The light at the end of a very long tunnel

Hi guys and welcome back to my blog. I'm very excited to be writing again!

It's been a really rough year (probably my worst in 39 years) and I decided to share it in the hopes of inspiring others and letting them know they are not alone! I am very grateful to have amazing friends and family who love me, and have been there so much for me this past year when I needed it the most! I've always been a fighter in life and kept pushing on through the rough times, but this time I felt exhausted and unsure if I had the strength or even the will to keep pushing through. I have always been a very confident and secure person but lost a lot of that after my separation. I doubted myself a lot and felt I had lost my self worth. It really was the love from family and friends that got me through this! I remember thinking one day "so many people love me and yet  I wasn't loving myself." That's when I realized I owed it to them to make my life better so that what they did for me wasn't done in vain!

Sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but there are two things to always remember when you feel like you're at your darkest moment. First one is someone out there has it much worse than you   and the second one is we always find that light again. Thankfully I've found mine now! 

Lastly, this story is not meant to have people feel sympathetic for me, but to hopefully help someone reading this know they are not alone. So if you are dealing with something or feel like your life is out of control then this is for you! It does get better!

I guess everything started when my marriage of four years and relationship of six years had come to an end.

The person I had loved for so many years and based my life around was gone. I  was so proud to be married and if asked even a few months before we separated would have said I had a perfect marriage! But sometimes we don't know how the other person truly feels. For the last month together I had worked hard at saving my marriage and would have continued to do so until one day I realized he had already left the relationship. I've always been a fighter but I also know when I'm fighting a losing battle.

I felt like I had failed at my marriage and that was the start of my insecurities rising and self worth lowering.

At this time the owners of the restaurant i managed for asked me to open a new one for them. This seemed like such a great opportunity and actually really helped me through the separation by working 90 plus hours a week since my ex would still be living with me for the next four months.(this is New York City and not cheap lol) I opened up my new restaurant and was so proud of how things had come together. At the same time the restaurant I managed for before (which was Rachel's.. I'm sure some of you know this one)  which was  like my baby was changed over to a new name and cuisine. Shortly after I opened the new restaurant things started turning for the worse. I was the General manager there but the respect I had at Rachel's wasn't there, mostly because my best boss and one of Rachel's owners Louie Colantonio wasn't there. We always worked great together and he knew I knew what I was doing so always had my back, but at the new place it wasn't that way at all.

In september my ex moved out and something I wasn't expecting had happened... I got really angry at him! For months before i took the high road and made things so un-ugly since we were still living together (of course in separate rooms). I took care of the bills as always so he could save up for a new place and since at that time  I could afford to. So now that he was gone I had the chance to finally be alone and really get angry! I thought how could he do this to me after everything I had done for him!. But it was what I needed to do to start healing! At this time I was also unhappy at the new restaurant and decided I needed a change. We are in charge of our own happiness, so I put my two weeks notice in and decided to reinvent my life for the better. When I left my restaurant eight of staff left with me which made me feel supported and like I did the right thing.

Because my friend Purdie told me It might be nice to have someone living with during the holiday she introduced me to her friend Bradley Galey who worked at the radio city show. Purdie was right, it was the perfect thing to do! Bradley is one of the best people I have ever met! He has such a huge heart and open mind. He's the friend who would give you the shirt off his back. We also shared the philosophy of not worrying what other people thought or the insults they give (me as a gay man and him as a little person). we just chalk it up to there are just a lot of ignorant people out there. I am proud and honored to say we are brothers from another mother :)

 I also went on a cruise with my great friend Casey and had a blast. Finally I felt great and looked forward to my new journey! Life was looking great during the next few months but unfortunately there were a lot of hard and trying  times just around the corner!

