High School Reunion

[lovelylulu]

My 10 year high school reunion is this fall

firstly, i can''t believe that i''m old enough to be going to such a thing. secondly, i''m not certain what to expect.

i haven''t lived in my home state since i graduated, so, while i have remained close with some of my great high school friends, most people i haven''t seen in years. unfortunately one of my close friends got roped into helping to organize the event (i feel so badly for her) and she made us promise that we''d go, especially after feeling particularly *single* when she discovering that she was the only non-married, non-mother organizer of the bunch

are reunions fun, awkward, strange, amusing????

anyone care to share?

 

[tawn]

I wasn''t excited about going to mine and had only kept in touch with a few people, but I did the same thing and made a pact with my friend from school to go! We went and had a complete blast! Way more fun than I expected to have...

 

[Starset]

The five year was fun. I skipped the 10 year because it was poorly planned. I think 23 people showed up. I''m anxious to hear how other''s felt about their 10 year. Maybe we''ll make it up with a 15 in 08.

 

[sumbride]

I went to my BF''s 10th and had more fun than he did! I ended up skipping my own though due to a pre-planned trip to Barbados... Barbados or a reunion? it wasn''t a tough call, and I''m not sorry I missed it. I guess I''ll probably go to the 20th. We don''t do 5 year increments.

 

[DonaBella]

Hi,

I saw this thread and had to respond...I recently went with my DH to his 30 year highschool reunion. Yes, I know, we are way older than alot of you--he is 48 and I am 46. The reunions for me have been as follows: the 5 year was more of a "look at where I am now and how good I have it" kind of reunion and I would have skipped it except I had a few friends I really wanted to see. The 10 year reunion for me was more fun and less of the status thing. The 20 year reunion(my class is lazy and did not do the 15 year one that I am aware of) was the most fun so far. I had had our ninth child, I had lost a ton of weight cuz I wanted to get me back into my clothes AND look hot for this thing. My friends, fellow classmates and acquaintances treated me really well. I had fun. Even former guy-friends came over to me with their wives and told me that I had blossomed and that time had been good to me and wished me well. I felt a little uncomfortable with so much attention, but also at ease. I finally felt I fit in. In highschool, I was awkward, had not really come into my own as far as confidence yet and was active in the choirs and pep squad...even an alternate for the dance team. But I just didn''t fit in. I didn''t have much of a figure and the guys and some of the girls(who were NOT my friends) let me know it.

At the 20 year reunion, there was a handful of us who were still married to the same guy, had kids all from the same guy and were confident and happy. I felt like I had arrived and I had also developed my personality more so I was more assertive and bubbly(I was told this by others). It is nice to hear something like this from folks who knew me then...ya know?

I have gone to my hubby''s 20 year reunion and his 30 year reunion(we were unable or out of town for the 25th reunion) and have come to love these folks! They are so warm, so welcoming, so accepting and I am hugged and appreciated even more so than at my own reunions! I cannot fully give accurate description of how happy I feel when I go with my husband to these events. I mean, it''s meant for him moreso than me and yet, I am as included as he is for the most part. Of course, I do not have the high school history, but other than that, we have connected with these people and their lives.

I say, if you have the opportunity to go, definitely go. It''s worth it. My hubby helped with the organization of the 20th and he got to know even more people by doing so---and he was NOT an officer, just a fellow classmate who decided to get involved!

Sorry for rambling, but I really think people need to get past the presumed awkwardness of whether or not to go and just do it! It is only awkward if you make it so...IMHO.

 

[ellaila]

I went to my 10-year and had a *blast*!! I totally did not expect to, but it really was so fun seeing how people have changed (some for the better, some for the worse), who was married and who they married (!), and just seeing how people grew up from the 18-year-olds I remembered them as to the grown-ups they now are.

For me, it was more of an elementary school reunion than high school because I found myself talking the most with those people that I''ve known the longest, and it really was so nice catching up with everyone

A nice blast from the past ...

 

[fire&ice]

I went to my 10th - had a really great time catching up with everyone (small school).

I went to my 20th & Hubby''s 20th - had a blast at both. Mine was a whole day & night - the day for all the families together - really too cute seeing the offspring! - and the night a dressy adult afair - tons of fun and interesting relvations once the alcohol flowed. Hubby''s was interesting in that is was poorly attended - but the core group went - not necessarily the most popular - but the people who were very involved in the class to begin with. Hubby was class president. Since I did not know hubby in high school - I had fun putting faces with the stories he told.

Go - be yourself & have fun. The best part is to listen to other''s "lives". Some you were spot on thinking - some proved you wrong in both goods ways and bad.

 

[pinkflamingo]

my 10 year is also scheduled this fall. it is actually scheduled the day after Thanksgiving which makes it impossible for me to attend, considering the reunion is in upstate NY and I will be either celebrating Thanksgiving in FL or Seattle. grrr...

I am exercising and dieting a lot just in case i am able to go. i never thought id want to go, but i am curious-

 

[codex57]

I''m curious too. Mine''s scheduled for around Thanksgiving as well, but they''re still running a poll to see if they should change it to around X-mas. No idea why they picked those times when they freely admit both are bad. I guess they figure people will go home to see their families who hopefully still live near the high school?

