Here I am, in all my reunion splendor. My hair was curled in ringlets but in this picture I have somehow pushed my bangs back from my head making it look ridiculous. So imagine this picture with cute bangs. And imagine me with a tan instead of ghostly white. Oh, and imagine I squeezed in time to get my teeth bleached okay? And might you also squint your eyes a bit to see those workouts I meant to get in and those wrinkles I actually don't have? Thanks. You are a peach. 
So...2o years. 1989. The FIRST George Bush became President, the Soviet Union - Afghanistan war ended when the USSR left Kabul, Exxon Valdez spilled in Alaska, Rain Man won best picture, Tianamen Square, Seinfeld & The Simpsons premiered on TV, Gameboys came out, Menendez brothers, 7.1 earthquake during SanFrancisco-Oakland World Series, Berlin Wall came down, "Wind Beneath My Wings" was the number one song the month we graduated. The 49ers won the Superbowl. Really people, have things changed that much in 20 years (except for the dominance of bay area sports teams)? Do you wonder why I don't feel old? A few other little things happened that year too. I fell in love with one Mr. Mike Meeker. I graduated from high school. This past Saturday, Mike and I got gussied up and headed to downtown Sacramento for our class reunion. We had a wonderful time. I never went back to high school after graduation and I lost touch with most people rather quickly. I was young and stupid. So this event was even more special because I had the opportunity to see and visit with people I hadn't seen in literally twenty years. Because Mike and I didn't date until after high school, we never got to go to prom or a dance together. So Mike pointed out that this was like our prom and we tried hard to make it fun and celebratory. I got to have my hair done which was a treat and I liked my black dress that I found at Nordstrom months ago. I wore jewelry and shoes I had and Mike pulled out some clothes from his closet and we hit the town.
"High school is the place that you saw the prettiest girls you have ever known in real life. And then there was always that guy. The one you got up for in the morning. He was what made high school worth bothering with."(Drew Barrymore - Never Been Kissed)
It's nice to know that those girls are still just as beautiful and that the boy is now just a regular guy with kids and a mortgage. I felt so thankful that my life turned out exactly as it has. How many paths could I have walked instead of becoming Amy Meeker, Jessica and Katie's Mom? I'm so thankful that God didn't pay too much attention to the boys names I doodled on my binder and that I didn't end up following through with my "wanting to go to boarding school" phase. I'm glad I got involved in school, got good grades and made friends. Because it was so fun to see these people last Saturday. Here are just a few shots and funny details that I'd like to share.
(Above) On the left is Kori. Her blog is linked on the right. We keep in touch still so she got a front seat to my pre-reunion anxiety. She has the best laugh of anyone on the planet earth. It is deep and loud and guaranteed to make you laugh. And she laughs often. So that means you laugh often when you are with her. She's the coolest. The guy in the middle is Tai. He is maybe the kindest most likable person I have ever known. And to catch up with him and discover he is wonderfully happy and in love with his wife and three daughters warmed my heart and made me feel better about the world.
(Above) This is Jen on the left. Jen did such a good job at rounding up our classmates and getting us all there. Tara is on her right. She headed the whole shindig up and made sure we had an awesome time. They had help from the others on the committee like Sherri (pix to follow) and they could not have done a better job. We had the entire McCormick & Schmick's restaurant and it was classy but laid back at the same time. Such a perfect venue and organized fantastically. And I found out that Tara reads my blog! Shout out to you Tara...the best P.E. teacher and reunion organizer EVER! When we were in school, Tara made us all watch Dirty Dancing with her over and over again. And she was scared of my dog Moz. She used to jump to the top of our couch when he came in. And he was such a nice dog. Seriously, she used to freak.
