Grocery Shopping One Day

We went to Walmart yesterday like we do every Sunday. We shopped for the week and pushed the cart down the isles and debated on what we were going to make for dinner each night. I forgot to get something (like always) and had to go back to the opposite end of the store to get. 

When I found what I had forgotten, we began to check out and I stood there, watching PJ put the groceries into the bags and my mind immediately went to when I was 15 or 16.  I remember going to the store with my mom and thinking I would love to go grocery shopping one day with my future husband and walk down the isles together, not caring who sees us or who knows we're married.

We would pick out our favorite foods and talk about our to-do lists, taking turns pushing the cart. We would bag up all the groceries and load them into the back of our car together while one of us returns the cart. I think it's those little, intimate moments I always longed for the most growing up. 

I remember when PJ and I first started dating I used to wish I could fast forward time to when we were more comfortable with each other, married, and doing boring ole' husband stuff. He wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary yesterday, not at all, but to me it was extraordinary. Isn't it crazy how, when you're with the right person, bagging groceries at Walmart suddenly makes you realize your dreams have come true? Because they do, so no matter how badly you want to, don't give up hope. You never know when your own grocery boy will come in and sweep you off your feet. 

-T

Ways to Say I Love You

If you think about it, there are so many different ways of telling a person that you love them without coming right out and saying the words. A lot of the time, we tell them just as much with all of other, daily things we say to them.

"Buckle up, please."

"Do you want to get coffee?"

"Let me draw you a bath."

"Let me know when you get to work."

"You look beautiful today."

"Let me take care of the ___, you've had a long day."

"Let's watch a movie tonight. You pick."

"No, you can have the bigger piece."

Sometimes, when you're with someone for so long, you don't realize that the small things you do or say for your spouse are really just you reminding them of how much you love them. It almost becomes second nature, like breathing, you know? There are so many different ways of saying I love you, sometimes we just need a little reminder of what "I love you" looks and feels like to us. 

Changing Our Last Names After Getting Married

One of the biggest questions we receive on a regular basis is how we decided on who’s name to take after we got married. It’s an important topic for some. To other’s, not so much (looking at you, PJ!).

Sharing a last name, much like wearing a wedding ring, changing your relationship status on Facebook, or even taking the big step and getting married, is symbol of love. A symbol to show the world that you are a family, that you’re in it for the long haul. A name is just a name, but it can mean so much more when it’s shared.

Having the same last name was important to Thomas, and like we said above, not so much to PJ. For one, PJ already has four names, so adding a fifth by hyphenating our last names would be a mouth full. For two, PJ likes his last name and never planned on changing it, really. And for three, PJ is a realtor and is known professionally around town by his first and last name, so it was also a business decision to take PJ’s last name of McKay.

Thomas was never crazy about his last name anyway, so the decision to take on PJ’s instead of just hyphenating it was fairly easy for us. And, just to be clear, Thomas still kept his original last name and just made it a second middle name. So, now he has four names just like PJ 😉. Another important thing we considered was that when we have children, we want everyone to have the same last name so there would be no confusion. That was the biggest consideration we took when deciding to finally make the change.

We talk more about changing our last name and break down the steps on how to do that, legally, in our newest YouTube video. Keep in mind that the difficulty of changing your last name can vary depending on what state you live in, so the explanation in the video below is from our perspective living here in Tennessee.

Like we said, changing your last name after getting married is just a symbol, but it sure is a powerful symbol of love, don’t you think? It’s showing the world that two men can share a life together and raise a family just like any other couple. It’s showing folks that we want the same things everyone wants. And it’s a sign of love to one another that we are in this together.

Love,

The McKays

Out & About Nashville

We recently gave an interview detailing about how we met and what we love most about sharing our relationship on social media to Out & About Nashville and it's currently live in their January issue! If you don't get the magazine, there's also an online PDF version that you can see here. 

We're on pages 13 and 14 so you'll have to click a few times to get to our story. We had a lot of fun talking to Stephen, the writer, so be sure to check it out! Maybe you'll learn something new about us that you didn't know before?

Thank You

Wow. We can't thank you guys enough for all of the sweet and heartfelt comments last night. We were so overwhelmed with love and are beyond thankful for y’all. You show us so much kindness and compassion and honesty and we really appreciate it.

Though we can’t respond to all of the comments, we did read each and every single one from each of you all over the world. How did we get so lucky to have you guys?

We spent last night at this Italian restaurant downtown and it was dark and cozy and we stuffed our faces with pasta. So, you know, it was a good night. We had planned on going to the movies but neither of us felt that well so we opted for a movie on the couch instead.  

All in all it was our favorite kind of night: a good dinner, a good movie, and most of all, getting to spend it with each other. Again, we’re so very grateful for you guys. Each and every one of you.  

Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary

Tonight

Today we're celebrating our two year wedding anniversary, which is crazy for us to say. How has it already been two years?! It seems like it was just yesterday and like it was forever ago all at the same time. Maybe it's because so much has happened in the last two years that it's just flown by.

2014

​In the last two years we moved into our first house we bought together, fixed it up, and thought we would be there for the next 5 years, at least. Then, Thomas' old house came up for sale and we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy it back, especially since we've talked for years about all of the things we would do to that house if we ever had the chance to get our hands on it. 

2011

​We had planned on fixing up the house over a two year period but then we got the greenlight for our pilot, Down to the Studs, and we made the decision to fix it up then. How many times in our life would we have the opportunity to fix up Thomas' childhood home for a TV show?! 

2010

The next year and a half was very stressful and there were many late nights, tears, a lot of uncertainty, and doubts about if we would finish the house in time for our deadline. One thing we were always sure of though, was each other. We knew this process would be tough, but we never lost sight of the fact that this is all just part of our story. To even be married to each other feels like a blessing because when we got engaged, same-sex marriage was not yet legal in our state so we weren't sure when our wedding would even happen. 

2010

After we found out the show didn't get picked up for series, we were a little down. It hurt, yes, but it felt nice to know we could get back to our normal routine and focus on each other more. One of our favorite things in the world is to cozy up on the couch with pizza and a movie and we missed those nights during the renovation process. We got back to the basics and it's been pretty nice.

2010

Tonight we're celebrating by going to a local Italian restaurant in downtown Cleveland, Cafe Roma, and then going to see a movie. We like to keep it pretty simple and it doesn't take much to make us happy. Dinner and a movie pretty much does it for us. 

2014

We're grateful to have found each other all of those years ago in our little town. We're also grateful for you. We feel like you are a part of our relationship now and we can't thank you enough for being here with us. We have loved reading your comments and suggestions and words of encouragement over the last two years. You have been with us since day one of our marriage, as we started The Property Lovers two years ago, right before we got married. We’ve had the time of our lives sharing our life together with you and we can't wait to see what the future holds. We're just getting started, so we hope you'll be here with us in the years to come. We love you, and we are so grateful for YOU today, too.