My In-laws Rock.

For many, many reasons. (Seriously. They're the best).  But today I will focus on one. My Christmas gift from them.

Every year, Mike's family makes a donation in each of their names to a charity of their choosing.  And because I'm considered family, (awww...), they include me in on this deal. In previous years, I've donated my gift to heifer.org. But this year I decided to go with Lambda Legal. For those who are not familiar with their work, Lambda Legal is an organization dedicated to "achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work."  These are the issues that matter most to Mike and me...they matter today, they matter tomorrow, and they will matter every single day until the very *moment* the LGBTQ community is granted their equal rights.  I get to marry the love of my life this year. That, I am proud of. However, I will continue to be ashamed of the institution of marriage until shit in this country changes, and an entire community of human beings are no longer denied their RIGHT to marriage.

Because we care so deeply for this cause, we are going to instruct our guests to make a donation to Lambda Legal in lieu of a wedding gift, should they choose. I mean, shit, if they want to get us the hidden kitty litter potted plant thing from Amazon, that's cool too, but the option to donate to Lambda Legal is there. And we encourage our guests to take advantage of it. And even if they do not choose to donate, they will at least be aware that such an organization exists. And if our wedding can make some kind of contribution, be it large, small, or obsolete, at least we *started* a conversation. 

Setting up a Donation Registry through Lambda Legal is super easy. Simply head to this page, and follow the instructions on how to "Register a Celebration."

And lastly, it's Mike's 27th birthday today! So let's officially welcome him to his late twenties! Woo hoo!  Love you, Sweets. I promise to make your last birthday as an un-married a special one. XOXO! (more like XXXO!)