A Six Pack of Boys

Left to Right: Mac, Eric, Jeffrey, John, and (in front) Ethan and Bobby

One of the highlights of our Arizona trip was getting to visit with my friend, Eileen and her four boys. I met Eileen several years ago when we were both flight attendants for TWA. We met commuting between St. Louis where we were based, and Phoenix where we lived; we were instant friends.



During our long flights in between the two cities we discovered that we had many things in common, one being our birthday, and others such as baking and crafting.

We started a tradition of going to tea to celebrate our birthdays, and this is how my love for tea and tea parties blossomed. Even though we haven't lived in the same city for eleven years, we still manage to remain close and, yes, go to tea on occasion - even if it's not our birthday.

Although the kids and I visit Arizona frequently, sometimes it's difficult to meet up with Eileen. She lives about 45 minutes away from my parents, and during the school year she's just as busy as any other mother - driving her four boys to and from school and extra curricular activities. I do however, get to see her parents just about every visit because they live across the street from mine.

We introduced our parents several years ago and her parents who were living in New Hampshire at the time, fell in love with my parents' neighborhood. They bought the house across the street and became, what Phoenicians call, "snowbirds." They spend their winters in Arizona and the summers in New Hampshire.

Our parents became fast friends, especially our fathers. Eileen's dad comes over to my parents' house every morning for coffee, along with several other of my parents' neighbors. When my parents are up and the coffee is made, they open their garage door to signal the neighbors that they are up and ready to receive their guests. This tradition happens every morning. Most of my parents' neighbors are "snowbirds" so in the summertime there aren't as many coffee drinkers sitting around the table as there are in the winter months, but even so the sense of community is still present.