STILL OBSESSING ABOUT MY REUNION

44 DAYS TO GO... BUT WHO'S COUNTING?


The day the letter about the reunion arrived, I was so excited. I’d been expecting it, so I couldn’t tear open the envelope quickly enough! I read the letter three times, along with the questionnaire on the second page. Over the past couple of weeks, I've read it dozens of times. I'm 100% certain I'll attend the reunion— I mean, my insatiable curiosity will never allow me to stay home on June 21. I’m dying to know what everyone has been up to the past two decades! There’s just one hold-up:

“What have you been doing for the past 20 years?”

Gulp. Those ten little words paralyze me. It’s the first question on the page, and as much as I hate to admit it, that one little sentence has stopped me dead in my tracks for days. I've finally realized I can’t put it off any longer. It’s time to “man up” and answer all the questions (including dreaded question #1). I need to check the “Yes, I will attend” box, enclose my reunion dues, and plop my envelope in the mailbox. But how do you sum up 20 whole years in a mere line-and-a-half ?

I simply can’t do it! Too many hours spent a-blogging have rendered me incapable of writing out so much as a grocery list… I can’t form a cohesive thought unless my fingers have contact with a keyboard. And this particular writing-exercise is compounded by the acute anxiety I feel about answering these questions. I know my responses will be the basis for the many snap-judgments my former classmates could (and probably will) form about my life and accomplishments. Maybe I’m over-thinking this… Maybe everyone else just whipped out a pen, without giving it a second thought, and hastily scribbled down a few milestones, the names/ages of their kids, and their exciting hobbies… Maybe I need professional help. Does anyone know a capable bio writer who could help me with this pantagruelian task?

Ok... Sit up straight, like a big girl... Take a few deep breaths... Ready. Set. Answer the questionnaire.


What have you been doing for the past 20 years?
I graduated from the U of A with a BA in Communication in 1993 and went to work for J.B. Hunt Transport, where for the past 15 years I’ve had a job that I love (most days, anyway). Being a late bloomer, I finally bought my first home a couple of years ago and share it with two snarky Siamese cats, which are my sole proof of responsible adulthood. Hiding out at the office occupies most of my waking hours. My second great passion is planning what to do with my vacation-time; it seems there’s never enough of it, so I try to make it count.

Are you married?
Happily single since 2001.

How many children do you have?
I’m the only kid I’m trying to raise.

Have you stayed close to home or been all over?
I’ve stayed in NWA and currently live in north Springdale (Bethel Heights).

Where else have you lived?
The furthest I've strayed was Bella Vista for two or three years in the late ‘90s.

What kind of work do you do?
I head up the Advertising department— buying media, writing ads, developing campaigns and executing driver-oriented promotions. I like the work and I love my co-workers, who keep me in stitches.

Who would you most like to see at the reunion?
I’m most excited to see the girlfriends I haven’t stayed in contact with the past several years: Pam (Bell) Phillips and Kathy (Watkins) Williams.

What is your best high school memory?
My most vivid classroom memory is from Home Ec, when Mrs. Dennis told us: “My, you girls are wound up today! Am I going to have to put you in a closet?” Looking back, I’m sure we deserved to be locked up. Most of my memories seem to revolve around breaks, lunches, pep rallies or assemblies— and the nonsense we were always talking and passing notes about!

Who have you thought of over the years and wondered “What ever happened to __?”
I think of John Gloria when the Pur commercials come on. If that’s not him, he has a doppelganger in the water filter business.

What are your current interests?
I love to travel, read, blog and spend time outdoors.

What do you do for fun?
I enjoy getting outside— hiking, floating and exploring Arkansas.

If you could change anything about high school, what would it be?
If I could go back and change anything, it would be having more of a social circle outside of school hours… I wish I’d had more experiences, just hanging out with friends.

Is there anything you would like to say to the class of ’88?
I hope we all have better hair than we did twenty years ago!


Wow. That wasn’t as hard as I thought. And typing it out helped. I hope this version will do— until that professional bio writer comes through with my “real” responses. In the meantime, I’m off to sign myself up for “Extreme Makeover – Julie Edition”. Who knows what that biographer might have me doing? Undoubtedly, it will be glamorous, so I’d better look the part!


And a little PS to the Reunion Committee— I’m not enclosing a current photo, as requested. The way I see it, I’ve got 44 days until the big reveal... and I’m long overdue for a miracle!