Puppies, Babies, and Friends

SATURDAY MARCH 30, 2013

Bubs and I; my best friend for the week.  Bubs and I had a great time going for walks and playing.  Such a good puppy. :)

FRIDAY MARCH 29, 2013

 Holly randomly showed up in LA.  Her spontaneity is inspiring.  We met up for coffee, caught up like crazy, hugged and laughed a lot, and then headed to the hot tub in the evening for some relaxation and more catching up.  It's so awesome to be continue to stay connected to friends from college, and even high school, years after graduation, and even years after seeing each other.

 THURSDAY MARCH 28, 2013

 I was having a bad day, so I decided to facetime Mark so I could see this little face, and sure enough, it completely turned my day around.  I just love him so much.  

WEDNESDAY MARCH 27, 2013

 

 Beach Day.  It was cold, but I needed some ocean in my life.  Perfection.  Set up my blanket, wrapped myself in my hoodie, planted my toes in the sand, and stared out onto the horizon.  Love.

TUESDAY MARCH 26, 2013

 

 Dog sitting for my friend Paige, and her apartment complex has a hot tub.  So, Mattie came over and we had a best friend hot tub night with wine.  It was so wonderful and needed.  

MONDAY MARCH 25, 2013

 

 Was heading to Lauren's showcase and saw this on one of the storefront windows: "Change comes from within."  It was just perfect timing.  I've kind of had a roller coaster of a week with work, rehearsals, life, and had just been thinking about how something needs to change.  Then I saw this.  Kind of crazy how life does that to you, right?

SUNDAY MARCH 24, 2013

 This picture made me laugh and smile so big when Mark sent it to me.  I love me some happy baby.

SATURDAY MARCH 23, 2013

 I just love him so much.

FRIDAY MARCH 22, 2013

 

 Out for Leona's birthday - Leona, Me, and Mattie being goofs.

THURSDAY MARCH 21, 2013

 

Stupid stomach.  Sharp pains all day.  However, saltines and ginger ale did the trick.  But, man, worst feeling ever is when you're stomach is upset.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2013

 It's my best friend's birthday!  This is a picture from right after Marc proposed to her last week.  I'm so happy they're together; they're so good for each for other. :)

TUESDAY MARCH 19, 2013

 Hollywood Blvd. can be a beautiful and inspiring place.

MONDAY MARCH 18, 2013

 

 This was just posted from Jamie's mom, and I'm obsessed.  This was when we were downtown celebrating after the marathon. Casey, Me, Matt, Marc, and Jamie

SUNDAY MARCH 17, 2013

 Got to hang out with my other family today.  Jamie, Casey, and Matt ran the LA Marathon.  Their significant others (Marc, Brynn, and Mandi) and I ran around LA via metro and car to catch them at different mile marks.  We obviously ended up Downtown celebrating with some green beer.  Love it.

SATURDAY MARCH 16, 2013

 Mark entered Andrew in to win "Red Wing Fan of the Day," and he won!  This picture was posted on their facebook page for the day.

FRIDAY MARCH 15, 2013

 I don't know anyone that doesn't smile when they see flowers.  For some reason, they're natural beauty has that awesome effect.

THURSDAY MARCH 14, 2013

 My little sleeping Andrew. :)

 WEDNESDAY MARCH 13, 2013

 I'm totally ok with this fortune from my fortune cookie.

TUESDAY MARCH 12, 2013

 I spent the day re-organizing the back room.   I had to take everything from those two (now empty) shelving units and combine them with the other ones, and somehow make it all work.  Well, after changing the heights of the other shelves, some serious organizing and labelling, and a whole lot of Carrie Underwood in the background, we completed our task.  We had to make room for new fridges.  (Postnote:  The Irony?  They're moving the fridges to the spot I re-located everything to.  Don't worry, I already said I wouldn't re-move everything back.  Over it.)

 MONDAY MARCH 11, 2013

 A few of us went out after work to our usual stomping ground, Barney's Beanery.  We know the manager, so he let Josh in (he's under 21), then he proceeded to serve him a root beer.  So fun and super nice of him.  Mine is clearly not a root beer.

