They’re pseudonyms and half of the reason I created this page is to keep them straight. I do not mention all of them regularly. I just want to be consistent and allow my readers to be able to look up a name if they wonder about the relation.

Jake: The video game, rodeo, hunting, and Lord of the Rings loving husband. My favorite person in the whole world. Pretty damned keen. I think I’ll keep him.

Gramma: My mom’s mom… the woman who raised me… my heart.

Violet and Scarlett: My twin girls, born June of 2021.

Thomas: My boy, born December of 2022.

_______________________________________

My Siblings and Steps and Nieces and Nephews

Bo: My older brother by three years. Redneck with severe Right Wing political views. Is not close with steps and rarely sees me.

Zane: Stepbrother. Oldest. Three years younger than I am.

Brent: Stepbrother. 2nd oldest, four years younger than I am.

Cade: Stepbrother. 3rd oldest, five years younger than I am.

Bea: My step-sister or little sister, who is six years younger.

Lena: Step-mom. 12 years younger than my dad. Wonderful mother and pretty great stepmom.

Sadie: Sister-in-law; Zane’s wife.

Kallie: Sister-in-law; Brent’s wife.

Brianna: Sister-in-law; Cade’s wife.

Layla: Laylabean. My neice, Bo’s little girl.

Current Close Friends

Dawson: Old coworker and friend from Cherokee Library. Still works for the library system. Attends Jake’s DnD campaign. Five year younger.

Grady: Former teen volunteer and coworker. Attends Jake’s DnD campaign. Sixteen years younger,

Janet: Coworker and friend from the West Side Library. Very religious. Around my age. Two boys.

Karol: Coworker and friend. Around my parents’ age.

Lacy: A girl from high school I never spoke to, until we were 25. We primarily chat through text, but I’ve grown to consider her a good friend.

Niki: Friends since my early 20s. Reconnected when I moved to Cherokee, since she lives one town over, in Milltown. Plays D&D with Jake, Sarah, and me. Her husband Percy DM’s.

Percy: Nina’s husband, our DM. Spends almost as much on minifugures and table top games as he does guns and ammo.

Sarah: Coworker and friend. Play D&D with Jake and I. Very sweet person.

Aunts/Dad’s sisters

Dee: Oldest

Kendra: Middle

Glenda: Youngest

Tina: My dad’s cousin, who is also a librarian. I often call her an aunt.

Cousins

Delia: Oldest. Five years older. Emily’s sister.

Emily: Two years older. Delia’s sister.

Kayla: Two years younger. Mickey’s sister.

Mitch: Close to Mickey. Five years younger.

Mickey: Female. Seven years younger. Kayla’s sister.

Jake’s Family

Bobby: Jake’s uncle

Claire: Jake’s third niece

Cody: Jake’s brother-in-law

Craig: Jake’s brother

Daisy: Jake’s mother

Joe: Jake’s cousin

Kate: Jake’s cousin

Lucy: Jake’s second niece

May: Jake’s sister

Shana: Jake’s first niece

Vi: Jake’s aunt

Jake’s Friends

Aaron: Jake’s bestie

Amy: Tanner’s wife, was a home-ec teacher and is now a librarian. Divorced. Never saw again.

Callie: Jake’s college roommate, married to Shep

Clyde: Haley’s Husband

Haley: Jake’s other college roommate, works for a screen printing company with her mom, loud and social, and according to Jake, a little nuts.

James: Jake’s third bestie, married to an accountant

Jana: James’s wife, an accountant

Jason: Jake’s second bestie and a youth minister. Married us.

Matilda: Craig’s sometimes girlfriend, at one time

Mindy: Aaron’s wife, mom/receptionist/future English teacher

Shep: Jake’s friend from college, married to Callie

Tanner: Jake’s younger friend, from college, teaches P.E., divorced from Amy and remarried

Pets

Dixie: Jake’s, definitely Jake’s, dachshund.

Jude: My beagle, who I had since I was 20. Died in 2021.

Rupert: My, definitely my, beagle.

Thackery Binx: My, definitely my, black cat.

All those other people and old/former friends

Ava: High school friend. One year younger. Sweetest gal alive. Drifted

Carla: Coworker and friend from the West Side Library. Well-read. Loves Hobbit slash fanfiction. Not real close.

Catherine: Acquaintances in high school, graduated together. Good friend for a time in our twenties. Bridesmaid in my wedding. Ultimately not a very good person. Drifted.

Chad: One of the guys I hung out with in my early 20s. Drifted

Dana: Coworker and friend, from the West Side Library, slightly younger than my parents. Loves Outlander and romance novels and loved hearing my dating stories. Not real close

Gail: My best girl friend from 9th grade through our twenties. Drifted around age 30.

Grace: Gail’s infant daughter who passed away at eight months old.

Jane: My best friend in the 8th grade, pre-Gail. Moved to Vegas. Drifted.

Jay: One of the guys I hung out with in my early 20s. Drifted

Ken: One of the guys I hung out with in my early 20s. Computer guru and unicyclist. Drifted.

Laura: Met through Catherine. Seven years older. Close for a time in my twenties. Bridesmaid in my wedding. Ultimately not a very good person. Drifted

Malik: Yellow-denim-jeans gay. A friend from the time we were 15 through part of our twenties, who was a brilliant artist and made multiple attempts to straighten out his life. Drifted.

Reba: Coworker and friend from the West Side Library. Shares my love of paranormal romance and fantasy TV shows. Not real close.

Sadie: Gail’s much favored (by her parents) little sister. Drifted.

Shane: Gail’s ex-husband. Drifted.

Shay and Kay: Chad and Jay’s little sisters. Drifted

Terry: Gail’s husband. Drifted

Ward: One of the guys I hung out with in my early 20s. Like a little brother, at one time. Drifted, but still text sometimes.

Places

Cherokee: Home. Jake and I moved here in 2017 and bought a house a year later. He works for the city and I work for the library. Suburb of the Metro. Population 13,000.

Metro: The metropolitan area to my suburb.

Milltown: Segment of the Metro, about 20 minutes from Cherokee.

Shetland: Where I went to school K-12 and lived in my twenties. Suburb of the Metro with around 13,000 people when I was in high school and 22,000, today.

Springfield: A slightly larger town than Shetland, directly north, suburb of the Metro. They’re the rivals of the Shetland high school, but also the ones with a movie theater. Population 40,000.

Wellston: The town where Jake lived, when we met, about an hour west of Shetland and an hour and a half west of Cherokee. Population 12,000.