" You Can't Go Home Again" novel by Thomas Wolfe.

 "You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time — back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."  from novel by Thomas Wolfe.

My family home was sold in 1993, my parents are deceased 15 years and my brothers are not living in Pittsburgh anymore.  It really is impossible for me to go to a physical home in Pittsburgh. Thomas Wolfe was speaking about how we are different as we mature. Growing up in Greentree living in the South Hills of Pittsburgh for 42 years makes going back to Pittsburgh a homecoming for me every time I visit.

This visit was unique as I had an opportunity to see many of the people I attended Sts. Simon & Jude Grade School and Canevin High School for the first time in 36 years. Since I was 17 when I graduated from high school and this is our 36th year Reunion we have been apart more than twice the years that I was in age when we went out into the world to make our separate ways.

That's me in the second row standing to the left of Sr. Isabel with the other tall girls.

If you don't see these old classmates all the time may be best to begin with a warm up Pre Reunion dry run the evening before or a brunch the day of the Reunion. 

See my blog  http://cariceraff.blogspot.com/2010/08/getting-to-know-you-getting-to-know-all.html

Here I am standing in the second row left of Fr. Carey again with the tall girls

Sts. Simon & Jude the way we are now ;~)

Name tags with images from the yearbook are a nice touch.  Even with the name tags there were still plenty of names and people who I never met while we were at Canevin for four years. I made a point to walk around the ball room a few times throughout the evening reading names to see if I missed anyone. 

Dan Blankowski , Me and Ken Frazier

Karen Keane Janes and me, now facebook friends, share a quick picture.

Pat Topal Shank and I take a break from all the mingling. Pat a fellow Artist now a facebook friend said it was good to finally see me in 3-D ;~)

The 36 year Class Reunion felt like a cross between our Freshman Mixer Dance and a Masquerade Ball.  The Freshman Mixer was held at Canevin on a Friday night a few weeks after we began classes in 1970.  During the Reunion I realized what an intuitive 13 year old girl I was.  I was using the same skill, looking into each persons eyes to find nice people to speak with that night.  It is said, "Eyes are the windows of the soul."   Even if the person did not look the same at first as we spoke I could see in their eyes why some of those classmate I had chosen as friends in high school.

I'm in the middle again, second row, right of center, tall ladies are asked to sit.

I am seeing a pattern of me liking being in the middle of the group ;~)

Here is a nice touch video for our class picture so we can remember who was there and where we live now made by our classmate and Master of Ceremonies Dan Blankowski  and his wife Conni http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=629182980#!/video/video.php?v=1416929906723&ref=mf

Since you can't go home again as the same person you were when you left it is best to assume you need to get to know your past classmates as the beautiful and new people they have grown to be also. 

Here is a James Taylor version of the song Getting to Know You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7E8dC2g_XA&feature=related

Tips to make your Reunion or any social gathering more comfortable;

Wear something comfortable that expresses who you are.  I chose plain black legging, a black tank top under my black bathing suit cover up.  To dress up a very neutral canvas I accessorized  my look with sparkley beaded slip on sandles, a vintage glass beaded glass shoulder bag and of course my own work by ricerafferty.  Nouveaux Antique Gorget Style Silk Charmeuse Adornment Bib Statement Necklace is super light, comfortable and will make you memorable  in any gathering.

see   http://www.etsy.com/shop/ricerafferty              or               http://ricerafferty.com/

Don't ask a lot of personal questions when you see someone after years of being apart. 

Instead allow the person to open up like a flower blossom revealing what is comfortable for them to share about themselves.

Don't assume anyone has missed the opportunity to grow in 36 years. 

Look into their eyes and allow them to share what is on their mind with you.

My husband was previously engaged for the day so I attended my Reunion solo.  It is not a bad way to fly as you don't have to fill a date in on a lot of events they have no clue what you are talking about.

 It is your Reunion don't be afraid to attend alone.

Relax, enjoy yourself and get to know old classmates in a new way. 

Honestly, even if reunions are not your thing, all too soon the weekend will be over and it will be time to go back to the life you created for yourself. 

Right now I am enjoying these images and the memories.