It all started on christmas day, through events that had happened the prior night my plans  for having my friend Dan (who was my rock and great friend through my separation and to this day) didn't stay over as planned and I woke up  for the first time in 38 years alone on christmas day (except for my beautiful dog Zsa Zsa). It is my favorite holiday and one i always shared with my loved ones, so i found myself very depressed. I remember telling myself that it could be worse, there are others who are homeless or who don't have family and friends who love them the other 364 days.So with that thought  that night Dan, Bradley and I had a great christmas dinner out in Bryant park and it helped save part of the day I love so much!

About two weeks later Bradley left to go back home in California. I always said he's my Mary Poppins, He flew in when i needed him the most and left when everything was better.Or so i thought it was better.

After Bradley left I found myself alone in my apartment. I still couldn't even think about going on a date and found myself staying in a lot and each day getting more and more depressed. That year I had lost two of the most important things in my life. my husband and my restaurant Rachel's.  I didn't like my job and I was almost through all of my savings. So here i was without a partner, working a lot of hours but still not making enough money for my bills, and losing my confidence and self worth. So yes I was having a huge pity party except I didn't invite anyone and just kept it all inside! I am a person who has pride and always wants to help people but not ask for help myself. I also like to help others with their problems but not share mine. Dan was the only person I'd talk to but even then would hold back. So all the emotions built up inside and made me extremely depressed but I refused to admit it even to myself.

I remember walking to work on valentine's day and seeing all the deliverers with flowers and gifts for those special someone's. That and working with all girls in the same vote as me that day made me even more depressed but like I've always said "God doesn't put on us more than we can handle" and that night I had a great dinner with my wonderful friend Jennifer and an extra bonus, I met Andrew Wailes from Australia, the most amazing man I've met in my entire life (he could also be a whole book to write,so i'll give you the highlights).

His introduction was so perfect "Excuse me,but anyone who would give you up would have to be the biggest fool!". Wow! what a great introduction! He reawakened what I thought a few months ago. He was right, I was an amazing husband who did so much in my relationship and to me my ex was a fool! We instantly connected and for the next 9 hours ( til 9 am) we talked, laughed and he complimented me like noone had ever done before. Because he was working for Carnegie hall (did I mention he's The Melbourne symphony conductor) that week he was doing all day until 10 pm and i worked nights, so every night I rushed out of work and had long, incredible and romantic dates.People had thought we had been together for years by the way we looked at each other. Just that morning I had said I won't look for anybody but will keep my mind open to meeting someone, and into my life the perfect man walked in. If there was such a thing as a soul mate then he was mine! In that week I've never felt such a connection or wanted to be with anyone more than him including my ex husband! He gave me the coat hanger smile, even as I'm writing this I have one and feel so giddy!! But unfortunately he had to go back to Australia and the romance was at an end. His parting words were " email me the photos of us in times square because I want to remember my best valentine's day (week) ever with the most beautiful man in NYC and dream very sweet dreams of him"  That was just a sample of how sweet he was. There is one special picture we took, we were both posing for the camera and in the most perfect moment he turned and kissed my cheek, it was in the moment and beautiful! I have it on my phone as a screen saver because it always makes me smile! I'm going to put it on this blog so you can see for yourself. We text and call each other often,and hopefully he'll visit in january. But because I can't get a work visa (too old) and he's very important over there it looks hopeless, but i never say never and if anything he opened up my heart again!  

After he left I found myself over my ex, knowing I didn't want him back, but found myself feeling like my bad luck struck again. I was still very single and this time I was facing huge financial burdens. I was literally using every dollar and changing in coins to pay bills. I was facing bankruptcy and losing my apartment, and did not feel the desire to keep going. I would never be one to take my own life but everyday I just wanted to die. I often contemplated the idea but thankfully could never do it. Everytime I heard of someone dying  I would think "that poor person, they probably had so much and I have nothing. why couldn't it have been me" 

For the next few months I wasn't living my life just lay in bed and go to work. I eventually swallowed my pride, i knew i was desperate, so some of my amazing friends and family made me loans and yet still i couldn't get ahead. Then one day I talked to my father and he helped me out and said to count it as the birthdays and christmas gifts he had missed. I was in complete tears and at that moment realized what I had always known before, I have so many people who love me and want the best for me! I had the greatest gift and weapon of all to destroy this bad time of my life and make a better one! So i woke up out my emotional coma and put all my positive energy back out there. I was the old me, of course i was a work in progress, but everyday I was getting better and now I'm close to that light.I see it so clearly and it feels great!

