Sunday, January 20, 2013
Shout Out.
Happy Birthday, Dad. You are my favorite. I adore you and couldn't ask for a better Poppy.
This Week in Paradise
This week went like this:
A few auditions, and a little shopping at the fancy Macy's on 34th Street, thanks to a gift card my sister Cyndi and her family gave me for Christmas. I have been looking for some good rain boots, and lo and behold, I found some! Because, let me tell you, living in a walking city when it is raining is not fun. Mama needs some boots. And some gloves with the little mitton tops that come off so I can text and stuff. :-)
Sign in an elevator in my friend's apartment building. Di-sgusting. I am pretty open about spitting being one of my top human habits that I find completely abhorrent. NYC, I love ya, but you got a lot of spitters. Nasty.
Debra on the subway in her new coat, strapping herself in. Safety first. Those train drivers can get a little crazy....
I went to dance class! It was so fun! I need to go more often, but time and money hamper the frequency with which I attend. But it was a great class, and I felt very proactive in developing my craft on Wednesday. Don't judge me that it was beginning theater dance. I have been out of dancing for a long time; give me a break. But I did feel some nostalgia for the days of walking around BYU campus in tons of layers of clothing, going from one dance class to the next, then to an English class, Science, what have you, in the same nasty 10 layers of clothing I had on all day, with no makeup. Those were the days. I owned that look all over again the other day.
My other Yay Me occasion of the week was a workshop I did to work on my audition material. My friend Rance Wright puts them together. He is a coach himself, and he brings in casting directors to also coach and give feedback. It is a great chance to be exposed to some influential people in my industry, and to have them all help me improve my audition technique. I have taken the class before, and had a great experience, so I took it again. I loved it again. I met great people, hopefully made some good connections, and really worked hard.
After all my hard work, I deserved a treat, right? Yes. Yes I did. And that treat was sweet potato fries and cheesecake from Houndstooth Pub. And thank you.
I love Rance as a coach because we kind of speak the same language, so the way he goes about coaching really resonates with me. It is all about trusting yourself, loving yourself, and communication. It is funny; the last time I took the class I made the connection between my craft and my life. I struggle with trusting myself; of course I am going to struggle with it in my work. If I can love myself and accept that I am enough, all the time, that will have a great effect on my craft. See the connection? It was quite the epiphany for me. I still struggle with all of those things, but it is a great journey, and I am so lucky to get to do what I am passionate about every day. It was a wonderful class. And Rance is a great friend. I adore him. We have known each other since our BYU days and we have both LIVED since then, so we really do understand each other. I am glad to have him in my corner.
And then there is always work. Selllin' the merchandise. This is what we do on a two-show Saturday to make the fact that we are working all day on a Saturday not quite so painful. 
Dinner (Edison Cafe yesterday, the ultimate in comfort food) and a treat during the second show. Yesterday it was Schmakery's, a gourmet cookie shop. Let's be honest. Most days it is Schmackery's. I believe these cookies are, from left to right, maple bacon (not mine), s'mores, cookies and cream, caramel apple crisp, and chocolate chip. Amazing. 
Next week brings more auditions, Evita's closing, a baby shower, and just more living the dream. Happy Sabbath, all.
A few auditions, and a little shopping at the fancy Macy's on 34th Street, thanks to a gift card my sister Cyndi and her family gave me for Christmas. I have been looking for some good rain boots, and lo and behold, I found some! Because, let me tell you, living in a walking city when it is raining is not fun. Mama needs some boots. And some gloves with the little mitton tops that come off so I can text and stuff. :-)
Sign in an elevator in my friend's apartment building. Di-sgusting. I am pretty open about spitting being one of my top human habits that I find completely abhorrent. NYC, I love ya, but you got a lot of spitters. Nasty.
Debra on the subway in her new coat, strapping herself in. Safety first. Those train drivers can get a little crazy....
I went to dance class! It was so fun! I need to go more often, but time and money hamper the frequency with which I attend. But it was a great class, and I felt very proactive in developing my craft on Wednesday. Don't judge me that it was beginning theater dance. I have been out of dancing for a long time; give me a break. But I did feel some nostalgia for the days of walking around BYU campus in tons of layers of clothing, going from one dance class to the next, then to an English class, Science, what have you, in the same nasty 10 layers of clothing I had on all day, with no makeup. Those were the days. I owned that look all over again the other day.My other Yay Me occasion of the week was a workshop I did to work on my audition material. My friend Rance Wright puts them together. He is a coach himself, and he brings in casting directors to also coach and give feedback. It is a great chance to be exposed to some influential people in my industry, and to have them all help me improve my audition technique. I have taken the class before, and had a great experience, so I took it again. I loved it again. I met great people, hopefully made some good connections, and really worked hard.
