Ok, here we go! Photos from our whirlwind trip to New York City this weekend...
We felt a bit like we were on Amazing Race because our first task when we flew into the airport was to catch a cab into Queens to drop off our luggage at our friend's house- then get on the correct subway to take us into Times Square where we were to meet Jason and
Samanthe at 6pm! Go!
Members Only...
Ah, Martha. This is a heavenly bakery a block away from Jason and Sam's house. I definitely "ate for two" here!
We did make it
successfully to Times Square that first night!
Survived the subway all by ourselves! :)
More Martha!
Ok! This was one of those
magical moments in life. And it's kind of a long story... so feel free to skip on down if you don't have two hours to hear all about this crazy story. So I had an appointment Friday morning at 10am to meet with a composer that I made connections with through some children's choir events. His name is
Jim Papoulis and he's a "big deal" to children's choir directors. I was a little nervous and intimidated about meeting him but when I had spoken to him in the past on the phone he was so super friendly I decided to just ask if I could visit his studio while I was in NYC. He agreed so I showed up there Friday morning and was just blown away with his studio and how "fancy
smancy" his composing world was. WELL then he casually mentions that "on the side" he writes songs for commercials and
tv shows, etc. AND that yesterday some executives from
OPRAH's show had called and asked him to write a song for a special event celebrating mothers. SO he told me that he had just finished writing up a song for the event, but WOULD I MIND singing through it for him so he could hear what it sounded like. Of course I say yes. So he puts be back in his studio recording room (it looked straight out of the movies with the glass window and I sat on a stool next to this amazing microphone- which he tells me belonged to Johnny Cash and Roseanne Cash was in this weekend recording in that room and had left the microphone there). Anyways, so I sing a few measures for him and go back out and he says "well I just had you sing a few measures to see if you could
actually sing- and you sing great, so do you mind singing the entire song...".
Ok, so for the next hour I sat in that recording room and sang the song and then all the harmony parts so he could piece them together, etc. And the whole time I'm just grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. It was so fun! Although I didn't get the big bucks for my studio time, I was just thrilled to get to pretend like I was cool for a moment. BUT the best part is when I'm leaving he tells me that he was going to email that song over to the Oprah people so they could proof what he wrote. All I heard him say was that there was a CHANCE that OPRAH might hear me sing. *My celebrity moment* Anyways, that's the story that kept me smiling all day. And he was such a wonderful person to meet. I'll make sure to thank him in my first Grammy speech.
Johnny Cash's spit on that microphone!?!
Ok, welcome back to random NYC pics...
"In the harbor stands a lady..."
The view from 5 foot 9...
Waiting in line to get tickets to see a Broadway musical! So excited!
And Jamie is obviously as equally excited.
But as you can imagine I get pretty estatic about seeing musicals!
Found another amazing bakery! This place not only puts the icing on top of the cupcake but also in the middle! yum.
Samanthe just got a new job working in the costume department for a show that is opening soon on Broadway... Ragtime. Super excited for her! (She took us backstage for a quick tour- so cool!)
Our huge celebrity sighting... ELMO! (Of course we had to get a photo for AUDRIE!!)
We drank more than our fair share of Starbucks on the trip, too.
And way too much iPhone addiction, too.
We got great seats to see "In The Heights"- a fairly new musical that won a ton of Tony's last year and was amazing to watch!
Sam also took us backstage after this show, too. So I can officially say I've been on stage on Broadway... wish I had thought to sing a few lines while I was standing there in awe.
Saturday morning we had a lovely brunch to kick off a full day of SHOPPING!
Being idiots on the subway...
Ok, I promise we didn't ONLY eat sweets... but this is truly our FAVORITE sweet spot in NYC... "Milk & Cookies"- cookies like you've never tasted in your life!
We love you, Jason & Sam!
Although we missed Audrie like CRAZY, it was so nice to get some couple time...
...and remember that we are in LUV. :)
The last night there we took one of those double
decker bus tours and it was awesome.
Jason and Sam enjoyed playing tourist with us.
