i am ryanarrowsmith

With Brian being ill, I realize now more than ever the importance of civil rights for same-sex couples. I’ve already ran into a couple “family only” situations that I had to shoot down with fast talking and frustration.
But why does it have to be so hard? When are people going to realize that, no matter [...]

Had a busy weekend. I worked Saturday. Monica went out of town on a genealogy mission. She located the graves and headstones of some relatives that she needed more information on. She’s crazy! :) She was out in the boonies of Oklahoma on her own for a whole day.
On Sunday, I woke up at [...]

One of my favorite modern artists is Mark Ryden. You can tell that, as an artist, he’s been influenced heavily by the style of the 1950s. But his work doesn’t portray the chipper, sunshine and flowers you normally associate with the 50s. Mark blends the warmth of that era with an icey gothic style [...]

We had a Godfather moment today.
The alarm went off so I got up and let Charlie out to go tinkle. When I came back, Brian was out of the bed. I looked over where he had been sleeping and there was a puddle of blood.
Brian was in the bathroom and his arm was [...]

Woo hoo for Carrie Underwood, Oklahoma’s own American Idol! She started out as an unknown, nervously singing “I Can’t Make You Love Me” for the judges in St. Louis. From that moment on, I knew she’d do well.
It was great to see her so humbled last night. I had heard from the beginning that Nadia, [...]

I don’t know what the dealio is but I am uber drowsy today. It could be that it’s a million degrees outside and super humid - but that’s just a guess. :)
Brian made his first real outing yesterday evening. We went and ate at Hideaway Pizza which is a local pizzeria that makes the best [...]

Just popping in for a brief update, I am kinda pooped and it’s been a long day so I’m gonna be quick.
I woke up this morning to the darndest thing. Our room at the new house we have our own bathroom. Brian got up at about 6 AM and used the restroom. [...]

Just found out that Brian is officially on the list! WOO HOO! The doctors all agreed he was an excellent candidate.
He’s going to stay on one med for the next 2 weeks that would interfere with the operation. So, once that timeframe has elapsed, we could get the call at any moment!
There [...]

Monica, Brian’s sister, got some bad news yesterday. Her sweety pie of a dog, Beau, has been fighting serious kidney stones for over a year now. After two major operations, his check up came back yucky yesterday. They came to the decision that Beau needed to be put down.
So, yesterday Monica made the most brave [...]

Yesterday I was a little blue. Today I am yellow. :)
Yellow because it’s the color of the bright, cheerful sun. And yellow because it’s Bri’s favorite color. Being the wonderful, loving man he is, we sat down last night and had a long talk about everything.
Since we found all [...]

The hardest part of this for me is dealing with all of this alone. I’ve been trying to be strong, to keep it together and to be positive for everyone.
On top of facing my spouse’s life threatening illness, I have to ensure his care, box up our entire lives, relocate our entire family, continue [...]

I went back to our apartment today to pack up more stuff and get it ready to go. On our answering machine was a message that said:
“Brian, this is *insert name* from *insurance company*. I am a nurse locally and I’m here to help during your the wait for your new heart”.
I came home and [...]

It’s been another busy day here at Casa Familia. After getting up, Brian really wanted to get out and get a haircut. We’ve been battling low blood pressure since he came home (the doctor prescribed enough to kill him….but that’s another story). He’s been doing better.
After the haircut, a stop at the grocery store and [...]

Gonna be brief today, dinner’s on the stove.
Brian and I came to the decision that for safety and financial purposes, we need to stay with his parents until he’s been transplanted and he’s healthy. They are such caring and generous spirits, they have opened their home and lives to us. We’ve been here [...]

After being released from the hospital yesterday, Brian and his parents went to the infusions center where he had to pick up the meds for his personal IV unit. After that, they took him back to our apartment where he tried to let Charlie out. to go tinkle. On his way back in, [...]

Gonna be brief this time! I am about off of work and Brian is (finally) waiting at home for me!
Brian did better yesterday. I went up after work and we had so much fun! We had a good talk and had some good quiet time together. He was feeling better which [...]

Brian was really sleepy by the time I got to the hospital last night. He was recovering from being so sick earlier in the day and the installation of his defibrillator.
His sister, Monica, had gone and gotten his favorite teddy bear, Sam, and taken him to Build-A-Bear Workshop. She got him new little [...]

Brian is still in the hospital. I went up last night and spent some time with him. We watched the news, Entertainment Tonight and American Idol. Monica was with us until the beginning of American Idol but then she needed to get home to her doggie, Beau.
One of the transplant nurses, Julie, came in during [...]

This really has been the worst weekend on my life. I know some people say that so lightly, but I can prove this one.
Brian, my spouse of four years, has been feeling sickish for about a month now. To understand the situation, you need a little background.
Brian suffered from a congenital cardiomyopathy. It was a [...]

We had a potluck at work today to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Each team brought a different item (taco meat, shells, tortillas, beans, queso, etc.) and we ate……and ate……and ate. I feel like I am about to bust!
It was a good day. Busy overall but still good.
We watched the [...]

Interesting article on Ew.com about tonight’s show “Fallen Idol” on ABC.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Paula Abdul is a drug (or alcohol) using, semi-functional addict……but Corey Clark? Give me a break. I’m sure she had the relationship but I despise the fact that he’s playing it up now for publicity and [...]

Always wear clean underwear in public, especially when working under your vehicle…
From the Northwest Florida Daily News comes this story of a Crestview couple who drove their car to Wal-Mart, only to have their car break down in the parking lot.
The man told his wife to carry on with the shopping while he fixed the [...]

Click here for more information. I’m hungry.

The website about voting for the worst performance on American Idol is just so stupid and immature. You know that it has to be a couple of 16 year old kids behind it. What’s the point in skewing the results?
My whole office has been fragmented into different groups supporting individual contestants. [...]

I can’t get the song “I May Hate Myself in the Morning” by Lee Ann Womack out of my head. It’s like an updated tribute to the twangy goodness of old school sound of Country Music. It’s running through my head as we speak. Check it out. :)
Click here to listen to it:

I’m [...]

I am tired today! I woke up at about 9:00 AM and I’ve been fighting the sleepies ever since. ;)
Even though I’ve been half dead, I’ve managed to accomplish a lot. I’ve revamped the website I’m hosting from my brother and his fiance. Added some new features and retooled it with [...]