As You Walk on by, Will You Call My Name?

Did you get your invitation packet in the mail? Did your friend? This is a non-nostalgic post designed to convey information. The picture of the sweethearts is just a bonus that was shamelessly included to catch your eye.

Having graduated with the class in May 1986 is not a prerequisite for attending this party. Maybe you earned your GED later or moved out of town at some point (even during freshman year). Maybe you graduated with another class but feel more affinity for 86 because that’s where your friends are or because you just love our crazy-cat mark.

If you want to attend this party, we want to send you an invitation. It’s that simple. But of course, it’s getting late now: this event is only 6 weeks away, and we need to know our final number even sooner than that.

Please also remember that we didn’t have any official lists of names. We literally typed out a spreadsheet based on yearbooks (which were incomplete); memories; and a stapled paper directory of addresses from our senior year (which was also incomplete). We relied on people saying, “What about this guy?” or “Don’t forget this girl!” and we definitely relied on people just contacting us and saying, “I want to come.”

That’s the most important point. We had a dozen people making phone calls and playing detective and being very persistent, but ultimately, we had to rely on people wanting to be found and taking the initiative themselves. We placed ads in print and online; we left information at the school office and on the school web site.

And we started a blog. You can’t beat that, right?

No Parking on the Dance Floor

Lori Doss was such a part of my own high school experience that I have few memories that don’t include her. For example, when we both worked on Saga, she’d ask me to reach the 3R box (the box of forms we used to draw layouts), which was kept on top of a tall storage cabinet. At the end of the school year, Lori gave me an award called “Reach the 3R Box? No Prob!” in a custom recognition event that Mrs. Manetta designed.

Phew: how do I remember these things? I think I still have that award. Anyway, wouldn’t you rather read about Lori’s beautiful daughter? Her email is the rest of this post:

I have been reading and keeping up with everyone on the blog. Could we ever have imagined the paths our lives would take?

I don’t know that my life has been very exciting, but here it is. After graduation, I went to LSU for a couple of years. My parents transferred to Virginia, and I soon followed. I married in 1991. We moved to South Carolina, and I continued my education at the University of South Carolina. A year later, we moved to St. Pete Beach, Florida. I had my daughter, Kiersten, in 1994. Bliss turned into turmoil, and I divorced in 2001. Kiersten and I moved to Winter Haven, Florida, and we continue to live here with my parents.

I taught kindergarten for several years, but I now spend the majority of my time being a mom and helping my parents. (They still have their air conditioning business.) I long ago traded in that 1984 red convertible I used to drive in high school, and I am now an SUV-driving carpool mom.

My daughter, Kiersten, will be 12 in May, and she keeps all of us quite busy. She has been a member of a competition dance team since the age of 7. Kiersten and her teammates are the 2005 first overall national dance champions in all categories competed: small group, large group, super group, and duet/trio—that one was Kiersten and her duet partner! She now dances 5-6 days a week for an average of 4 hours a day.

I pick up 7 middle school girls from school several days a week and drive them a couple of blocks to the dance studio. I often hear them having the same conversations about school, boys, complaints, etc. that I remember having with my friends. Some things never change!

On top of the competitive dance team, we also have to fit in the school dance team, the school spring musical, and the usual homework and social life. To top it off, she is on the principal’s list (no grades lower than a 94). Added to the schedule is the daily health care routine and doctor appointments: Kiersten has cystic fibrosis.

Well, that’s about it in a nutshell: short and sweet. The forwarded pictures are one of Kiersten in mid-air taken by a dance photographer. The other is of her in her usual school uniform and ponytail headed out the door in the morning. And the third one is of her and her friend Chloe. Kiersten is the short one.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to make it to the reunion. I will certainly have all of you in my thoughts!

These Changing Years, They Add to Your Confusion

It’s been about 20 years since Andie had her senior portrait taken. But it’s probably only 14 years before her daughter, Elizabeth, has her senior portrait taken. How’s that for a brutal equation?

Destination Unknown, Part 2 by Caroline

[Editor’s note: We pick up directly where we left off with Caroline’s story on Tuesday. These pictures feature her and Lane during their annual Christmas meeting in 2005, which happened at Sal and Judy’s last year, and Caroline and her mystery man, as she calls him.]

