12/31/07

Roads converge each year for KHS Class of 81

Kellogg High School Class of 1981

The long and winding road

That leads to your door

Will never disappear

I've seen that road before

It always leads me here

lead me to your door.

The class song for the Kellogg High School Class of 1981 was The Beatles tune "The Long and Winding Road". I am fortunate each holiday season that the long and winding road of some of my classmates converge at a certain point and we get together for lunch and a gift exchange.

Today, CC, PW, TD, BE and myself gathered at Noah's Canteen at the Silver Mountain Gondola Base for lunch and a wonderful afternoon of visiting and reminiscing about old times. Unfortunately, CF was unable to be with us.

Three of us, CC, BE and myself have known each other since kindergarten. TD and PW joined us in seventh grade. They were two of the "wild" Pinehurst kids. When we were all in school, all the seventh graders came together as one class at Kellogg Junior High School. Students from Sunnyside Elementary, Pinehurst Elementary, and Canyon School all came together, and we "innocent" students from Sunnyside always thought the kids from Pinehurst were so "wild".

We have been doing this holiday tradition for seven years now. We began the year I moved back to the valley. The first year we did it so our friend AV, who then lived in Alaska, could see some of her old friends. Then we continued it every year. Sometimes we meet in restaurants in Coeur d'Alene, since three of the group live over there. And sometimes we meet in the valley. It is always a great time.

We joke about how CC always seems to know every detail of all of our lives, and remembers things the rest of us don't. But I think we are getting wise to her. Did those things really happen the way she tells them, or is that her own special version of the story? H-.m-m-m-m.

Today the talk was about fundraising, and how, when we were sophomores, we sold a ton of World's Finest Chocolates, and didn't have to earn any more money for graduation. We were talking about his, because TD and myself both have seniors at Kellogg High School, and now it is the parent's duty to raise money for the end of the year party. Ugh!

And, the older we get, the more our talk tends to veer toward health issues. Sad, isn't it? Today, it was about our eyes, and how the blinding snow hurts our eyes, or how when the cold hits our eyes, they tear up.

After lunch, we came to my house to do our gift exchange, and I served hot buttered rum. My daughters got a big kick out of hearing our conversation and thought we were all pretty crazy. I always feel I laugh harder with my oldest and dearest friends than anyone else. So I'm sure as my girls heard our stories and listened us laugh, they probably did think we were a little crazy!!

I'm glad my girls get the chance to sit and listen to me and my friends share out stories. I was reading Starr's Go Figure blog the other day, and he was talking about recording the stories of those who came before us, so we understand better of who we are. Sitting and listening to my friends and I tell stories help my daughters understand more of where I came from, of who I am, and who they are.

I'm glad our road's converge at year's end, so we can remember who we are, where we come from, and share it all with each other.

3 comments:

Christy Woolum said...

Did CC remember tumbling with RR at the YMCA? tntl.

Carol Woolum Roberts said...

Darn, I forgot to ask!!

Go Figure said...

It was great that your daughters had the opportunity to sit and listen to these conversations. They are far better than any tape recording would be because they were able to observe and appreciate the interaction between you and your friends.