Things that make me happy

I feel happy when I wake up in the middle of the night and realize I have 4 more hours to sleep!

I feel happy when Matty wakes me up on Saturday morning with a cup of freshly brewed hazelnut coffee and a kiss and then cuddles with me.

I feel happy when a friend tells me something I said was helpful and made a difference to them.

I feel happy watching Matty's face light up when I laugh at one of his corny jokes.

I feel happy when somebody leaves me a comment on the blog that says something like they're proud of me, or I've helped them in some way.

I feel happy coming up with things that make me happy.

I feel happy being around people who are patient.

I feel happy when Matty sends me flowers at work.

I feel happy when Spring arrives and lots of guys walk around without their shirts.

I feel happy that Matty never gets jealous when I point out a hot guy.

I feel happy when Matty looks straight in my eyes when he tells me he loves me. I feel like there's nobody else in the world but the two of us when he does that.

I feel happy when people share with me things that make them happy.

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Sweet nights and tough talks, part 2

Continuing from the last post, this is about the second element in what we think makes for the strong foundation we have together. I want to emphasize that these elements are what we've discovered work for us. Every relationship is different because we're all unique individuals and have different things we bring to the table, so to speak. What works for us may not work for others. We're just offering this as food for thought and to share a little more about us.

By talking about the "strong foundation" we have together, we're definitely not implying we have any kind of "perfect" relationship. We don't. We're not even trying for that. I don't even think there's such a thing as a "perfect relationship" mainly because there are no "perfect individuals" to begin with.
I mean, I might come close.........but moving right along...

A while back we both noticed that we would occasionally have these arguments or misunderstandings or "spats" that seemed to come out of nowhere. Not the kind of arguments you have when the issue is major and crystal clear. I'm talking about the arguments that literally come out of nowhere and seem to be blown all out of proportion.

"Matty, why can't you remember to pick up your underwear and socks and sneakers in the bedroom?"

"But I already told you the other day, Brad, I was planning to stop by for a minute and see Greg after work." 

My older brother calls these Toothpaste Issues. As in, "Why do you squeeze the toothpaste tube that way instead of rolling it?" Nothing that's (hopefully) going to threaten the future of the relationship. More like minor irritants that build up and up over time and are rarely the topic of serious discussion.

We've had our share of major issues like any couple, don't get me wrong. Times when we felt like we needed to sit down and hash some things out. Times when feelings were hurt. Times when we just needed to chill so we could get to the bottom of things. Thankfully those times have been few and far between and we've always come out on the other end much stronger than before.

What I'm talking about is making sure we schedule some time periodically where we sit down and check in with each other about anything on our mind, instead of waiting for something to pop up unexpectedly. Kind of a pre-emptive strike, I guess.

Not because there are any serious issues that threaten our future together, but because we've found it helpful to step out of our normal day-to-day life and routines to just say, "Where are we right now?"

I have to be honest and say when we have this kind of "open" discussion, I always get a little nervous. I won't lie. I've spent a major amount of time in my life trying to always think ahead, anticipate things that people might be thinking or feeling, trying to always be on top of things. Having ADHD starting as a kid, I've spent a lot of time apologizing for my impulsive behavior and "motor mouth." I'm very sensitive to anything that sounds like criticism.

When somebody points out something I've said or done that bothers them, my first reaction is to go into defensive mode. Then I start beating myself up for being a "screw-up." My goal is to always try and stay open to what people say and be objective about it. But it doesn't come easily.

So why would I agree to intentionally put myself in a situation where we might be bringing up issues that will be hard to deal with? Also, what's that saying about "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

Well, we've learned that if we go into this kind of talk knowing ahead of time that the entire purpose of it is to make the relationship stronger, then it's definitely worth the effort. So far we've learned that it's important to check in with each other about the small things that can do serious damage if they're not talked about and dealt with. And all those "small issues" have a way of snowballing into something big if not dealt with.

Doing something like these talks might not work for every couple. In fact, I can see how they might even be a waste of time or feel too forced or fake for some. So I suppose every couple has to find ways to deal with those small issues that crop up periodically to keep them from snowballing into even bigger things. What works for us might not work for you. And what works for you might not work for us.

Since none of us has a "perfect" relationship, what have been some things you've found helpful in your relationship -- past or current -- that have been helpful in building a strong foundation? We all could use suggestions! 