I worked my tail off, won all sorts of awards, and basically sold my soul to Big Pharma. After six years, countless commission dollars, too many lunches, too many “signature only” appointments, and being forced to testify in a sexual harassment suit, I left the industry. I’d never been more disillusioned about an industry.

During this time, the man from Memphis (the half brother of my first husband) hired a private investigator to find me. He walked back into my life four years ago, literally showed up on my doorstep, and I realized he was what I was looking for all the time. We’ve been together ever since, but no, we are not married. I think that may happen at some point, it may not, but what I’ve realized is that it is the relationship that is important. We are looking at moving to Nashville because it’s a good common place since he currently lives outside of Memphis and I am in Knoxville.

I earned my realtor’s license in October of 2004, and I practice real estate part-time in Knoxville. In addition, I am the full-time marketing director for an assisted living community. I am planning to practice real estate full-time in Nashville once we relocate to the area.

I don’t have the spouse or the kids or the IDEAL life, for that matter. In fact, it has been a long, hard 20 years. What I do have are wonderful friends I’m still in touch with from Slidell and an extended family of friends from Louisiana to Tennessee and everywhere in between. I have a wonderful sister who lives in Mississippi. She got it right the first time and married a great guy who has given her two beautiful boys. The boys are the joy of my life. If you ever see photos of two boys and me, they are my nephews, not my children, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

I own my own home (a 107-year-old Victorian that I’ve been renovating) and everything in it. I don’t owe anybody for anything, and that feels pretty good.

My girlfriend was right; my biggest accomplishment in the last 20 years is surviving. Surviving the loss of my mother, surviving the abuse of ill-conceived marriages, and surviving without a love I thought I’d never have.

I’ve been blessed with the best friends in the world, each of whom has helped make me the person I am today. And if in 20 more years, my life still doesn’t look like I think it ought to, I know I’ll be stronger for whatever has come my way. So there it is: it may not be pretty but it is the truth, and it is my life, of which I am surprisingly proud.

Sincerely,
Caroline B.
Class of 1986

Destination Unknown, by Caroline

I’ve been avoiding completing the “How Have You Been?” questionnaire for the class of 1986 reunion for weeks. I keep looking at the form that the reunion staff sent out, realizing I’d love to hear updates on my classmates, but unsure what my update should say. I don’t know where I thought I would be 20 years after graduation, but to be honest, I didn’t think it would be here. I eagerly visit the blog site nightly (got an idea about my life so far?) and see my classmates with their mates and their children. Everyone is beautiful, has great spouses and wonderful children, and has sent in great photos documenting how wonderful their life is now.

I feel like somehow I’m back in high school and am in competition with my classmates for “who has the best life.” I’ve been thinking since this whole reunion thing came up that I should have more, have done more, and somehow be more than I am today. I mentioned my fears to a friend of mine (of 18 years) and asked her how should I answer the questions? I asked her should I tell the whole unvarnished truth or somehow lie to fit the ideal that I think I should be living? She laughed at me and said, “You are the most truthful person I know, about the good, the bad, and the ugly.” She went on to say that my accomplishment in the last 20 years is that I had survived. I thought about that and the fact that I am a pretty upfront person and decided she was right.

So here it goes: First of all, let me start by saying that while I loved my time at SHS, my school experience was a little different from my classmates simply due to the fact that my mom was “Mamma B” to more than half of the seniors each year. Having your mom as a teacher where you attend limits your dates for dances and social events because it is correctly assumed you won’t put out after the dance. That being said, I did have a blast and have many fond memories of the guys who broke up with me just before a major dance. This is of course the reason that Kris will never be able to post a picture of me at Sadie Hawkins, Saga, or prom.

I digress. After leaving Slidell High School at the beginning of senior year, my family moved to Baton Rouge, where I graduated from Woodlawn High School (known in the circles as “Weedlawn”). I’m pretty sure my parents would never have made the decision to move me during my senior year if they knew how much I’d rebel. After graduation, I went to SLU in Hammond (because who wants to go to college in the same town their parents live in?). I roomed with Cara Starnes for one year (I’m sure she’s grateful it wasn’t more; our friendship might not have survived), and then my family was transferred to Memphis, Tennessee. I started my sophomore year at University of Tennessee Martin (my dad’s alma mater) and after smoking way too much pot, I realized I’d better drop out of school, or I’d end up dead (the pot was really great in west Tennessee).