I had given up on me at one point but my friends and family never did, and for that I am the luckiest guy in the world!! The funny thing is very few people knew what was going on in my life. I like to help others but I don't like to burden people (I'm sure they wouldn't call it a burden) and I'm at my best when around people so people thought I was always happy, and in those moments I was, it was never fake. But it all ended when I came home, well not anymore!! 

Did I mention, Bradley is back now, but this time when he leaves I'll know I'm not alone!

So that is the short version (if you can believe that) of my past year. I hope you leave this remembering one thing "Even in the darkest of times there is a light, sometimes you just need to flip the switch or change the light bulb"

Yay! 5 hours and one week  later I have finally written this blog!!

Thanks again to all my family and friends!! I owe you my life!!

 Some other very special shout outs I'd like to mention are Saundra Lowman, Douglass Tucker ,Sandy Tucker, Richard Wires, Joyce Wires, Rick Faulkingham, Joseph Martinelli, Thomas Murphy, Chris Jones, Bob Scheurer, Rachel bates, Gail Freeman, Stephanie, and Kimothy Kruse..there are so many and I wish I could name them all but that could take days!!

Love, Jefferson

One year Anniversary!

Hi guys,
So today marks the one year anniversary of Keith and I moving to Hell's Kitchen!
It's amazing how fast this year has come and gone!
I love living here and I have to say I was not so keen on the move at first but am very happy we did!
Hell's Kitchen has so many great restaurants,bars and local convenience stores to make even the most miserable person happy!
I love the charm of the neighborhood. We have friends that live here and you learn to know everyone in the neighborhood including our great mailman Al (who is the best by far and has been  delivering mail on this ave for 33 years!He honks his horn on his mail cart while doing his route,and let me tell you it truly makes you smile when you hear it!)
Now the last ten years have been the improvement years for Hell's Kitchen but it really did live up to  it's name from as early as the 30's through the 90's!
This is when the Irish gangs and later the mob ran 9th ave. You can read crazy stories about it in a book called "The Westies" or look it up online!
Trash bags put out weren't just filled with garbage..let's just leave it at that!
Now back to the happy parts and not the body parts!(that's all I'm saying!)
 There are some of the best restaurants on ninth ave. such as Room Service,Jing, Pietrasanta's, and most importantly Rachel's!
When Keith and I go see a show we can literally leave our apartment 15 minutes before it starts and have plenty of time to spare! Our friend got us tickets for Priscilla Queen of the desert next Tuesday!
And did I mention I'm 3 blocks from work?! Which is great since I am the General Manager there (makes my job so much more convenient at times!)
I will say you do get spoiled living here. During the winter storms this year the 3 blocks still seemed so far away!
But they are a far cry from living in Astoria,Queens! Commuting 2-3 hours during the storms and taking a half hour to walk home on a five minute walk from the station.
We have a rooftop access and during the summer it's so nice to go up there and just look at the city at night!
The  breathtakingly beautiful scenery of the city is something most people only see in pictures.
The central location of the Hell's Kitchen is so perfect, and during spring through fall I love to walk to SoHo, Chelsea, the upper west side and Central Park (where you can just walk the park or take a horse drawn carriage ride.) It's not the same Central Park your parents warned you about anymore...it even has a zoo now!
Also if I had not lived here I would have never met the wonderfully sweet homeless woman on 8th ave. named Sarah. I have not seen her for nearly two months and I'm hoping and praying it's because someone was able to get her off  of the streets! She really helped me this year look at what was important as I am sure she did to many others!
However,I will warn you we don't go two blocks up to Times Square very much because it is CRAZY there!
Only when family and friends come to visit or we need to go to Walgreen's!
Times Square is where the ball drops on New Year's Eve and where millions of tourists visit on a weekly basis.Also it's center of all of the broadway shows.
What I love most importantly about Hell's Kitchen is the community here!
You really know a lot of your neighbors along with the shop and restaurant owners!
This place really is the best place to live in the city and if you come for a visit let me know and i'll give you a tour!
So here's to another great year of Living In The Kitchen!!
I'm looking forward to the warm weather coming so I can go out more and share with you my little adventures here in the city!
Til next time...Bon Apetit'!

