Well, here we are almost 50 years since leaving LHS. Life has been quite a journey. After graduating, I went off to Northeastern University in Boston as a Pharmacy major but after one semester I realized this was not for me and switched to Modern Languages.

I got my degree in Spanish with a minor in Italian. I wasn’t really qualified for much as a Spanish major, so I took a job as a credit manager for a wine distributor in 1981. It was a fun job having worked in the credit office at Sears in the Livingston Mall through high school.

It was during that time that I got married to Rob, whose brother Mitch was in our graduating class. In 1984, our daughter was born, I became a stay-at-home mom, and a son followed two years later. In 1986, we moved from an apartment in Summit, New Jersey to a home in Millington, New Jersey to raise our kids.

It was a pretty standard suburban existence. When the kids got older, I took a couple of part time jobs and then 9/11 happened. That day affected everyone but it really hit home for us because Rob worked in the World Trade Center. While he was lucky enough to get out of the building, he found himself jobless less than two months later.

I took a job in the Warren school system which gave our family health benefits for a year while Rob built up a freelance graphic design and consulting business. I also taught and tutored Hebrew students for twelve years, something I thoroughly enjoyed.

In 2006, an Israeli cousin moved here to start a new business. I went to work for him to help him manage the warehouse. Twenty years later and I’m still working for him. A little bit more on that, later.

2011 was a transition year for us. My daughter got married in April and moved to South Jersey, but in July my son lost his battle with addiction. It was, to say the least, a sad time.

In 2014 we learned we were going to be grandparents and that was the push we needed to move closer. We put the house on the market and started house hunting. Our granddaughter was born in October of that year and we finally sold our house in early 2015. We found a new 55-and-up community minutes from my daughter. It backs up to a farm so it’s great for getting out for walks.

Back to that warehouse job–My cousin’s business was expanding and he still needed help with product fulfillment for his clients. He set me up in the new house and I’ve been shipping client products from home ever since. It was particularly good to be able to do that during Covid, so we never missed a beat.

A grandson came along in 2018 and by 2021 my daughter’s family was outgrowing their townhouse. A larger home was for sale within walking distance of us and everything fell into place. They bought the house and moved in just before Thanksgiving in 2021. In 2023 the family grew again with another grandson entering the world.

Life continued pretty much the same for us until early 2025 when Rob was diagnosed with lymphoma. That put the brakes on everything for about four months, but the treatments were successful and as I write this he’s cancer-free.

We’re back to enjoying life in South Jersey. Happy hours at our favorite spots and even occasional trips into Philly.

One thing not on the table is retirement. I can’t see myself not working and I’m very grateful to be able to keep working from home while enjoying time with family and friends.

Editor’s Note: Paula’s husband Rob was very instrumental in creating the class website www.LHSCLASS1977.com and his assistance was very much appreciated.  If you have an interest in his services, please contact him at boblevinedesign.com