I went to work in Memphis and promptly fell in love with the owner of the company, had a tumultuous affair, broke it off, and quit my job. In the meantime, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was sick for two years, during which time I worked full-time, went back to school part-time, stayed every night at the hospital, took mom to chemo and radiation, and slowly watched her die. While it was definitely a challenging time, I learned an awful lot about myself, my mom, and my family as a unit.

A year later, in a twisted search for love, I married my first husband (who happened to be the half-brother of the man I had worked for). Our marriage lasted two years, during which time I went back to school full-time in order to avoid his verbal and physical abuse. I would leave the house at 5:30 a.m. and not return until after midnight. On our two-year anniversary, he moved out of the house and in with his mother (he always was a mamma’s boy).

My divorce was final in November and in another sick, twisted attempt to find love, I married my second husband in May. I quickly realized (within a month) that although they were packaged differently, I’d married the same man once again. I threw myself in to my sales job, made lots of money, had great numbers, and landed a “dream” job in pharmaceutical sales. Of course, the job was in Knoxville and my husband and I were living in Chattanooga.

I did the only thing I could; I took the job and left his sorry, wife-abusing tail behind. I quickly went in therapy because obviously I was picking the wrong type of man. After almost three years of marriage, the divorce was final, and I was single again. I’d never been happier in my life.

[Editor’s note: Caroline’s story continues here on Wednesday. From the right, this picture shows Lane; Lane’s sister, Robyn; and Caroline herself. She wrote that they were at “Spark’s Steakhouse in Manhattan, August 2005 (the calm before the storm, Saturday night before Katrina). We all had to scramble to get earlier flights in order to get ready for the storm, families evacuating, and all the fun.”]

Things They Would Not Teach Me of in College

My memory isn’t exemplary, but I totally remember Brian Chiedo. I wanted him to believe that I did, so after I received his email with this photograph, I replied with specific descriptions of my memories of him, including the first time I remember meeting him in drama club. He hasn’t emailed me since.

I don’t think he’s scared of me, though. I think he’s just phenomenally busy. The rest of this post is his note to me about his life:

I am standing on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. I went to LA in February and had a good time. As you can see, my hair is much much thinner since we graduated in 1986. I look older (damn!) but am a more mature person. My suspicion is that a lot of our classmates won’t remember who I am. That is neither a bad or good thing for me.

I am a full-time student at the University of North Texas in Denton, which is a 40-mile drive from my house. I live in the Turtle Creek neighborhood in Dallas. Actually, Dr. Phil lives across the street, and I sometimes see him at night walking his dog. I should ask him for advice (LOL). Anyway, back to my current life. I am completing my degree in English composition and a minor in history. My goal is to go to law school, and I will be taking the LSAT this fall. I am a bit nervous about undertaking that enterprise. It seems as if I will never get out of school.

My brother Jeff—some may remember him—graduated from the Chicago Art Institute with a degree in art then went on to Yale and got his MFA. My sister is a music teacher and has two little children; her husband is starting his residency this next month and will be a surgeon. Then there is me. I am trailing along degree-wise, but oh well.

Thus far I have had a very interesting life. I was a butler and an estate manager for a number of years and have gotten to go many places and meet many famous people (President Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, Michael Douglas, Doris Day, Vice President Cheney, Ross Perot, and many others). To say the least, I was star struck. It was a fun job while it lasted, but I am anxious to start the next phase of my life. Law school will be a big undertaking and seems very daunting at this moment, but I think it will be easy compared to my struggle with getting through two more semesters of Spanish. Also, there is nothing like waiting until the very bitter end to take math: oops.

I am not sure what else to say about myself that is interesting or funny or a reflection on the past 20 years. I am not married, have no children, but have been in a 19-year relationship. I am not even sure anyone remembers me, but here is a picture and I would be happy to hear from any classmates or even teachers, like Mrs. Krul.

