Life with Lola; The Adventure begins

I'm Moving

2006-03-25T13:07:00.000-10:00

I have looked around and found a site that I like a bit better than blogger, for me that is. anyway my new home is at http://www.scottk1265.wordpress.com. I hope you 3 People who read me will follow the link and find me there. buh-bye

Yikes

2006-03-24T20:38:00.000-10:00

Well I learned a lesson today. I will not ever again try to change my template from the options offered here at blogger. I found a really cool one at noipo.org they even had directions and all, however,I almost succeded in destroying this whole blog. Not that I couldn't have restarted it but boy what a pain.

Anyone willing to help me out and walk me through it ?? Maybe I will try it again in a week or so . But , in honor of almost wiping out Life with Lola I did figure out how to add links !!!!!! Check out some of these cool guys that I have been reading for a while. A couple of them actually gave me the bug to start this site . And the creator of Life as Brutus' Dad was my first commenter!
So enjoy some of the ones I linked to but don't forget about me. I will be waiting for your return :)

Tinkerbell goes to the lawyer

2006-03-23T18:19:00.000-10:00

P, on occasion, will wear sparkles, or body glitter on his face. I have no problem , it makes him feel pretty and he is secure enough in himself that he can carry it off fairly well. He wears it for special occasions, when we go out for cocktails with friends etc. I , however, do not wear them. Ever. Nor do I think they look good on me , like I said, on P they look cute. I have no problem with them, except, on 2 occasions, they have never been an issue.

Occasion #1 2-3 Years ago in Portland,Or

In Portland ,Or. every spring there is a gathering. It is a very special gathering only because of the fact that most of the lesbians in the Pacific Northwest attend it. They also are allowed to bring their mo friends if they choose to do so . I forget the actual name of the event but it is when all the lesbian softball teams come together for a tournament. It usually takes place on a long weekend ( I think Memorial Day Weekend ) So alot of the players bring all their friends and camp out in the park where the softball field is.

P's sister is a lesbian and has attended these events for a while and P has gone with her. Along with the festivities there is a lot of drinking and general tomfoolery ensues between games ,during games, whenever. The year after P and I met the time for the annual tourny came around. I had to work so I was unable to attend but that did not stop P , and I had no problem with him going.

The morning of the event he asked if he could borrow my new cargo shorts ( what are boyfriends for if not just to expand your own wardobe?) I said yes and headed out to work . P headed out at the same time with his new container of "sparkles "in his (my) pocket. Long story short ( too late I know ) During all the shenanagins of the day and after quite a few cocktails/ jello shots for P he realized that the lid had come off his sparkle container, in the pocket of my new shorts. This proved to be no problem for him , he just would reach into the pocket and throw his magic fairy dust on whomever he saw fit( remember many cocktails/jello shots were consumed) .He came home before me and passed out, never telling me about the sparkle dilema.

The next day we were invited to a bbq so I had to run to the store fairly early to get a head start. Without thinking I grabbed my cargo shorts off the floor, threw my wallet in the cargo pocket and headed out . I got to the store and picked out the items needed without a care in the world. That is until I got to the register pulled my wallet out of my pocket, and promptly smothered myself and the cashier with fairy dust . I had sparkles in my wallet for about as long as that wallet lasted . I had a very hard time going back to that store again .

Occasion #2 Earlier today

Today I had a meeting with my lawyer ( long story, I might go into it in another post). After shaving to get ready I see that there is already a hand towel on the counter for me to wash off the foam. I rinse off my face and reach for the towel eyes closed. I wiped my face, opened my eyes and gasped in horror. Yup you guessed it, P had used that handtowel to clean up (another) spill of sparkles. My cheeks and chin were smothered in sparkles. I looked like a club kid gone wrong , way wrong. I called P to relate this story to him and he about went into an asthma attack he was laughing so hard. I can SOOO feel the love . Needless to say I got rid of every single sparkle, it took me about 15 minutes but when I arrived at the lawyers office I was sparkle free. However, my face is still raw from all the scrubbing that ensued . Do you have any idea how hard it is to get those things off ?

