Hello, Steemit!

My name is Caitlin H. I grew up in rural southwest Virginia, and I currently reside in my hometown. I spent five years in Northeast Ohio during college and was able to expand my cultural experience by traveling all over the East Coast and Midwest attending concerts and eventually working for several musicians. I am a woman with several titles, some official, some self created, all me.

MOM

It's the title I'm currently most fond of and still a bit baffled by. I always thought I'd have kids. I love kids. However, once I figured out in the sixth grade my fondness for Catherine Clack was more than just admiration, I put my ideas about mothering to rest.

In early January last year, my wife and I were on our way home from the movies one night and I'm not quite sure how it came up but somehow in the twelve minute drive home, we decided we were going to have a kid because, why not? I was quite sure we'd wake up the next morning and laugh about it, but we didn't. Instead, I registered on a known donor website and began talking to donors.

On February 16th, I met donor Rob, and on September 8th we had our son. You may have noticed the math doesn't quite add up. He was born almost ten weeks early. We spent six weeks in the NICU, another story for another day.

CG, as I will refer to him here, is almost nine months old and you would never know he was a preemie warrior. I still can't believe he came from me. Babies really are miracles, for lack of a better word to describe how brilliant cell division really is.

BAND DIRECTOR

There were two things I was certain of in sixth grade: Catherine Clack was the most intriguing person on the face of this planet (and quite possibly a few others) and I was going to be a band director when I grew up. I was hooked the second I held a clarinet in my hands although it took me some time to sound decent. I was one of those kids that got pulled to the back room because I sounded like a dying cat. One day it clicked, the fire ignited, and I was done for, destined to be broke for the entirety of my adult life, living the dream.

It's not like being a mom was new when CG was born. I've helped raise over 200 teenagers. Teenagers: the light of my life and the bane of my existence. It's funny, everyone thought that when CG was born I wouldn't care as much or spend as much time with my older kids. In reality, he makes me want to go even further out of my way for them.

ANIMAL RESCUE

We have a lot of animals. Initially it started out as a pit bull thing. We rescued the unadoptables. Pit bulls are the most loyal creatures I have ever encountered. Then we started fostering mommy dogs and their babies before sending them off to greener pastures. Now, we focus on geriatric dogs for the most part.

Thank you, sweet Ruthie.

She came into our lives and changed them forever; the baddest, ugliest little creature. There is nothing like an old dog. Their story is in their eyes. Their gratitude is visible. They know things. They come and go quickly but the imprint they leave is worth the heartache every time.

Mom, band director, friend of animals; the foundation of my existence with many subtitles, plot twists, and stories to tell. I look forward to sharing my stories on Steemit.