Apple Picking...

This last Saturday was one of the best days that we have had in a long time. Mark, Mikayla, and I decided that we needed some time away from our "normal" life (read: school, canning, garden), so we took up an offer from our neighbors to go apple picking. The place we went was called Douglas Orchards and is located in Shoreham, Vermont. Our neighbors have been going here for years and they love it.

The drive took about an hour and a half and was very pleasant. I got to talk with Nancy, which I don't get to do often. Jon and Nancy's son, Gabe, is four now and we talked about the different stages that the kids were going through. Mikayla is in one right now that I will touch on in another post. The only distress that I had was riding in the back of the van. I was reading a book to Gabe (which is not smart for me) and then we started to go around many curves (again not good). I started to get real nauseated and my head started to spin. I held it together and we arrived at the orchard.

The day was beautiful and the place was amazing. The trees were all full with perfect apples. I was in awe. As you can see from the pictures below, you couldn't find a tree that was not full of apples. At the end of the picture I included a video of the day as well.

Family...

I have stated many times (not here) how I see my family and what I have will piss of the Right wing republicans to no end. I have what they see as the "American Family". Lets take a look. I am in a loving, caring, monogamous relationship with the same person for more than seven years. We have a two car garage and a white picket fence. Our family consist of two loving and caring parents whose main purpose in life is to see their daughter grow up to be happier than they are. We have a beautiful little girl that make us happy, joyous, filled with love, and leaves a smile on our faces on a daily basis. We are starting the process of having another baby and this makes us happy and terrifies us. We have three wonderful dogs and one crazy cat. We live in a small town where everyone knows us and likes us. We work (well Mark does) and we pay our taxes. So what can possible be wrong? What can make people so mad and angry?

What makes them angry is the fact that we are two men. We are two men that care more about each other than 50% of the heterosexual married couples (possibly more) in our society. These are the ones that will end in divorce. These are the ones that swore under their god that they will love, honor, and cherish until death do they part. Why is it then that when I love someone as much as I love Mark and with as much hatred in the world, how did we become the evil ones?

To give you an idea of how evil some people think we are, Oklahoma tried to pass a law that had the potential to make children adopted by same-sex couples in other states legal orphans when the families are in Oklahoma. What did this mean? If Mark and I went to Oklahoma and Mikayla got sick, while in the hospital neither Mark or I would be able to see her. They would be able to ban us from going into her room and the state could also take her away from us. Is this right? Some people think yes. A federal court struck down the law, but some say that non-elected judges should not decide things of this matter. These are our elected officials as well as some people that are running for president.

So when asked why we live in Vermont and not elsewhere, take a look at your laws and tell me how my family is protected. Can I marry (Massachusetts) or have a civil union (Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut with more to come) or just live my life the way I am now without the possibility of harassment and ridicule. Is my daughter going to grow up with an understanding that the world is full of people that live different lives or will she be stereotyped into what people think she should be since she is African American. Here in Vermont she is Mikayla, daughter of Paul and Mark – Nothing Else!!

One More Time...

Well we did it. We met with our adoption agency today to hash things out (literally) and talk about starting the process again to see if we can get Mikayla a little brother or sister. We sat down with Dawn, the Executive Director, and went over the problems that we had with Mikayla's finalization (mainly our lawyer - the one they gave us) and talk about what we need to do to go forward. That would include doing a new application, home study, and paying another $11,250. They give seconds a 10% discount.

What is going through my mind you may ask. Well all the questions that all parents have 9and I had with Mikayla), will I be able to handle this. Will I be the best father that this little child can have. How in the hell will we be able to handle another child, Mark full-time work, Mark working on Masters, me with Mikayla, me getting my B.S. and then starting my Masters. How in the hell are we going to do this. Then I think about all the people out there that are bringing up their kids, working three or four jobs just to keep their head above water, and possibly going to school as well and not complaining. So why am I?

I am the happiest than I have ever been in my life. I have a loving husband, a smart and beautiful little girl who (I think) is one of the happiest people on earth, and four little creature that try my nerves sometimes but make me smile. So why am I doing this? Because there are so many kids in our world that need homes and a loving and caring family and I know that Mark and I are able to give any child that love, trust, and care. As some people say - God only give you as much as you can handle. What I say is that the universe will not give me more than my little mind can take.

I can't wait to see what my little mind is able to do next - it has surprised me so far!