Merry Christmas

We had a great time up in Massachusetts celebrating Christmas with Kevin's family. We came back Sunday night and this week is Marlo time and Kitty Christmas. Marlo loves her gifts already (see photo).

It was the first time I didn't make it home to Tennessee.  It was just too expensive to go again so soon.

August Update

August has been a strange month. I was informed I had to move to an office (NYC doesn't count) or lose my job.

On the positive side of things, we went to the Dutchess County Fair and saw REO Speedwagon, pig races, ate kettle corn, played games and rode rides and had a blast!

We also survived an earthquake and hurricane so I'd saw we were quite lucky overall. :)

July Update

July was a crazy month of new experiences. Probably the most important was getting tattoos! And Kevin's parents visiting for a weekend. We also saw some new shows including "Rain" (with the Mulcahys), the return of "Rent" (right across the street) and a new Caroline Murphy show. Our Hit Parade moved to a new venue, Highline Ballroom, so it was a new twist on a regular favorite.

June Update

A lot happened in June following the Fire Island trip. We saw Gavin Creel with Anthony on the 7th. We tried to go on a cruise on the 9th but got rained out (had dinner on the boat anyway!). Saw Jason's "The F on My Chest" on the 10th. The 11th was Diane's Circus and the 14th was Selda's 30th birthday show. The 16 we had another Daytime Drama event the 17th we flew out to LA for the Emmy events.

On the 23rd we went to Zarkana (including a pre-party on a rooftop). Then it was Kevla time! Kayla and Kevin came to visit and we had so much fun seeing them!!

Fire Island Fun

We returned Monday afternoon from another wonderful vacation, this time to Fire Island Cherry Grove. We stayed at the Grove Hotel with a room that overlooked the pool, the bar, and with a view of the ocean.

We saw so many drag shows, many featuring Porsche, and met lots of interesting people.

We also got to spend a day at the beach (a little sunburn though) and hiked/walked through the Sunken Forest.

It was totally relaxing and there was barely an internet signal even if we had wanted to stay connected.

We missed the kids but Uncle Damon took great care of them all.

A Beastly 41

After having a cold this week and working long hours and being crazy busy at night, my actual birthday was pretty low key--just what I wanted and needed. We did have a bit of fun in the early afternoon riding on The Beast, a tourist boat where riders get much wetter than we realized! It goes from Pier 88 to the Statue of Liberty and back with the driver intentionally swerving to try to splash people. It sort of felt like an amusement park ride. I'm sure we were the only non-tourists there. It's great that Kevin appreciates living in New York City as much as I do and wants to do things like this.

The evening was spent finishing 30 ROCK (we watched all five seasons in a relatively short amount of time) and Charlie's Angels on the Sleuth Channel! Go Farrah!

Looking forward to Fire Island on Thursday. I need a vacation!

It's Birthday WEEK!

Kevin made a four layer slice of red velvet cake on Wednesday as part of my birthday week celebration. He also made sure I was brought on stage at Our Hit Parade last night.

Last year I spent my 40th birthday in Tennessee and had dinner at Cracker Barrel with my mama. It was one of her few good days during that 11 day trip although she was feeling bad by the time we went to bed. I woke up to a red velvet cake on birthday morning that she had cooked despite not feeling well. She was supposed to be sleeping and my brother was going to make the cake, but she got up after I went to bed and made it anyway.

To have someone in my life a year later like Kevin, who means so much to me, making the same cake is just more proof of how blessed my life is.

Life is grand...at 41!

Catching Up

Life is full and wonderful and I've hardly had time to update the blog. Here's a rundown of some of the things we've done in the past month.

April 24 - Saw "The Normal Heart" - amazing!
April 25 - Went to the Broadway Cares Easter Bonnet event and celebrated Damon's 40th birthday with his event at the Gay and Lesbian Center.
April 26 - Attended the Downsized premiere party
April 27 - Colleen Zenk at the Will Clark Show plus Our Hit Parade (the best one we've seen so far).
April 28 - Giovanni's show
April 29 - Dinner at Chevy's (finally!) and the premiere of Disney's Prom

I told you we were busy!