Passion Killer, You're Too Much

Can I be so bold as to post a photo of a photographer? This is Lane, Wendy, and Danny--now better known as Daniel Lincoln, whose work has appeared in major publications that you probably read. Check out examples of his photography by clicking on the link.

Susan, my source for many blog pictures and for all scoop New Orleans, said she has run into Daniel in the city. I think she has met his wife and daughters. Wouldn’t it be great if we have the same opportunity on June 10?

Glamorous Life

I’m not finished with senior portraits: oh, no, no, no. Ethereal Lady 1 is Cynthia, who now lives in Edgewater, Florida. Her name was on our “missing” list for a few months, but Valerie found her and Laura put her reunion invitation in the mail. I haven’t yet heard whether Cindy will make the trip in June, but if you want to nag her about it, I’ll give you her email address. Drop me a line.

Ethereal Lady 2 is Michelle, who still lives in Slidell. You’ve seen her busy with reunion work even though she is busy with a dozen other things under the sun: a daughter, Alaina; a husband, Anthony; managing the catering and special events at a downtown hotel; and hosting Wendy and her family on the weekend of June 10. Michelle has already promised she’ll be meeting us on the dance floor, so dust off your groovin’ shoes.

I’m in a wacky, Friday, smile-at-strangers-on-the-train kind of mood today: expect more photos later.

Put Me in, Coach: I'm Ready to Play Today

Last weekend: some celebrated the holiest day of their religion; some had a cookout at grandma’s; some clinked glasses to their 14th wedding anniversary (I love you, Alan: you’d better be reading this blog). And more than a few were participants in a cabbage ball tournament that I understand got pretty sweaty. Our reporter on the scene was Melissa:

We had a fabulous time down here. Ken and I celebrated three of our children’s birthdays on Saturday with a party at John Slidell Park. The 86ers who were there took a picture for you, and we also included one with all of our kids. I’ll bet you can’t figure out who belongs to whom.

Pictured are Danny, Juan, me, Colleen, and Chuck. My four kids are in the picture, Chuck has three, Danny has two, and Colleen has one. Danny wanted me to tell you that he has been reading the blog and wants to see us on there, so I told him I’d send it and see how it goes. I had to get instructions from a 15-year-old on how to attach the photos.

I am fond of Melissa, of course, but all I had to read was that Danny had a request I could fulfill. Hubba-hubba.

Your Love Is So Edible to Me

I would never break my promise from Monday: the rest of Kennitha’s story is here. As someone who lives far away from home, I am grateful that she described her hurricane experience, working through her feelings at the keyboard. I believe that people around the country should still be reading stories like this. After all, Kennitha and others are still living them:

We were happy that I was in remission and were ready to start a family. Then hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005. Boy, was our world turned upside down. We evacuated to a friend’s home in Mississippi. We thought that we would spend the night and would be back home within a day or two.

We were wrong. It took us two days just to cut our way out of their driveway. There were over 18 huge pine and oak trees across their driveway. We lost electricity, which meant we did not have any running water. The best way I can describe it: it is like being on Survivor. We had no phone service (land line or cell). We could not get in contact with any of our family or other friends. We did not know if they were dead or alive.

We tried to go back to Slidell a couple of days later only to be turned away. We decided not to go back to Mississippi and went to my uncle’s house in Lake Charles. We were assured that my parents would either be there when we got there or shortly after. When we arrived, they were not there and we could not reach them. There was still no cell phone service. I was able to text-message my parents, but they could not get the service to text-message me a response.

I was finally able to reach my sister and her family, who had evacuated to Dallas. At least I knew they were okay. They had Internet service and tried to give me as much information about our home in Slidell as they could. I finally got a call from my parents and they were fine. Their vehicle had taken in so much debris that it would not start. Now I knew they were alive.

Then the bad news began to start coming in. We found out that my father-in-law had not survived the hurricane. We got this news on our wedding anniversary. As soon as we got the news we headed to Hammond to find Art’s family. After searching their home, we finally saw a neighbor, who told us they were staying at my sister-in-law’s church. What a relief to know that Art’s family was all together during this awful time in their lives.

