Memories
On Friday night, for the first time in probably 20 years (I think I may have made it back at least once, maybe twice after I graduated), I went to a football game at my old high school.
It was pretty new to me - we didn't have lights when I went to high school (and, no, it is not because electricity hadn't been discovered yet!). There were probably only about 3 high schools in our area when I was in high school that had lights on their football field for night games. All our games were on Saturday afternoons, with the exception of one or two away games where the other school had lights!
Since I graduated, the school district built a middle school on the visitor's side of the field, where once there was just lots of practice fields. The parking lots and drives are all different now. I wasn't sure where we should try and park, as we got there just before the start of the 3rd quarter. We did find a spot and we entered the stadium on the visitor's side - I've never entered that stadium through the visitor's side!
Then, there were the memories - the same old scoreboard, the kids playing on either end of the field in the grassy areas, the old snack stand. We were meeting the Durhams and Brock called to let them know we were there and John was giving him direction on where they were sitting. After a minute or two of back and forth, Brock turned to me and said, "he says that they are where the band used to sit. Do you know where that is?" That's like asking a bear if he you-know-whats in the woods. I only sat in that section of the stands for 4 years straight!
So off through the crowd we went, toward the area I spent a good portion of my fall Saturdays during high school entertaining the crowd. We saw Jennifer and Paige before we got too far and all of a sudden, it's like coming home - my bestest friend in the whole wide world is standing there talking to Jennifer (not that Jennifer isn't my other bestest friend!) Kristie was my other half for like all of high school and several years after. She and I finished each other's sentences - I swear that we could tele-communicate in our minds some times. We were inseparable. I was her maid-of-honor when she married the love of her life and I was her birthing coach when her first born, Johnny, came into this world (her husband was nervous about the whole thing, as well as a little queasy!)
Kristie and I spent many of a Saturday afternoon at that stadium during my high school years. Seeing her there was like going back in time. Her younger sister, Gail, was also there, as were her husband and the two boys, Johnny who is now in 8th grade (WHAT???) and Christopher, her youngest.
Like so many friends do, after the birth of Johnny, when I was just getting out in the world after college and doing my own thing, and she was settling down into a family life, our worlds kinda drifted apart. We exchanged notes in Christmas cards, but really didn't make the time to get in touch and go do something together. And for the past 15 or so years, we've lived a mere 2-3 miles away from one another on the same darn road!
My wonderful friends made sure she was invited to my baby shower and that was the first time I had seen her since I got married 7 years prior. Johnny was our ring bearer in our wedding. After the wedding, we hung out a few times, but again, drifted back into our own worlds. Seeing her at my shower was wonderful, and again, just after Leda was born, we spent a few dinners together. Again, drifting back into our own worlds without so much as a phone call once in a while.
But when I see her, it's like it's only been a few hours since we've seen each other. It's hard to explain. You know when you haven't seen someone in a really long time, you chit chat and make small talk, but the feeling is that you have just been away from one another for so long that whatever made you friends so many years prior just doesn't exist any more? It is SO not like that with Kristie. It's like I've come home, like my favorite and most comfortable blanket, like reading a really awesome book.
We chatted for a few minutes, tried to catch up on our lives in a short period of time! We promised to call and get together soon. And off to our families we went. I will be giving her a call this week. I miss her a lot and I think it's time to do something about that.
It's amazing what can happen at a Friday night football game!
It was pretty new to me - we didn't have lights when I went to high school (and, no, it is not because electricity hadn't been discovered yet!). There were probably only about 3 high schools in our area when I was in high school that had lights on their football field for night games. All our games were on Saturday afternoons, with the exception of one or two away games where the other school had lights!
Since I graduated, the school district built a middle school on the visitor's side of the field, where once there was just lots of practice fields. The parking lots and drives are all different now. I wasn't sure where we should try and park, as we got there just before the start of the 3rd quarter. We did find a spot and we entered the stadium on the visitor's side - I've never entered that stadium through the visitor's side!
Then, there were the memories - the same old scoreboard, the kids playing on either end of the field in the grassy areas, the old snack stand. We were meeting the Durhams and Brock called to let them know we were there and John was giving him direction on where they were sitting. After a minute or two of back and forth, Brock turned to me and said, "he says that they are where the band used to sit. Do you know where that is?" That's like asking a bear if he you-know-whats in the woods. I only sat in that section of the stands for 4 years straight!
So off through the crowd we went, toward the area I spent a good portion of my fall Saturdays during high school entertaining the crowd. We saw Jennifer and Paige before we got too far and all of a sudden, it's like coming home - my bestest friend in the whole wide world is standing there talking to Jennifer (not that Jennifer isn't my other bestest friend!) Kristie was my other half for like all of high school and several years after. She and I finished each other's sentences - I swear that we could tele-communicate in our minds some times. We were inseparable. I was her maid-of-honor when she married the love of her life and I was her birthing coach when her first born, Johnny, came into this world (her husband was nervous about the whole thing, as well as a little queasy!)
Kristie and I spent many of a Saturday afternoon at that stadium during my high school years. Seeing her there was like going back in time. Her younger sister, Gail, was also there, as were her husband and the two boys, Johnny who is now in 8th grade (WHAT???) and Christopher, her youngest.
Like so many friends do, after the birth of Johnny, when I was just getting out in the world after college and doing my own thing, and she was settling down into a family life, our worlds kinda drifted apart. We exchanged notes in Christmas cards, but really didn't make the time to get in touch and go do something together. And for the past 15 or so years, we've lived a mere 2-3 miles away from one another on the same darn road!
My wonderful friends made sure she was invited to my baby shower and that was the first time I had seen her since I got married 7 years prior. Johnny was our ring bearer in our wedding. After the wedding, we hung out a few times, but again, drifted back into our own worlds. Seeing her at my shower was wonderful, and again, just after Leda was born, we spent a few dinners together. Again, drifting back into our own worlds without so much as a phone call once in a while.
But when I see her, it's like it's only been a few hours since we've seen each other. It's hard to explain. You know when you haven't seen someone in a really long time, you chit chat and make small talk, but the feeling is that you have just been away from one another for so long that whatever made you friends so many years prior just doesn't exist any more? It is SO not like that with Kristie. It's like I've come home, like my favorite and most comfortable blanket, like reading a really awesome book.
We chatted for a few minutes, tried to catch up on our lives in a short period of time! We promised to call and get together soon. And off to our families we went. I will be giving her a call this week. I miss her a lot and I think it's time to do something about that.
It's amazing what can happen at a Friday night football game!
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