ouch

tour van = back pain.

30 hours in the van for a four day trip down and back to miami.

that is a LOT of van.

BUT

it's the last week of tour yall.

then back to the glorious bham for a week to visit the fam ( throw in a night in my beloved auburn! )

then back to new york city where God willing Christina and I will be moving into our very own new apartment.

ps i am getting bangs a la zooey deschanel. if this is a bad idea stop me before friday.

stu update!

there is a lot to catch you up on because we have been INSANE with our schedule lately.

this is how we feel about our schedule for tour. TESS IT'S SO BAD!

So i am going to post all the pics and then highlight some of my favorite parts.

-KARAOKE.

omg can the stuart group karaoke. eric rocked some always look on the bright side of life (or tour, as tess sang) joe rocked some tenacious d and tessory sang some rockin tina turner. they were sort of the celebs.

joe rockin out

tess and me just a grinnin at our fun night out!

-Law and order SVU

we have had a few more days off this legof tour and i promise you all free time is dedicated to law and order svu. we loveeee elliot and olivia.

-kids say the darndest things.

one kid told tess " i saw your skirt and i thought it was a rug but then i looked and it was a rug." no idea what they were talking about but it was hilarious.

another kid thought the character margalo was actually named angelo. and proceeded to call margalo angelo for his whole question.

-READING

I have read the entire sookie stackhouse series (thats 11 books) on this leg of tour. easy reads. like twilight but with good. and characters you care about.

-EASTER ADVENTURES

i was so lucky to have payne in richmond on easter. we got dressed up, went to church together, and had a great easter lunch at Joes inn. Payne got the spaghetti a la joe. it was intense. clearly.

-FRIEND SIGHTINGS.

we have gone to nyc several times where i have gotten to see my nyc girls christina liz and kristi.

c money was making a beard with her scarf. she got dinner with me before i had to hop on my train back to queens.

we also went to michigan and i got to spend the night with kat and kara! We got Dim Sum ( my first time and it was delicious) then we had cupcakes and snugged! then kara made us breakfast in the mornign and we went to the michigan theatre and they got to hang out with some of my cast mates!

my beloveds.

-MOM DAD AND THE GRANDMAS CAME!

my grandmas dont fly and they DID coming to see me in richmond! they spent time with me, lunched with me and the cushings, explored richmond (including the jefferson hotel which is HUGE AND BEAUTFUL)

me at the jefferson

and they got to see the show. love them! im so lucky!

the grandmas rockin out in richmond!

and ya know. we've done the show about 60 times now. so woo hoo stu.

the tour is over in 2 weeksish and then I will get a few days in Bham to play then back to nyc!

the midwest yall.

this is me and stuart. we've become besties.

stuey is still traveling all over my friends. we are in the midwest now, specifically back and forth between minnesota and wisconsin. did you know that the mississippi river is in wisconsin? yea i did not.

we are performing about ten shows a week and all have which have been in great venues! Venues while we have calls times two hours before the show are still awesome because they usually feed us and have coffee and green rooms to store us in.

The hardest days have been 1. a three show day. 2. a two show day followed by a six hour drive. We have been working several 15-17 hour days. WHEW.

We did get a single glorious day off in Minneapolis! WE GOT TO GO TO THE MALL OF AMERICA!!!!

YALL. THIS MALL IS NOT A JOKE.

we ate at a restuarant called big bowl and the food was beyond delicious! We also ordered their ginger ale which is just seems like regualr ginger ale but the ginger is REALLY strong and it was so FUN!

got a new purse eric is showing off and i got a new hat!

I also bought Tina Fey's new biography. Bossypants. This is hilarious!

funsies!

more from the stu tour!

so the tour continues! stuey has been driving all over the country since we last chatted. We drove from Blacksburg VA to Staten Island. ( HOLY MOLY THAT IS A LOT OF VAN TIME)

In the van i curl up w my auburn blanket and tim keller book

We arrived in Staten Island around 7pm and I immediately hop on a shuttle to go to the Staten Island Ferry, then the subway to Christina's apartment! CJ and I went and got our mani/pedi on in our favorite little place in Murray Hill called Wink. Then we went to Kristi and Liz's apartment for me to visit kris and tex! so glad to see my krispi and my kitty! I spent that night w christina. The next day was a day off so I shopped all day with the girls! Then one of my cast mates Eric met up with kristi and me at Pret ( my fav sandwich place in the city) then krisp left me and eric and we walked 20 blocks in the gorgeous weather to christina's apartment. We went and got a bight afterward at a random little pub and wound up staying for a while and making buddies with all the people who work there! eventually i dragged myself away from christina and eric and i navigated our way back to staten island.

me and my sweet cj.

union square with kp!