Art and I decided that since we were so close to Slidell, we would try to get into town again. This time we made it. I started crying from the moment we got off of the interstate. What a shock! Trees and power lines were down, and we had to drive around them. It was like a ghost town, very few people on the roads and most of the roads not passable.

We finally found our street. We were not able to drive to our house because of all the downed trees and power lines, so we parked the truck and climbed over and under trees. When we finally reached our house, I lost it. Everything we had worked for was gone. The first thing I saw was the water mark on my car. I knew the house would be worse. I just sat on the tailgate of the truck and cried and let Art go into the house and see if there was anything he could save. We lost everything we had not taken with us when we evacuated. But we had each other, so we knew we could recover from this.

We tried to check on friends and family while in Slidell, but the roads were closed. We headed back to Lake Charles and made phone calls to our family out of state to let them know that everyone was safe. I will never forget Labor Day 2005. My sister called and said that my Mom and Dad had called and they were at her house; she had electricity and her house had been spared any damage. What a blessing. We all headed to my sister’s house. She let over 20 family members and friends stay with her. The best way to describe it: at bedtime if you can find a bed or space on the floor, you had better grab it.

Each day we made the dreaded trip to the MRE, water, and ice giveaway line. Bless the volunteers who were out in all of that heat to make sure that we had the bare necessities to live. We were just thankful to be together again. I guess it was about a week or two later that the stores and gas stations began to open. They had canned goods and things like that.

We began the dreaded task of gutting our home. I went the first day and was so emotional that I was not allowed to return the next day. It is just so hard to see your life piled up in a garbage pile to be hauled off. I am emotional just typing this. Everyone joined in and helped and the house was gutted in no time at all. Then the wait for the insurance companies to come out began. Let me tell you they were not in a hurry.

Before we knew it, Christmas was here. My husband kept asking me what I wanted for Christmas, and all I could think I wanted was to go home. To my surprise, on Christmas Eve he brought me to our house and—bless his heart—he had fixed up one of the bedrooms and one of the bathrooms so that we could be home for Christmas. This was the best Christmas gift I had ever had or will ever have.

We lived in the gutted-out house until March 6, 2006, when our FEMA trailer arrived. We were lucky in that we did not get one of the small camper trailers. We got a regular single wide trailer. That is what we are calling home right now. We are in the process of fixing up our home. We are not sure when we will be back in our home, but at least we are right here by it.

I have learned through all of this not to take things for granted. Life is too short and your friends and family can be taken away from you in a second. We lost so many friends and family members to Katrina that I lost count. I know that is horrible, but there were so many that lost their lives.

There Are Some Things You Can't Hide

I want you to imagine that you’re hearing Teri’s thoughts. This picture is from 1986, but that’s okay because she hasn’t changed a bit so you can pretend she’s striking this thoughtful pose in the present day.

“I’m so excited to be cotreasurer for the reunion efforts. Along with Melissa, I get to know who’s coming to the party. And it makes me downright giddy about my own attendance!

“Hey, wait a second: I have the power to spread that enthusiasm to others. If our classmates know the people who have already signed up to meet at the Gallery in Slidell on June 10, they won’t be able to resist signing up themselves. Everyone will be thrilled at how super awesome this party is shaping up to be!”

Gail Barber Lloyd
Kris Belyus Simmons
Bob Bierhorst
Brenda Bishop Failla
Russ ("Rusty") Bolitho
Debi Caffery Davies
Annmarie Crochet Sartor
Natalie Dugas Beam
Tara Farris Zeller
Maria Goodson Davis
Vincent Granier
Colleen Holmes Neeley
Wendy Holmes Keeler
Raymond Horvath
Abby Lindsay (Werdenschlag)
Andrea Mobley St. Martin
Laura Newton
Rebecca Richardson Silver
Dana Ogden Rovira
Dennis Parker (maybe: he might have to travel for work and thereby break our hearts)
Stephen Parsons
Valerie Pollard Griggs
Georgina Rennie Ledet
Jayne Sanchez (Colvin)
Julie Sanchez Morton
Michelle Thomas-Bush
Michelle Tonkel McDuffie
Joanne Vis Sanders
Melissa Williams Collier

I Know This Much Is True

Reading a story about true love will make this Monday a better day. Kennitha and I have been corresponding via email since she received her reunion invitation in the mail. She has helped us find some people who were on the “missing” list. But just this morning is the first time I’ve read about her life over the last 20 years:

I got married not long after graduating from high school. That marriage lasted less than a year. I then went to college and got my diploma in computer science from Southeastern Louisiana University. I worked for a home care company in Hammond for 6 years doing their computer networking.

