Freedom

I got sober when I was 23 years old. It's a part of my life that I am very proud of. I never thought that I would speak about it on a public level, but while we were filming the show, I was also writing my book, ‘Born to be Brad.’ The book is part memoir and part style guide, and while I was writing it with my co-author, Mickey Rapkin, I struggled with whether I should discuss my past with drug and alcohol abuse or if I should just keep it to myself. I discovered that there was no way I could leave it out, because my experience of getting sober has really made me who I am today. When I watched this week’s episode, I cried when that part came up, because I felt such relief and freedom. Freedom from my past and freedom to go ahead with the future. I am so incredibly grateful to the people who have helped me along the way and still do help me.

My mom has really been through a lot with me, so I wanted to make Mother's Day really special for her. I always used to style my mom (without really knowing what styling was) when I was a kid, so to be able to take her shopping and give her a new look was fun. I wanted to her to feel great for the big day -- the meeting of the families. I still do think it is weird that after ten years our families had not met, but it was well worth the wait. I am very close with Gary's family. They have welcomed me into their family with open arms. I feel as if I am their adopted son. I do not take this for granted, because I know that there are a lot of gay and lesbian couples whose families are not as accepting of them, so for me, this is something to be celebrated.

Felicia is an amazing cook! All of her dishes are flawless and are favorites across her entire family. You must, must, must tell the cook, especially if they are Italian, that the dinner was delicious. When I saw that dinner had passed and my mom and sister had not said anything, I thought we might be heading for trouble, so I wanted to give her a heads up. I am glad I did, because it ended up being an extra push for my mom to engage with Felicia. My mom is shy and quiet, so I thought I would help her with that. The day was a huge success and my mom and Felicia talk all the time now. It’s what I had always hoped for!

What can I say about Lindsay? I felt so bad for her on the first day of work. She was a horrible driver, didn’t’ know her way around LA, and couldn’t find my house. When she eventually did find it (one and a half hours late), I was so happy to see her. As soon as we sat down together to go over the schedule and figure out what the next steps were, I really felt like I was in business, and I knew I had made the right decision in hiring her. I haven’t looked back since.