Brighton Bengals Class of '98

This past Saturday night was my not-much-anticipated 10 year high school reunion. When I heard about it initially, I said I wasn't going. I had gone to the five year reunion and it was pretty lame. I figured this one would be the same, but was reminded that the 10 year reunions are always supposed to be better than the fivers. And, Auri threatened me, so really, I had no choice. The reunion was held at the Red Lion Hotel in one of the ballrooms. There was a dinner buffet, a cash bar and a silent auction. A lot of us were surprised there was a cash bar considering that the majority of people we went to high school with were/are LDS. It was really funny to see all the people partaking of the alcoholic refreshments - these were the people that we never would have imagined would be drinking! It was nice to see a lot of them had come out of their shells! The silent auction was done to benefit Project Reach Out (PRO) which is an organization that helps orphans in Ukraine. Here is the link to PRO's website http://www.projectreachout.com//index.php?action=show_home
Some of the stuff up for auction was kinda goofy (like nursing shawls and toddler bows), and others were pretty cool (like aweekend at a beach house in Malibu and footballs signed by Reno Mahe). I guess we raised $5000 which was our goal, so it was a success. I really wanted to get the beach house, but seeing how I'm broke, that so wasn't happening.

The evening started at The Red Door martini bar downtown. I had Zak drop Auri and I off, and we met Di Bradley, Kris Johnson and Lindsey at the bar. We each had a drink or two and then hopped in Di's car and drove over to the hotel. At the hotel we met up with Angie and Phil (who I adore) and all sat at a table together. Brian Murray and his cute wife Cami (who is apparently his 3rd - he won the prize for most marriages in the class), Creed Law, and Nate Champneys (who I went to elementary school with and he doesn't remember) joined us at our table. We ate, drank, mingled and ran into people that we've lost touch with. There was a group of people who just stuck to their circles and didn't really talk to anyone else (but I guess that's to be expected). There were prizes given out for various things (as I mentioned 3 marriages above) and I won the prize for still living with my parents. Nice, I know. Anyway, after it was over, Angie & Phil headed home, and the girls went to The Bayou to continue our evening.
The Bayou is a fabulous no-smoking bar and I love it. We had a great time. Creed and Nate ended up coming over to meet us, but the rest of the people who said they were coming went somewhere else. Not too long after we arrived, the alcohol caught up to Kris Johnson (yes I call her by her whole name and I have never called her anything but ... Kris without the Johnson just sounds naked.... and the same goes for Di Bradley), and she ended up getting sick. Di had to put her in a cab and send her home because her "fabulous (insert other word here starting with 'F')" boyfriend wouldn't come pick her up. Anyway... the rest of us hung out until it was closing time, then we chatted with the boys about their bikes outside for a few minutes, and got in the car to head home. Di was gracious enough to drive Lindsey, Auri and myself home, and I thank her for that. Zak was supposed to come pick Auri and I up, so I'm sure he was happy Di offered to drive us back.
All in all, the evening was a success, and I want to say thanks to all my fabulous friends for making it a fun night. (I know I'm a dork, but because I admit to it, you can't hold it against me)!

I've got a few more pics to add, so check back for them in the next day or two!