I decided I wanted to be closer to my family and friends, so I made the move back to Slidell in 1999. I began working for a doctor as an office manager. I did everything but treat the patients. The doctor put me through massage therapy classes and I got my certificate, and then I began “treating” patients as well. I worked for the doctor until he decided to move his practice to Lafayette, and I was not about to make that commute everyday.

I remarried in November 2000. My husband’s name is Art. He is a master tech. He is the best thing that has happened in my life. I don’t know what I would have done without him when shortly after we were married, I became seriously ill. I spent over a year in and out of the hospital.

I was finally diagnosed with sarcoidosis. In my case, it affects my lymph nodes, joints, and eyes. It can affect many organs in the body. It also caused me to have kidney stones. I had over 20 kidney stones in one year. I was put on steroids (too bad they are not the kind that put muscles on the body). They have helped and I have been in remission for 1 year. I now have the okay from my doctor to go ahead and start a family. I will keep you posted on that situation.

During all of this Art was by my side day and night. Again, I don’t know what I would have done without him.

So Kennitha and Art thought their next step would be making a baby, and then Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005. As it did for so many people, their world turned upside down. Kennitha has generously described her own experience of the last several months, and that story will appear here on Wednesday. Of course, she ended her lengthy email with positive news, which I’m learning is just the way Kennitha is:

I am a housewife (well, I was when I had a house). Art and I enjoy playing darts. We both belong to the Greater Slidell Dart Association (GSDA). Art is the president of the league, and I have been the acting secretary since the hurricane. Anyone interested in checking our our website can do so by going to http://www.geocities.com/gsda70460.

Art and I also love to travel. We are going on a cruise to the western Caribbean on May 8. We are also looking forward to seeing everyone on June 10. We are not sure if we will be able to make it to the park, but we will be at the Gallery.

This Is the New Stuff I Go Dancing In

I think I have run out of Sadie Hawkins pictures. How sad I feel: wistful, almost hopeless. I’m not sure a blog is worth writing without accompanying Sadie Hawkins pictures. They made me look forward to waking up each morning.

The next best thing is posting photographs of people whose outfits coordinate. I haven’t run out of fancy-dance pictures! Claudius took Heidi to prom. She was from the class of 87, and I remember how much I enjoyed getting to know her a little through Saga--although at first I didn’t realize I would because her beauty had intimidated me.

I enlisted help via email to identify the prom picture of Stacey; the guy is possibly Jim, if I have his name right, whom she married, albeit not on prom night. I didn’t recognize her because I thought she looked too different from the photo of her rehearsing senior play. Maybe it’s because in the other photo, she is concentrating on the choreography, and possibly Zeke’s feet, whereas in this situation, she can just smile and be pretty, the way nature obviously intended.

You Got Another Thing Comin'

As far as I know, Bobby and Vincent never took each other to a dance (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Perhaps they were just so pleased with how handsome they looked that they wanted to capture the moment before sullying it with any ole girls in their big ole dresses.

Bobby might try to tell you that the reunion picnic has a “back to the 80s” theme and that you should arrive in costume. He proposed the idea to me but then admitted, “Not that I would dress up, but it sure would be funny if someone did show up dressed like that.”

But I Think That You're Wild When You Flash That Fragile Smile

We won’t get to dance with Leslie at the party on June 10 because of a schedule conflict. But I bugged her and nagged her and begged her to tell us what she’s been doing for the last 20 years. I think her husband’s name is Terry:

Here’s a picture of my girls: Olivia (on left) is 4 years old, and Abby is 3 years old. Here’s what’s been going on with me (the short version). After high school, I went to LSU for a few years and then transferred to UNO, where I graduated. I got married in ’96 and lived in Slidell for a while.