May 2 - Started working out with a new trainer
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo party at our place
May 11 - Love Out Loud event
May 15 - AIDS Walk
May 19 - Daytime Drama
May 23 - Sondheim Unplugged
May 24 - Damon & Truett
May 25 - Our Hit Parade (my birthday was mentioned multiple times)

In the middle of all that we've watched over four seasons of 30 ROCK and had so much fun exploring the city on walks and even just hanging in our neighborhood.

Life is great! Work is really busy at the moment but counting down the days until our Fire Island trip next week.

Marlo Speaks!

Okay, she's been mumbling for weeks now, but this little genius, not even seven months old can say pretty clearly, "Give me a kiss," and "Marlo Ryan is a good little girl." She mumbles dozens of other things which sound more like words every day. She can also answer comments like...

"Give me a kiss" - she kisses
"What do you say when you see a pretty bird?" - she whistles
"Ed, Edd & Eddy" - she sings the theme song, whistles it actually

We can't believe how fast she is learning things!

The Marlo Chronicles, Part 12 - Easter 2011!

We had a fabulous Easter decorating eggs and watching Marlo, Fatty and Emjay hunt them. They all enjoyed it tremendously. Watch the video below.

Our First Vacation - Massachusetts

We had a blast in Cambridge, at the Harvard Faculty Club, the Inn at Harvard, Marblehead, meeting the Mulcahys, the JFK museum and so much more. Fabulous time!

The Marlo Chronicles, Part 11

We finally had a warm weather day here in NYC (I was in Oregon for the other warm days) so we took Marlo out for her first stroller ride in the neighborhood. She loved it and got lots of attention from people who walked by us.

The Marlo Chronicles, Part 10

Being away all week gave Marlo the opportunity to bond more with Kevin. She already loved him, not I think she loves him more than me! What?!! :) Taking care of our kids is not an easy job as they all demand tons of attention. Here's the latest episode of The Marlo Chronicles. She is only 141 Days old here (on Sunday) and it's amazing what she can do already. She just heard this video and started repeating herself along with the video. :)

A Week In Oregon

I returned last night from being in Hillsboro, Oregon, all week for work. We were in meetings all day every day, pretty long days at the office especially since I hadn't been at the office for meetings in seven years. But we got a lot done, and managed to have a tiny bit of fun along the way. I connected through Minneapolis-St. Paul going and coming and had a four hour delay on the way out. It was good to see my co-workers I hadn't see in years, and to finally meet my boss.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Life is great. Marlo is the smartest bird in the world, Kevin is awesome and we're very blessed. We saw "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" in previews this week and loved them both.

The ISAs were a huge hit this year thanks to Kevin. Our days and nights are very full of many fun times. Work continues to be busy for me and I'm going to Oregon next week but that's par for the course.

I've really bonded with Fatty and he totally waits for me to give him "bellies" every morning when I wake up.  It's so sweet.  Emjay still loves playing football and getting all the attention in the world.

We're planning a trip to Marblehead in mid-April and will be going to Fire Island in early June.  Hopefully this all coordinates with my busy work schedule.

Best Valentine's Ever

This year's Valentine's Day was the best one I ever had. It was so nice to be with someone so full of unconditional love and support. Kevin made dinner then we watch The Wedding Singer, went to Drag Wars and started Never Been Kissed before I got sleepy. He's not a romantic comedy guy but agreed to watch two movies of my choice. I think he enjoyed it. :)

Marlo is Settling In

We're all adjusting to having Marlo join the family.  It's wonderful that she's finally home.  Fatty and Emjay are so interested in Marlo and keep staring at her through the bedroom door, and she keeps performing some kind of dance for them every time they look.   They have shown no hunting instincts when it comes to their baby sister, just curiosity. 

Marlo took to Kevin right away as you can see from the picture.  She loves her Daddy as much as her Papa. 

She wasn't eating much at first but I think she's getting into a routine now.  

It feels so good having a full apartment full of life and love.

The Marlo Chronicles, Part 9

Kevin and I drove out to Long Island this afternoon to pick up Marlo and bring her home. They bonded right away. She wasn't all that thrilled by the car ride back to Manhattan, complete with traffic ticket, but seemed to acclimate to her new environment quickly. The latest Marlo Chronicles video is below.

What A Fun Week So Far!

