Reunion

This past weekend my high school graduating class had their 10-year reunion. I remember when my aunt Stephanie went for her 10-year reunion to Pennsylvania and she seemed so...not old...so grown-up. And now here I am...is it possible that I'm as grown-up as she was? The reunion committee sent out this picture of all those that were there on Saturday night, and I have spent a good portion of today obsessing over the picture.

I've known over half of them since we entered kindergarten in 1984. I haven't spoken to a single one of them since we left high school in 1997. And yet I am desperate to know what they've been up to for the last 10 years. I've been having conversations with them in my head all day, asking where they've been, when they got married, how many children they have, have they heard from so-and-so, etc. etc.

Several of those people were so badly made-fun-of and excluded during our entire schooling that I can't imagine why they would show up to a reunion. Are they there to prove that they have moved past their era of geek-dom. Were they so pure-hearted that they just didn't realize that people were making fun of them? Or does 10 years just erase all the hard-feelings they might have had?

The popular girls look just the same--picture-perfect in their attire, hair and make-up. The girl who has been overweight since kindergarten is still overweight and confident in herself. The goth girl is still goth. The stoner still looks pretty stoned. The boy we all thought was gay really is. And the high school sweethearts got married and organized the reunion. And other than putting on a few pounds here and there, almost everyone looks exactly the same as I remember them.

There are others whose absence got me thinking as much as the sight of others. Where are my two best friends, Anne and Sarah? Where is my high school boyfriend and his wife who still live in the town where we grew up? Where is Matt, the only friend I've kept in touch with since graduation, albeit very sporatically?

I was asked to send in a picture of me and my family for the reunion book, and I looked for the best picture of me I could find so that they wouldn't think I'm always as overweight and downtrodden as I look in the pictures since Macy was born. Why does it matter what they think anymore? But I found myself wanting them all to think I was doing well. That I'm not the snob they all thought I was in high school, that I was just extremely shy and insecure. I always felt out-of-place in school, and I found myself wondering if I'd still feel that way in that group. I wondered if they'd look down on me for not finishing college. Would they like my husband and think my kids are cute? What is it about a high school reunion that causes such angst?

Here is a group of people who were tossed together as kids into a tiny school system where we spent 5 days a week, 36 weeks of the year for 13 years playing and learning side by side, who went our separate ways after graduation and then chose to get together again for an evening to try to catch up on the last 10 years. It seems a silly tradition, but I'm sad I missed out on it.

Benched

I went to the doctor on Friday because I've still got this weird post-birth infection. I mentioned that I'd started running again, and she was quick to chastise me. "Unless you want to be incontinent for the rest of your life, you'd better not do anything more than a brisk walk until Macy's at least 12 weeks old. And if you get bored walking, do your pelvic floors." So I'm back out of the game. Thanks, Doc.

For you, Mrs.

Beef enchiladas with Grandpa's mexican rice

I'm not a measurer when I cook, so I've guessed at quantities.

Beef enchiladas

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 anaheim peppers, chopped or one small can of green chilies
1 small tub sour cream
3 cups mixed cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, colby, pepper jack, anything you want, really)
enchilada sauce*
6 flour tortillas

Brown the beef with the onion and chilies (if using a can, just add chilies after). Combine cooked beef with sour cream and two cups of cheese. Pour half of sauce into bottom of 9X12 pan. Spoon beef mixture into tortillas, roll up and put in pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

*I just use some tomato paste, add about a tablespoon of chili seasoning and some boiling water until it's the right consistency, but you can buy it if you'd rather.


Grandpa's Mexican rice.

1 cup long grain rice
1 T oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 T chili seasoning
1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken or veg stock

Fry rice, onion and pepper in oil until rice is opaque and onion/pepper are soft. Stir in chili, tomatoes, and stock. Cover and simmer over very, very low heat for 10-15 minutes until rice is soft.

Serve all with lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, refried beans and sour cream. Scrummy.