Florida Fantasy and Our 15 min of Fame

Hang on to your hats- this is the longest post yet, with two videos (one embedded at the end of this post), lots of photos and plenty of drama.

First, okay, I admit it; Facebook has ruined my blog.  It is so much easier to post both photos and movies to FB than to a Blogger page, and I know so many more people will automatically read it... well, I just have to face that this is a different medium that reaches a different crowd.  So, here's an apology to the non-FB folk who have been wondering what's been happening to our posts.

So much has happened in the last month it is impossible to review it all, but here are the highlights: we made our annual pilgrimage to Boca Raton in February, where Jeremy enjoyed his grandparents and all the swimming thoroughly.  Please see link HERE for an amazing photo montage of that trip.

The day we returned from that trip, we received a call from an LGBT rights organization asking if we could be interviewed and photographed THAT AFTERNOON for a story on Colorado's quest to legalize gay unions.  Our constitution states that we cannot have marriages, but a state senator Pat Steadman is introducing a civil unions bill that will provide at least some of the same rights and protections.  This is especially important for those things that cannot be provided in any other way, such as the ability to take family medical leave to care for your partner.  

Thus began our 15 minutes of fame: after appearing on the front page of the Denver Post with several quotes (link HERE for full story), we were then invited to testify in the hearing of the bill itself.  In association with that, we were asked for an interview and pictures again, this time for the Associated Press - a story that was picked up in various forms, sometimes with our photo (below), across the country, including Pittsburg Tribune, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Washington Examiner, Denver Post, Daily Camera, Aurora Sentinal (also with photo), Beaumont Enterprise, Rockford Register Star (IL), Albuquerque Journal, Coloradan.com, StarAdvertiser.com, and the Colorado Springs Gazette.  A link to that article can be found HERE.

So then comes the emotional experience testifying last Monday; the room was standing room only and we were just two of dozens of people testifying for both sides.  Although we certainly didn't have the most compelling story (e.g. compared to those dealing with terminal illness, death, etc), the press liked how emotional I was and Fran's smile in the photo they took of us after we testified, so yet again we were a featured couple in this fight, which cleared its first hurdle by passing that committee 6:3.


The tweets going on during our testimony said that we were bringing one of the senators to tears, so who knows?  Maybe we did help in some small way.  Click HERE for some of the TV coverage that included some of our testimony.  And below for links to other coverage (that included us):

1)  TV:  http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-civil-unions-bill-clears-first-hurdle-20110307,0,6331822.story
2)  Radio: http://www.cpr.org/
3)  http://durangoherald.com/article/20110308/NEWS01/703089930/-1/s
4)  http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_17560976
5)  http://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/03/07/colorado-civil-unions-bill-wins-committee-approval/
...and finally, the video of our full testimony:
6)  Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kWerEzKqXQ

The fight ain't over yet- there are still several steps (and votes) it has to clear before becoming a law.  I'll do my best to keep you posted as developments arise.  But for breaking news, friend me on FB!

Chicago and the Stock Show

Although I have no illusions anymore that I will capture every (important) event or trip on the blog (simply too much going on), I am going to try to be a little better about getting the special stuff up. I've received several 'complaints' from our readers that I've been too lax recently!

Today, Jeremy and I went to the Colorado Fiddle Championship at the Western Stock Show here in Denver; an annual event to root on Ari, who won 1st place in the "Small Fry" division last year (for the post on that, search this blog for 'fiddle' or 'stock show'). He did great in his new division, "Junior Jr.", and I'll try to post again with the results. Jeremy loved hanging with Ari and his sister Zoe, as well as getting to see several of his 'classmates'- other students of his fiddle teacher, Katie.

Jeremy loved the fiddle competition, but he and his teacher have decided that he needs a little break from his instrument, and so will be starting piano.  Jeremy is starting to pick up some bad habits on the violin, and he only wants to play the way he wants to play.  He loves performing and playing the violin, and I don't want his enjoyment of it dampened at this point by making him do the exercises needed to advance to the next level, as sad as it makes me.    We will be coming back to it for sure!

In bigger news, Jeremy and I recently returned from Chicago to celebrate his Great Grandmother's 98th birthday. It was a glorious visit, including not only a wonderful little party at my Aunt Bonnie's home, but several other visiting opportunities with his two first-cousins-once-removed Mahalia and Jacob (whom he adores and resembles), their parents (my cousins), his Uncle Isaac and Aunt Gretchen, and his beloved Papa.  A highlight was also playing violin for Grannie and leading all of us in Hanukkah songs.