“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

-Abraham Lincoln

Good morning my loves. For the first time in weeks, I am not racing a clock. I am actually doing laundry and waiting for my mom to get to my apartment. Even though I woke up entirely too early for a “morning off” I forced myself to be lazy until a decent hour chimed. 

The past couple weeks have definitely taken a toll on me and my immune system. I don’t know if I ever remember getting this sick as often as I have been. Allergies and sinuses seem to be taking over my life and no amount of Zyrtec or Mucinex seems to be helping. And just when I think I am breathing like a normal person, I realize I have already gone through another box of tissues. 

But enough of that, auditions behind me, I am gearing up for Jane Lynch’s “Opening Night Party” tonight with my cast. I am excited to spend a little social time with my castmates. I feel as if I run into work, do my job and leave as soon as the curtain comes down. It seems that way because it is true. I usually have early mornings so I am forced to get home and get to bed. But in the course of the past 10 months, I have worked with some incredible people, so I am excited to enjoy a little celebratory evening with them tonight.

I also have my mom coming into town to help me with my best friend’s bridal shower! AGH! So many things…so little time!

~Babe Ruth

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! This is the last massively long day for me. (At least in this particular audition stretch). I am surprised that I have been able to keep up with the blog the past few mornings, but I think it was a blessing to have something to slow me down, even if it was just for a few minutes and words. Anyway, I hope the beginning of your week treated you kindly and that you had a few more breathing moments than I did.

Now, onto “What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday.”

NatureBox

Now I have mentioned this favorite little nugget before, but it warrants another shout out. I got my second NatureBox in the mail yesterday, and I was just as happy about it as the first one. The box contains 5 bags, each filled with different natural and whole snacks. With each month brings different snacks. They range from salty to sweet and everything in between. For someone who tends to eat small snacks throughout the day, this is a total winner. It is $19.95/month, free shipping and can cancel anytime. I got mine via a Groupon a few months ago, so if the price isn’t what you are looking for, keep an eye out on Groupon or Living Social. 

Jane Lynch

Originally scheduled to begin tonight, Jane made her Broadway debut last night at the Palace Theatre. When the announcement happened before the show, the entire audience went completely nuts. She brings such a great energy to the show, I know that I speak for a lot of the cast, we are so happy to have her in the family. Not only is she hysterical, but she is kind and quite down to Earth. Looking forward to the next 2 months of stage time with her!

On that note, I have to head to work. 2 shows with a hopeful run between if I can get my butt in gear. Hope you have a great one!

What are you lovin’ these days?

- Robert Fulghum

While I am continuing with the balancing act that is my life at the moment, I am taking a moment between training and getting ready for my audition to say hello and catch you guys up on my day yesterday.

My first audition went great. Since taking my TV/Film class, I have been trying a few new tactics in the audition room. There is this feeling a lot of actors get when auditioning that is a sense of urgency. Guilty as charged. We hurry into the room, run to the piano to give the pianist our music, run to our place to sing, sing our song, say thank you while walking back to the piano to retrieve our music book and then awkwardly slink out of the room almost apologetically. But what I have been reminded of and have been trying to put in place is taking my time and being present. The audition is mine and the only way for me to put my best foot forward is to take a second and center myself before beginning. It isn’t that I am wasting time in the room, it is more that I am using the time in a different way. Mind blowing right?

After my audition yesterday, I hurried downtown to my TV/Film class. I wish I could say it went great, but honestly it was a complete disaster. My only complaint on the class is that I have spent more time trying to find scenes to do than I have actually working on them. And since my focus the last couple days have been on my upcoming auditions, unfortunately my prep for my class suffered. I was disconnected and left feeling a little disappointed in myself. I know why I wasn’t able to juggle it all, but I just wish I could. Oh well, c’est la vie….I have one more class left so I am going to make sure I finish with a bang.

After class, I hurried back uptown for the “Little Theatre, Big Dreams” Benefit Concert. I was joined by a ton of my Annie castmates, and together I know we raised a ton of money for this little venue. The YMCA kids were wonderful and so excited to be sharing a stage with Broadway performers. It made the stress of the week melt away…even if it was just for a bit.