We eventually moved to Little Rock, then Baton Rouge, and finally Liberty Lake, Washington (which is just outside of Spokane), where we are now. My husband’s job sent us here (I’m a stay-at-home mom right now). We just moved here about 3 and 1/2 months ago. It’s so different (and a little colder), but so far we really like it.

When I received this picture, I noticed the gleam in Olivia’s eye, so I had to write Leslie again. I suspected that Olivia was capable of the occasional antic, but I’ve also recently learned from Tara (I mean, from her stories of her children) that the most innocent looks can hide a devious mind. Leslie replied and confirmed, “By the way, Abby is the mischievous one. You have no idea!”

I Want to Be the One to Walk in the Sun

It is never good news for me to hear that someone won’t be able to attend the reunion. I live in a kind of fantasy world where there are no schedule conflicts, no weddings or christenings, no sporting events, no conferences, nothing but the class of 86 20-year high school reunion at the Gallery in Slidell.

However, I feel a little comforted when fantastic pictures are attached to the email containing the bad news. Coach Wendy will be in Brazil while we’re in Slidell; the rest of this post comes from her message:

I am in the process of filling out the How Have You Been sheet and sending in a family photo. I have two kids (Maddie, 9, and André, 7). My husband, Bryan, and I have been married 12 years.

I’m writing also to tell you that I will not be able to attend the reunion. I am so sad about this and would have loved to see everyone. I will be in Brazil for three weeks again this June with Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. I am coaching their women’s soccer tour.

I have attached photos that you may use for your blog. I coach soccer and teach at Johnson County Community College (15 minutes from downtown Kansas City). It is one of the largest JuCos in the nation (40,000 students, which includes a nursing school; a PT, OT, and dental hygiene school; massage therapy, cosmetology, and a police academy). Our soccer team is ranked 13th in the nation.

I love my job and couldn’t think of anything in the world I would rather be doing. The picture is of my team while we were in St. Louis last fall. I am on the far left… in case I happened to blend in with all these beautiful 19-year-olds and you couldn’t pick me out!

Everybody Wang Chung Tonight

I count 32 people in this picture of a party after the Homecoming dance of our senior year. Are you in there? I don't know how late in the night this photo was snapped, but everyone still looks nice. I don't see any runs in Leigh Ann's lacy stockings.

That's When We Fall in Line

I like to post a bonus picture on Friday because I don't post over the weekend.

Can anyone tell me what the heck was going on here? My best guess is a game of Red Rover, but would that have been fun at age 17 or 18?

We Were So in Phase in Our Dance Hall Days

When photos fall into my lap or arrive on my doorstep or appear in my email inbox, I enter a trance to imagine what was happening at the moment the shutter opened. I deduce that this picture was taken on prom night after the dance--but I can't divine more than that. Deneane is still wearing her beautiful lacy red dress, but Chris appears to have shed his fancy clothes. (Note hairy knee.) Deneane is smiling at the photographer; Chris is laughing with glee. Deneane is posed like a lady (albeit with a plastic cup instead of the fine crystal she deserves); Chris is either waving to the room or slapping her on the back in camaraderie and good humor.

Deneane has a daughter in high school now. She wrote a post here last August, so click that link read more about her life in South Carolina. In fact, she is such a talented writer that I wish more of the blog had come from her.

Chris has been in touch via email on a regular basis, so let's close with part of a message I received from him this week:

I read up on Andy, and now that I think about it, I could see him being a teacher. The pictures are great of Grad Night. You know we were the first class in St. Tammany to ever do that. If you remember, I had to fly in because Coach Stephens would not allow me to miss baseball practice for the state playoffs. At the time, I had no choice but to fly in a day late and miss the fun night all together.

Thanks for putting the family on the blog. When I get some time, I will send you a blow-by-blow from college to now. It's been a great ride. Keep up the good work; it brings back a lot of good memories. The best four years of my life... Buccaran didn't lie about that.

And You Can Be My Cowgirl

To thank Colleen for her work on the reunion, the only thing I could think of doing is publishing a Sadie Hawkins picture. I think it's from our junior or even sophomore year. I don’t know who the guy is; I was afraid that if I mailed this photo to Colleen to ask his name, she’d forbid me from posting it even though she looks beautiful, as always.

