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!

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?

A Visit to the Springs Preserve

It’s been a while since our more extensive entry, but here it goes…



On Sunday, the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas celebrated its first anniversary, with reduced admission fees, all-you-can-eat ice cream offerings, live music and other activities. George and I always wanted to visit this park, but never did. We're glad we took advantage of this opportunity. The weather was also perfect for such outings. There was plenty of sunshine, a gentle breeze and the scorching desert heat has not yet set in. In other words...perfect conditions.

This place is simply amazing. It’s far larger than we had anticipated and it’s the most un-Las Vegas attraction in Las Vegas, which we find very refreshing.

The Springs Preserve is actually the birthplace of Las Vegas. Its springs were once providing water to Native Americans thousands of years ago and later sustained travelers of the Old Spanish Trails. Today, this park educates visitors about its rich geographical and cultural history. There are countless exhibitions about the local flora and fauna, archeological digs and how contemporary Las Vegas has influenced the valley. Also included are educational and recreational attractions to inform about the human impact on the environment and how to protect it for the future.

In addition, there are demonstration gardens, a small zoo showing local animals and reptiles in their natural habitat, a self-guided trail through the preserve itself, lectures, arts and crafts classes, and of course...this still being Las Vegas...a Wolfgang Puck café.

Still under construction is the future home of the Nevada State Museum, which eventually will be part of this very impressive complex. We will definitely visit this extraordinary place more often.

There is way too much to see and do to list here. Here are some photos of our visit to the Springs Preserve. The following snippets only capture a small insight into an attraction on a much grander scale.