Well enough about yesterday, I have another full day today and need to get that started. Gonna try to make sure I take the time to enjoy the view while running around today. Little goals will be the mantra of today. 

How do you deal with feeling rushed?

“Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.”

~ Meryl Streep

Hi friends! Happy Monday. Today is going to be short and sweet. You see in the next couple days, I have 3 (pretty big) auditions, my second to last TV/Film class, a Benefit Concert, a put-in rehearsal for our new Miss Hannigan, Mrs. Pugh and Judge Brandeis, a training session with my coach, and final touches on a bridal shower. All of that plus my regular work schedule. Eek! I made sure to get up a little extra early this morning to try to catch up with the day before it had a chance to get away from me. 

If you are in the area, come and check out the “Little Theatre, Big Dreams” concert I am singing in tonight. It is at the Upper West Side YMCA at 7pm and all proceeds go to the Y’s theatre program. I sang at it last year, and was so touched with all the children who were there. It is a really fun night. And it is hosted by one of my favorite people on the planet, David Rosetti. 

On that note, I have coffee to drink, scenes to learn, music to memorize and make-up to apply. Enjoy your Monday!

“No matter how many plans you make or how much in control you are, life is always winging it.”

~Carroll Bryant

There was a song in The People In The Picture that was called “And God Laughs.” I had a moment this morning walking across the park that made me chuckle. Here I am, making all these decisions and organizing all my plans and each morning I have woken up and another curve ball is thrown my way. The hook of the song is ‘man plans and God laughs.’ Well let me tell you friends…He is roaring with laughter these days. 

Besides all that, this week has been super eventful. We have been in rehearsal mode because Jane Lynch has finally arrived here at The Palace Theatre! She is very kind, very witty and very, very funny. I am so excited to have her here and part of the family. 

I ran yesterday in the rain with Coach Ali. I am working on uneven ground these days to help with my “running economy.” Basically that means that running on uneven terrain makes me work harder, so when I make it back to my road races, I am more efficient (and hopefully faster). And with the rain, I ended up covered in mud and soaking wet, but it didn’t matter. I got on the subway, caught a glimpse of myself in the window and burst out laughing. I looked like a grown up 5-year old who spent the entire rainy day playing outside.

And speaking of being a little kid, Happy Mothers Day to my amazing Mom. Without her I would be a bit more frantic, a lot less confident, and probably a lot less clean. I got lucky with the hand dealt to me in regards to my parents. Unconditional love is the only language they speak, and I am constantly reminded that I am safe because of them. So Happy Mother’s Day mom. I love you.

And Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers and Grandmothers out there. You make the world a better place to be.

“Peace is the number one beautiful ornament you can wear, I really believe that. They say you should always wear a smile, but I don’t believe that you should “always” wear a smile, seriously, you’re going to look stupid! But peace, you should always carry peace within you, its the most beautifying thing you could ever have or do. Peace makes your heart beautiful and it makes you look beautiful, too. You want to have perfect physical posture when you stand, sit, and walk, and peace is the perfect posture of the soul, really. Try perfect posture outside as well as inside. Peace creates grace and grace gives peace.”

― C. JoyBell C.

“You have to master not only the art of listening to your head, you must also master listening to your heart and listening to your gut”

- Carly Fiorina

Good afternoon friends and welcome to the second installment of “What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday!” But before we begin you should know that the decisions I have been indecisive about have all been ironed out. After an amazing meeting with my agent, I know that I have made the right decision for myself and for my future. Sorry I can’t spill too much in regards to it all, but I can say that I am someone who has to sit with a decision, sometimes for a while, and sift through my feelings, the practicalities, and the reality. That way no matter what, I walk away feeling a wave of peace.

Ok, enough of that….lets move on to what I am digging this week!

Generation U Can

Now that I am getting back into my training, I wanted to try a few more “fueling” options. So after some research, I discovered Generation UCan sports and recovery drink. I haven’t gotten a chance to use it yet, silly sinus infection, but I did just get it in the mail yesterday! If it is good enough for Meb, it is good enough for me.

Ballet Flats

Living in NYC you need a good pair of shoes. And if you are lucky you can find a cute pair of shoes that can handle the foot traffic of NYC. These are my new favorite. Target + $14.99 = Amazing.

This post by Alec Baldwin

What are you enjoying these days?

