Not long after I launched this blog more than nine years ago, I wrote a post titled "Dramatis Personae" that gave brief descriptions of the various family members and boyfriends who comprised our little family unit.
It was not an exercise in vanity so much as a "who's who" of the various people about whom I was writing, intended for what was then an expanding group of readers visiting the blog.
It's fun to read that post from February 2012, though as you might imagine, much has changed in nearly a decade. Here's the current rundown on the main characters of this blog, which I fully acknowledge you did not request:
TERRY: Amazingly, she has continued to allow herself to be married to me. We have our 29th anniversary coming up in June. She is often tired, as moms/wives are, and devotes whatever free time she can muster to serving as treasurer for the Wickliffe Swing Band (our local high school band, for which I serve as the PA announcer). This is a way, way bigger job than you would think, to the point that it should almost be a part-time paid position, in my opinion. Anyway, she likes Hallmark movies and spending time in her craft room upstairs, and she continues to be the best cook I know. And she's as pretty today as the day I asked her out way back in the Stone Age.
ELISSA: Our oldest child will turn 27 this March. We will write about that when the time comes. Suffice it to say that she no longer lives with us (though she's close...just one city over) and is killing it as a Content Specialist at thunder::tech, an integrated marketing agency based here in Cleveland. Marketing agency life is rarely easy and Elissa expends a lot of professional and emotional energy on her clients, which is what makes her so good. She is also a vegan and lover of giraffes, and will happily talk with you about either subject. She has been with her boyfriend Mark forever and a day, and I can't tell you how grateful we are for that (and for him).
CHLOE: First, she is 24 and married to Michael, a construction engineer who shares my interest in military history. Second, she is officially a first-year doctoral student in Neurosciences, though I always explain that she's working toward her PhD in a research lab focused on swallowing disorders. Third, she is a mom to two cats who have no idea how lucky they are. She lives just far enough away in Stow that it's difficult to see her very often, but she and Michael are looking at houses and may relocate a bit closer to us, which would be nice. The takeaway: Chloe is rocking life.
JARED: My 22-year-old oldest son is a senior at Cleveland State University majoring in sports management. He's a hard worker who currently finds himself serving an internship within CSU's sports information department. He's very good with money, has taught himself woodworking and all sorts of useful handyman skills during the pandemic, keeps himself in a very good physical shape, and occasionally finds me PA announcing gigs, for which I am very grateful. He also brought his girlfriend Lyndsey into our lives and gets extra credit for that.
MELANIE: Mel is somehow 20 years old. I don't know why, but the older she gets, the more amazed I am. She is a sophomore at Cleveland State progressing toward a bachelor's degree in business/marketing, though she earns spending money working in retail and occasionally Door Dashing. Mel is often seen in our living room with Jason, her boyfriend, with whom I love talking sports. They go well together. She is smart and will succeed no matter which direction she chooses, career-wise.
JACK: We recently wrote about Jack, who turned 15 not long ago. He is one of the funniest people I know. He is also a sophomore in high school who runs track and cross country and plays the trumpet, among other things. Terry and I have spent many years attending and involving ourselves with various school activities and events, and Jack represents our swan song. Everything he does in school is a "last" in our family, which is both fun and sad at the same time. Jack is also an avid gamer, though I feel like you can say that about 70% of 15-year-old boys these days. We think Jack may be a hair taller than Jared at 6-1, making him the tallest person in the family, and he has managed to get his weight all the way up to 140+ pounds. So that's an accomplishment.
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