My 30 year High School reunion

First off, 30 YEARS?!?! It’s weird to acknowledge that I have been out of grade school since 1991 and that is 30 years ago. 30 years is supposed to be a long time! It will be 2051 in 30 years, no where near right now, yet I graduated high school 30 years ago?

It just doesn’t make any sense (until have to admit that I have a granddaughter and going to bed at 10pm is a late night). I still live in the same mind that remembers being there and doing the things I did?

Things from 30 years ago – 1991

• By the end of 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved, and 14 countries—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan—had declared their independence from the Soviet’s hammer and sickle flag.
• The World Wide Web was launched to the public, and Microsoft.com went online.
• Dances with Wolves won an Oscar for Best Picture, and Cheers (NBC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
• A pound of bacon cost $1.95, a gallon of milk was $2.80, and a dozen eggs were $1.01.
• The average price for a gallon of gas was $1.14, down from $1.16 the year before. (Good times.)
• NBA Champions: Chicago Bulls
• The 356th and final episode of Dallas aired on CBS.
• Top 100 songs for the year:

1. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You: Bryan Adams
2. I Wanna Sex You Up: Color Me Badd
3. Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now): C+C Music Factory
4. Rush, Rush: Paula Abdul
5. One More Try: Timmy T
6. Unbelievable: EMF
7. More Than Words: Extreme
8. I Like the Way (The Kissing Game): Hi-Five
9. The First Time: Surface
10. Baby, Baby: Amy Grant
11. Motownphilly: Boyz II Men
12. Because I Love You (The Postman Song): Stevie B
13. Someday: Mariah Carey
14. High Enough: Damn Yankees
15. From a Distance: Bette Midler
16. All the Man That I Need: Whitney Houston
17. Right Here Right Now: Jesus Jones
18. I Adore Mi Amor: Color Me Badd
19. Love Will Never Do (Without You): Janet Jackson
20. Good Vibrations: Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway
21. Justify My Love: Madonna
22. Emotions: Mariah Carey
23. Joyride: Roxette
24. Romantic: Karyn Whit
25. I Don’t Wanna Cry: Mariah Carey
26. Hold You Tight: Tara Kemp
27. You’re In Love: Wilson Phillips
28. 28. Every Heartbeat: Amy Grant
29. Sensitivity: Ralph Tresvant
30. Touch Me (All Night Long): Cathy Dennis
31. I’ve Been Thinking About You: Londonbeat
32. DoAnything: Natural Selection
33. LosingMy Religion: R.E.M.
34. Coming Out of the Dark: Gloria Estefan
35. Here We Go, Let’s Rock & Roll: C+C Music Factory
36. It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over: Lenny Kravitz
37. Where Does My Heart Beat Now: Celine Dion
38. Summertime: D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
39. Wind of Change: Scorpions
40. P.A.S.S.I.O.N.: Rhythm Syndicate

All of this seems so long ago and far away… But I remember it like it was more recent than 30 years ago.

The reunion was in Park View (Eldridge) at a bar that our 20th was at… It wasn’t a huge turnout but there were factors that lead to that…

COVID is still very, very much a thing so cautious people felt that this gathering wasn’t worth the risk. Totally understandable. Prior commitments. In all fairness, the reunion was very much an after-thought and put together within several weeks of people going to our North Scott High School Class 1991 group and asking, “Uh, so….. Are we having a 30th reunion or what?”

So, it was thrown together by those with ties to the area and the word was sent out through the page. We were to share with other classmates that may not have been in the group to make sure as many people as possible knew about it. The closer we get to the date, the more that started to fall out due to events that came up, inability to make the trip, family issues, etc.

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans – Henry Cook OR John Lennon

It was a great night to have the fire pit going with plenty of seating for us to hang out together. Several of us took advatage of that and thanks to the Tippets, we had plenty of wood to add to the fire (and we did. Darn near all of what he had in the back of his truck.)

Drinks were plenty and no one (that I know of) got stupid drunk, just warm and happy. Unfortunately, Brant STILL has a big cooler full of Truly seltzers (they were for my wife) and 40 airplane bottles of Fireball. He was bringing it to share, but when the venue changed at the last minute to a bar, he thought he had to leave it behind… HE WAS WRONG! Everyone wanted him to go home and get it, set it outside the bar near the fire pit, and we all could have partaken in the spicy delight that is Fireball (Thanks for nothin’, Brant! 😉 )

All in all it was a nice night of light fun and memories (this one time, in gym class, while Brant was sitting at the top of the stairs, Larry….. awe nevermind).