Meet the Players

Greg
a.k.a G-Ray, Shuma, Babe

Greg is the love of my life. We just celebrated our one year wedding anniversary on Sunday, but I've known him for far longer. Our relationship went from zero to 60 in November of 2002 after a wine & cheese party my ex-roomie Tricia and I were throwing.

In a bout of alcohol-induced courage and a slight misunderstanding, he pulled me outside away from the party and confessed his feelings for me. To be quite honest, I wasn't convinced. I actually tried talking him out of it. I told him he had too much wine. I reminded him about his girlfriend (yes, folks, that's right - girlfriend. Apparently the relationship had been running on fumes for a year but I didn't know that.). I reminded him that he actually knew very little about me or how much of a PITA I really am. But throughout my protests, he just kept insisting that he knew we had a lot to do together. And he was right. A few days later we were on our first date - Toni Price at the Continental Club. I guess it took me about 2 weeks to figure out that I was going to marry this man. I think he knew before we even started. :)

We've been attached at the hip ever since. We moved in together unofficially after only a few weeks and then officially about 3 months later. We've spent only a few nights apart in the 4.5 years we've been together and hope to keep it that way. Mutual co-dependence - its nice. You should try it sometime.

Greg is a fabulous cook, a neat freak, and is all about beating me (or trying to...) in whatever kind of competition we can devise. I used to skunk him at Scrabble and tennis every time. Then he decided to sneak in extra practice with colleagues and friends. Now he can give me a run for my money in Scrabble and demolishes me in tennis. We just ran a 10K together on Saturday, and he beat me by less than a minute. Man, I will never live that one down. But he's also the most caring, generous, kind-hearted person I've ever known. He's helped me become a better person, and I hope he can say the same of me.

Gomez
a.k.a Gomey, Gomes, Brat, Terror, Bully

We adopted Gomez and his sister in November from Luis and Kathy Ortiz, a couple here in Austin who do a lot of kitty rescue work. This picture was taken soon after we got them so they were about 3 months old. He's the one who will tolerate my special brand of torture. Secretly, I think he loves it (just like his daddy). His favorite position is lying cradled in my arms upside down with his head draped over my arm so he can see the world from a different perspective, something we should all try every once in a while. He's also the instigator and culprit in most kitty crimes at our house. He's a bit lazy, except when it comes to pouncing on his sister, and has a tendency to claw his way up denim jeans. He's also the most spoiled and vocal when it comes to complaining. There's nothing he likes better than a nice, long booty scratch.

Noelani
a.k.a Lani, Missy, Miss Thang, Spazz, Freak, E-wok, Squeaky

Lani was the runt of the litter. She needed a lot of extra TLC and now has a very strong aversion to any kind of pills. It is an epic battle to give her meds, but hopefully that won't be necessary too often. She has the highest purr volume to body mass ratio of any cat I've ever heard. Most of the time she's not too comfortable being picked up - she tends to freak out after a second and spring into some elaborate gymnastics to escape, hence the nicknames Spazz and Freak. But if she wants to be held, she'll let you know. She's also the first to curl up into an empty lap. Recently she's prone to plop herself in front of you, roll onto her back and stretch out to get a belly-rub. She makes funny little noises when she's playing or wants attention, hence the nicknames E-wok and Squeaky. Her favorite game of all time is flying through the air in death-defying leaps, chasing a feathered jingle bell on a string. Our little Michael Jordan. I have a sneaking suspicion she's just as naughty as Gomez, but like most women, has perfected the art of evading detection.

So that's the crew. More adventures of the Family K to come...