Happy Birthday Honey!

Today is the day my husband was born! It is a day I very much like to celebrate! I am so happy he was born! Happy Birthday Honey! I love you!

Sad News

Yesterday evening my husband's great aunt P.'s spectacular life (see here and here) came to an end, and with her death also came an end of an era in our family, since she was the final member from my husband's grandparents' generation. We're sad. We're sad her interesting life is over. We're sad we won't get to be with her again, and we won't get to listen to her stories again. We are sad, but we shouldn't be sad, because Aunt P. was never sad when we were together. She always took great joy in her life and in ours.

As we sort through the emotions that come with a great loss we are focusing on the joy she brought to us and the things she inspired within us. She was such a wonderful lady.

We love you Aunt P.!

A beautiful day on the mountain

Today was a beautiful day on the mountain. My husband, his mother, his father, and I skied together. The sun was bright. The air was cold. The snow was powder. It was greatness.

Three-Oh Ski Trip

We're in Steamboat Colorado with my husband's parents. My husband turns thirty years old this week, and we're celebrating doing one of his favorite outdoor activities- snow skiing. We're getting a lot of snow in Steamboat. Visibility on the mountain is less than 20 feet at times. I am skiing blues (and blue-blacks) like a champion. I think I'm making my husband proud. I've only crashed and burned once in the parking lot walking to the lift (so that doesn't count) and once on the mountain. Skiing on fresh powder is tricky for me. Plus, I think I like to ski nice and easy; I'm not real aggressive on the mountain- just like in life. Right now I'm relaxing and watching the snow fall in the condo with my husband's mother while my husband and his father are doing their double-black diamond thing on the mountain. Life is good.

Art

This was another sculpture I found interesting in Las Vegas' City Center. I used to think art was silly, but I worked for 13 weeks in New York City in 2007 and on the weekends I went to all the art museums because it was affordable entertainment. That experience put my appreciation for art into motion. Now, I think it's fun to look at art and think about what the artist's work means to me. Plus, I like to look at something and try to predict if my husband will enjoy it too.

Thank You Hudson Taylor

I just read a cool article about the 23-year-old University of Maryland wrestler Hudson Taylor. He has a very interesting outlook on life: Both him and his (female) fiance consider themselves to be feminist and he is an outspoken supporter of gay rights. Thank you Hudson Taylor!

The Year of the Tiger.

Las Vegas is actively pursuing the Chinese gambler; most hotels and casinos were decorated to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Twenty-ten is the year of the Tiger. The Chinese lanterns and dragons and tigers were impressive to see, and I think it's a smart move for the casinos because there were a ton of Asians in Las Vegas last week. I wonder if Las Vegas decorates for gay pride? Decorations always make people feel welcomed.

S&G's Secret Garden

Yes, I paid the $15 to gain admission into Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage. I saw lions, tigers, a leopard, and (my favorite) dolphins!

Richard MacDonald

Ohmygod, Ohmygod, OHMYGOD!! I was introduced to the art of Richard MacDonald while in Las Vegas and his sculptures are absolutely stunning. I went to the gallery in Bellagio and at City Center every day while I was in town, because his sculptures excite my soul and make me feel more alive. I am alive! The story I was told is that MacDonald was commissioned by the creators of Cirque du Soleil because they felt he could capture the movement of Cirque performers in bronze statues. They were so amazed by his work that they now have galleries that sale series of his works to the public. (I love capitalism!)

This is a picture of my favorite sculpture. I think it's called Transcend II. If you saw it in person you would be amazed. It's beautiful. When I finally got the attention of an art consultant and started a conversation I told her this one was my favorite in the gallery, and she said it is one of the most special pieces in his entire collection. You can get a Richard MacDonald sculpture of $3,800, but this one starts at $44,000. (That's incredibly disappointing to know the price tag for the sculpture is $44K) The art consultant asked where I was staying, and when I told her MGM she was visibly disappointed; I guess if I'm staying at MGM, then I can't afford art? I hope they never sale out so I can visit this sculpture every time I'm in Las Vegas. Or maybe I'll win the lottery?! It was beautiful to see with my eyes.

Viva Las Vegas!

We've been in Vegas y'all! My husband had a business conference in Las Vegas and since I was already planning on taking off part of this week to go skiing with his parents I decided to take off the whole week and meet up with him in Las Vegas on Saturday. We had a free hotel, a free flight, and my boss didn't mind me taking off all week- so why not?! My husband was in conference stuff all day and I frolicked (all by my lonesome) up and down the strip. I "lost" money while in Vegas but it wasn't because of a gambling it was because Banana Republic was having a sale!

