Iris, you're coming in under the wire, but you made it! And what a cool theme! E-mail your address to Wendy, okay? Here's an update on who is playing, and what their theme is... Dan/dan_the_mailman.......... ALL THINGS YELLOW Becky/proudgm_03............. CELEBRATE FALL Carmen/gardencraze........... CURIOUS CONTENT BY ME Linda/lindaruzicka........... ON A MISTY MORN Leah/dancingrabbit........... ALL THINGS WILD Melissa/hazelnutbunny........ I DON'T WANNA GROW UP! Joan/ejmoore510.............. JACK-O-LANTERN JAMBOREE Wendy/sassybutterfly_2008.... MOONLIGHT SERENADE Kamil/kamiljablo............. A LITTLE BIT OF THIS N' A LITTLE BIT OF THAT... Amelia/amelia_pepper_lady..... BAYOU BLUES Heidi/bhnash ................. CHOCOLATE & VANILLA (yum!) Annie/canyonwind.............. GIRLS (AND BOYS) JUST WANNA HAVE FUN Laura/lilangel1181............ ALL THINGS BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL Daisy/Margarita10............. MARGARITAVILLE Margo/smitties................ AROMATHERAPY Alana/poisondartfrog.......... VAMPIRE SLUMBER PARTY Deb/debbya.................... FOR THE BIRDS Tery?/tergrov................. WOODSTOCK Jess/jessied.................. WARM COLORS, COOL TREATS Iris/rane_grow................ SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW And I believe that makes 20 players, if everyone has stayed current. Cool!

I was raised in a Michigan subdivision where the corners of 3 (yes, three) school districts came together in that one sub! Four houses down from mine, started school district #2, and two streets over was the third. The local (Catholic) church where we belonged was in this third area of the subdivision and most of my close friends were ones I'd gone to catechism with from kindergarten on. I was the oldest in a large family and, as a result I guess, a pretty outgoing leader. But, I was going to school with kids I hardly ever saw outside of school. Sadly, I was too shy there to allow myself to relax and "be me". I look back at pictures of me then and realize that I was a very pretty girl, but I honestly never felt very pretty then. I was 5'6" tall, 114 lbs with long, straight dark brown hair, big brown eyes (my best feature) and with one really great figure (gosh, what I'd give to have that body back again!) I was an editor of our school newspaper and in quite a few clubs, but where I came alive was after school and on weekends with my local pals. I was outgrowing my tomboy youth, but still had lots of guy friends. We had a pool in our backyard, a basketball hoop fixed to the garage, a vacant lot a few doors down where we played neighborhood softball, football and ice skated in winter. We had a big finished basement with pool table, Foosball table, tv, stereo, and a fridge that Mom kept stocked with pop (sodas) and snacks for us. Mom & Dad's idea was to make our home welcoming for our friends so that they had us there under their discretely watchful eyes (LOL!). My buddies, siblings and I had lots of fun together, spending as much time as possible outside swimming, skating, biking, playing football, softball and basketball. I can't say that I was miserable in HS, because I wasn't; I just was much more of the real Lynn outside of school. I had many friends in school, but never bothered seeing most of them outside. My HS was quite a ways from our home and too far from my school friends. My parents were not about to start providing me and my sibs with cars, as we were all only 1-2 years apart in age. So, back then, my "social circle" remained close to home. When I started dating, most of my boyfriends went to other high schools. I even skipped the dances and senior prom to go with my boyfriends to theirs. Funny thing was after college I moved to south Florida on the ocean where I worked and spent my after hours scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, water skiing on the intracoastal waterway, playing tennis, deep sea fishing, and played on a girls beach volleyball team with my many friends. When I went back to my 10 year class reunion, practically everyone mentioned that I was like a totally different person. No, they were just seeing the real Lynn for the first time; my childhood friends knew me all along :~) Lynn

I went to the 25th of the high school I would have graduated from if we hadn't moved to FL before I was a senior. It was a blast, I had so much fun and it was great to see how the young kids I knew growing up turned out into lovely adults. I got to see my old neighbor, Ted, who was just a rotten kid and a troublemaker, now he's married and responsible and a family man, that was special. Woody went with me but left after the dinner, we had a long drive ahead of us the next day. I was having too much fun to leave, some of the "kids" looked exactly the same and others were unrecognizable. All of them were nice, though. It was a fun evening, 2 actually, we had an informal meeting at a pub type place the first night and the country club the 2nd night. The only sad part was watching the same 2 women get totally plastered each night. I felt really bad about that, what a waste for 43 year old women. It was embarrassing to watch. I'm glad I went though, it really was helpful for me to stop imagining everyone as 16 year olds and see them all grown up.

Our school had a junior-senior prom. It was a small school so I guess they needed two classes to fill the Elks Club ballroom. Don't remember my gown or date my junior year. I'd have to get out the yearbook--wherever it is. :0 My senior year I was dating a guy from the next town. I was very small and we had a terrible time finding a gown to fit. I don't know why my mother didn't make it. She always made our clothes. About a month before prom, mother and daddy went to Columbus, Ohio to visit my aunt and uncle and mother found the prettiest dress. It was a size 3 and she had to alter it. It was short, dusty rose organdy with spaghetti straps (nothing to hold up a topless gown). Across the bodice was a row if deep rose and dusty rose organdy flowers that could be removed (I kept them). I loved that dress! My date brought me a corsage of pink baby roses with babies breath that I pressed and kept for years. After the prom ended at midnight (a treat for all of us to be up that late back then), the Seniors had an all-night party. It was also at the Elks Club. We all changed into bermuda shorts, which were the new hot thing, and danced, played games and ate until about 5 when they served us breakfast. It was a lot of fun and emotional because we were graduating and sure we'd never see each other again. You know how emotional HS girls can be. A lot of kids in my class ended up back in R-ville. Nice little town to raise a family. It'll be 50 years next month since that prom night. Sure wish I was going to the reunion in June!