Kids, Kids, Kids

Our little Claire Bear!
One of Jordan's many silly faces!
Jaron and his best friend, Spiderman!!!
Jaden wanted me to take his picture. Turned out pretty good, huh?

So, I figure it is time to devote another post to kids and the silly things they say. And since we were in Lubbock for Spring Break, I had lots of time to spend with 4 silly but extremely cute kids....(Mine and Candace's)

I will start with the youngest cousin.............that would be my lovely sister's 18 month old Claire. Anytime I was around her, she wanted to eat what I was eating or drink what I was drinking. Her sweet little way of letting me know she wanted to "share" was hollering at me. She would shout one of two things........"BITE!" or "MINE"!!! Who can resist a little blonde-haired angel with such good manners!!!!! :)

Jordan Avery, as always, says very cute things. When we drove to the Brooklyn Tabernacle a week ago, I brought some granola bars with us to snack on. She loves granola bars, but she has her own little name for them. According to Jordan they are called GRANILLA bars!!! I love to hear her say that! She also calls Raven from the show "That's So Raven" (Disney Channel) "BAT'S SO RAVEN". How cute!!!

Jaron, I mean Spiderman, tells me at least 1,000 times a day, "Mom, when I grow up, I going to be Spiderman." Oh, there's a shock!!!!!!

And last but not least, Jaden Tyler, my sister's oldest. He was born 7 weeks before Jordan was. He is sooooo proud of his Uncle Chris. I gave a Playbill to Mom several months ago, and she told me Jaden wanted his own. So being the good aunt that I am, I picked up one for Jaden and mailed it to him. Candace told me this week that he took it to show-and-tell at school. Here's the best part...................He told his class that his Uncle Chris is in a show in New York City called "Batman of the Opera"!!!!!!!!!! Isn't that precious!?



P.S. I forgot to add my 5 previous jobs to the last blog:
Stay-at-home mom
Elementary Music Teacher for 6 years
Receptionist at a dermatologist's office
Cashier at Old Navy
Counter clerk at Comet Cleaners

I've Been Tagged!

Here we are, all the way in Lubbock, Texas and I've been tagged! So here it goes!!!!

What I was up to ten years ago:

At first I was thinking I was still in high school, but when I did a little math, I remembered I was already out and working on a degree at Texas Tech. I was 20 years old and in my sophomore year at Tech working on a Music Education degree. I think I was working out at the mall at a clothing store called Northern Reflections.

That's all I can remember!

Things on my to-do list:

#1 Do something special for Chris's 29th birthday today!!!

#2 See family here in Lubbock.

#3 Take a shower (unlike my friend Jennifer, I really enjoy taking a nice hot shower)

#4 Get dressed

#5 When Candace gets over here to mom's house she wants to go to World Market.

#6 We will probably go eat lunch with Granny and the McNutts.

#7 When we get home on Sunday, I will need to do laundry and clean out the guinea pig's cage.


What would I do if I suddenly became a billionaire:

I would give money to all of our family for them to use in any way they need to. I would also give to Times Square Church and the Brooklyn Tabernacle, their outreach ministries. I would give to other ministerial operations that help the poor, the hurting and the lost. I would set up a college fund for the kids and all of their cousins.

Also, I would buy us a new car. I would buy Chris a new laptop. I would buy some pretty patio furniture. I would buy the kids some books and toys. I would buy Chris a new belt :) I would buy a bunch of groceries. And I am sure I would buy some new shoes, a purse and some clothes for me and Chris.

Finally, I would put some back for a rainy day!!!!!!

3 Bad Habits:

#1 I hate this but, I bite my fingernails. I have tried to stop many, many times in my life, but I have not been successful. It is a nervous habit.

#2 I worry. I worry about EVERYTHING!!!!!

#3 I obsess about the cleanliness of my house, even though it is NEVER clean.

5 Random Things You Might Not Know About Me

#1 I can walk on my toes. (I curl them under)

#2 When I put on mascara, sit on the bathroom counter so I can get close enough to the mirror.

#3 I don't like to do laundry. I especially don't like to fold underwear and socks. Sometimes they sit in the laundry basket for days!!!

#4 I refuse to fold my underwear. It is absolutely pointless. I do fold Chris's and the kid's because I want their things to be put away nicely.

#5 Raw chicken freaks me out. I try not to touch it if at all possible.

5 Things I want to see or see again:

#1 I would love to go to Seattle.

#2 Paris.

#3 Grand Canyon (again) so Chris could see it.

#4 Chicago.

