After The Ball (My High School Reunion Tale Continues….)

After The Ball.
Well, it IS the Koch family, so you know that the “story” can’t end when the party does…

When the festivities from our reunion were over, we stuck around to help clean up (we finally got out of there about 1:00 in the morning). We were staying with my best friend Becky and her husband; her youngest son and his fiancée had come over with their little girl, Alexandra, to watch Rebecca while the old folks partied. They brought their new kitten, so Rebecca didn’t even know that we were gone 😛

Bright and early Sunday morning, Rebecca woke us up – she wanted to show us the kitten (of course). Alexandra woke up “Granny” and “Papa Dave” as well, so we all dragged our tired selves out of bed. Our muscles aren’t used to that much fun, so much groaning (and consuming of megadoses of painkillers) ensued.

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“Who Invited All of These Old People?”

The Event.
Two weeks ago, I attended my 35th High School reunion – and lived to tell the tale…..

Paul, Rebecca, and I drove down Friday morning, and got to the Houston area just in time to help out with decorating the place where the reunion was going to be held (my best friend and her husband had volunteered to help, so we tagged along). It was nice to see a few of my old classmates and catch up on what they’d been up to in the time since we last saw each other.

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Happy Birthday, Michelle!

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It’s so hard to believe that it’s been 22 years since we welcomed our second daughter into the world. Where has the time gone? Our little girl has grown into a beautiful young woman, but it seems like just yesterday we were welcoming her into the world.

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Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Not my real parents – they don’t want their faces shown, so I got to pick a random picture of any old couple (That’ll teach ’em…..)

On this day 54 years ago, my Mom and Dad tied the knot.
I’m glad they did, ‘cuz otherwise, I wouldn’t be here….

In honor of this occasion, I’d like to dedicate one of my favorite songs to these two crazy kids – “After All These Years” by Journey:
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Happy Anniversary, you two – I’m so glad you are my parents ♥♥♥
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They’re Baaack….. (“Strike Back” Season 3 Starts Tonight)

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Last year, we started watching a show/series on Cinemax called “Strike Back” – it very quickly became one of our guilty pleasures.

There’s plenty of nice eye candy for Paul and me (some of it is definitely for “mature” audiences, though, IYKWIMAITTYD)

There’s lots of guns, too.
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My Favorite Fella

Dancing with my favorite fella.
Isn’t he the sweetest?

I’m in the process of pulling together a bunch of pictures that friends have put up on Facebook the past couple of days from my high school reunion – my best friend, Becky, posted this one of me and Paul from Saturday night; it’s one of the few times that I’ve gotten him out on the dance floor (he HATES dancing).

Thought I’d just park this here until I can get an after-party post written – hope you like it!

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Top 10 (OK, 11) Tips on Surviving Your High School Reunion

Reunion.
Tomorrow, Paul and I will be heading down the highway to attend my High School Reunion.  It’ll be great to see old friends and catch up on what’s been happening in our lives, but I’m sure that I am not the only one of my classmates who is wondering what to expect.

Here, then are some things to keep in mind:

1) You never know when you will get that invitation, but when you do….

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“You’ll Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel”

You'll Never Walk Alone 6

© Istvan Penzes, 2011

Boy, I really needed to hear this song today….

Audiences first heard this beautiful song on Broadway in 1945 – and it became an instant classic. Many performers have made this song part of their repertoire, but my personal favorite is this version sung by American contralto Claramae Turner in the 1956 movie adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” (her only screen performance):

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“Summertime” from Porgy and Bess

In the heat of the summer, what better song to share than the haunting “Summertime” from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess“?

Here is Harolyn Blackwell’s ethereal performance (Paula Ingram plays the role of “Clara” in this 1993 “American Playhouse” staging; her voice is dubbed by Blackwell) – my all-time favorite version of this American classic:
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If you are interested, the “American Playhouse” video is available on Amazon.  You can also get either this song or the entire soundtrack (in CD or MP3 formats) – a truly amazing performance!
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One Small Step – July 20, 1969

Moon Landing.
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Today marks the anniversary of the first manned Moon landing. Those of us who are old enough to remember seeing it live can still recall the awe and wonder of that moment when Neil Armstrong stepped down and set foot where no man had gone before.

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