SUNDAY MARCH 10, 2013

 Went to the movies today with a couple of friends.  Clearly, I needed to take my picture with the Monsters, Inc. folks.  I mean, who doesn't love Mike and Sully?!  I would have loved to have attended Monsters U and be friends with them.  Nerd?  yes.

Avacado, much?

SATURDAY MARCH 9, 2013

 

 Gangsta, just like his uncle...or something.  haha.  :)  I'm excited for the day that I get to text back and forth with Mark and Julie and Andrew and I actually get to make the same goofy faces and send them to each other, and he's aware of it. hehe  Kid at heart?  Quite possibly.

FRIDAY MARCH 8, 2013

 Received this picture today from Julie with the caption: "Missing Uncle Frank."  Obsessed with this child (as I'm sure you've noticed already), and I look forward to my daily or semi-daily dose of photos.  He is so expressive and already has such character.  I joked with her and Mark that he's going to end up singing before he begins talking. haha.

THURSDAY MARCH 7, 2013

 New favorite lunch:  Tofurkey avacado sandwiches on toasted whole wheat bread.  Delicious.  The avacado I bought happened to be kind of ginormous, so this sandwich turned a little more into an avacado sandwich with a hint of tofurkey.  Not complaining.  Love me some avacado.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 6, 2013

 As many of you know, one of my favorite things ever is to try new coffee shops and just chill and talk with good friends.  Well, that's exactly what Lauren and I did.  We went to "Bricks & Scones" on Larchmont (love that area).  Amazing.  It looks like a little Victorian house turned into a coffee shop, complete with a large outdoor patio, study room (yes, no talking - just studying), and a spiral staircase leading to more seating where coffee and tea connoisseurs are enjoying conversations, reading, or games.  Excellent company, tasty lattes, and beautiful ambiance.  I can't wait to go back.

 

TUESDAY MARCH 5, 2013

Mattie and I had Homemade Taco night!!!  One of my favorite dinner nights, but I hardly ever make them for myself because it's too much work. ha.  These kinds of nights bring me back through the years to taco night at my house with all six of the family sitting around the table, and Mark and I have taco eating contests.  Fatties?  Maybe.  Favorite dinner night?  Always.

A little dancey dance

MONDAY MARCH 4, 2013

 Well, I have been hiking a lot, working out a lot, changing my routines, researching new ways to work on different muscle, however, I feel like I've hit a plateau.  So, something needs to change.  Maybe my body is getting used to the five mile hike and doesn't want to shed the last little bit.  Maybe it's getting used to the same pilates moves.  I don't know.  So, I found all of my zumba DVD's from when I was a zumba instructor, and decided to pop one of these babies in.  Done.  After one DVD, I already feel a difference.  That's what I was going for - not just the look, but the feeling of sore (but not too sore) muscles.  So, I guess I will be adding Zumba to my growing list of workout regiments.  (Not gonna lie - I kind of miss teaching it.  Confession time: I kind of pretend I'm teaching a class when I do the dances sometimes.  Don't judge. :)

SUNDAY MARCH 3, 2013

 

Sometimes you just need a drink after work.  I'm not saying it's the best thing to do, or that a beer answers all questions.  However, I am saying that having a beer and just kicking up your feet after a rough day is sometimes one of the most peaceful things. 

Dream.

Having a dream is wonderful.  Pursuing your dream is courageous.  Knowing that that dream is the only thing you can see yourself ever doing is exciting, daunting, scary, beautiful, nerve-wracking, enlightening, fulfilling..

