WOW IT'S BEEN AWHILE

IT HAS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I HAVE WRITTEN FAMILY TIES. I WAS NOT SURE IT STILL EXISTED UNTIL I GOT THIS RANDOM E-MAIL FROM BARB. SO WHERE TO BEGIN......THERE IS A LOT TO CATCH UP ON.

WELL MY LIFE HAS BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF CHANGES OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. I HAVE MOVED TO HAWAII, ANNOUNCED I WAS GAY, LOST OVER 100 LBS AND GAVE UP ON ORGANIZED RELIGION. ARE YOU SHOCKED YET? OH BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE. SO IN JANUARY ON 05 IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY WHEN I DECIDED TO WEIGH MYSELF. TO MY OWN HORROR I DISCOVERED I HAD HIT 250 LBS. SOME HOW IT SPAWNED INTO A COMPETITION BETWEEN TAYLOR, MY MOM AND I. WE HAD SIX MONTHS TO LOSE AS MUCH WEIGHT AS WE COULD AND AT THE END, THE WINNER WOULD RECEIVE TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR NEW CLOTHES. AFTER HEARING TAYLOR TELL MY SISTER THAT I WOULD NEVER WIN, I GOT ANGRY AND CHANNELED THAT INTO MY WORK OUTS. FOR ONE HOUR A DAY, SIX DAYS A WEEK FOR SIX MONTHS I RAN, AND RAN AND RAN. AT THE FINAL WEIGH IN I HAD DROPPED 70 LBS, MOM HAD LOST 30 LBS AND TAYLOR HAD GAINED 5 LBS. SO YA I WON WITH FLYING COLORS.

SO SKIP AHEAD TO THIS JANUARY, I HAD GOTTEN VERY SICK. SO MUCH SO THAT I ALMOST LOST MY LIFE. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I WENT TO MY PARENTS HOUSE LOOKING LIKE DEATH WARMED UP THAT MY MOM RUSHED ME TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE I STAYED FOR TWO WEEKS. IT TOOK ALMOST A MONTH TO RECOVER. NOT FUN!!!!!

AFTER RECOVERING FROM MY NEAR DEATH DRAMA, I CAME TO A VERY HUGE DECISION IN MY LIFE. I DECIDED TO STOP LYING TO MYSELF AND MY FAMILY. SO I FINALLY TOLD THEM I WAS GAY. ITS FUNNY HOW ALMOST DYING REALLY PUTS THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE, MY SIBLINGS TOOK IT VERY WELL BUT AS EXPECTED, MY PARENTS DID NOT (BIG SHOCKER). SO AFTER DROPPING A HUGE BOMB ON EVERY ONE I KNOW, I DECIDED TO MOVE TO HAWAII FOR A LITTLE BIT.

AS WE ALL KNOW JAY (A.K.A SPERM DONOR) IS LIVING IN HAWAII AND ASKED IF I WANTED TO MOVE OVER THERE. HE CLAIMED HE WANTED TO GET TO KNOW ME AGAIN BLAH BLAH BLAH. SO SINCE THINGS WE A LITTLE CRAZY IN PORTLAND I PACKED UP MY LIFE AND HEADED OVER TO THE BIG ISLAND. WHEN I ARRIVED I SAT AT THE AIRPORT WAITING FOR JAY FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. SO I MUST BE HONEST, ONE REASON I WENT TO HAWAII WAS TO SEE IF JAY HAD REALLY CHANGED HIS WAYS AND WANTED TO REBUILD HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS KIDS. SADLY I WOULD FIND THAT IT IS A WASTE OF TIME. YOU CANT TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS. I LIVED IN HAWAII FOR FOUR MONTHS AND WORKED AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT. I LOVED IT. I GOT TO MEET MANY CELEBS RANGING FROM KELSEY GRAMMER TO BRITTNEY SPEARS. ABOUT A MONTH INTO MY STAY ON THE BIG ROCK, JAY DECIDED TO TAKE VACATION TO THE MAINLAND. IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE FOR TWO WEEKS. ABOUT A WEEK INTO HIS VACATION I GOT A CALL AT 4:30 AM TELLING ME HE WOULD NOT BE BACK FOR AT LEAST FIVE MONTHS. SO HERE I AM ON AN ISLAND NOT KNOWING ANYONE, AND THE MAIN REASON I WENT WAS NOW NOT COMING BACK. THAT WAS WHEN I MADE THE DECISION THAT I COULD NOT HAVE JAY IN MY LIFE. THERE IS ONLY SO MANY TIME YOU WANT TO THROW YOURSELF UNDER THE BUS. I DECIDED TO MOVE HOME BEFORE JAY GOT BACK TO THE ISLAND. SO IN AUGUST I MOVED BACK TO PORTLAND.

I LANDED AT MIDNIGHT ON AUGUST FIRST. WHEN I WALKED UP TO THE GATE MY FAMILY WAS WAITING. THE FUNNY THING IS THAT THEY DID NOT RECOGNIZE ME. I ALMOST WALKED RITE PAST THEM. I HAD DROPPED THIRTY MORE POUNDS AND NOW HAD A DEEP TAN.

I NOW LIVE IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN AND WORK AT THE HOTTEST HOTEL IN PORTLAND. SINCE BEING BACK I HAVE MET SOME AMAZING PEOPLE. I LOVE THE STAFF I WORK WITH AT THE HOTEL LUCIA.

ONE WEEK AGO MY GRANDFATHER PASSED AWAY OF CANCER AND I HAVE BEEN GOING TO SERVICE AFTER SERVICE FOR HIM. MY FAMILY IS DOING WELL WITH HIS PASSING. I ALSO FOUND OUT ONE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS WILL BE GONE FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS WITH ALMOST NO WAY TO CONTACT THEM. AND TO TOP IT OFF MY BOYFRIEND JASON HAS BEEN REALLY SICK AND I HAVE BEEN TAKING CARE OF HIM. SO THE LAST TWO WEEKS HAVE BEEN VERY CRAZY.

SO ABOUT MY FAMILY, SAMANTHA IS GROWING LIKE A WEED. SHE IS NOW IN HIGH SCHOOL AND IS GETTING STRAIGHT A'S. SHE IS GROWING INTO MUSIC VERY WELL. SHE LOVES TO SING AND SHE IS VERY GOOD AT IT. SARAH IS NOW ENGAGED AND WILL BE GETTING MARRIED. THATS JUST CRAZY. CHELSIE IS DOING GREAT. SHE WORKS AT A VERY HIP SALON. HER DAUGHTER QUINMREE IS GETTING SO BIG. SHE IS NOW THREE AND IS HAVING FULL CONVERSATIONS WITH EVERY ONE SHE MEETS. MOM AND DAD ARE DOING WELL. THEY FINISHED BUILDING THERE SHELBY COBRA. IT TOOK THEM TWO YEARS. TAYLOR, WELL HE IS DOING AS WELL AS TO BE EXPECTED.

I HOPE EVERY ONE IS DOING WELL. WE REALLY NEED TO ALL GET TOGETHER SOON. I AM THINKING REUNION THIS SUMMER? I CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE ALL UP TO. SO UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEST WISHES.

LOVE,
CHAD