There and back again

2006-03-16T19:15:00.000-10:00

Just this past holiday season I had an epiphany ( of sorts ) about home and its meaning in the real world. You see, I have not been home , or at least to where my family lives in over 4 years. No we did not have a great falling out or bad parting , circumstances have just been such that I have not been able to go. That is a price you pay when you end up over 3000 miles from where your family is . But I digress. Back to the epiphany . It was after P and I had picked out our tree at Home Depot . P was taking the tree back to our house and I was off to buy more decorations , when suddenly this overwelming feeling of meloncholy seeped over me ( perhaps it was the sappy christmas music , or buying a tree in 80 degree weather , who knows) but I NEEDED to talk to my mom.

I called her and we talked about a million things then I just started balling like a school girl . I whined for awhile about how much I missed Alabama ( I know, what was I thinking) and how I wished I could be with them, the conversation ended with a promise to call on christmas day and I hung up. My thoughts were border line obsessive about going home , I wanted , no needed to go home . These were my thoughts up until the time I pulled into my driveway . There I saw P standing on the lawn , throwing Lola's frisbee for her . At the sound of my car Lola stopped chasing the frisbee and ran toward my car, P smiled and waved and that was when the epiphany happened . I didn't need to go anywhere I was already Home.

I could have sworn we left it right here !

2006-03-09T23:46:00.000-10:00

So I get to stalwart cousin's house and there are three bedraggled folk waiting me with great patience, the three that I picked up were T1 plus the young boy , T2 had gotten a ride to the house from the tow truck , but I am getting way ahead of myself . On the way home I had to stop at a store and it was while waiting for the guest that went shopping the story began to unfold .

While driving home it had begun to pour , and of course the car did not stall until after the windows of heaven had opened upon us . T1 was somehow ( not really sure about the politcs of the decision ) volunteered to try and get help , it is here that the party splits. T2 stay with the car since it is still kind of in the road and T1 sets out in hopes of finding a pay phone to call us . Not long after the split T1 was picked up by two rastafarians who were " higher than kites " who agree to take the team to pay phone. While T1 was getting a ride T2 finds that the car can run but only in spats , so they try to find a safer place to go, of course T1 knows nothing about this development . T1 finally gets to a pay phone that the Rastis are " sure will work just fine " and of course it didn't . However , the gods of Maui were smiling on T1, for across from the payphone was the office of the only winery on Maui and the office lights were still on . So T1 goes to inquire about a phone to call a tow truck , in the meantime T2 had found a safe place off the road ( and a few miles from where they stopped ) to wait for help to come .

Some time passes and T1 is safely ensconced in the office of the winery with the owner and one of his ranch hands drinking shots of whiskey , after having called for a tow truck . While waiting for the tow truck T1 decides that it would be best if they went back for T2 and wait together. But alas T2 is not where they are supposed to be , and T1 in the winery owners car begin the hunt for the missing car and the rest of their group. In the mean time T2 is still waiting patiently (having great confidence in T1 )for sight of a tow truck. Finally , in the distance , they see the tow truck coming and get out of the car to flag it down. However after the tow truck pulls over T2 had a hard time convincing the driver they were in fact who he was looking for ( not the right location, not the right name given the little things) and so the tow truck leaves in search of what he felt was the driver who called for help. T1 was still looking for the car at this point and are driving aimlessly back and forth along the highway searching . Not long before they were going to give up and try a different tack( God only knows what that would have been ) they also see the tow truck guy and flag him down. Now mr tow truck driver being a smart man finally puts two and two together after T1 tells the story of not knowing where their broken down freinds could have gone . He told them to follow him that he knew exactly where they were.

And so the two teams were finally brought back together . The car was towed to our house, and after a $200 fee began to work again the next day as if nothing had ever happened. Luckily all were returned home safely with everyone a little worse for the wear . We did, however, have loads of fun retelling this story to all that would listen . Keep in mind folks that this was 2 days after the wedding . We affectionately call this period our horrormoon , with good reason as you can see.

Is there anywhere to get a drink around here ??

