About

My mother, Rosanna, feeds our dogs every night. Each goldendoodle has a specific gastrointestinal ailment--I can never remember whose is whose. When my parents left town for a weekend in July,  I warmed the sweet potato and chicken, and combined it with the hard kibble and soft food like my mom taught me. This took me just shy of an hour…and I assembled their meals with the thoughtfulness of a Burger King line cook. 

 

But my mom doesn’t rush. Instead she sets the bowls down carefully, wipes the dogs’ mouths when they finish eating. She doesn’t confuse which bowl is for which dog, not even after a full day as a lawyer, an exercise class, and a family dinner. It should come as no surprise that she committed my childhood to ensuring that I would speak Spanish, my curls would be neat, I would never miss a volleyball practice, and I would always handwrite thank you notes. 

 

My mother reads the fiction books and memoirs I mention…or parenting guides. She listens to the reggaeton and 70s rock I have on repeat. She watches movies, but only for more time together. What my mom has in heart, my father matches in particularity and passion.

 

On his wilder nights, my dad, Randy, walks the dogs to Whip ‘n Dip--the ice cream shop a few blocks from my house. I know this place for the Fridays I spent there with my grandma after school; but my dad knows it for their ice cream sandwich that could pass as a bowling ball. And while my dad may be the most fit mid-fifties man I know, he will accept nothing less than this Whip ‘n Dip ice cream sandwich. Not even their grapefruit-sized one. 

 

My father loves specifically and with great depth. Beyond this, he rejoices in sharing his passions. He has committed years to educating me through games of ‘What Band Sings This Song,’ ‘Who Makes This Car,’ and ‘What Are The Complications of This Watch.’ When he has a fixation, he learns everything about it: cologne, sneakers, cycling, coconut water, transcendental meditation, MCT oil, why humans are not meant to drink mid-meal. 

 

I picked up the electric guitar so that I could play my dad’s favorite classic rock--and because he believes hobbies strengthen the mind. I study english because my dad did in college and reassured me that it is, in fact, a useful degree. I search every record store for Michael McDonald’s 1982 album If That’s What It Takes because his voice strikes us every time we hear it (and I refuse to order vinyls online).

 

For my little brother, Elliot, I listen to any music at all. He has preferred rap for as long as I can remember. But when I think I can predict the next song he’ll play, I hear Mozart’s “Symphony No. 40 in G Minor.” 

 

When I see Elliot– tall, strong, and stoic– I sometimes forget that I’m older. When Elliot listens to me, I admire how doesn’t interrupt. I feel like his little sister when I seek his guidance, for his thoughtful questions and strong morals. But when he comes home from college and lays on the hardwood floor so the dogs can lick him all over, I remember that we are both kids. I love when Elliot lets the dogs chase him, and I get to watch them jump from couch cushion to ottoman right before bedtime. I love to listen to our mom’s rebukes, the dogs’ chiming collars, and Elliot’s laugh. 

 

Though Elliot is my only brother (and sole blood-related sibling), I often say that I have sisters. I don’t know a life without Elanah, whose mom met mine while shopping for maternity bathing suits in 2002. I grew up with Elanah to teach me to skateboard when I just wanted to braid my American Girl Dolls’ hair.

 

Like Elanah helps me find balance, Sara matches me. Sara is what I call my ‘Everything Friend,’ and our 15-year friendship feels like finding half of my soul in a different body. Izabella I met during our volleyball careers. And I respected her as a teammate for the same qualities that made me want to be her friend. Izabella approaches her life with conviction and as a leader. 

 

I think of Hana as a college friend, though I have known her since elementary school. She is my deliberate roommate of four years who leaves me notes on mornings when our schedules don’t align. Angie is a free spirit with stories I love to listen to, and whose life experience leads me to seek constant advice. Maria inspires me with her attention to detail and generosity--she sends me a picture whenever she sees an almond croissant or hears a podcast she knows I’ll like. 

 

I am a person of small circles and an introvert to my core. In my relationships, I live by three truths: 

1. The most nourishing company is that which allows me to feel alone when we are together. 

2. Life is nothing if not for the people with whom to share it. This idea I adopted from my boyfriend, Gabriel, who makes time to play ping pong with my grandparents, bake ice cream sandwiches for my father, lift weights with my brother, and cook chicken for my dogs.

3. We are the company that we keep.