#5 The Holy Land.

5 people I want to tag:

Traci, Ashley, Kim Turney, Candace and Kim Farmer!!
If you don't have a blog, I guess you could do this via email.

The Directions:
Share what you were up to 10 years ago, things on your to-do list today, what you would do if you suddenly became a billionaire, 3 bad habits, 5 most recent jobs you've had, 5 random things we might not know about you, 5 top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list, and then finally tag 5 people.

Brooklyn Tabernacle

The Verrazano Bridge...it cost us $18 to cross this baby!
The stage at the Brooklyn Tabernacle.

Beautiful Lady Liberty. It is even neat to see her from a distance in the car.
A glance back as we were leaving Brooklyn. You can also see part of the Manhattan skyline.

After our Easter morning Resurrection Breakfast, we loaded up in the suburban and headed for Brooklyn. We saw on the Brooklyn Tabernacle website that they were presenting their Easter cantata and of course we wanted to go see it!! Sunday a week ago we went to Times Square Church and had no trouble at all getting into the city. It took just a little over an hour, and that included stopping for toll booths and the tunnel. But yesterday was a different story. Everyone and their dog was going to Brooklyn yesterday, I think!!! It took us a little over 2 hours to get to the church! Mapquest estimated 1 hour and 15 minutes.......that didn't happen. However, the drive was worth it because the cantata was wonderful. The Brooklyn Tabernacle singers are amazing. They have such an awesome sound!! Our time of remembering Jesus' death and resurrection yesterday was wonderful. I looked forward to our Resurrection Breakfast and trip to Brooklyn all week long. It was one of the best days I have ever spent with my family and with Jesus. He is so worthy!!!!

Resurrection Breakfast

The spread!
The centerpiece!
This is Jordan's sweet sign. It says, "Jesus is Alive". She drew all 4 of us and Jesus (He's wearing the black clothes). Then she wanted to put hearts on it since we love Jesus. She did all of this by herself. It was all her idea!
We got these plates at Target. I just love the flowers!
These glasses are cool, huh?
We stumbled across this garland. It was only 74 cents. Isn't it fun?

Jordan showing me her Easter presents, a snow globe and a bunny!
Jaron copying his sister! He's showing me his present too. He got a snow globe with a duck in it and he got a duck stuffed friend.

A few days ago I was thinking about what I could do on Easter to make it special for Chris and the kids and to also celebrate the real meaning of Easter. I decided I would make a Resurrection Breakfast. Jordan helped me pick out a few decorations at Target and she made a sign that she hung on the wall behind the dining room table. Then yesterday morning she and I tackled the breakfast! She scrubbed potatoes for me, put salt and pepper on them after I cut them up, stirred the pancake mix, cracked the eggs and beat them in a bowl with salt, pepper and milk, and then she set the table with our cute dishes. The weather was perfect! It was bright and sunny, so we opened the big window in the living room. We all sat down and had a wonderful time together, and most importantly celebrated Jesus being alive!

Easter Festivities!!

Holidays would be so boring without kids!!! Today we had two wonderful excursions in honor of Easter, and I would have looked pretty silly if I had done them without any kids in tow! First, our apartment complex hosted an Easter egg hunt. We went to the office and the kids went crazy picking up eggs in the workout area. Jordan saw a few of her friends from school, Rahul and Vivian. We see Vivian everywhere!!!! They had fun together. After that we went and put up the Easter baskets and then hopped in the car. We drove over to an apple orchard in Princeton that was hosting a Bunny Chase. The kids had to follow a map and look for clues to find the bunny. It was really fun! Jordan kept saying," This is so fun, Mom!" There was a big chicken coop, horse stables, a pond with ducks and geese, and several sheep and goats. Plus the clues took us through part of the orchard. Unfortunately, there aren't any leaves or fruit on the trees yet, but it was still really neat. The kids finally found the bunny, and for all of their hard work they got a bunny cookie and they got to pet the bunny. When we were done with all of that we went into to the Farm Store they have on the property and bought some cookies and apple cider donuts. The donuts were hot and fresh when we got them. They were soooooooo good!! We have an exciting day planned for tomorrow. We are going to have a Resurrection Breakfast. We bought some cute decorations and I am going to make eggs, bacon, pancakes and pan-fried potatoes. Then we are going to the Brooklyn Tabernacle to hear their Easter Cantata! I cannot wait!!! It is going to be so awesome! Watch for those pictures tomorrow!!!! Happy Easter! Jesus Lives!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Phantom of the Opera

The front of the Majestic Theater. Phantom is the longest running musical in Broadway history. This January was the 20 year anniversary.
Another Majestic and Phantom sign. Chris's dressing room is right behind the mask. The Phantom of the Opera is one of Andrew Lloyd Weber's list of successes. It is among such hits as Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat.
Yet another view!! The theater was very quiet when I took this picture. It is closed on Sundays.
Chris has eaten with his buddies from the cast here at this Chevy's in the heart of the theater district. This is the closest we can get to good Mexican food up here!!!
Just a cool picture as we were coming out of the Lincoln Tunnel into the theater district.

