A Stroll Down High School Lane

My class was very divided throughout high school. We had the skaters, the preppy kids, the athletic, the druggies, the nerds, the music dorks (that was me), and the Thespians (that was me, too). Every person had their cliche, and the lines were not crossed. The preppy kids, in particular, were not a very nice group of people. They were friends only with themselves and they took every opportunity to make themselves feel superior and others inferior. They were mean, they picked on others, they made fun of others, and they laughed at others. Needless to say, it made my high school experience very negative at times.

I was quiet in high school (unless I was with my group-"the religious ones"). I didn't have any enemies, but the preppy kids did not go out of their way to talk to me or get to know me. I stayed within my music and theatre groups and they, I'm sure, made fun of all of us.

But that's the joy of graduation. You move out and move on. You make new friends. You try to stay in contact with old friends. You create the life you've always dreamed of. Through this blog, you've been able to follow my life for over two years, but even before this was created, I've had a pretty good 10 years since graduation.

And through the wonderful life of Facebook, I've also been able to follow the life of many of my classmates. It's been fun to know what everyone is up to. That didn't take away the nervousness, however, as I prepared to face my peers, many of whom I hadn't seen for 10 years. So as I was doing my hair and make up, I couldn't help but wonder how I would be greeted. Would they look and turn away? Would they hug me? Would they point and laugh?

The reception I received was FAR beyond what I had ever imagined. One girl in particular, who was not very nice to anyone in high school, went out of her way to speak to me and become "friends" with me. She even said to me, "I was so nervous to come here tonight. I wasn't very nice in high school, and I was afraid someone would pour a glass of beer on my head." She and I talked with each other for over an hour, and she genuinely was interested in my life (she follows me on Facebook). By the end of the night, she said she wished she lived in the same town as me so we could go to dinner and continue to catch up.

With the exception of two girls, every single person was warm, friendly, and loving. It was such a great, great night. Apart from being reacquainted with old classmates, I also was able to spend a lot of time with some of my best friends from high school. It was like 10 years have never passed. Almost all my old friends are married, and every single one of them has married amazing men. The husbands were so delightful, and I only hope I can find half as great of a man as these men. Upon seeing my old girlfriends, it was as if we have seen each other every single day since we graduated. We laughed a lot. We shared stories. We reminisced.

By far, it was one of the best weekends I've ever had. I got to spend a lot of time with April (I graduated with her boyfriend), and I also spent a lot of time with Shannon (and Kenton), Rachel (and John), Tiffany (and Nate), Josh (and Carissa), Chris (and Rachel), Hannah (and Kelley), Serena, Beth, and Lindsey (and Ray). Thanks, friends, for making it a great weekend.

Me, Serena and Rachel, both very good friends in high school.

Tiffany was my best friend in high school. We did everything together. She is now married with a one year old, Bennett. She married her high school sweetheart. They started dating their junior year and have been married seven years. Tiffany is a high school social studies teacher, but this year she decided to stay home with Bennett. Nate, her husband, just graduated from med school and just began his residency. They live in Omaha.

Tiffany, Rachel, Shannon, Beth, Serena and Heather, all good girlfriends from the past. Beth is married to Adam and they live in California. Serena is an interior designer in Maryland. Heather lives in Kearney.

Tiffany, Me, Rachel and Shannon.

Rachel married John eight years ago. John spent the first year of their marriage in Iraq serving our country. Rachel is addicted to school, and now that she has her Master's in counseling, she is ready to get her PhD. John is working on getting his chaplain degree. Rachel and John are in the process of adopting a child. They live in Springfield, Missouri. Shannon married Kenton four years ago, and they live in Colorado Springs. They have the cutest little 2 1/2 year old girl named Isabel. Kenton is a realtor and Shannon stays at home with Isabel and is a personal trainer.

Shannon looking through the yearbook to make sure she remembered names.

Lindsey was in choir and theatre with me, and she is so much fun. She married Ray in 2004, and they live in Omaha. Lindsey is pregnant with their first child, who is due in November.

Me, Shannon, Rachel and Chris. Chris has the most children out of our class (three girls and one boy). He lives in York with his wife, Rachel. Chris and I had a love/hate relationship during high school, but I can truly say he was one of my best friends growing up. He is a music genius and can play any instrument he picks up. We all had such a good time laughing and sharing stories from the past.

April, of course, is my best friend. Her son, Aydan, stole the show. Her boyfriend, Zach, was voted the most physically changed since high school. His hair is now long, and he's lost a lot of weight. I see him all the time, so I didn't notice the change, but I had people coming up to me asking who he was. Aydan is a miniature Zach.

Matt, Josh and Me.

Matt and I went to Kearney Christian School together from kindergarten through 6th grade. He is an amazing artist (probably the best I've ever seen), and he was voted most likely to work for Disney (his animations are incredible). Come to find out, he lives in Denver a mere five miles from where I live. He works for AMC and does their animations. Josh married Carissa a year ago, and they live in Arizona. Josh works for Food For the Hungry and has traveled all over the world. Josh and I were senior interns for our church youth group, so we spent a lot of time together in high school. He's the one who gave me the nickname, Shi Town.

Of course, this isn't everyone. I wasn't able to get a picture of Hannah and Kelley. They have been married the longest out of anyone in my class. They married shortly after we graduated high school in 1999, so they have their 10 year anniversary this November. They have three kids, Soleil (7), Amelie (5), and Owen (1). They lived in Oregon for 8 years until recently moving back to Kearney to be closer to family and friends. Hannah is four days younger than me, and we used to be mistaken for twins. She's my longest friend, and it's great having her back in Kearney.