Making Memories

This weekend I attended a high school reunion that was different from your normal reunion.  Instead of one or two classes, EVERYONE who ever attended our high school was invited.  FVHS was closed in 1970 (3 years after I graduated) and was replaced with a new building with a new name.  So this reunion was special.  The old building is definitely not what it once was and many parts, especially the main building, have fallen into disrepair. 

                               They just don't build them like they used to.


But on a beautiful fall day we gathered on the front lawn of a place that one of our speakers referred to as CAMELOT...and we recalled memories of wonderful years gone by.  We hugged friends & acquaintances we hadn't seen in years...sometimes having to look at name tags before we recognized them.  Needless to say, some had changed more than others! 

My 8 girlfriends & I (referred to as Valley Girls '67) had planned an all-girls weekend and roomed together at a nearby hotel.  Some of the VGs were not able to attend and were greatly missed.  My roommate was Evelyn (seen here in her cute sun hat) and I enjoyed that so much....EXCEPT for an adventure we hope never to repeat.  At 11:30 p.m. our toilet decided to become a volcano, gushing out water by the bucketfuls.  It wasn't long before we were flooded.  At 1:15 a.m. (yes, that's EARLY morning) we were dragging our luggage across the parking lot to another room which, by the way, was of shoebox proportions.  We finally got to sleep about 2:00 a.m.

Jackie (former majorette)  & Ev (President of Pep Club)

Nothing, however, could dampen (no pun intended) our wonderful weekend together.  There was much fun, laughter, food, song, and dance...yes, we OLDSTERS got down and boogied to the same rock & roll band that had sprung up right there in our own high school when I was in about the 10th or 11th grade.  Here are some more photos I took but I was having so much fun and spent so much time talking to different friends and old teachers that I would forget that my camera was hanging around my neck.

Me, Jackie, Truitt, Kaye, Olivia

Jerri (friend, cousin, & former cheerleader)

Jackie (former majorette & fire twirler!)

Kaye (former cheerleader)

Judge Jimmy (class hunk & fabulous basketball player)

Olivia (our class redhead; she flew in all the way from TX)

Kaye (former cheerleader)

Debra, Gwen, Judy, Jan

Beautiful Girls of '68

FRIENDS  FOREVER

front:  Kaye, Olivia

middle:  Jimmy, me, Jerri, Evelyn

back:  Jackie & her sister June

Tommy (another class hunk, good athlete, & class "bad boy"; some of our teachers would turn over in their grave if they knew he is now a high school teacher!)

&

Charlene (better known as "Charlie" & one of the best girl basketball players ever)

THE CLASS OF '67:  Best of the Best

(The only one I haven't mentioned is BUTCH, in the red shirt...one of the nicest guys in the world!)

Fun Memorabilia

Now all the fun is over...I'm back home safely and hope all my friends are too.  As I look over the pictures and tell my husband about everything and everybody, I can't help but feel a tug at my heart and a tear (or two..or three) in my eye.  It's very bittersweet to me to spend time with some of my very best friends and to see other friends that I'm not sure I will ever see again in this lifetime.  As I looked around at how much we had all aged (some more than others) it made me realize how swiftly time goes by...but also makes me realize how blessed I was to grow up where I did, to have the friends I had, and to attend one of the best high schools in the state at that time.  I will forever be thankful for all the sweet memories I still have from my high school days, as well as the memories I stored up over the weekend.  To my Valley Girls '67...once again we rocked and stood out among the crowd...once again you all reminded me of why I chose you to be my friends then and now...once again I feel so blessed that you took me into your group when I moved to the Valley...once again I feel blessed to have you in my life again even though we parted 43 years ago.  To Jimmy, Truitt, Tommy, & Butch (some of our Valley Guys)...it was wonderful seeing your handsome faces again and spending time with all of you...you were HUNKS then & in my mind you still are!  To all the other alumni that were there...thanks for making CAMELOT a place we can all look back on with fond memories.  To my teachers...there just aren't enough thanks to tell you how much I appreciate all that you taught me because each of you helped me become what I am today.  So...a wonderful time was had by all...and I can hardly wait till the next reunion when more bittersweet memories will be made.