Who is Auntie Kate?

I'm the favorite Auntie.

I'm also their nanny, which means I spend most weekdays with Sis and Bubs, my niece and nephew, while their parents are at work. That gives me a front-row seat to childhood. The little moments that help shape the people they will become. The moments that seem ordinary until one day they're gone.

But this page isn’t just about them. It’s about me too.

Like a lot of people, I've spent years trying to figure out who I am. The older I get, the more I realize how much of my personality I used to keep tucked away. I've always been emotional, curious, complicated, and more than a little moody. I've got a huge heart. I'm loyal to a fault. I care deeply, sometimes too deeply.

And when someone matters to me, they matter completely. The flip side is that betrayal hits hard. I'll cry about it first, then act like you never existed. I've spent a lot of my life trying to decide whether those parts of me were strengths or flaws. What I'm learning is that they're just parts of who I am. These kids get the version of me that stopped apologizing for that.

At the end of the day, I'm just trying to enjoy the ride. Life is weird. Sometimes it's beautiful. Sometimes it's heartbreaking. Most of the time it's both at once. So I dance when the music comes on. I laugh whenever I can. I stay curious. I pay attention to the little things. And I try to leave people feeling a little lighter than I found them.

If you see me out in the wild shaking my butt to a song only I can hear, feel free to join in.