Happy NEW YEAR!!!!

Anyone brave enough to post a few resolutions??? The other thing I'd love to know about are the charitable organizations you support.

As far as resolutions go, I've decided to just SIMPLIFY to the max. Instead of listing the races I'll run, the weight I want to maintain, the service I want to do with my family, the amount of money I want to make, I just want to have a year where I focus on ENJOYING being alive. Sounds trite I know...but with my brain, ....well....it's like spontaneity....I have to PLAN IT :) and WORK on it. So, I'm PLANNING the time and Spaces I'll need to ensure that I don't miss the joy along the way. I'm doing it by some books I'm going to read to keep my head where I want it. I'm going to journal the process. I'm doing it by literally blocking out time that I'm not allowed to schedule over. I'm playing with the idea of a couple of FRIEND groups that get together quarterly for Book Sharing, Card Playing, outdoors adventuring, etc....

Carol is my inspiration....this past year has been so LOVELY getting back reacquainted with everyone.

Please share YOUR ideas.

Holiday Greetings...family photos!

It's so fun to get greeting cards from "old" friends from High School days during the holiday season! I love to see photos of their families to see how their little babies grow into kids...then into teenagers...and now many are young adults! Hardly seems possible that my high school friends' children are attending high school...and some at GHS! And now some are ready for college! Wasn't it just yesterday when we were in high school? Well, I guess it really doesn't seem like yesterday, but maybe last week? Time flies!

Thank you for your photos, my friends! I look forward to receiving your cards each year! Carol's family at the Orlando airport in 2008
ready to head back "home" to Sweden
(Bo, Maya & Carol Nilsson)

Jana Stauffer's Family 2008
(Tom & Jana Pennekamp)

Kim Fradd's Family 2008
(Todd & Kim Saxton)

Hey Carol:

I wasn't sure if you got our card this year. But, after going to www.gainesvillehighschoolof1981.blogspot.com I realized that you had my card!

<>Go Gators - we've definitely been watching the games. Of course, it is still my Dad's biggest delight. So, I always call him during the game. We are traveling some, but tend to go where the job sends us. I've got Sweden on our list of places to figure out when to get to. In the meantime, I love the reunion website. Hard to believe it's been nearly 20 years since I've seen anyone.

Kim

Sara Sandeen's Family 2008
(Sara & Walter Kennedy)

Tammy Toskes & Bill Price's Family 2008
(Tammy & Bill Price)

* If you would like to add your family to our groups here, please email Carol & I'll post it for you. carol.doughty@telia.com

Anything of interest for New Year's Eve?

Does anyone know of something interesting or exciting to do for NEW YEAR's EVE in Gainesville?

Or have we become a group of old foogies already?

Who will be in Gainesville over the holidays?

Will anyone be in Gainesville over the holidays?

Just wondering.....

GATOR VICTORY

The Gators won the SEC championship tonight in Atlanta! Many of our GHS friends were watching and commenting to each other on Facebook! If we can't be together to watch and CELEBRATE....we can connect over the internet!

Remember when WE won the STATE Championship?

Purple Hurricanes #1

Who went to Titusville (?) to watch our guys WIN?
Who made the touch downs?
Who was the quarterback?
Who was our coach?

What memories do you have from that game?

I remember screaming and cheering so much my throat was sore for days!
I remember flirting with guys in the band...and in the stands!
I remember giggling and talking on the bus ride there and back....
I remember taking photos...but where are they???

GO CANES!!!!!
And HOW 'BOUT THEM GATORS!!!!!

FACEBOOK connections

Hello CLASS OF 1981 friends!
You can join us here on BLOGSPOT or you can sign up for FACEBOOK and invite friends individually to chat with from high school days.

With FACEBOOK you control who looks at your comments and photos. It's sort of like putting notes to each other on a "wall", so everyone can read them or you send it personally to them through a private connection (like sticking the notes directly into their locker!).

This BLOGSPOT is open to everyone. (although I've put a stop on the search engine, so you can't find this place without the address) It's like a newspaper...at the moment only Natalie and Carol can write articles and post photos...but if you'd like to be a contributor just email one of us and we'll set you up with the ability to do posts too.

Next year will be our 28th anniversary of graduating from GHS! Can you believe it???
Seems like yesterday....well, sort of! This photo sits on my bookshelf here in Sweden. It was taken on the way to the O'Connell Center. Sara's Dad, Art Sandeen, was our speaker. Remember? What a day! My checks hurt so much from smiling and crying day and night! And what great parties that night....and to the beach the next day!

*It's ironic that I'd end up in Sweden...Sara has the Swedish genes!! (not me!)

Hello Class of 1981!!!!

