Celebrating 20 Years

It's official, Graduation Fever has hit and as of yesterday It has been 20 *gasp* years since my graduation way back in 1990. No I have not been invited to my 20th year reunion and I doubt if I would go. My close friends from school and I keep in touch and I really do not feel the need to show off or prove myself socially to anyone else. However, I do have a lot of memories to share from that year but primarily I was happy to just graduate.

Probably one of the funniest memories from my graduation had to do with the senior banquet they held at church for our graduating class. Several of the adults did a "variety show" which was absolutely hilarious. My parents and their friends, the Clinards, did a few songs from The Mamas and The Papas which was just awesome. And if you can remember that The New Kids on The Block was popular back then (I did not listen to them btw) and imagine several senior adult men with sombreros on - singing "hanging tough" and doing the NKOB hand in the air waving back and forth. Yes, you really had to be there and some of you were! I still have a VHS copy of that. (remember VHS?)

When I was a senior, all of the traditions still held true. We had announcements, which was really a fancy request for money or a present, a large overnight senior party hosted by the school, and I did order a senior ring but later lost it at a pool party in 1992. Yes, I kept my tassel and still have it in a box full of high school memories that is in my attic. No, I never ever put it on my rear view mirror though. For some reason I just did not ever want dangly things hanging in my face while trying to drive.

What is a senior year without prom? I did go to my senior prom, but I went STAG with a group of girls who mostly did not have dates either. You see there was a certain friend of mine (K) who I had asked who had originally agreed but then backed out. I'm not really sure why but I think I know it was because dancing was frowned upon by adults who attended certain Christian churches that we associated with. I'd like to think that it really had nothing to do with me personally. He and I are still friends today after 25-26 years.

Another amazing time during my senior year was the trip that the marching band took to Disney World in Florida. I had been before with my parents but there is nothing like going on a trip like that when you are 17 without much adult supervision. Great memories of feeling like such an adult for those four-five days, budgeting my money and planning out activities, where I would go and all of the people I would see. Disney truly is a "magic kingdom".

And what would my senior year be like without the most notorious event ever? Unless I get alzheimers I will never forget day I set my car on fire with a cigarette. Note to anyone who smokes cigarettes, throwing your butts out the window not only litters the ground but also is dangerous. You can start a fire and sometimes it is in your own backseat. Fuel for my fire provided by my band uniform. I fear that I may NEVER live that down. Did I mention that it was actually MOM's car I set on fire?

Finally, graduation came on May 23rd 1990. Not sure until the last minute that I would walk, I scraped through by the skin of my teeth. I might have had a high D or low C average when I graduated. Not because I couldn't do the work but because I was not interested in doing it at all. This was the year I found out I had ADD. Of course I had it all along but it was undiagnosed.

Probably the best thing that came from that year was this knowledge that I wasn't "crazy, stupid or lazy" but that with the right tools I could go on to more successful times in my life. I was a long way from there in 1990 and I still have goals that were set back then that I haven't achieved yet. But I wouldn't change a thing, all that happened back then has made me who I am now.

So Happy 20th Anniversary to all of my high school friends who I still keep in touch with through FB or in real life. Amy Lewis Embler, Amy Gardner Nagy, Kelly Henne Thomas, Mike, Keenan and others. Cheers to us!!!