Happy 30th, Class of 78'

As I heard my alarm go off this morning at 6am it occurred to me....As of Friday, May 23 I've been out of high school for 30 years!!!! Don't ask me about the weird thoughts that go through my head at 6am. I'm lucky to have ANY thought going through my head at that ungodly time of day! Needless to say, this is NOT my normal time for arising--except on Sunday mornings. Unfortunately, since my dh IS old, he insists we go to the 8:15 service at our church, which means we have to leave home by 7:45, which means I have to get up at that crazy hour in order to get ready, put the finishing touches on my SS lesson, and spend the last hour fussing at my teen dd to "let's go!" I know all of you have delightful Sunday mornings...but I digress.

As the day has progressed I have continued thinking about this milestone in my life. I've been thinking of all the things that have happened in the past 30 years. (Oh, my. It still sounds funny to even be able to say, "30 years ago, I..." Do you know what I mean? Where did all of those years go?) Now, I know all of you youngsters are thinking..."Wow! She is really old! They didn't even know the world was round when she was in school!"

This reminds me of another rabbit trail...(yes, it's my rabbit and I'll chase it if I want to!)...when dd was small, we were looking at an old photo album that included black and white pictures. She turned to me and asked, "Mommy, when did God start coloring the world?" (She was so cute!)

Okay, where was I? Oh, yeah...I'm thinking back to my Senior year in high school.

A little about my high school. It was small. The school was K-12. Our Senior Class was the biggest ever (at that time) with 40 that graduated. (At least 3 of the graduates brought their child to graduation!) The lunches in the lunchroom were actually delicious! We had lots of extra-curricular activities. I was a member of all but a few of the clubs. Everybody in town went to football and basketball games...even parents! The cheerleaders really led cheers and wore those cool saddle-oxfords. Homecoming was a BIG deal! We had Pep Rally's and Bonfires. The homecoming parade was a BIG deal for the whole town. We didn't have any air-conditioning in the high school section until my Junior year. The gym was NOT air-conditioned (still isn't!). We had lots of dances where we danced to a real jukebox. (No dirty dancing was allowed.) Students did NOT talk back to teachers--those that did got in BIG trouble. Shorts were not allowed except for P.E. The boys tucked their shirts in. The basic mode of dress was jeans and cowboy boots...for everyone. (Who would even think of wearing flip-flops to school?) Prom was a big thing...everybody wanted to go!

Homecoming week was fun, but the best week of school was the 3-days of the Suwanee River Livestock Fair in Fanning Springs, FL. Back then, we didn't get out of school to go unless we were participants. Three counties (Levy, Dixie & Gilchrist) would come together to showcase students with their livestock. You could be in FFA (Future Farmers of America) or 4H to participate. Even if you didn't show a steer, a horse, a goat, a rabbit or chickens -- YOU WENT--you could enter something in the Home Ec section! Walking around during that week, seeing kids from rival high schools, hanging out with friends, meeting new friends (spelled B-O-Y-S); it was a blast! Just your basic good country fun.

High school was fun for me. Yes, there was quite a bit of painful teenage angst...but I still had fun. [Another rabbit trail: When folks question me about all the things my dd is missing out on by being home educated it doesn't make me feel guilty. She does soooo many things that 'normal' high school kids don't get to do! But the biggest thing is that high schools are not the same as they were in my day. If they were, I might consider sending my dd to high school just for the fun times. But knowing what I know about public school these days... that ain't gonna happen!]

Being at a small school we had a lot of traditions --some I didn't understand --some I still don't understand. For example, we had an interesting competition with a tire rim. I can hear you now..."A tire rim?" I did say I didn't always understand these things! Each year the Senior Class would repaint this tire rim and it was called the "Hot Pot." Now here is the weird part. The Seniors and Juniors would fight for possession of the Hot Pot for the entire school year. Of course, there were rules...I can't remember many of them. It was supposed to be left in plain sight, it could not be kept inside a building, etc. My senior year, the senior's kept the Hot Pot all year. It spent some time on the roof of the school building, some time buried by the wall around the school (yes, a piece of it was in plain sight!), and various other interesting spots. Remember, it was a small school, so we all had a hand in the craziness. Much time was spent on the school grounds after dark. I remember seeing it chained to the monkey bars on Graduation Night. I wonder if the tradition has been continued?

Speaking of graduation. Do you remember everybody asking you "what are you going to do with your life?" I remember thinking they were kind of dumb if they didn't think I had it all figured out. I had a scholarship to Community College and I had a plan! Little did I know the curves life would throw me...very quickly. When I think back to just the first five years after high school, I'm amazed I'm alive!

Hmmm... within the first five years. My mom died, my dad remarried, I moved away from home, I got kicked out of FSU (after graduating #1 in my high school class and graduating on the Dean's list from Community College), I moved 7 times, and I got married. I probably need to stop right there because my dd reads this blog sometimes...suffice it to say, those were some rough years...with a LOT of stupidity added in the mix! Only God's mercy and grace brought me through these tough years.

So, now that I've confessed that I'm an old lady, I have to say... I sure don't feel that old! Maybe I'll try to get in touch with some of those old friends....