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Sweet nights and tough talks

Last summer Brad and I made two decisions about our relationship. One was exciting and the other was a little bit scary. Both decisions were motivated by a desire to strengthen our relationship.

The exciting decision was to start a new weekly tradition which we call our Date Night. We got the idea from a friend of ours who was telling us he and his husband have a date with each other every Wednesday night. Sometime they go to dinner, sometimes to a movie, but every Wednesday is their night together, no matter what. They've been together for over 12 years so their experience held some weight for us.

Since we made that decision, we haven't missed a single Wednesday night. We've had to made a few modifications here and there, like deciding to have a "home date" when we were too exhausted from work and school, but even those few nights have been really special. When we have a "home date" we go "un-plugged" from all electronic devices and order a home-delivered meal such as pizza or Chinese food. Bradley takes the night off from cooking, and I'm given a reprieve from clean-up. Those "home dates" when we're really tired feel like some well-deserved pampering.

Most of the time we plan ahead on what we want to do, and sometimes one of us is in charge of planning the date and calling the other during the week to ask for a date on Wednesday. That might sound a little silly since we've been together for almost 3 years, but it's always a little fun planning a date and calling Brad to ask him out. It's sorta like a little "role-play" I guess you'd say.

"Hi. Is this Brad?"

"Yes. Who's this?"

"Uh, well, my name's Matt and I noticed you at the restaurant where you work and was wondering, well, if I could take you out for coffee and dessert sometime?"

"What's you're name again?"

"Matt. Or Matthew. My friends call me Matty."

"You say you've been to my restaurant?"

"Yeah. I was there last Thursday for lunch. I was by myself sitting by the window and you waited on me. I had the Cheeseburger in Paradise with smoked bacon and a dill pickle and home fries and cole slaw. And a house salad. And a large ginger ale. Oh, and Key Lime pie."

"Oh yeah, I remember you. I had to have help bringing your food to the table."

"I'm a growing boy."

"So, yeah, coffee and dessert sounds nice."

"Is that a yes? You'd go out with me?"

"Yes."

"Wow. Cool. That's great."

"How'd you get my number?"

"Well, you wrote it on the check."

"Oh yeah. I like guys with baseball caps."

"I took it off inside the restaurant."

"Yeah, I noticed. I wondered why you had it in your lap instead of on the table."

"In my lap? Right. Well, um, it just seemed more, uh, convenient there."

"I see."

"So what about this Wednesday night around 7:00?"

"Sounds good. Let me give you my address."


We must be doing something right that after almost 3 years together we both still really look forward to our mid-week Date Night. There's something about these dates that remind us to never, ever lose those exciting and precious times early in our relationship when we were first dating.

In the beginning of our relationship we were trying to get to know each other better, learn something new about the other, share something new about ourselves.

Come to think of it, that seems to be what these dates now are about. All I know is that nothing interferes with our sweet night together on Wednesday. There's too much to look forward to. Plus, this has now become one of the "foundations" that make our life together a little stronger.

Stay tuned for Part 2, about the tough talks, the other key element in our foundation.

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Love, plain & simple

Matty and I had a really nice time yesterday celebrating Valentine's Day. But...

Sure, the foot soak at the spa was really nice.

The couples massage was really nice.

Having a dozen chocolate roses delivered was really nice.

Dressing up and going out to dinner was really nice.

But during the day we started thinking about all the "trappings" we had scheduled. And we realized that the absolute best part of the day ended up being the time we spent together. Alone. Not the time we spent together doing all these "things." I'm talking about the quiet moments we spent together when nobody else was around.

During the afternoon we decided to look at some pictures we had taken over the years since we've been together. Just the two of us sitting together on the sofa, our feet on the coffee table, talking about our memories.

Nothing fancy. No glitz. Just sitting together on the sofa next to each other.

Remembering. Holding hands. Cuddling. Chuckling to each other. Just quiet time. Alone. Nothing fancy.

It was really nice.

We both agreed that all the extra stuff we did was enjoyable. But there was something missing from all that.

There were too many people around with the "extra stuff" we did. It ended up being more distracting that we expected. Again, it was all nice. But.