We felt a bit like we were on Amazing Race because our first task when we flew into the airport was to catch a cab into Queens to drop off our luggage at our friend's house- then get on the correct subway to take us into Times Square where we were to meet Jason and Samanthe at 6pm! Go! 
Members Only...
Ah, Martha. This is a heavenly bakery a block away from Jason and Sam's house. I definitely "ate for two" here!
We did make it successfully to Times Square that first night!
Survived the subway all by ourselves! :) 
More Martha!
Ok! This was one of those magical moments in life. And it's kind of a long story... so feel free to skip on down if you don't have two hours to hear all about this crazy story. So I had an appointment Friday morning at 10am to meet with a composer that I made connections with through some children's choir events. His name is Jim Papoulis and he's a "big deal" to children's choir directors. I was a little nervous and intimidated about meeting him but when I had spoken to him in the past on the phone he was so super friendly I decided to just ask if I could visit his studio while I was in NYC. He agreed so I showed up there Friday morning and was just blown away with his studio and how "fancy smancy" his composing world was. WELL then he casually mentions that "on the side" he writes songs for commercials and tv shows, etc. AND that yesterday some executives from OPRAH's show had called and asked him to write a song for a special event celebrating mothers. SO he told me that he had just finished writing up a song for the event, but WOULD I MIND singing through it for him so he could hear what it sounded like. Of course I say yes. So he puts be back in his studio recording room (it looked straight out of the movies with the glass window and I sat on a stool next to this amazing microphone- which he tells me belonged to Johnny Cash and Roseanne Cash was in this weekend recording in that room and had left the microphone there). Anyways, so I sing a few measures for him and go back out and he says "well I just had you sing a few measures to see if you could actually sing- and you sing great, so do you mind singing the entire song...". Ok, so for the next hour I sat in that recording room and sang the song and then all the harmony parts so he could piece them together, etc. And the whole time I'm just grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. It was so fun! Although I didn't get the big bucks for my studio time, I was just thrilled to get to pretend like I was cool for a moment. BUT the best part is when I'm leaving he tells me that he was going to email that song over to the Oprah people so they could proof what he wrote. All I heard him say was that there was a CHANCE that OPRAH might hear me sing. *My celebrity moment* Anyways, that's the story that kept me smiling all day. And he was such a wonderful person to meet. I'll make sure to thank him in my first Grammy speech.
Johnny Cash's spit on that microphone!?!
Ok, welcome back to random NYC pics...
"In the harbor stands a lady..."
The view from 5 foot 9...
Waiting in line to get tickets to see a Broadway musical! So excited!
And Jamie is obviously as equally excited.
But as you can imagine I get pretty estatic about seeing musicals!
Found another amazing bakery! This place not only puts the icing on top of the cupcake but also in the middle! yum.
Samanthe just got a new job working in the costume department for a show that is opening soon on Broadway... Ragtime. Super excited for her! (She took us backstage for a quick tour- so cool!)
Our huge celebrity sighting... ELMO! (Of course we had to get a photo for AUDRIE!!)
We drank more than our fair share of Starbucks on the trip, too.
And way too much iPhone addiction, too. 
We got great seats to see "In The Heights"- a fairly new musical that won a ton of Tony's last year and was amazing to watch!
Sam also took us backstage after this show, too. So I can officially say I've been on stage on Broadway... wish I had thought to sing a few lines while I was standing there in awe.
Saturday morning we had a lovely brunch to kick off a full day of SHOPPING!
Being idiots on the subway...
Ok, I promise we didn't ONLY eat sweets... but this is truly our FAVORITE sweet spot in NYC... "Milk & Cookies"- cookies like you've never tasted in your life!
We love you, Jason & Sam!
Although we missed Audrie like CRAZY, it was so nice to get some couple time...
...and remember that we are in LUV. :)
The last night there we took one of those double decker bus tours and it was awesome.
Jason and Sam enjoyed playing tourist with us.
Empire State Building...
Such a fun trip! Don't know why we are so blessed to have friends like these two or why God gave me a husband who will take me to New York City to see musicals and shop... but I am truly grateful! 
