We left Sat morning at 9:30. It was raining but very warm so we were comfortable wearing shorts. About 1/2 way the rain finally gave way to partly cloudy skies, and by the time we arrived at Spouse's mom's at noon, the sun was out.
We took Spouse's mom to lunch at Capitol City Brewing Company, a restaurant I like but haven't been to since some time before we moved. I love the warm pretzels and horseradish dipping sauce they give you to nibble on until your food arrives! I had the beer-battered fish and chips, Spouse had the meatloaf platter, and Spouse's mom Evelyn had a cheese steak. Afterward we drove around a little, seeing what had changed since we'd move away. It was so pleasant outside we were in no hurry to return to being indoors.
Eventually we returned to Ev's house. Spouse took a nap while Ev & I talked, mostly about her upcoming social events with her various clubs: The Red Hat Society, The Fourty-Niners, The Sons of Italy, etc. She'll be 78 this Dec but she still gets around! She's constantly cracking me up with her funny outlook on things, and because of an odd little habit of removing the "s" off of words. So, instead of telling me where she was going with the Red Hats, she told me where she was going with the Red Hat, as if she were going with a single, giant, red hat! Likewise, the Sons of Italy becomes the Son of Italy, as if there were just 1 son. I don't know why but this amuses me to no end. Then we watched a little TV until it was time to get dressed and leave for my 25th high school reunion cocktail party.
I wore black dress pants and a long sleeve button up shirt with an aqua blue print. The shirt was originally $46. but I got it from a clearance rack where it had been marked down to $3. It looked like an expensive shirt and I was sure no one would guess what a bargain it was. Spouse wore black dress pants and a grey long sleeve shirt with embroidery on it. We both looked very nice.
We arrived at Kerry & Hugh's house about 45 minutes before the party was to start, so we could help with any last minute preparations. Most everything was done, so all we really did was put out some tea light candles and remind ourselves to light them just before the guests started to arrive. Then I made the pitchers of cocktails: Cosmopolitans, Appletinis, and Margaritas.
As guests began to arrive at 7:00 I tried hard to remember who they were. People change a lot between the ages of 17 and 43! But then there were a few that I recognized right off the bat, either because they hadn't changed very much or because they had a distinct look about them that would never change. It was fun seeing everyone introducing themselves and asking "Now, did you graduate with us or are you a spouse?" Since we'd only invited about 75 people we decided against name tags. They just seemed too formal. In a group this small (compared to a full-scale reunion) we shouldn't have any trouble just introducing ourselves, and it worked out just fine. I lost count of how many compliments I received on my shirt!
A few people brought their yearbooks, photo albums, and scrap books and several folks roared with laughter over their content. Everyone seemed to have a good time. The food and drinks were great and appreciated by all, and the night flew by like a run-away locomotive. I couldn't believe my eyes when I heard people saying goodbye, looked at the clock, and saw it was almost midnight! I also couldn't believe my feet, which were aching. I'm not used to standing up for 6 hours.
Although he'd met very few of the folks before, Spouse was a good sport for enduring the evening as I skipped down memory lane. Maybe he knew how important it was to me for him to be there, as my partner, with all the right to be there as the spouses of my hetero classmates. I was glad that one of my classmates brought and introduced her 'partner'.
I still can't believe I've been out of high school for 25 years. It just seems impossible.
Sun morning we had coffee and chatted with Ev until 9:30. We packed our things and left just as her friend arrived to pick her up. We got home shortly after noon and met Rick & Nick in Rehoboth for the doggie costume contest. We were late so we just saw the end, but it was nice to be out in the sunshine after 4 days of rain. It was significantly cooler and windy on Sun. We had a late lunch with Rick & Nick, came home, walked Jordan, then went to the grocery store.
Drag Queen name of the day: Kathy Kizzem
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