After all these years

On May 31, 1985, the 48 members of the graduating class of Oakman High School gathered at the stadium.  We were filled with nervousness and anxiousness, ready to begin the new chapter in our lives.  We swore that we'd never lose touch and that we'd be friends forever. 

Like all classes, we stayed in touch for a while with some, and we lost touch almost immediately with others.  Over the years, some of us, like myself, lost touch with practically everyone.  Oh sure, we sent Christmas cards and made the occasional phone call, but as far as maintaining the life-long friendships, we didn't.  We got busy with our lives and our families.  We moved away and made new friends.

Then we joined Facebook.  John has never created a page and sees no use in it.  I, on the other hand, love facebook.  It is because of fb that I have reconnected with many of my high school friends. 

Last night, a few members of the Class of '85 gathered, 25 years later, to relive memories, catch up on lives, and make new memories.

L to R:  Mike "Woody" Woods, yours truly, Cindy Harbison Bentley, Donna Wade, Alan "Jim" Jones, Anita Burke McKinstry, Barry Thomason (kneeling), Brian Pendley

Really, none of us have changed much at all.  Oh sure, a few pounds have been packed on by everyone except Donna, Jim, and Anita, and a few gray hairs shine through, except for Barry and that's simply because he has no hair for us to know if it is gray or not.  =)  Otherwise, I would have recognized any of them if I had run in to them. 
What was so wonderful is that even though it has been many, many years since most of us have seen one another, we picked up just like this was a monthly gathering.  The only way to tell we were catching up for the first time in close to 20 years was to listen to our conversations.  "Where do you live now?"  "How many children do you have?"  "Do you parents still live in the same place?"

Last night proved that TRUE friendships can and will overcome all times and distances.  I just hope it isn't another 25 years before we get together again.

Before I close, I want to include a few more pictures from the evening.

Anita and Donna

Barry and Sharon (Sharon dates Mike)

Jim, his wife Kay, Brian, Cindy

Mike, Barry, Anita

Mike, Jim, Kay

Brian, Donna, Sharon

As always, have a GREAT day!

When pigs fly

Are these not the cutest pieces of yard art? John and I were on our way to Sam's birthday party yesterday when we passed a little shop in Chelsea with all of this kind of stuff out front. He saw the rooster, so on our way back by, we stopped to look. We ended up getting the rooster and the flying pig. Too cute, I think! Of course, I love things that are rustic. These will be living at the lake.

We have had such a great weekend! It all got started on Friday night with dinner at Cocina Superior with Susan, Tim, Amy, and Stephen. Tim's birthday was Saturday, we decided we needed to celebrate. John and I then spent the night at Susan and Tim's because Sam's party was at 10 AM Saturday.

We are so lucky to have Susan & Tim as friends. They aren't just friends...they have become family. Tim was an only child, but he has said that John is as close to him as a brother, and I know John feels the same way about him. And I feel as if Susan is a sister. It is really interesting at the number of times our paths crossed throughout our lives. Piano recitals when we were 9 (her aunt was the teacher), I had her uncle for a teacher in high school, her dad performed a wedding I was in...and the list goes on. She and I were meant to be friends.









Amy & Susan









Susan & me










John & Tim



On Saturday, we got up and relaxed for a while before heading to Mike and Darlene's for Sam's 2nd birthday. It's hard to believe the little man will be 2 on Wednesday! He is such a cutie, and his independence is beginning to blossom. I told Jessi that he is already beginning to develop his selective hearing. She said, "Yeah, it's a Vest thing." And she is so very correct about that! LOL Sam's Poppa John has a terrific case of selective hearing. hahaha

Sam got TONS of toys and new clothes. Katy and Phillip are going to have to buy a bigger house just for his stuff.










Mommy, Daddy, & the birthday boy










Sam loves him some cake. :)










Poppa John & Grana gave him a classic Radio Flyer tricycle.

My beautiful, beautiful family. God blessed me so much, and I thank Him each and every day for the joy and love that these six people bring to my life.

The older I get, the more I realize how precious family and friends are, and the more I realize that life is much too short. Too many times we've been too busy, too tired, too broke...whatever...to get together and make memories. Life doesn't have to be filled with WOW moments. Sure, those are nice, but so is sitting on the porch, relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

Some of my best memories from my childhood revolve around sitting on Grannie's porch or MaMaw's porch listening to the adults talk while I played in the yard. What I wouldn't give to have one more opportunity to do that again.

I hope you have a GREAT Sunday and a GREAT week!

Friendship

Remember way back when to your elementary school best friend. Remember making those promises under the oak tree on the play ground...those promises that you'd be friends forever? Jump ahead just a few years to junior high school. By this time, you'd discovered that boys really WEREN'T so yucky. You and your best friend would sit up half the night giggling and dreaming about your future. Maybe you promised that when you grew up and got married, you would live next to each other and your kids would be best friends. Finally, it was high school. Teachers and parents warned you that the next few years would bring many changes to your life. You would all go different ways and the friendships that you made would fade to the background. You and your best friend laughed and said that they didn't know what they were talking about. After all, you'd made promises years ago that you'd be friends forever, and again, you promised one another that nothing could ever change that.

The summer following graduation was magical. You hung out with your best friend as much as possible, because you knew that once August rolled around, you'd be leaving to go to school and you wouldn't see each other every day. But once again, you promised. You made plans for her to come spend the weekends with you, and every time you were home, you'd be inseparable. For the first couple of months, that's what happened, but then life happened.

You both started dating people and making new friends. Suddenly, you didn't have time. No, you didn't MAKE time. Months went by with just the occasional phone call because you were always busy. Then you realized that you hadn't seen your BFF in several months, so you try to make plans. Nothing works out because when you are free, she isn't and vice versa. But you agree to keep trying.

