How to Make Your Fellow Love You - Forever and Always

I live with a host family.  As juvenile as that sounds, it happens when you take a job that requires you to slave away for little to no money.   I believe, however, that I may have the best arrangement of any fellow: I discovered my VA family.  This came about rather later than expected.  I moved to Virginia in July 2009 and did not meet them until February 2010.  I did not like them until March 2010.  I did not love them until Mid March 2010.  I did not move in with them until August 2010.  I was a not a permanent year long resident until November 2010.  In these months, however, I have fallen in love.  I have fallen in love with their generosity, their humor, their acceptance of my foibles, and their oddly unconditional love despite my foibles.

So this is an ode to Houty and the Blow Fish and their Offspring.  One way or another they are my cousins (I will not go into detail as to how - something about how one mother is almost first cousins with a grandmother that is actually sisters with an aunt of a great grandmother) and they have slowly won my heart...how?  Listen and learn.

- Bringing me fresh, hot, Persian tea when I'm working late in my room
- Boiling me a perfect, organic egg every day for work with a heart drawn on it
- Leaving me alone when I'm being antisocial
- Endlessly entertaining me when I'm being all too social
- Not making fun of me when I have a smelly mask on my face, am heating up my lip wax in the microwave, eating the dog's food out of the fridge that they cook so lovingly for him weekly, or when I'm drinking apple cider vinegar because my facialist told me it would help my stomach.
- Opening their doors to my "off the market friends," to my engaged friends, to my married friends, and to the awkward friends I constantly bring home.  And after all that, accepting my eternal "singleness," and not thinking less of me for it.
- Feeding me all the time.  When I'm not hungry, when I am, when I'm annoyed, and when I'm out joyed.  Food always plays a roll when it comes to my emotional state.  The lesson they learned the hard way, I fear.
- Listening to my many mannnny stories.  More importantly, sympathizing with me when listening to my many mannnny stories (even if I don't deserve it).
- Going into the city late on a Friday night to meet my friends, make them laugh, and buy me falafel AND french fries
- Giving me free rein over the kitchen...and kindly reminding me to leave it squeaky clean.
- Leaving toilet paper outside my closed door (closed because of the constant state of disaster it is in, to which Houty and Blow Fish say nothing) stacked into the shape of a pyramid because they're just cute like that.
- Buying me skim milk when I am the ONLY member of the household who likes it
- Spending 4 hours in one night washing, peeling, cooking, and mashing 10 potatoes for my damn Shepherd's Pie that I thoughtlessly said I would  make for my office party the next day.
- Driving me to Feast when I reallllly don't want to go.
- Supporting me through everything.

I love you, Blow Fish.  I love you, Houty.  I love you, Offspring.  You make my life more exciting, more liveable, and more manageable than I ever thought possible.  More importantly, you inspire me every day.  To eat more, to laugh at everything, to speak louder, to sleep less, to be home earlier, and know that when I do leave work I have a wonderful home to leave to.  In return, I promise to invite you to my hypothetical wedding - a big commitment for me, as you well know.

Teaser - Up Next: How to Destroy Your Car in One Year or Less - and special Mini Bio from Ghost Writer!