Friday the 13th...now that was funny!

I went out for dinner. With Paula - my very good friend from my Highschool years. I love Paula. She is always there and always forgives me for not calling her. She is the kind of person who I know will forever be around and I am sure she knows I am there for her too.

Anyway, we went out for an impromptu dinner. With some other 'girls' that we went to school with! It was so much fun!

There was Paula, Mary, Trudi, Suz (who would like us to call her Suzanne now! Ha! as if we can!), Lesley, Karen, Mary-Ellen and myself.

Wow - what a blast from the past. Some I have seen within the last 5 years but I was looking around at these women who were just young teenage girls when I first met them. It was strange.

I came to the 'big smoke' in Form 3 (Year 9 as they now call it) and I think I was 14 years of age. Not only was I a born and bred country girl, I was appalled that I had to go to a GIRL'S School! Aquinas College in Ringwood, Melbourne.

Now, most of the girls had gone through Primary School together and here I came, a country chick who had moved from town to town every 2 to 4 years. A different way of looking at things.

I have great memories of Aquinas - even though I hated it for the first 6 months. The girls were welcoming and fun.

Paula and Mary were my best friends at that school. I only stayed there for 2 years and left at the end of Year 10 to go to Box Hill TAFE to study Art. ada, I stayed in touch with Paula and Mary...went to Paula's wedding and Mary went off to Canada and found a nice boy and married him!

Anyway - looking around the table last night, I looked at these women and truthfully - even though we are all in our 40's - there was no real difference to what they were like as teenagers. We reminisced about smoking and sex. About teachers. Boys. We talked about our marriages. It was surprising how many had failed marriages behind them. Paula - although she speaks to Bruce daily still and he plays a big part in their 3 children's lives; Lesley; Suz (oops Suzanne!); Trudi. Karen never married but has the oldest child I think - she is 17. Suz and Trudi have remarried. I just thought it was a lot but now that I think about it it probably reflects todays society.

Most have stayed around the same suburb. Paula and I are the only ones that haven't.

Anyway, we laughed and shared. It was a great night. I was nervous to go but am so happy I did!