Goosebumps

I just saw a utube posting for someone named Paul Potts. He tried out on the British version of Idol. He walked up to the microphone, a chubby man, very bad teeth, looking very awkward and said he was going to sing opera. There were snickers in the audience, Simon Cowel smirked and the other 2 judges just sort of dead panned him. He opened his mouth and began to sing Nessum Dorma and the crowd went wild. Simon's jaw dropped- the woman judge had tears- he got a standing ovation! I had goosebumps- what an amazing voice! Go to utube and search "Paul Potts"......

Have a good Memorial Day Weekend!

I have been so lazy today! I've hardly left the bedroom, I've been reading blogs all day and watching the Law and Order marathon. I didn't even get out of my pjs until 1:30.

It's 9:30 and I'm pretty sick of it right now. Laziness is cool but starts to get boring. I guess I need to get up and get ready so I can go to bed soon!!

 

buying a house

We bought a house in 2006. I know wrong time because the value plunged after we moved in. We finalzed in July 2006 and didn't move in until May 2007. The day after we took possession the bathroom flooded and the story began:

July 13th-

¨       When I got to the house today, Art had torn out the floor in the big bathroom and torn into the 2 walls. He said everything is wet and needs to dry out before he can go on.

¨      Art needed to access the pipes so he opened the wall where Jim's realtor had made the repairs. He found that Jim and his realtor only hid the corroded pipes. He found a pipe with bondo all over it – and corroded! Jim said he was going to fix this pipe. He had told us that he was in the process of changing the pipe and it would be done before he left.

It has been a while since I have entered any info. What a nightmare this is turning into! This Morning Willie went to the house and said that there were several men waiting outside to go in and start tearing up the house. He asked to see their work order. Just for today the cost was $3500! What happened to the $5000 cap? If it's going to cost this much just to rip everything out...good grief! We really need help.

 

 Willie told the the workers he didn’t want to be stuck with a $30,000 bill when they finished. They laughed and said yeah that’s what will happen. I called the insurance and told Blake what happened and he told me that this kind of info could not have come from Alliance. I asked him if he was calling my husband a liar. I'm calling an advocate.

 

Blake seemed very upset that I called Hratch. He told me that this was going to delay the work and that since he was the one that was going to write up the estimate, calling an advocate would only cause problems. He told me that the advocate would take a huge chunk of what ever monies I was to be paid. I told him that I was only worried about getting stuck with a huge bill and I only wanted to guarantee that the work would all get paid for.

 

Anyway- I could go on. Suffice it to say that it only got worse and took over $75,000 just for repairs! If I hated the house, I could walk away but I saw the possibilities from the first moment I saw the house.  We still have things to finish and little by little they will get done. For now I love my house. I have a brand new kitchen, both bathrooms and even the pool was replastered!

 

Mama & Papa

When Mom & Pop came to this country, they had been living in a DP camp in Stuttgard, Germany. Angie was actually born there. They had to wait to find a sponsor to bring them to America. Papa was so grateful- he painted their house- inside and out, while starting a job at Ford Motor Company and trying to learn English.

Papa made a name for himself dancing at different events. He started to dance when he was very young in Armenia, and won competitions in Moscow and elsewhere. He survived the war dancing for the armies, after he was a POW.

He has certificates from the Michigan State Fair and the 250th Anniversary of the City of Detroit. He has certificates from Congress and many cities for his participation in celebrations. He danced until a few years ago-he danced at Zaven's baptism 2 years ago.

Mama stayed up nights sewing costumes and danced right next to him. She recently danced at Talin's birthday and at Shant's wedding. She just turned 82 on the 6th. I hope I am still able to dance at that age. Papa turned 91 on March 1st this year.

5/9/08 Papa has always loved his garden. He had me take pictures of all his plants and I put them alltogether in a little book for him. He actually made a title page- "Jora's Garden" - and showed it to all his friends at the club. Lately he's gotten so tired he hardly goes out there any more but there was a time not too long ago when he was climbing down the hill in back to his tomato plants and grape vines. He would put in pieces of dried up plants in the ground and sprout the most beautiful plants. I put in a beautiful plant and end up with dried up sticks! I talked to Mom today- she said Pop was sitting outside in the patio.

63 years. They have been married for 63 years. There are times when I can't be around Willie for 63 minutes and they've been together for 63 years. They survived a war. They survived coming to a brand new country. They survived not knowing if their families were still alive or not. They survived raising three kids. They survived and did well. These days we complain about our difficult lives. Hmm. Could we have survived being picked up and put in labor camp at the age of fifteen? Being torn away from family so no one knew if you were alive?  I'd like to think I could do what was necessary to protect myself and my family- but do I have their strength? Thank God - Thanks to them and their sacrifices I don't have to find out. Hopefully my children will one day say that I did what was necessary for them to have a better life.

