The Story of Us…

I’m Barbara, and I attended a Catholic girls’ school for 12 years.  The summer between my freshman and sophomore years, one of my classmates invited me to a Y-Teens group meeting.  We obviously did not attend the same high school as any of the others, and there were boys there.  That made it immediately interesting.  Beyond that, though, the activities and social get-togethers proved to be a lot of fun.  And, I met a lot of people I am still friends with today.  

One of them is my co-conspirator, Pamela.  We used to call her “Pam,” and sometimes “Pammy” until she grew up and became a professional. Anyway, she and another girl and I became fast friends the rest of the way through high school, and into college.  Some of the guys even called us “The Big Three.”  What a hoot!  As is the case in many relationships, we started drifting apart while separated by distant colleges. After sophomore year in college, our other friend married and moved to another state, then Pamela moved for work after college, and I got married.  I actually remained in Seattle for 30 more years before relocating out of state.

Eventually, my job took me to the San Francisco Bay Area where I knew Pamela lived.  I looked her up and we renewed our friendship.  Too soon, however, it was time for her to move back home.  When I visited Seattle for holiday gatherings, we saw each other occasionally.  Then I transferred with my job to the Miami area.  Three or four years ago, Pamela called and wanted to renew our friendship.  We agreed to Facetime once a week.  Not long after the calls began, she suggested that I write a book.  No.  I didn’t want to.  However, about six months later, I suggested that we write a book together on Baby Boomers and Retirement.  That topic interested me, and it sounded like a project we could do together.

It took a little while to convince her this was a good idea.  So, we pittered and pattered and finally got down to the business of creating an outline, assigning chapters (based on our interests), interviewing in person or over the phone, and conducting a questionnaire.  We researched topics – and got lost in reading – and edited and added, deleted, and rephrased for over a year.  We also took hiatuses from the project.  Finally, we are in the home stretch, and the book is almost ready for prime time.  This whole “trip” has run the gamut of emotions (We’re women; what did you expect?) yet the book is the glue that has held it together. 

In the meantime, we discovered we each have a lot more to say.  Here is our new blog to prove it.  I find that blogging is actually more fun, and it will be even better when you join the conversation!

These days, Pamela and I sometimes have to work around my three granddaughters – all under the age of 5 – because I also spend a LOT of time FaceTiming with them when I’m unable to visit in person!