Republicans Hate Homos

I read this headline and my head wanted to explode in frustration: "Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Rolls Back Non-Discrimination Protections For Gay State Workers" This means that gay workers could be fired for being gay. It is 2010! I can't believe he signed this executive order in 2010! I've never understood why Republicans have consistently taken a hard line against homos. Why can't they just let it be? Why do they have to be against us? Republicans have become the party that panders to the lowest common denominator; it's embarrassing.

Trigger!

When my husband is out of town on business, my (four-legged) son Trigger gets to sleep in the bed with me. Trigger likes to sleep with his body covered and his head sticking out. It cracks me up when I roll over in the morning and see Trigger sleeping like this...it's a fun way to start the day.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

One of the many perks of being us is that we have two guys in our marriage; we don't really care about silly holidays like Valentine's Day. While we were shopping at Target yesterday my husband showed me a card, I read it, I laughed, he wished me Happy Valentine's Day and then he put the card back. He didn't even buy my Valentine's Day card. I didn't buy him a card either. It's one of the many reasons we're perfect for each other.

Beautiful Snow

My husband's mother took this photo with her iPhone during the great snow storm of last week, isn't it beautiful!

Send Aunt P. Some Loving Energy!

I told you here some of the (many) reasons my husband's great aunt is a remarkable woman. She is also the last living person on my husband's side of the family from my husband's grandparents' generation; she is our bridge to a time line that includes the Great Depression and World War II and all the incredible happenings inside and outside our family since her 1926 birth. She has lived an interesting life at an interesting time in history. And right now she's in the hospital. If you're reading this post, then I hope you can send loving thoughts from your computer to Aunt P.'s hospital bed. Loving thoughts can only do good.

Hang in there Aunt P. and keep on fighting! Stay strong and be well. We're sending you love from Dallas to your San Fransisco hospital bed! We love you. We can't wait to visit you again...maybe this summer or in the fall?! Keep on fighting Aunt P.! We love you.

Give it Up!

It's been a long time since I've been this excited about a musical. And I am disappointed that I saw this fantastic show on the next to last night of it's month-long run. Back story: We were supposed to be in Austin this weekend celebrating the 30 birthday of our friend Kurt, but with the power outage and chaotic state of our house with the painters we sent our regrets to Kurt and his wife, and stayed in Dallas. We were unexpectedly in town this weekend and by chance our good friends had extra tickets to the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Dallas gala at the Wyly Theater Center. The gala included drinks, food, a silent auction, and tickets to the musical Give it Up.

The show closes tonight, but if you can find a way to get tickets tonight- GO SEE THIS SHOW! Two weeks ago my husband's parents saw this show and said we HAVE to see it. We thought okay but we didn't make an effort to see the show, because unless it's Wicked it's hard for me to get excited about musicals. My husband's parents were correct. This show is great. It's exceptional. This is how it's described on the Dallas Theater Center website: "It's Lysistrata meets High School Musical as Give it Up! gives Aristophanes' 2000-year-old groundbreaker a hilarious contemporary spin."

The cheerleaders and female students of Athens College with hold "giving it up" to the boys basketball team to encourage them to break their losing curse and win a basketball game. The tension builds as the cheerleaders refuse to have sex with their boyfriends, and the students reevaluate what's important- if we're not having sex then why are we together? In the end everyone learns to "give up" what's holding them back. The main message of the musical is to be yourself. My words cannot really describe this show- it's hilarious, it's energizing, it's just a fun (adult) experience. This show premiered in Dallas, but it really needs to get to Broadway ASAP.

Bravo!

Painting Update

Almost, just about nearly, but not quiet...complete...we did not have electricity on Thursday and Friday so the painters were unable to finish painting the house. (It's been six weeks.) They have a few rooms to touch-up and then they have some track-lighting to install in our hallway. They are 95% complete and we think the house looks fantastic. It is exactly what we wanted: white and bright; our home is more interesting with all the beautiful shades of blues, grays, whites, and our red closets!