2006-03-09T23:18:00.000-10:00

Ok so here it is ..the post you've been waiting for ( or not ) . Since there are 5 people who are integral to this post I am going to break them into two teams Team 1 is the team that leaves the car in search of help, in the pouring down rain no less. Team 2 ,therefore, will be the team that stays with the car. T1 is made up of two of P's very good friends from Portland, Oregon(so they didn't much mind the rain) . T2 is P's sister, her girlfriend and her girlfriends son . As I have previously stated we were all coming back from a gorgeous day of sightseeing on the road to Hana. At the end of the day some of us wanted to get home and others wanted to stay on for awhile, so we all split up and did our own thing.

P and I arrive home after getting soaked ourselves by riding in the back of P's cousins truck for the ride home. P had just finished in the shower and I was going next when we recieved a phone call on his cell. I wasn't worried at the time I had a warm shower to get on with , that is until P started to freak out "Oh my God you are f-ing kidding me" he fairly shouted. I knew at that time that something was amiss. He then came into the bathroom and informed me that his car was broken down in the middle of the road about an hour from where we were . Now ,the reason we took his car instead of mine was that my car had started having brake problems the day before , serious brake problems at that , there was no way I was going to be able to go and pick up the friends and get back home safely. Getting up the mountain would have been no problem , it would have been the trip down that was the worry.So once again we called upon the stalwart cousin whom we love ( who had just driven us virtually all the way around the island) to see if she could lend a hand. Of course she was a bit peeved, as anyone would be after the long day we had , but as she simply stated "well we can't just leave them where they are can we ". The answer ,of course, was no . She did ask if there was a way that I could meet her half way( half way being her house ) and throwing caution to the wind I agreed , it was the least I could do . It wasn't until I picked up T1 at the cousins house that I heard the whole story and boy is it a doozy ........Stay tuned

On the Road to Hana

2006-03-04T18:05:00.000-10:00

I decided do a little back ground story on Hana before I actually tell you about our friends great adventure. The road to Hana is actually one of the better trips to do if you ever come to Maui. It is an extremely curvy road that does go to Hana but on the way takes you into the heart of Maui's rain forest. The road itself is so narrow in spots that you have to stop and let the folks coming at you go first across narrow bridges with cliffs and valleys on one side and a panoramic view of the ocean on the other. The road is so bad in spots that all the rental car companies on the island tell you that you can not make it all the way around the tip, but you can . It is just kinda scary and a little dangerous. During rainy season the waterfalls are full to capacity and make for some awesome stops along the way.

The whole trip takes a whole day to complete and is much better if you stay at the state park or rent a cabin in Hana itself and then continue the next day. With sites such as the Blue Pool (a huge waterfall and lagoon facing the ocean.) , Black and Red Sand Beaches (Red sand beach is THE most gorgeous beach I have ever seen ) and the Seven Sacred Pools it is the consumate tourists spot to see here. We go every time someone visits and despite the driving ( usually done by P) it is a very enjoyable if exhausting day trip. To make sure you are not caught on the back side ( which is slightly more treacherous)we usually start the trip by around 7 or 8 in the morning and are back at the house by 5 or 6 that night. Keep all this in mind for my next post which is the unfortunate adventure of 5 of our guests getting stranded on the back side after a full day of touring and site seeing, and of course it involves a whole lot of rain, a missing car and a lost tow truck ....tune in later :)

Rings and Cakes and Tents ..Oh My :A Reprise

2006-02-28T09:38:00.000-10:00

We got through our wedding with minimal damage...and even managed to survive the whirlwind week that followed .The guests that we had staying at our place were all quite awesome.That being said, I encourage all of you to think twice before having 15 people stay in a place that is barely suitable for two. Thankfully most of our guests were very self sufficient but trying to coordinate the things that needed to be coordinated was , a bit chaotic. If not for the aforementioned awesomeness of our guests it could have been alot worse.