If we had it all to do over again, we probably would have just planned a few simple things. Nobody else around. Just the two of us. We don't regret all the different things we did. It's not that. It was more a realization that we just needed some quiet, non-busy time together.

After all, this was about us. Not all the "stuff" we did. Not the glitz.

It sorta struck us that "love" doesn't have to be so "busy," if that makes any sense. Yeah, there are times when planning lots of "stuff" together is fun and can be important. But I guess we both realized that for yesterday, all we really needed was just a quiet day. Together.

Love, plain and simple. And yesterday, that part ended up being more than enough.

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♥ Being each other's Valentine ♥

We're only 3 months shy of celebrating our 3 Year Anniversary of having first met each other.

But today we're taking the day off from school and work to be together and celebrate our love.

We have a date later today at a spa for a luxurious, self-indulgent, and wonderfully decadent foot soak while enjoying some spicy hot cocoa with mint and a layer of foam.

Then we get a couples full-body massage... one room, two tables next to each other, two massage therapists.

This afternoon we'll be awaiting delivery of a dozen chocolate roses we sent ourselves.

And this evening we have reservations for a Valentine's Day dinner at a swanky restaurant we've never been to before. They specialize in French and Mediterranean cuisine and the menu sounds exciting.

This paragraph was written by Bradley:

Before we leave for dinner, Matty has offered to paint my toenails and my fingernails. I'm not sure why this is such a treat for me, but I get tingles just thinking about watching his expression while he's doing it.

This paragraph was written by Matty:

I'm going to continue my tradition (started last Valentine's Day) of having Bradley wear a single red rose boutonniere to dinner. That rose says, "Mine. All mine. Do not touch." Also, Bradley wanted to see if I would be willing to wear just a little bit of eyeliner tonight. He said the eyeliner will serve the same purpose as that rose he will be wearing. I'm going for it!

After dinner, we're back home for the evening where we'll celebrate the love in our hearts, enjoy each other's company, and remember all the reasons we fell in love in the first place.

But the best part of this day will be enjoying all the reasons we are still in love with each other after almost three years.

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From a marriage license to Married!

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted this pic about the two guys in Seattle, Washington who were getting a marriage license? I wrote about how breathtaking this pic was to me.

Photo credit: Meryl Schenker

Well, we now have an update. They are now officially married! Here they after their wedding at the First Baptist Church in Seattle:


Photo credit: Meryl Schenker

Thanks to Kerstin for sending us this link to their wedding pic!

Best of luck, guys!

I'm still waiting for somebody to write their story.

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This took my breath away for some reason

Photo credit: Meryl Schenker

Sometimes when I'm out in public and see a couple looking at each other while they're walking hand-in-hand, I get a really nice warm feeling inside. I never know the two people, but I recognize that look in their eyes. You can always tell when "that look" is a friendship look versus an I love you look.

When I first came across the photo above, I literally (not figuratively) lost my breath. Just stopped breathing and started getting teary.

This is a couple applying for a marriage license in Washington the other day and was carried in some newspapers there.

One thing I like about the pic is how they're not looking at each other. They've probably done their share of looking into each other's eyes and everything there is settled. In this pic, they're looking outward. I'm sure they're looking into the eyes of a representative of the State and are swearing some kind of legal oath so they can get their license.

There's just something so terribly beautiful about their outward look. And you know what? I am completely convinced there's a beautiful story in that pic. Or maybe a thousand beautiful stories.

When you look at this pic, can you hear their story? Somebody needs to start writing. I swear there's probably a thousand stories there.

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Growing Strong

Some people already know this about me.

I like to collect different short "sayings" or "quotes" that help remind me of lessons I've learned about life, or lessons I still need to learn.

When Matty got that hate mail recently, we both tried to remember that the person sending it knows nothing about who we really are as people. He thinks he knows who we are, but it's really just something he made up in his mind.

When Matty received the hate mail, this person wasn't able to see that at the time, Matty didn't tell me anything about getting his message of hate. I had been having a really difficult day remembering some of the bad things that happened when I was growing up. Most of those memories were about people who hated themselves and then dumped their hate on me.

This person wasn't able to see the beauty of the man I love holding me while I was crying. He wasn't able to see that Matty made a decision to protect me from his hate while I was feeling vulnerable. There's some real beauty in that. 

And this person hasn't been able to see how sending us his hate has in some unintended way made us stronger.  

