And We're Back!

Hello hello!

Long time no blog. Last week was a bit of a cluster - it was a short week for both my partner and I as we prepared for some time off to go camping! If you know me, you know I am strictly an indoor cat; I don't do well with bugs and gunk and feeling uncomfortable. But we camped at quite possibly my favorite place in the entire world: Kelleys Island, OH. One of the few little islands at home in Lake Erie, Kelleys Island is a remarkable treasure of the midwest. 

My mom's family are some of the big names on the island, and this is a place where you start your introductions with your last name to see if their family knows your family. It's very tight-knight and isolated, a coastal small town environment. We would make the trek out there yearly growing up, to the point that I dreaded the weeks in the summer I spent broiling in the humidity of the Great Lakes. The usual things happened; family got older, funds were allocated for things other than the ferry ride over, and we stopped going to Kelleys. The occasional trip over the years was enough to sustain me for a bit, but as I got older I could appreciate the significance the island had on my family. 

My partner is an outdoorsy butch lesbian, so with even an inkling that I would be okay camping if it was there, we were set. Like real lesbians, we have a truck, Ford F150 in the shade Race Red named Clifford, lovingly. My partner ordered custom tents and air mattresses that were designed for our specific make and model so I wouldn't have to subject my old bones to the hard ground. We spent Memorial Day 2025 camping in the exact same spot, but it was different this time. It was October, for one, and the weather and bug populations were totally unpredictable. But that didn't matter to me. I'm on the cusp of turning 30, I just hit 70 days alcohol free, I recently celebrated my one-year at the most incredible job, my relationship with my family has never been better. Being on the island made me feel at peace. 

Now it's back to reality. I'm working late tomorrow to help out at our town's Latino Heritage Festival and then stopping in at the local Tex Mex/bakery to place a pie order for my butch's birthday later this month - woohoo! I'll never get over this little town and the spot I've earned in the community. Until next time.