December 21, 1999
Gathering of the Graduates

This is a backdated entry, written on January 5, but I didn’t want to make my holiday update too long. Thanks for coming to read this!

The first exciting thing that happened since I got to Tallahassee was Meghan’s party. Last year she held an event at her aunt’s hunting cabin and she planned an encore one for this holiday season. I was really looking forward to seeing my best friends from high school, some who went far away to college and others I just hadn’t kept in touch with as I should have. The cabin is quite a ways north of Tallahassee and very secluded in the woods - a great place to have a party.

Jennifer and I drove up there together around 5 PM and it was nice to have some time to catch up with her. After driving for what seemed like a very long time I wondered if somehow I had bypassed the entire town of Miccosukee, but then we saw it - the blinking yellow light. That meant that we hadn’t missed the place at all. My little car didn’t make the drive all the way out to the cabin and I’m glad of that because I would have needed new shocks afterward. It was very cold that night and it had rained most of the day. Fortunately when we were getting to the cabin the sky was dry. (It rained later in the evening, but I guess that’s not too important.)

Tom and Peyton were tending to the bonfire by the cabin and taking great pride in the flames. Meghan was running around the entire night trying to keep things in order from picking up latecomers to making dinner. Other party-goers were Jennifer (already mentioned), Kathe, Danny, Anita and Liz (two kickboxing buddies of mine), Missy, Derek, and Angela Colletti (who I hadn’t seen in years). I got some great pictures that I will post as soon as I get back to Gainesville and set up my scanner. There is a really good one of Danny scarfing Doritos that will have a place of honor somewhere. Thanks Danny! As it turned out I had a wonderful time talking with all of these people. They have all had different experiences since we graduated from high school and it is interesting to listen to the stories they have to tell. Some of them have stayed home and gone to Florida State to Tallahassee Community College and others are in school in military academies, but it is good to know that they are still the same people I knew at Lincoln.

The cabin we took over is very small, but cozy. There is a long dock that usually extends a ways onto the lake, but since we haven’t had very much rain this winter there was no water under the dock this time. Bewteen the time we spent sitting inside near the warmth of the stove or the time we sat freezing on the dock we had discussions on various topics: old high school events, Tom’s blue jeans (tight-rolled pants and the time he had his fly undone), drinking habits, old and new boyfriends and girlfriends, our senior prom, highschool and college classes, and the occasional dirty joke. I couldn’t believe it when someone told me is was almost one o’clock! I hadn’t worn a watch. Jennifer and I left then because we both had to be home before dawn. It was an hour from when we left the cabin to the time I walked into my house. I went right to bed.

So to anyone who was present at Meghan’s party and is reading this page thanks for some new memories. We’ll have something to talk about the next time we meet (whenever that may be). To those of you I don’t see but about once a year, take care of yourselves until that time. To those of you who I should see more often, I’m sorry! Send me an email if anything is happening in Tallahassee that I should know about. And for everyone, drop me a line (lyra23@hotmail.com) if something outrageous happens that you want to share. I love hearing from you. That goes for everyone at the party and others who couldn’t make it.