Now, it has been four or five years, and you've lost touch. You aren't even sure where she is now. When you're home, you ask about her, but that's about all. You think back to everything your teachers and parents told you about losing connections, and you laugh...sadly...because you'd promised it wouldn't happen and now it has.

Fast forward about 20 years. There is the new thing called "facebook" that many of the younger generation is talking about. You learn that it is a social networking site that they use to keep up with friends. A few more years pass, and a co-worker sends you an invitation to join. You decide to check it out, thinking the whole time "I know this isn't for me."

Gradually, your friends list fills. First with co-workers and current friends, but one day you receive a friend request from a high school friend. Feeling a little hesitant, you accept it. I mean, it's been over 20 years. What in the world do we have in common now??? Before long, you have reconnected with several high school friends, and you realize that you have really and truly missed them.

A few months later, some of you decide to meet for lunch. You can't wait, but there is a feeling of nervousness. Just that "what if..." Of course, you have an "out" planned in case everything goes downhill. Fortunately, you don't need the out, and after sitting in the restaurant for several hours, you began to feel that the employees really wish you'd leave. :)

This is my story. This is what happened to me. But that lunch wasn't the end of it.

This past weekend, Anita, Brian, Cindy, Donna, and I met up in Gulf Shores for the a long weekend. Anita, Cindy, Donna, and I had met for lunch in July. We said we were going to do a beach trip this fall, but honestly, I wasn't 100% sure it would happen, but it did, and I am SO glad! The entire weekend was spent laughing, talking, crying...just like we'd never lost touch. It is amazing to me that after so many years we were able to pick up just where we left off. It was such a wonderful time.

Another one of our friends, who was my best friend in school, was Debbie. Everyone asked me about Debbie-where she was, what she was doing-but I had no clue. I did know she was in Florida, but that was all. Over the weekend, I got a facebook friend request from her! It was awesome. I immediately accepted and told her that her ears must have been burning because the others had been asking about her. Maybe on the next trip, she can join us.

Before we left yesterday, we agreed that this will be an annual get-together, and we're planning on having birthday gatherings as well.

This weekend was, without a doubt, one of the best ones I have had in a long time. It was filled with so much happiness. We did all of the "remember when..." but we also filled each other in on the years since high school. We talked about how the people we were then are so far removed from the people we are now. I truly think having those years apart was good because I know that I appreciate the renewed friendships much more than I think I ever did the high school friendships. I don't take them for granted any longer.

So, after you read this, pick up the phone, do a facebook search, jot a quick email to the people you loved in high school but have lost touch with. I promise you won't regret it.

Oh yeah...how 'bout that TIDE?? Cindy and I watched the game while Anita, Brian, and Donna did some shopping. It was really nice that EVERY ONE OF US are HUGE Bama fans, and we really don't care much about the other major college team in the state. LOL

ROLL TIDE!!

Isn't it a gorgeous day?

Today has been one of those perfect days--all the way around! The sun is shining, the sky is such a beautiful shade of blue, and the temperature is just right. My classes were pretty good today, bus duty wasn't all that bad, and I don't have tons to do once I get home. I love springtime!

My friend Kristen is doing okay. Some moments are better than others, but that's normal. This has been a horrible roller coaster ride for her--she'll be almost as low as a person can get, but then she pulls herself up. As long as she can remember this guy for the horrible manipulator that he is and not for the person he made her believe he is, she'll be okay. It will take time.

Even though it has been a terrific day, it has been a long one, so I'm going to call it a night. I hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm looking forward to hearing some rather interesting stories at the reunion. If there are any that are shareable, I'll post them next week.

Have a GREAT evening!

The cruel asshole strikes again

This is one person that I would love to rip limb from limb. I've met him only once, and he was nice enough, but hey...anybody who has narcissistic personality disorder can make himself seem perfectly kind and friendly when the need arises. The truly bad thing, though, is that a person who has this disorder can completely destroy others before the ugly truth becomes apparent.

I wish I could go into more detail about it, but I really can't. I will say that he has some MAJOR issues with the way he treats women. Don't you wish that there was some magic potion a person could take that would immediately make his faults perfectly obvious for the entire world to see? It would sure save a ton of heartache and heartbreak!

If you will, say an extra prayer for Kristen over the next few days. Ask God to give her peace as she struggles with this situation.

Thanks!! Y'all are awesome!!

Friends

John and I a fantastic evening with some of the best friends in the world last night! It was Tim's 50th birthday surprise dinner at Cochina Superior. Misty, Rodney, Amy, Steven, Allyson, and Oliver were there. Of course, everyone was surprised we were there because I'd told Susan whether we made it would be a "wait and see" with Katy and Sam. Since we were there, Sam obviously hasn't arrived. (I'm holding out for this Friday, the 14th. :) ) Anyway, Tim was surprised by the party, which was surprising. He and Susan are together all the time, so for her to be able to pull it off was probably close to a miracle. :) He's quite observant about things, too. The big surprise she had for him was a photo story of his life. Pictures from babyhood and up. She said sneaking pictures out of the house was probably one of the hardest things to do, but she did. Some of them were SOOOO funny!!! I think my favorite was the one of John and Tim when we all went to New Orleans. John was wearing a rasta man hat and Tim had on a funky hot-pink hairy looking something. I'm not sure where Rodney was. I think he was hiding, but he missed the photo op. :) I forgot my camera last night, but Amy and Susan had theirs, so maybe there are some good ones to add for Tim's next big birthday. (I get to be the next one to hit the big 5-0, and Susan will be just a month behind. Fortunately, that's not for another 9 years. lol)