After all my hard work, I deserved a treat, right? Yes. Yes I did. And that treat was sweet potato fries and cheesecake from Houndstooth Pub. And thank you.
I love Rance as a coach because we kind of speak the same language, so the way he goes about coaching really resonates with me. It is all about trusting yourself, loving yourself, and communication. It is funny; the last time I took the class I made the connection between my craft and my life. I struggle with trusting myself; of course I am going to struggle with it in my work. If I can love myself and accept that I am enough, all the time, that will have a great effect on my craft. See the connection? It was quite the epiphany for me. I still struggle with all of those things, but it is a great journey, and I am so lucky to get to do what I am passionate about every day. It was a wonderful class. And Rance is a great friend. I adore him. We have known each other since our BYU days and we have both LIVED since then, so we really do understand each other. I am glad to have him in my corner.
Dinner (Edison Cafe yesterday, the ultimate in comfort food) and a treat during the second show. Yesterday it was Schmakery's, a gourmet cookie shop. Let's be honest. Most days it is Schmackery's. I believe these cookies are, from left to right, maple bacon (not mine), s'mores, cookies and cream, caramel apple crisp, and chocolate chip. Amazing. 
Next week brings more auditions, Evita's closing, a baby shower, and just more living the dream. Happy Sabbath, all.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Christmas
Now that I have gotten that awkward/amazing adventure off my chest, here is a little Christmas update for you. 
Being at home was amazing! The weather was yummy and snowy, and we had a beautiful white Christmas. I think my favorite day was Christmas Eve.
By that time, Teresa and her family were in Mapleton, and we just had a relaxing cozy day at home. Layne and I were both in the kitchen a whole bunch; I made granola and cookies, and Layne made soup and bread. 
The evening finished off with the annual Nativity, and of course, the Dansel story. Traditional brilliance, complete with my mom getting down on the floor by the tree to listen with the boys. You can't really see her in the picture, but oh, she is there. Sweet Mom.
Christmas was great.
Presents, food, Christmas caroling to a rest home, more food, and good times. 
Just needed to throw in my Christmas stocking. Mom made all of these for us when we were born. She now makes stockings for everyone who comes into our family, whether by marriage or the birth of grandchildren. I love this.
Mom turned 75!
She is beautiful, brilliant, kind, good, smart, spunky, and a great mom. I sure love her. Gary and Melissa sent 75 flowers for the day, and I got on Facebook and enlisted my friends to send her at least 75 birthday wishes. We topped out at 109! Some people she knew, some she didn't, but it was really fun.
We hit St. George for little Stella's blessing. Mom made the dress, of course, and it was so cute. 
What a beauty she is, and how I love Mike and Sarah and their family. They are growing up so fast, and I miss them! Lincoln, Sam, and James sure adore their baby sister. 
We also stopped by and saw my Aunt Alice, in rehab after a bad fall off her roof while re-roofing with my uncle. Those crazy kids.
I spent my last night with Teresa, Layne, and these little ones so T could get up in the middle of the night and drop me off at the airport. What a champ. And I love these here kids. Jake, Jonny, Megan, Rachel. Yep. I will keep them. That's for sure.
Around all the family time, I squeezed in time with friends like the Littles, Amanda Crabb, Katie Hill, and other really important people in my life. It was a crazy, busy two weeks, and I loved being home. So much.
Right now, as it is 46 degrees here and 11 degrees in Utah, I don't miss home so much. I will stay here and feel great about it. But Happy New Year anyway.
Being at home was amazing! The weather was yummy and snowy, and we had a beautiful white Christmas. I think my favorite day was Christmas Eve.
By that time, Teresa and her family were in Mapleton, and we just had a relaxing cozy day at home. Layne and I were both in the kitchen a whole bunch; I made granola and cookies, and Layne made soup and bread. The evening finished off with the annual Nativity, and of course, the Dansel story. Traditional brilliance, complete with my mom getting down on the floor by the tree to listen with the boys. You can't really see her in the picture, but oh, she is there. Sweet Mom.Christmas was great.
