20 Years

I've been thinking about the past a bit lately, for several reasons:

1) Lance gave me a printed book of all the emails I sent him when we were dating and engaged. For some inexplicable reason I cannot find his emails to me, although I know for sure that at one point I had downloaded them to a Word doc. Oh well. So I've been reading them and cringing at my 22 year old self. I don't think it would be as bad if we had Lance's emails, but just mine? Oy.

2) This year marks my 20th high school reunion. (FHS class of '96, baby!) I'm not going to the reunion because it's being held on a yacht around the SF bay and would cost $300 just for the tickets for Lance and me. I'm not big on booze cruises (which is you know what it will be), not many of my close friends from school are going, and we did the same thing (sans the booze) ((for my group, anyway)) for our senior prom. Been there, done that. But the big 2-0 is picking up a lot of steam on FB and such. Lots of people coming out of the woodwork.

3) This dang commercial. It has nothing to do with Uncle Ben's rice and everything to do with the song they're covering: "I Saw the Sign" by Ace of Base. A song that was distinctly part of my high school career. The first time I saw the ad I thought "Ack! That's a high school song! What's it doing on a rice commercial?!" Then I thought "I sound like my father..." And then I thought "I am officially tipping into middle age." I guess it happens to the best of us.

4) Lance won this cool GOGroove speaker while at CES.

(He's always winning stuff. I never win stuff. We're a good balance.) Last the night the kiddos and I were playing with it, dancing and singing and using my phone as a microphone and turning up the speaker really loud. (They're favorite thing, although they failed to get my Wizard of Oz references. I have failed as a mother.) I didn't have any music on my phone so I signed into my Amazon Prime Music account and found a ton of great playlists. My favorite by far was/is "50 Great 90's Alternative Songs".

I told my kids it was time for a crash course in great '90s music. "This was what I listened to in high school and college and it is AWESOME. You're gonna love it."

I played "Smells Like Teen Spirit", easily the anthem of grunge and all things 90's. Probably one of the biggest (if not biggest) song of the decade.

They looked at me with blank, vacant eyes.

I played "The Distance" by Cake. Not a response. (Well, Cole requested we eat some cake.) "Today" by the Smashing Pumpkins. They laughed at the band name. I started "Basket Case" by Green Day and then quickly decided it was probably not the best thing for them to listen to.

I rocked out to other songs and my kids rolled their eyes at me, their ancient, so-out-of-it mother. And then they demanded to play with the microphone app again. I complied because obviously good music is just wasted on this generation. (Ack! I AM ancient!!!!)

But I've been listening to this and other 90's playlists today and loving it. I keep thinking of all the fun I had in high school and college. I know high school isn't the easiest time for everyone, but for the most part I had a great time. I had good teachers and great friends, and even better roommates in college! Oh college. So much fun. (I studied and learned a lot, too, but that seems not quite as important at this point in my life. And perhaps it isn't anymore.)

My life is great now, too. Better than great! I love being a wife and mother and all the other roles I play in life. But sometimes it's fun to think about a time when I was totally focused on myself and my biggest worries revolved around term papers and certain boys being interested in me.