I look forward to helping Dan make our 40th a warm and welcoming event on July 19th, 2014 ;~)

I won a PRIZE from Frank Daily gift certificate from his business http://www.bpwp.net/burghs/htdocs/index.php

Pat, Me and Tim Killmeyer

Linda and Wayne Caruthers, Pat, Me, Steve Grohowalski and Al Opzynski

"Getting to know you, getting to know all about you. "Oscar Hammerstein from the musical The King & I 1956

" Getting to know you, getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me. Getting to know you, putting it my way, But nicely, You are precisely, My cup of tea. "

 Oscar Hammerstein  from the musical The King & I  1956

                                                                             http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aVbJhg23Ao

Little did I know my last blog entry about high school reunions would cause such a big commotion.   Obviously, high school reunions are a bit of sticky wicket for many as that blog entry has had hits from people around the world who must be trying to make the decision, "should I stay or should I go" ???

High school was an alright time for me. Being a bit of a wild pony the dress code rules were pretty lame. Canevin is a Catholic school where the girls wore a grey pleated skirt that was supposed to be to the knee when you knelt on the floor. Not a problem as most of us rolled those skirts up until we had two more cheeks to powder.  Uniform also had a navy blue blazer that was fine because it the a classic design and having pockets is always a good thing.  We wore a white blouse under this blazer and that was the place I pushed the limits of the dress code by always wearing colorful  knee socks that coordinated with my bra.  Many times I was stopped in the hall and given a talking to by some well meaning nun.  As a girl with an eye for fashion & design I not going to dress like the rest of the pack. I always listened very nicely, nodded my head and kept expressing my individuality with those colorful bras and knee socks.

A girls got to do what a girls got to do ;~)

I don't remember anyone being mean to me in high school, however, the ones that were kind will always have a prominent place in my memories.

As I said in the last blog;

• Five Year Reunion was too soon, besides I was pregnant with Barry and involved with different interests. 
• Ten Year Reunion Kara was an baby, I was still nursing and didn't want to leave her. 
• Twenty Year Reunion was 1994 the year my mother died followed in death by my father seven  months later.  I was the primary caretaker for them during the three years before they died as well as a wife and mother.  Reunions were the last thing on my at that time.

 I did not avoid  my reunions for any other reason than I was busy with my life.

After my last blog entry Wayne Caruthers writes a retort in his blog about why he enjoys attending the Reunions. Evidently our blogs were making a buzz on face book.  Dan Blankowski calls me out a deep sleep one evening last week asking me what he could do to get me to attend the 36th Reunion, Saturday night.  Dan was so sweet, we chatted for an hour.  I had info on many of the students that were on the MIA list.   How could I refuse the "Red Carpet" treatment from Mister Personality, Dano ???  

Next day I shot him an email,  OK,  count me in;~)

At Dan's suggestion I am going to request you respond to my blog.  Who are you ???

 I told him it would be interesting too see what we all look like now and that I was not so much interested in your degrees or how financially successful you are.
I am very  much interested in WHO ARE YOU ???

•  How do you make this world a better place??? 
•  Do we have anyone in our class who invented something to improve the quality of life??? 
• Any medical researchers with break through discovery??? 
• Do you help feed the hungry in a soup kitchen or sew blankets for the sick??? 
• Are you volunteering to teach someone how to read that would otherwise struggle with being illiterate??? 

  Who are you ???

 The opening brunch the morning of the reunion was a good way to us get to know each other as adults.  When I told the ladies I had invited my grade school/ high school friend Wayne and his lovely wife Linda to the lunch they said, "Carol, how could you invite a guy to our hen party."

                   Pleased to say we all had a great time and they are all now friends on face book too.  

Above Pat Topol Shank, Joan Plouy Goyke, Wayne Caruthers, his lovely, wife Linda who listened to a weekend of stories about people she did not even know and  she took many of the group images for us. 
Thank you Linda ;~)

Trish Mullen Riani, Karen Keane Janes, Mary Jo Mariani Bondi

Hard to pull ourselves away from the Getting to Know YOU Brunch...

One last quick pic outside until we saw each other again that evening.  At the brunch Pat decided to attend the Reunion also.  Some people follow the crowd with ease, they don't want to be left out. Others are busy dancing to their own beat and need to see something interesting to move us out or our zone into the crowds. 

