It’s been two years since I was in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and when I realized my 40th high school reunion was coming up I thought that would be a great time to go. I was also overdue on seeing my dad and my doctor so I scheduled everything for the same week. Luckily my Grandfather really wanted to do a big family reunion and when my cousin learned I was coming for the high school reunion he scheduled the family reunion for the prior Sunday. The schedule worked out perfectly because I could fly in on Saturday and out the following Sunday and do both events with the same vacation.

First I had to get there, and losing three hours going back east does make it feel like a long flight. Plus I wanted to take a bunch of pottery with me, and although I rarely check bags this time I checked two of them. I packed pottery in three plastic containers with tons of bubble wrap and only one piece broke in transit. I also tried something new and booked just the first leg of the journey first class which gave me free luggage including the extra heavy large bag. It also codes your luggage as “priority” and both times my luggage came out of the baggage claim first, which was awesome.

To be clear, I think domestic first class is an extravagance, but I waited until a week before and only paid an extra $140 going out and $100 coming back. Since my luggage would have cost anyway it was actually a pretty good deal. Anyway I arrived at the airport and my parents in-law (who live about 10 minutes away) picked me up. They also loaned me their spare car, which was super nice, and we spent about an hour hanging in their gorgeous garden before I made the 40 minute drive down to my dad’s house.

I was pretty tired when I got to Dad’s, and the jet lag was pretty bad, but I tried to sleep because Sunday was a big day. He really wanted to take me to his church and I was happy to go and I really enjoyed the service. I also met many of his church friends and got to see my Aunt and my high school general science teacher. He remembered me fondly which was really nice since he has a ton of kids come through his classroom.

Grove City is a small town, and although it drove me crazy as a teenager it’s nice running into people you know when you go places. After church we briefly went back to his house and then headed towards the family reunion. The reunion was for my mother’s side of the family, and since my parents divorce wasn’t great Dad wasn’t sure if he would go. My Mom’s dad reached out to him and personally invited him and I was glad that he decided to come with me. Both of my parents were the oldest children of oldest children and since I was also the oldest I really know my grandparents well. Grandpa Charlie is the only one still living, but he is doing great and living with his younger brother. Uncle Larry had three kids my age so I actually went to high school with two of my cousins. Suffice it to say everyone knows everyone in this town, and it was a really nice event. It was held at a nice clubhouse and the food was really great. Plus we got some nice family pictures.

Along with the family reunion I also got to see people I hadn’t seen in awhile. I didn’t get a picture but one of my favorites was seeing my cousin Kelly who has lived in Houston for the last 30 years and just moved back into town to be closer to her Mom. Her Mom and my Dad are together a lot and it was wonderful seeing her. I also got to see my daughter Kyrston’s good friend Eden and her wife Kim. I have known Eden since she was 7 years old and it was great seeing her.

My absolute favorite visit though was to visit our best friend’s daughter Marissa, who just had a baby boy. Some of you may remember that Mike’s early death to esophageal cancer 12 years ago was a big reason we went on the road, and we have tried to keep an eye on his kids from afar. I was worried I would be sad when I held his first grandchild but I was really happy that his legacy would continue. Mike was one of my favorite people on the planet and I have known his daughter since she was 2 years old. Special bonus I got to see his stepson Derek and his wife and it was a really special moment. When they were kids we all hung out together and we would throw the kids into a pile, let them play till they dropped, and sort them out at the end. It was a really special time in my life.

My last big reunion though was my 40th high school reunion. I was a little nervous to be honest, changing my clothes three times, but I finally went with what I felt comfortable in. We had a nice turn out (about 100 people in a class of 440) and I was super happy to see people I hadn’t seen in years. I actually got a $25 gift card for traveling the farthest from California and when people asked me why this year I said because folks are starting to die. Morbid but true, because we are all getting older and our class Facebook group keeps us up to date with who has passed away. I had a great time and was so happy that I had a chance to go.

I will say most of the women I could recognize but the guys looked very different and I wasn’t the only one having that issue. Our guidance counselor was also there and he wrote each of us a lovely note which was very nice. To be honest my high school experience was not the greatest since I didn’t really fit in any of the groups. But if nothing else it’s nice to see your peers and being a fulltime RVer and living in Los Angeles really upped my “cool factor” at this age. Several people asked about RVing and a few even read my blog which was nice.

After the reunion I called Lee and told him I thought our life was really great. Yes, it’s not without its challenges but overall I am very happy for the choices we have made.

Stay tuned for more on Columbus in the next post!

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