Let's start at the very beginning.
As a 15 year old, I met this adorably awkward 17 year old through my high school theater department. He was very tall, dorky, and thought I was the absolute bees knees. We started dating when I was 16, a junior in high school, and he was a freshman at UC Irvine.
When I was 19, I married the guy I was dating throughout high school, and Pablo and I have been together and making the crazy work since 2003.
We had a daughter while I was attending UC Berkeley (in 2005), and a son right after I graduated (in 2007). My younger brother moved in with us, too. If you are unfamiliar with Andy & Rory's accident or Julian's conditions, feel free to check out Mostly Medical Misadventures and Mishaps and the Cranio page.
(This tattoo shows the stairs from the aforementioned accident, bent into MC-Escher-esque stairs in a DNA helix, as well as Julian's naturally-formed skull)
We moved to Portland in 2009, and had different roommates and friends live with us in that time period. Some families, some single folk, some Deaf, some hearing, some couples. At most, we have had 12 people at the same time under this roof, and more than 20 people have called our 1906 craftsman their home. I figure that you have the family you are born into, and the one you create, and I absolutely adore the folks that I get to share my life with. My brother lives up here near us, my folks live in LA, but we get to see them pretty regularly, and the amazing people I spend my time with are phenomenal, and I learn so much from them.
In 2018, we welcomed a high school senior into our home, as well. Jehdeiah used to be a student of mine, but he changed schools and so did I, and he needed to access school in Portland and so he lived with us and visits his family in Eastern Oregon whenever he can. He graduated in June of 2019, and headed back home later that summer. We miss him terribly, and head out to visit when we can.
Pablo works for the Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality, I teach. This year we have one in middle school, and one in high school. Rory writes at Little Blue Fire, and Julian builds with Legos.