Can you please tell me what happened to this bag of tortilla chips? When I left the house I'm certain it was in the recycle bin, but when I returned home I found it murdered on the office floor. Since you're the oldest, I think you should be able to tell me what happened?
Every princess needs a place from which she can overlook her queendom. Dooley has been hanging out on this spot continuously. The blanket her other daddy left out on the couch gave her a nice soft and high spot to sit. She can now watch both the inside and outside of our house. She hangs out here until she sees or hears something interesting, and then she takes off!
I just saw that my previous post was the 1,000th post on Glorious Gay Days. I think that's a moment which requires a little reflection. My first post was on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 and three years later I'm still going strong. This blog documents the real moments in our life. We've celebrated births, and mourned the deaths of grandmothers, great aunts, and Martha Fauker. This blog also documents the normal moments in our life. I like to cook and garden and watch Oprah and True Blood. It took me a bit to focus the voice of this blog, but after three years I know that I write these posts to do my quiet part in the quest for marriage equality. I want to show that my husband and I aren't living an alternative lifestyle; we're living a normal life...in all its glorious-ness.
And we want, we deserve, the same rights as my brother and his wife. We want Texas and the United States of America to give us the freedom to marry each other. We're not cowboys - I don't call him "my partner." He's my husband. We had a wedding. I will continue to tinker along in this blog for the 5,000 hits I get a month until I can legally marry my husband.
Our desert roses are in bloom! Yesterday I dropped my husband off at the airport and he flew out to begin his two year MBA journey. Afterwards, I went to yoga, soaked in the tub, and then watched about 6 hours of Glee. I might have got a little teary eyed when the Gleeks won nationals, but luckily no one was here to see this 31 year old man get wrapped up in the lives of a fictional high school show choir. I'm a very exciting person, I know.
I am addicted to Glee's version of Florence and the Machine's song Shake It Out. I love the trio of voices in Glee's version and the words to this song are so powerful. "Looking for heaven, found the devil in me." and "It's hard to dance with the devil on your back, so shake him off." The song's about not holding on to regrets or the terrible things that happen to you in your life...just shake it off, move on, dance!
Last night when I was taking Trigger and Dooley outside one last time before bed I discovered a dead juvenile opossum in our back yard. It's death was confirmed because it was stiff and smelly. I wonder how it got there? Could Trigger and/or Dooley be killers? Say it ain't so; not my children! But, someone had clearly gnawed on its neck. I wish we lived next door to my parents so I could call my dad and have him remove the opossum from our backyard, but since my father was 75 miles away and it was late (and smelly) I had to remove the dead opossum all by my grown self.
Rest in peace opossum and in your next life please don't come to our back yard. It's a kill zone.
I wear a wedding ring, but sometimes my life as a consultant gets tricky when you work with clients for a few days before you move on.
I'm in a small town in the Texas panhandle and the following conversation is between me and a 65 year-old grandmotherly office worker who was born and raised in the small Texas panhandle town.
Nice Lady: "Do you have any children?"
Me: "No, but I have two dogs."
Nice Lady: "Are you a married man?"
Me: "Yes."
Nice Lady: "What does your wife do?"
Me: "I don't have a wife."
*Silence*
The Nice Lady had a confused look on her face, and I offered no additional explanation, before she left my office.
I'm traveling for work, and this is my second week in the high plains of the Texas panhandle. This part of the world has its own unique beauty. I love the big sky. I enjoy the flatness that turns into gullies and plateaus and then returns to flatness again. The climate is interesting too. It's frosty in the morning and hot in the afternoon. The people are too nice. The towns can be remote, which makes it feel like another country. There isn't any 3G/4G networks; I'm on the edge network. I'm on the edge of Texas. The economy is almost entirely tied to the oil and gas industry, which makes me wonder what this place would be like without oil and gas? Would it be empty?
I enjoy the quietness and darkness at night. I like this part of Texas.
Oh no! Dooley has lost one of the "diamonds" on her collar. She probably lost it when she was attacking the mowers. Or she might have lost it when she was wrestling with her daddy or chasing her brother. Either way, we're down a "diamond," which is never a good thing.
If only I had a Bedazzler I could fix this problem. What? You think all gay men have their own Bedazzler? I wish.
We've got a team of aggressive looking caterpillars living on our passion plants. They're a mean looking red and black and spiky combination. One day, I bet, this creature will turn into a beautiful butterfly, and I hope to see him fly away in all his beauty.
I'm a fan of Debby Holiday and I really like her new "Key To Your Soul" video. The lyrics are pretty powerful too:
*************
I was livin' a life I thought I had to live.
Paint by numbers, squeezed in a box, I just never fit.
I was putting on a front, but it was all for show.
Then I heard a voice say "Would it be so bad for the world to know?"
I am, I am, I am free.
