In the beginning... there was "The Cuff"

Rachel and I met one fine April night at a club in Seattle. It appears after reading our first emails to each other that neither one of us were really looking for anything in particular... but what we soon realized was we couldn't stay apart. In the beginning, Rachel would come up to Seattle for the weekends or I would go down there, but the weeks in between became really difficult. We realized that what we wanted was to be together, so six months later, I moved in. Our life was anything but normal, but we made the best of what we had and fell more in love, and 10 months after that, we had a commitment ceremony on a bluff on Point Defiance. It was a small ceremony, but none the less, it was one of the most amazing days of my life. Not to get all sappy, but when you look into the eyes of the person you love the most and promise to be the best person you can possibly be, there is nothing more romantic or peaceful than that moment. And here we are, nearly 3 years later... having had our ups and downs, but getting stronger through it all. We have learned a lot... and no parenting book can tell you how to raise a teenager, a boy under 8, and keep a relationship alive and exciting. We know, we looked! But we learned many simple things, like conversations with the kids could be quite fascinating. There were many dinner conversations when talking to Karina where I realized I had no clue what she was talking about... not because I wasn't listening, but because I was out of the loop with today's slang... it was one of the first times I felt "old". I was 28. Together we are a family... with a crazy ass dog (and a mouse); we are moving forward with our plans, goals, dreams, and... life.