We started as colleagues, entering RPS’ new teacher cohort lead by Barb Evans, back in 2002 after both of us coincidentally returned to the states after teaching abroad (Jake in England; Cori in Hong Kong). We quickly became friends who did what all new teachers do in the Midwest: start a weekend Grading Club, play on a staff volleyball team, attend school theatre productions and sporting events and fundraisers and IEP meetings, debate lesson plans and best practices, and drink really hard on Fridays to balance out the trauma experienced during the week. At one of those summer volleyball games, a former student that Cori also used to coach mentioned that groups of friends would all chatter about how we should get together and…we all know the power of suggestion and well-meaning, pushy students… After years of individual trials and tribulations, we finally landed together and with our neurotic furry son Jasper, created a home full of weirdness and love. Then, Cori with all her infinite impatience, creativity and penchant for embarrassing others decided to proverbially pop the question by cahooting with a Blue Duck waitress who would put the unique ring around a raspberry on the dessert plate. As all good witches know, a plot against another brings three times the strife to the plotter: no ring could be seen on the plate but horror certainly reflected in the waitress’ eyes as she deftly dropped off the 20 layer lemon crepe cake. Was there a raspberry? A few, yes. Was Jake suspicious of Cori’s plan? Not until his fork made that age-old ting sound three-fourths of the way into the piece of cake. A flash of confusion then a barrel laugh with a “thank you,” which Cori swears were his first words although Jake will say otherwise. And, now you’re attending the event that seals the rest of our history together!