolled his eyes. We ate at a really good sandwich shop there, called The Earl of Sandwich. And of course had to get a hot fudge brownie sundae at Ghirardelli. Then we checked out the Orlando Temple and headed home.

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Friday and Saturday were the reunion festivities. Friday night was a meet and greet at our old high school hangout. Probably the best of the 3 events planned. (Except for my brief moment of painful embarrassment.)  I didn’t really know who was going to show up for the reunion, but I knew my best friend Gail was and that was really all I cared about. I hadn’t seen her in 9 YEARS. But when we saw each other it could have been 9 days. It was so great to catch up with her and meet her husband and I seriously just love this girl. She took me in, no questions asked, when I was the new girl at school and immediately started filling me in on who was who and who was with who and who hated who. Got that? :) We were in band together, both played flute, and just had a great time together in high school, and at the reunion.

Gail & Me

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With high school girlfriends

DSC_4494 Marty, Gail & Me—Drum Major, Band Lt., and Band Cpt. Band dorks all around!

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So….seeing Gail and a few other of my friends was really the highlight. Sad to say, the reunion as an event totally sucked. Like I said, the meet and greet was really informal but the best part. Saturday afternoon there was a BBQ on the beach, where about 7 classmates showed up. Um….lame. Luckily I convinced Gail and our friend Will to show up and not leave me hanging. So, that was a bust. Then, that night was the dinner at a bar/grill on the beach. There were NO signs, NO introductions, NO welcomes, NOTHING. A quick group picture (if you call telling everyone to stand “over there” with no order, tall people in front, short people—ME—in back, and then 15 cameras going off simultaneously a group picture), and then people started going through the buffet line. I paid $40 bucks for corn and pasta?? There was no slide show, no program, absolutely nothing. After people finished eating they went outside to the bar and started drinking. Sweet, my favorite thing to do.

I don’t know what I was expecting, I guess. Derrick tried to warn me that the people planning it probably have no experience planning events. In our church, members are given lots of responsibilities. We’re taught tons of things that prove to be truly useful throughout the rest of our lives. Public speaking, delegating, planning activities, making decorations out of egg cartons,etc. All useful stuff. Still, I was let down.

Also, and this may come as a shock to many of you, but I didn’t really run with the popular crowd in high school. Gail was on the golf team, which had popular kids on it, and so they all knew me through Gail, but I wasn’t really one of them. Mostly just cool by association, and not even really that cool. So the problem with Saturday night was that most of the people there were people that were popular in high school. And now they can all legally drink. Luckily I had Gail and Will and a few other friends to hang out with, and especially Derrick, who, bless his heart was attending this great event on HIS 30th BIRTHDAY. I know, I owe him. Big time.

The rest of the weekend we spent with old friends and just enjoyed the weather. I got to see one of my other best friends Lenora and her family, which is always a great time. We went down to the beach and watched the sunset Sunday night. Always gorgeous. Oh, and her kids are sooo adorable. Seriously cute. We planned on going to the beach Monday but Summer woke up with a 102.6 fever so we just stayed at home.

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Easton & Summer, who is eating sand for the first time

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It’s always good to go back to Florida. It’s just filled with so many great memories for me. And even if nobody I knew is even there anymore, it just has this feeling about it. It feels like going home.

Blah blah, enough of this gushy stuff. Onto more pictures!

All of these were taken at Clearwater Beach

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8 comments:

Emmy said...

Love love love those last pictures!! The one were Summer is sitting on the pier or whatever its, priceless!!
Hey, at least you can feel proud of the fact that you were popular in college :)

I wasn't able to make it to my ten year.. but from what I heard, most people had the most fun at the after party--i.e getting drunk at a bar. So I don't think I missed much.

Yours, Mine, &, Crazy Daisy said...

Awesome Photos!

Kaylynn said...

Those pictures are awesome! I would really love to see a pic of the girl you asked about being prego. That is just hilarious!!

Yours, Mine, &, Crazy Daisy said...

Love your photos! Amazing!

Patten Family said...

Nice Photos. Cannot wait until there is a Christmas card.

Nikki said...

Karen, your family is GORGEOUS!! Summer is the cutest girl I have ever seen and I LOVE the pictures of you guys at the beach. I'm jealous you got to go to the beach and to Disneyworld. I'm nervous for my 10 year reunion in 2 years...I think the same things might just happen too. But like you, I loved high school and have so many memories. Also, like you, I was a musical dork. In the dork-estra for years. LOVE IT!!

Samantha said...

Good to hear Florida houses good memories for you, as there is a chance we'll be moving there if that's where William gets into a PhD program. He's applying to Central Florida University...or something. In Orlando I think.

Melissa said...

Beautiful, beautiful pictures!