Twenty Years Ago

Twenty years ago I had big hair and wore blue eye shadow.  My naturally curly hair came in handy in a day when the spiral perm was all the rage.

Twenty years ago our telephone receivers had long curly cords attached to their ends and I think the one in my family's kitchen even had a rotary dial.

Twenty years ago computers were bulky boxes with tiny screens.  And our assignments were saved to floppy disks.  I didn't know a soul who owned a cell phone; our hand-written notes--that we wrote during class--were the equivalent of today's text messages.  There was no such thing as Google or Facebook.

Twenty years ago my dad rode the city bus to work every day so that I could drive the family's red Volkswagon Rabbit to school.

Twenty years ago my friends called me only by my first initial, though it was sometimes lengthened to "Big T" or "T-ra."

Twenty years ago I worked three jobs which included nightly janitorial work and long shifts at Wendy's.  It certainly wasn't a carefree adolescence but it was nevertheless full of countless happy memories.

Twenty years ago I wore a cheer skirt to school most days. (We wore them anytime there was a sporting event to promote.)  We wore nylons underneath.  Nylons!

Twenty years ago I was a part of the Crew of '92 and we graduated from high school.  We were a spirited bunch and were proud to be Mighty Ike Cadets.  Our school was officially named Eisenhower High School but it was rarely called Eisenhower and never EHS.  We went to Ike. 

Twenty years ago I had the best friends a girl could ask for.  Last weekend we had a class reunion where we talked for hours on end and it still wasn't enough.

Left to Right: Angie, Me, Amy, Alison and Jennie

I made a high school scrapbook several years after graduation.  I devoted certain sections to each of my best friends.  Heather and Chad couldn't make it to our reunion this year but a reminiscent post such as this would not be complete without paying tribute to them.  (How convenient that they just happened to be on the same scrapbook page.)  They'll always be dear to my heart.

Our reunion included a tour of our old stomping grounds.  It's scheduled for demolition next summer.  I'm so glad my kids got to see it before the new school takes its place.

Dwight D. Eisenhower High School

Twenty years ago my signature looked like this:

Twenty years ago I cheered a lot of games and led pep assemblies in this gym:

Caleb loved looking at the banners of our rival schools.

The fight song

Twenty years ago I did a lot of back handsprings on this floor.  I'm too old to do them anymore, so Alyssa did a few for me.

Twenty years ago that Cadet Cafe behind us did not exist even though Caleb thought it was SO cool.  But that Ike seal?  Oh yeah, that was definitely there and no one dared to step on it.

Twenty years ago these were our lockers.  Jennie reminded me that we got two, one for our cheer gear and one for our school supplies.

Me with Aaron.  What a good buddy and friend of the family.

Twenty years from now, these will still be my friends.  They're the kind you keep forever.