Today

I have been very patient. The wait is over today. I might scream at any given moment.

Mom and Linda Visit

This weekend Mom and Linda stopped in Houston a few days while on their own Amazing Race. We stayed busy and had so much fun! First stop was the galleria for shopping and dinner with Gabe that night. Friday we went to the Kemah boardwalk. We rode rides, ate funnel cake and had some seafood. The weather was perfect and it was just nice to sit back and take in the scenery. The roller coaster was crazy scary. I screamed like a baby and Mom and I both had our eyes closed the entire time! Gabe sang in a beautiful concert that night with a requiem that had only been sung in the U.S. once. It was in recognition of all the soldiers who lost their lives in WWI. He sang a solo that featured the words to a favorite poem of my grandmother's that she used to keep in her purse everyday. It was special to have mom there for that. The next day we did some golfing, ate at a couple of our favorite restaurants Barnaby's and Shade, and had Swirl for the second time and went to the museum. The butterfly conservatory was unbelievable. The room was beautiful with a huge waterfall and of course, butterflies everywhere. They were flying all around us. So amazing. Thanks for coming to visit!

My favorite blog

I should be getting ready to go out to dinner with friends, but first I had to stop and read this post. I'm so happy I did. If you do not read her blog, I assure you this post will surely help you to understand why so many people I know love her and read her blog everyday. She is so inspirational. By the way, she has the same nickname as me, just spelled differently. (I love her even more because of that.)

http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/2009/11/do-you-still-see-me.html

Love to you all,
Christina

October Festivities

"Double, Double, toil and trouble,

Something wicked this way comes..."

Happy Halloween everyone! Here are come pictures we've taken the last few weeks. Just below are pictures from Halloween yesterday. We went with a Harry Potter theme. Professor Trewlany and Mad Eye Moody. The pics were taken on my cell so the quality isn't great. But we had fun, that is until we went to a haunted house and actually payed money to scream so loud my throat ached. It was great to be with our friends, but next year, I might stay in the car.

Professor Trewlany
Mad Eye Moody

At the zoo, Halloween Day

Gabe recently finished Il Viaggio a Reims, his first opera this season at U of H. It was hysterical and he did a great job. Gabe's mom flew here to spend the weekend with us and to see the show. Thanks for coming, we had so much fun!

A very proud wife :)

Amanda and Gabe after show

Gabe and Jack backstage

Then, a pumpkin was carved. We roasted pumpkin seeds and drank strawberry smoothies. The pumpkin turned out great. A few days later we particiapted in Trunk or Treat and church. We brought the pumkin and Gabe dressed up as a doctor with a bloody knife and we had bones around the ground. He kept asking the kids if they wanted an incision. Thankfully, most of them laughed. It worked though because we won "Spookiest Trunk." We got a trophy and everything. It has a pumpkin on top. Way to go team!

"ooh, this is fun"

"Here, Mom, you do some."



And he was called "Seigfreid"


Fun Day

On the Radio!!

A local classical music station KUHF did a promo for the Moores Opera Center's production of Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims featuring Gabe as a soloist singing an aria from the opera which opens this weekend. His aria begins at 6:20 on the clip and there's a lengthy explanation that comes before. The gist is Gabe's character along with several other international VIPs is going on a trip to Reims, Paris. He takes inventory of each character's belongings singing with a different accent for each character. The order is first Don Profondo-that's Gabe's character, then lo Spagnolo or the Spanish guy, la Polacca or the Polish lady, la Francese or French lady, il Tedesco or German guy, l'Inglese or English guy, il Francese or French guy, and il Russo or Russian guy. See if you can keep track of who's who. Good luck!

To listen follow the link below and scroll down to where it says Moores Opera Center and click on listen or download.

http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1256158827

Sewing again

Babies, babies and more babies. It seems that we know a lot of pregnant ladies. Most of them expecting boys, by the way. I love making the burp cloths (first attempt here). They are so simple and are so cute. But, I wanted to try something new. I got the idea from Etsy. Just take a simple shirt or onesie and embelish with an applique. It was an easy thought, but did take some experimentation.

First I added Heat 'n Bond to the wrong side of the fabric and cut out any shape, in this case I used a tie. Then, just iron on the tie to the onesie and sew around the edges. I thought I would have to do that by hand at first, but I was able to do it with the machine with some trickery.

Finished product

Cute, right?

If they weren't all over Etsy, I would think of selling them. By the way, I am obsessed with Etsy now. If you are not familiar with it I suggest you browse sometime. It provides a way for people to sell handmade or vintage items online if they don't have the time or money to sell them in a store. Brilliant.

One year down, one to go

Gabe has officially started his last year of graduate school. Busy is his middle name. Just as he likes it. A new semester brought auditions for this upcoming opera season. The news is reeeeal good. Two of the shows we are most excited about. "Why?" do you ask? In the opera Don Giovanni, Gabe was cast as...Don Giovanni. The second, Elmer Gantry, he was cast as...Elmer Gantry. Two title roles. Hello. This upcoming show called Il Viaggio a Reims he is playing a role called Don Profondo, a basso buffo role or comedic role. The show will be at the end of October. We will be sure to provide you with any updates about the upcoming shows. Gabe's also singing a gig with Opera Louisiane in October and with the Bach Choir in Houston. In November, he's singing Vaughan William's Mystical Songs with UH Chamber Choir and an art song recital at church. Like I said, busy!! As for me...I talk to people a lot about urine. :) Love to you all.