10 years??

Certain times in my life I have realized, "man... I'm getting old!" I remember feeling that way when my "little" brother turned 25, and when my freshman roommate told me she was pregnant with number 4... Things like this always seem to catch me off guard... So, when talk of our ten year high school reunion came around, I couldn't believe it could possibly be here. Was it really 10 years ago that I put on that lovely green cap and gown? 10 years ago that I got ready to go off to college and thought nothing would ever be as cool as high school? 10 years ago that I was a size 4 and didn't know how great I had it? 10 years ago that I thought I would never make as good of friends as I had then?
Well, 10 years it is.

Some fun facts about 1997... remember this?
*O.J. Simpson was found liable in civil suit
*Heaven's Gate cult members commited mass suicide in California.
*Timothy J. McVeigh was sentenced to death for the Oklahoma City bombing.
*Ellen Degeneres outed herself. She becomes the first openly gay woman to have her own sitcom.

*J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone was published in the U.K. It came to U.S. in 1998 as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
*Titanic crashed into theaters. It was the most expensive film of all time, costing between $250 and $300 million to produce and market.
*A team led by Drs. Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell (UK) created the first sheep with a human gene in every cell of its body. The genetically engineered lamb is named Dolly.

*Popular music included Mariah Carey, The Spice Girls, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.

*The average cost of a gallon of gas was $1.22 and of a movie ticket was $4.59

*Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris

*The Simpsons became the longest running prime-time animated series.

*Madonna won Best Actress In A Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy for Evita at the 54th annual Golden Globe Awards.

*The Notorious B.I.G. was shot to death while sitting in the passenger seat of a car after a Soul Train Awards party

*Songs like "Barbie Girl", "Let Me Clear My Throat", "Mmm Bop" and "Da'Dip" were heard all across radios and school gymnasiums.

*Dennis Rodman became the most contraverisal cross-dressing star the NBA had ever seen

*Cell phones and email had not yet reached mass popularity

*Overalls were still cool

*The dancing baby was born on the internet and spread as one of the earliest web trends

*Tickle Me Elmo was the most sought after Christmas present, some parents paying over $100 for the laughing little monster

Well, I'm glad we've moved on...

Most of us at least.

When I decided to go to my 10 year reunion, I had no idea how much I would be stepping back into that crazy time. Sure, no one was wearing overalls, and most had long forgotten Princess Diana and OJ Simpson, but not much else had changed.

I was already a little nervous to show up to the Hard Rock Cafe, La Jolla 7 months pregnant - and I have never felt more out of place in my life as I did walking through those doors. Granted, it was good to see some long lost friends, good to catch up a little, good to take a look at my life and realize how very lucky I am! Unfortunately, many of my classmates are still up to the same partying they were back then... from freaking on the dance floor to drunk boys hitting on me even though I was a) obviously pregnant, b) wearing a wedding ring, c) with my husband, and d) wearing a name tag that said " Jessica Mendioroz Erickson" - it was a pretty good reminder that I am so happy to be here in 2007 and not back in 1997. I felt so blessed to go home with my awesome husband and my big bulging belly to my beautiful condo and sweet little puppy and know that although my life may not be what some may call "successful," that my happiness and my family are what are really important in life.

Overall, it was probably the trippiest night of my life... glad I went... glad it's over...