Face your fears; unlock the key to your soul
Step to the beat that makes you feel whole
Honesty, that's how you to take control
Live like you mean it, that's the key to your soul
Now I found the strength to live outside the lines
drawn by somebody else's brush; I color myself just fine.
It took a little livin' to learn that loving me feels good.
And I never ever want to return to being misunderstood
I am, I am, I am free...
*************
The world is changing, but I can recall a time when I felt like I was living the life I thought I had to live. What a complete and total waste of time to live someone else's life. Like Debby's song says: Live like you mean it, that's the key to your soul!
Bonus: One of the background dancers is my all time favorite Dallas drag queen, Cassie Nova! She makes me laugh every time we visit the Rose Room!
Gay men love their moms. We celebrate the love for our moms year-round. We spent time with my mother on Saturday night (Mother's Day eve?) and we spent a fast lunch with my husbands' mother on Sunday, Mother's Day.
My mother lost her mother in October and this was the first motherless mother's day for my mother. It wasn't easy. I feel very grateful to have two moms in our life.
Happiness is wanting what you have. We have two moms (and dads)!
Once it was illegal for mixed race couples to get married. Today you can marry the opposite sex person regardless of their race. I hope one day my husband and I can stand behind a similar sign. One day, I hope, you can marry any other individual regardless of their race or sex. One day.
Six years ago today our closest family members and a few of our friends gathered in Austin, Texas as my husband and I exchanged vows of love and commitment. Our marriage ceremony was followed by an open bar, dinner, three wedding cakes, and a night of dancing in celebration.
Happy Anniversary Honey! I love you. The greatest accomplishment in my life (and the most fulfilling part of my existence) is my relationship with you!
Here's to us and the hope that one day our country will recognize our marriage!
How can that man show his face in public again? What a nincompoop. Did he really just say that? Who really wants to marry their dog? Who really wants to marry ice cream? Who? This is just their scare tactic to fight against marriage equality...surely the American people are smarter than this?
Just so we're all on the same page two consensual adults getting married is nothing at all like imaginary people wanting to marry ice cream. Ice cream cannot consent to marriage. However, I am an adult beyond the age of consent and I want the freedom to marry the person I love. Again, I'm not asking for extra freedom from my country. I just want the same freedom as my brother, because I am "equal to" not "less than"!
Last night, in celebration of my new job, we went to dinner with our friends Dave and Myranda. I thought Myranda looked really beautiful in her dress and high heels, and I told her so. She told me that she really loves to wear high heels but she doesn't get the chance very often. I was confused by her statement because Myranda works in the corporate office of a major airline. The women in my office wear high heels all the time. I asked what she wears to work. She told me that she has to dress like a pilgrim at work otherwise she gets sexually harassed by the older men.
WHAT? It's 2012.
Myranda just turned 26 years old. She's young and very beautiful on the outside. She's also smart and very beautiful on the inside. And yet in order to be taken seriously at work she must dress down? No dresses. No high heels. Otherwise men make inappropriate comments? Really?!
This makes me mad. This isn't right.
It reminds me of the few times older men have made inappropriate gay jokes in front of me at work. It's a terrible feeling. But, I'm starting my new job on Monday...so hopefully that won't happen again.
I've said it on this blog many times: Republicans are on the wrong side of history. The same week that President Obama publicly supported marriage equality the Republican Presidential nominee spoke out against gay marriage AND civil unions.
Our cousin sent me this photo from the traffic jam in on the Georgian highway. Last year when we visited we had to stop for sheep and sometimes cattle crossing the highways. I think it's lucky when you're life is paused because of livestock crossing your path.
First, I never understood the term of "black sheep"until I went to Georgia. There is at least one black sheep in a heard of white sheep. Do you see the black sheep in this photo? I want to start a heard of only black sheep.
Second, you should click on this photo to get a closer look at the shepherd. That is the cutest shepherd I've ever seen, and it makes me want to go into the sheep business. When we visit Georgia again we will drive the highways of Georgia in search of the shirtless shepherd! As a general rule, Georgians are very attractive individuals. I think it has to do with their spot on Earth; they are one of the places where the middle east meets western Europe.
My husband is reading Zach Wahls' new book My Two Moms, and he sent me this quote, which I think is worth sharing...
*********************
The because-I-said-so line is occasionally acceptable when the parent- or any other authority figure- has meritorious explanations at other times. By demonstrating a thoughtful decision-making process about what I was and was not allowed to do, my moms built a strong, trusting relationship, making obedience easy.
“Because I said so,” on the other hand, is a poor legal explanation for anything. But, fundamentally, it is a core legal argument beneath the “sanctity of marriage.” Britney Spears’s fifty-five-hour marriage and Kim Kardashian’s seventy-two-day marriage both uphold the “sanctity of marriage,” but my moms’ sixteen-year commitment doesn’t?
