Wednesday night, my friend L calls me, and asks, "Dr.P, are you going to the reunion?" I said, "Nah. I don't want to go alone, and I don't know what I'll say to people. You're married and pregnant, and so is half of the class."

Her response, "Dr.P, its not like you're a stripper who does nails. You are doing stuff, and you can come with us."

So Saturday night, off to my 10 year high school reunion I went.

When we got the venue, L and I were saying things like, "Should we turn around?" and "What did we get ourselves into?"

Once we actually got out of the car, it was more like, "Who's that?"

Then me, L and her husband walked inside, got our little name tags, and went into the banquet hall.

Some faces looked familiar. Lots of change in hair colors. Someone said hi to me, and I said, "Oh, hi." 20 seconds later I realized who she was, and went up to apologize for seeming a bit rude.

I saw a group of people I used to be close friends with in high school. That was interesting, because they are all still close friends. It was good to catch up. I have to say the best part of the night was chatting with the people I still talk to about everyone in the room. You still had people who would only mingle with others in 'their' little "IT" crowd. Lots of pregnant women which was a little crazy to see.

I talked to the football player I had the biggest crush on in high school, who is not so cute anymore. I chatted with my friends from the second grade, 2 of my old neighbors, my tennis doubles partner, and a whole slew of people. I made it a point not to hang around my friends who I talk to on a regular basis, but to try to talk to the people I haven't seen. After all, thats why I was there. One guy who I hardly talked to in high school (and would not have talked to me either) bought me a drink, and 3 people told me that I have a great ass. It was nice to hear people tell me I look good, and I have to admit, I enjoyed their reactions when I told them a little about my life.

It was a surreal experience. I moved into this town when I was 6. I shared 10 schooling years with a lot of the people in that room. When I looked around at the faces I recognized, part of me was surprised that some of us grew apart, and maybe it was meant to be that way. We had our life together, and we've taken the people we wanted to take for the rest of our journey.

The night was one of mingling. I dont know how reunions are supposed to go, but only one person made a speech. I think I built it up so much, that I was slightly disappointed. I didn't reconnect with anyone in a grand way, meaning I didn't walk out with anyone's contact information. There was a lot of, "You should visit me when I move to Maine!" or "Next time you're in the city, give me a call!" I think thats a natural thing to say, but no one on either part made the effort to get a phone number or an email. Some people live around here, and maybe I'll bump into them. Maybe I have bumped into them, but I didnt know who they were. In any case, my parents live in the same house, so I guess if anyone really wanted to know they could call, and I could do the same.

One important lesson I learned from the night was that I am happy with where I am right now. I'm not supposed to be married and pregnant, I'm supposed to be in school getting this degree. I'm also happy with who I am right now and how much I have changed for the better in 10 years. "In crowd" and "Out crowd" ? In my world, that has dissipated, and I'm glad I could let go of those distinctions.

Last but not least, I am extremely thankful for the friends who have stayed in my life through these past 10 years. I know they will be around for many more. Maybe it wasnt the life changing night I thought it would be, but I realized so many important things I didn't give myself credit for knowing already.

Time to call the girls and gossip.