My Winter in New York (I'm pretending it's over!) Part 1

Hi guys!
I have had so many things I wanted to write about..but could not decide which ones to talk about,so I decided to categorize them under things I did here in the winter.
 I love to go out and walk this incredible city but not in the cold! So I have stayed  local here in Hell's Kitchen and have enjoyed every bit of it!
First up is my new favorite restaurant, Uncle Nick's (9th ave between 50th and 51st st.)
 This great Mediterranean restaurant has incredible Tapas, delicious sangria and an amazing waitress named Evie (hope i spelled that right!)
Our friends Dan and Kenny found this place and so we joined them one night on a double date.Knowing they have been here many times we let them tell us what we had to order. There were three things they suggested right off the bat. The first was SAGANAKI-TIRI (sharp cheddar cheese baked in lemon and butter then set on fire at your table.) Think Brie cheese but even better...it was incredible!!
The second thing was the octopus (which i was not wanting to try..but they cut it up for me) and that too was delicious!
and lastly they suggested the Sangria (both red and white.).Both delicious but the red was the best!!
And boy do you feel it after...Let's just say you can tell when someone has had sangria at Uncle Nick's!
The rest of the food we ordered was amazing... especially the Baklava for desert!
All in all with the great service,incredible food and wonderful company it gets my highest rating!
(5 Jefferson's)
This winter I also saw "Memphis" the broadway musical.And no it's not about Elvis..LOL.
It's actually an interracial love story set in the 50's in Memphis. The music was incredible,inspiring,moving and fun!
I am a big fan of gospel,soul and R&B... and I got it all and more!The lead actress Montego Glover was not only a great actress but also had pipes like a little Patti Labelle!
This was a show that you got everything from. The music,dancing,acting and story were what a musical should be, but nowadays are hard to find!
I listen to the soundtrack at least once a day(thanks Tiffany for the CD!)
This also gets 5 Jefferson's!
Now before I leave I will tell you more about the winter here..COLD and SNOWY!! That's about it!
But seriously,when the snow first comes down it is such a glorious sight to see here.

This city is beautiful the first night it comes down.. the next week is very ugly with all the black ice,dirty snow and very narrow paths on the sidewalk to share with all the other pedestrians. A usual 10 minute walk will take you 30 minutes til it has all melted.
But it is better living in Manhattan than in Queens because at least here they plow and shovel.
In my next blog I'll share with you the rest of the winter here! Spring has got to be coming soon! 
And if ever you have any places you could suggest for me to go or questions about this wonderful city please feel free to ask me!
Til then stay warm and Bon Appetit'

2011 is going to be a great year!!

welcome back to my blog! It's been about 6 months since my last one and a lot has happened over the course of that time! I know for myself and most that 2010 was a hard year and that is why I titled this "2011 is going to be a great year!!"

We all go through tough times personally and feel so overwhelmed by everyday pressures but in the end we have to check ourselves and fix ourselves,I'm on that path right now myself and so far it's a great journey with a great therapist!

The worries of finances and everyday stresses can make you lose track on what's truly important.

We have to be grateful for our health,family,friends and loved ones.These are truly the most important things in life.

Fortunately I have been able to see these things more clearly recently!

