Who We Are As a Couple
We both studied music in college and graduate school, and when we first met, we bonded very quickly over this shared interest. So, music continues to remain an important part of our relationship. We also enjoy cooking together and reading aloud to each other.
We’re very lucky to live in New York City where we get to have all kinds of adventures – festivals, concerts, museums, and lectures. But it sure is nice to escape to visit family in New Hampshire and on Long Island!
We are so excited to one day be able to share our adventures, traditions, stories, and explorations with a child. We want Galen’s parents to be able to take their granddaughter to museums and teach her to rock climb, and we want Nina’s parents to be able to go kayaking with their grandson and watch The Wizard of Oz with him; Nina is excited to sing and play on the floor with her child, and Galen can’t wait to read Harry Potter to his son or daughter.
About Nina
Hi! I grew up on Long Island with my parents, my younger brother, and many pets over the years. My home was always full of music and activity, and an emphasis on healthy eating and physical fitness. My parents met as music majors in college, although now my mom is a successful psychologist who runs her own practice. And my dad’s career in finance has never kept him from his piano! My brother is in finance, as well, but is also an accomplished songwriter and sound engineer, and he just recently got married to a terrific lady!
While I went to school for music and completed my doctorate in 2018, I actually make my living as both a professional musician and a professional fitness instructor. I have performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to B.B. King’s Blues Club to dives in Brooklyn. As to fitness, I have been freelancing all over New York City ever since the age of 18.
I’m passionate about music and exercise, but about lots of other things, too: I love to read and to learn, and I’ve always been interested in science. I also quite like to cook and bake. My three other great joys in life are, of course, Galen and our two delightful cats, Clyde and Elliott.
What Galen Says About Nina
Nina is smart, and funny, and fun. She’s an enormously talented musician. I have a great admiration for her ability to care about and empathize with other people. I love her sentimentality and the ways that she keeps us focused on the unfolding story of our relationship. We make a great team, each happily filling in the gaps and weaknesses in the other, and Nina is constantly supportive and understanding.
About Galen
I have wanted to be a dad since I was 3 years old and asked my parents for “a baby” for my birthday. They gave me a doll, and then a little brother about a year later. Fast forward a few years, and I’m definitely ready, but it hasn’t worked out yet.
I grew up in Upstate New York and New Hampshire, and my childhood was full of hiking and camping, playing in the woods behind our house, and a lot of singing and music lessons and trips to the library. My dad is an engineer and teaches college physics. My mom runs non-profit organizations and freelances as a museum curator. My brother is hilarious, designs video games for a living, and has published two novels for elementary school kids.
After growing up on dirt roads, I decided to try city life. I went to college and graduate school for music and then moved to Manhattan. I love visiting my family in the woods, but at this point I’m a die-hard New Yorker. (Just don’t tell the people who were born and raised here that I said that….) I have made a career as a computer programmer for non-profit arts organizations; I make music during my free time; and Nina and I have made a wonderful home together.
What Nina Says About Galen
My husband is such an interesting, layered person that it’s hard for me to quickly sum him up, but I will start here: I fell in love with him because he is a deeply generous and thoughtful man who always makes an effort to see things from all perspectives. He is quick-witted and creative. He is an independent thinker, and is funny and sentimental. I hope that we get the opportunity to parent together because I can’t wait to see Galen in action as a daddy!
What Our Cats Say
We’re so excited for Mommy and Daddy to bring home a baby, because then they’ll be too distracted to shoo us off the kitchen counter! While we don’t like other cats, we love other people (especially other people who feed us treats!). The only really bad thing about Mommy and Daddy is that they make us go to the vet…do babies have to go to the vet, too? And don’t worry: When the baby arrives, we’ll be willing to share our favorite cardboard boxes. Maybe.