Life of Brian

Happy Anniversary to US!

2009-10-23T20:06:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that it's been a year since Michael and I headed West to get married! This time last year, we were checking into the Roosevelt Hotel in LA. We got a free upgrade to a luxury hotel room, overlooking Hollywood Blvd. Our wedding ceremony was held the following day-- shortly after we had our picture taken with a couple of Marilyn Monroe impersonators outside the Chinese Theater. The ceremony was very simple-- money was tight and we couldn't afford the cliff side or beach ceremony. We opted for the wedding chapel venue. It was just the two of us, a Pastor and the world's worst photographer. There was ONE invited guest-- my former roommate, Christian. He was a no show & later claimed that he was sick.

The wedding chapel was as tacky as I expected. We stood with the Pastor under an indoor trellis covered in silk pink roses. We told the Pastor that we had written our own vows, but he ignored that request and went on with the ceremony as usual using prewritten vows. The vows we spoke to each other were probably better in hindsight.. they were dead on, and both of us cried as we attempted to repeat them. It was a totally moving ceremony, but we both regretted that we didn't get to say the things that we had spent weeks working on. We did read our personal vows to each other on the way to the car, and we ended up crying again and holding each other in the wedding chapel parking lot.

After the ceremony, we headed to Redondo Beach. We walked the pier and stopped for a drink in the local tavern. We watched the sun set over the ocean and relished in the fact that we were legally married. Just as legal as our parents had been. Who would have known that we were one of the last gay couple that could enjoy this right? A month later, gay marriages were outlawed due to Prop 8. Our marriage status was in limbo for the next several months. Sometime around February or March it was announced that marriages performed prior to November 3rd, 2008 were grandfathered in-- our marriage was still valid!

Since then, life has been a rocky road. Both of our work situations changed, money is tighter than ever and the "happily -ever-after" dream I had of marriage hasn't panned out. It's been a year, and we've settled into our roles as husbands and fathers (did I mention that we are raising a baby?). In the past year, we've gone through the "richer or poorer, sickness and in health" routine. Everything bad has been thrown at us, but we're still together and things are getting better. I'd walk through fire for that man, and I know he'd do the same for me. We are a family-- as strange as it may sound.

Happy Anniversary, Baby. I warned you that this was a life sentence with no chance of parole, and I meant it! Thank you for always being there for me, for encouraging me and supporting me. You are my knight in shining armor and I love you! I look forward to growing old with you and continuing to love you to the nth degree!

Below are the vows that we personally wrote to each other. Enjoy a private look at our inner-most thoughts:

Michael's vow to me:

It has been written that love is its own country that the world invades. It has also been written to love someone is to fly with the angels and if you are lucky your hands and hearts are connected, your body, you soul. I can only thank God that I have been able find the one person with whom all of this becomes manifest.
Brian, before you came into my life I was very much adrift. Now, I find a complement to my strength, am enhancement where I am weak. And, I am very blessed to do the same in return and have you love me…in return.
Brian, I pledge that you will always have my love. That you will always have me to lean upon and me upon you, our love is and always will be complete and perpetual.
This I promise today, tomorrow, and always.

*******************************************************************

My vow to Michael:

I, Brian, choose you, Michael, to be my soul mate and husband. In sickness, I will nurse you back to health. In health, I will encourage you on your path. In sadness, I will help you to remember. In happiness, I will be there to make memories with you. In poverty, I will do all that I can to make our love rich. And in wealth, I will never let our love grow poor.

When you need someone to talk to, I will be there for you. When you need a helping hand, you’ve got mine. When you need someone to laugh with, turn to me.

I promise to you a life time of happiness and I am so grateful to God that you entered my life.

Through the good and the bad, I will be beside you to protect you and love you as long as we both shall live.

Children's Museum, Etc.

2009-08-31T17:52:00.002-04:00

We took Grayson to the Children's Museum this weekend and he had a blast! I brought the camera with me, but forgot to bring the memory card, so I didn't get any pictures. You'll have to imagine about 1000 pictures of a kid smiling non-stop! He was able to climb ropes to get into a tree fort... he got to tap dance in a mirror with Sophie... he went fishing in a pond (wearing a fireman's raincoat)... and he got to ride on a John Deere tractor!

