Four Month Anniversary!

January 28th was my four month anniversary with this beautiful city, and I definitely celebrated in style.

This week I spent my time working and getting ready for Gab!  Her flight got in at 8am Saturday morning and the first thing we did was go back to bed.  We spend most of the day hanging out and catching up.  It is so nice to have a good, close friend here, especially someone like Gab who is just like me and knows me so well.  Who would've thought when I was intensely rushing her to go Chi O she would become my little and one of my closest friends.

So attractive

Saturday night Gabs and I got ready to go out to a late comedy show.  One of my regulars from the restaurant comped me 4 tickets to see him perform!  I invited Jake (my old roommate from Brooklyn) and his girlfriend to come along with us.  As we got ready we blasted some party music and decided maybe we should pregame.  Being poor kids we decided to help ourselves from the extensive liquor cabinet of my roommate... Gosh I hope he never reads this.  We justified it by saying that he always offers me his food and drink, and the fact that he has like 20 bottles of dusty liquor that clearly haven't been used in a long time.

We headed to the show at Caroline's, a famous comedy club on Broadway.  We got into the showroom and were seated right next to the stage.  Literally.  I could have used the stage as my table.

We had a few drinks and the show went a couple hours.  It was a great time, the comedians were funny and we had a lot of fun.  Afterward we got to hang out with the comedians.  We went to a bar and then to the after party.  We met some pretty cool people and I traded business cards with a couple... even out on a Saturday night I'm always working!  One of the comedians has a production company and while everyone was drinking we were talking business.  Good times.

Gab and I with two of the comedians.  Yes, he picked me up.

After a loooong night Gabs and I got home at 11am.  We slept all day and got up to get ready for work.  I brought Gabs with me, expecting a very slow Sunday night.  The staff on Sunday is always fun and somehow we got even MORE spoiled than usual.  Gabs and I had calamari, chicken francese and green beans, and cheesecake for dessert.  We chilled, gossiped, and I even taught her how to use the computer.  It was a fun hangout night since the restaurant was so dead.  After a long, fun filled weekend, we came home and snuggled up on the couch and watched The Notebook.  Gabs didn't want to watch the end but I MADE HER!  And we cried.  Don't act like you don't sob when you watch that movie.

Today we had big plans to go out but we ended up sleeping and watching MTV.  I have to work later and Gabs has to get prepared for the big audition tomorrow!  Woo woo!  She's gonna be GREAT and I can't wait to take her out and celebrate on Wednesday night.

Ooh New York, how I love you.  Happy Anniversary <3

My Nonexistent January.

Hello!!!!
Well it's almost the end of the first month of the year (of the last year ever?! oh no!) and I have about nothing to show for it thanks to a sinus infection.
My last post I was hoping to get better and even though I was sleeping and not doing anything but going to work, I did not get better, I just got worse!  MEH!  So after going to the doctor and being diagnosed I have been taking tons of antibiotics and hoping that February is much more exciting.
So really, nothing much to say to everyone.  Mostly this whole month I have been sleeping ridiculous amounts, going to work, and reading.
Thanks to a friend I saw the entire first season of "Game of Thrones" which got me hooked on the books (again).  They are so addicting!  I'm reading number one for probably the fourth time.  Luckily, I made my boss download it on his iPad so I can only read it at work when we're slow, which is good because when I get one of George R. R. Martin's books I become a hermit and am not seen for days while I finish it.
I also just finished an amazing book called "Something Missing" by Matthew Dicks.  We're reading it for our Chi Omega book club and I spent a rare late night finishing it because I couldn't put it down.
I'm getting ready for a very exciting week, Gabrielle, my sorority Little is coming to visit tomorrow to audition for graduate school!  Can't wait to see her and have a friend to show around the city.

Other than that, I've been practicing giving gratitude for everything I have.  It is amazing how good you feel when you start to appreciate all the blessings in your life.  And since I started doing it, the subway always comes right when I arrive... I haven't had to wait more than five minutes for a train... crazy.

So here are some words from Rhonda Byrne's book "The Power" all about giving thanks:
"Thank you for my life.
Thank you for the harmony.
Thank you for the joy.
Thank you for the fun and excitement.
Thank you for the wonder of life.
Thank you for everything wonderful and good in my life.
Be grateful,
Gratitude costs you nothing."

Thanks to all the amazing people who have influenced my life, who have supported me, and who have helped me grow.  I love you!

Hopefully my next update will bring exciting news.  Auditions were just held for "Wonderland" (the children's show I wrote) so maybe I'll be able to post the cast list for you :)
Have a wondrous day!

