Meet Kassandra and Eric, from Seattle!

Kassandra jensen  Eric Howk

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when Eric and I first met. It was sometime in Seattle in 2005. There was never a formal meeting or anything specific that we can recall; we simply floated in the same social pools and lived in the same neighborhoods. He was a musician and I was, well, a huge music fan. Our friendship never really ramped up beyond friendly acquaintances, but as the years went by, we always kept a pulse on each other. When I was living overseas, he would always check in if he was coming through Berlin on tour, but for the most part we went on with our lives, occasionally catching glances at what the other was up to on social media.

He was injured in the spring of 2007 (T4 complete). I remember clearly being with friends as they got the call about Eric being in an accident. What followed was watching a community rally behind him and come together to support, raise money and help him keep the goal of getting back on the stage. Which he did only 3 months later. Like a badass. •
Then in the fall of 2018, an old friend posted a video of her son dancing to a song of Eric’s band and it occurred to me that it had been a while since we had caught up.

We started talking and it was clear from the start that this was more than the friendly distant check-ins of the past. A few weeks later, I jumped on a plane to Portland (I was living in Los Angeles at the time) to spend some real time together. During that first trip we experienced a true test of our dynamic, which only solidified our compatibility even more. We took a beautiful drive to Mt. Saint Helens and at this point I hadn’t lived in the NW in 8 years. I wanted to see everything that day; most of all I missed the Washington coast. So we kept driving, as Eric was stubbornly determined to make that happen. Once we got out to the beach, we pulled up on the sand to get a closer look at the waves. Of course though it wasn’t that simple. Only a few feet in, the tires of his little car dug into the sand and we were completely stuck. At this moment we looked at each other, understanding that I would be the one to get out of the car and assess our current situation. Yet, we bonded so much during this struggle and learned how we both handle undesirable events. We found ways to laugh, and to be sweet and affectionate to one another the entire time between strangers helping us try to push the car lose and finally, waiting for the tow truck. Long story short, it would seem its been years in the making.

So that takes us to now, about a year ago I moved up to Seattle, and these days we have a sweet little life with our dog. Eric is a musician and I am a painter. He has taught me how to push myself in ways I never have, as well as being comfortable with myself when I can not."

Kassandra

kassandra jensen Eric Howk wags of sci 3