About Us

This is the story of...

    Alan and Eric, a happily monogamous "Gay" couple and their family, living and making their way in Charlotte, NC.

A little bit about Alan...

    Alan was born and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. He lived there for most of his early life, Grade School through College until his job relocated him to the Chicago area. Alan was previously married for 17 years, however he had no children through that marriage. Extremely outgoing, friendly, practical and handy are his hallmarks. 

A little bit about Eric...

    Eric hails from Grosse Pointe which is a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.  As a young teen he relocated to the Chicago area after his mother remarried a few years following the early passing of his father. He attended High School and completed College in the Chicago area. Eric was also previously married for 18 years, and has two children, a son and a daughter.  Outgoing, friendly, creative, and a bit frugal at times, but in a good way.

In The Beginning...

    In July of 2002, both of us were coming out of relationships and the last thing either of us expected was to meet someone new. It was Saturday the 27th, Eric pondered whether or not he wanted to go out and spend yet another Saturday evening at the local gay club. He had been in an on-again-off-again relationship for the prior year and a half, and the usual patrons at the club just weren't what he was looking for, although in truth they did offer a diversion from boredom so off he went. Unknown to Eric at the time, a few towns away Alan was also debating whether of not to head up to the club on this Saturday evening. During the prior year, Alan had also been in a relationship that was going nowhere and so had called things off for a final time. Out of sheer boredom, he too decided he would head to the club for a drink and a chance to unwind. The last thing either of us expected was to find Mr. Right that evening, but .....

    Alan arrived at the club first as he lived in the general vicinity, for Eric it was usually a bit more of a trek to get there. Entering the club, Eric would usually look around for familiar folks to chat with, and this evening was no different. This particular club has a beer garden or patio area in the back, and being a warm summer evening he decided to see who might be sitting out there....

    In Eric's own words, a recollection of event's that evening... I walked through the door to the patio area and briefly scanned the tables to see if there was anyone I recognized. After a brief moment I noticed one familiar face and started to head over to say hello. As I rounded a patio table sporting a large umbrella my attention immediately turned to the man sitting next to him. He was very masculine, very attractive, and blond haired & blue eyed on top of that! Needless to say I was immediately awestruck. My shy tendencies immediately kicked in full force, and I stopped dead in my tracks. In every encounter I had ever had I was always the one approached as my psyche just didn't permit me to approach someone else.  So there I was, confronted with someone immediately attractive to me like he had stepped out of one of my dreams, and I was powerless to even do anything about it. I took a 90 degree turn and headed to the patio bar and ordered a drink. I recall thinking to myself:  [Eric, this is absolutely ridiculous, your shyness is going to hold you back forever unless you make an effort to change it. You know you CAN at least go and say hello...what can possibly happen to you?]  You know the consequences of just sitting back and doing nothing...go ahead, at least give it a shot.  I'm not sure how I worked up the courage in that brief moment, but I did and with drink in hand I walked over to the table and introduced myself (this was an absolute first for me). Hi, I'm Alan, he replied, then proceeded to paste a wonderful smile on his face sandwiched sprightly between two of the most adorable dimples I had ever seen. Although it might sound a bit cliche', for me it truly was love at first sight. We sat there for hours simply talking, just the two of us. We talked about ourselves, our views about virtually everything, including what we thought about relationships. With every subject he touched upon it seemed as though he had somehow found a copy of my diary and was reading it aloud to me. Could this be the elusive soul mate that folks often talk about but never seem to be able to find?    

    In Alan's own words, a recollection of event's that evening... When I first met Eric I was extremely nervous, I had been in a relationship that was going no where and I was getting on with my life.  I wondered what the next chapter would be like, but I was not out to meet anyone new yet because I was still working on some old wounds. I went out reluctantly that night and I had even told myself that if anybody was going to meet me, they would have to introduce themselves.  When Eric sat down and we started talking, I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing.  Here was someone that I could truly relate to and who shared the same beliefs that I did and he was handsome too!  We both began to relax with each other and we wound up talking for a very long time.  At one point, I had to go to the bathroom so bad but I was afraid that he would leave before I got back.  I made sure to get his number though we kept talking.  After that night, I invited him to dinner and I tried to control my excitement in case he did not want to come over.  Needless to say, he did come for dinner two days later and we have been together ever since.  Everything happened really fast for us but I wouldn't change a thing.  I have no regrets because I have truly met my soul mate.  My (our) live(s) have changed so much in so many ways and we grow more each day.  Call it divine intervention or whatever you want, I feel that our meeting was destiny and that I am truly blessed.  

   From that evening forward we embarked upon a relationship that has grown to encompass both our lives in many positive, loving, and caring ways. Some might question the durability of a relationship that was sparked in a bar, since bars generally tend to be about smoke and mirrors, or a place to find a brief encounter, but we can attest to the fact that love can, and does, happen anywhere.

Coming Out...

   At the time we met, Eric was not out to anyone beyond a few friends, and Alan was actually only recently out to his family. Eric had always figured he would keep it to himself unless at some point in time he found someone special enough to warrant breaking the "news" to the kids, and he knew this was the relationship to do just that. Since that time, Alan has grown to become an indispensable family member, son to our live in mom, and dad to the son who also lives with us. Eric, in kind, has been largely welcomed into Alan's family. Life is good...

The Present...

   2004: We are in the final throes of settling in our new Home along with our 84yo mother and our 77yo uncle who recently we provide care for due to illness. We are the caregivers in this situation but we did not become so begrudgingly. Our home holds three generations and in truth we cherish the diversity along with the expanse of history that such an arrangement affords. Our love for one another grows stronger on a daily basis, never wavering, and always the central focus of our lives. We share the concerns of the gay community in calling for civil rights. In truth, we find it hard to fathom that in this day and age there is still a contingent of American's having to fight for equality, a harkening back to the mid 60's when bias was focused on ethnicity.

