10 year high school reunion. yes, i'm that old!

Last weekend, Nick and I flew back home to the 'Couve for a 3-day weekend in order to attend my high school reunion. First, I can scarcely believe that 10 years have already passed since I graduated from high school. A lot has changed since then, but at the core I feel like the same person. The party was held in Troutdale, Oregon at McMenamins Edgefield. I thought the venue was pretty great. There was even a rockin' concert going on that night (Black Crowes?), but the focus for us was definitely the reunion.
Although the event was pretty well attended, with between 100 - 150 folks there, given the huge size of our class (600+), attendance was fairly low. I definitely wish that more folks had showed up, at least from a better cross-section of our school! But planning this sort of event is terribly difficult to do, and the organizers did a good job. I was especially happy to see folks in my core group of high school friends, most of whom I've known since junior high:

These folks were my oasis during high school. The most kind, funny, caring, supportive and smart folks you could ever dream of as friends. Seeing the group together over the weekend reminded me how lucky I was to have such amazing, well-rounded folks as my closest friends during high school. I'm glad that a small handful of us still keep in touch --- the girls' trip some of us took to Aruba last year was such fun, I can't wait to start planning the next one (Greece, maybe?). All I know is that I plan on keeping in touch with these folks; they're far too important to drift away from.

It was also nice seeing friends from back in the day that I've lost touch with. Everyone is so grown up now --- most are married, many have babies, all were nice to talk to, even after all of these years!
My best friend (who I will refer to as "Bestie" until or if she gives me permission to use her first name) is even more gorgeous than before (if that's even possible)! I made them do the old "prom '98" pose, which seemed fitting given the occasion. It's the closest I'll get to the prom for a long time.

I've known these two crazy kids since we were in the 7th grade and they both lived right down the street from my family. I can hardly believe that they're all grown and married to each other now. TY is truly one of the kindest souls you'll ever meet, and EY is a great fit for him. JV is one of the sweetest women I know from high school. I hope to keep in better contact with her from now on. Thank goodness for MySpace (or Facebook, which I am still hesitant to join).
Just a small sampling of pictures. I also wanted an excuse to post the picture directly above. J-town looks ridiculously cute (as always!) and Jenn looks like she's having way too much fun!

All in all, Nick and I had a fabulous time. He was especially stoked to meet many of the people I talk about as being a pivotal part of my life back in the day. And they love meeting him too (how could they not?). The organizers did a great job, especially considering how much work goes into that kind of event and the number of people they had to try to get to attend the event.

The next day, my family, Nick and I went for a quick trip to the Rose Gardens in Portland. The flowers were still in full bloom, and absolutely gorgeous!
A close family friend was visiting from Cambodia, and she was astounded by the flowers --- given Cambodia's tropical climate, roses are something she has rarely seen. It was sweet to see how excited she was about something as simple as flowers.

Later that day, Nick and I joined the core group of high school folks for lunch at Panera Bread (I miss suburban food chains sometimes --- it's in my roots!). Given all of the folks who were at the reunion the night before, it was a nice to sit down and catch up in a quieter environment. Me, being the sentimental cheeseball that I am, made everyone (+ significant others, where applicable) pose for a picture outside of the restaurant.
After visiting another friend at her baby boy's second birthday party, we cleaned up and joined my family, Bestie and Mr. Bestie, and about 200 folks from the Portland/Vancouver Cambodian community for a party honoring a dear family friend due to his retirement from Costco. As per Khmer tradition, there was tons of food, plenty of Hennesee, and enthusiastic dancing for hours and hours.
Taking a break from eating for a quick picture.Mr. Bestie was a little too excited about winning one of the Hannah Montana door prizes.
My parents cutting a rug, which is one of their favorite things to do.

The next morning, Nick and I (and our bleary eyes) flew out of PDX around 6 am. The weekend was a whirlwind, and I'm terribly pleased that we were able to make it back for the short visit.