I don't know how to thank my parents. I don't know how to apologize for the crap we put them through. I can only try to love them and pray they realize how grateful I am for their love.

When I was younger I used to get embarassed to say I was Armenian. People always said really dumb things like "you mean Romanian" or is that the same as Russian. Now I look back and think what a bunch of idiots! If I had been smarter or less unsure of myself I would have put people in their place!

Same with the dancing: I remember Mr Lewis at the end of our street-Server Ave- cutting mine and Armen's hair one day. I told him we had danced at the Philharmonic Auditorium and he didn't believe me. He actually said I was making it up then said I was confused. I remember going home crying.

I was 6 when we danced at the L.A. Phliharmonic for the first time. The elastic broke on Armen's pants and they started to fall- he turned around and said Mom fix them please and then finished his dance! I look at the pictures now and I laugh because we look like bobble head figures. Mama & Papa were something though-even Angie looked great. They were so young-we all were! I remember people coming up and being so impressed at our talent. Even now you can tell who has been taught by Pop- the hands give it away.

So many of the Armenians in Montebello were in our dance groups- Lydia & Mike, Haig & Hilda, Serge, John & Karen, Marsha, Anita (both of them) Knarik, Alex, Patsi, Angie & Jack-and so many I don't remember-it's amazing how we all have ties thanks to Papa's groups.

When we dance we still have people come up and say things like "your Dad taught me when I was young" or "your Dad danced at my wedding."

The other day I googled shalako / Armenian dance music and a link came up for Varoujan Movsesian and his famous toe touch on youtube. It shows him dancing at a wedding aqt St James Church in 1982. Ruben comes in with a cartwheel and dances with Varoujan for a minute then cartwheels out- you can hear Papa playing the Dahjol in the background. So much talent- so many memories- so much fun and I was actually embarassed because we were different. How sad.

Zina Elena

Adorable, funny and full of love- she was named after both of her Daddy's Grandmothers. She lives in Phoenix and we miss her like crazy.  

Zina Elena was born 5 months after her Daddy was killed in a car accident. They say that babies can see and hear Angels and I know it's true-I've heard her talk and laugh and I know her Daddy hears her.

5/9/08- I spoke with Zina last night. Olivia-her Grandmother, in Texas- put me on three way and Zina and her Mom Lauren in Arizona and  I got to talk for a while. Zina needs to get her tonsils out in July. She was born with all sorts of problems and really had us scared for a while. She has an Arachnoid Cyst on her brain which caused her to develop a little slowly at first- she didn't start to walk until she was about 1 1/2. She's makaing up for it now! Stephanie and I went to Phoenix last year to see her before Olivia moved to Texas and wow is she adorable! Then she was into Dora - now it's Alvin & the Chipmunks. (she rambled on and on and all I understood was ALVIN!)

She is stubborn and you can tell she is the boss. I miss her so much.

 

Jaime Ellen

Look at this face! It's the face of love! My Grandbaby Jaime Ellen lives in New Orleans and I'm in L.A. Born Nov 5, 2007 I still haven't held her in my arms. But she has to know that Grandma loves her more than life itself.

I hear her talking to me on the phone and I pray that I will see her soon.

Her Daddy Jaime Allen doesn't feel too good right now. He has an enlarged heart and living in the mold and dampness of New Orleans is slowing killing my son...........

5/29/08-She is so cute!!! She's standing up and climbing everywhere. She lights up when she sees her Mommy and Daddy. Jaime says she pulls herself up when he's in bed and all of a sudden a smiley face pops up over the side of the bed! And she raspberries everything! I am so proud! What a talented child.

Samantha

Samantha comes running into the house as if the world is chasing her. she is the biggest scaredy cat- no pun intended. She must have seen a leaf floating into the pool and that startled her. She's so funny. She loves you one second then runs. We found her 6 years ago when she fellout of a tree in the park. She's grown from the size of my palm to the  ball of fur she is today. Love her even if she is crazy.

May 5, 2008

I am sitting at my desk at work, thinking I should go home. Willie is waiting for work to call him to let him know when his truck will be ready for the drive to Las Vegas.

This weekend Shant got married in Santa Monica-I haven't danced like that since....???

I even got Mama up to dance. What a treat for everyone! She's still awesome! Too bad Papa couldn't dance. The hotel provided a wheelchair for him. Shant told Kara's family and friends that everyone that danced was taught by Jora. It's sad that Jora has slowed down so much-heartbreaking! For the last 60 years he's danced and made the world happy- now he can only watch. I know his mind still works- does it bother him that he's 91 and his body doesn't respond like it used to? I think it would make me nuts.