I arrived in NYC on monday 6/8 around 6pm, there I waited for the Hibberts to pick me up from La Guardia Airport. There after we went to pick up my girlly Tinu Diaz from the Bronx. After we headed out to Newburgh. we stopped for dinner at this yummy asian restaurant called Stir Crazy. and did a little shopping at the Palasades mall. Then continued to Newburgh and straight to our hotel. Jontez arrived that same night, we hung out for alittle bit then all just went to bed, I was alil worn out from our all day traveling. Tuesday around noon we went to lunch then straight to church for rehearsal, the other singers were arriving tuesday evening. Jon/Tinu/Pastor Tony and I were in the studio all day, recording stems for U Turn, a very hot song I might add. There after the other singers arrived and we rehearsed the other new songs we hadn't heard. we were singing for a total of 8 hrs all together.. whew.. we had dinner that night and then rehearsed alittle more before we called it a night then we straight to our hotel to sleep around midnight. The next day we arrived at the church again for more rehearsing around noon. this was a 12 hr day for all the singers.. CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY, and yes by the end of the night a couple of use were not feeling that great.. Nathan, Tinu and I were fighting some cold symptoms.. ;) we had every type of medicine you can think us to keep us alive for the recording, lol!! Vitamin C, Echinacea, Tylenol multi symptom, throat lozenges, and Unisom to try and get some sleep in the midst of all the drama with our bodies, lol! That night we got back to our hotel rooms around 2am... thursday we had the day off, because due to an emergency the music director Byron Williams was not able to flying into NYC until thursday evening. So we all slept alot on thursday, it was great. I got my voice back and felt all rested up. Friday we all caravan'd to QUEENS, took Tinu to the Hospital to meet with her boys and family because they boys were sick :(, then the rest of us went to check into our hotel in Queens. shortly after around 830 we took off to rehearsal. We rehearsed and Oneness Pentecostal church from 9pm to 3am.. not good, my voice left the building once again!! lol
crazy thing that happened that night was that we were starving cause we hadnt eaten anything since we left Newburge around 2pm and after going thru the set a couple times we had no energy to continue and so we took a break. Around midnight the only thing open around the church was a chinese food place across the street. we all went and grabbed some food, during our wait there, need i say its not the safest neighborhood in Queens so we were approached by a few guys claiming they were doing a documentary and wanted us to step outside so they could take a photo of us.. uhhhhhh NO!!! they probably wanted to mug us. Then a Girl rushed into the restaurant out of no where she came into to ask for a bottle of soda, none available she walked outside and started arguing with this guy who appeared to be her significant other, they started arguing, he hit her, she grabbed a bottle of hairspray and sprayed him with it.. Umm we had front row seats as we watched from the INSIDE of the chinese food place. hahahah They left and we all grabbed our food and rushed back to the church across the street. we ate then poor Oli got sick----- NOT GOOD, but nothing some alkaselzer couldnt fix... then we ran thru our set once again. by this time it was 230.. we were all done the singers had nothing left.. So we were released to go back to the hotel. Got in around 3am and went straight to bed. Saturday- RECORDING DAY, tinu my room mate and I got up and walked a few blocks to a diner for breakfest. First time we ate breakfast the whole week, lol. it was pretty good, we took a cab back cause we realized we only had alittle time to shower and get our things read to head out to recording spot. They drove us all to the Church - New Life Tabernacle around 230, got in, went down to dressing rooms, sound check, got dressed, then concert time! We had a great time at the Concert I definitly have some great memories from this trip. When we were ministering I felt such an incredible presence, I was literally shaking and felt I was gonna pass out because I was so nervous when I did my solo, being that my voice wasn't all there, but Thank God he took over and I just followed HIS lead. Pastor Tony Hibbert was Incredible and the BAND was AMAZING!! We had such a blast!!