(Above) So my Dad coached my softball teams for a lot of years. Our name was "The Ms.Fits" which was the name of a women's clothing store in town that was also our team sponsor. Paula (L) and Channa (R) were on our team for years. Paula played left field for our team and was so much fun and was the spirit and heart of our team. One night she took a fly ball to the forehead and had the biggest knot on her head I've ever seen to this day. You could see the stitches of the ball imprinted on her forehead. Channa was our star pitcher. My Dad's favorite story when people ask him how coaching girls is different than coaching boys is about Channa. It was our Championship game, a huge game and we were playing the #1 ranked team. But it was also Junior Prom the next day. Channa showed up at the game with freshly manicured acrylic tips with pastel peach polish to match her peach taffeta tea length gown she was going to wear to prom the next day. She explained to my Dad that she couldn't pitch because she just got her nails done. My Dad couldn't believe it. He told her she had to pitch and she started to cry. So then he turned to me and said "Amy you are pitching." And I started to bawl because it was "just TOOOOOO much presssssurrreee Daaaaaad!" See, there was a cute boy that I liked coming to see me play that night AND it was a super big game. So he had his only two pitchers hugging each other and glaring at him in the dug out while we wiped black streaks of Great Lash Mascara off of our cheeks. I remember he grabbed his face and pulled his skin a lot. I don't even remember who pitched or if we won.
This is Glen. He is the greatest and saved my bacon in high school. He was the smartest dude in our class. When I was Student Body President he was our Treasurer. I am not good at math. No seriously, I had to take Algebra more times than I will admit. And there was blackmail involved in me receiving a passing grade in Geometry. And PreCalculus was passed by the smallest of margins possible and was the only time I was even close to straight A's. I had six beautiful A's and then there was my math grade. Glen kept our student council on track and knew where every penny was at all times. I did not. And he used to help me with my math homework. And then Mike Meeker was my math tutor. I paid him. Glen, however, helped me FOR FREE. Thanks Glen. It was great catching up. Glen and his wife fell in love the same year Mike and I did...freshman year of college. That was a good year.
(Above) Hey, who let these guys in? This is a horrible picture of us but it's the only proof we were there together. We sucked at taking pictures.
(Above) This is Sherri and Mike. Sherri was one of my best friends and we have kept in touch. She was the most fun person in the world and we have many an embarrassing memory we share. All boys were in love with Sherri. She had perfect sun streaked hair, perfect blue eyes, perfect cheek bones, white teeth and was tall and willowy. And she had that aloof but sweet quality that teenage boys go crazy over. Mike Meeker, my husband, the father of my children was not immune to Sherri's charms. He took his turn with all the other boys having a crush on Sherri. They had English together one year. He had helped her with school work (for free - go figure) and so for the end of the year they had to do a report on "where they will be in 10 years". Then they had to present it out loud to the class. Mike got up and said he'd be in the Air Force and have a couple kids and would be married to Sherri. The whole class snickered and thought "ha ha, what a nerd face, he is like admitting he loves the hottest girl in school." Then, Sherri got up and gave her report and said she had lived all over the country, had a couple of kids and was married to Mike Meeker. (they planned it out ahead of time) Mike said the whole class was silent and their mouths were gaping open. I think Mike maybe loved this moment a little too much. 
(Above) Here we are at the Sunday family picnic, where we could bring our families to the park and enjoy a picnic lunch and visiting. Mike and I were in charge of the crafts for kids and relay races for all the kids. It was so fun to see our kids play along side kids of the kids we grew up with. On the left is Shelley who I've known since 2nd grade and who is a Principal at a school here in town and who looks as good, if not better, than we did as teenagers. But she's too nice to hate her for it. I'm next in the hat. My hair was like crazy on Sunday morning from the night before so the hat was necessary but made me look like I was on vacation. Mike in a Hawaiian shirt, thus perpetuating the vacation motif of dress for the Meekers. And next to Mike is Kelly, my senior year boyfriend who is also one of the nicest people I have ever known, maybe a tie with Tai. Kelly was my date for the whole of my senior year to all the important events, but more than my date, he was my good friend. We have also kept in touch over the years and he has the most beautiful wife with the prettiest green eyes you have ever seen. And his kids are talented and nice and smart which makes sense given how nice their parents are.