We went to Boxers and Splash to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, Monday night was "Harvard Beats Yale" and Drag Wars, and Wednesday was date night at the Will Clark Show. Work has been extremely busy as well so working and playing hard.

My AIDS Walk New York Page

Feel free to donate here for AIDS Walk New York. Damon and I are walking again this year and Kevin will join us.

Oscar Films, Modern Family

We spent Sunday night watching a couple of Oscar-nominated films, The Social Network and Black Swan.  I could see the merits of both but definitely enjoyed Social Network more.  Black Swan had a bit too much mutilation for me.  Monday night we watched all 13 episodes of Modern Family from this season, and pretty much got teary during them all.  What can I say, we're saps.

The Marlo Chronicles, Part 8

Marlo is almost ready to come home to us.  She is eating veggies now, flying all around and exploring the world.  We can't wait!

Date Night, Archer Party, More Snow

Wednesday was date night and our monthly Our Hit Parade show.  We had dinner at Room Service Thai first, a place we commonly order from on Delivery.com.  It was awesome.  We took a little break before heading over to Joe's Pub.  The show turned out to be probably the best OHP we've seen together.  There was slush on the sidewalk when we went in but when we came out there was about a foot of snow.  It was a beautiful winter wonderland.  We trudged through the snow to Pieces with our regular gal pal from OPH and had a great night.  This was perhaps the best of many fabulous date nights.
Thursday night was our Archer season premiere party.  Gregori and Kristos came, and Greg, and Kevin's friend, Chris, and a few others.  It was nice to share our home again and with mostly all new people.

Kevin has been sick the past few days but has been an amazing sport about keeping all our plans.  He's a much better sick person than I am (ie less whiny).

The kitties have now been here a week.  Mary Jane loves playing "football" so much and we're all enjoying each other's company tremendously.

Fatty & Emjay, Surround, Industry, Mark the Nurse

We have become obsessed with getting deliveries so were very happy when our new surround sound system arrived on Wednesday. Kevin immediately started installing, of course. Several hours (and drinks) later, things were pretty much in place.

Thursday we went to MySuit to get Kevin fitted for a cool new suit. Then we had dinner at Cafeteria with his friend, Carmine. Later we went to The Showt party at Industry Bar where we ran into Damon. At midnight, the Queen drag show featuring Shequida was a lot of fun.

I woke up Friday to find out I was "in a relationship" with Kevin (in the Facebook world). That was a nice surprise. It was also a big day as we rented a zip car and brought Fatty and Emjay (Kevin's five year old cats) to live with us. Then settled in nice and we played all evening after Kevin went to work.

Saturday night went to Pieces as usual. Gregori and Kristos eventually made their way there to join us.

Sunday we stayed in as it was frigid outside. Kevin set up the new bedroom TV.

On Monday night I had dinner and hung out with Mark the Nurse who is in NYC visiting. We had dinner at Vinyl, stopped by Posh for a hot second, then some drinks at Barrage before heading back to the apartment to hang.

The Marlo Chronicles, Part 7

I visited Marlo on Long Island on Sunday. She took her first flight on Thursday. In the video below, you can see her fly and make her very first turn.

Loving Apartment, Not Falcons Season Ender

We have really been enjoying the redecorated apartment since our party.  It's hard to believe it is the same place I lived in for eight months pre-Kevin.  My work space (see left) is so much more organized and efficient now. 

Sunday we went to Giovanni's show at Stonewall, then went back there later for Invasion@Stonewall with Porsche, who was fabulous.  She talked a lot about Fire Island and we just booked a trip there for early June.  Anyone who sings Tammy Wynette's "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" has to be cool, right?

Monday night we attended Musical Mondays at Splash and had a blast.  I finally got to meet Chris Green.

On the downside, the Falcons were crushed on Saturday night in an embarrassing home playoff loss.  This is not how I thought the season would end.  It's too bad the team put in such a poor effort.  I didn't stay down for long though going to Rock Band Karaoke at Pieces and seeing Kevin.   Damon joined later and my spirits were lifted by the time we arrived at home.

Keep two of my aunts in your thoughts - Lorene and Maggie - as both are not doing well. 

