Spring Break with "Miss" Lynn

The more things change...

A really cool thing happened to me last Thursday night. I had posted my blog entry about moving to New York earlier that evening, and I'd gotten a stream of congratulatory comments. So, when my phone rang at 10:15 and I saw an 850 area code on the caller ID, I figured it must be someone good.

It was! "Miss" Lynn was calling to see if I wanted to join her for the Duke game on Friday. Of course I did! We both happen to live in Charlotte now. Watching my favorite team and catching up with one of my favorite moms? What could be better? Then I realized Friday was the first day of spring break for my old high school. Flashback to this:

Spring 1994. Panama City Beach.



Our parents insisted that "nice girls" didn't go on Spring Break without a chaperone. Enter Miss Lynn, one of the coolest moms from our class. Our friend Amanda was dating her son, Adam. Miss Lynn was the perfect chaperone -- responsible enough to keep us out of trouble but fun enough to make sure we all had a blast. In fact, I believe one of our favorite nights was the evening we stayed home and played cards with Miss Lynn. We introduced her to some of our new "friends."

I cannot tell you a thing about this young man, other than his name was Cliff. It's somewhat frightening I still remember that, isn't it? I'm certain my attraction to him was largely based on the fact he was a dead-ringer for Morris Suber. I'm certain his attraction to me was based on my bulky J. Crew barn jacket. Way to reel 'em in, Lyns!

Anyway, the eight of us had such a great week with Miss Lynn that we presented her with the perfect PCB memento: an airbrushed t-shirt with our names.

She promised she would wear it whenever she was ironing or washing her car.

I'm sure the t-shirt would have been a big hit at the NCAA tournament, but we pulled out some blue t-shirts instead and watched Duke beat Hampton. Unfortunately, the game wasn't much of a contest. That just meant we had plenty of time to catch up and reminisce.

There is nothing better than time with old friends, especially when you're embarking on something new. It's a long way from Panama City to New York City, but I'll be taking with me a lesson from my favorite chaperone: you can indeed stay out of trouble and still have a blast!