I try my best to fill every weekend with memories that I hope he will never forget. I know he's young; probably too young to remember any of this. Maybe I'm preserving these memories for myself.

We dropped him off at his mother's house today. As usual, I broke down when it was time to take him home. I gave him a bath and dressed him-- tears flowing the entire time. I try not to get emotional like that in front of him, but sometimes I can't help it. After he was dressed and ready to go, I took him to my bed and we read an Elmo book. He is so smart- he turns the pages of the book for me until I get to the end. So, I'm reading and tearing up and he looks at me and says "I love you". That little guy knows how to worm his way into my heart.

I know that I am silly. I know that I'll see him in a few days and there is nothing to worry about. I just imagine everytime that the weekend is over: "what if this is the last one?". His mother could decide at any minute that she no longer wants to "share" custody with us. DFACS is all over her, too. They could take him away in a heartbeat and place him with new parents. As long as he is in my house, I feel safe. Dropping him off at his mother's house worries me to death.

I wish I could press the fast forward button and get to the time when he is with us permanently.

A Week in Paradise!

2009-08-18T20:27:00.006-04:00

Once again, I am sorry that I haven't posted more regularly. I have a new virus protection on my computer that prevents me from posting pictures on the Blog. What's the point of posting a blog without pictures??? In a desperate effort, I will try posting this blog using my laptop and hope that it works!

To catch you up.... nothing has changed since we last spoke. We took our annual family trip to Hilton Head a couple of weeks ago. Grayson LOVED the beach and the pool. He even swam alone for a few minutes! I am sure that he's trying to figure out what happened to his daily routine-- for 7 days he joined us for coffee at Java Joe's... played in the kiddie pool and then played on the beach and made sand castles. Since we got home, there is no pool, ocean or sand. We do let him play in the sprinkler, but it's not the same.

Anyway... here are a few pics of the highlights from the trip. Enjoy!

More Hilton Head Pics

2009-08-18T20:21:00.001-04:00

A Wonderful Weekend

2009-06-14T15:37:00.004-04:00

Michael and I really took on a lot of responsabilities this week! Grayson came to stay with us on Wednesday. We had a great couple of days spending time with him. He has a crazy new hair style-- his Momma got his hair twisted. It only lasted a couple of days-- all of the rubberbands that held it in place fell out this morning-- well, that's our story and we're sticking to it!

On Friday, Andrea called with an SOS-- she had to work and didn't have a sitter, so Sophie came to spend the night with us. Of course, we had the worst rainstorm that night and the power was off until about 4am the next morning. She was a little scared... Grayson slept through the whole thing and never even noticed that it was raining!

On Saturday morning we picked up Grayson's brother, Jordan. He spent the night with us and got to spend some time with his little brother. We had a great time playing in the yard and going to the park. We went to PetSmart and got two new fish for the pond. The kids got to name their new fish (they named them Little Jordan and Nemo).

We went to Lowe's and got some new flowers for the garden. We planted the flowers while Michael cooked a delicious spaghetti dinner for us and we ate on the patio. After dinner we went for a long walk-- we even took our dog, Lady with us. We taught Sophie how to sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" in a round. As it got darker, Jordan began to get a little scared and swore that we were being followed by a ghost. We tried to assure him that there were no ghosts following us and then he told us the story of a ghost named Jehovah that lived in his old neighborhood. Classic! After our walk, we got the kids tucked into bed- then we washed three loads of laundry, so the kids would all go home the next day with clean clothes.

This morning, I went to Lowe's and got a new pump for the pond. The kids helped me tear the pond apart to get the old pump out. Then we installed the new pump and rebuilt the stones around the pond. The fish seemed much happier afterwards. Michael served us breakfast on the patio-- scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. After breakfast, the kids had a dance contest (Jordan can really outdance Beyonce to the tune of "Single Ladies")... they made paper flowers and butterflies and stapled them to sticks to plant around the pond. We went for another long walk, and dropped Sophie off at her house. Grayson got dropped off at his Mom's afterwards, and Aunt Sue picked up Jordan from our house an hour later to take him to a pool party.

