Gigi

I got a phone call from Leon Natker at Lyric Opera San Diego, that they are definitely wanting me to be Gigi this fall in Gigi. I'm very excited about this, but a bit nervous about the French accent! I'll need to get on that ASAP! Also, they are doing Gondoliers next February and there is a mezzo role for me in that, as well as Chava in Fiddler on the Roof after Gondoliers. Whew! Busy season, but that means more money! I'm so blessed to have such a supportive family and especially a husband who allows me to be who I am and supports me in all I set my mind to. :)

Leslie Caron as Gigi

Christmas 2009

I haven't posted a lot of pictures due to not uploading them onto my computer. So, here are some from Christmas:

With Tio David, playing the drums

A "mommy, why are you taking my picture" picture with Daddy.

Christmas in San Diego

Opening gifts...

Superstar!

More pictures to follow of Easter and random stuff. :)

Marli-speak 2

Marli LOVES to help out whenever I need to get something done. So, she says, "I help it." However, when I need her to clean up her toys or mess, she suddenly doesn't want to "help it." Hmmmm....

She's counting to 15 now very clearly. She counts EVERYTHING! The bubbles at the gym (there are bubbles going up the clear wall in water), the steps leading up to our apartment, her crayons, etc. She sometimes forgets the number 4 and the number 8, but she remembers and then tacks them on at the end. She also loves to sing the ABC's. She's getting it down pretty good now. Repetition is key and there is no lack of repetition with a two-year-old! I think I sang it with her 10 times in a row in the car the other day.

When her little cousin, Mia, is around, watch out! They are the terrible twosome! They were over at Coco's last night and Ibis had fallen asleep on the couch, Geno was busy cleaning something and I was up in Escondido away from the action. Geno found them in Coco's room smearing Vaseline in their hair like shampoo. Thus began the fun rounds of shampooing to try to get that stuff out. After 4-5 shampoos, her hair is still a big greaseball. I did try cornstarch. I left it in her hair for about 2 hours to soak up the grease and then I just shampooed her hair again for the 5th time, I believe. Well, it sort of worked. Not too bad. I think one more round of cornstarch and shampoo might do the trick. I also heard that rubbing an egg in the hair might help......Oh, what fun! LOL!

News, News and More News....

Well, actually, not too much news. Turns out we can't buy the house we wanted because of a stupid techincality, despite having our offer accepted. Blah! Anyway, the hunt is still on and we're still keeping our fingers crossed that we'll find something soon.

In other news, we were trying for a baby for about a month in January, but then I was offered a lead role in a show at Lyric Opera for the fall (Gigi in Gigi....that would have put me at around 9 months pregnant! Sooo....I did not get pregnant, despite our best efforts, and we stopped trying for the time being. Although, it would have been great news either way. I'm still really, really, really wanting to have another baby asap! Stay tuned, though because we'll be on the baby hunt at the end of the year (probably around September/October) after my show ends.

I also was called back for a couple of leading roles at Starlight Theatre. I haven't auditioned there in quite a few years because of pregnancy and other stuff going on. So, I decided to audition again this year and I was super close to getting the lead in Suds. But, they went with someone else, telling me that I was the second choice. I still have another callback for The Pajama Game this weekend; however, the role is a glorified chorus role. On the plus side, I'd really get to do lots of dancing, which I miss. So, I'm still interested in getting that role and I'll see what happens.

Marli is still as cute as ever. She's talking up a storm and she understands practically everything we say. She knows all her colors and she can even read a tiny bit. She's on her way to learning her alphabet and she knows all her animals, too. She says "bless you" when I sneeze and after I say "bless you" when she sneezes, she says "thank you". Very polite! She's still lovin' the Elmo and Ibis got her a super cute Elmo armchair from the swap meet for $6. Way to go, Daddy! Cute words:

Bula - balloon
Ewata- Elephant
Saraca - Santa Claus (yes, it's almost May and she's still obsessed with the jolly old man)

Overall, she's such a sweetheart and I love being with her! I can't wait to meet my new nephew, Ian. I will definitely get out there soon to Texas to visit with Reagan and Ian. :)

Ibis's job is going well. Looks like he'll be with this company for a long time. Please pray that he does!

I guess that's about it for now....I'm still teaching ballroom dance, cake decorating classes and selling my Mary Kay products. Just keeping super busy, as usual.

Happy Birthday Ian Nathaniel Lynch!

My sister, Erin, gave birth today to a healthy baby boy! I'm so excited that we have a little boy in our immediate family now. :) He weighed in at 10 lbs even, 20.5 inches at 12:46pm on April 26th, 2010. YAY!

Career Conference 2010

I went with Margi Eno's unit to Phoenix, AZ for Career Conference this year. It was a blast! Here are some pics:

This was at Margi's timeshare property in Scottsdale after the conference. Lot's of fun by the jacuzzi!

Posing with the gals!

Doin' the Macarena. I know, old school!

(note to self....get out of that red jacket!!!!)

A New Home

Yep, it's finally happened! Our offer has been accepted by the bank and the owners and we're in the process of starting escrow once our loan approval goes through. It shouldn't be a problem since we were pre-approved last year. They just need to run it again and we're way better off financially now than we were this time last year. Ibis had just been laid off last year. I'm so excited....I can hardly wait to have a place of my own that has 3 beds, 2 baths, a bonus room, backyard, deck and jacuzzi. So much space....... It will be so refreshing to actually have my scrapbooking stuff, cake stuff, Mary Kay stuff and everything else in my life in some semblance of order. I just keep thinking of all the possibilities and I just get so happy to imagine moving day. :) I'm excited that we'll still qualify for the tax credit, too. I'll definitely update once it's definitely official. Any prayers you can spare for our little family would be appreciated!