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”

~Buddha

While I am still in a state of indecisiveness, the world unfortunately keeps turning. And because of that, I am forced to focus on other things which is a total blessing. See how I found that silver lining?

Yesterday I made my way downtown to my second TV/Film Class. After last week’s class I was still a little on the fence if it was something I could see myself doing. The first class was long and was a lot information thrown at us about the business. There are enough similarities to theatre that I can grasp the general concept of TV/Film, but enough differences that had me taking notes for the entire 3 hours my instructor spoke. We did one take of the scene we brought in and were sent a copy of it later in the week. I left feeling a little discombobulated. 

So walking into the class this week I was a lot more relaxed but still a little unsure. Our assignment was to prepare a scene that was outside our comfort zone. After asking around for some help, I was turned to the movie Black Snake Moan. It is a pretty difficult movie to watch, but was perfect for me to bring into the audition/class room. The difference this week was that we got a chance to do a few takes and were coached through the material we had chosen. And after 3 go rounds on camera, I had learned a lot about acting on camera and myself. Turns out, I don’t really have much of a “dis”comfort zone. As soon as the scene started I just went with instincts and nothing felt wrong. I still have a lot to learn with angles, how things read on camera and just how little you can get away with film, but I think I have found something that really interests me. And even better is that I have found that this camera class is making me more confident in a musical theatre audition room as well. A win/win as of right now.

And in completely unrelated news, I have set a pretty big goal for myself this month. I am trying to get through everything in my closet before repeating. For those of you who know me really well, know that I live in a state of black leggings and V neck t-shirts. If I am in jeans I get asked why I dressed up. So wanting to dress a little more age appropriate and as if I put a little more thought into my appearance, I am taking a road trip through my closet for the next 30 days. So far I am loving it. Of course I spend my morning runs wondering what I will be wearing that day, but I am hoping that eventually it won’t be such a feat. 

Do you have a comfort zone? Is it one you put on yourself or one that was assigned to you? What do you do to get out of it?

“Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.” 

- Oprah

Have you ever noticed just how many decisions we make a day?

What to eat for breakfast? What to wear? Do I feel like going into work today? Do I buy that extra cup of coffee? Do I want to go grab a drink after work with friends even though I have to get up early in the morning?

So many decisions we make throughout the day that are so small but have such a huge impact on the rest of the day. How do you know if you are making the right ones?

If it isn’t obvious, I am dealing with a few big decisions at the moment. A few are time sensitive and a few aren’t. But juggling my pros and cons for these particular decisions, made me realize just how many choices we have a day. We may think they are insignificant, but really everything we do is a ripple effect. I know it is a deep thought for a Monday morning, especially before I have had my coffee, but it is pretty much the only thing occupying my mind.

Well that, and my film class assignment for today. I am off to learn more about the TV/Film world!

How do you make your big life decisions?

“Plunge boldly into the thick of life, and seize it where you will, it is always interesting.”

Hello and Happy Hump Day!

I am just coming in from a sunshine filled run to the Little Red Lighthouse. I was suppose to get up super early and run with a new team at 6am, but I slept through my alarm so I was stuck to my own devices when I finally got out of bed. Sometimes your body tells you exactly what it needs, and clearly mine was craving some shut eye.

Anyway, in the jammed packed schedule of this week, and how Wednesday mornings tend to be non-stop in preparation for my two show day, I have decided to title my Wednesday blogs, “What I Am Lovin’ Wednesdays”  to keep them short and sweet.

So welcome to the first installment and here is what I am lovin’.

8 Minute Abs

You may be laughing now, but this quick visit to the land of spandex will have you sporting stomach muscles you didn’t know you had. 9 moves – 45 seconds each – 8 minutes. Short enough to fit in your day but efficient enough to feel the burn.

Kacey Musgraves

I may be late to the Kacey Musgraves train, but this girl is awesome. If you are a Miranda Lambert fan or have a special place in your heart for a true country sound. Throw her album into your Pandora  or iTunes playlist. You won’t be disappointed.

Spring Time In NYC

Tulips are everywhere and the Cherry Blossom trees are in full bloom. It is hard to not be in love with the concrete jungle during this time of year.

What are you lovin’ these days?