It was so much fun having a house full of kids for a few days. It's amazing how domestic we can be at times. If you drove by our house the last couple of days, you would've seen a yard full of happy kids, toys, strollers, etc. You'd also see a couple of old guys sitting under the umbrella-- stressed to the hilt and smiling the biggest smiles you've ever seen. The house had life in it-- there was laughter and kids creating art and telling stories. A couple of the kids were in desperate need for attention and love. They got it. And they gave it back to us in return.

The house is quiet now, except for the hum of the dishwasher and the tumbling of the dryer. The dogs are taking a well-deserved nap. Nemo and Little Jordan are happy in their pond. All is well with the world, and Michael and I are still smiling! We survived the weekend and look forward to many more weekends like this!

Who Would I Be....

2009-05-15T18:59:00.003-04:00

...if it weren't for the Biscuit. To tell the truth, I feel as if my entire life has revolved around the Biscuit for the past 7 years. My name has become synonymous with the Biscuit. At the gym, in the stores... pretty much wherever I am, people call me "Mr. Biscuit". Maybe it's because I drive the Biscuit car. Maybe it's because I am never caught without a Biscuit logo on my shirt. Maybe it's because all I ever do is talk about/ promote/ sing the praises of the Biscuit 24/7.

I feel like these days are coming to an end. Starting on Monday, my job will be so drastically different. They have already replaced me. Someone else will be calling the shots-- sitting at my desk-- answering my emails and phone calls. Someone else will be unlocking the doors in the morning- brewing the coffee, cooking the biscuits.

I haven't lost my job (yet). I'm still on the payroll-- forced to watch someone else do my job. It'll be hard to witness. I know that I am just being used as a safety net-- someone to turn to when things aren't going right. A disposable safety net.

The Biscuit has been very good to me over the years. I've worked hard and learned plenty. If it's over, it's over and I am better for having had the experiences that I have had. I've learned every facet of the restaurant business-- I've bussed tables, waited tables, washed dishes and taken out the garbage. I've done the accounting, the marketing, the scheduling, the inventory and the payroll. I've taken a catering dept from under $30k/year to over $200k/year, doubling sales each year single-handedly. My resume will be impressive.

It's hard to see it all come to an end. I don't want to say goodbye. Not yet.

More Flower Pics!

2009-04-05T18:02:00.002-04:00

New Friends...

2009-04-05T17:41:00.005-04:00

We had a great time this weekend! We met the new neighbor's-- they have a son that is 15 months old-- his name is Wilson. Grayson and Wilson hit it off! They formed a friendship without words. Both of the boys gestured to each other.... Wilson tried to hug Grayson a couple of times, but ended up just giving him a pat on the back each time. Wilson threw a baseball and Grayson chased after it. It was so sweet and innocent... I can't wait for Wilson to move in so they can play together often. I regret that I didn't have my camera with me when the kids were playing, but I did have it this morning when I was giving Grayson a bath!

We Need Something To Cheer Us Up...

2009-03-24T18:55:00.004-04:00

Some pictures of the new flower garden! The tulips are starting to bloom, and the pansies are finally in their prime! Enjoy!

Goodbye, My Friend...

2009-03-23T20:07:00.002-04:00

We got the news yesterday that Beverly passed away. She has been fighting cancer for a little over a year.

I have many memories of Beverly that I will never forget. I met Beverly at the Tavern, and through Beverly I met all of my current East Point friends, including my husband, Michael.

She was my biggest supporter-- no matter what crazy thing I was attempting to do. I used to host a movie night at Main Street Bar & Grill. Beverly always rallied the troops and got a good sized group of people to show up. Beverly dressed in costume to all of the movies. Pictured above is our Rocky Horror costumes!