For example,As a New Yorker (technically,it has been six years) we see people on the streets looking for hand outs and most of the time if you don't give them anything they respond to you with some not so colorful words.usually that means they are just angry at the world and you because they can't get their next bottle of vodka fast enough!

Then you have the ones out there that just try and run a scam but own or make far more than you.

But every now and then you run across someone who is an exception.I recently did.

There's a sweet woman  who is outside on 8th ave between 46th and 47th street.She's young, probably no more than her late 20's and everytime I see her she is covered up in her blanket,leaning against a construction wall and always has a smile on her when you say hi.

The first time I saw her I was in my total walking mode(oblivious to the world) and she said something but I didn't realize she was talking to me so I kept walking. After I was a few blocks away I felt like I should have stopped to give her something but by this point I thought it was too late and next time I would.

The next night I saw her again and was determined to stop and give her a dollar this time.As I did she told me she saw me the night beforehand and said she really loved my hair but wasn't sure if i had heard her.

As I thanked her and was walking away she said "thank you and have a great night sweetheart"

WOW..Just her voice and the way she said it made me feel so good inside.She sounded so genuine.

But it also made me think that I have forgotten that I have so much to be thankful for! I have a wonderful husband,an incredible family,wonderful friends, two amazing dogs, health, a job I love and a roof over my head!

We all have it hard  at times but as I always believed before and was recently reminded,we have to remember what truly matters and that there are others out there who have it much worse!

So now I make it a routine to go past this very sweet woman a couple of times a week because she really touched my heart!

Just remember that life is not always easy,we may feel overwhelmed at times,we may even feel defeated and broken but we get through these things and become stronger from them!

I'll see you next week when I resume telling you the best places to eat and have fun at here in New York!

Here is to a beautiful year for everyone...may it bring you all the best of everything!!

God Bless!