For me (and I'm sure a whole lot of others out there), being an artist, makes me feel bipolar, at times.  One moment I'm super elated and positive, and with a drop of a hat, I'm crying and thinking I'm not worth it.  At the end of the day, and after all of the emotions that jump aboard this roller coaster ride, I still have my dream intact.  I still have the belief that this dream will come true.  I still have the drive to pursue my goals.  There is no fallback.  There is no "Plan B."  This is it.  This is the real deal.  Of course, other opportunities have come along, and will continue to come along, that will give me a more comfortable, financially stable, and materialistic pleasing lifestyle, but will that provide me happiness or self fulfillment?  No.  To quote Whoopi as she's talking to Ms. Lauryn Hill in Sister Act II (yep, I went there): "If you wake up in the morning, and all you can think of is singing, then you're a singer."  It's so true.  We all know our destinies, so many of us just happen to push them to the wayside to make room for everything else.  Well, after many people attempting to get me to do just that over the years, I still have one word for them all: No.  I will not stop.  I will continue this journey.  And I will succeed.  :)

Babies

SATURDAY MARCH 2, 2013

 

 Mark sent me this picture of Andrew this morning; it made me laugh because it looks like he's just sitting there pondering life.  

FRIDAY MARCH 1, 2013

 This was under my Magic Hat beer cap.  How appropriate and fitting to me - and on my half birthday!  Crazy I'll be 28 in only 6 months.  Singing is something I absolutely love, but I also feel has something in store for me...we shall see.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2013

Beer and cards with two of my best friends.  Why go out to Happy Hour when you can do Happy Hour on your balcony?  We played Phase 10 and Uno, and got new beers to try.  Such a great day of being goofy, laughing, relaxing, and great company.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2013

I went to an Open Call audition for "Aladdin" this morning in Burbank.  I got there an hour before sign in and was number 12 on the list.  Let's put this in perspective: if this was NYC, and I got there an hour before, most likely, I would have been #200 on the list, or something crazy like that.  It was a fun audition, and I had a good time. We'll see what happens. 

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2013

 

 Just because I couldn't resist posting another picture of us.  Here, we are singing together.  Well, I'm singing to him; he just looked up and listened. :)

MONDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2013

 After many delays to due weather and some crazy turbulence, I finally made it back to Los Angeles.  So thankful that I was able to make it back to Michigan and meet Andrew at this point in his life.  He's such a beautiful addition to this world and our family.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2013

 I got to spend the entire day with Andrew yesterday again.  We did laps around the house when he wanted to walk around.  We watched Tangled together.  We took a big ol' nap together.  And, of course, I got to feed him, again.  One of the best feelings ever: having a baby sleep on your chest.  For real.  I love him so much.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2013

 

 Danielle was a fourth year BFA theatre major at WSU when I was a first year.  Whenever I went to Chicago (where she moved after graduating), I would contact her and her husband and try to grab lunch or a drink.  She's an extremely talented actress with a strong work ethic and great energy.  When she saw I was coming back to MI, she wanted to get together.  (She's now currently in the Hilberry MFA program at WSU.)  So, I headed downtown to grab a drink with her and some of the other Hilberry students.  It was really cool to catch up on the last few years.  She was always someone I looked up to while at WSU, so it's cool to see where she's at now, and to have remained friends.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2013

Snowstorm today.  However, Victoria and Alex came over and spent the day with me.  We went out to lunch at Coney Island and then headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's to spend the rest of the day.  It's so awesome to watch him grow up.  He's getting big so fast!  He's four months old already!

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2013

 I landed in Michigan this morning, and Dad picked me up from the airport.  Julie met us at Eastside Bagel and took me home with her and Andrew, and I got to spend the entire day with them.  It was wonderful.  Andrew makes the best faces - he's so animated.  Here, during one of our many photo shoots, we are making the same face. :)

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Do you ever take yourself out to dinner?  I like to do this every once in a while; today was one of those days.  I took myself out to one of my favorite little Thai places near my apartment.  

 

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2013

I finally cut up the last roll of poppyseed that Grandma sent me back with after Christmas.  I told myself I'd only have a couple slices...ten minutes later the whole roll was gone.  Grandma's poppyseed rolls are probably the only thing I have no self restraint with.  meh.

 

MONDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2013

 

 Mark sent me this picture today of Andrew.  Can't wait to meet him!