1. Have a tan. Since I was just on vacation people kept asking me why I was so tan. Of course you must tan appropriately or you will go to hell.
   
   
2. Wear comfortable shoes. I have these 3 inch wedges from Anthropologie that are great because they are basically like the Birkenstocks of wedges. But I also brought a black shopping bag (because black is fancy) with my flip-flops inside. And it had an umbrella in it. AND I remembered to take it back to the hotel with me.
   
   
3. Before the party, practice drinking a little bit less than you're used to/you'd like to. This one is hard but I'm glad I did it. We drink a lot of delicious tropical drinks in Anguilla on previous trips but my friends and I agreed that we didn't like the hangovers or how fat we felt when we came back home. So, this time I'd just start my meals or cocktail hours with a soft drink instead of an alcoholic beverage. To be honest I have always wanted to do this but by the time I'm in the moment I'm like "screw it I want wine." I don't know why it clicked now but having practiced it was helpful at the reunion. It helps to think "I still get to drink--just not right this second." Anyway I did that at the reunion and I had three glasses of wine and a lot of Diet Coke and water.
   
   
4. Eat pizza and pasta before you go, but not right before. My friend Liz's family was in town and Steve and I went to dinner with them but because Liz's tiny kids were with us we ate at 5:30 PM. This worked out great though because last reunion I ate a huge meal beforehand and I felt so oogy and not in the mood. This time I had hearty food in my stomach but still some time to walk around and rest before getting dressed.
   
   
5. Don't go out after the reunion party. Go home about five minutes before the party is supposed to end. Eat some almonds, drink some water, put on your pajamas, brush your teeth, take a sleeping pill, and pass out while watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on your laptop.

Other ways to make your reunion experience enjoyable that don't involve partying in high heels:

1. Hang out with Liz's family. I've known Liz since the first day of school and her parents exactly the same amount of time. Her parents and brothers and cousins all assembled for the occasion of the reunion/seeing her kids. I highly recommend having any number of McArdles sitting at the hotel bar wherever you stay because it's going to be a good time, even if you're not going anywhere in particular.
   
   
2. Meet up with your friends' kids. Sunday we had a great playdate with some local friends. The gods were on our side--the weather was nice, the kids were all healthy, it was in between wakeup and naptime--but even if it was a big mess, it would still be a blast to hang out with my friends and catch up and see how cute and funny and smart their kids are.