Where to begin with high school? Sadly, most of my high school days are a blur, with the exception of cheerleading, competitions, my best friend Erika, and senior year. My parents went through a messy divorce when I was a freshman, and we moved from our nice home in the suburbs to a three-bedroom apartment. It was quite the culture shock...and the fact that my older sister was away at college and I was stuck being the man of the house and dealing my little sister's temper tantrums, I think I subconsciously blocked out portions of this time in my life. Or maybe it was consciously...whatever.
That's not to say there weren't some really good times in there. Cheering for Houston High School was the highlight of my high school career. I made so many wonderful friends through it (even got my first well-paying job through it...which led to my first full-time job after graduating college), stayed in fantastic shape, and I was actually pretty good at it (I should hope so, having started in the fourth grade). We were National Champs both my freshman and senior years. Some of the best memories of my life!
Senior year was by far the best for me. I finally started going out, Erika and I were getting into all kinds of mischief, my home life was getting better, I loved all my classes, and most importantly, I was looking forward to getting out on my own. Work, parties, soccer games, cheerleading practice, parties...that pretty much wraps up 12th grade.
10 years later = quite a few mistakes made, lots of lessons learned (I believe it's not a mistake if you learn from it...so technically they weren't "mistakes" :), new friends, getting back in touch with old friends, new jobs, understanding the true meaning and value of family and friends, marriage, moves, and lots travels. And then we arrive at our reunion. What a party it was! It took place at the same locale as my wedding reception, the Historic Daisy...you should totally check it out (FYI: great venue, HORRIBLE management). A flood of memories started rushing back...the silly inside jokes, the crushes...and more. It's hard to believe we're 10 years older, though sometimes I definitely feel it. It was so much fun catching up with so many people, hearing about their fabulous careers, learning who had children and/or who was pregnant, where their paths had taken them, and just about everything else we already knew via Facebook.
Just as a few years of high school were a blur, this long evening of heavy (and FREE!) drinking turned out to be quite the same. A job well done, in my opinion. :) A highlight of the night was meeting my neighbor, Jenny. I went to school with her husband, Ian, and though they had lived basically across the street from us for over a year, this was the first time we met. Drinking of course...how typical. Now we're friends for life. Good times!
See you all again in 2020!
Autumn... my running buddy!
Love these ladies!!
Hope!! We started cheering together in the fourth grade...now she's an Aussie!
Love you, Jason!!
Too many shots and way too much dancing later...
