Nathan. Hannah. Nipsy.

This is the clan.
This blog gets kind of cheesy.

Nathan is my best friend and he gets me. He is my partner for life and he is amazing. We've been together for about 7 years and married for almost 1 with many, many ups and downs. I can be my weird self with him. We get into heated conversations about politics and how messed up the world is. He listens to me talk for long periods of time about my students and how much I want to start a charter school. He loves movies and music. He is hilarious. He is caring. He has the best eyes and speaking voice. I can be quiet with him and not feel the need to fill the silence. He is the best. I hope I will always feel this way about him and something tells me that it is possible, despite my cynical views on marriage.

We have two dogs, Hannah and Nipsy, who we are obsessed with: Hannah is 9ish and Nipsy is 3ish. Honestly, Hannah and Nipsy are the reason why I get up in the morning sometimes. It is because they have to eat, but still. I love these dogs. One look or weird movement can make me laugh, even when I'm in a mood. They know when I'm having a horrible day and all they have to do is just put their little peanut heads on my lap (or just jump into my lap) and I feel better. Hannah has a thyroid problem and she needs pills twice a day, but we will do whatever we can to keep her healthy until she's got to leave us.

No kids yet. No thanks. I will probably write more about that later.

Nathan introduced me to Lewiston, which is where his family's cabin is. Lewiston provides me with the privilege of saying that I am going "up north". There is nothing better than being on the lake with Nathan, the girls, and a beer. The water is clean and clear... some of my favorite memories with Nathan, Hannah and Nipsy reside here:

One summer in Lewiston, Hannah put her mouth around the end of a boat launch and was craftily waiting for a chipmunk to run into it. All of a sudden, we heard a screech that sounded like a child getting stabbed. It was Hannah screaming like a banshee because her jaw was locked around the boat launch. I'll never forget how we ran up to the launch like concerned parents to take her mouth off of the launch, only to have her put it right back there. I think about that moment in the middle of the day sometimes and just laugh.

That's us. Now I'm going to go get a passport and do some grad school work.
Peace.