So...2o years. 1989. The FIRST George Bush became President, the Soviet Union - Afghanistan war ended when the USSR left Kabul, Exxon Valdez spilled in Alaska, Rain Man won best picture, Tianamen Square, Seinfeld & The Simpsons premiered on TV, Gameboys came out, Menendez brothers, 7.1 earthquake during SanFrancisco-Oakland World Series, Berlin Wall came down, "Wind Beneath My Wings" was the number one song the month we graduated. The 49ers won the Superbowl. Really people, have things changed that much in 20 years (except for the dominance of bay area sports teams)? Do you wonder why I don't feel old? A few other little things happened that year too. I fell in love with one Mr. Mike Meeker. I graduated from high school. This past Saturday, Mike and I got gussied up and headed to downtown Sacramento for our class reunion. We had a wonderful time. I never went back to high school after graduation and I lost touch with most people rather quickly. I was young and stupid. So this event was even more special because I had the opportunity to see and visit with people I hadn't seen in literally twenty years. Because Mike and I didn't date until after high school, we never got to go to prom or a dance together. So Mike pointed out that this was like our prom and we tried hard to make it fun and celebratory. I got to have my hair done which was a treat and I liked my black dress that I found at Nordstrom months ago. I wore jewelry and shoes I had and Mike pulled out some clothes from his closet and we hit the town.
"High school is the place that you saw the prettiest girls you have ever known in real life. And then there was always that guy. The one you got up for in the morning. He was what made high school worth bothering with."(Drew Barrymore - Never Been Kissed)
It's nice to know that those girls are still just as beautiful and that the boy is now just a regular guy with kids and a mortgage. I felt so thankful that my life turned out exactly as it has. How many paths could I have walked instead of becoming Amy Meeker, Jessica and Katie's Mom? I'm so thankful that God didn't pay too much attention to the boys names I doodled on my binder and that I didn't end up following through with my "wanting to go to boarding school" phase. I'm glad I got involved in school, got good grades and made friends. Because it was so fun to see these people last Saturday. Here are just a few shots and funny details that I'd like to share.
(Above) Classmates from Markoffer Elementary School. I have known some of these people for 31 years. The Asian guy in the back poking his head up used to beat me up with those big huge long chalkboard erasers. In 6th grade we made a gigantic IZOD float with the Alligator because being Preppy was so in. I made my Dad buy me the Preppy handbook. I was not cool. I wore purple knickers and argyle socks in front of these people. I played my first kissing game at a party at the house of the guy behind me in the white shirt. The blond girl in the middle and the girl next to her are still two of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen because they were so Joradache jean, feathered hair, Liz Claiborne purse cool.
(Above) On the left is Kori. Her blog is linked on the right. We keep in touch still so she got a front seat to my pre-reunion anxiety. She has the best laugh of anyone on the planet earth. It is deep and loud and guaranteed to make you laugh. And she laughs often. So that means you laugh often when you are with her. She's the coolest. The guy in the middle is Tai. He is maybe the kindest most likable person I have ever known. And to catch up with him and discover he is wonderfully happy and in love with his wife and three daughters warmed my heart and made me feel better about the world.
(Above) This is Jen on the left. Jen did such a good job at rounding up our classmates and getting us all there. Tara is on her right. She headed the whole shindig up and made sure we had an awesome time. They had help from the others on the committee like Sherri (pix to follow) and they could not have done a better job. We had the entire McCormick & Schmick's restaurant and it was classy but laid back at the same time. Such a perfect venue and organized fantastically. And I found out that Tara reads my blog! Shout out to you Tara...the best P.E. teacher and reunion organizer EVER! When we were in school, Tara made us all watch Dirty Dancing with her over and over again. And she was scared of my dog Moz. She used to jump to the top of our couch when he came in. And he was such a nice dog. Seriously, she used to freak.
(Above) So my Dad coached my softball teams for a lot of years. Our name was "The Ms.Fits" which was the name of a women's clothing store in town that was also our team sponsor. Paula (L) and Channa (R) were on our team for years. Paula played left field for our team and was so much fun and was the spirit and heart of our team. One night she took a fly ball to the forehead and had the biggest knot on her head I've ever seen to this day. You could see the stitches of the ball imprinted on her forehead. Channa was our star pitcher. My Dad's favorite story when people ask him how coaching girls is different than coaching boys is about Channa. It was our Championship game, a huge game and we were playing the #1 ranked team. But it was also Junior Prom the next day. Channa showed up at the game with freshly manicured acrylic tips with pastel peach polish to match her peach taffeta tea length gown she was going to wear to prom the next day. She explained to my Dad that she couldn't pitch because she just got her nails done. My Dad couldn't believe it. He told her she had to pitch and she started to cry. So then he turned to me and said "Amy you are pitching." And I started to bawl because it was "just TOOOOOO much presssssurrreee Daaaaaad!" See, there was a cute boy that I liked coming to see me play that night AND it was a super big game. So he had his only two pitchers hugging each other and glaring at him in the dug out while we wiped black streaks of Great Lash Mascara off of our cheeks. I remember he grabbed his face and pulled his skin a lot. I don't even remember who pitched or if we won.
