This prophetic dialog is from one of the greatest movies of our time - Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Hard to believe this movie hit theater screens almost twenty years ago and it’s hard for me to believe that I gradutaded, oops, graduated from Camdenton High School little over twenty years ago.
Yep. My twenty-year high school reunion is this weekend. Yep. I’m going. I should say “we’re” going as I married my prom date. It must’ve been her feathered hair and powder blue dress that did it for me. (I wanted to post a pic, but I also want to stay married, so there's no prom photo for this post.)
Anyway, it should be fun to catch up with old friends and old acquaintances, especially since we missed our ten-year reunion. I do wish a few people from the class of ‘89 could be there. Some of our best friends were from that class. We even bequeathed some important parts of our high school selves to some of our best underclassman friends. (Hey Brenda, can I borrow my wipeout laugh back? My nephews would like to hear it!)
I’ve been feeling nostalgic about my school days so I dusted off an old box from twenty years ago. This box has mementos from my high school years.
Inside are newspaper clippings from when our school’s football team won state, (I was a band nerd.)
Graduation cards from family and friends.
Hey, it’s my old lucky rubber chicken key chain from my first car!
An official senior tour of '88 T-shirt inspired by Def Leppard's 1987 compact disc Hysteria and signed by the graduating class. If you look close, you’ll find multiple signatures of a bonafide movie star. Tho he wasn’t known for his acting skills.
Two magazine cutouts that once decorated the inside of my locker.
Locker #12 was adorned with monsters, zombies, hot rods, mini-movie posters and a pic or two of Weird Al. Since anything lewd, crude or almost nude wasn’t allowed I didn’t have any cutouts of Elle MacPherson or Cindy Crawford taped inside my locker. I do remember I got one pass the risque picture police, with Raquel Welch from One Million Years B.C. I guess since it was vintage it passed inspection.
Also found in the box of memories - some California Raisins, my diploma, some letters, a bunch of pencils and a photo of a slightly scared goofy looking kid.
Looking at this photo I can almost hear my thoughts from back then, “Golly, you mean I have to go and grow up now?” Twenty years later I’m still working on that and I’m thankful that I’m still laughing, having fun and acting goofy just like I did back then. Maybe I’ll grow up before the fifty-year reunion.
I leave you with more wisdom from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure - “All we are is dust in the wind, dude. Yes, like sands of the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.”
UPDATE -
The reunion was a lot of fun. We really enjoyed seeing people that we haven't seen in years. I do need to apologize if the apocalypse happens in the next few days, because this non-dancer no rhythm type of guy actually ended up on the dance floor. I’m not talking about an easy slow dance, but a get crazy to some funky type of song dance. I can guarantee it was the scariest moment of the night.
After seeing everyone and feeling reflective - I’m glad I went to school with a good bunch of kids even though I might not have thought that back then.
11 comments:
You know NC, that San Dimas High would have smashed your puny Lakers on the gridiron. What a turnaround, you're actually excited about your reunion now. Who'da thunk it?
You know Todd, you really don't seem to have changed much at all from your high school photo... granted I've only spent about 35 minutes with you in my life but I do honestly believe you've aged very very well. Better than me for sure.
I've known you for 18 years now and I think you've aged well too NC!!!
I'm also an '88 grad from Sheridan, Arkansas. I just started a blog for our class & was almost embarrassed at how much stuff I still have! School newspapers, senior & junior play programs, spirit ribbons, prom souvenier glasses, the ripped & bleached jeans I wore during our lip sync contest, etc., etc.
LONG LIVE THE 80'S!!
I was a band nerd too.
Great post! Not surprisingly, I had that same key chain.
c/o '88!! My reunion is later this month. Cool that you have a box of memories. Mine are strewn all over the place. Great post—thanks for sharing!
I graduated in 1984, but share your feelings about high school and 20 year reunions. We both hit school in the 80s, it appears. I got the first half, you got the last, but there wasn't much difference between those eras!
Great picture!
Mike - jungleis101.blogspot.com
Mike - Maybe if Bill & Ted were on the football team, but probably not.
Karswell - Thanks old buddy old pal!
Mike - Thanks!
Aaron - Cool that you set up a blog for your class. Good luck with your reunion and have a blast! Yes, long live the 80's!! Band nerds rock - well, sort of.
Kirk - You know that doesn’t surprise me one bit that you had the same key chain. Now I’ll really be weirded out if you had the same first car.
Narvolicious - Have fun at your reunion and thanks for commenting!
Mike - You graduated the same time as my brother did and no there wasn’t much different in those four years. Thanks for the comment!
Fun memories. Thanks for sharing with us, Todd. From that photo, it looks like meteorology school may have been in the cards for you back then. What happened? :-)
I was a band nerd too! My 2oth was last year ... I think you had a better time at ytours than I did at mine.
So who was the movie star? These old eyes can't read the tiny print on even the enlarged version of the picture.
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