I will say that this project (painting every surface in our 30 year old house except for the floors) has clearly shown me why we should never get any plastic surgery. We've updated the colors of the house, our house is more current and less dated, BUT updating the color pallet has highlighted how out of place (dated) some other items in our house. Our ceiling fans, our bathroom counters, our bathroom fixtures, the most comfortable hand-me-down couch, and our window blinds all look dated and out of place in our freshly painted home. So the list of to-do's has grown. When we can afford it we need to replace these things. The lesson learned is that if you fix one thing, then you have to fix another and another and another...and pretty soon our house will look like Cher?! It's a never-ending improvement project. It won't look new, but it won't look old either.

Powerless for Two Days

We received a record amount of snow on Thursday in Dallas. We lost electricity for the most of two days. Lucky for us we have a gas fireplace in our living room, and we pulled the chase and a couch in front of the fireplace and we played card games (gin rummy and speed) and my husband read aloud by candle light Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol in front of the fire. Since we live in Dallas (in Lakewood) we kept thinking that the power would come back on- any moment. It was a reasonable thought since we don't live in the country- we live in Dallas. We actually enjoyed our two days without electricity. There wasn't anything to distract us- no TV, no Internet, no hot water, no light- it was just us together in front of the fireplace and it was lovely. The power was restored at midnight on the second day, and as we decamped from the living room we both discussed why we don't do this more often.

Executive Platinum Husband

My husband got home from the airport after I went to to bed last night, and he left the house to go back to the airport before I woke up this morning. He has 3 day trips this week. He's a busy businessman. The recession must be over because this is the busiest Q1 he's ever had.

Antique Roadshow Love

My husband's parents are mesmerized by PBS' Antiques Roadshow. We think they are about 25 years too young to care so much about that show, and sometimes we make fun of them for watching the Antiques Roadshow, nightly! For Valentine's Day (in retaliation) my husband's parents baked and decorated a delicious cake, gave us the Antiques Road Show game, and wrote us a poem inside our Valentine's Day card! We're so lucky! I am going to bring the game with us to play nonstop while we're in Colorado together. The cake was great- my husband's mother makes a killer cake and icing. But the favorite gift of the night is the poem they wrote to us...

Antique Roadshow
we love you so!
It's educational
don't you know!

Be careful what you
think is trash,
it could be exchanged
for major cash!

KERA is the channel
for us,
PBS is the one
you can trust!

So, don't poke fun
at your family now,
we're watching & hoping
we'll find a cash cow!

Giddy Up!

Last week's visit to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo has had me thinking about an agriculture life. I like to think, perhaps, in a parallel universe I am a horse owner; I am sure I have horses and pigs and happy hens laying eggs. It would be fun to visit that place for a weekend, because my current life isn't on track to accommodate my inner cowboy, which is okay, because I live a glorious life without the farm.

Pizza Dough

In case anyone was curious...(Ahem, Dooley)...My husband's secret to really spectacular pizza dough is that he uses Williams-Sonoma's Cuisinart Convection Breadmaker. One of the wedding presents my in-laws gave us was this machine and it's worth owning. (Our kitchen is the smallest room in our house, which means when I think a kitchen appliance is worth owning that's a huge compliment to the appliance.) Live with a Breadmaker and you'll wonder how you ever got along without one in your house.

Idol's Hope Johnson

Did you watch this week's American Idol? I was so touched by Hope Johnson's story. You can watch it on YouTube, here. Hope's words are so touching: "I didn't know we were poor when I was little. I thought a lot of kids didn't eat dinner. My parents would say: you're going to eat at school. I use to take food from my lunch tray home...I would give my brother my food. I felt like- there's always tomorrow and things are always going to be better. Just make it through the night. There's a lot worse things than just going without. There's a lot worse."

It makes me sad to know there are children hungry in the U.S.A. We shouldn't have hungry children in our great nation, and I am sorry that Hope and her six sisters and one brother had to go hungry at times. We can do better. I hope Hope does well in Idol's Hollywood week. I will be cheering for her!

Adios Antique White

This is why we're painting all the surfaces in the house: look at the above photo. As soon as they painted the walls a true white all the doors in the house obviously appear to not be white. Our house was bathed in the yellowy, buttery, antique white that was awesome in 1980 when our house was built, but it is not awesome today. I like bright whites. I like whites to be white because it makes me feel clean and crisp.

I can't wait for the work to be completed. When the painters started they were going to be here until the end of January. Today is the first day of February, and the painting of the house is not completed. The painters arrived today with an action plan so they can finish by the week's end. (Fingers crossed.)