A Not So Laboring Labor Day

We spent a the most wonderful Labor Day weekend with our friends Cobban and his hubby Ray, whom were driving up from Southern Arizona and staying with us for a few days.

We had a great weather, lots of food, a few cocktails and a lot of fun. And we actually accomplished quite a lot of sightseeing. Red Rock Canyon, the Las Vegas Strip, old downtown Las Vegas, a free Howard Jones concert at Fremont Street Experience and Cirque du Soleil's "Love" at the Mirage.

Did I mention that it was one heck of fun weekend?

Below are some impressions.

Cobban, Ray, myself and George at the garden conservatory inside the Bellagio.

The dancing water fountains of the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip.

At Red Rock Canyon, just outside Las Vegas, NV.

The red sandstones of Calico Hills at Red Rock Canyon.

Red Rock Canyon, just west of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ray is educating himself about the natural history at the new visitors center of red Rock Canyon.

I think George and Cobban should stop growing any taller already.

Ray, Cobban and I at Red Rock Canyon.

Cobban is posing as the 'fifth' Beatle at the entrance of Cirque du Soleil's 'Love' at the Mirage. And he is an avid Beatles fan. He really enjoyed the show, which is a feast of amazing visuals and sounds. A must for every Beatles fan.

Seven

Yesterday, the number 7 had a significant meaning for George and I.

• There are seven wonders of the ancient world.

• There are seven continents in the world.

• There are seven colors of the rainbow.

• A ladybug commonly has seven spots.

• Most people in Europe, Latin America, and New England write 7 with a line in the middle.

• In “Star Trek: Voyager,” Seven of Nine (also called Seven for short) is one of the crewmembers.

• ProSieben (sieben being German for seven), a television network in Germany.

• The Marilyn Monroe film “The Seven Year Itch” is famous for the white dress blowing up.

But more importantly, we celebrated our seventh anniversary together. It’s amazing how time flies. And I couldn’t even imagine my life without George anymore. Thank you for an incredible ride of a lifetime. I’m hoping it’ll never stop.

Ich liebe Dich!

...Love Is All You Need

Jubiläum

One year ago I started this blog, not really knowing what to expect from it or what the outcome would be. Would it become a dairy of sort? An outlet for frustrating rants? I didn’t know. The primary goal for this blog was to stay connected with family and friends, most of whom live in Germany. I figured it would be a great tool to share photos and stories with them.


If anything, this blog became a small window which allowed a little peek into the world where George and I live in. Even though I haven’t blogged on a daily basis, it was fun doing it. Most entries weren’t too involved or deeply profound. Certainly, I hoped they wouldn’t be too boring or irrelevant either. Seasoned with a few opinions here and there, and yes...some rants, I was at least trying to keep it interesting.


Lately, I’ve made some new friends through this blog. George and I even met a few in person. Hi Eric. Hello Mark.


So today marks the first anniversary of this little endeavor. Why not throw in a new banner design for the special occasion? Let’s see what this second year has in store for us and this blog.


Bye-bye, old banner. It's been fun.


Today also marks another anniversary. However, a far more important one. George and I are together now for five years. Has it really been that long? It seems like only yesterday when I saw him for the first time at the Orleans casino. And at the same time it feels as if we’ve been together for a lifetime already.


It’s incredible how two complete strangers have found each other and yet have so much in common. We both come from a multi-national background and grew up in bilingual households. We were influenced by a multitude of cultures and have always embrace diversity and tolerance. Both of us are graphic artists. And at the time we both worked only a few blocks away from each other on the same street and didn’t even know it. It’s a small world after all.


I don’t know if it was “love a the first sight.” I’m the first to admit that I never believed in such things. But whatever it was, it clicked. We clicked. It felt right. We complimented each other and became one. We have yet to have a big fight. We rarely argue. What am I saying? We never argue!


Oh my gosh...we’re perfect!


Wait...not quite. We have planned to get married today, on our fifth anniversary. In California. Well, guess what? Some people didn’t like that and threw Proposition 8 at us. Congratulations!


Screw ‘em. We don’t need a piece of paper to show that George and I love each other and belong together. Yes, we are perfect. Marriage? Civil union? These definitions don’t make a relationship perfect. Love does. Compassion. Understanding. The urge to be with that special someone. Not some paper or official certificate.


We may still get married down the road though. Or get a civil union. Or whatever the “normal” heterosexual, but angry mob allows us “freaky,” but happy homosexuals to call this bond. I hate labels. I’m a human being who loves another human being. What could be more beautiful than that?


Take that, Britney Spears! I hope you enjoyed your five minutes of heterosexual marriage bliss. However, I pity you. You'll never know how true love feels like and what it really means. Hey, but at least you're “normal.”


Happy Anniversary, George. Ich liebe Dich von ganzen Herzen. Für immer und ewig. Und nichts kann uns auseinander bringen.


What? Did you think I would end this entry without some corny schmaltz?