 

[Mara]

haha we went to my 10 year a few years ago...it was surreal. some people had changed hugely, others not so much. basically people just walked around and talked about what they had been doing for the last 10 years. pretty boring!! to me the only point of reunions as existing just to show that people grew up, got hot, or got rid of zits, landed a good man or woman, got some great career, or had the cutest kids, or insertwhatmakesyourlifefabulous here. It's just all about showing what your life is about to others. very superficial. BUT it makes you curious enough to go and people watch...hehee.

i think i look pretty much the same as when i was in HS, i still live in the same area, have had a stable, predictable kind of career, have traveled some but nothing special, wasnt' married, no kids...it was pretty funny i felt like i was soooo boring at the reunion where some people were like 'oh yeah i've been traveling and living in europe for the last 8 years'. it was like 3 months before we were getting engaged as well so i didn't even have that to report. but it was fun anyway to check people out!!

i figure the 20 year will be more interesting since it gives people REAL time to change.

 

[codex57]

I''m just curious to see what jobs people ended up getting. I went to a nerd school but I heard people who graduated from my high school often couldn''t handle the freedom college gives you. So, I''ll be surprised to see who lived up to expectations and who didn''t. I just hope not too many people will still be in school cuz that could be boring too.

 

[Carlotta]

I have gone to several...starting with the 10th or 15th, and I had so much fun!!! Never laughed so much in my life.....We went to an informal Happy Hour the first night, and every time someone new came in, they looked "vaguely" familiar, but that''s about it....The next night we wore photo tags w/our yearbook mugshots!!!
Everyone related so well....regardless of what "group" anyone was in in HS!!!
We were so much more alike than different!!! (wish we had the wisdom back then...some people we never hung out with turned out to be pretty interesting!!)
Do have fun........for me the time goes so quickly!!!

 

[Allisonfaye]

I just got the invitation to my 25 year. DH had told me all along he would go if I wanted to and now he is pitching a fit. I wasn''t sure I wanted to. I just mentioned it. It will be hard because we have a 2.5 year old and a 10 month old who is still nursing and won''t take a bottle. We would have to make a 6 hour car trip, which will be closer to 11 with stops and such. But my friend told me she would babysit so at least I have that part covered.

I only went to this high school for about 2.5 years. My friend and I went to the 5 year and haven''t been back since. I think I am kind of like Deanne in that while I don''t necessarily think I look better than I did at 18, people tell me I look 10 years younger than I am (which is always nice to hear). I wasn''t particularly popular in hs and I was kind of a late bloomer. I guess it is true what Mara said about showing off your fabulous life. I guess if you aren''t particularly popular, you want to show that you did in fact turn out ok, even if the popular people didn''t pay much attention to you.

We probably won''t go.

On a funny sidenote, after the 20 year, I got a call from a guy in my high school class that lived here in town and we got together for a drink. Not long after that, I heard from another guy in my class (who was friends with this other guy) who WAS popular and dated my psycho best friend who I was no longer friends with. He lived in South Carolina and started emailing me. It was weird because he never paid any attention to me in hs. AFter a while of very casual emails, he asked me to come and visit him. ??? Hello?? Did I miss something here? I kind of had a feeling he was trying to start something but he went from the ''hi, how are you"? email to come visit me one pretty fast. Anyway, I informed him that I was getting married in a few months and never heard from him again. lol

I think if anything, it is interesting to see what happened to OTHER people. Did the captain of the football team get fat and lose his hair? Did the head cheerleader turn into a lush?

 

[hlmr]

I wanted to go to my 10th anniversary but I was literally giving birth to my son that weekend so I couldn''t make it!

I heard it was an absolute blast, and some friends who did go told me they had a toast to my new baby!

I was very much looking forward to my 20th

(feeling old here, hehe), but the organizers never actually got organized so it didn''t happen.

Perhaps a 25th may be in store for me in 2009 or in 2008 for DH - if so, I would definitely go.

 

[littlelysser]

I went to my 10 year four years ago...I thought it was odd. I had a good time and I''d do it again...but probably not until my 20th.

I grew up in very non-transient area - most folks had stayed in the city and only a few had left the state (me being one of them). A number of them married people from highschool.

By far, the best comment I got was in response to when someone asked what I did for a living and I responded that I''m a lawyer. A girl said, and I quote, "That''s SUCH a great reunion job!" So yeah.

Of course, I was very happy to bring my super hottie (at least in my opinion) BF, now fiance with me...

I spent most of the evening talking with a few folks I knew in highschool but wasn''t really close with, as they were the only ones that left Cincinnati!

I have a couple girlfriends from highschool that I''m very close with...so, honestly, we did spend a good part of the evening talking and just people watching!

 

[Ann]

I am going to my reunion Aug. 12th. I graduated in ''73 (God, that''s a long tiimmme ago!)

Classes from ''70- ''74 are invited, so it should be interesting. I went to my 10th and while I was curious to see everyone, frankly it was boring. I remember standing around with the same people I hung out with in school. Honestly, some people changed so much there was no way I could have recognized them if they didn''t have name tags on. One of the guys I had a small crush on went from super football hunk to grossly overweight, bald slob.

Can''t wait to read all the inflated bios!! I didn''t send mine in. Unemployed housewife, mother of 2, addicted to sparklies and searching for a 12 step program. Now, that would get''em talking!

 

[lovelylulu]

so far, i don''t think that we have to fill out bios -- though that could definately make for an amusing read.

I am interested to see how everyone turned out, moved to, married, etc.

and I still can''t fathom people having children, so that should be eye opening -- who became a parent...

 

[MichaelLC]

Mine is coming up too for my Chicago-area HS.

Didn't have "the time of my life" in HS, but will go to the reunion, mainly because I'd like to see some of my friends I haven't talked to for years, and who knows, might be fun. It's just one evening, and would always wonder always if I missed something nice.