We decided that going to at least one class Reunion was worthy of the list Ten must do things before I die. 

 http://www.forbes.com/forbes-life-magazine/2000/0918/082.html

Sorry I missed the official get together sponsored by class mate Frank Daily the night before @ his establishment Burghs'

 News is PREUNION ... at Burgh's in Bridgeville was a ROUSING success, thanks to '74 classmate FRANK DAILY and his staff. The service was impeccable ... the hospitality was extraordinary, and the pizza & wings were SUPER!!! You can visit Burgh's online at www.bpwp.net

 If you haven't been to Burgh's yet, please visit soon (and often) and try the food and the service!!

THANK YOU to Frank for the Preunion party!!!  

I know I'll be going to Burghs's soon as I won the gift certificate he donated as a  prize at the Reunion later that night.

Next blog will be about my experience of attending a class Reunion after 36 years.  Waiting for more images before I write the post. You can tell you right now.  I had a WONDERFUL EVENING ;~)

“When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school It’s a wonder I can think at all.“

“When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school. It’s a wonder I can think at all.“      Song: Kodachrome      Artist: Paul Simon

This weekend I am driving into Pittsburgh for my 36th Canevin High School  1974 Class Reunion.   To tell the truth I have never attended one of my reunions before.   I passed the offer to meet after five years it just did not seem like enough time had passed.  I was still in contact with a few of my good friends from high school. In 1979  I was married one year and pregnant with my first baby.   

Ten year reunion in 1984 was more tempting.  That time I actually sent the check to make my reservations then later called to cancel after giving the entire event more thought.   Kara was an infant I was nursing without a bottle or baby food @ that time.  Still totally in love with being a mom more than needing to check back in with people I never see from high school I opted out of that reunion also. 

I didn't know what happened to many of my high school class mates until a few years ago when everybody and their grandmother joined face book.  Through the magic of technology I have been reunited with a few school classmates from Canevin.   One guy, Dan Blankowski found me on face book in  Jan 2009 then told me he was planning a 36th reunion would like to be on the planning committee.  YES !!!  How fun would that be???  Imagine having a non reunion person think of things that might appeal to the other non reunion going segment of our class of 1974.

Dan went on the plan a POWER HOUSE of a Reunion http://www.bishopcanevin1974.org/reunions.php

Thank you Dan for all of your hard work !!!

Honestly, most of the people I went to high school with never saw me in unless they hung out in the art studios too.  

So we have a date & a website for the reunion. 

http://www.bishopcanevin1974.org/index.php   Isn't technology wonderful ???

They asked for pics of us then http://www.bishopcanevin1974.org/gallery.php?galleryid=1  

 I never went to a prom so the best I can offer is this image of me at the Greentree Nature Center a place I enjoyed hiking in the woods that was pretty close to my home.  

and the website asked for an image us now

 http://www.bishopcanevin1974.org/gallery.php?galleryid=2

   I uploaded this image of me @ Niagara Falls one of the best producers of negative ions in the world (with approximately 600,000 US Gallons of water going over the Canadian Horseshoe Falls per second).

" Negative ions are odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments. Once they reach our bloodstream, negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy."

   Two of my favorite movies are Peggy Sue Got Married http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091738/
and Romey & Michele's High School Reunion   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120032/
 are about high school reunions.


Those movies are as close to a high school reunion as I have allowed myself to get, UNTIL, this weekend.
  I am going to drive into Pittsburgh to attend the Unofficial Brunch that a few of the ladies planned for Saturday morning around 11:00 am.    Someone insisted we meet at the
 IHOP   Robinson Twp.   1002 Sutherland Dr   Pittsburgh, PA 15205

http://www.ihop.com/    Ihttp://www.urbanspoon.com/r/23/1444450/restaurant/Robinson/IHOP-Pittsburgh

I voted for their other option @ the Eat & Park which is a Pittsburgh intuition and has a big salad bar of veggies, but that was over ruled so I HOP it is. 

I can't wait to see who show up for this Unofficial Brunch.  What will we all look like now after 36 years away from Canevin?  What does everyone do with their time now?  Are they grandparents? Volunteer for great charity work ?  Did any of us invent or create anything to make this world a better place?
Are they retired or plan to keep working until they drop...  

Can't wait to see who shows up for Saturday Brunch ;~)

Maybe next time we  have a Canevin Class of 1974 Reunion I'll attend the Official Functions ???
Maybe not ;~)

 For now this is close enough ;~)   I'll post images in a later blog

Do you attend your high school reunions??? Why or Why not ???  Was it different than you expected ???