Resolute.

Hello everyone!
What a great start to the year!  Mostly, I have been taking it easy as I get healthy again.  After my last entry I ended up talking to an old, old friend about a film company where he was recently hired.  He is the Vice President in charge of all the business of the company and I pitched him an idea for a screenplay which he LOVED so now I'm on a deadline as a paid writer to finish researching and writing so that hopefully my movie can get produced this summer.  It is a small independent company but... HECK YES!  Very exciting.

Which meant that I officially had to knuckle down and finish "Wonderland" (info and tickets for the show can be found at the Caledonia Community Players Website).  It was mostly done but I added a few more lines, polished it up and sent it off to my director.  Now I'm going to let it sit on the back burner for a few months while they produce it in Michigan and then hopefully I can shop it around and get that baby published.  Wouldn't that be fantastic?

I've decided that I want to share my "resolutions" with you.  I use the word resolutions very lightly because I believe the transformation I've been going through has been happening for a long time now and I'm already in the middle of a journey, but who can't say they aren't inspired by the beginning of a new year.  So in light of the new year I am doing my best to become the person that I want to be.  Now, I already think I'm pretty awesome... I like Star Wars, write a lot, have some great friends and an awesome family, but I'm concerned with how I spend my free time (and how everyone does, cause I'm nosey like that).
Have you ever really thought about what you want out of life?  I have big goals and I'm slowly but surely working my way through a great learning process and my career seems like it is on the right path.
But what about every day?  One of my "resolutions" is READ MORE BOOKS!  I love, love, LOVE reading.    And hand in hand with this comes-stop watching so much TV.  So today, I went out and finally got my NYC Public Library card.  And proceeded to check out five books and a DVD.  Five intellectual books and a really crappy girly movie (okay it is Sex and the City 2, don't judge me!) but I promise my book pile is about spiritual growth, the problems with my generation, and how to live well... smart people books.  And I also picked up a flyer with all the free programs the NYC library has to offer and I was probably drooling on the train.  Architecture, poetry, theater and genealogy!  So many amazing classes that I want to sign up for.  For FREE!  Why didn't I do this sooner?  (Oh right because you need a permanent address to get a library card). Anyway, I'm super excited about it, going to the library always puts me in an amazing mood.

Along with the library, and the free programs, I want to experience the city while I live here (resolution numero dos?).  Last Saturday I decided to go out with Jordan and I headed down to her apartment.  To put it bluntly, the trains were fucked. I got so frustrated (and it wasn't just me, they had an MTA worker down there just to help us because everything was so messed up) that I almost just went back to my apartment.  Then I took a deep breath and thought "I'm missing everything NYC has to offer being down here anyway.  Its sixty degrees out, maybe I should just walk the 20 blocks and stop being a baby."
What a great idea!  I came out right near Washington Square where I heard some amazing banjo music, pianos, and saw so many people enjoying the wonderful weather.  I also saw a man doing art on the ground that I recognized from ArtPrize!  That was the best part, because I got to chat with him about Grand Rapids, and it gave me a weird sense of home to see him there.  How random that I ended up running into him on my way to Jordan's.
I was all smiles as I people watched on my way.  The city was BUSTLING because of the sunshine.  And that night we went to Johnny Utah's which is a country bar with a mechanical bull and had a great time surrounded by cowboys.  It was like being at home!  Okay not really, but it was surreal to be in the heart of NYC in a country bar.

Other transformations (resolutions?) I'm making include:
Working out... although that's not really something new, that was just put on hiatus while I settled in the city.  And until I recover from this illness.
Cooking again!  And working on my health in general.  I learned too much recently about the crap that we put in our bodies to eat bad food for too long... besides, my stir fry is better than any fast food you're ordering.
Keeping in contact with people I care about.  Showing everyone who is important to me how much they truly mean to me...

So we will see how this works out!  RESOLUTELY!  Haha.

So now I want to ask you... what did you do today that you are proud of?
((Do you really want to spend your life at a job you hate solely for the purpose of making money, only to come home tired and watch TV?))  Okay maybe not everyone lives like that but I feel like a majority of us do.
To me, TV is the biggest devil.  While there is quality programming with good writing and real actors... don't act like you're not watching crap.  AND I'M GUILTY TOO, I gotta practice what I preach.  Small doses.  Balance.  When someone asks you what you did today do you really wanna say "I watched TV" or maybe say you... went to the library, took a walk, went hiking, to a museum, read a book, spend time with an old friend, or even just took a great afternoon nap.
These are the things I'm thinking about right now, and I'm hoping that maybe you'll take it to heart and play a board game.  Maybe, you'll call me up tonight instead of watching TV and you'll save ME from my television as well.  We can be TV free buddies.

