Reunion

I've thought a lot about this post.
I'm actually happy that I didn't blog my heart out all through the drama because what I would have said... would not have been nice.
We had over 200 people (in a class where less than 300 graduated) sign up for this reunion. At a country club. A small handful of us (one of which was shipped off to Afghanistan and another who quit the committee with a few weeks to go) put in over a years worth of some really hard work. And in the end as soon as the price came out no one bought tickets. By no one I mean less than 50. Less than 50 with a lot of begging (and loss of dignity). We very nearly cancelled but at the last moment decided to hold it and make the best of it. And you know what?
It was a freaking good time. We had a slew of kick ass raffle prizes and everyone got to actually talk to each other. The Flori's returned (think Elvis and his twin -you know, if he had one... favorite substitute teachers) and for a small crowd there was some very loud cheering. We even had an after party at another location that almost everyone attended and that lasted until the bar closed down.
Lessons learned from the night? Never again will I plan something on such a big scale - because people? Change their minds. We actually LOST $600 on this shindig ... including a bar tab of about $150 some fellow classmates got away with ringing up unbeknownst to us on our class account at the after party.
Lesson there? Don't ever say out loud with other people in earshot to 'put that on the class account'. Yes, there were lots of lessons learned. A few weeks removed though, I can say I'm glad we held it after all. While we are not sure if we will hold another in 5 years or wait 10, there Will be another. And it's been really nice getting the thanks and support from those that did attend, so in the end I think it was worth it (money loss not included). It's always nice catching up with old friends you not only grew up with, but who know the real you - even after so many years have gone by.