Currently

(Alyster playing on the desk in our bedroom while we were responding to comments on our latest YouTube video)

The last couple of days have been for getting back to normal after being out of town and for adjusting to life with a new kitten. We pretty much haven’t left the house except to go to the store :). We’ve been enjoying being home and cooking and cleaning and playing with Alyster a ton, which is just fine by us.

If you can’t tell, we’re pretty much obsessed with him!! He likes to climb on us and play with our feet (though many of you have told us to break him of that habit early otherwise he’ll be attacking us all the time!) and he cries a lot until we hold him, and then he starts purring, and then our hearts melt. It’s so crazy because we aren’t cat people, if there is such a thing. But this little guy has us wrapped around his tiny baby paws. He peed on the couch and rug last night but other than that he’s learning to use his litter box pretty well.

We kind of slipped off the wagon of eating healthy while we were on vacation (because duh) but we’ve been making smarter choices since we’ve been back. Last night we cooked lemon garlic zucchini noodles with white wine and mushrooms and it was a nice, light summery dish. We’ll be posting the recipe later on!

 (We moved an old desk that used to live in our upstairs bathroom into our bedroom as a bedside table/writing desk and we’re loving the warmth & function it brings to the room)

We just found out some crazy fun news yesterday morning that we will tell you about in a few days once we make sure everything is all set. It’s extremely last minute and we’re kind of nervous but are staying optimistic and think it will be a lot of fun. It’s one of those opportunities that doesn’t come up very often and it’s hard to say no to, no matter how much anxiety it might bring you. Can’t wait!!!!

We hope you’re having a great week so far, friend. Talk to you soon!

We Have a New Member in Our Family

If you've been following our stories on Instagram, then you may have already heard the news BUT in case you haven't, then we have some exciting news (well, to us anyway!!). We have a tiny new member in the McKay household!! Y'all, meet Alyster!!!

We plan on telling you all about how we found him in a YouTube video, but basically PJ spotted him as we were walking down a street in Alys Beach. He was with his mom in a construction site surrounded by concrete and nails. We tried to get his mom and take her home with us too but she sadly wouldn't come, no matter how hard we tried.

We tried to give him back to his mom but she wouldn't have him. We debated on if we should take him from her and separate them and in the end we knew that she was about to wean herself off of him in a week or two, since he is around 4-5 weeks old, so in the end we decided to take him home with us.

At first we weren't sure if he was a boy or girl, so we named him Alys (pronounced "Alice") since we found him in Alys Beach. Then, we looked and saw that he was a boy, so Thomas named him Alyster instead, and now we can't picture him as anyone else!

We were worried the girls would absolutely hate him and try to eat him. Luckily, Jolie has taken to him and has even begun to treat him like he's her baby. It's probably the cutest thing we've ever seen. She's been licking him and fleaing him and looking out for him and it's giving us all the feels. She is acting like a mom to him and we think she's loving it since she never got the chance to be a mom herself.

Meryl on the other hand has not been so welcoming. She's snapped at him a couple of times and seems to fee uncomfortable around him which is weird because we thought she would be the most accepting of him. Jolie is usually the standoffish one, especially when it comes to things that are smaller than her (like babies and kittens, apparently).

By the end of tonight they've all made progress with each other. And not just with each other!! Alyster has warmed up to us and has been purring a lot in the last few hours. He likes to play with PJ's fingers, bite on Meryl's ears, and pretend to pounce on the ground. He's being really playful right now and we're soaking it in since he will start to get a lot bigger pretty fast in the next couple of weeks.

He likes to eat a lot and sleep a lot, and play just as much. We've received so many tips from you guys about how to acclimate him to the girls (elevate him when introducing him to the girls so that they feel inferior to him), get him used to our house (put olive oil on his nose to reset his sense of smell), and how to feed him (with a bottle for now). 

PJ has actually been talking about wanting a cat recently so it sort of feels like fate that we found Alyster. We weren't sure if we were going to keep him forever or just for a while until we found him a new home, but now that he's here we can't imagine him being anywhere else. If you remember, we found Meryl in a parking lot at PJ's old real estate company he was at, so we sort of have a soft spot for animals that need a good home. 

Stay tuned for the full story! In the meantime, you can most likely expect lots of cat videos on our Instagram stories. Okay tbh we never thought we would write a sentence like that. Who are we!?!?

Our Morning Routine

We recently collaborated with hims to show what our morning routine looks like and give you a look into what we're doing to take better care of ourselves. Check out the video above to see PJ's at-home workout routine, the health issue Thomas is working to take care of, and what we like to do to take better care of ourselves mentally.

And, if you aren't already, click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

Feature Friday with Nate Smith

Hey y'all!! Happy Friday!! How has your week been? We've been at the beach the past two days celebrating PJ's birthday as our boy turned 32 yesterday. We're down in Aly's Beach with our friend Shaun Smith who was kind enough to let us stay with him. We're having a blast and can't wait to tell y'all about it!

This week's FF is a bit different than what we normally post, but has such a great story to tell. His bravery and courage (in more ways than one) is inspiring and we think you'll enjoy learning a little more about his story. Take a look below to see what we mean...

