Reunions

It's been a weird couple of weeks.... I've had my 10 year high school reunion and went to a wedding which was essentially a college reunion.


Funny thing about old friends (and enemies).... you expect them to stay the same, while desperately trying to prove to them how different you've become.


What I didn't expect was how different everyone was. How (dare I say it?) grown-up everyone has become.


Looks-wise, I was disappointed. I expected big things. Gleefully I hoped that everyone who was mean to me in high school had grown enormously fat and developed a nasty skin condition. And I wondered if the slightly nerdy (myself included!) people I hung out with in high school would have come out of their shells and be gorgeous supermodels or super wealthy moguls.


Well, it's only been 10 years since I left high school. People looked pretty much the same. But the big difference was in attitudes. Oh, sure, at the bar everyone fell pretty much back into their own little groups. But I also found people much more willing to engage outside of their comfort zones-- I ended up chatting with and finally hugging a girl who was pretty bitchy to me only ten short years ago!


It was really wonderful to see Jessica and Eric and Caitlin and Maria and Josh and Amy again.... funny how people you haven't seen in years can still know you still well. I'm very proud of the group of friends that I had in high school-- and very happy that I can still consider them friends. Josh and Amy have a BEAUTIFUL little girl Ainsley, who they brought to the picnic the next day.


I never pictured any of my friends getting married or becoming parents-- but it's really lovely to see. Josh and Amy seem to have struck that perfect balance of being funny and smart and hip while making sure that the little one wasn't eating rocks or stealing Caitlin's purse. (She had excellent fashion sense, you had to give her that!)


And speaking of friends getting married... Magic Mike and Kelli tied the knot last weekend, on the hottest day of the year. As all of my favorite Purchase people slowly melted in the hot courtyard, they had a beautiful, simple ceremony. Of course Kelli's dress was utterly gorgeous-- what else do you expect from a costume designer? After the ceremony we all piled on to the Liberty Belle and sailed down the Delaware as we ate, drank, danced, drank and drank some more. Oh, yes, they played Roxanne. By the end of the night, some of Kelli's relatives commented that it seemed like less of a reception and more of a college party. PERFECT! It was nice to have a little of the Silver Parcan here in Philadelphia.


Most importantly, any awkwardness left over from college dalliances was completely eliminated. We're... like.... adults now. What happened in college stays in college and now we can all have a good laugh about it. That's nice. See? We're growing up!


All in all, I found my old friends and enemies more grown up, relatively happy and seemingly healthy. I couldn't ask for anything else, really.

Now we'll see what the next 10 years brings us...