All in all, I'm just so thankful at how quickly things turned around for me, and for being in such a happy place of late.  I don't see it changing any time soon.

Housewarming!

We had a great date night on Wednesday with Jake, Allison and Erin. We totally pigged out at Five Napkin Burger than to Pieces. Last night was our housewarming party and it was so much fun. We put so much work into it, especially Kevin. I continue to be blown away by his talent.  It was great to have so many of our friends in our home.  I'm not sure how we fit them all!  I'm looking forward to more parties here in the future.

Home Depot, Dancing, Karaoke, More Home Depot

Got a lot of stuff at Home Depot on Saturday. Of course Kevin started assembling/installing/building/decorating immediately. He is so adorable when in this mode! Well, all the time actually. :) Visited Marlo on Sunday (see the latest video in the previous post) and spent Sunday evening doing more interior design, listening to "Game Change" and then watching the first several episodes of The West Wing. We are going to watch the entire run of 154 episodes and I'm wondering when we will actually finish.

Our housewarming party is only two nights away and there is still lots to do but all the major purchases have been completed and we're in the home stretch. The apartment radically changes every day and it has been so much fun.

We're gearing up for another blizzard tonight so we may be snowed in tomorrow.

The Marlo Chronicles, Part 6

Took an early train out to Long Island on Sunday to visit Marlo. I can't believe how much she grows and learns week to week. Her feathers are all in now and she is exploring her entire universe. She loves to climb. Watch the latest installment of "The Marlo Chronicles" below.

A Wonderful Start To 2011!

This week has been a lot about IKEA! After Tuesday's shopping extravaganza (see last post), Wednesday and Thursday were spent assembling. Okay, Kevin assembled and I watched, drank, ate and hung out. Does that count? Damon came over Wednesday night to hang and have pizza. Kevin and I have been listening to "Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime" which is completely fascinating and takes me back to the 2008 Presidential election. I lived and breathed it at the time and this fills in much of the backstory.

I decided to get rid of one of the two bird cages and put it on Craigslist for $100.  There were no takers so I added it to the "free" listings.  I got 20 emails in the first 30 minutes.  We rolled it outside our door to the hallway and someone was there to pick it up in record time.  The living room actually has room now!  I've learned holding onto possessions from the past, even related to the birds, does nothing positive for me.  So I let it go along with a lot of other stuff stored here that wasn't being used or served no purpose.  The apartment finally feels like home and is looking better by the day.  I owe this to Kevin.

Last night we saw "Gruesome Playground Stories" at Greg's theater and then went to The Ritz for drinks and dancing.

I'm catching up on some things tonight and Kevin is working his usual shift at Pieces. I will try to visit Marlo on Saturday if the weather allows.

Best IKEA Day Ever

I don't know what it is, but Kevin makes shopping seem like the best thing ever. Once again we had a blast shopping today, this time at the IKEA in Brooklyn. I rented a Zipcar and we drove out to Red Hook. Beautiful views and we had lunch there looking at the city out the large windows. We bought everything on our list and much more. The apartment is undergoing a major renovation before our housewarming party next Thursday. I can't wait!

The Marlo Chronicles, Part 5

Holy bird!  Marlo is growing up way too fast already. :)  She almost has all her feathers now and her tail has grown in.  She is very curious and loves climbing although she can't always balance.  She still stares at solid food but she's close to figuring out how to eat it.  She's also flapping her wings a lot and soon she will discover she can get some lift by doing that.  I left the visit wtih three scratches on my arm from her climbing around.  She is more adorable than ever.  I hope you enjoy the latest video below.

Awesome New Year's!

Everyone I love in New York was able to go to Pieces for New Year's Eve where Kevin had to work. It was so much fun to be with Damon, Greg, Mike along with Steve, Rob, Giovanni, Jake and more.

But best of all, of course, was the fabulous midnight kiss. Yay! Life is beautiful. Can't remember a better New Year's Eve.

Managed to stay up until 4:30 and then I was beat.  Arranged to see Marlo that day so needed to get a tiny bit of rest before making the trek to Long Island.  More on that later.

I'm so thankful that life has become this wonderful things again and I feel like myself finally.  Things are going amazingly well with the new living situation and the future is as bright as my New Year's photo with Kevin (see left). :)