We then performed in Ststen Island the next day for two audiences. both audiences seemed new to being audiences for live theatre. they were quite boistrous and interactive. I wasnt phased though bc my "sweet friend" ChristinA TRAVELED ALL THE WAY TO STATEN ISLAND TO SEE THE SHOW. love you johnson.

after these two shows we then had to drive 7 hours to kent ohio. LONG DAY! we then stopped at my cast mate Tess's parents house for dinner and the next day for brunch. This was SO nice!

We woke up the next day and drove to Milwaukee. We performed twice today and then drove to Lacrosse! Whew ! now we are caught up!

Joe drew this picture in Blacksburg VA. pretty CUTE!

Stuart Little Tour week 1

On a cold Wednesday morning before the sun came up five brave ( or dumb) actors woke up and took all of their belongings and climbed in a gutted out 16 paasenger van headed out for a little thing called tour.

"Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. (I heard that in a movie once)"

-Stuart Little

So it has begun. We have been to Holly Ridge North Carolina ( 2 shows at Holly Ridge Elementary) then immediately drove 3 ish hours to Spindale , North Carolina.

We performed the twice next day at Isothermal Community College. We were treated like mini celebs here ( which is hilarious bc tour life is the antithesis of glamour. ) I love when we get to go to venues bc we get to meet the people who are bringing us to there venue ( plus there is usually free coffee and bagels and a crew to help us load in!) The guys who helped us load in were hilarious! We felt very appreciated at this stop by these guys then next we stopped at Denny's. I mean LITERAL STAR TREATMENT! we got major discounts on food. Gift card for another free meal, free desert (which was funny bc we talk about ice cream with chocolate sauce on it in the show ) The waitress was ADORABLE and wanted our autographs and took our picture. Very VERY sweet.

After lunch we headed to Blacksburg Virginia! We knew right where we were staying because they had us advertised as staying at our hotel on their marquee. We then ran right next door to the mexican restaurant where tess and I had the best fajitas we had ever had! Fun night for the group!

We stayed the night and woke up this morning and loaded in at the Lyric Theatre ( which is a fantastic space that holds about 400ish people. We had a great show this morning ( they gave us free coffee and great vegan muffins! ) Our next show isnt until 7 tonight, so we have gotten to go back to our hotel room and nap and play all day! VICTORY! We'll stay here again tonight and head to NEW YORK! tomorrow! We drive all day tomo and then have a day off that I plan to spend the entire thing in the loving arms of Christina, Lizard, Krispi and Tex!

Looking forward to what is coming next!

stuart little

so I have moved to Richmond.

( i wonder how many of my blogs have the words "so i moved to..." in them. )

But i have! I have moved to beautiful warm sunny lovely happy richmond.

( home of VCU who is the glorious underdog of march madness. and yes im weirdly proud of them even though i have no affiliation with the team other than sharing a city with them for two weeks. )

so needless to say. LOVING RICHMOND. The weather is warm, the city is spunky, there is a real theatre community that thrives in Richmond. I am also living with the most wonderful family on the planet ( they come in an immediate second after my own family. ) The Cushings are so so so WONDERFUL! Not only is this an amazing gift that I can live here and not pay rent but the amount of love I have recieved living here is humbling. They are such a blessing. Mrs. Gale and granny Lorma and I play more card games than you care to know. Mrs. C even watched the finale of the bachelor with me! Mr. C is keeping me straight with world affairs and march madness while simultaneously cooking the best steak I have ever had! Granny Lorma plays double solitare with me every night ( which I think she worries I am doing for her benefit but if you know me at all I am probably taking advantage of her so I can have a game buddy!) I couldnt adore the three of them anymore than I do!

I am also so stinking thankful to be working not only in the same city but the same company with one of my bfa classmates and best friends. Payne Hopton-Jones. He has been a gem showing me around the city, the ins and outs of theatre iv, introducing me to all the actors, and all the places for good eats! ( stickyrice bucket o tots.) It is so rare to get to have experienced all we did in college and then have a contract that overlaps in the real world. He has given me a sense of confidence and security in a brand new place and I love him for it! Thanks Hoj!

I also have been enjoying theatre iv a great deal. I have a fantastic director and a great cast. I think I will luck out again with a great touring cast!

