A tribute to the people who make my life less ordinary:

To Lori‘s clan, for openness, honesty, stellar conversation, and letting me pick the restaurants.

To Jeff, who is willing to pretend to urinate in public for my amusement,

 and treat me to whiskey and absinthe

with Rena, his superstar wife, in secret places.

To Ms. Card, for her laugh,

and Wendy, for childhood and Scratch-n-Sniff stickers and this very moment.

To Tim, for history.

To Mary and Michael, for more than I can say,

and a beautiful, hand-knitted shawl to keep me warm.

To Shane and Jef, for blurry, light-filled smiles that mean the world.

To Kelli and the joy of meeting you in person.

And this man, for the best years of my life.

And to everyone not pictured here, the talented, joyous, loving beings that you are. This is what matters. This moment that we have together, live and in-person or via virtual hug. You are glittering diamonds, the fabric of my soul.

How lucky I am to know you.