Colleen married some guy from the class of 85. (Okay, bad joke: who doesn’t remember Phil? He practically ran the school.) I've learned just a little about her life from chats on the phone and from seeing her in January at the first reunion planning meeting. I know that Colleen and Phil lived in several different places (Florida and a couple different places in Tennessee, for example) before moving back to Slidell. They have a daughter named Sydney, and I think she is 6 years old. Colleen also teaches first grade at Bonne Ecole Elementary.

Of the two dozen people who’ve been planning the reunion (finding people, stuffing envelopes, planning the finances, etc), Colleen has been downright inspiring for me since she and I had our first phone call last summer. She’s the reason I bought a new, blank notebook to record all the ideas that spilled out of her brain. Both Colleen and Laura are fantastic chairwomen, organizing and herding this event just as they would a mess of cattle… cattle that are cuddly and friendly with intelligent eyes and a smell so pleasantly uncattlelike that they’d make great props for, say, a Sadie Hawkins photo.

I Ran, I Ran So Far Away

Keith lives in Alaska now. He and his wife, Jenn, enjoy all the modern conveniences like email even though they live in a log cabin on the side of a mountain. This photo he sent me of the back of his house is like real-estate porn to me. I just look at it and look at it and draw the shades against the line of graystone two-flats across my crowded city street, which has two speed bumps on it so that Chicago drivers will hear a scraping noise before they mow down someone walking his puggle or something.

Now I want to live in Alaska too.

At least two other classmates of ours live far away from Slidell. Alonda Michele is serving our country alongside her husband in the US Army in Seoul, Korea. If we are very lucky, she'll get to depart Korea a little early to come to the reunion. Ever since she told me that via email, I've been hoping that her request will be granted. Do you think we could write letters to our senators about it?

I heard through the committee that Rolando is in Japan. (I didn't hear which city.) His mom said we could send the reunion invitation to her home, so I hope she's passed along our good wishes and our desire to see him at the party. If Rolando can fly home in time for June 10, he might seem a little loopy from the jet lag, so don't give him a hard time if he doesn't recognize you right away. But he also might be able to stay up later than everyone else.

It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding

This blog--my artistry, if you will--brings out the beauties. I flush ’em out. Jayne spotted the Grad Night photo and offered me an updated picture of her fine self. See Jayne’s fine self? See the fine man standing next to her? Rick is her brand new husband, and Jayne told me that Pat O’Brien’s in the French Quarter is one of their favorite places.

A little about what has been happening with me: I started college at LSU and then finished up at UNO in 1993. From there, I went to LSU Dental School until 1997. I opened up my own dental office in 2000. It is hard to believe it has been 6 years in private practice. I practice in Mandeville and live in Covington.

I married in October 2005. I was supposed to get married at the Riverview Room, but Katrina changed that. I ended up going to Destin, Florida, to get married on the beach. Now I am planning my third wedding to the same man so I can have wedding pictures with my bridesmaids. How crazy is that? But I am happily married with 2 stepsons, Brandon, 12, and Dylan, 9, and we just bought a Harley! I can’t wait to see everyone in June.

Too Shy Shy, Hush Hush, Eye to Eye

Annmarie and I were roommates at NLU in Monroe, where she still lives. We’ve been reminiscing about those years via email, and she sent me a box full of photos to use here. (You can too! And why haven’t you?) One of my favorite stories she recalled is how we would “drunk-proof” our dorm room before we went out for the night. That involved clearing a path from the door to each bed through the clothes and shoes and stacks of books and papers.

The story I recalled for her happened in the cafeteria where we ate as freshmen, the same place the school athletes ate, albeit on the other side of a partition with a different selection of food. We positioned ourselves at a front table, sitting on the same side so we both could watch the athletes strut from the front door to their secret dining room. For one tall guy with sandy hair, I never learned his real name, but we called him EC. Without exception, Annmarie and Mr. Eye Contact shared significant glances every time he walked past.

Looking at this prom picture of Lynette, Curtis, Annmarie, and Steve, you’ll see why EC and about a million other people cannot avoid her eyes. We are all lucky that she uses her power for good and never for evil.