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I look to Chad, who still carries the empty sadness of losing Harvey last month after a long fight with cancer. That loss was another heavy blow to us as he was Gramps to us all. Chad and Carrie wanted a big family and with the loss of Harvey it amped it. Last week they informed us that there would be a third Blake in the family. He had said he wanted his kids to never feel like they were alone when he and Carrie died one day. He suffers a loss that is profound since Harvey was all he had growing up.

We all have been there for him in this, Shame once again being the muscle that carries the burden. Shame like chad was an only child and has buried both parents. He understood the pain of being left alone.

I support his decision to build a big family, a strong one that is tight knit like we are.

Noah, well he is Noah. He plays guitar, tattoos, spoils his loves and chills. It is his way of life. He relishes Bright with affection and delivers her every need. She had now become a decent sized chain for the Brew with twenty stores spanning from Seattle to Los Angela’s. They spoil our kids knowing neither want their own. They married about a year ago in a ridiculous and opulent extravaganza that Noah promised her. The party was the shit though, Bright knew how to celebrate.

Raleigh was her Man of Honor and all the girls in some designer name of pink dresses. We guys were in Noah’s line. No Best man, just us in black tuxedos, pink ties and chucks.

I never thought I would wear pink shoes, but leave it to one of these girls to make that happen.

Raleigh had finally decided to use his gift with the gays and opened a safe haven in Seattle. We all invested in the mansion and helped get the best support in the house and Raleigh did what he did best. He helped these people find a place and a purpose in a world that still thought that gay was a choice.

He busted his ass helping people who were banished like him. He spent hours counseling them and helping them build lives of their own in the community. He couldn’t save them all though and over the last year he lost four friends to suicide… he remembers them and holds them close to his heart and they are what force him to work harder and save lives.

The kid is on a mission to save lives and change them. We as a band and our brand backed him, so did countless others. Lexington and I played a benefit show over Gay Pride weekend and packed the stadium. Lex is a hit with the guys, both gay and straight and her voice brought a ton of support.

Raleigh was nominated for a humanitarian award this spring, for his work in the gay community.

Everyone was where they should be. We had some hard shit hit us in life, some things we didn’t think we could survive, but we did and it was because of the support we have for each other.

This is my family. Tattooed, pierced, foul mouthed, bitchy and the bold. What can I say, we are thick as thieves?

The End