First of all, THANK YOU Carol...she put my name on here like I had something to do with it...well, I'v been a good cheerleader to Carol --but that's about it. Anyway!! We are hoping to get a good group of us together communicating here---who knows...we could even end up with a reunion sometime. Carol and I have so loved keeping in touch with each other through our family blogs, that when she had the brain storm to invite all of you...it just seemed too perfect. Obviously we don't have hardly enough e-mail addresses from our class, so please help us pass the word. We hope to see pictures of you and your families and hear about memories we want to remember with you. We are both anxious and eager to hear about your lives and experiences. I feel silly that I don't even have a family picture to share--YET. The top picture is my 4th child Spencer who is an avid golfer and 16. I have 5 children-a daughter who is 23 and 4 sons from 21-14...they are the LIGHT and LOVE of my life. I will post a family picture soon. Don and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this year---seriously...could we have been married longer than I ever lived at "Home"? Time is too wierd for me. I swear I FEEL 18!!!I am a real estate agent and specialize in land and development. I am a marathoner, and may try TRI's this next summer. Had a nasty spill and the road rash has made me a certified wuss, so still thinking it over. I spend a fair amount of time with the High School PTA and I smile everytime I have a meeting because it brings me right back to good ole GHS. I still love to read and we could even have a recommended book list or book group through this site. I'm still quilting. I'm also a professional genealogist with my specialty being the British Isles. As my kids keep leaving I keep trying to fill up the spaces they are leaving. I really hate that they get to go off and have lives AWAY from me. But I love what they are doing with their lives, so I guess I really am glad. Just those dang empty spaces!!!

One of my favortie memories I'v been thinking of this week was the GIVING TREE we did at Christmas time our Senior year....somewhere I still have the notes that were left to me...AMAZING notes that were hysterical and made me feel so loved. That made me think of winning the State Football Championship, that makes me think of the bus ride home, ....okay....this could go on and on.

Hope to hear from you...and PLEASE...pass this site on.....AND POST A MESSAGE even if you don't post a picture!!!

What PURPLE CANE stuff do you have in your house?

In my house there is evidence of PURPLE HURRICANE PRIDE! still.....although you'd have to know where to look exactly....in the closet you can see.....These PURPLE jackets...NO, I don't still wear them! However, I do take them to my school to show the Swedish kids what "real" High School stuff looks like! (Not just High School Musical stuff) And of course, soccer = football here...so that's another topic to explain. Does anyone else have their old jackets? (I can't be the ONLY one!)
Evidence of my commitment to GHS swimming....this hangs in my laundry room. I have no idea what happened to the soccer one.
If you knew me well...you may have known that my dear mom knitted me a "lap blanket" when I was in HS for TV watching. (Before the days of DVD and VCR!) Yep, I still have it! But strangely enough, my daughter (6 years old) has claimed it as hers since she was about one year old. (She was only given about 23 blankets & flannelettes of her own when she was born...I guess many people thought she would be cold here in Sweden!) So this old but strong blanket is a constant reminder of all things GHS! And it is everywhere in our house...sort of has its own identity! That's all Purple for me......Carol

What do you have around your house that is from GHS days?
A trumpet?
Year book?
Visor?
T-shirt? (must be in the rag bag by now!)
PHOTOS?

Randi has left a new comment on your post:
I have my purple band "cowboy" hat that I wore when I was in the rifle corps. I also have the rifle (don't tell on me!) My kids use my old symphonic band bow tie for dress up fun. I still have both my marching clarinet and my very nice, but needs-to-be-refurbished Buffet concert clarinet. Somewhere in my memory box is the G for lettering in band as well as a few medals and pins.
Did anyone else save pieces of their uniform?
- Randi (Weitzen)

Please leave a comment.....

How to leave a COMMENT & other things

If you are new to this blogging thing....you might like to know some tips....

1- anyone can leave a comment
* Just click on the little "COMMENT" word at the end of the post (or article) You are reading a "post" now.
* A separate window will pop up and you can write in your comment,
* then you must fill out the information it asks you for....
I found it is just easier to create a free blogspot identification or
you can use the Anonymous option if you will but remember to sign your name or we won't know who you are! (and that's no fun!)
* If you want to read other people's comments...you just click on the COMMENT word at the bottom of the post. (same as you do to leave a comment!)

2- if you want to plunge into the blogging fun and write the POSTS (main article) and put in PHOTOS (upload) onto the blog, then email me and I can add your name on the list of "authors" *

3- where there are HIGHLIGHTED & UNDERLINED words or phrases in the POST, you can click on them to be linked to a related website. (for example: if you click > GHS homepage< see where you go?)

4 - if you're not sure about something...you can always check out the HELP page for the blog site

I was completely new to all of this just a few months ago....but I just clicked here and there until I learned what I was doing...I'm sure all of you can do the same!

5- if you have a BLOG yourself, you can add your name in the FOLLOWERS section of the GHS site and we can have the link to your blog, if you'd like.

6- please pass along this blog address to anyone you know in your email address book from CLASS of '81 so they can join us in the virtual world!

*If you want to "donate" photos (old or new) to the blog but don't want to be an "author" then you can email me or Natalie the photos and we can up load them for you.

Hope to hear from more of you SOON!

Go Canes!
Carol

Welcome to the new GHS BLOG!

We are setting up this blog as a place for GHS Class of '81 friends to be in contact with each other over the internet while we are waiting for our next reunion to miraculously be organized!

At the moment Carol Doughty (Nilsson) and Natalie Broadhurst (Harris) are the authors of this blog but we gladly GLADLY encourage anyone else to join us in this project. If you would like to be an "author" please contact one of us over the email so we can send you the information. Of course, anyone may make a comment without being an "author". At this point you may only upload photos if you are an "author" but you can send them to one of us to upload if you don't want to do it yourself.

We hope that as many people as possible will like to communicate with old friends about GHS days and whatever else comes to mind about life these days.

Please let us know what you think about this idea...the GHS CLASS OF '81 BLOG!

We can't wait to hear from YOU!
Coming soon....purple things around the house from GHS!