from Kelli 12/5 [Archive] - R Family Forums

KelliODonnell

12-05-2005, 10:10 PM

Howdy Gang!
I have not been very responsive this week because we are finally moving back into our home after doing some renovations. Needless to say it is a crazy week, but we are all very excited for our first night in our home. As many of you have heard, we are all thrilled about the documentary making it to the Sundance Film Festival. Our premier screening will be on January 24th at 3pm if you are in the Park City area and want to come.

Gregg and I are working on our 2007 trips and we cannot wait to share those with you once we have them confirmed.

We will be ready to begin announcing our entertainment for the Alaska cruise after the new year, so please look for that email blast soon.

I am off to pack some more boxes and get ready for our big winter storm coming here!

Kelli

Arlene

12-05-2005, 10:58 PM

Having the documentary make it to the Sundance Film festival is wonderful. I wonder if you and the rest of the r family vacation team can really recognize the tremendous impact that video is capable of.

My partner and I spoke to you numerous times during the 2005 cruise, and I asked you a lot of questions about all the kids and about the parents, etc. We don't really have any gay friends where we live. And, I don't have any kids. There were a lot of things I saw on the cruise that I didn't quite understand. One thing in particular that I asked you about was why it seemed that there wasn't a kid on that ship that misbehaved or caused any problems. In fact, it was the most polite group of kids I've ever been around. You said that it was because of what the parents have to go through to get the kids and also to keep the kids. And, that the kids get all the love and attention they need at home, so they don't have to act out. I also wondered why so many of the men had female children. It never occurred to me that they might be the biological fathers until you told me that.

It's not that I've lived a sheltered life or that I'm stupid. It's just that I haven't had the opportunity to be around many gay people before, and definitely not around the families.

While I did ask you a lot of questions and understood a lot more after hearing the answers, seeing that video put a whole different spin on things. It answered dozens more questions than I ever thought to ask. If I, a gay female, learned a tremendous amount from the video (as well as from you and from the cruise as a whole), I can only imagine what other people will get out of seeing the video. I think it will have a tremendous impact on anyone who is willing to watch it with open eyes and open ears.

And, last but certainly not least, I think I cried through that entire video, because it made me realize that our week on that ship had been so much more than just a vacation. All we were looking for when we booked the cruise was a relaxing vacation where we could hold hands and be ourselves. It was that and so much more. I thank you and Gregg and Rosie for that with all my heart. It was simply an amazing experience.

My straight brother will be joining us on the Alaskan cruise next summer. Who knows. Maybe one day my parents will want to join us too! (It would suck that I'd have to tell them no, because they have to watch my dog! Unless I can bring my dog to keep an eye on yours! She's a full size Aussie and is great at herding anything smaller than her! Aren't they the best dogs in the world?)

Again, congratulations on the Sundance Film Festival, and thank you all for the whole r family vacation experience.

Enjoy your newly renovated house!
Take care,
Arlene