Friday Friend or Family Feature...

Today’s Feature is…


The Fullers !




This is how I first heard about my friend Chris…

My Friend Ali: I have a problem.
Me: What is it?
Ali: I can’t act with my co-star. (Ali had just been cast in a film.)
Me: Why not? Is he a jerk?
Ali: No. It is just that he is too beautiful. My eyes just slide off his face when I look at him. It is a problem.


Chris and Ali in Santa Fe.


Chris may look familiar. He was a heartthrob on “As the World Turns.” He also looked quite dapper as he drowned gracefully here. Chris did a commercial for Ecco Domani (you are so lucky this isn’t available on You Tube, Chris). He was so darn charming in this spot, that network executives immediately began calling him in for meetings.



Chris, to me, has always seemed like the cool older brother that I never had. He is from the Midwest, Minnesota to be exact. He is a down to earth person with strong values and an excellent sense of humor. He has been a very good friend, for a very long time.


We both begrudgingly ended up in Los Angeles. Chris would come and visit Steven and me at the beach. Inevitably whenever this occurred something very funny would happen. Women would come out of the woodwork. Neighbors we had never met, café waitresses, passersby would all come up to us and ask these two questions…

“Who is that guy?”

“Is he single?”

It was going to take a special woman to snag Chris.

Chris, after getting his heart stomped by a depressive movie star, sought solace in the warmth of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Instead of finding strength in the bottom of a margarita glass, Chris found something much more profound.

He found Jane.



Jane is an extremely lovely young woman from the U.K.- (Scotland really). She, too, is very down to earth. She, too, has a fantastic sense of humor. She, too, has broken her share of hearts. Jane has a super cute accent and says things like,"That Hershey's chocolate tastes like sick." She and a friend were “On Holiday” in Cabo San Lucas.

Chris really liked Jane.

Jane really liked Chris.

Look what happened….




Yep. Marriage… Scottish Castle style.

It is a rare man who feels comfortable getting married in a skirt. It is a rare woman who feels comfortable letting her groom get married wearing said skirt.




Amid fields of heather, cups of tea, late night cheese and biscuit raids and airline-sized bottles of Dalwhinnie these two tied the knot. What a wedding. It was like something out of Merchant/ Ivory, or at least Altman’s "Gosford Park" (Where was Clive Owen though? That would have been much better if Clive Owen could have been there.) Speaking of Merchant/Ivory, did I mention that one of those guys was in love with Chris? That’s right, Chris was invited to lunch at their villa in Italy. Unfortunately for Merchant, or was it Ivory? Chris only had eyes for Jane.

Chris and Jane’s first dance song was Neil Diamond’s, “ You Got to Me.” I will never forget them dancing joyously, with wild abandon to that totally cheesy song.

Look what happens next…

The Uber child. Grace.



That’s not all, prepare for the cuteness….

Here’s Riley.



These two make some pretty babies. Pretty and smart.




Chris and Jane have always been extremely supportive of us. They were there for me during this ordeal. They even visited me in that very icky hospital. They brought dinner, books and even the little Gracie to cheer me up. They gave me a much-needed hug when I had a major pain-killer induced meltdown in my hospital bed. Chris teased me about being radioactive, just like a proper older brother would.


Jane and Chris were right there with us as we tried and failed to build our family. They were as excited as we were to find out that we were finally pregnant. Jane is an excellent cook. She could give the Barefoot Contessa a run for her money. She made us a celebratory dinner.


She made me a coconut cake; a coconut cake to celebrate something glorious that Steven and I had never seen before, a tiny heartbeat on our doctor's ultrasound machine. She gave me her book, “City Baby LA.” It was a great day.

Chris and Jane were always very thoughtful when talking about their pregnancies, their kids' births, and their new experiences as parents. It was as if they painstakingly chose the right words to make us feel comfortable and supported. They never bragged or made us feel bad about not having kids. They certainly could have bragged, their daughter Grace could already play Chopin etudes with her feet…



Chris and Jane are excellent parents, so much so, that they decided the Rocky Mountains were a much better place to raise a family. Unfortunately for us, they moved to Colorado. Chris now works with his hands. He started his own business building homes and doing fine finish carpentry. Steven and Chris worked on a major remodeling project here in LA . Steven described Chris as a meticulous craftsman. Jane designed and implemented an incredible English wildflower garden at the site as well. I always used to say about Los Angeles, “Well at least Chris and Jane still live here.”

I miss them.

How will our adoption impact Chris and Jane?

Jane has set an excellent example for me. She has done all the right things.
I remember almost putting an ice cube made of homemade organic squash or something into my glass of water at their house. I remember touching the “way to go potty” stickers on Gracie’s chart in the bathroom. Gracie's room was filled with books. Gracie was learning about flowers, animals and how to catch ladybugs without harming them.

Chris had started a college fund for Grace by recycling bottles and cans. (That is a lot of bottles and cans!) Chris, simultaneously showed Grace the importance of taking care of the planet while saving your pennies.

Chris was honest about the struggles of caring for two little ones…



He also managed to express the joy that these struggles provided him...



I am sad that I haven’t seen the wee Riley in action yet. He was just a chunky, cheeky monkey the last time I got to hang out with him. Maybe we will be lucky enough to see him this summer.




I feel like although we no longer live in the same place, we will always be friends. I hope that when our kids are finally here, we can all meet somewhere, (preferably in the mountains) and enjoy a large juicy coconut cake.


Maybe we'll even dance to some cheesy Neil Diamond song.

I can’t wait.

Addendum:
So Steven just read this and was very upset that I used "cheesy" and Neil Diamond in the same sentence. Therefore, I am including the song from American Bandstand (How OLD are we?!).

He also asked me to include a poll.You be the judge of cheese. The poll is up above on the right hand side. Please vote. Chris and Jane please, only one vote apiece.