Presents, food, Christmas caroling to a rest home, more food, and good times. Just needed to throw in my Christmas stocking. Mom made all of these for us when we were born. She now makes stockings for everyone who comes into our family, whether by marriage or the birth of grandchildren. I love this.
Mom turned 75!
She is beautiful, brilliant, kind, good, smart, spunky, and a great mom. I sure love her. Gary and Melissa sent 75 flowers for the day, and I got on Facebook and enlisted my friends to send her at least 75 birthday wishes. We topped out at 109! Some people she knew, some she didn't, but it was really fun.We hit St. George for little Stella's blessing. Mom made the dress, of course, and it was so cute. What a beauty she is, and how I love Mike and Sarah and their family. They are growing up so fast, and I miss them! Lincoln, Sam, and James sure adore their baby sister. We also stopped by and saw my Aunt Alice, in rehab after a bad fall off her roof while re-roofing with my uncle. Those crazy kids.
Around all the family time, I squeezed in time with friends like the Littles, Amanda Crabb, Katie Hill, and other really important people in my life. It was a crazy, busy two weeks, and I loved being home. So much.
...And Then This Happened This Weekend.
Apparently there is something about my Evita T-shirts, AKA, my work uniforms, that set me up for awkward/amazing adventures. If you don't know my first story, read it here.
I have another story, and it involves my wearing this T-shirt:
On Friday night, I picked up a shift last minute (again. I should learn my lesson to not pick up last minute shifts.)
And, again, just like the last time, I was not at my best appearance-wise. I did not realize how humid it would be when I straightened my hair that morning, and then it rained, for which I had no umbrella. So I had my hair up in a pony tail, from which the baby hairs all over my head were sprouting into a curly halo. I had smeared a minimal amount of makeup on my face when I left my apartment earlier, when I thought I was just going straight back home after my planned errands. So of course, instead, I pick up a shift at work and head off to the theater. Like I do. I was super cute, for rills. But at least I wasn't wearing three shades of blue and my generic Uggs.
Anyway, work is fine, but some friends wanted to go dancing. I really was not going to go. I wasn't. But, long story short, I changed my mind and off we went late Friday night to La Caverna in the East Village, me in all my glory in my Evita T-shirt, since the top I had been wearing earlier was a sweater, and there was no way I was going to wear a sweater in a hot, crowded club. Let's be honest. If I go to a club, I am going to dance. I'm gonna shake it. So I needed my T-shirt. At least it was not this other Evita shirt, which it could have been. Embarrassing. (I am kind of a star though...)
Anyway, we are dancing and having a great time. It was so fun. And I was so sweaty, poofy hair and all, not caring, when I realized I had also forgotten to put deodorant on that day......oh well.
So the best was this guy who came up and started dancing with me. Keep in mind that it is so loud that I can't understand half of what he is saying to me. He was probably about 25, and it is so out of my comfort zone to dance with a stranger like that, but I thought, what the heck. Let's do this.
Except that the whole time we were dancing, he was holding my hands in some massage hold, and then would, like, start rubbing my hands. As in, giving me a hand massage. I have to say, I am so inexperienced in the whole clubbing thing that I went with it up to a certain point just because I didn't really know what was happening, and I wanted to be a good sport about it all. In the moment, I was a little uncomfortable, but not like I thought I was in any trouble, and I wasn't. But thinking back, I am a little creeped out in that "what the .... did he think he was doing? That was so AWKWARD!" kind of way. And he thought he was being so smooth. Seriously. It was awesome. And awkward.
Like when he put his hand on my sweaty, nasty neck and started rubbing that. Eeeww. Or, when he wiped HIS sweaty forehead on my shoulder! Are you kidding me?? That was not ok, and I had no idea what to do, nor did I have the presence of mind to just give him a dirty look and walk away. When I am going to learn that I really can give someone a dirty look and walk away? The whole thing was more funny to me, and it is really funny now. But I definitely kept within arm-pinching length of Deb and Brendan. And I definitely used that tool to signal it was time to go.
So Brendan and Deb come over and introduce themselves, and, I found out later, that he told him his name was something like "Heart Attack." OK...but at that moment, I didn't know that, so I asked him if he was going to tell me his name too. He leans over and says into my ear, "Maybe later. Depends on your dancing." ......
