The Fabulous Five

Sharon dropped me off at my house at a little after 2PM today. Our trip to Easton, PA. to visit our cousin, Susan, was truly an excellent adventure and I have many tales to tell you about the weekend. But, right now I want to tell you about something else instead.
This evening Bob and I went over to Anita and Bruce's house for a special birthday dinner for our friends, Rose and Anne. Rose and Anne were both born in January and Anita and Bruce were kind enough to host a get-together. Before dinner the "Fabulous Five" stood around the kitchen sipping wine and reminiscing about how and when we first met each other. Rose, Anne, Jean, Anita and I have been getting together for many years to celebrate each others' birthdays and more importantly our friendship. A few years ago, we decided to let the men in on the deal, if they promised to behave themselves. They don't always behave too well, but we invite them most of the time anyway. Actually they can be quite a lot of fun when they misbehave.
I met Jean in September 1976 when we first came to Albany. We had moved from Binghamton, NY to an apartment on Commodore Street when our son, Brian, was a few days old. A wise friend who had relocated from Downstate to nearby Massachusettes advised me that I'd better meet some people before the snows started flying or I'd be alone in the house all winter and would very likely loose my mind. For several days after moving I peaked out between the curtains and noticed that at approximately the same time every afternoon all the young Moms in the neighborhood would congregate on the street as they watched their kids ride up and down the block on their hotwheels and tricycles. After watching this pattern for a few days, I rehearsed my lines many times - Hi, I'm Mary Beth and this is my son, Brian - before I finally mustered up the courage to grab my baby, leave the house, and walk up to a young woman holding a little boy of her own. This young woman happened to be Jean and the little boy was her son, Paul, and that day was the beginning of an amazing friendship and the start of the Fabulous Five.
Mary Beth