This is Glen. He is the greatest and saved my bacon in high school. He was the smartest dude in our class. When I was Student Body President he was our Treasurer. I am not good at math. No seriously, I had to take Algebra more times than I will admit. And there was blackmail involved in me receiving a passing grade in Geometry. And PreCalculus was passed by the smallest of margins possible and was the only time I was even close to straight A's. I had six beautiful A's and then there was my math grade. Glen kept our student council on track and knew where every penny was at all times. I did not. And he used to help me with my math homework. And then Mike Meeker was my math tutor. I paid him. Glen, however, helped me FOR FREE. Thanks Glen. It was great catching up. Glen and his wife fell in love the same year Mike and I did...freshman year of college. That was a good year.
(Above) Hey, who let these guys in? This is a horrible picture of us but it's the only proof we were there together. We sucked at taking pictures.
(Above) This is Sherri and Mike. Sherri was one of my best friends and we have kept in touch. She was the most fun person in the world and we have many an embarrassing memory we share. All boys were in love with Sherri. She had perfect sun streaked hair, perfect blue eyes, perfect cheek bones, white teeth and was tall and willowy. And she had that aloof but sweet quality that teenage boys go crazy over. Mike Meeker, my husband, the father of my children was not immune to Sherri's charms. He took his turn with all the other boys having a crush on Sherri. They had English together one year. He had helped her with school work (for free - go figure) and so for the end of the year they had to do a report on "where they will be in 10 years". Then they had to present it out loud to the class. Mike got up and said he'd be in the Air Force and have a couple kids and would be married to Sherri. The whole class snickered and thought "ha ha, what a nerd face, he is like admitting he loves the hottest girl in school." Then, Sherri got up and gave her report and said she had lived all over the country, had a couple of kids and was married to Mike Meeker. (they planned it out ahead of time) Mike said the whole class was silent and their mouths were gaping open. I think Mike maybe loved this moment a little too much. 
(Above) Here we are at the Sunday family picnic, where we could bring our families to the park and enjoy a picnic lunch and visiting. Mike and I were in charge of the crafts for kids and relay races for all the kids. It was so fun to see our kids play along side kids of the kids we grew up with. On the left is Shelley who I've known since 2nd grade and who is a Principal at a school here in town and who looks as good, if not better, than we did as teenagers. But she's too nice to hate her for it. I'm next in the hat. My hair was like crazy on Sunday morning from the night before so the hat was necessary but made me look like I was on vacation. Mike in a Hawaiian shirt, thus perpetuating the vacation motif of dress for the Meekers. And next to Mike is Kelly, my senior year boyfriend who is also one of the nicest people I have ever known, maybe a tie with Tai. Kelly was my date for the whole of my senior year to all the important events, but more than my date, he was my good friend. We have also kept in touch over the years and he has the most beautiful wife with the prettiest green eyes you have ever seen. And his kids are talented and nice and smart which makes sense given how nice their parents are.Overall, it was a great two days. I had never gone to a reunion before because we lived so far away and Mike was starting med school or we were doing IVF. If you have a chance to go to a reunion, GO! It's important to take a moment and celebrate how insecure, stupid, innocent and wonderful you were. It's called childhood. Hopefully, at some point, we stop taking it seriously and laugh at the freak show that was called adolescence.
3 comments:
LOVE THIS FUN POST!!! I am so thankful that we spent as much time together that week as we did. It made it more fun for the both of us.
But can you crop our picture, like stomach area on up is ok...it makes my butt look big. Aside from that, I look good!
Here's laughing at you chicky...Or maybe with you. That's more fun!
Kori, your waist is now nipped and your sexy is ON LIKE DONKEY KONG! The fact that you are more tan than me is seriously bugging me. Really really bugging me. You are lucky I like you so dang much. Let's have a John Hughes memorial movie a thon soon.
I was so laughing when I saw that you cropped! I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE THAN BEFORE! LOL
When your kids get older and participate in outdoor sports you will have a great tan too...
Later skater...
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