When I see a French bulldog in a print advertisement it makes me want to buy what they're selling. For example, the first photo came from Serena & Lily and now I can't wait to make my next purchase from the French bulldog loving company. Is that wrong?
Of course, I feel this way because I have a French bulldog. The second photo is of Presley and Dooley in our backyard. So sweet.
The president of the United States has just endorsed gay marriage. I'm so happy. I don't think you understand the power of this moment unless you're queer like us. How many times have we been sidelined, offended, or considered not equal to our heterosexual counterparts? How many times have elected officials used fear mongering, and turned equal rights for gays into a wedge issue? How many times have people made jokes at our expense? How many times has the majority (straights) voted to not give the minority (LGBT's) equal rights? Today, the most powerful person in the world has acknowledged our struggle towards equality, and he's speaking up on our behalf. The President is standing up for equality. The President is standing up for the minority. I'm so happy.
The purpose of this blog is to prove that my husband and I are just like any other couple except we don't have equal rights. Why? I want to live in a world where everyone has the same rights and freedoms to live their life. Don't you? Today, the President just affirmed our humanity. He's saying homos are equal to heteros.
While Presley was staying with us she liked to bang on the pink medal table and swirl the clapper inside my wind chimes. It was a cacophony of back yard sounds; it terrified Trigger, but I was happy to hear the music she was creating.
Yesterday my oldest niece, Presley, and I spent the day together. We started off at the Dallas Arboretum, which was interesting to a four year old for about 90 minutes. However, I think an adult could spend an entire morning at the Dallas Arboretum. It sits on the shores of White Rock Lake, and it's absolutely beautiful. I fully enjoyed exploring the grounds with my little niece. I was trying to encourage her to appreciate art and beauty in the natural world. I think she does.
Yesterday I had a delicious lunch. My husband grilled chicken and fresh corn. And for dessert I had Blueberry angel food cake with dollops of homemade vanilla ice cream, which was sitting on top of fresh blueberries and strawberries. It tasted like summer.
I'm 31 years old. My husband and I are ready to have a baby, and our family is ready for us to have a baby too. We are either going to adopt a child or use surrogacy. When my brother's wife found out that I'm starting a new job next week and my husband is starting a two year MBA program this month her immediate reaction: "Oh, no. You two are going to be Elton John's age before you have your first baby."
That made me laugh. Elton and his partner had their first child when Elton was in his 60's.
I think we're still on track to have our first child before we turn 35 years old.
This weekend my husband, my parents and I took a road trip to San Antonio to visit Americus Diamond. It's worth the drive because Americus Diamond has the largest inventory of diamonds in the world. The goal was to get my mother a new ring, which we did, but while we were there I found my dream ring. It's a solid ring of diamonds. (Check out the photo. I need a larger size, which means I'll need four more diamonds!) My husband claims that "one day" he'll buy it for me. Americus Diamond promised to put the description in my file so it'll be easy for my husband to order one day!!!
Now, I might be 80 years old before we can afford it, but still it's the spirit of the message. My husband wants to get it for me....some day! That makes me happy.
And if you are anywhere close to San Antonio, then you have to visit Americus Diamond. The store. The inventory. It's spectacular.
One of the many remarkable things about Georgians is their ingenuity. Proof: You CAN haul scrap metal on top of your Volvo! Why not? I like people that have creative solutions to problems. Our cousin Sarah sent us this photo, because she knows we'd appreciate it. With my husband's MBA I don't think we can afford to go to Georgia this year, but I cannot wait to spend more time in that country. Fall 2014?
"I believe that everyone must stand up for what is right, whenever possible, wherever possible. I also believe that when the civil rights of any one American or group of Americans in one place are questioned, all Americans, everywhere, should care that the answer is the right one. Those are lessons I learned at a young age from my parents and they are guiding principles in my life.
"That is why I am joining you in opposing Amendment One in North Carolina. Amendment One unfairly targets women, children and families, gay and straight, who fall outside of the narrow definition of family articulated by those who drafted the legislation. It is our duty to join the fight on behalf of both the gay and lesbian North Carolinians who were the original targets of the amendment and the tens of thousands of straight male and female North Carolinians who will be collateral damage if the amendment passes next Tuesday."
My mom sent me this interview of Zach Wahls on The Daily Show with John Stewart. I cannot wait to read Zach's new book, My Two Moms, because one day I hope to have children that can write a book called My Two Dads.
From the Sunday New York Times: Homophobic? Maybe You're Gay. WHY are political and religious figures who campaign against gay rights so often implicated in sexual encounters with same-sex partners?
From The Daily Beast:GOP: No Gays AllowedThe GOP will have no gays within it unless they are prepared openly to oppose their own core rights and dignity. Romney has gone from promising to be more pro-gay in the Senate than Ted Kennedy than hanging a lone gay spokesman out to dry and pledging to write into the very constitution that gays are second class citizens.
