Do You Ever Feel Nostalgic?

Sometimes when I am photographing high school seniors I am often reminded of my glory days. I find myself thumbing through the old annual, watching home movies that my friends and I made, reading notes I once passed secretly across the room(yes I’ve kept it all) and wishing I had not been so excited to finish high school.

Truth is, I was that girl, involved in everything I could be involved in. In the morning it was annual staff or morning sports, during my free lunch I took part in the honors choir, I took art & shop & creative wrting, loved English, gave my math teachers a hard time (I never paid attention, but got good grades), I made up dances and skits for homecoming, participated  in planning school events and after school I was on the gym court, or pole vaulting, or running sprints, or playing volleyball, or cheering on the sporting event. I wasn’t the prom queen or even on the court, never voted most likely to succeed, in fact I think I was voted “Class Klutz & Most Dramatic”. I never dated the football star, or went to state in any sport, I didn’t wear the name brands that I was supposed to and yet I was accepted most of the time, as an average creative girl who didn’t’ know how to say no. I was the girl who swore I’d keep in touch with everyone, never wanted to say good-bye, tried to be friends with everyone. I gave the class speech at graduation, but not because I was the smartest, because I couldn’t say no.

Then I went to college and most was forgotten, the sad times, the happy times, some of my best friends, all forgotten. Today I am 26 and working as a photographer. I work hard long hours sometimes. I’ve kept in touch with very few of those friends, I’ve packed away the jersey, the trophy, the endless art projects I hung on the fridge. But once in awhile YOU INSPIRE ME to remember what being a kid was like and I thank you!

Class of 2008, as you begin this year, remember to live your heart out. Not by doing crazy rash things, but by doing whatever it is that means the most to you, right now. Things are going to be great, you’ll be on top or things are not going to be great and you’ll struggle. Either way I was once there, and I remember and I’d love to be part of it again. Embrace your youth, you have the rest of your life too look back on it. Anytime you need to talk about anything call me, I am not just a photographer, but a friend.

Now I leave you with some images from my Class of 1999 annual

So Do You Ever Feel Nostalgic?