Stuart the puppet makes me a little insane. We have been having a really intense love hate relationship. I love him because he lives on my arm and I am his voice, but I hate him because he is so difficult to manuever while I am also trying to sing act move do choreography and so on. But we have come to terms stuart and I. I think when we ship out on Wednesday it will be the beginning of a beautiful thing between myself and what laura williams calls my tour boyfriend.

as I said we are shipping out on Wednesday for a tour of epic proportions. We will be going to North Carolina, New York ( more than once! Could I be more excited to get to see my new york girls and my cat? nope. couldnt be.) WI, MN, IN, all over Virginia, RI, Ann Arbor ( to see my kat and my kara! ) OH, DE, NJ, MD, Aventura Fl ( yea thats almost miami haha!) and PA!

I am going to try my best to be really good about blogging about all of these places because I havent been to any of them!

So hello world! Stu's a comin!

The King's Speech

The second moving piece of art I have seen this week was The Kings Speech.

Holy Moly this was so moving. Collin Firth plays King Henry VI who had a TERRIBLE speech impediment. Jeffery Rush is a speech therapist and gives the King technique and confidence to overcome all of the technical and emotional problems that contributed to his stammer. As an actor I understand how important a voice is and also how much it can affect you to be mocked for your voice, to be ashamed of your voice, and how vulnerable it can make you feel to need help overcoming obstacles. I went to speech therapy in college for over a year for vocal issues. I did many of the same exercises in speech therapy and in my BFA classes that Jeffery Rush took Collin Firth through in the movie. I cried off and on through this entire movie. ( If you want to know more about the personal and physical history in your life that makes up why you speak the way you do read the book The Right to Speak by Patsy Rodenberg. it will change the way you view your own voice.) It broke my heart throughout the whole movie to watch Collin Firth struggle to communicate. This movie to quote my dad " is a movie about the triumph of the human spirit

The part that moved me the most :

Linonel " Why should I Listen to YOu? "

King George without thinking screams back at him " BECAUSE I HAVE A VOICE!!!!

Lionel "I know you do, I believe you."

The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice on Broadway starring Al Pacino.

Al Pacino was worth every stinking penny I paid to see this show. He played the Jewish merchant Shylock. Shylock in this show in my opinion is such a victim. He is constantly discriminated against because of his religion. It eventually pushes him into becoming obsessed with a bloody and fatal revenge. Pacino is one of the most stunning actors I have ever watched. He embodied the heightened speech and despite how outdated much of the language is it was clear every moment he was on stage everything he was feeling and everything he was saying. Breathtaking. He had me on the edge of my seat mouth agape and in tears for the entire show.

The language Shakespeare uses to express emotions or situations moves me in a way I cannot explain. It paints such a vivid picture of how heightened the circumstances are.

some of the quotes that moved me in this production :

-There is a portion of the show when Shylock is being begged not to exact his revenge and Shylock beats his chest and says the following

"An Oath an Oath an Oath! I have taken an Oath. Would you have me commit perjury against my soul."

Shylock also has been persecuted the entire play for being Jewish and he makes this speech about the similarities between the pious Christians and himself a "jewish dog"

"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

(This one is my personal favorite speech in all of Shakespeare.) This speech is delivered by portia who is impersonating a judge. She pleads with Shylock to show mercy. She explains that mercy is from God and how could we ever expect to receive mercy if you cannot give mercy to others.

"The quality of mercy is not strained,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's,
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy."

homecoming is drawing near!

I get to go home for a visit in about a week! I am so thrilled! The city is fun and i love how fast paced it is but I am southern at heart and I need this Alabama visit so I can slow down a bit.

I MISS THE SOUTH.

these are the top ten things I miss about the south (dont worry this whole post is not going to sound like a country song. I promise not to mention trucks or sweet tea ... although mmmm sweet tea!)

10. I MISS MY FAMILY! when i moved to new york all i could think about was the adventure of moving. It honestly didnt cross my mind how far I was moving from my support team. I cannot wait to gab with Gigi, laugh at Dave's corny jokes, and see my bro pitch at Spring Hill. I am also excited to see my grandmothers and my aunt!

9. to go right along with 10 i miss my roommates from college. And even though now ALL of us are spreading out, most of them are still close neough to plan an exciting weekend visit. ( yea this weekend and I am super jealous). I am more used to my bfa class being split up around the country but i miss some of those crazy folks too! ( thankfully I spent the summer with kat, kara visited several times, saw emily stephens during the fall, liz lives up here and payne visits on the reg ( and when I move to richmond in a few weeks for stuart little i will be working for the same company as payne!).

8. I miss my buds from bham as well. and Even though I LOVE going to Redeemer in NYC i still miss the familiarity at bwood. I miss the girls staff the 9th grade girls, and my college freshman girls.

