Coming Home to Kansas

I'll let someone else recap the reunion, when there are pictures online. For now, I wanted to tell everyone how my dad locked me in the guest bedroom tonight and made me organize about a million boxes I haven't looked at in yeeeears. A lot of it reminded me of how into my church camp and Presbyterian youth organizations I was in high school. Then another gift bag reminded me of creative writing class.

I think it was senior year. Christmas. And we had to give each other "gifts"? This is what I found:

From--

Charity: total, 24-hour art therapy
Amber: A week away from Mark so I can have some peace of mind
LeAnn (aka Peaseblossom): A grand piano; an A in trig and physics; a position in Erik's [a church camp friend] band as a keyboard player, "only I'd be SO jealous!! :)"; hair down to your ankles; a trip ("avec moi, of course") to Franace!; P.S. also a S _ _ _ _ _ _ (from Jeremy) which I can only assume is a long-lost inside joke.
Gabrielle Longhofer: 5,000 guys just like Art! (huh? Anyone remember this?)
Mrs. Clark (a student teacher?): A gold nose ring along with a gift certificate to Claire's for one free nose piercing or any other body part that you may want pierced.
Charity: "To Elly and Mark: For you, one free weekend get-away to Prairie View! Hey, I can can see when my friends are in need! Have fun getting to know each other and discovering yourselves!"
Garrett: A clay jewelry shop.
Mrs. Longhofer: "May you always find what you have lost in the drawer where you keep extra stardust, pieces of blue sky, and summertime snowflakes."
Catie: "If I had the power and the greatly needed stability, I would gladly give you this for Christmas: [magazine cutout of the Blind Melon CD with the bee girl on it]. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that I am only financially stable enough to give you this: [magazine cutout of a patriotic stovepipe hat topped by a cheeseburger??]. I know you appreciate my honesty."
Mark: A shopping spree at the Red Room

And one of my favorites:
Mariah: "I give you 4 more weeks to go back to camp to see all your "hot" people and be able to come back and tell us all about it, without us getting bored. Either that or marriage to Eddie Vedder! Take your pick!"

And this is what I gave everyone--

Hannah: A clearing in the woods near a clean, fresh spring, and you are totally self-sufficient and you know how to braid flowers into your hair
Mark: A motorcycle
Kristine: An in-color sculpture of guess-who (Kadon, maybe?)
Gretchen: A trip to Texas after Nov. 24 (No idea whatsoever)
Charity: A sea-green convertible Corvette
Mariah: A tree with seven apples
Garrett: A muzzle and an interview with Stephen King
LeAnn: A guy on a motorcycle
Lesley: A knight in shining amour
Mrs. Longhofer: A sewing kit for our lips