Having triplets has expanded the life of Bainbridge resident, Vickie Parker in more ways than one. 

For the past 11 years, mothers from all over the country and two foreign countries, all with triplets born within six months of each other in 2001, have been corresponding and making friends.

Vickie and Mitch Parker, whose children Seth, Gabe and Dani, will be 13 in November, said after giving birth she was introduced to a magazine called “The Triplet Connection” by Betty and Earl Boyett, another Bainbridge couple who have triplets a couple of years older than the Parkers.

Through this connection she was able to identify and contact the others by researching on-line, and thus began years of long-distance communication, sharing problems, insights, celebrations of achievements and milestones.

When the children approached two-years of age, the mothers began to host annual summer get-togethers. Vickie, who said she had only flown once in her life on her senior trip, was reluctant to fly alone. This was outside her comfort zone. But, she listened to the wise counsel of her friend Priscilla Bailey, who told her, “Baby, you need to do this. Going on trips like this will give you a chance to travel.” So, she summoned up all her courage and began to fly to meet her colleagues personally. Her husband was supportive of her adventure even caring for the children while she was gone.

In the last eleven years, she has travelled to Cape Cod, New York City, Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Columbus, Ohio, Baltimore, Md. and two trips to Coldwater, Michigan. On two of the trips one mother came from as far away as Australia and one from the Netherlands.

All along, her friends here told her no one would ever want to come to little old Bainbridge; but Vickie was determined to show off her hometown and the way of life she loves.

This past weekend, October 10-12, three of the mothers flew to Atlanta, rented a car and drove to Bainbridge. They were Sue Deyesso of Boston, Kathy Woods of Baltimore and Mary Lynn Pitzer of Columbus, Ohio.

Vickie made sure they had a real Southern welcome experience, as she planned events that would introduce them to the South Georgia way of life. They were able to see peanuts pulled up from the ground, a field of cotton, eat fresh pecans off the tree, and enjoy a catfish fry prepared by Vickie’s father, Daniel Humphrey.

They had lunch at Crave, enjoyed peach cobbler with ice cream and pound cake, compliments of Anne Reynolds, who hosted a dessert-tea in her home, went to see Swamp Gravy in Colquitt, and ate at the Tarrer Inn.

Saturday they traveled to Lake Eufaula, where they enjoyed a boat ride and stayed overnight in a lake house of Vickie’s friends, Jimmy and Joy Lynn Pollock. Thus they shortened their drive to Atlanta to catch early morning flights back home.

As they parted for home, one mother told Vickie, “This isn’t close to anything I’ve ever seen before. I probably would not have if I hadn’t been friends with you.” She plans to bring her children to come have some of the same experiences.

As for Vickie’s children, they also had their world widened, as they met people from very different parts of the country, and even though they were different from South Georgians, they agreed they were all very nice.

Vickie is very thankful for all the help and true Georgia hospitality shown by everyone they met along the way.