7. I miss ChikfilA. yep its on the list. I havent had it since Dec. I am craving it almost everyday.

6. I miss sunshine. yea. the sun doesnt like to come out and play a whole lot in nyc. this includes warm weather. It is going to be 42 degree in NYC tomo ( which is WARM ) and it is going to be in the 70's in AU. WHAT THE WHAT! no fair.

5. i miss walmart. yea! fight me on that if you will but it is cheap and convienant and you can get everything in one place! and i dont care that it is the "devil" and so corporate america blah blah . ITS AWESOME!

4. i was surprised I feel this way but I miss my car? I still dont love to drive but I do love the idea of being able to hop in my car run out grab whatever and hop back in my car and park in my driveway.

3. i miss how inexpensive the south is in comparrison. EVERYTHING costs an arm and a leg here!

2. i miss the south because events that I care about going to are in the south. Barb is having her baby, jess and keri anne are engaged and doing fun things. I miss knowing I could go to things for people I care about!

1. politeness. I know sometimes its fake or forced but in the south we learn from a young age to wave and smile and speak to people kindly. We learn that if someone is struggling with dropping their groceries you stop and help and give a smile. not so much here.

Even thought I am clearly a tad homesick today, it does not mean I dont love new york. I love the park and working at Redeemer and brunch with the girls, and celeb sightings ( Sarah Jessica Parker, MAtthew Brodderick, Ed Westwick, Marcia Gay Harden, AL PACINO! ( dont worry AL is gonna get his own blog soon.) just to name a few) I love the theatre community here and when the sun is out I love walking from my house to kristi and Liz's apartment! There are plenty of things to love here but the south is just so special and it took me being away from it to realize how much i miss it.

new york observations

So I have been living in New York for a little over a month.

I have observed some things., some about myself and some about the new environment Im living in.

-I have my first New York audition tomorrow. SO NERVOUS. holy moly. I haven't auditioned since last May. Needless to say, Im a little rusty.

-I have a new life goal to add to the list. I want to be a victim on Law and Order SVU SOOOOOO BADLY! In NYC you can submit yourself on a website to be cast as extras on TV shows and SVU is one of them. If you know me at all you know that SVU is one of my favorite shows! I wanna be on it so BAD!!

-I am loving training right now for my job at Redeemer. It is the sweetest thing I have ever done. I sing little songs and teach litle lessons to about 10 classes on the west and east side for infants, 1 yr olds, 2 year olds, and 3 year olds. I cannot explain how sweet this is EVERY week!

-My new friend Kate introduced me to this bookstore called Shakespeare & CO. It is a fun little bookstore and downstairs they have an EXCELLENT collection of plays! SO FUN! http://www.shakeandco.com/index.php

-so I am not super employed right now. I am only working two days a week with Redeemer. So I feel like a stay at home mom to my cat and my roommates dog. I wait for Christina, Kristi or Liz to get home every night. and make dinner. and clean. I need new things to do in the transistion period. I need to get a few new books, I am going to learn to knit ( ha ironically this only adds to my stay at home mom mantra. )

-I also want to volunteer with Hope For New York. I think they are fantastic! They serve the New York City area by practically serving those in need. If homeless need food they feed them. They serve practically with no agenda. They just want people to know they are loved and valued by Jesus Christ. beautiful. http://hfny.org/ check out the website and mission statement.

-I am more madly in love with auburn every single day. Being an alum really teaches you to cherish those times on the plains, the people you are with, and experiences you have. Gosh.

I. MISS. AUBURN.

I chased a woman down third ave the other day because she was wearing an auburn hat. I rushed after her just to say war eagle. It was creepy and AWESOME!

-one thing i have noticed about New York is that people yell a LOT. like A LOT. and its not even always angry yelling. though it ALWAYS sounds angry. That is how people express themselves here. They are ALWAYS YELLING. it really bothered me the first few weeks here cause I didnt realize they werent mad. I just thought I cannot communicate this way! Now I get it. Men also when they communicate always sound like they are rapping. They are kind of yelling and halfway rhyming. I cant help but listen. It cracks me up.

-also I have become addicted to Chi Lattes. I mean seriously. I want one every single day. I could write a sonnet about my love for Chi Lattes.

-They say New York never sleeps. This is the truth. I need ear plugs to sleep. The honking outside my window is CONSTANT!

anyhooo. thats all thats new. bye!

rosaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

GUESSSSSSS WHOOOOOOO MOVES TO NEW YORK CITY TODAY??????????????????????

SORRY CHRISTINA. DONT BE MAD!

nyc pet peeves.