To mom with Love

This may be the most important and personal blog I will ever write.
One year ago today I lost someone so dear and close to me,a woman who was just like my second mom,My mom Anne.
I can hardly believe it's been a year let alone believe she is gone.Unfortunately cancer took away this beautiful woman with a soul and heart that was one of a kind.
I have never felt so much pain and heartache,nor  have I ever cried as I did the day she passed away.
You would have loved her,so many people did.She was a woman who loved life,people,and always thought with her heart first!
There are so many memories I have of her.It would take forever to tell you all of them so I'll give you some highlights.
I remember the day I met her in Maryland.My dear friend Rachel(her daughter) and I were very good friends (like siblings without the fights) and Rachel said she was having lunch with her and wanted to know if i wanted to join them.
Of course I said yes,and as they say..the rest is history. We all met at Bennigan's(i still remember I had the Turkey O' Toole) and had such a great time!Anne was so inviting and warm to me as if I had known her for a long time not just meeting for the first time.
From that time forward I would see her whenever she was in town to see Rachel.
When Rachel convinced me to move to New York (the best decision ever!) I got very close to Anne.I had my first Thanksgiving in New York with them.I even spent Christmas Eve and Day at their house (something I think noone had done) because they wanted to make me enjoy christmas since I couldn't go home.
And on top of all that they invited me to her nephew's wedding in upstate.And she was so protective over me.She made sure noone made a rude comment about me being gay or made me feel uncomfortable.And noone did,her brother, his wife and his two daughters(michelle and Kerri)  and everyone there were so good to me.Now they are all a part of my family too.
Anne and her wonderful husband Bob (who is also like a father to me,a very funny one!) also had me join them to celebrate Anne's birthday that year.We had dinner at Patsy's(amazing restaurant)and we saw Phantom of the opera (6th row Orchestra..truly amazing!)
By now I had come to look at Bob,Anne and Rachel as my second family.Their love,warmth and generosity to me is something i will always be so thankful for and truly never forget!
So when i met Keith,it was very important they liked him as much as I did! I knew they would have my best interest at heart.And they did like him..Phew!So much that Anne referred to us as her boys!
When Keith and I were planning our wedding we had originally had my mom and Anne walking me down the aisle,but then my dad said he wanted to also.So I told Keith we needed an important job for her,and being the smart man he is he suggested that she marries us!Perfect! The most important job!
When we asked her I'll never forget the tears she had in her eyes.We told her there was noone more perfect to do this than her,and you know what, we were right.Our wedding day was the greatest day of our lives,and it was all thanks to our wonderful family and friends,my beautiful husband  and Anne.Who was the icing on the cake! She overcame her fear of public speaking for us.And when asked a year or so later if she would perform a ceremony for other friends,she said "sorry,but this was very special for my boys,I only did it once for them and I won't do it for anyone else.Iwant to keep it special."  Now that is Love!
My favorite times after that were being at their house and having her amazing baked ziti and catching up on what's new in everyone's lives. Unfortunately,those times wouldn't last much longer.
The following may 16th she was diagnosed with breast cancer.I knew something was strange that day when I called,it was also my birthday and Keith and missed our plane and called them to see if they could look up last minute flights for us .They tried their best but I knew something wasn't right but couldn't tell what.I was kicking myself a week later when I found out what had really happened,and they wanted to keep it from me,so i could enjoy my vacation. and birthday.
After she succesfully battled breast cancer she saw her daughter Rachel get married in a beautiful wedding that October. She was so happy,it was all over her face.Many knew what she had been through and was still going through,but that day she had waited her whole life for,so no sickeness,pain or fatigue was going to interfere.I even got to dance with her one last time that day. Shortly after  they found something in her lung which turned our to be  cancerous (almost 2 years after she quit smoking) during the next few months it spread to her brain and her spine.
14 months to the day she was diagnosed with breast cancer she passed away from  the last two cancers.I can't imagine what she went through,to have four cancers attack you in just over a year,and yet she stayed strong til the end! That was the amazing woman she was.
She was Strong,optomistic,loving ,protective,generous( i could easily fill a page describing her amazing qualities!)and above all else she always thought with her heart first!
So as you can see losing someone this incredible is extremely hard,but I am so thankful she was in my life for these years and will continue to live in my memories forever.
My heart goes out to Rachel and Bob who dedicated their lives to Anne when she was sick.Rachel,you are your mother's daughter and Bob you were the greatest husband anne could ever ask for and an inspiration for me to be the best husband i can be!!
Lastly I just want to say....
Thank you mom for being the best at what you do...everything!
Love your boys,
Jefferson and Keith

Let your inner child out!