I'm still thrown when I realize how some people have lots of ugly things in their head that keep them from seeing the beauty in the world and other people. I'm actually beginning to believe Matty when he tells me there's some real beauty inside me. He tells me he sees it. Right now I can only see little bits of it.

But one thing is certain: I'm getting there. I am growing stronger.

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Being Strong

I just wanted to give a quick update about my last post.

If you remember, I flagged the hateful message I received and filed a complaint with Goodreads "Headquarters."

I received the following message from Goodreads on Thursday night:

Hi Matt,

I just encountered the message you flagged in our flagged items queue. I'm truly sorry to hear about that. We strive to maintain an open and welcoming community here, so that type of conduct is not tolerated. We have revoked the member's librarian status and sent him a warning about his behavior on the site.

It's also worth noting that Goodreads librarians are volunteers (not employees), and their opinions are in no way representative of the opinions of the company.

If you receive any further mail like this, please feel free to flag the content or to email me directly here. I do hope this one upsetting incident doesn't prevent you from enjoying the site in the future.

I'm okay with their response. I'm trying very hard to make this whole experience one I can use to grow stronger and survive in a world with people like this.

It would be very easy for me hide and become a fearful person.

It would be very easy for me to be jaded and become a bitter person.

It would be very easy for me to be resentful and become an angry person.

INSTEAD....

I want to live my life with openness.

I want to live my life with compassion.

I want to live my life as a person who strives to "do unto others what I would have them do unto me."

There is too much hate in the world and I don't want to contribute to adding any more. Does that mean I'm a pushover? Not even by a long shot. You mess with me and the people I love and care for, I'm gonna stand firm and not budge one inch. I will not hesitate to show you what "fierce" is all about. Don't tempt me.

If you have hate you want to dump on me, you should look inside yourself and wonder why you hate yourself and others.

I only have time to try and become a better person and hopefully offer something to make this a better world -- for ALL.

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What I've Learned

1. When he tells me a little something he and his counselor talked about in one of his sessions, I've learned he trusts me.

2. When I'm all bouncy first thing in the morning, talking a mile a minute, running all over the house trying to find where I left my backpack, I've learned his patience with me is calming.

3. When I come in from a run or after playing basketball and he runs his hands over the sweat on my skin, I've learned it's possible to feel sexy even when looking my worse.

4. When I do something with him I hate, like clothes shopping, and he seems to not only tolerate but enjoy my annoying habit of whining, I've learned what it means to be understood.

5. When we walk together on the way to class and he reaches over and holds my hand the entire way, I've learned what it feels like to be the only two people on campus.

6. When he told me he had been thinking about what our life might be like when we celebrate our 50th anniversary together, I learned that my usual worries and insecurities about the future are so very small.

7. When he told me he wanted me to be the person "in charge" of getting his restaurant built after he gets his chef career established, I learned he sees my work as more than just a way to make money.

8. When he calls me at work and asks me out on a date, I've learned I still get butterflies in my stomach.

9. When he cries his eyes out after some friends of ours had to put their cat to sleep, he lets me hold him tight, rock him, not saying a word, and I've learned maybe I am his rock.

10. When I get home first and he comes walking in the door, he never thinks I'm being a softie when I get teary just seeing his pretty smiling face. That's when I learn again, every single day, how very much in love I am.

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Falling In Love Again Every Day

When I was talking to you about the stuff I've been through in my past and was feeling down about it all, you said, "When you think about how far you've come, it's pretty amazing."


When we were getting ready to go to that party where I didn't know anybody and I worried about what people would think if I wore some eyeliner and nail polish, you said, "Everybody there is going to have an opinion about us. Let's just be ourselves. That's all that matters."


When my dad wanted me to come over so he could talk to me about whether he was going to continue to help out with my tuition, you said, "What time does he want us there?"


When I wake up first thing in the morning and my hair is all mussed, my eyes have that goopy stuff in them, my breath stinks, and I'm in a grouchy mood, you've said, "Good morning beautiful," and say it like it's the only truth in the world.


When I worry about my future and whether I'll ever be successful, you hold me tight and say you love me, and I forget what I was worrying about. 



I'm glad we fell in love with each other, Matty. I had no idea we'd be doing it every day.