I'm not going to raise her to Saint level now that she is gone. She could be a real pain in the ass sometimes! She knew it, too! But we always got through any differences that we had, and there was a love between us that I cannot put into words.

I will miss Beverly so much. I will miss waking up and looking at her blog every morning for an update. She was an excellent writer and story teller. She was a wonderful friend and those that didn't get to know her really missed out on something special.

Goodbye, my friend. And thank you for the sharing the ride with me!

Spring is Almost Here!!!!

2009-03-16T19:49:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of pics of my flower garden.... it should be in full bloom in the next couple of weeks!

It's Been a While

2009-03-15T07:58:00.003-04:00

First off, I need to apologize for not updating my Blog over the past couple of months. Life has been hectic! We are trying to get custody of a baby, Grayson. We've had him here, off and on, since the beginning of January. It's a tough battle, but in the end it will be great for all of us. Michael started his new job as the manager of the new Biscuit in Sandy Springs. Now we both work long hours & early morning shifts. Providing daycare for Grayson hasn't been easy, since we both usually leave home around 4am. But... we found a great daycare provider that has been able to work around our schedules.

Grayson turned 17 months old this week and it's time for him to have his own room. I did some online research yesterday and found some really cute bedroom furniture for little boys. I can't wait to get his room all fixed up and cute! It will be nice for him to have his own dresser- right now we have clothes tucked away in every nook and cranny we can find. And toys!!!! They are everywhere! His playpen is so full of toys that there is barely room for him the there! I want to get him a toy box of his own-- somewhere he can learn to go to look whenever he wants to play with something, instead of it all lying in one pile in the playpen.

Fixing Grayson's room will be a project. The room needs to be cleaned out-- existing furniture taken to storage, walls need to be painted, floors scrubbed, etc. It will be worth it though... it will be cool for Grayson to have a room of his own. He's never even had a bed of his own. We're looking forward to having our bedroom back, too! It's not a lot of fun to have a squirming baby between us every night!

The front yard is starting to look incredible! All of the bulbs I planted last Fall are coming up and beginning to bloom! I planted about 400 jonquils and they are in full bloom already. I also planted a few hundred tulips (all different colors) and they are up and budding now... any day now they'll begin to bloom! I love Spring! It's probably my favorite season-- everything is new and beautiful! It's hard to believe that a couple of weeks ago everything was covered in snow!

Grayson

2009-01-23T21:12:00.004-05:00

Another Biscuit

2009-01-12T20:12:00.006-05:00

Michael and I went to Raleigh this weekend for the opening of the 7th Biscuit! This one is really upscale-- it includes a full bar and is open til 2am on weekends! The new Biscuit has a different menu from all of the rest of them-- most of the signature items are gone and have been replaced by dishes that the new owners thought would be more appealing. The oatmeal pancakes and turkey meatloaf have been replaced by the eggs Benedict and pulled-pork quesadillas. I guess I should have sampled some of the things from our traditional menu, but I wanted to try the new stuff.

The atmosphere was incredible, and the other patrons seemed very happy with their food. It just wasn't the same as the original Biscuit. Hopefully they will work out the kinks and revise the menu. If something works, why mess with it, huh?

Anyway-- we had a great time in Raleigh-- despite it being the farthest I've ever driven and add to the fact that we were traveling with a 15 month old. A 6 hour trip took 9 hours, due to the frequent diaper changes and sleepy eyes of the driver!

On the way back home, we stopped at the friendliest McDonald's you could ever imagine. The manager, Denise, was the perkiest person I've ever met. She was actually singing the McDonald's theme song when we came in ("I'm loving it..."). As we ate, we heard her speaking to her co-workers of her dreams to wear a Ronald McDonald costume and greet people on the street. She even said that a Grimace outfit would be fun too. She was the happiest fast food worker I've ever seen. I wish she lived in Atlanta-- I'd hire her to work in the bakery in a heartbeat!

Where Is Your Anger?