Where are you from? The U.K.

Where do you live? Georgia

What's your Instagram handle? nate_smithws

Age: 16

Relationship Status: Single

What is your favorite place you have ever travelled to and why? My favorite place that I have ever gone to is the United Kingdom because that is where I was born and I always like going back and getting to see all of my family.

Who is your favorite artist at the moment? Favorite song? My favorite song at the moment is No Roots by Alice Merton, although my favorite artist at the moment is Old Dominion.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My proudest accomplishment so far in life would have to be when I got accepted for a full ride scholarship to Emory University as a freshman in high school.

Describe your home decor style: My home is still what my parents want it to be since I am in still in high school and live with them. I live in a 4 story house in the city, with a very modern design and almost all glass exterior. The inside decor consists of mainly crisp and rectangular shaped furniture, with some round objects placed throughout the house.

What is something you wish you would've known when you were younger? I wish that when I was younger that it was ok and should not be frowned upon to be gay, I grew up believing that it was a sin and that I must pray to become a child of god, as time went on I realized that I was who I was and wanted to remain who I was. Basically I just wish I had known there is nothing wrong with being gay and that it is ok to reach out for help when you are in a dark place.

How old were you when you came out? What was your experience like? So I actually just came out this about a month ago this year, and I had of course told a couple of my closest friends before this and was pretty sure that my parents knew, but it wasn’t until I started following PJ and Thomas and saw how happy they were, that I decided to come out to everyone. I of course had immediate acceptance from my closest friends and best friend actually cried because she was so happy for me. They were also of course some people who weren’t so accepting and I lost about 25 followers which does not seem like a lot but it really showed me how there are people in this world who may I may not be able to be friends with but it doesn’t mean that I can’t still be nice to them because everyone has a right to their own opinion. My family is a different story though, my sister thinks it is amazing, my mom has accepted it but doesn’t like it, and sad to say my dad does not really talk to me since he found out, although the benefits outweigh the downsides by a long shot. For the first time in my life I truly feel like I can be ME and not worry about what everyone else will think about me and I have never been happier.

You came out while in the military. What was that like? So many people get confused or don’t believe me when I tell them I am currently serving in the US Army National Guard as a Private First Class (PFC). As it is well known when living in the states you must be 18 to serve in the military although an exception was made for me so that I could serve due to my abilities. I was born with an eidetic memory meaning that I only have to see or read something once and remember it forever, this also allowed me to learn 4 languages and excel in much of what I do. About a month ago I decided to go ahead and come out which meant that my Platoon and Company would be soon to find out, which was always a big discourager, but I knew that I couldn’t wait forever. Most of the soldiers were accepting and said that they would see me as no different, just as much of a soldier, and were not going to stop trusting me with their life over who I am attracted to. Some were less accepting and no longer wanted to have me within their company but my company commander simply removed them instead. They weren’t real happy about that. Have to admit that even the accepting were a little uncomfortable showering together with me after that bc we all shower in a group shower together when in the army, but they quickly learned that I was not going to just sit there and stare at them shower, just as I hadn’t before.

What did you learn about yourself in the coming out process? I honestly learned a LOT throughout the coming out process. I learned that I could actually be a very outgoing person when I didn’t think that I could ever be a truly outgoing person. I learned that I didn’t need to be shameful of my body and that if I simply embraced it that life was so much better. Most of all I learned that I was fine the way I am and that if I just allowed people to talk to me that maybe I can find someone to love someday, which I wasn't sure was gonna happen. 

Who is your biggest inspiration and why? So I kinda answered this above and I know that it may not seem like something so simple or someone like Thomas and PJ who I don’t even know could make such an influence, but they really can. I started following PJ and Thomas about a month before I came out and the fact that I could see that they were so happy and that while not everyone was accepting of them that they still lived an amazing life with many friends, and were happy doing what they were doing, really just made me smile. As time went by I started considering the fact that this may be true for me too, and so I started talking to my best friend about the idea of coming out and she jumped at the opportunity to convince me. I spent like an hour with Rita (my best friend) looking at PJ and Thomas’s page and seeing how happy they were, and eventually decided that if there were people who were unwilling to accept me than that was there problem, that they simply weren’t my true friends, and that I should not revolve my life around what everyone else thinks. 

The Weekend We Did Nothing and It Was Absolutely Everything

This past weekend we had no plans. Zero. ZILCH. It’s the first time in what seems like forever that we didn’t have to be somewhere or work on a project. Our schedule was wide open and we honestly didn’t know what to do with ourselves.

Friday evening we went out to the land to see if they had mowed it yet and sadly, they haven’t. The grass is still 5 ft tall, so we went by the river bank where the grass isn’t so overgrown. And that’s when PJ got the idea to strip down to his undies and jump in the FREEZING cold water. It was hot out but not jump in freezing cold water hot. 

He floated down a couple hundred feet and got out shivering, but it was kind of exhilarating. If you know PJ, he’s not exactly spontaneous, so the fact that out of nowhere he decided to just jump in, to go for it, was out of character and extremely fun to watch. Plus, how cute is he?!?