A few posts back I said that we thought our ceremony would "go off without a hitch" well...... there were a few. One of which was the fact that we were over an hour late to it . As I told P on our way to the site it really could not have been helped, and they really couldn't have started without us (could they ?) When we finally did arrive the videographer said that it was a good thing we were running late. It seems it had been sprinkling and the weather had looked ugly until about 10 minutes before we got there. So, there you have it, everything happens for a reason !Although, I did feel bad about making everyone wait so long for us ....over an hour....in the rain . Later, as we were giving leis to the honored folk in the gathering I watched in horror as P put a lei on his cousin who was beaming in the front row ...even though she was supposed to be standing up with me on my side . We had forgotten to remind her of this fact . That night at the reception she was very gracious as we were apologizing....for FORGETTING HER. She actually did alot for us, doing all the flowers, decorating the tent etc. Needless to say we felt horrible.

On to the reception which I think was very nice ...the food was a bit late in coming but when it was done it was delicious. The cake was absolutely gorgeous. as were all the decorations. I will be posting pictures as soon as we sort through them all . Now we have settled down , all the guests are gone . Peace settles once again over our house , our house that really needs a good cleaning now that our lives are back in order. Stay tuned for my next post , in which I tell the story of 5 of our guests getting stranded about an hour from us , in the rain, not knowing where they are . And yet 2 of them get to meet a real Hawaiian cowboy (paniolo) and the owner of the only winery/vineyard on Maui..........

What will we be blamed for next?

2006-02-01T15:50:00.000-10:00

Wow, I am beside myself with anger and resentment. I stumbled across someone else's blog ( and by stumbled I mean I got there through numerous other links and such and can't remember how I got there) And saw an article he posted by one of the high muckety mucks of the Southern Baptist Convention. We are now being blamed for the break down of heterosexual males ability to form lasting friendships with other straight males. The guy stated that with movies like Brokeback Mountain being accepted into the mainstream "regular hetero males will have less likelyhood to form bonds with other straight guys because of the misconception that they may be thought to be homosexual."

Now I don't know about everyone and I can only speak for myself when I tell you that I have many straight male friends that hang out with P and myself on a regular basis that dont care one iota that we are fags. If these hetero men are comfortable enough around us to go with us to gay and straight bars alike, and have great times, then how can we be blamed for them not being able to have concrete hetero male friendships? Why ,once again, are the fingers being pointed at us for the demoralization and breakdown of society? I mean come on now , really folks, can't you find any other scapegoat to pin this one on ?

And for that matter, I find no basis for the argument anywhere I have been lately. They are telling us that straight guys are afaid to be seen together in public in case someone might target them as a homo, however, you still see the gaggles of straight men hanging out all over the place. In malls, at bars, at concerts and sporting events, they are still fairly prevelant in my way of thinking.

I refuse to be the reason that they can't make friends of their own ilk. It is not my fault and I really feel it is a non-issue. The boy ( or in this case hate filled judgemental fundamental christian "scholar" ) who cried wolf will not cut it this time . I think I am going to church this week to hug all the straight boys then lock lips with P for the whole sermon !!!

End rant

Rings and Cakes and Tents...Oh My

2006-01-27T00:41:00.001-10:00

Well, I never said I would write daily so stop looking at me that way. Things have been a mite hectic around here the past week and a half, with regular work time interspersed with wedding errands and chores. However, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel( which is a good thing considering the wedding is in 17 days) alot of our running around has been accomplished.

On a lighter note P thinks that he is just going to lounge at the pool at the resort I work at for the entire day before the wedding. Like I see that happening,I wish it could work out that way,for his sake but I think there will still be a bit too much to be done for that. Our rings came in today and P had a chance to try his on. I am waiting patiently for him to get home from work so I can see them and try mine on. The tent is rented,as are the tables and chairs, Flowers are on order and the cake is being discussed with a friend of mine on Monday. Then I think we will be okay until our friends start arriving. We have a lot of people coming to join us from the mainland which was sort of a suprise to us ,but a good one . People are coming from as far away as New Hampshire (WooHOO0)

So all in all it looks as if this wedding/domestic partnership ceremony will go off with out a hitch(we can all pray please). We have a fabulous Hawaiian lady doing the ceremony for us. Complete with the blessings and chants of the ancient Hawaiians and the blowing of the conch shell ( whats a gay wedding with out a little blowing right?). Hopefully I will get a chance to update here before the 15th, but if not, know that there will be many stories to tell after its all over. Oh and by the way,in case you were interested, yes Lola is in the ceremony, as our ring bearer. We can only hope she doesn't see a cat and run away with our rings strapped to her back :) .

