My friend Nelly and I have been friends since high school. For her 30th birthday she told me she wanted to have a party that made her feel young again that was why she was going to celebrate her birthday with a "Totally" 80's theme party.

The invitations had hot pink envelopes and had a picture of Madonna(from her "Like a Virgin" days) on the cover of the invitations. Inside were all the important details: Location, date, time and to wear the most outrageous 80's costumes they could find.

I found a great pair of skin-tight, black, leather pants and a hot pink sweatshirt. They looked just like a pair I used to own. I put my hair in a sideways pony tail with a pom-pom rubber band. I looked like I did back in high school. Perfect!

Nelly and I nearly fell over laughing when she opened the door to greet me.She was wearing rubber bracelets all the way up her forearm, a cut off shirt with the neck cut out as well, a mini skirt with a double studded belt, lace socks and black ankle boots. Her hair was spiral curled and held back with a bandanna head band. She had my costume beat. We started talking like "Valley Girls".

She had bought the entire CD set of greatest 80's tunes. Songs I hadn't heard since high school like,
" Rock Me Amadeus", "Safety Dance" and "In a Big Country". It was the decade of the one-hit wonders and synthesizers. Her couches and chairs were covered with animal print fabric and she had changed most of the light bulbs in the house to colored party bulbs. There must have been forty people there all dressed like extras from a 80's music video.

There was plenty of sodas, Corona beer, and Sebastiani wine coolers of all kinds on the tables. I don't know where Nelly had gotten the matching pink and black zebra print paper plates, cups, and napkins but they were perfect. Her brother Brad had taken up the role of the bartender. I asked him to make me a Long Island ice tea and it took me back to the days of Nelly's famous ditch day parties back in high school. There were bowls of chips and salsa, popcorn, chocolate candy, corn chips and chocolate chip cookie dough.

I did see one guy who stood out from the rest. His costume was really cool. He was dressed like the singer of Flock of Seagulls or Thompson Twins I really couldn't tell which, until he told me. He was cute and he appeared to be watching me. Nelly gave me an approving wink as she went by snapping pictures of everyone with her disposable camera.

Everyone got crazier and crazier as the night went on. Some people even started acting out the lyrics and lip synching to the words of the songs; it was as if no one had heard these tunes since high school. I felt as if we had returned to my senior year for one night. I had a great time.

John and I enjoyed danced, singing to our favorite songs until my throat was getting sore. John and I found a quieter spot and talked. I found out he had graduated from high school the same year. We had also been at the same "Thompson Twins" concert and he said he thought he remembered seeing me there with Nelly. I was getting pretty tired by the time we left. John and I shared a cab home and exchanged numbers. What a great evening and a great party.