In two days, my blogging partner turns 40. So I’m posting this today, because typically we don’t write over the weekend. Happy Birthday, dear Emily! And thank you, Brook, for secretly sending me your baby’s baby photo. I promise to mail it straight back to you.
Emily is famous for her contagious smile, her sharp wit, her formidable intelligence, her fun-sounding business trips, and of course, her love for those XYs with whom she shares a home and a life: Dave, Noah and Chase.
We’ve felt close to this family for years because Dave was the beloved 3rd grade teacher of Ian, Hugh and Malcolm. It’s a family birthright. Ian was in Mr. M’s class when Chase was born. He still remembers where he was sitting when the announcement came over the PA system: “It’s a boy and his name is Chase.” Then everyone started screaming and clapping, and Ian could hear cheering coming from all the other classrooms up and down the corridor.
So, after knowing Dave so well, and feeling that we’ve known one of the boys all his life, It’s been my joy to “friend” Emily this past year. Some of you may know that she and I both used to contribute essays and op-ed pieces to the Philadelphia Inquirer. It was exciting when those pieces got published, but the pay was pathetic and the groveling was demeaning. Channeling Mickey Rooney (hope that reference isn’t lost on all you young whippersnappers born in the 1960s and 70s), Emily said “Let’s put on a show! Not in a barn, but in cyberspace! And let’s call it Mothers of Brothers.” And lo, it came to pass. But only because of Emily’s Type A personality, drive, motivation, and attention to detail. My personality is the same as my blood type: B. Had this blog been up to me, I would still be putting it off until tomorrow.
Emily has come up with lots of promotional ideas, including entering us in the web voting contest and having business cards printed up. The cards have the banner from the top of the blog and each of our headshots. One unintended consequence: some people think we’re lesbian parents of boys. I know this because I include the cards with my eBay and etsy mailings, and someone wrote back: “Dear Jennifer and Emily, thank you so much for the adorable vintage book.” I can understand the confusion – lots of lesbian couples have all sons, after all.
But I digress. In recent months, Emily and I have moved beyond occasional lunches to almost every day contact in the creation of this blog. And this friendship has been one of the highlights of my year. May it continue for many, many more.
In closing, let me say that Emily is probably used to her birthday weather looking something like this.
Today it looks like this. What the…?! Hope you’re not expected to shovel snow on 11/23.
