Ruth and Rusty

So I've learned that friends in life can come from all sorts of creative places. Rusty (a.k.a. Mr. Ayers) was my 8th grade English teacher. Now when I tell people we still keep in touch I get that look... like "that's weird." Well fine, I see what you mean but no. Rusty was the super cool teacher that let kids hang out in his class room to play card games during the lunch hour for a more laid back atmosphere. Even back then we used to talk about our shared love of hiking and literature and life philosophy. I don't really care if that made me teacher's pet.

When I left the next year for boarding school Rusty welcomed me to send him a letter to let him know how it was going, and so I did. This was back before email was wildly popular and people still sent snail mail now and then. I didn't write much but I would send a Christmas card update every year even after I graduated right on through college. After one of these notes he wrote back and said "stop by to see me and Ruthie sometime!" and so I did and I was glad.

Ruthie is lovely, like a bouquet of wild flowers. She lights up a moment without really trying and immediately puts you at ease. I remembered Mr. Ayers always speaking fondly of his wife in class, and if she stopped by you could see that they were so happy together and it meant a lot to me as a child to see this good example. To see them as a couple at home was downright heartwarming. They ask me about how things are going in my life with the interest and sincerity of my grandparents, but they mention the places they have been or advice on things with the hipness of friends my age. I will always be grateful to Rusty and Ruthie for being great mentors and also for making me feel welcome in their lives.

Martha and Matt

Matt and Martha are two people I absolutely adore and have not seen in a very long time. When I think of amazing couples they are definitely up there on the list. They are not ooey goey lovey dovey pda types but you sense the power of their connection in the way they take care of each other and their beautiful family. They always put each other first and yet they still find a way to bring friends and family into the fold so you feel like part of something awesome too.

Let me explain with a story. Back in the day... (as in way back in the grad school days when I was naive and kind of a mess) I was living with a boy I had dated for a very long time, and he broke my heart. I started apartment hunting as quickly as possible but in the interim I was stuck living with ye olde heart-breaker and I was extremely depressed. Martha caught wind of the situation and even though they didn't know me very well, Martha and Matt welcomed me into their home for three weeks! I still feel guilty about over staying my welcome while I got my life sorted out but they (along with a few other awesome people - you know who you are) honestly saved my sanity. They made me feel very safe, like I had parental figures looking out for me. And when it came time to move out of my old apt into the new one they helped me load and unload, with just the right amount of awkwardness directed toward my ex. I think we managed to have a few good laughs during that time and I'm really glad I got to know them better. Now they have three amazing triplets and I continue to be in awe of their incredible parenting skills. Seriously, you make everyone else with one-baby-at-a-time look bad.

I miss their awesome music taste, their festive get togethers and their positive outlook on life. I'm really lucky to have such warm and supportive friends.

Couples Week

So I've been on hiatus... if a year of shout outs was my pseudo New Years resolution mine has definitely been broken. I had hoped to post a series on some of my favorite couples around Valentine's Day but life had other plans. At this point I figure, why not pick up right where I left off?

So this week you will hear about a few people that make dynamic duos. They are people that have been a good example to me of what I would want my relationship to be like or they have been there to support me in some way and make an all around awesome team.