I know this blog is called counting your blessings but I just need to vent about a couple of things about adjusting to city life. but for the record I am happy as a clam here and dont want to be anywhere else. I have just discovered some irritations/new bumps in the road when it comes to my new home and I feel the need to brief you on them

5. THIS WEATHER IS OPPRESSIVE. seriously. I feel oppressed by this ice and slush and snow. I am a cold weather girl. I like to bundle up, I like coats, coffee ( NEW OBSSESION WOULD BE STARBUCKS CHI LATTE) scarves, gloves etc. BUT this is not just cold weather this is wind chill-make ya sick- wear 4 pairs of socks- live in your rainboots even on fancy occassions- slip on your butt b/c of the ice-dark-rainy-cold-dont go outside weather. I need to see the sun DANG IT.

(but i am thankful that i have rainboots, heat, socks and starbucks)

i took this right outside of the front door of my buidling.

4. no job= nothing to do( that doesnt cost money). pretty self explanitory. I am thankful that the reason it has been hard to find a job is bc I have to leave nyc in 6 weeks to work at Theatre IV and tour with Stuart Little. So I am thankful for savings and future employment. im going to google in a minute things to do in nyc inside and free.

3.PDA. its literally killing me bc it is only happening in really busy areas ( entrances to the subway, the middle of the street, crowded starbucks ) I realize its cold but I cannot watch more canoodling happen as I am trying to hustle past you and you are blocking the doorway of the train. MOVE FOOLS.

i took this picture at a starbucks on 42. seriously? and this was one of their milder moments.

2. grumpy new yorkers. not grumpy. just less polite. as a southerner I dont understand not smiling or speaking in an elevator, or not saying thank you, or getting legit angry that I called you maam. Thats a term of respect and endearment. Maam does not = old lady. calm down. but I am thankful for the people I have met that while they are not excessivly friendly or polite are truly helpful. the guy in my building who helped us w messed up plumbing, the woman who helped me get back on track when I got on a train that took me to queens, greeters at my church, the performing arts community ( man people who like theatre wanna be your buddy while we wait in the freezing cold to get tickets to shows )

hahaahah i think this picture is hilarious.

1. MY BIGGEST NYC ANNOYANCE IS THE WEEKEND SUBWAY SCHEDULE. o my goodness. It is the biggest pain. they come so infrequelntly, inconsistantly. Liz and Kristi are not that far from me but I usually only get to see them on the weekends because of how much they work. GOING ACROSS TOWN IS KILLING ME SOFTLY on the weekends. so dang slow. BUT i am so thankful to have two of my best friends from college here and so close! And Christina will be here tomorrow and she will be on the west side which is wonderful!

o 1 train. you are a pain.

Thanks for letting me vent. I really am loving it. I just cannot wait for SPRING!

NYC.

SO I MOVED TO NYC. obvi. these are the pics ive taken so far to document the move. I have been having a fantastic time so far. Ive been babysitting and now I am doing some small things at my church Redeemer. We are still looking for the magic job that allows for auditioning and shows. I have been going to Redeemer Presbyterian church and I have been loving it. My neighborhood is really fun. Hell's Kitchen is hoppin and young and fun! moral of this blog post. I am having a lot of fun and feel so happy and blessed to be here! Here are some pictures ( all out of order) from the move and getting settled. more to come soon!

These are all my bags before I moved. All my possessions can fit in this one part of my kitchen in bham .

this is the latest blizzard we have had in NYC . intense. yes that's a car burried.

this is part of my room. thanks ikea.

o my best bud wanted to get in on the action. he is starting to get adjusted to the big city life.

ok. theatre dork. but this was so cool! I found the neighborhood playhouse. hello meisner!

i went and saw dear edwina ( off broadway) with christina and we saw Matthew Broderick ....

and the beautiful Sarah Jessica Parker. They totes sat 3 rows behind us!

so close to my house. I miss getting to take all those classes!

storming outside my window. so much snow all the time

another ikea purchase over at the krispilizzard. p is putting it all together.

tada!!

he was very organized putting it all together

this is my beautiful anthro bedspread ive been drooling over for months before i moved to nyc!

mom and dad by the tree at the rock.

me and mas

take 2

mas getting to eat to his hearts desire at Carnegie Deli

dad assembling my ikea bed in my tiny room.

the apartment just full of boxes of mine/lizzie's stuff

helpful hoj came over while krisp was at work to hang out with the fam and help put my furniture together. love ya lys! visit again soon!

mas was doing anything he could to stay away from all of this. He did not enjoy this particular trip to nyc. poor guy.

my roommate lizzie and payne lounging in the background. .

Gigi means business here. she is going to get it all organized. i have the best mom.

I also have the best friend in the world. Laura sent me flowers !

mason is trying to get his pretty head straight so he can build my chest of drawers.

dad and mason DO NOT like Ikea.

more pictures to come!