Then, in the end, I am saying goodbye, and he starts to tell me how I need some dancing instruction, because I need to dance from my heart. ........
Pretty sure he wanted to be that instructor, but instead he just walked away. I have no idea what just happened. But I am still laughing about it.
Why is it when I am totally unprepared for an adventure, that they always come? Maybe my lack of preparation is what makes them so good. Who knows. But my Evita work T-shirts are going down in history as being some sort of catalyst for awkward/amazing moments.
Awkward+creepy+sweaty+smelly+impromptu+friends=amazing night.
I have another story, and it involves my wearing this T-shirt:
And, again, just like the last time, I was not at my best appearance-wise. I did not realize how humid it would be when I straightened my hair that morning, and then it rained, for which I had no umbrella. So I had my hair up in a pony tail, from which the baby hairs all over my head were sprouting into a curly halo. I had smeared a minimal amount of makeup on my face when I left my apartment earlier, when I thought I was just going straight back home after my planned errands. So of course, instead, I pick up a shift at work and head off to the theater. Like I do. I was super cute, for rills. But at least I wasn't wearing three shades of blue and my generic Uggs.
Anyway, work is fine, but some friends wanted to go dancing. I really was not going to go. I wasn't. But, long story short, I changed my mind and off we went late Friday night to La Caverna in the East Village, me in all my glory in my Evita T-shirt, since the top I had been wearing earlier was a sweater, and there was no way I was going to wear a sweater in a hot, crowded club. Let's be honest. If I go to a club, I am going to dance. I'm gonna shake it. So I needed my T-shirt. At least it was not this other Evita shirt, which it could have been. Embarrassing. (I am kind of a star though...)
Anyway, we are dancing and having a great time. It was so fun. And I was so sweaty, poofy hair and all, not caring, when I realized I had also forgotten to put deodorant on that day......oh well.
So the best was this guy who came up and started dancing with me. Keep in mind that it is so loud that I can't understand half of what he is saying to me. He was probably about 25, and it is so out of my comfort zone to dance with a stranger like that, but I thought, what the heck. Let's do this.
Except that the whole time we were dancing, he was holding my hands in some massage hold, and then would, like, start rubbing my hands. As in, giving me a hand massage. I have to say, I am so inexperienced in the whole clubbing thing that I went with it up to a certain point just because I didn't really know what was happening, and I wanted to be a good sport about it all. In the moment, I was a little uncomfortable, but not like I thought I was in any trouble, and I wasn't. But thinking back, I am a little creeped out in that "what the .... did he think he was doing? That was so AWKWARD!" kind of way. And he thought he was being so smooth. Seriously. It was awesome. And awkward.
Like when he put his hand on my sweaty, nasty neck and started rubbing that. Eeeww. Or, when he wiped HIS sweaty forehead on my shoulder! Are you kidding me?? That was not ok, and I had no idea what to do, nor did I have the presence of mind to just give him a dirty look and walk away. When I am going to learn that I really can give someone a dirty look and walk away? The whole thing was more funny to me, and it is really funny now. But I definitely kept within arm-pinching length of Deb and Brendan. And I definitely used that tool to signal it was time to go.
So Brendan and Deb come over and introduce themselves, and, I found out later, that he told him his name was something like "Heart Attack." OK...but at that moment, I didn't know that, so I asked him if he was going to tell me his name too. He leans over and says into my ear, "Maybe later. Depends on your dancing." ......
Then, in the end, I am saying goodbye, and he starts to tell me how I need some dancing instruction, because I need to dance from my heart. ........
Pretty sure he wanted to be that instructor, but instead he just walked away. I have no idea what just happened. But I am still laughing about it.
Why is it when I am totally unprepared for an adventure, that they always come? Maybe my lack of preparation is what makes them so good. Who knows. But my Evita work T-shirts are going down in history as being some sort of catalyst for awkward/amazing moments.
Awkward+creepy+sweaty+smelly+impromptu+friends=amazing night.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Goals for 2013
No Fear. Just a lot of faith, gratitude, healthy and present-moment living, work, and JOY!
And when I have days when I fail at my goal, I will pick myself up again and try again tomorrow.
For inspiration, I turn to my nephew James. He doesn't have any trouble living and enjoying life; can you tell?
Wish me luck!
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