27 True Things I Learned at the 30th Reunion

by Margaret Ashburn Krajeski

1. We wonder why our parents let us get away with so much.
   
2. We wonder how we lived to tell the tale.
   
3. We worry about our own kids.
   
   
4. McDonald's and Noble Roman's are still there.
   
5. The new Airport is spiffy but hard to get to.
6. The abandoned Westwood Country Club is a mighty sad sight.
   
   
7. From some angles, Ben Davis looks like a penitentiary.
8. Patti Arens is not and has never been gay. That was an editorial error in the 20th Reunion Program.
9. The official reunion hotel, the Microtel, had a view of Sam's Club on one side, Rockville Road on the other, and the traffic sounds of I-465 all around.
10. Tom Breece sold his Ford Falcon while I was there, so now there are only 9 cars in his driveway.
    
    
11. He might be Willis Deardorff now but he'll always be Willy to us.
12. If you went to high school with me, call me Margaret. Marna caught on in college when people told me I didn't look like a Margaret. I said they could call me Marna which was a family nickname. My sister Liz couldn't say Margaret when I was born so she called me Marna.
    
    
13. That Gumbo Mike Bare brought to the tailgate set a new standard. Thanks for the Cajun touch.
14. People can really bond around a janky RV.
15. Who knew being called "Track Trash" would become a badge of honor?

16. When our quarterback Jeff Sperring arrives at the football game, he still gets a round of applause.
17. Next time they ought to have a Westlake Elementary School Reunion.
18. The range of "Snappy Casual" is pretty wide.
19. This crowd cheats at Trivia using their Smart Phones.
    
    
20. A Poker ride is so much fun, it ought to be illegal.
21. After all that Safety Training in the military, I still rode a motorcycle without a helmet.
22. I saw beautiful back roads I'd never seen and fell in love with my home state for the first time.
23. It is possible to ride on a motorcycle all day, go home, wash your face, brush your hair, put on a dress, and go to the Reunion party without scaring everybody.
24. Chris Hover can ride a motorcycle at 110 mph.
    
    
25. Over the weekend I heard so many stories (and told a few) of heartache, hurt, loss, disappointment, divorce, drug abuse, unemployment, and financial trouble. It means we’re human.
26. This is also true: We're here for each other.
27. Greg Knuckles and I agree--the friendships deepen with each reunion.

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