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Kyle Proposes to Tommy

"On April 28, I proposed to my boyfriend, Tommy, in front of 700 people at his former college a cappella group's spring concert, which marked the 20th anniversary of the group. The Boston University Dear Abbeys had just released their new CD, which my boyfriend had spent the last two years recording and producing as the group's music director.

"I conspired to be summoned onstage so I could propose in front of almost all the people dearest to us. You see, the Dear Abbeys are more than a college singing group, they're a family. They're our family, so I knew it was crucial they be a part of the plan.

Kyle and Tommy

 "The overwhelming amount of love and support we received that night, from friends, strangers, male, female, young, old, gay, straight, was just incredible to experience. That night, it didn't matter what beliefs people held, everyone could see that love is love and that it knows no bounds.

"We will be getting married on October 12, 2013, in honor of Matthew Shepard's life and the legacy the Shepards have created with their foundation's work in the world. If our story could help even one burdened soul or change one person's opinion on gay marriage, we'd feel accomplished.

"We're hoping that the love we experienced is shared in this video and offers hope to those struggling with their sexual identities or feeling isolated and scared, educates those who may not agree with gay marriage, and promotes equality while erasing hatred. 
~~Kyle Piers"

From: Advocate.com

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Two Years Together

 (NOTE: Yesterday was a very special day for both of us. Two years ago we met for the very first time. I'm republishing the post I wrote then and all you have to do is change "one year" to "two years" but the feelings are the same. ~Matt)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Who would have known that a little over a year ago, I would have fallen in love? Something I always wanted to happen, but it was more like an abstract idea than something I could see and feel and hold and, well.... you get the idea.

So, to mark this amazing milestone, I jotted down some things I've been thinking about.

"I love you." Somebody said that three word sentence has been used so many times that nobody really knows anymore what it means. Or, I guess it can mean just about anything you want it to mean.

Brad and I met a little over a year ago, and we've been talking a lot about our relationship. We've been trying to pinpoint when out first-year anniversary is. We've decided that we have a number of "firsts" that would qualify as an anniversary of some sort.

I met Brad for the very first time at my birthday party when I turned eighteen, a little over a year ago. So, what do you call that? I'm tempted to call it our "Love at First Sight Anniversary." Is that too mushy? What does that really mean, Love at First Sight? I remember seeing him for the first time and having this "stunned" feeling. I swear to God it was like I went into this trance or something. I know that sounds a little dramatic, but I can still remember my whole body tingling all over when I looked and saw the most beautiful guy I had ever seen come in the door. I almost forgot where I was and who I was with. I mean, there were at least 25 other people at the party and I just zoned out and he and I were the only ones there.

I asked him out on a date for the following weekend. I took him to dinner and then a movie where we held hands for the first time. So, maybe that was our "First Date Anniversary."

Even though I wanted to kiss him at my birthday party and then again after our first date, it took a lot of restraint on my part to slow things down. I've always had a hard time pacing myself and slowing things down when I have this impulse to do the first thing that comes to my mind. It might be because I have that ADHD thing going on and I have to take a deep breath and think things through. But I also realized I didn't want to mess anything up with this beautiful guy. He had this low-key shy thing about him and he always looked so calm and sweet and sometimes I thought there was something delicate about  him.

I remember thinking, Whatever happens between us will be worth the wait. And for the time being, holding his hand was even better than what I thought kissing him or even having sex with him might be like. You have to take my word for it, but we were able to say a lot to each other through holding hands. Sometimes it was a gentle hold, sometimes it involved this sweet squeezing, sometimes there was a warm sigh passing through our hands and then there was this firm and extended grip that said, I don't want to let you go.

It was pretty obvious to both of us that we had this special chemistry going on. I remember having to restrain myself from calling him 3 or 4 times a day (OK, that's an underestimate). Why couldn't I stop thinking about him?

After we had gone on maybe four dates, I wanted to ask him if he thought we were a "couple" now. I had never felt this way before and to be honest, I had no idea how to bring it up. Where was that Guide to Dating handbook?? What if he really liked me (which he seemed to) but was thinking about dating other guys? I mean, he never gave any indication he was thinking that way, but I guess I was way too insecure then. I had heard from friends of mine that gay guys have a hard time committing to each other, especially the younger you are (all this so-called "wisdom" when I never asked for it!).

