Coming Home: A 20th Year Reunion of NCHS in Pictures

Friends, Classmates, Family, Interested Peeps:

The following are pictures from this past weekend's reunion of the Norfolk Catholic Class of 1987. Hmmm....Good times! Great reconnecting! Conversations! Reminiscing! Stories! Some tears, a lot of giggling, and fair amount of family, marriage, and faith musings over a bit of flowing alcohol-- all part and parcel of our Catholic-Nebraska-Culture-Style-Homecoming, eh?!

According to Terry Heimes' RSVP spreadsheet report: 74% of our class was in attendance.
So, of the 33 who matriculated in May of 1987, there were 24 of us there! High Fives! And BIG UPS to the people responsible for bringing us back together. It was no small task to gather us in from as far away as Madrid, Spain! Gracias Terry and Mark! Kathy, I know you were part of this behind-the-scenes-work, by virtue of marriage, and presence during those Surprise Awards. Colleen: without your website work, (http://knights87.googlepages.com/) I dare say this reunion turn out would have fared closer to the 50% mark?! And Darin: what would we have drank without your tequila run from recent border crossings?

BLESSINGS!
Enjoy this LIMITED Pictoral report of Friday and Saturday nights in Norfolk, Nebraska. At the bottom, find a prayer from Dutch Priest and Psychologist, Henri Nouwen that arrived in my email box as I came to post this. It's much more sober than the tone of most of these pictures, but offers a kind of contemplative close for all of us as we continue in our journey as graduates of this tiny Catholic school and community.

Love,
Melissa

Norfolk Catholic Today: tripling/ quadrupling in size from our one-hallway days.

Friday night in Parish Hall:
Back Row, From Left to Right (pre-partnered names):
Mark Vrbka, Mitch Wallace, Darin Koch, Shaw Wattier
Middle: Kathy Sheets, Danetta Soukup, Suzann Stover, Ann Wullschleger, Tricia Sock, Erin Crowley, Anne Dostal, Melissa Borgmann
Front: Sonsoles Unzurrunzaga, Stephanie Leu

All the way from Spain and Colorado: Sonso and Ann!

Tricia and Winner-of-Trouper-Spouse Award, Herman!

The Sock Farm at Night....

Path to Friday night's Post-All-School Reunion-Party...

Early arrivals: Note Erin is still such a modest lady!

Another angle of the early crew. (Gotta give Crowley side-shot props.)

I just thought these were cool pix depicting the Sock-Farm-Landscape.
Swing and full moon...

A Contemplative Mary...

Juxtapose all that tranquility with the Beyond the Border Tequila...

Our own Homeland Security Agent: Darin Kock posed in center of Sonso and Sas.

Fuller Circle - People found their way to the rural, country-side gathering spot!
Ummm....a metaphor for NCHS, Class of '87 community?

Pre-Saturday night shenanigans:
Self-portrait with Fife, Sas, myself.

Kevin and Candace, Bally and wife Cindy all hooking up at the Borgmann's.

Entrance Pix with Bally's and surprise arrival, Jeanne Pfiefer Guta.
(Big Thanks to Husband Chris for getting Jeanne back home!)

We like to hug and kiss and welcome one another!

Shawn points out the Clinch-ster to Bobby in that all-class bus-shot (en route to having our all-class photo taken.)

God bless us! Cody Waite returns from Sacred Heart Days.
Here, shaking hands with Mr. Matt (beau of Jennifer Tullis)

Kathy, Colleen, Danetta, Tricia

More slideshow musings:
Prom King Shawn: Now and Then!

Who all can you identify in this pix?
Dos, Jen Tullis, Ann, Mark, Darin

Another returning Sacred Heart Sweetheart: Ms. Jane Tibbles

Cody married a hottie!
(Giving the peace sign next to his lovely bride, and our own hot Jen and Ann!)

Steph and Sonny look at old photos from the class of 87 year book.

Terry and Mark's table:
Can you identify the Norfolk Catholic alumni that became married couples?

Ann W. D. tells some tale.
Do you spot Clincher and the beautiful with-babe bride of Shawn, (Ms. Amy)?
Aghh! Apologies to Mark Quinn and wife Michelle! I think this is the only kinda-close photo I have of the two. And it's Michelle's back! Losiento Mucho...

Another table of visiting folks. (Including the upcoming winner of "Longest Married Couple")

Award Ceremony Time!

As I alluded to before, Longest Married Couple: Danetta and Jim Jensen,
hitched for (I think) 18 years.

Question: What happened to the Prize for being Single the Longest?!
Nofolk Country Club Patio Conversation. Lots of the day's golfers gathered.
(Chris and Missy Kay with backs to us.)

More Jenn and Matt and Colleen-sans-husband-and-son-from Ohio.

Class photo!!!

Funny Class Photo!!!
What's up with the groping hands?! Guys got jokes!

Directions from Norfolk Country Club to Borgmann home.
(It's the teacher/ artist/ public person in me, with the support of Amy and her sidewalk chalk! We can't be having people get lost on way to post-party Party!)

Starting from NCC....

Somber signposts from 20 years ago.

Down Hwy 81 to Prospect...

Past Skyview Lake and Firework set up....

To my mom and dad's...

2303 Prospect
Mixing up Margaritas...
(Nebraska party culture borrows from many long-standing traditions,
honoring festivities and spirit of families we are all from...!?*&%$#@!)

Bally generously breaks open the Silver Patron to share with all...

Lick!Drink!

Suck!

Fireworks!
Ooohhh...Awe!!!

Post-Firework-show: moving from front lawn....

To Basement

Sharing Photos and Stories...

Till the late-night, early morning departure....
..........................................................................................................................................................

A Lifelong Journey

Going home is a lifelong journey. There are always parts of ourselves that wander off in dissipation or get stuck in resentment. Before we know it we are lost in lustful fantasies or angry ruminations. Our night dreams and daydreams often remind us of our lostness.

Spiritual disciplines such as praying, fasting and caring are ways to help us return home. As we walk home we often realise how long the way is. But let us not be discouraged. Jesus walks with us and speaks to us on the road. When we listen carefully we discover that we are already home while on the way.