I think it is about time to devote at least one blog (if not many more!) to the extremely talented man that brought us here to live on the East Coast. I forget that not everyone out there knows every little detail of our lives!!! So without further adieu, this is the story of my husband's, Jordan and Jaron's father's, biggest and most exciting accomplishment.

Chris was working for Day Break Coffee in Lubbock, Texas and doing a few singing gigs on the side, especially around Christmas time. He also sang with me at my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Ashley Nelson's wedding (thanks for the shout out, Ash!) He quit his job a little over a year ago and he decided to go back to school and work on a music degree. Mainly he was wanting to immerse himself back into music, which has always been a love of his. He enjoyed being involved in his music classes, choir and voice lessons, but still had an itch that he couldn't scratch. He has been friends with David Gaschen, also a Monterey and Texas Tech grad, for several years. David has always sung the praises of Chris and his outstanding vocal abilities. He told Chris on many numerous occasions that he could get him a private audition for the role of Ubaldo Piangi in the New York production of The Phantom of the Opera. David said they were hurting for someone good to help fill the role. David knew this only because he spent about 6 years in the New York cast of the Phantom himself! Chris finally consented to letting David help him out. David made a call and set up a private audition for August 13, 2007. Chris flew to New York and showed them his stuff!!!!! They were very impressed, and called back 2 weeks later to offer him the job. He was off to New York City the following Monday!

Chris was thrown head-long into an intense set of rehearsals over the next couple of weeks. Their goal was to get him on stage in as short amount of time as possible. The directors and the cast still remain to be so impressed with how well Chris stepped up to the challenge. He made his Broadway debut in the role of Ubaldo Piangi in less than two weeks!!!! Unfortunately, I was not able to be there for his debut, but fortunately, he did an awesome job as I much expected!! The rest is history!!! The kids and I moved in November, and we have settled very well into the New Jersey life.

I am thankful to God for the wonderful adventure He decided to send us on, and I am thankful also for the amazing talent that He has put in Chris. Chris is a natural on stage. He fits in so well with everyone he works with, and some of them have been performing for 20 plus years. His voice is absolutely amazing. I can promise you, you will never hear another person sing the way Chris does. He is the most versatile singer I have ever known. The role of Ubaldo Piangi is written as the leading tenor at the Paris Opera house. The singing the role requires is quite operatic. But Chris can also step into his cowboy boots or his shoutin' shoes and wow you with a country ballad or a gospel hit. He truly can do anything he wants to do. The sky is the limit, as far as I'm concerned! Thank you, Chris for having the guts to step out and take this leap of faith. Thank you for taking care of Jordan, Jaron and me. You are our hero, and you always will be!!!!! We love you!!

Times Square Church

In the Lincoln Tunnel, under the Hudson River, on our way to Manhattan for church!
"They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway..." We are making the block to get to Times Square Church. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Broadway!!!!
Times Square Church, New York City
Me and the kids in front of the church (sorry it's not a great pic!)
Chris and Jordan eating a burrito at Chipotle Mexican Grill. Chris comes here regularly with his buddies in the cast. I guess you could say we are in his "hood"!
Jaron holding a chip over his head at Chipotle.

We drove by the New Yorks Times on our way out. This isn't a great picture because we were at a stop light and I had to practically hang out of the window to get a decent picture!

We decided to go to New York City for church today. We keep up with David Wilkerson and his ministry, so we went to Times Square Church, the church he founded back in the 1950s (I think!) as an outreach to prostitutes and drug addicts in NYC. Chris and I had been before back in '99, but we wanted to go again, and take our wonderful little family with us! We all thoroughly enjoyed it!! The worship service was wonderful, and the kids really enjoyed their classes. In fact, after we picked up Jordan she said, "Mommy, I want to go back to that church." It is amazing how many people were there to worship God together. It took a little over an hour to get to the church, and it was well worth the drive. I have to say, I am sure we will go back!!!!