Hey guys..finally I'm back!Unfortunately this heat has been so ridiculous to sit in front of my computer long enough to write a blog!Today is cool,so that really helps!
This blog is all about my nephew Dylan's visit to the Big Apple,oh and meeting Tony Award winner Levi Kreis(Million Dollar Quartet)
Keith and I had the great pleasure of having my nephew Dylan come visit us for a week recently!There were so many things I wanted to show him,but so little time. So I let Dylan decide,and like any child he chose the M&M store in times square(1600 broadway). This place is huge(3 floors) and so many cool things inside.after about 45 minutes we left there with our $37 bag of M&M's that we mixed together.
Next we headed to Toys R US Times Square(1514  Broadway) where like M&M it is also 3 levels and majorly packed!
After a little shopping spree there we decided it was time for lunch at Dave and Buster's.
On our way there he got too hungry and opted to have a NY hot dog and pretzel.
As a New Yorker I never really agreed with  NYC putting chairs and tables on the streets of broadway but today it was perfect!
Now we were ready for Dave and Buster's(234 west 42nd street) where Dylan terminated the terminator game and won a whopping 480 tickets to redeem!
Which bought him a few peices of candy and finger locks LOL.
Now it was time for a break and thankfully i live so close!
That night we took Dylan to Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co.(1501 Broadway)
A fun place based on Forest Gump's best friend.We won the trivia quiz(which gave us free refills on soda all night LOL) and Dylan got the shrimp he has been waiting for!
But like his uncle Jeff a few bites fills him up!
Afterwards we saw Iron man 2 and then headed home to play video games.
I'm telling you this whole week I didn't feel 37...but my body felt it!
in the next few days I took Dylan to Coldstone Creamery(amazing ice cream concoctions),Central Park,Toy story 3 in the imax,The Chelsea Hotel(where Bon Jovi filmed his video)and many other small shops and food spots.
But I did give him some education by taking him to The Metropolitan Museum of art.(1000 5th avenue)Which he loved because  of the Greek statues and midievel Times exhibits! They were really amazing!
Our last day with Dylan was spent at Hersheypark with his mom and dad and sister Skylar,our beautiful neice!
Hersheypark has come a long way since i was a kid! The rides are extreme now and the chocolate still tastes incredible!!
With Keith being on P90x we only bought $5.00 in candy this year versus $95 last year!
Alas all the fun had to come to an end and we headed back home to NYC but this time without Dylan.
When we got home I was sad when i looked at the Playstation 3 (every night before he went to bed we played a game of monopoly on it) and realized how much I already missed him!
There's always next year,and in a few years Skylar can join him!
Now just last week we went to see Million Dollar Quartet (which was incredible) and met  Levi Kreis who plays Jerry Lee Lewis! He's so talented and soo nice!!
He represents the gay community and artists greatly! Unfortunately Keith brought the wrong camera(the one with dead batteries) and the iphone sucks at taking pictures with bright lights from a marquee around you!So all we have is a picture of Keith with a blurry spot standing next to him.
But at any rate it was a great experience and Keith got to meet his inspiration for performing!!
Tonight we are going to dinner with our friends Gail and Doug at Becco's.So that will be one of the places I review next time.
hope everyone has a great week!! Stay cool and...
Bon Apetit'

What happens in vegas..stays on my blog!

