so originally this was suppose to be one of those 'five ___' but i found it impossible to limit it to exactly five so we are going with six (seven technically, you will see) people in my life i am utterly grateful for. now the sole reason i am intro'ing this is to say that if you are in my life and you don't see yourself here i am sorry i still love you immensely i just really was trying to hit that five mark and if i included all the amazing people i am so so so lucky to have in my life this would go on for an eternity. now without further adieu...





i'm starting this right off the bat cheating with a two for one. these two are my parents, louise and hugh or better affectionately known as hughie and louie. i never got to know my mother, i grew up with her through pictures and stories. even so, she has shaped so much of who i am. she loved fiercely and unabashedly and it's near impossible to find a photo where she wasn't smiling from ear to ear. she was always happy and hopeful, seeing the best in this world. my dad has always been the more cynical one. he's where all my down to earth stems from. he's a no nonsense kind of man with a scowl and a heart of gold. he's a man in blue and will be the first person to be there when you need someone. if you ask him i'm the reason he's gone grey (i'll tell him it's genetics), but he'll also say i was worth it.






my baby brosin. i have no actual siblings but i grew up with my aunt and she had two sons. my brosins. cousins raised as brothers. i do have two but i was limited on space here so my baby brother gets the honor because i am admittedly closer to him. brennan, or brenny blue as i always affectionately called him, is 20 and wild. he's going to university for mechanical engineering. he's the person who can put up with all my crazy best, probably because he's had to do it his whole life. once upon a time i was a lot taller than him but he had to go sprout like a twig into a tree. bless his soul, he ended up looking like a male me. but he also turned into a strong, determined, stubborn (in this family that one was inevitable) intelligent guy. proud big sister, honestly. but i'll never tell him that because it will go to his head.






my man, my rufus. i can't say how we started talking, we just did. i think it was back in march or near about, though. all i knew is that i could talk to him forever, and sometimes we did with conversations that spanned days, even weeks. i had no idea then that he would end up my biggest, best, surprise. our relationship took off just when i needed it to the most. like he was just there, waiting, for when i would come to need him. he's been the best thing ever because (among many other things) he showed me everything i had become blind to, he made me smile so genuinely when i began to think i'd forgotten how, he makes me laugh until there are tears in my eyes and joy in my heart, and arguably most importantly: he makes me feel beautiful, inside and out. there is something truly special about this man the world knows as rufus kelly, and i am so thankful i get to be a part of it because anyone who does is truly blessed. i thank him every day for choosing me to smile at and for picking me to be his. i absolutely cannot wait to see where we go from here.






ted to my robin. we met when we were set up for a date. the date went fine. then he washed my phone number and i never heard from him after that for some time. something i'll never let him live down. eventually we reconnected though and knew we were meant to be really good friends and from that point on, that's what we've been. we are so different yet so alike. he tortures me with star wars but he also drags me on trips to foreign countries. he listens to my rants at three in the morning and talks me down when i'm out of my mind. in turn he knows i'd go to war for him. he's the only person in this world i'd ever allow to call me butt sparkles and make it out alive after.






the queen herself, mama lennon. if you're wondering where i got these lovely pictures of you? look to your wonderful spawn. i didn't foresee it coming but this caption has turned out to be the hardest one to write. i sat down and wondered why this could be for someone so incredible. i realized it's because words simply cannot capture the beautiful complexity of this woman. this woman who can make anyone feel utterly beautiful. a woman who is so unabashedly herself, someone who will stand up for not only herself but those in her life. no matter what life throws this womans way she grabs it by the horns and takes it head on, and gracefully. i think if even a quarter of the world had this womans heart and grit the world would be a much better place. but no one will ever be quite like her.






yadira. she'll tell you her name means 'suitable' but it also means beloved friend, and that's exactly what she is. now i bet you as she scrolled she was getting grumpy for not seeing her face (and i confess that's why i put her last). but she'll always make my top five list. i don't have any sisters but i have yadira and really that's just as good. i moved to st augustine knowing no one. i was okay with that, i didn't mind a fresh start. but finding a place to live is always the scary part. then i found this girl looking for a roommate. i didn't know then that she'd end up not only the person i shared a house with but my best friend as well. she's snarky, she's grumpy, she's hilarious. she's basically me in a different form. she's the girl who has a pint of ice cream ready when i feel like i want to cry, and the girl who will get indignant on my behalf. any battle will be fought with her beside me. and we'll win it.