Happy Star Wars Day...May 4th 2013!

Todays title says it all really. May the 4th is a day set aside to completely wallow in Star Wars geekery...hence the phrase, "May the 4th be with you." Not that I need a special day to wallow in geekery mind you, it's sort of a 24/7 thing with me and it will always revolve around Star Wars in some way. Yes....it's Star Wars day every day for me.

Given what our family does on YouTube I have been very lucky to find many kindred spirits but...there are also just as many that don't get it at all. You can always tell when someone visits my house, see's our Star Wars collection...and then politely smiles as they back out there door with a look on their face like they just stepped into the something more like Silence of the Lambs. yeah...not everybody gets it.

So I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about how I became a fan and what Star Wars has meant to me over the years. This isn't apologetics...I'm not attempting to make myself look any less fanatical. but hopefully, those of my readers who don't have any connection with a "galaxy far far away" might begin to understand why I feel the way I do...and perhaps why all superfans(Dr. who, Star Trek, Harry Potter etc.) are really just big kids at heart.

Looking Back At 2012

The end of the year is always a time that we round up the year with a top ten list of some kind. We tabulate the things that rocked our world or biggest villains of the last twelve months and then shake our heads in wonder that so much stuff happened in one year. Well this year I am deeply resisting doing another simple list of events. First, because you can't swing a stick on the internet without hitting one...and second, because the years events as they have effected our family were far more than just blurbs on the news. Lots of things happened to our kids and to us, new friends were made and old ones returned, we took Portland by storm, I turned 40, and then took a bite out of the big apple....and that's what you missed on Glee GFV!(hahaha just kidding). This time I want to take a minute not just to list what happened but to reflect on a year that many called a game changer. Lets see if I can even remember everything that happened....

Merry Christmas To All!...2012

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you who have been with me throughout the year. Thank you so much for for following my blog and for being patient with my ramblings. All of you are a special part of our lives, and on this holiday season we wish you all the very best!

Sincerely,
Bryan

Happy Easter 2012!

Happy Easter everyone!  Even if you don't celebrate this holiday we wish you an awesome day filled with love and lots of goodies! Remember...the world looks better with chocolate! Today we are going to let the kids hunt for Easter eggs and then, after they are done enjoying their Easter haul, we will be going to brunch with family. Mimosa's for everybody! We hope everyone has a great holiday and....

Until next time dear readers...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Years everyone. I barely got the time to get on here to today to give these wishes. Jay and I have been dashing aroung getting things for Baby Boy, who made his transition back into our home with flying colors. He is doing awesome and it's like he never left. But the hectic tone of this day just underscores what 2011 was for us....so busy. And 2012 does not look to be any less busy. But however full the new year may be I look forward to experiencing it with my family and with all of you. So no matter where you find yourself tonight, may you have a great night and an incredible new year! See you in 2012!

Until next time dear readers....

Happy Holidays From Us!

Happy Holidays from all of us here at the Leffew home.

It has been one crazy holiday season and I for one am glad that Christmas is finally here so that I can just enjoy the day and forget any preparations that still may need to be done. Our gifts are purchased and wrapped, our dinner is ready to go...and Santa even made an appearance here the day before his big night. If you're on a budget this holiday season try this Overstock coupon. The store has a wide array of selection so hopefully you can pick something out for your whole family!

I know that Daniel knows the truth about Santa now...but I hope he never stops believing that magical things can happen. As he gets older, his wish list changes from video games and toys to video games and a leather jacket but I hope he and Selena always remain little kids inside. As a grown up, my Christmas wish list has changed somewhat too. I look around my life and realize that I have so much that I am grateful for, that it shrinks my list down quite a bit. But, a few things I have wished for under the evening stars are a world in which no gay person needs to fear to lose their job, their home, or their life because someone discovers their sexual orientation or gender identity. I saw a lot of violence done to friends this year and it reminds me just how far we have to go make that world more than just a wish. I'm keeping a handful of people in my prayers this year and their safety and happiness is my Christmas wish.

So I do believe in magic. It may not come with sparkles, colorful light shows, or the sound of harps, but I do believe that incredible....even impossible things happen when we hold them in our hearts and make room for them in our lives. That's just me though and I don't ever want to stop believing.

 Merry Christmas and happy holidays from Jay, Daniel, Selena, and myself....and no matter where you may find yourself this holiday season, may you be safe and warm as well as surrounded by those you love.

Holiday Traditions: Awkward Conversations With Family

I don't know if anyone has seen the the video floating around from Maggie Gallagher and the National Organisation for Marriage?  You know...the one in which she gives tips on how to talk to your loved ones about your opposition to marriage equality over a heaping plate of turkey, cranberry, and mashed potatoes. You know, I can just imagine it now...."The Turkeys just delicious this year Margaret! Did you brine it?...oh and while we are on the subject...I think gay marriage is totally wrong and the work of homosexual activists bent on redefining a sacred institution to destroy the family....please pass the yams John.......John?....Why is your face so red?. Yams please dear.".....Holiday family get togethers can often be the site of family dust ups but anyone who goes to the dinner table with conversational ammo about their views over gay marriage?...talk about an agenda. Who knew this was something people needed pointers on?

