RHS 2002 - 10 Year Class Reunion

I recently celebrated my 10 year class reunion!!

I seriously can't believe it's been 10 years already since I graduated & 'Achieved Excellence' from good ole' Russellville High School.

 I remember thinking back on this day and what it would be like . . .  what all we might have accomplished?  Who would be married & to whom?  Which of us would have children or how many?  What life adventures would we have experienced?  And of course - what would we all look like?  Lol

Funny thing is - 10 years goes by really fast. And while many things have changed, so much is considerably unchanged.

I still LOVE these people for one . . . 

This fact was quickly realized when it came to the reunion itself.  10 years ago, our class had a consistent apathy to, well, almost everything.  As in the fact that I believe we were the only class to never win the Spirit Stick at a single pep rally because no one really cared to show up.  

And the sad fact that in turn, we created a Spirit Log for the handful who saw the fun in that kind of thing.

Or for reasons (un-named) that I'm sure most teachers & school administrators were more than happy to see us move on.

So it wasn't that surprising that even just a couple weeks before the reunion, there had been no tickets bought and it was still up in the air whether or not there would be any food, entertainment, or even others to socialize with.  Fortunately there is still that handful of us that do enjoy these kind of things and somehow pulled it off!

CHEERS TO US!

Leading up to the reunion I tried my best to rally my closest friends to attend and then also some of those dear friends that I hadn't really seen or visited with since high school but would love to catch up with.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), this is a very CrAZy stage of life a lot of us are in right now - new jobs, growing families, distance, etc., it makes it more difficult to make a class reunion a 'high priority'.  This was clearly evident from the amount of girlfriends that missed the reunion, due to brand new babies or pregnancies.  

Maybe it's just my nostalgic side, but I've looked foreword to our class reunion since we graduated.  And I got even more excited after having such a great time at Andrew's 2 years ago.  Being a sophomore while he was a senior, I had also made several close friendships within his class and it was SO GREAT to catch up & visit with those sweet people. (although I laughed to myself several times over the feelings that I got while being there--once again being the little sophomore with all the "older" seniors again)

Although a big difference between Andrew's reunion and mine?  Try being almost 9 months prego.  Not really the version of myself I had envisioned showing up all those years ago.  ;)   

Oh well, what better way to start up a conversation with a classmate you haven't talked to in 10 years, than this big belly?  Lol

Once we got there I wasn't only surprised, but I was thrilled with the turnout!  Beautiful faces from my past were everywhere and it truly warmed my heart.

Although I wished more than anything that more of my besties could have attended, I loved spending time and catching up with those who did.

Even Andrew had an unexpectedly good time.

I absolutely loved visiting (even if briefly) with so many classmates that I hadn't actually spoken to in probably 10 years.  Facebook & blogs can be wonderful networks to stay up-to-date with friends and to see what's going on in their lives, but there's just something wonderful about a face-to-face visit.

I also loved seeing so much joy & happiness in the faces of so many.

There was much laughter and hugs and strolls down memory lane.

Of course, many of us had changed.  Mainly the guys, considering they seemed to have graduated as boys and walked through the reunion doors as men.   

Some beyond recognition.

And then some had not changed all that much.

And then there were a couple faces we will always miss . . .

After leaving the reunion, I was thinking (out loud with Andrew) about how strange, neat, odd, and yet amazingly wonderful it is that I felt such a connection with some of these people, who some, I hadn't seen or spoken to in 10 YEARS, but because I literally grew up with them (since 1st grade with many) the feelings are just embedded . . . we shared so many of the same experiences together, that it created a bond unlike any other.

 

Needless to say, I had a great time.  There were a few things noted to make our next reunion better, and of course I would have loved it even more - had EVEN MORE - friends and old faces shown up . . .

And now that we've pulled the 1st one off and learned what works & what doesn't for a reunion, our next one will be even better and I'm already looking forward to it - as I've heard from several others that were able to attend.

So maybe we'll try again at 15?  I'd sure love to . . .  

Who knows where life may lead us all by then?

Thank You Russellville High School Class of 2002

Although I've grown up a bit and my life has been filled with 10 more years of experiences, adventures, challenges, successes, failures, loves, losses, and most notable a husband & children - 13 of my 28 years on this earth were helped formed by you.  Through the good, bad, highs, & lows we grew up together, creating a bond that cannot be torn apart.  I loved every minute of my high school years and am so thankful to have shared it with you.

God Bless

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy . . .

Philippians 1:3-4

**Special thank you to Joshua Mashon for taking party pics!**