Right Swipe, Right Time.

As summer winds down, I find myself reflecting a bit. The last few years have been chaotic—leaving administration, finishing up at my old school, moving to a new one, frantically setting up a classroom, learning curriculum, just trying to get my footing—and before I knew it, summer was gone.

But this year felt different. I officially survived 6th grade…again. Teachers get out about two weeks earlier than administrators, so when I checked out in early June—bam—it actually felt like summer this time.

On top of that, Amanda and I moved in together back in February. Looking back at our timeline, it’s easy to see how some might say things moved fast. Maybe they did. But here’s the thing—I’ve learned to speak my truth a little louder. And the truth is simple:

1. I don’t care what anyone thinks about the speed of it.

2. We’re in our 40s. We know what we want.

3. I’m happy. Freaking happy.

I don’t think I’ve ever written out the saga of how I met Amanda. So here goes:

It was not a dark and stormy night. I had just decided to get back out there, and dating had completely changed in ten years. Suddenly there were apps everywhere—Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, even Facebook Dating. I tried a few, went on some first dates (even a second or two), but nothing clicked. Then I stumbled on Facebook’s dating tab and figured maybe—just maybe—I’d find fewer scammers.

That’s where I saw Amanda’s profile. She looked familiar, though I couldn’t place her. I liked her profile, and then—ding ding—she matched back. Her first message? “You don’t remember me, do you?”

“Ahhh…shit.” (Pardon the language, but I’m keeping this authentic.)

So I did the only rational thing: Facebook stalked her. No mutual friends. She worked at Eagle Rock. I used to work at Ethel Boyes. Still nothing. Cute as hell though, so I had a choice:

1. Admit I had no clue.

2. Bluff and hope I remembered later.

If you guessed #2, shame on you. I told her straight up I didn’t remember. Then she said: “Oh, I was Kayden’s reading teacher in 7th grade.” Cue the oh boy.

See, back then Kayden had—still has—a bad habit of sneaking video games during school. At one point I reached out to his 7th-grade team about his accommodations. I don’t remember my exact tone, but let’s just say…apparently it wasn’t my best day. I’ve since heard it came across as “hostile.” Lucky for me, Amanda decided to give me a second chance when we matched.

We did the small talk, set up a date, met at McKenzie River for dinner—and the rest is history.

I won’t diminish the dating process or the relationship by skipping ahead, but those are stories for another day.

What matters is this: my blog is shifting. I want to focus on the present and look toward the future. I’ll keep my playful attitude and my raw, realistic voice, but the truth is—I’m not “healed.” That would be miraculous. What I’ve found is someone willing to unpack the emotional baggage I still carry. And that’s the real misconception: that you should be baggage-free before you meet someone. That’s not reality. Reality is finding the person who stays to unpack it with you.

Amanda is that person. She is my calm in the storm. And after the chaos of the past several years, I’ve found something I didn’t think was possible—I found peace and love. Two things I thought were unobtainable for myself.