However...Maggies psa about holiday insensitivity does bring up a topic that has long been a challenge for me personally....talking to my family about anything gay. Contrary to what I do on the internet...I am not that vocal in person and some of the hardest people I have ever had to talk to are my family. So lets go there....pass the gravy Maggie...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers who have been with us this year. It has been such a crazy busy year! Today I don't have to host or help cook a huge dinner and I find that I don't know what to do with myself now....though it is nice to let someone else do all the hard work...oh well. Even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, we here at the Leffew home wish you a great day and a happy holiday season. I am truly thankfull for everyone who reads this blog and perhaps takes the time to leave comments. It has been a very chaotic and uncertain year for us and I appreciate everyone for bearing with us through it. You guys are the heart and soul of this blog and I wish I could personally thank each and every one of you.

Anyway...go stuff yourselves, hug your relatives, and take a long nap. You don't have to celebrate Thanksgiving to enjoy those simple joys. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :)

Bryan, Jay and The Kids

Who's Your Momma...

Well Mothers Day has come and gone. I hope everyone had a chance to spend some quality time with their moms to say thanks for all the little things they do for us everyday. Me and the kids got to spend some time with Grandma who turned out to be the only mother who didn't have somewhere else to be on "Mothers Day".....oh well.

I don't know if anyone saw this weeks Modern Family in which they take on Mothers Day. It included a rather funny segment in which same-sex parents Cam and Mitchel get into an argument...well...Cam has a full drama meltdown actually...because Mitchel regards him as the "mom" in the relationship. This sent Cam over the edge because because everyone treated it as if it was his holiday and this was just too much of a threat to
his manhood and it drove him to do those ridiculous things that only people in sitcoms do. It was funny enough to watch on television...until Jay turned to me and said "that is so you. You're the mom in this family. (insert sound of record scratch here).....say what?!

and of course he found every opportunity to drive the point home...including in our Mother's Day video included after the fold.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Some of you may celebrate the holiday...others not. But from our family to all of you may you have an awesome day and may the Easter Bunny leave you special...and hopefully edible, surprises!

Christmas Miracles

who needs "Its a Wonderful Life" when you have stories like this one about Jim and Dillon of New York, who recieved some 450 letters addressed to Santa...and answered them. It breaks and warms my heart all at once and shows us that good really does exist in the human spirit. If these guys were angels they would have earned their wings this year. Take a look...



The only thing I could hope for is some way to fullfill more of those letters cause you know this is gonna happen again next year. I just wish they didn't blur out the facebook page because more people could have helped. Anyhow...this video just made my heart grow ten sizes larger. I hope it will do the same for you.

Merry Christmas...Happy Holidays...Until next time every one..

The kids Are Going Home...A Look Back At The Last Nine Months

Well...the Thanksgiving turkey has been cooked and devoured, the dishes cleaned, and the house put in order. The general hubbub  of the holiday has briefly subsided. It was a fantastic Thanksgiving with great food and a rare occasion when family put aside their differences and enjoyed a nice holiday. No one got their feelings hurt and stomped out in a huff...not even me...it was a Thanksgiving miracle that made for a wonderful day.

It was also a day that we sent our 5 year old nephew Marcelo...who we have fostered for nine+ months...back to be with his mom to stay. He was so excited he could barely contain himself all day. When the time came to go, he leapt into his mothers arms and seemed like the happiest boy in the universe. I can't help but be happy for him too . I guess this is what Thanksgiving is all about in the long run.

Now that our time with the kids is coming to a close, perhaps it's time to settle back..loosen the belt on my stuffed tummy...and think back over the last nine months...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello fellow revelers...Just a note to say Happy Thanksgiving! Being that I live in one of the last timezones to see the holiday in, I assume that you have already stuffed you gluttonous selves into a tryptophane induced coma...I'll be right following along in those footsteps soon. Jay has been hard at work in the kitchen all day and the entire house smells like food I can't yet eat...arggg! Maybe it's time to crack out to wine ; D

And for those of you who do not celebrate this holiday or who may have already had their Thanksgiving long ago...May you have good food, a warm home, and wonderful company to share them with!

Bryan

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We know that this day isn't a holiday for everyone but we still wish you a happy day even if it isn't a holiday for you.

The tradition we pass along to our kids is to think of the things that we are thankful for in our lives and while the top of my list is always Jay and the kids, it now includes all of you who have added so much to my life. Of course I am also thankful for good food, good spirits, and good friends...that, to me, is the good life....maybe I'm actually a hobbit?...

This morning we had to rake some of the HUGE amount of leaves in our front yard before the neighbors formed an angry mob and showed up with torches and pitchforks. Every year the kids have a blast jumping in the leaves. This is our Thanksgiving greeting card to all our readers and viewers....thank you for being a part of our lives for more than a year now.



Well...I'm off to stuff myself with noms (thats food btw...not The National Orginization for Marriage)...Have a good day everyone!

Happy Halloween!...What Are YOU Doing This Year?

Well here we are again at another Halloween...my favorite holiday...and yet again I am not dressing up or hosting a party....*Sigh*...that makes the victims sooo much harder to come by...

But first lets set the mood......