2009-01-07T22:12:00.001-05:00

Copy & paste this link to your browser....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nh2C8q8jnM

Haunting Memories

2009-01-03T20:37:00.003-05:00

One of my oldest friends, Jennifer, sent me this picture through Facebook. Oh My God! It was taken when I was in the 8th grade~~ disco class! I was so much shorter than my classmates-- thank God for growth spurts!

Plan B

2009-01-03T14:27:00.008-05:00

My home computer was attacked with a virus about three months ago. I dealt with it and struggled through for a month, and then broke down and spent a couple hundred dollars to repair it. The repair came with a 30 day warranty. Wouldn't you know it, around day 31 it was attacked with another virus. So... I haven't been able to post anything here lately.

Plan B--- my laptop is now set up in the living room and it's functioning (w/o a virus) off the of the wifi box on my old computer. I'll need to get a new PC soon-- maybe with my tax refund. I think I'll go with McAffee, cause Norton hasn't been a big help.

Anyway-- lots to catch you up on:

Christmas Day was spent at my brother's house, Michael's father's house and Michael's sister's house. This was our first time doing duel family holiday duties. It went pretty smoothly and I think we all had a good time. It seems though that most of our time at each house was spent arranging to get group family pictures!

The following night, Michael's brother called and asked me out to dinner. It was kind of strange and awkward in the beginning, but Bryce and I had a great time at TGI Friday's. We sat and talked for about 3 hours, and I afterwards I really felt like a member of the Hill family for the first time.

For New Year's Eve, we went to Brent and Sarah's house. We stayed for an hour or so and then raced to the Corner Tavern before midnight. I wasn't really planning on going out, but at the last minute I talked myself into it.. how could I miss midnight at the Corner Tavern? It's been a tradition for years.

Last night we went to Cirque du Soleil at Atlantic Station. The tickets were a Christmas present from me to Michael (I'm glad he opted to take me!). It was opening night and they pulled out all the stops... free appetizers, free popcorn, free soft drinks... cupcakes were passed out at intermission. The show was incredible and I highly recommend it. This was my third Cirque du Soloeil show, but Michael's first.. it was fun to see it through his eyes.

Well, that's all I've got for you for now-- enough?? Next on the horizon is the opening of our new store in Raleigh. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it there for the traditional picture of the new owners/managers in my car. It's probably going to be a one day trip-- ugh!

It's a Wonderful East Point Life

2008-12-28T16:46:00.001-05:00

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This Week...

2008-12-14T09:07:00.002-05:00

I've been a little obsessed with Jib Jab, Elf Yourself, Mafia Wars and all things Facebook! If you haven't tried any of these sites/games, I highly recommend them, but caution you that they are addictive!

Random thoughts--

A few months ago I posted how excited I was to buy gas in SC for $3.59/gallon. This week I got it for $1.42/gallon! If gas prices keep falling the way they have, they will be paying us to get gas soon! I love it!

Boxes of Christmas cards are still sitting on my desk waiting to be filled out.... hopefully I can get to those this week.... gotta finish the "Thank You" cards for the wedding gifts, too. Procrastination is my new best friend.

We went to dinner at Pizza Fusion for my birthday last night. Mom couldn't make it because she's been very ill the past couple of days-- hope she's feeling better soon... we missed her! It was a fun night and the organic pizza was delicious. The waitstaff and managers even sang Happy Birthday to me!

Snowball Fight-- East Point Style!

2008-12-07T12:15:00.001-05:00

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It's a Wonderful (Jib Jab) Life

2008-12-07T10:48:00.001-05:00

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Eunice on the Gong Show......

2008-12-07T08:50:00.002-05:00

I loved the Carol Burnett show... and this was one of my favorite skits. Eunice was picked to go on the Gong Show, and dreamed of becoming rich and famous-- leaving her poor white trash family behind.

Part One:

Part Two:

I felt so sorry for Eunice when she got "gonged". You can see all of her dreams going down the tubes.

My Family

2008-12-06T14:44:00.001-05:00

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Michael Will Kill Me......

2008-12-06T13:36:00.003-05:00

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Swiped from the Vent-- Prop 8

2008-12-04T22:30:00.001-05:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die