Greetings from Jeni (Birgel) Snee

I have been trying to send this to you for weeks now but life has been CRAZY! … As always, I have a lot to say so I hope no one gets bored. After all, I WAS voted Biggest Gossip.

After graduation, I went to CSUN and got my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Speech Communications. I then moved to NY. I lived there for six years and loved every minute of it.

I was a Coordinating Producer for “The Ricki Lake Show.” When I tell people I worked on a talk show, they automatically say, “Wow, what a fun job!” While it was fun, it was also VERY STRESSFUL! I spent more time than I care to admit asking potential guests if they were missing any teeth (we’d send them to the dentist), had ever been in prison, had ever had head lice (very contagious!) or if they had any facial deformities. Why this question, you ask? Oh, that would be because we once had a guest show up only to discover he’d been shot in the face and was missing half of his cheek! Needless to say, it was an adventure and my years in NY will definitely go down as some of the best of my life.

While in NY, I reconnected with Jason Huber and we had a lot of fun hanging out until he moved back to LA. I miss you, Jason! Tim Lavin also came to visit his brother, Terry, who lived there for a while. I will never forget meeting him at a bar and sharing a lot of laughs about the past. Great to read your update on the blog, Tim. Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

I met my husband, Peter, at a Club Med in Turks & Caicos. This is a BEAUTIFUL location if anyone ever has the chance to go!

The funny thing is there is a Chami story involved in our meeting. My girlfriend and I were on a booze cruise (after all, what else would you do at club med?) and we started talking to a guy who ended up telling us he went to high school in West Hills. It turned out to be Mark Bocchicchio (Class of ‘87). When we got off the boat, he introduced me to Pete. He had met him previously on the island. Pete lived in Denver and I eventually ended up moving. Since the TV world was pretty much nonexistent, I got a job as a Sales Manager at the Westin. This turned out to be a great gig because we got amazing discounts and we were able to travel to London, Australia, Hawaii, St. John and some other amazing places. After four years in Denver, we moved to Kansas because Pete got a job offer. I ended up reconnecting with David Braddock who lives there with his wife.

I must share a little David story. He was over last Christmas for a party and we decided we wanted to look at some old yearbooks. David was determined to find what he had written in my 9th grade yearbook. After reading it, he refused to share with the group only later to tell me he had written about asking me to homecoming but I told him I couldn’t go. He STILL doesn’t believe it was because my mother wouldn’t let me! By the way ladies, David looks HOT! His wife is just as adorable! David also reminded me about a high school party where he “claims” Katie Boudreau and I pushed him in the pool with all of his clothes on. He’s still waiting for his payback!

We recently moved back to Denver…another work move. We enjoy the mountains and love all of the outdoor activities. I ran the LA Marathon a few years ago and plan to run the NY when I’m done having babies! Denver is the perfect place to train and also a great place for kids.

I have two sons, Cole and Liam. Cole is three and a half and Liam just turned two. I LOVE being a mom. It truly is the most rewarding and the most exhausting job in the world! Baby Boy #3 is in the tummy as we speak and he’s due just before the reunion. So, with any luck, when I see all of you I will look like
Christina Aguilera did on Ellen right after she had her baby…ALL BOOBS! Ha ha!

I have stayed in touch with many classmates - Suzi Henricks, Ann Givvin, Monica Dimitri, Jennifer Cannon, Laura Boskovich, Katie Boudreau, Shelli Stevenson, Cherie Landon, Traci Sunderland, Jessica Krekorian, Anna Suarez, Doug Marconet (still as funny as ever!), Matt Terzian, Dave Donell (’87). It was also great to catch up with Gabrielle, Sybille and Kris last summer.

I’m in touch with Fr. Allen DeLong as well. I’ve been fortunate enough to have
him share many milestones since graduation. He flew back from Hawaii to marry Pete and me. He also came back to baptize both of my sons.

I chuckled when I got the questionnaire from Chami asking about favorite songs. I hope Shelli, Matt and Scott Chandler don’t kill me when I say that “You’re the Inspiration” and “Remember the Feeling” by Chicago both popped into mind! How did I ever convince my parents to let me go to all of those slow dance parties at Matt’s house anyway?!

Some of my favorite memories are cheer camp, Friday night football games, dances, Kairos, and late nights at Ingomar and Mason Park. I also chuckle when I think about all of the times I tried to ram as many people as possible into my oh-so-plush Mercury Grand Marquis…of course this was only after my fabulous orange van (that could fit even more people) practically exploded on Valley Circle one day! I still remember my dad letting us paint the outside with all kinds of Eagle phrases as we headed up to cheer camp in Santa Barbara. The paint never came out all the way!

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and I hope more people contribute to the blog. Then we’ll all be updated on each other’s lives and we can focus on nothing more than a lot of laughs and even more booze!

See you soon! xo, Jen