Feelin It! Ep. 1

1. hellogiggles.com One of its founders is my career/fashion inspiration:

This is Zooey D. (duh.)

And it's just so fun, funny and cute!! Check it out. It's one-stop shopping for hours of procrastination.

2. Hitting two birds with one stone. For me that is dance class! Exercise, endorphins, and getting better at a marketable skill (for an actress) feels so great! I am so not wasting my time! I'm utilizing it! Huzzah!

3. Stand-up comedy class! I'm taking a stand-up class with my incredibly talented cousin Cory Kahaney. And while I've never written jokes before I'm suddenly incredibly inspired by every absurdity I encounter on a daily basis. Pigeons! Nutella! Gay ex-boyfriends! Therapist mothers! Minister fathers! Jewish Grandmas! LAWYER SISTERS! COME ON!!! I'm love love loving looking at the world with this perspective. So much of life that incites some sort of reaction in us is really funny if you're looking for it. Whoot!

4. Being in a couple! Who knew weddings were FUN? I mean, I love a party and I love to dress up. But I didn't know how fun it was to have someone specifically to slow dance with or take pictures with. JC and I have 2 more weddings in the coming weeks and I'm all for it. Bring it on! I already love the cake--now I love the rest of the festivities too. 

5. Drive. I've been reading some inspiring texts lately by Dale Carnegie, K. Callan, etc. Here's a grrreat quote from Will Smith. Wait, you know you're lucky you're about to read this, right? Ok, I'll share as long as you're grateful. 

(Ok, backstory: Will Smith's dad built his own refrigeration business. One summer he remodeled his ice house, tore down its old brick wall, and told Will and his brother to build a new one.)

"I couldn't believe it. He wanted us to build a wall 50 feet long and 14 feet high. I remember standing there and thinking, 'There's no way I will live to see this completed. He wants us to build the Great Wall of Philly!'

I remember hoping my father would get committed, because if he were in an insane asylum, then we wouldn't have to finish the thing. But finally we did. And I remember my father standing there looking at us, and all he said was, 'Now don't ever tell me there's anything you can't do.' 

He'd been waiting six months just to deliver that line. And I got it: there's nothing insurmountable if you just keep laying the bricks, you know? You go one brick at a time and eventually there will be a wall. You can't avoid it. So I don't worry much about walls. I just concentrate on the bricks, and the walls take care of themselves."

Summer Update

Well, as you can see, a month has come and gone since my last blog. And what a month it has been!! How can I even update you on all that has gone on?? Bullet points. Totally.

• Traveled back to Lynchburg to move my belongings from my parents’ house (it sold!) to my new Lynchburg home on Sandusky Drive
• Saw the following Broadway shows: Sister Act, Jerusalem, Jersey Boys, House of Blue Leaves, Rain (again), Anything Goes
• Got to accompany a handsome fella to the Bowery Mission Benefit (“A Night on Broadway”) at the Greenwich Country Club in CT. I heard exquisite vocals from six Broadway vets. It was an enchanting night.
• Landed an amazing gig at my dream employer: PLAYBILL! Amazingly I had many interviews this past spring for summer internships in the city. For one reason or another (timing, $, etc) none of them panned out. Though disappointed I still held out hope that the job I really wanted (Playbill) might post a job listing. Two weeks after I returned to NYC they DID. And I GOT IT. I’m so, so grateful. And unlike the indentured servitude of most NYC interns, I actually found a temporary job that pays! And I have a title too! “Database Manager” YEAH!
• Bought a package of 20 dance classes that are good for 3 months at a very well-respected dance studio here in town. I know as a performer I need to improve in this area. I also need exercise. I also need fun. Done! The tricky part has been scheduling these classes. But since I’ve already paid for them you better believe I’m gonna get my hiny to the studio!
• I’ve also begun private voice lessons with an excellent teacher--Natalie Wilson. It has been a joy to be back in the practice of studying singing.
• We took a trip to ORLANDO! I was a bridesmaid in my dear friend Heather’s wedding in Winter Park. It was such a joy to see her so happy and to introduce Juan Carlos to some of my nearest and dearest as well as to my old stomping ground. I encountered some super deep thoughts returning to the place I lived 4 years ago. What a different girl I was then...
• Orlando part 2: got to celebrate Leslie’s birthday on New Smyrna Beach, meet 8-month-old Connor Petersen, and visit Universal Orlando and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! JC even got to meet Spider-man. It was a pretty big deal. ;-)

JC and Spidey

Me & Mr. Conductor--heading to Hogwarts!

Kristin, Leslie, Me, & Heather

Since returning from Orlando I’ve got 2 and a half weeks to work a lot before we head back to Lynchburg for a wedding that JC is in! So as you can see, blogging has moved on down the list of priorities but LIVING is still pretty high up there! This summer is going by so fast. I’m just trying to savor each moment. I hope you’re doing the same. :)