Saturday and Sunday we did a takeover of Gayswithstories Instagram account which was a lot of fun. We spent Saturday adding some blinds to our bedroom (we’ll make a post to show you how it turned out. Spoiler: we love them!!) and doing little stuff around the house. Again, no plans, just winging it and enjoying the down time. 

Sunday we went to PJ’s aunt’s pool and swam with his family. It was SO HOT outside and her pool always hits the spot. That night we came home and made dinner with Thomas’ mom. We are on our healthy kick so we made zoodles again and suddenly we’re hooked. Thomas’ mom gave us her zoodler that she never uses so we’re thinking this is going to be a weekly dish. 

So yeah, that was our weekend!! It felt good to not have anythjng to do for a few days and just do what we wanted. We’re thinking it was probably fate and for the best because the next couple of weeks we have something every single weekend, so we’re gonna be busy for a while. In fact, things have already been pretty crazy this week!! We’re planning a (VERY) last minute trip to celebrate a certain someone’s birthday that’s coming up in a few days, so wish us luck!!!

We’ll do our best to update when we can! Hope you had a good weekend, too. :)

xx

Feeling Thankful

With the weather being so amazing lately, we've been spending a lot of time outside any way that we can. We went on a long walk around the neighborhood the other night and soaked up the warm air and birds chirping all around us. 

It feels good to finally be settled in our home and neighborhood after being here a year. With our last house, we were only in it for a year and a half, and almost half of that time was spent working on our current home, so we sometimes feel we didn't get to enjoy our last house as much. There were a lot of rooms we didn't get to finish decorating to really make them "our own", which is part of the reason we're feeling so thankful now to get the chance to do that in our current home.

Of course, there's still so much we want to do to our home now (even though we renovated it head to toe for a TV pilot, there were still some things that didn't get completed that we may shwo you in a future post) that we just haven't made time for. We talked a little bit about it in our Instagram post the other day and how we are just thankful for what we have, not for what we want, and it's true. It's something we constantly have to work at but if we remind ourselves as often as we can, maybe it will become our normal state of mind? 

We all have a lot to be thankful for if we take the time to really evaluate our lives and do our best to look past all of the things we don't like about our lives and focus on the things that we love. Mayve we don't have the perfect body or house or our dogs are terrors and we hate our jobs. Maybe we fight too much with our family or wish we made more money or wish we ate better or whatever. There are a million things we all wish were different about our lives, but what if we only talked about the things that we love about our lives? Wouldn't that be so much more rewarding? 

Not sure how or why we got on this rant or where this whole thing even came from, but it's been eye opening for us the past couple of days. In any event, we're thankful you're here with us, friend. We hope you enjoy your Friday and have a wonderful weekend :).

Zucchini Noodles with Tomatoes & Mushrooms

We've been doing our best lately (and by lately we mean this week) to eat healthier and make smarter choices in the kitchen. With our vegan pizza we made the other night, we thought it would be fun to try another healthy option for dinner.

You know our feelings about pasta, so it's no surprise we can't go a week without eating it. Last night, however, we opted for a healtheir alternative that was very easy and quick to prepare. Here's how to make it!

Ingredients

• Zucchini noodles (we just bought a pre-made pack at Publix)
• Mushrooms (we used portobellos, bought in a small pack at Publix)
• 1 whole tomato, chopped
• Half onion chopped (we used a red onion)
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• Olive oil (we didn't measure, but a few drizzles will do)
• Fresh basil, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Garlic powder to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a sauté pan over high. Add olive oil, garlic, onions, and mushrooms. Sauté until lightly browned; season with salt and pepper.
2. Add tomatoes, season with salt, pepper, and garic powder and sauté for 1 minute. Mash tomatoes with a fork until almost a thick sauce consistency.
3. Toss in the zucchini noodles and cook until tender.
4. Finally, add in the chopped basil and stir for 30 seconds.

We can honestly say we found it delicious and now realize more than ever that you don't have to sacrifice good tasting food to eat healthy. Feeling positive and energized and looking forward to the future!!! 

Rain, Finally

We've been going on almost a week with no rain, and our front yard was suffering because of it. It's been really hot here lately so our grass has almost started to burn, and we're pretty bad about not watering it. So, while the day started out beautifully, and the weather was perfect for sitting on the front porch and drinking coffee, around 6pm the sky turned dark. Very, very dark.

But, if you know us, then you know our feelings regarding rain and thunder storms. We worked for the majority of the day on an upcoming collaboration we're doing with a really fun company, but while we were finishing up, the clouds formed and the sun disappeared. It was windy and a warm breeze was blowing. Then, as if it couldn't hold it any longer, ginormous rain drops began to fall from the sky and within minutes you could barely see outside. 

Thomas has been meditating recently, so while the rain came down, he went on our back porch and relaxed for a few minutes. He downloaded the app Simple Habit. Have you heard of it? It's a fun, easy to use app that's been helpful in starting to meditate daily. 

As the rain came down outside, we felt safe inside and just enjoyed the gloomy, cozy weather as much as we could. The rain always brings us comfort in a way, and there’s no place else we would rather be than home. Do you feel this way about rain storms, too? 

xx