Lola meets the Moorlachs Part 2

2006-01-14T10:16:00.000-10:00

And so we asked that Lola be brought to the play yard J in the lead . Lola is a combination Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix so she loves to run, and jump and herd things . J and I were having a blast playing with her and just getting to know her a bit and P was talking to the Humane Societies employee . She was telling P that we did not want this dog , apparently Lola had already been returned to the H.S a number of times for disruptive behavior( read destroying peoples property) and if she was brought back by us she would be euthanized.

Now I can get a bit emotional at times, and I had already spent time getting a bond formed with Lola, so imagine my reaction when P came to relay all the bad news. I got a little upset and walked out of the play area. P came out to talk to me and realized that I had misty eyes, and asked me if I really wanted to chance taking a dog that we were told was disruptive and had high separation anxiety( by the employee that had fostered her at her own home for a while). I told P that I really didn't know what to do but I really liked Lola and shouldn't she get another chance?

Now keep in mind that J was still in the play area with Lola who we had tired out playing ball . We went to have one last look and make our decision since I had calmed down. Stepping back into the play yard we could see that the two of them were just having too much fun, and the decision was made to keep her . We took her home that very afternoon.

Did she destroy things ....Yes ...many plants, trees, a bed ,bedroom carpeting etc but when we moved into our 2nd apt with her she became a completely different dog she destroyed nothing at the second place . She just needed to be part of a loving family and we proved to her that we were it . And she really loves living in Maui. All things considered I have never regretted dealing with the bad to get where we are with her now ...she is our daughter and the love we share is wonderful. I love our little family of three .

Lola meets the Moorlachs

2006-01-12T19:41:00.000-10:00

And how,you may ask, did we end up with such a fine looking dog? Well you are in luck because that is the story I had prepared for todays installment. This story takes us back 5 years. Right after P and I decided to get an apartment together.

The development we chose had a high school track and field area right behind it, and no sooner than having filled out the paperwork for the apt. the Office Mgr looked at us and said "now when are you going to get your dog?" Turns out this apt complex was very dog friendly , as a matter of fact almost every unit had a dog attached to it. We decided to go to the humane society right after we unloaded our truck. We took P's nephew J with us for the childproofing test, as whatever dog we got would be spending alot of time with P's sister and her children.

The first lil pooch that caught our eye was a beautiful german shepherd puppy named Virginia, we asked if we could take her out to the play yard and were led outside with her. J as excited as a 6 year old can be when confronted with a new playmate started running around the enclosed area, with Virginia close behind , nipping at his feet and hands. I pulled P aside and we just watched as the nipping became more excited. I told P we couldn't take Virginia with the possibility that she might bite one of A's children . And so the search continued. As we rounded the corner from Ginnie's spot I ran face to face into a stare down with the most adorable dog I had ever seen, yup you guessed it Ms. Lola wanted her turn on the play yard.................. to be continued.........................

Triumphant Entry, or not so much

2006-01-11T16:37:00.000-10:00

So there is the princess,the heir to the throne,our spoiled rotten brat. Ladies and Gentlemen meet Lola. It would appear that I have started a blog ! I am very happy about this, here's hoping that I can be as witty and entertaining as some of the blogs that I read. Just a few things you may want to know about us.

I am a gay man who is lucky enough to have had a partner for the past 5 years, we are actually doing a committment ceremony this year,in a little over a month I might add. Bit stressful.

We have lived on the lovely Isle of Maui for a little over one year now and love every minute of it, although it did take some getting used to . I have always been a water/ocean kinda guy but never lived close to the ocean before .

P (my partner) and I met at a bar and have never been apart from each other except for the week he went to get Lola from the mainland.

Thats about all I can think of for this my first post, before long you will know probably more than you want to about us but thats what this blog is all about .