Flashback to High School!

The year was 1986. Graduation year. The school - R.S. McLaughlin Collegiate and Vocational Institute, but we called it MCVI. (The school was named after Robert Samuel McLaughlin who brought General Motors to Canada!) I LOVED high school! The 80's were the best years for everything except fashion:) Here is a sampling of the "year in review" taken from the pages of my yearbook:

CANADA

• Expo '86 held in Vancouver, B.C.
• Titanic was found beneath the ocean
• Air India jet blows up in midair killing over 300
• Bomb threat alert in Canadian airports causes tighter security
• Two cruise missles crashed in Canada
• National budget increased taxes on middle classes
• Dollar fell to a new low below $.70 American

WORLD

• Halley's comet passed earth on its annual 76 year journey
• Rioting and killings in South Africa over its policy of apartheid
• Space Shuttle "Challenger" blew up after lift off, killing 5 men , 2 women, including first private citizen in space
• US President Ronald Reagan met USSR General Secretary, Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva and talked over arms controls

MUSIC

AH-HA. Bruce Springsteen. Bryan Adams. Whitney Houston. Dead or ALive. Depeche Mode. Eurhythmics. Mr. Mister. Phil Collins. Tears for Fears. Tina Turner. ZZ Top. Corey Hart. Kool and the Gang. Billy Ocean. Lionel Ritchie. Miami Sound Machine.

FADS

Swatch watches. printed denims. paisley anything. satin. lace. pearls. stirrup pants. oversized shirts. flat pointed shoes. cowboy shirts. bolo ties. floral prints. leather everything. gloves. Roots and Beaver Canoe sweats.

SPORTS

• Boris Becker and Martina Navratalova won at Wimbledon
• Blue Jays won American League East but failed to reach the World Series
• Canada's national soccer team qualifies for the World Cup, which was held in Mexico
• B.C. Lions won Grey Cup
• Ben Johnson set world indoor sprint record in 60m event

ENTERTAINMENT

CATS. The Colour Purple. Jewel of the Nile. Rocky IV. Youngblood. Out of Africa. Pretty in Pink.

T.V. SHOWS

Miami Vice. The A-Team. The Golden Girls. Remington Steele. Cheers. Simon and Simon. Family Ties. Magnum PI. Dallas. Moonlighting. Hill Street Blues. Cagney and Lacey.

I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane!

The year 2007. Retirement year - I wish. The school - Valley Farm Public School, but we call it the Farm. I LOVED high school! The 2000's have amazing fashion!

Why the trip down memory lane? Memories of high school came flooding back to me as I walked into my grade 7 class yesterday. I knew the health nurse was coming to give the "sex talk", but I did not anticipate the surprise I encountered as I walked into the class that was already underway!

With a puzzled yet "I think I may know you look", the conversation sounded like this:

K: "Diane?"
D: "Karyne?"
D: "Wow...this is an awkward conversation to walk in on."
K: "Yes, but it is great to see you!"
K to the class: " Diane and I went to high school together and we haven't seen each other in 20 years."
K: "We will have to catch up when you are finished your talk."

Diane and I did catch up on the latest happenings in our lives. It has been fun for me since I moved back "home" 5 years ago to have these encounters with former high school classmates . Did I already say I LOVED high school!! :) I am so grateful for the friends I made during these formative years and I still keep in close touch with my core group. ( we were the ones who sat at the same table in the cafeteria every day and played euchre until it was time for our musical rehearsals:)) I have lived in many parts of this great country and have met some wonderful life long friends , but there is something to be said for the friends who journeyed with you through childhood and adolescence!! I find comfort knowing these friends know my family and I don't have to explain my history to them...they lived through the history!! A song we used to sing at Pioneer Girls Clubs many years ago, rings true, "make new friends but keep the old, some are silver and the others gold." I treasure my "old friends!"(this includes my church friends) I am grateful to God that we are still sharing our lives with each other...marriages, divorces, children, death of parents, career changes, lost loves, singleness journey, travel....To all of my "old friends" out there, thank you for the role you played in shaping me into who I am today! Thank you for your friendship. I am blessed. I will always treasure the memories and cannot believe it has been 20 years since high school graduation! Wow! Don't we look great! We have aged well!!:) To my other "new friends"... I haven't forgotten you...you have played an important role in the latter part of my journey...thank you! You have blessed my life too!! I dedicate this blog entry to my friends, "old" and "new"...cherish the memories...keep living the adventure!!