    NEW! 2005: It's April 2005  and we have been in our new home here in Mint Hill for one year now. It has been a year with many ups, and of course a few downs. Two events happened this past year that changed our lives completely.

    Two short months after moving in our mom suffered a stroke. I'll never forget the look of fear in her eyes as they rushed her off to the hospital in the ambulance. In all of her 84 years, this was her first ambulance ride. Luckily she fared well, and we cannot express enough gratitude to the health care folks that helped her recovery over a period of many months. There are a few lingering affects, but she's mostly back to her old self and on a real health kick now, and looking forward to getting back into the swimming pool.

    Another sad occurance, our Uncle passed away shortly before Christmas this past year. He was so excited about Christmas, insisting Alan decorate the house, and constantly wanting to go to the store to buy yet more decorations. Maybe he knew it would be his last Christmas holiday, maybe not, but he spent a lot of his last days staring at the tree decorated to the hilt with tons of lights. We had truly hoped he would make it through the Holiday, but he passed away in his sleep on the 16th of December, 2004.

    Sad aspects of life aside, our first year in our new home has also brought us closer as a family. our son Bud (or Budman as we sometimes call him) got a job during the time he has been waiting out his residency requirement for college. In this time we have really witnessed him growing on a personal and emotional level into an adult.  Oh, he still gives us a difficult time about chores, although less of a hard time than he used to, but on a personal level he has really blossomed. When friends stop by as they frequently do, Bud is right there with us and taking an active part in the conversation at hand. He is very well liked at his worklplace, and is always ready to lend that helping hand to others, and for that aspect of his personality alone, Alan and I are

very proud of him. Bud has "outted" us at his work by referring to us as "My Two Dads", but he says the folks at his work have not expressed an issue with that beyond a bit of curiosity.

     Above and beyond everything else, the move to Charlotte allowed us to be close to both family and friends. We have spent much of the year visiting and getting acquainted-reacquainted with Alan's remaining immediate family, his sister & her husband, niece and grand-niece. They all are very accepting and respectful of our relationship, and have gone the extra mile to make us BOTH feel part of the family. Of course in this household and with Eric's family in general, we are accepted as well, and Alan has long ago earned his standing as part of the family. We have definately been very blessed in this regard. Friends stop by, or we go there to visit, and things are really moving along well.

     Our dog Chance is loving her new digs here in NC. This spring saw a new development for her as she has now become the big bad Bunny Hunter! She keeps the yard, and soon to be garden, free of vicious wildlife leaving a Safe haven in the backyard for her family. She has also come to calm down a bit, having lost some of the puppy in her. She still is full of energy, but it has more of a purpose now as opposed to just random frequent outbursts.  Although she's the Lab that hates water for some reason, we hope that at some point this summer we will be able to entice her into the pool.

     The last election was of course a big disappointment to us with the evangelical vote helping to give some semblance of validation for hatred and the advancement of government sponsored discriminatory practices. We continue to be shocked that so many of those who profess to be such upstanding Christians support government sponsored hatred against a group of folks, namely the gay community, rather than to realize that maybe, just maybe, on the most basic level that god does not want us to hate one another. With government propaganda channels such as Fox news, they promote the vote within the Christian right by repeatedly kicking the gays, and vowing to permanently write discrimination into America's most sacred document. We can't help but wonder if all these "good" Christian folk really knew the level of hurt they bestowed on gay familys through their actions, if they would continue to be a part of it so fervently. In our hearts we believe that truth and justice will ultimately prevail, and in the end the gay community will earn the rights as is their due once we have ceased to be such a hot button issue. America does love to hate though, to have a scapegoat of sorts, but on the bright side, we believe America also has a short attention span and that in time the "Gay" issue will cease to be the hot issue it is today, and will likely be replaced by anger directed at another class of persons for the sake of Votes. If we could encourage our friends in the gay community to do anything, it would be to be "Proactive" in helping the cause. Attend your local Pride events as a couple, be vocal where you can be, financially support those organizations attempting to help us, and in general use whatever means you have to show the world that your relationship is as loving, important, and as personally satisfying as any other.

The Future...

    Of course no one can predict what the future will hold, but through our actions as a couple and a family, we can certainly help to shape the direction we travel in heading to the future. In the end, the only thing that truly matters is those loved ones left behind who in some manner impacted, or were impacted by, your life.  We look forward to putting our roots down here in North Carolina, to our family taking root and thriving there. What matters is that we are and will continue to be together, and the love and dedication to one another we share between us will be our enduring legacy.

New 2009: Queen City Woodcraft is expanding! Soon we will be offering custom print work with the implementation of Screen Printing, Heat Press and Mug Sublimation capabilities. We are currently in the process of crafting a new web site to market our exclusive line of creative T-Shirts, and look forward to securing accounts in the area for printing services. Have an idea for a creative T-Shirt? Let us know your ideas. If we like it and decide to add it to our line of standard products, we will provide you with 2 shirts from the first run completely free of charge for your suggestion. We will also be providing custom services, so if you can't find what you're looking for, let us help you make it a reality. Email us at QueenCityWoodcraft@inbox.com.

Opposites Attract?...

    We have all heard the cliche' "Opposites Attract", but what about when the similarities are more prevalent than the opposites? The latter is actually the case for us as in truth we are much more alike than we are different, and yet I can assure you we are both deeply and truly in love with one another. Of course we are not clones of one another, and yes we do have differences including differences of opinions on some issues, but often times the goal is the same, it's just the "how do we get there" that differentiates us. If your still with us this far, then lets take a brief look...

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