Weird post.  Hope you liked it.  Maybe I should change the name of my blog from "Life of an Actress" to "Life of an actress/writer/blogger/artist/dreamer Who Thinks Way Too Much and has a Really Weird Positive View on Everything"
But maybe that's too much.

PEACE OUT KIDS!  Haha now I'm going to watch my movie... wah wah.  Hey I said TV not movies, and it's due back in 4 days.
LOVE!

Twenty.Twelve.

Happy Happy New Year my loves!
Well the end of 2011 was quite the rollercoaster.  I am loving the whole entire concept of starting over because 2011 can SUCK IT.  All the shit that went down, I am ready to release that from my life and I can say for sure that so far 2012 looks like it will kick some ass.

So the week leading up to Christmas I spent a lot of time working and sleeping and watching TV.  Work is a great place to be sometimes.  When we got bored me and my boss would talk to each other on the phones at the front desk.  Yah, we're that cool.  We also stand at the hostess stand and play games on our phones/iPads.  In plain sight.
I also get to leave for auditions when I want, and I had one during work.  I headed out and after I put my name on the waiting list I started wandering around the theater.  For some reason I feel like I have the right to just explore random theaters because I basically grew up in one.  The good thing was I started chatting with some people there and met an acting coach and a producer!  Both leading to opportunities, one called me up and said that I should send him my resume and shots from set design because they need a designer on their team.
I could have just sat in the waiting room like everyone else, but I wandered around and found an opportunity.  Even if I don't get the part I can still say it was a successful audition.
The day before Christmas I watched Pokemon with my 7 year old roommate, met a friend and mentor for coffee (making moves) and went to a boring day of work.
After, I headed out on the town with Jordan, went to WIP which was LAME again.  We had fun with it though and then she took me to her friends apt.  Let me just say he was a New York Ranger, I watch him play on TV and he was a major DBAG.  Good to know.  Professional athlete thought he was too cool for school.
Then we found out after we left the club BEYONCE went there.
I can't even comment on that.  If you know anything about me you know how I reacted.  FML.

My Christmas Eve was spent with myself.  All day I indulged in guilty pleasures and watched trash TV and ate and laid around.  I spend Christmas Eve by myself, awesome.  I did get to Skype with the family party which was pretty cool!
I had to get up damn early to catch my flight but it was AWESOME to be home.  Man, I missed the comforts of living with my parents and a car and just everything that being at home is about.  But it is good to know that I can survive without them... kinda... they might send me food and rent money but whatever I'm 23, don't judge.
Anyway, home was great.  I saw "We Bought a Zoo" with Matt Damon (love) and saw ELLA my little sister and part of my second family, went shopping, and spent some awesome time rocking out on rock band with my bff and Darcy.
After a way too short vacation I came home and was super sad to leave, but it was great being back in my city.  I didn't have much time to be sad because I had to clean my shit up and get ready for the millions of people coming to see me for New Years!
Andy, Vince, and their friend Aaron came up as well as Amber and Tay.  And what an amazing New year's it was.
After the boys got here we went and picked up our tickets for the party we were going to, then we walked around Times Square which was CRAZY and I will NEVER EVER do that on NYE, people were already in line at TWELVE NOON WTF!??!  Macy's Day Parade was enough for me.  Then we came home and napped, Amber and Tay got here and we all had dinner, and then we got ready for NEW YEARS EVE!
All of us headed to Revival where we had drinks, appetizers, and fun!  We met up with Zack and his friends and by the time everyone got there half the bar was part of the group we brought there.
It was an amazing New Years Eve with amazing friends and I feel really great about the future!

Group Picture!

Our sexy NYE hats

First picture of the New Year!  Mehrrr :)

Group shot!

Priceless

Hands down my favorite picture of the night!

Oh goodness it was hard to choose what pictures to put up!!!!  It was such an amazing night :)

After everyone left I was bummed, and I've spent the rest of the week working, sleeping, and trying to figure out what I wanna focus on in the New Year.  I hung out with my love Jordan, got over a cold, and I'm feeling pretty great today and super excited for the rest of January and this year!  YAY!
I'm so super thankful for all of the love and support from everyone, especially from the girls that have had my back a lot recently.  Special shout out to NETTY and AMBLER!  While I have some amazing friends and family, you two have been such a bright spot in my life recently, thank you!!!!
But you're all awesome and I'm so proud to have such great people in my life :D
So far 2012 has been a happy year, lets keep it that way!

Happy New Years loves!