Sunday April 24th, Easter!

This morning Cortland and I woke up and went to the 11am mass at St. Mary's of Angeles Catholic church, for Easter mass. The mass here in New Zealand is quite similar to Lincoln's mass but instead of saying "The Lord be with you...and also with you", they say, "The Lord be with you...and also with your spirit". I definitely sounded out of place when the crowd recited this. The priest during the homily talked about how he felt about businesses wanting to be open during good Friday and how people rather have rugby games playing than pray and spend time thinking about why Jesus died for us. He seemed rather disturbed by it.
     After mass Cortland and I headed home to start preparing our Easter dinner. Cortland and I made a fruit salad, deviled eggs, pigs in a blanket, steamed vegetables, and mashed potatoes. The boys made chicken and sausages. The food was very good and we probably made enough food for a month we had so much left over! The people that joined us in our Easter celebration was Cortland, Stephen, Toby, and me. Unfortunately, Jay and Dominique had to go to church with their families and had Easter dinner with their families as well...so I suppose they have good excuses : ) Luckily enough they joined us later that night to play cards and hang out.

 This is the Church we went to, which is in the middle of the city so it sticks out like a sore thumb. It is quite beautiful on the inside though.

 The choir that sang the songs were in the back of the church on a balcony. They sang all the songs in Latin and sounded like the medieval monks. It was very old fashioned but pretty to hear.

 Front of the alter. The stain glass was vary pretty and surrounded the church

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Cortland in the kitchen cooking while Toby goofs around

 

 Our finished fruit salad and yes I helped make it!

 Cortland making the deviled eggs

Yes folks while Cortland made eggs, Toby was making water balloons...unsuccessfully

 Making of the pigs in a blanket, while the boys chowed on the dip and chips.

 Toby decides to join in on the fun!

 Stephen looks super focused on cooking..it's probably why he got burnt by the grease about 3 times

 Toby was in love with the dip we made...we said it was a secret recipe (aka sour cream and onion soup mix)

First try go at the foreign food...and they loved them! Both boys had never had deviled eggs and they fell in love with them. They told us we needed to give them the recipe or show them how to make them. We had half of them eaten before we started dinner.

 Stephen and Cortland

 Me and Toby enjoying a deviled egg!

 The chicken and sausages the boys were preparing. The chicken was delicious and had some special sauce they put on it!

Cortland's view from her living room which I am very jealous of.

 A rainy and cloudy Autumn Easter

 Toby singing while he makes the special sauce for the chicken

 Now time to reveal our secret bunnies and get our Easter basket!

 I had Stephen and this is what I bought him

Cortland had me and she was very generous! After two months of no candy this basket made me very happy!

The "Upset Toby" face I believe from Stephen forgetting to buy him candy. Haha

 Cortland eats some candy after dinner while Stephen lies down with a stomach ache from being too full.

Toby in a food coma while Stephen looks at his burns from neglecting the cooking sausages. What a funny bunch!

The rest of the night we watched movies and when Cortland and I got bored we took a ketchup bottle cap and connected it to the sink to fill up water balloons to launch them at the guys room and also the guys when they came outside to chase after us. I scared Jay so bad that he almost fell down the steps. We ended the night playing cards, listening to music and sharing laughs.

It was a great Easter! I am so blessed to have had God put me in such a beautiful place surrounded by caring, generous people, who share my same values and made this Easter away from home such a great one! 

"Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him from rising again...

                                                             Living, He loved me,
                                                             Dying, He saved me,
                                                    Buried, He carried my sins far away
                                                       Rising, He justified freely forever
                                                  One day He's coming, Oh glorious day!"
                                                                             -Verse from Casting Crowns