So, last night was my 10 year high school reunion, and I missed it. Much to my surprise, I do not regret my decision to stay home (and by stay home, I mean stay 1800 miles away in Illinois). The event was held at the W Hotel in Hollywood, which is, from what I hear, a fabulously posh venue. I am sure it was a great time and while I do wish I would have gotten to see some of the people I have missed over the past 10 years, I guess I feel like I would have been like a square peg in a round hole there.
WHY you ask? Well, to start, I wasn't what you would call popular in high school, I didn't belong to any clubs or school organizations, I didn't go to school dances (except prom), hell, I didn't even date anyone until senior year and he was 21 and in the Navy. My group of friends was great, don't get me wrong, but we were proud to be unique, independent and did things our own way. Facebook has allowed me to get in touch (or stay in touch) with friends from high school, so even out here in the Midwest I don't feel all that out of touch to tell you the truth. Another major reason I feel like I would have been out of place there is because my life is so much different than most of the people I went to school with. I got married when I was 19 between my sophomore and junior year in college, had my first child during my senior year, upon graduation I was a stay at home mom for about 6 months before we moved from San Diego to the Midwest. Five years after leaving California, I have put down roots here and feel strongly that I fit here more than I ever did in California. Sure, I miss the sunshine on those snowy winter days and miss the ocean breezes on those hot, humid summer days. But all in all, my life is complete here. I have two beautiful boys, a wonderful husband, great friends, a lovely home and a good job! My commute to work is 5 minutes, with all of 4 stop lights, through corn and bean fields! No traffic or no road rage for me! My boys have 2 acres of land to play on and our property backs up to a wheat field and the woods. Sure, this place is really too much for two working parents to take care of, but I really enjoy toiling in the garden and getting dirty. If we still lived in California, we would live in an apartment half this size and have a 5 x 8 patio and obnoxious neighbors. I wouldn't know how it feels when the first bulbs start to poke up through the cold ground in the spring and how nice it is after a hot summer when the days cool down and the trees begin to change. I certainly do not take for granted those perfect days when the weather is perfect here, because the weather is so dynamic here it might snow the next day.
Looking back at my life when I was 15 or 16, I can clearly remember myself saying that I would never have kids. At that point, I probably would have laughed hysterically if someone were to tell me that in 12 years I would be a mother of two and living in the Midwest. One thing I have come to realize in my life is that things change, you never know what life is going to deal out, but for all the craziness everything always seems to work out the way it is supposed to. I feel blessed to be where I am at right now, I hope for a bright future for our family.
So, to complete my thought on the reunion... The real reason I chose not to go was because my son started 1st grade 2 days before the reunion and I couldn't justify taking him out of school or paying the money for such a short trip. Had there been different circumstances, I might have actually gone. Who knows where I will be when the 20 year comes around? Only time will tell. Anyhow, I hope everyone had a good time and got home safe and sound.
