The Reunion Tour

I’m not one to live in the past, as John Mayer said,
“…I never lived the dreams of the prom kings
and the drama queens
I'd like to think the best of me
is still hiding
up my sleeve”
Having said that, sometimes the differences between past a present are funny. Case in point, we recently went on a trip to Panama City Beach with my friends. Now these guys and their wives I have been friends with for over 10 years. We are called Poker Club a name bestowed on us by our Fraternity due to our frequent card games. We went to school together, married each others friends, were in each others weddings, vacation together every chance we get and talk with all the time (especially during football season). Our numbers have grown to include the Ramons but, as is the case with life long friends, we often find ourselves remembering incidents that happened before.

This trip was full of remembrances due to the fact that we often went to PCB for House Party. We talked about how I met Sheryl for the first time on that beach (introduced to me by Brett, who I introduced to April…see what I mean). We had flashbacks to the time Brett applied just enough lotion so that he had a sunburn like a world map…a feat he managed to accomplish again (although this time it was more like a map of Canada).

There were also the inevitable differences that happen as we get older. The drinking was tamer (well just a little, I mean Amy is pregnant). We never made it to Club La Vila (I don’t think we could enter our daughters in the wet T-shirt contest). Going to the beach was very different:

Before…cooler or keg, volley ball, maybe a towel stolen from the hotel…and that is about it.

Now…12 different kinds of sunscreen (Water babies for the kids, sweat proof, water proof, face sunscreen, spray-on sunscreen…I mean Sheryl actually research the best brands), sand toys (admittedly these were as much for the guys as the kids), a blow up pool, beach chairs (we used to just sit in the sand), a wagon for the kids (well who can carry a kid when you have all this stuff), cooler (that didn’t change), snacks for the kids (well we ate a lot of them too), hats and cover-ups for the kids…and the list goes on. I mean it filled the Reed’s Sequoia not including the kids and wagon.

Then there was the going out to bars. When we went to Salty’s for lunch we commented about how we used to ‘have each other’s back’ if a fight occurred at a bar. Now we watch each other’s kids if we have to pee. We did get to throw down a little at Sharky’s thanks to Sheryl and Amy…they had to stay home and baby-sit. The next night we went back to Sharky’s for dinner because they had a play ground for the kids…not something we used to look for in a bar.

Then again this trip was more fun in some ways. It was a blast to watch the kids play in the sand and ruin the sand castles that we guys built. They loved the wagon rids to and from the beach. We all had fun playing in the pool, kids and adults included. And you had to be made of stone not to smile at Abby and Ainsley playing together, giving each other hugs and dancing to the songs Abby made up.

Good trip, but to paraphrase Mr. Mayer…the best one is still yet to come. Next time more sunscreen (this means you Brett and Hunter), more kids, more beach toys…and probably more beer (even as adults we still kept running out).