Was I moving too fast? Was I going to scare him away by being so intense too early? I really feared he might drop something on me like the whole, Let's be friends and, well, maybe see other people and then talk about it. Again, all this was coming from me and my insecurities. He seemed as totally into me as I was into him.

The more time we spent together, the stronger my feelings became. Brad seemed  so comfortable with himself and  his body that it was a little unnerving to me. When he would talk to me -- just normal everyday conversation -- he would sometimes reach over and touch my arm. He would never linger there longer than a second or two. It's like sometimes people would add a slight touch to the words they were using. He never overdid it but it would always make me a little self-conscious. It's like that little one or two second touch was saying so much, if not more, than his words. It was probably the first time anything like that had ever happened to me -- or it was the first time I had noticed.

The night we both said, "I love you," was so very special. We'll write more about how that happened later. For now, all that matters is that we can say we've have a number of different "anniversaries" and they're all very special.

So, for now,

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Brad!

All of them!

I love you!

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Please, please watch this. Please.

This is one of the most beautiful and moving things I've seen in a long time. It's amazing to me how something only 1 minute 40 seconds long can touch me to my core. I've watched it 3 or 4 times already and I still get choked up. 

 

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Our Love is Real

Hope you enjoy this.

There's a brief scene close to the beginning of this video of a man with a sign that says:

"81 years and 9 months of being gay.

Maybe it's just a phase I'm going through!"



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Love, Passion, and Two Hearts, Part 2

Last week, we posted this pic and asked some questions about who these guys might be, what they might be thinking about, what might be happening, etc. Some of you fired up your imagination and wrote a short story about them.

For some reason, Blogger was having some technical difficulties and all of a sudden some comments weren't being posted and a few were sent to the "spam" folder. Raji (Brahmin in Boston) tried to post her story but Blogger hiccuped and it wouldn't go through. 

Here's Raji's story. In addition to the storyline, we also liked how she was able to tell a story in such few words while at the same time there's more going on here... beneath the lines. It's so sweet and makes you want to know more. Thanks, Raji.

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~

These two guys have been friends since high school - Dave and Rick. Dave is the one on the left. Rick recently came out and confessed that he has been hung up on an unattainable dream. This has Dave rattled. He knows he needs to do something and 'fess up his feelings before he loses his best friend as well as his love. A chance - that is all that he needs right now.

Dave plans a day trip near one of the lakes that is 30 mins drive from their town. Rick's heart is breaking on thinking how his friend is behaving a bit strangely after he came out. He had hoped that this wouldn't happen (although he feared it. A LOT).

As soon as the lake came up Dave stripped down to his boxers and ran, splashing the water on to Rick. Couple of hours in the lake, just swimming and reveling in silence Dave figured out that it is time for him to take action (plus they were shriveled like raisins). He walked up to the place where they had piled their clothes and slipped into his jeans.

"Hey Rick, look what I found in here!" Dave shouted. Rick dried himself and saw that Dave was peering in between two rocks. "What is it?" he walked up to the space and peered. Rick was nothing if not curious.

Dave turned and hooked his fingers through Rick's jeans' belt hoops and pulled him flush to his chest. He leaned close to Rick, his eyes on Rick's lips. "Hmmm..." Dave hummed.

Rick licked his lips. He too couldn't take his eyes of Dave. Can this be possible? Is he getting the right picture? He decided to take a huge leap - eyes blindfolded and walk to the edge of the cliff kind of a chance. "This is exactly what my dreams were made of" he whispered. “I-I… Can I touch you?"

Dave's smile lit up the space that they were squished in. "I knew I was irresistible! Just for the record - can't think of a better dream or reality than this," Dave's eyes had turned darker and his voice was husky.

Seems like both of their dreams came true.

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Love, Passion, and Two Hearts

Who do you think these two guys are?

Why is the guy on the left looking down?

Where are they and why are they there?

The one on the right looks like he's about to say something. What's on his mind?

Does the guy on the left look like he knows what the other guy is about to say? How's he feeling about it?

What happens?

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Speaks For Itself

This is posted on a Facebook page called Gay Marines. At last check it had gotten close to 36,000 "Likes" with close to 8,500 comments and almost 6,000 shares.

