My 20 Year High School Reunion

Beth and I attended my 20 year high school reunion on 10/4/08. I have never attended an event like this so I was a bit apprehensive and more than a bit nervous about to what to expect. I was excited as I was hoping to see a few old friends and see how everyone was doing. Looking back on my days in high school, I have very fond memories, memories of meeting my first real friends, of finding what my strengths and weaknesses were, learning how to treat others (and sometimes how not to treat others), learning how to have fun, and basically learning how to have fun while at the sametime working hard, both academically and in other areas of life.
The night started out perfect, in the parking lot we pulled up at the same time as an old friend Andrew Burhans, Andrew and I go way back, Greystone Baptist Church back, and he has always been a very nice guy. He looked GREAT and I only regret that after seeing him in the parking lot I did not speak with him for the rest of the night. This is something I regret with a lot of people, there simply was not enough time to talk to everyone.

Upon entering the event, I was immediately confronted with a slight feeling of being overwhelmed , this feeling never really left me throughout the night but it stayed manageable. For me the hardest part was figuring out who was who, who you wanted to talk with, you wanted to talk to you, etc. I never figured this out but I erred on the side of trying to talk to just about everyone. The entire night was a balance of old memories and trying to stay in the moment. Shortly after arrival, I ran into an old friend who have shared more than few memories with, John Rush, it was then that I realized this night was going to be MUCH more fun than I realized. You can think about the moment that you will see and hang out with old friends, but for me, it wasn’t until I was in that moment that the gravity of it all hit me. I missed these people, I missed those days, I missed that feeling of innocence, of losing it, of growing up some, and mainly just hanging out and making friends. As we walked from the registration to the bar, I literally and mentally walked down a hall of memories, there’s Boo Rigsbee, there’s Troy Holloway, there’s Rebecca what’s her name, didn’t I kiss her? there’s someone I know but I cannot remember their name, their’s Marcus Burch, forgot he would be here, there’s that girl that was in my math class, no idea what her name is, and on and on.

I knew that who we sat with at this event would be a key to having fun, I also knew I could not go wrong if I stuck with John Rush, I heard him say something about Trout, no sooner did I ask he was there than I looked up and saw him. Jeff Trout was my best friend through high school, we stayed in touch through college and both he and John Rush attended our wedding. We have both been through our share of fun, trouble, figuring out a path, finding that path, and settling down, for the most part. It was when I saw him that I realized this night had already exceeded my expectations, and we were about to have a lot of fun. From there, the night turned into a great party, lots of beers, vodka tonics, beers and just good ole’ fashion fun. Beth really hit it off with Trout’s wife and John’s girlfriend, they took care of her and I kept socializing. Around 10pm my other best friend, Mike Montogomery showed up, he looked great, still had his sense of humor, and we basically picked up where we left. Trout, Mike and I, along with a few others, had a great night. I cannot stop thinking about this reunion. One, for how fun it was, but also for the lessons I learned, that the people I went to high school with are doing great, we’re raising families, making a difference in the world, contributing to society, and still having fun and enjoying our memories from high school. It was really a great night, one that far exceeded my expectations, and one that I will remember forever, I hope we have a 25 year reunion b/w now and our 30. The years truly did melt away this night and I will really try and stay in touch with the friends I have missed but have now reconnected with.