I go back...

This weekend a friend, Jodi Russell, from junior high (that would be Oakland Junior High) posted an old pic on Facebook.  We determined it was taken at the end of our sophomore year at Rock Bridge Senior High. It took me back in a flash. When I look at the picture, I don't even feel like it was all that long ago. In reality, it was 21 years ago. Twenty-one years. Just blows my mind. I was blessed with a great group of friends in junior high and high school. Shan Rich is on the left (he's the one who gave me Annie, a little albino kitten after Murphy mysteriously disappeared from Finger Lakes - Ruf always contended that a Chinese family abducted him). Then there's Jeremy Gooch on the right. I used to pick Jeremy up for school and drive him to Rock Bridge in my little golden Turismo. Yes, a Turismo. Never heard of it? It was made by Plymouth. Ruf found it for me and I named her Gizmo. Jeremy would sing along to Garth Brooks' rendition of "Shameless" but sing "I'm shaveless" instead. Must have cracked me up since I remember it 21 years later. Jeremy was completely enamored of my sisters and even left a classic inscription pointing to such in one of my yearbooks. I've been able to catch up with several old friends on Facebook, including Shan, Jodi, and Carrie Kallenbach. It's crazy to see everyone, all grown up, married, children...in my mind they looked just as they did at 15 until the advent of Facebook. I wonder what happened to some of our other close friends, Jeremy included. I know the last thing an adolescent wants to do is "slow down" and enjoy this time in their lives as it seems you just want to hurry up and get on with "life". Seeing this picture and even pondering a bit about things I would change now that I'm equipped with hindsight, drives home the need to stress to Jared, and the girls as they grow, that this is one of the best times in his life - ENJOY. Jared has a pretty good group of friends himself, and that makes me happy. Something I encourage both Jared and Jenna to do, and I think Jenna actually does this but I'm not sure how good her record-keeping system is at this point, is to write about their lives. Even back in the day, my "journaling" was through my pictures. I had tons. I wonder if I still have then. I'm afraid I don't. I would love to see a picture of Gizmo again.

Shan Rich That summed up alot of time between classes Sara talking and Gooch and I laughing Haha  Or was she singing ?

Saturday at 7:08pm via mobile · Unlike · 3