hi guys! hope everyone had a great week..i know i did!
I'm very excited to say my facebook blog page is up and running.it's also called "living in the city". Please become a fan and leave your comments for me!!I would love that!!
So now to the blog..I finally took a vacation with keith (our first real one since march 09')
Our first stop was  sin city itself..Vegas!!
We arrived there at about Midnight (and it was still 97degrees..phew!)
Our cab driver Judy (AKA Wendy Williams look a like)  was so nice and very fun with a beautiful blonde weave. She asked us about what we thought about the benefits plan(which was code for "I know you two are gay!")and was pleasantly happy to hear we were married almost 3 years now.
She spoke about how she believed it was about time for gay marriage to be recognized everywhere. Then shared with us her moonshine and shotgun upbringing and suggested we go there for a visit(i think it was S.Carolina,but I don't think we will!)She was very cool!
She dropped us off at Paris...our hotel away from home! Paris is so beautiful inside and out..and we even got their beautiful Red Room..Truly gorgeous!
Keith and I decided to toast our arrival with a glass of champagne and then go downstairs for a drink and some slot playing.(we eventually lost..but not a lot.)
The next day after about 4 hours of sleep we met up with my sister Saundra and her husband Kelley who had flown out there just to be with us!
We did some sightseeing outside(about 15 minutes worth since it was 110 degrees now) and then decided to remain indoors as much as possible!
My sister and her husband decided that they would have their vows renewed by Elvis downtown which i found very exciting to do! When we got to Graceland Wedding Chapel(which I had to gps it for our cab driver) the woman who worked the reception also spoke up on mine and Keith's marriage favorably!(we were only 999,996 people shy of a million man march now!) I told Keith it seemed like we were the ambassadors for gay marriage..which does sound like a fun job!
I missed my sister's marriage 13 years ago,so it felt great to be there and walk her down the aisle and give her away at the Vegas one!I highly suggest getting vows renewed in Vegas by Elvis!(5 Jefferson's)
Afterwards we were left in Vegas's skid row to find a cab..and there were none!
So we went to 7-eleven where the guy at the counter called us one.It was sad to see the lives people led in this area of Vegas,definately not glitzy or glamorous!
That Night we ate at Rao's with Saundra and Kelley and had a lovely birthday dinner.
Excellent food there!(5 Jefferson's)
Now it was time to really kick  into the Vegas experience! We took Saundra and Kelley to see our friend Lyssa perform in her band (Mr. $ Mrs. Smith) at Harrah's Carnival Court! Lyssa is the lead female singer with some amazing pipes on her!!
We were even on a VIP list!
Their band was amazing playing all of the big hits of today.And Lyssa was bringing the house down with her beauty and her talent!She has such amazing stage presence..she is a true performer..watch out cher!(they get a huge 5 jeffersons!)
Afterwards Keith,Lyssa and I went for a drink which turned into 3 drinks and brought us to about 5 am(now we are in vegas!)
 we decided to go to a great authentic mexican food drive-thru.We sat there at their table outside watching the sunrise while eating delicious tacos and nachos.Truly an amazing experience!(you have to try it at least once!)
Afterwards we went back to our hotel and 3 hours later I got up and had breakfast with saundra and Kelley before their flight home.(Keith slept in)
That night we had a great dinner with Keith's fun vegas family Tayla,Leslie,Auntie Pris,and were also joined by Lyssa and her super fun mom..momma B at the Rainforest Cafe in MGM Grand. Keith got a lot of great gifts but the coolest one came from Lyssa who gave us a bottle of her wine(She is on the label doing a very cool 50's lingerie " pin up girl" pose).
Not many people can say their friend is on a bottle of wine...but we can!That's one off the bucket list!
Later that night we went to have a drink with our friend michelle's sister ,Dana and their mother Barb at our hotel(they were just starting their vacation.)we hardly get to see them,so we were glad we could!they are so sweet!
Now that we had our vegas fun (and 11 hours of sleep in 3 days!) it was off to Disneyland,California!
And we had the pleasure of having Lyssa and Momma B. come with us!
It was a very cool drive...nothing but desert but really amazing to see!(you just don't want your car to break down!)
After we checked into our lovely hotel(The Ayres Hotel..highly recommend it!)we headed over to Disneyland and had a blast!
 Having Lyssa there made it more enjoyable for me since she is as crazy about Disney as Keith!And Momma B. really added a lot of fun to the experience!Probably my best day at any Disney park!I highly suggest bringing them on your disney vacation!
We had an amazing dinner at "The Blue Bayou" which is inside the pirates of the caribean ride! amazing food(I had Gumbo(2 cups) and delicious crab cakes!)and our waitress amanda was so great!(5 jefferson's)
And then we rode space mountain and Thunder mountain at night...the best way to do it!It felt like we were kids again and had no cares in the world!!
At the hotel afterwards we tried very hard to stay awake and one glass of Lyssa's delicious wine!only Lyssa and I made it!the others passed out before they could!
The next day i finally slept in(yay!) and said goodbye to Lyssa and momma B.(which was sad!) and met Keith back at Disney( he got there at 9 am!)
We had a great day together at California Adventures(their other park) The california scream roller coaster is so fun!And I love my Tower of Terror!
Later we had dinner at Wine Vineyards Trattoria inside california adventures.Amazing food and wine..and really cute cocktails with colored iced cubes!
(definately 5 Jeffersons!)
After a nice nights sleep it was back home to NYC  with our beautiful girls Zsa ZSa And Eva waiting eagerly!(who survived thanks to our friend David's great care!)
.But first we met the 3 stooges(or should i say 3 flight attendants)on our flight home, they were really bad!!Like reality show bad!
This was such an amazing vacation with Keith and all of our friends and family!
I'm very excited since next week my nephew Dylan is coming to visit us for the week here in New York!So I'll see you all in two weeks with a blog of all of our adventures together!
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