Theseus
Theseus and I met in a high school art class when I was a sophmore and he was a junior. Initially we did not get along at all. In addition, he was dating a friend of mine, and the three of us worked together - a recipe for a lame high school romance novel. He graduated high school in 2002 and I left for the Army after I graduated in 2003 and our paths separated. Then in the fall of 2005, a friend asked me to go to a party Theseus' roommate was having at their apartment. I went, spent most of the night talking to Theseus, and we went on our first date the following Monday. I moved in a month later. Eleven months after that, we got married. He's my best friend. Funny how life is like that. :)
Monkey
Before Theseus and I started dating, I shared an apartment with a roommate in Buzzards Bay. Our landlord didn't mind if we had a pet, so when a coworker mentioned her brother was looking to find homes for a few (!) litters of kittens at his home, I compulsively said I'd take one. I drove to his house after work and he helped round up the kittens for me to choose from. All those remaining were female, he said. I chose one who was standing on the kitchen table, attacking the tail of an adult cat. I named him Monkey (turns out it's sometimes difficult to determine the gender of kittens) because of the way he'd run, jump and shimmy up the corner of my mattress... and the couch... and the curtains...
Nipsy
Nipsy came from the same house where I got Monkey (how could I not get two?) and also turned out to be a male. I chose him after spying him sleeping in an Easter basket, curled up on the fake plastic grass. My coworker's brother couldn't tell if they were from the same litter, as nearly all the kittens were grey, but the two became inseparable as soon as I took them home, so I've always thought of them as brothers. I named him Nipsy (before the vet told me he was in fact a HE) because of how overly affectionate he is. Even now, if you don't feel like petting him, he'll rub his face on your hand (or elbow, or foot) and pet himself.
Fiyero
One Saturday last summer, Theseus and I were out running errands and stopped for cat food at a PetSmart near our house (can you see where this is going?). We walked in to find a small crowd swarming several foster families who were trying to find homes for their foster pets. I looked at the kittens - and looked at Theseus looking at the kittens - and knew there was no way we were going home without one. We chose "Regis" because of his energy and cuddly personality - we later renamed him Fiyero, after the character in the musical Wicked. Although he's a little younger and quite a bit more energetic than Monkey and Nipsy, he is a perfect fit for our little tribe. :)