From the FB page: "Welcome to Gay Marines on Facebook. This page exists to provide information and discussion pertinent to gay Marines, their spouses, significant others, friends and allies." 

You can find the FB link here: Gay Marines or you can do a "search" with those words.

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A Valentine to Remember

We've shared some of Sammy's poetry here (always with her permission, even though she says when she gives it to us, it's a gift and ours to use however we like). If you remember from last week, we thought it would be fun to ask for some ideas about different sexual role plays for after our Valentine's Day date. Sammy posted a short description of her idea (you can see what she wrote on the February 16th post), and then she sat down and expanded on it. What you see here is an incredibly well-written and sizzling hot short story. We wanted to share it with all of you, but be forewarned... have a fan close by so you can cool down or get ready to jump in a cold shower to get your body temperature back to normal! Thank you, Sammy!

A Valentine to Remember
... for Matty and Bradley
by Sammy

Bradley shrugged on his coat and walked toward the main doors of the restaurant. I can’t believe Matt just left me here. How could I have gotten this so wrong? I mean the guy seemed so into me — Jesus, he even left that damn baseball cap of his at home for the night. Although him, naked, wearing nothing but that cap…god, why couldn’t that have been the way this night ended!

Bradley reached down to adjust himself; the zipper of his Tuxedo pants had begun to dig into his rapidly growing erection. The little lacy red thong he had put on earlier in the evening was doing nothing to protect his aching cock. After hours of begging his sister, she had gone and purchased the underwear for him — just so he could surprise Matt tonight.

Matt had confessed just a week before that he often fantasized about seeing Bradley in sexy underwear and Bradley had grabbed onto that with both hands—well, both cheeks, so to speak! Guess I won’t be showing off that little surprise tonight!  Instead here I am going home…alone…in a rented limo.  Damn…just damn! 

The limo was sitting idling curbside. With a sigh, Bradley pulled open the back door and bent down to get in the back seat. Huh? The light must be out ... funny it was working fine earlier this evening. Thinking that he should probably tell the driver, Bradley began to turn in his seat, moving to get out of the limo to go up front and speak to the guy when he felt his wrists being grabbed and shoved behind his back. 

Quick as lightening, he felt the rope slip around them and cinch tight. What the hell?? Bradley began to struggle trying to pull away from the man who had grabbed him and now had one arm firmly around his waist forcing him up against the intruder’s chest. Suddenly Bradley felt a warm, wet tongue slowly gliding up the side of his neck causing a shiver to run down his spine. Two soft lips wrapped around his earlobe as sharp teeth bit gently into his flesh, causing a moan to escape from Bradley’s mouth. 

Bradley felt the hot breath flow down his damp neck as the man spoke, whispering into his ear: "Your mine baby, all mine. There's no sense in struggling. I have you right where I want you and before this night is over you're going to be begging me to never let you go.” 

Bradley felt the power of that voice all the way down to his toes. He thought he should open his mouth, scream for help. He needed help, didn’t he? For some reason, Bradley couldn’t shake off the heat of lust that seemed to crowd his thoughts. 

He tried once more to open his mouth to speak. He heard a breathy chuckle as the man spoke: “Oh don't bother calling for help. The driver won’t be of any assistance. It just so happens he is on the company payroll. Damn, I must have forgotten to mention that this is a company limo — my company limo.” 

And with that, Bradley felt the man’s lips close on the soft flesh right below his ear and begin to caress it with his tongue, sucking and licking, pulling up a mark on his neck. Bradley moaned once more, all thoughts of struggling to escape falling far, far away.

"I watched you all night long. Every time those lips of yours wrapped around that wineglass I imagined them wrapping around my cock, just like this.”  Bradley felt a hand caress his cock, causing his hips to thrust upward against the hot hand as if begging for more. Once again a husky laugh echoed through the cab of the limo. 

As the hand continued to caress his traitorous flesh, Bradley felt the hard thrust of the man’s cock against his thigh. Jesus, the man was huge … and hard as nails. “Can you feel what you do to me baby?" The man wrenched Bradley’s face back toward his, taking him in a hard and fast kiss. Pulling back just slightly, Bradley felt the man’s hot tongue slip out and gently lick across his lips causing Bradley’s mouth to open just wide enough for it to slip inside.

