Tomorrow night is my fifteen year class reunion.  A few friends and I got together and decided that we would plan it - no one else had planned anything, and we all agreed that it would be fun to get together.  We figured that even if no one else showed up, we'd have a great time catching up and would love the chance to spend an evening together. 

In sending emails to classmates about the plans, I've had the chance to connect with lots of old friends.  Its been great to hear what everyone has been doing, how they've spent the past fifteen years since our graduation.  Its funny to see what fifteen years looks like in an email - the details each person gives as they share the highs and lows.  I remember at our six year reunion (we somehow missed that five year mark and just had it in summer six instead), there was lots of talk about where everyone went to school, or the place they were working, some had gotten married and a few had started families.  Now that fifteen years have passed, I'm hearing stories of great change - moving farther away from our childhood homes, parents that have passed away or divorced, jobs that have developed into careers, more weddings, lots more children.

Looking at my own life, I feel like I'm pretty much the same person that I was fifteen years ago except - I don't know - more, less, better.  There are the obvious things - like I don't look like this anymore:


If you were to take a photo of me today it's likely that all my hair would fit in the frame.  I have a bevy of wrinkles that didn't exist fifteen years ago.  The only way I could fit into a pair of jeans from that time is if I wore them on my arms, and then only if I had to pull them up to my elbows.  I feel like I'm more compassionate, maybe for me the result of just living longer and seeing more.  I'm less argumentative, because really, I'm better at holding my tongue and don't feel like I need to convince everyone to see my point.  All in all, I feel pretty good about my life - I have a husband I love who treats me nicely, I have two kids that are healthy and happy, I have a job that I enjoy that offers me a flexible schedule.  I have a home, a car, and a laptop (all of which I know would have been AWESOME to my 18 year-old self).  And doggone it, people like me.

But now that it's the night before the reunion, I've been thinking about how other people will see me, what they remember about me.  Will they think "she hasn't changed a bit" or "man, has SHE changed!" when I guess that both are simultaneously true?  I pulled out my yearbook to bring myself back to that place that I was in fifteen years ago, a reminder of the girl I was.  And boy, is it funny.

There are lots of entries that are filled with "I'll never forget" stories that I had totally forgotten.  There are lots of promises to "keep in touch" from people I haven't seen since graduation or at least the last reunion.  And there were loads of comments that just cracked me up.  For example:

"One thing I'll always remember about you is the fact that we can sit down and talk about absolutely nothing and end up laughing our asses off!!!!" - Mary B. 
Still 100% true, and that's why I'm glad that we're meeting tomorrow night for dinner.

"I'll never forget your mom telling us that we'll have to wear bras when we're older." - Heidi S. 
And isn't that a fine memory that I hadn't thought about in a long time.  Nothing like having your mother be the teacher to give the "sex" talk to all the girls in your class.  Thanks Heidi for writing that in a place I'll keep forever. 

"WATCH YOUR PARTS" - Anonymous
I have no idea who wrote that or the exact context in which they meant it, but its good advice.

"What the hell hey, we are done with high school!  I can't believe it, oh well, life goes on." - Nate H.
Funny AND true.

"You've always been there and helped me out with so much.  Hell, you even passed Spanish for me."
Hmmm, can't possibly be true, but better not attribute it to anyone just in case it was.

"Good luck in whatever you do.  What am I thinking - we're going into business together - "It Just Doesn't Matter Incorporated." - Luke F.
We never did go into that business, but it sounds like as good of an idea as it did back in the day.

"Let's be buddies at the U together (I don't want to be the only clueless one)." - Mike L.
We were, both buddies and clueless, I mean.  Mike gave me rides from school to home and back countless times.  He would call me from the emergency phones on campus just because he was passing one and thought he'd use it to say hello.  We'd hang out once in awhile, have coffee, have beer.  And tomorrow night, we're having dinner.

And my personal favorite discovery?  A newspaper clipping of an article from the local paper where I was interviewed.  In the Q&A, I was asked "Where would you like to be in 15 years?"  I answered, "I would like to be married and have a family.  I'd like to have a career."  When I read that, I started LAUGHING.  I mean, AIM HIGH.  Then, for a moment, I felt really good about myself, because I'd achieved all of my goals.  If you use the word "career" loosely, anyway.