High School. You either loved it, or you hated it. There wasn’t much in between. Personally, I had a pretty good time in high school. I had good friends, participated in some (not all) activities, and even though I could have graduated in January of my senior year, I opted to stay “for the fun of it”.

This past weekend I was JD’s date for his high school class reunion, and let me tell you that these folks love, love, loved their school and they loved each other!

We left on Thursday and flew from San Antonio to Memphis via DFW. I pretty much fly only Southwest Airlines because they fly non stop between San Antonio and LA. Add to that the fact that I quickly achieved A-List status, which I quickly became accustomed to, and flying isn’t terribly painful. But Because we were using some of JD’s mileage, we flew another airline that was not my beloved Southwest. $50 for each checked bag, $50 for a seat assignment (I kid you not), and no less than three gate changes , a delayed take off and I was admittedly getting a bit grouchy. As a matter of fact, by the time we boarded the plane, I may or may not have bumped into several elbows in the first class section accidentally on purpose! Seriously, why don’t they load the plane from the rear froward?

We finally arrived in Memphis- just in time for rush hour *sigh*. Not to worry, JD is taking a short cut! “No! No shortcut!” I was sure we’d end up lost, but thankfully we made it safely to our “B&B” just in time to head out for some BBQ.

There was an informal event on Friday night at a local pizza place. I had no idea what to expect but I assured JD I would be fine and encouraged him not to worry about me and go have fun getttig reacquainted with his friends. It wasn’t too long before I found myself sitting with some of the spouses of JD’s friends. They were the nicest guys that took me under their wings and I found myself having a great time exchanging stories and listening to them poke fun at each other. They’d been to plenty of these in the past and I think they only see each other at reunions, but I got the feeling they pick up right where they left off each time they meet.

Saturday morning was a tour of the school. I was a bit apprehensive about it, I was sure that too much time had passed and the school wouldn’t be anywhere what it once was and  I really didn’t want JD to be disappointed. Back in the day, it was grades 1 through 12 (can you imagine?!), but now it’s a middle school. Those of you that know me well, know that I am, and always have been a huge fan of Leave it to Beaver. I think that contributed to my love of old schools, and let me tell you this school did not disappoint!  From the brick exterior, to the hallways, and stairwells, I was sure Eddie Haskell was going to show up and compliment me in his oh so sincere way. “Good Morning Mrs. Dodd. My you sure look lovely in your jeans and sneakers.” Of course the classrooms were slightly different., but some things had not changed at all and it was really fun to listen to the comments about the classes and teachers.

The piece de resistance – the auditorium! It was everything I expected it to be, and then some. The stage, the seats the photos of every graduating class, the bruise I got from walking into what appeared to be original chairs! I don’t know if they were original, but they looked like they could have been. I was so glad I went, I really enjoyed seeing the school, and trying to picture JD walking the halls, socializing, etc. did I mention he was class president his senior year? Of course he was!

The reunion that night was fun. It was clear that JD had lots of friends in high school, everyone was so glad to see him and commented that he was always so nice in school. I can honestly say the girls loved him! 

Speaking of girls/women…what is the deal with southern women and their flawless skin? I noticed this when we went to New Orleans this summer also. It can be 100 degrees, with 90% humidity and these women are cool as cucumbers. Perfect makeup, porcelain skin, no shine, no glisten, no nothing! I, on the other hand am a hot sweaty mess before I’m even out the door. So unfair! 

Home on Sunday – ugh, yes by way of DFW. This time we actually boarded sort of on time and the engines started up, and then promptly stopped. This is a bad sign. A very bad sign. We sat on he plane for while until it was determined that the plane was not going to be ready to fly in the near future. “Ladies and gentlemen, please gather your belongings and go back into the terminal. We will be getting another plane for you. At this time we don’t know when it will depart or from what gate.” Ugh, are you kidding me? 

Eventually, we made it home, and in spite of the flight issues we had a really great time. Already looking forward to the next one!