As he thrust over and over into Bradley’s mouth, his hand stroked with increasing pressure on Bradley’s cock, up and down, in and out until Bradley felt his eyes roll back in his head as waves of pleasure crashed into him over and over. 

With a whimper, Bradley felt the man pull back slightly. His glazed eyes came to rest on the man’s face, only faintly discernible in the darkening gloom of the back seat. The man smiled and his teeth gleamed white as he ran his tongue over them, reminding Bradley of a vampire about to ravish his next victim. 

“Do you know what I’m going to do to you when I get you home, pretty boy?”  Bradley shook his head, fighting back yet another whimper. “I’m going to suck that luscious cock of yours until you scream my name over and over again.” 

Bradley closed his eyes, unable to stifle the moan that escaped as the image of that hot mouth wrapped around his cock flashed into his mind. Once more a hot wet tongue caressed his neck, gliding slowly up across his chin and pushing against his lips, seeking entrance. Like a wild man, Bradley drew that tongue into his mouth, sucking and pulling while bucking up against the hand that still caressed his hard cock.  Bradley lost all control moaning into the man’s mouth and saying over and over again, “yes, yes, fuck me, oh god, please fuck me”. 

As the limo pulled up to the front of Bradley and Matty’s house, Matty chuckled softly one last time and said, “Lover, your wish is my command.  Happy Valentine’s day, baby.” Bradley pulled back and said, “You, me, inside, naked, with just the cap…NOW!” Matty smiled…and obeyed.

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"Oh, But It's Never Too Late To Celebrate Love"

Matty and I had a wonderful time on our date Saturday night (belatedly) celebrating Valentine's Day. 

The limo Mark and John arranged for us was there on time. The driver came around to open the door for us, but Matty very subtly and politely indicated with a nod of his head that he would open the door for me. The driver then got to do his duty by closing it, once we were both inside. Matty. Always the gentleman!☺

When we arrived at the hotel, we... or rather, I... was surprised to find a photographer waiting to take our picture as we were getting out! Matty was grinning from ear to ear! I thought it was the paparazzi mistaking us for some celebrities! Matty had gotten his older brother to ask a friend of his (who is a photographer) to take a few pictures of us that night!

After we got seated in the restaurant, the photographer came over and snapped some more photos of us, then we got some more while we were eating, and then a few while we were dancing later! He was never intrusive and it didn't distract from all the love flowing across the table. But can you believe this?

We had an unbelievably delicious dinner and enjoyed some nice dancing at this fancy restaurant with all the other (older than us) people there. We were definitely the youngest diners. 

The dance music was mainly on the slow side, and even when they played something fast, it was nothing to work up any kind of sweat over, but it was still a lot of fun anyway. Nothing like slow dancing with the one you love, right?

We were getting a number of friendly stares and nods (we speculated that people thought we must be somebody important since we had that photographer taking our pictures), and one older lady, who looked like she might have been maybe in her seventies, actually got our attention by sending us her sweet smile and a little wave across the room. So sweet. 

We went over to say hello to her and her husband and introduce ourselves and when she asked us how old we were, you would have thought we were her favorite grandchildren she hadn't seen in a long time. I even (swear to God) got my cheek pinched! ☺

We chatted with them for just a short while and I told them we were celebrating a late Valentine's Day. The lady sorta tilted her head slightly and grinned and said, "Oh, but it's never too late to celebrate your love."

Two couples actually stopped by our table to say hello. One couple said they enjoyed watching us dance together, and the lady in another couple said we were (in her words), "Just adorable." The man with her had a big smile on his face and they introduced themselves, so there were handshakes all around.

We had a nice time in the limo on the ride home, which we'll tell you more about later. Let's just say for now that on the ride home we went from "just adorable" to something along the lines of "just loving." That ride home just about "blew me" away! {evil grin}

Oh, I almost forgot... then there was some role playing once we got home... We may have mentioned that a few days ago. LOL.

This week we're planning on sharing some of the highlights of Saturday night, and haven't decided yet whether each of us will write sometime from our own perspective, or whether we'll collaborate on something together. Stay tuned! ☺

Today is a holiday in the U.S. (Presidents' Day), so we're home from school and we're using the time to get caught up on lots of various chores, grocery shopping, laundry, etc., in addition to recovering from a wonderful Saturday night! One we'll always have memories about.

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