White Christmas!

 Christmas eve, we wrapped presents, made Christmas deliveries, and cooked for Christmas Eve dinner. We had our grandmother's over for Italian food, and then went next door to Jennifer's family's house for their open house. We had delicious treats (and drinks), and enjoyed celebrating with friends. My family then went to the midnight Christmas eve service, which was beautiful. Our church made a stable, and everyone walked through the live nativity to get into the sanctuary. We went to sleep after that, and Santa came of course!

I call this one:
"Scrooge and Buddy the Elf"

Christmas morning, I jumped out of bed, and woke Ross up. We opened presents, had cinnamon buns, and cooked Christmas lunch/dinner. I made some neighborhood Christmas deliveries, and visited with several of the neighbors.  We had Christmas dinner with the grandmothers at our house! Everyone had different requests for Christmas dinner, and we accommodated all of them...so we had quite a feast. We unwrapped a few more presents, and relaxed in front of the fire as it began to snow!

I woke up this morning to a beautiful snow in front of my house! We had at least six inches, and everything was covered in white. Jennifer and I made our traditional walk to Stonehenge for Starbucks, bagels, and groceries...but the power went out and everywhere closed before we could buy anything. So we walked back home empty-handed. I then baked for awhile, and Kenan and Nick came over to visit! Snow days are not only beautiful but so relaxing and peaceful!

Snowy Seagate Drive

Jennifer and me in the snow!

Kenan and Nick came over to visit!

Almost Christmas...

Meg & Me with Jackson and Olivia,
our sweet neighbors.

My last day in NY, I auditioned in the am, and then finished my Christmas shopping and errands. Meg and I went over to our neighbors' house to wish them a Merry Christmas and visit them before leaving! They are absolutely adorable. 

I then went to the "work" and had Christmas with Amy and the kids I nanny for. They loved their gifts that we picked out (Purple sweater for Maddie, monogrammed hoodie for Marguerite, Hurricanes hockey jersey for Robert, and monogrammed jacket for Anna), and Amy and I were given beautiful J Crew coats. We had so much fun unwrapping gifts by the Christmas tree and celebrating together.

Amy and me with the kids and their new gifts!

I flew home late Monday night and the airport was in no way easy. It was absolutely packed, and the line outside to check bags, though significantly shorter, was miserable because of the freezing cold. After getting halfway to JFK, I found out my flight had been delayed for two hours, so I had lots of time to kill in the terminal, and I didn't make it to Raleigh until 2am. Even at 2am, being greeted by my entire family at RDU was awesome, and I was so happy to be home!

Celebrations!

Friday night I had a holiday party at my apartment! I baked all day, and with the help of my co-nannies and Sarah, the party started around 9. I served dirty shirley punch, red velvet cupcakes, and other Christmasy treats.

I was so fortunate to have good friends in and out of my apartment all night! I have many close friends in the city, but everyone is so busy that I rarely get to spend enough time with anyone. Having that many people who are so special to me all in one place was such a treat, and the PERFECT way to celebrate Christmas, and start off my birthday!

I had a wonderful birthday in New York on Saturday! Meg, Lindsay, Lizzy and I went to brunch at my favorite brunch place: The Central Park Boathouse! Meg and I then shopped for most of the afternoon and got manicures. That evening, I went for an early dinner at Joe Allen's with friends, saw William in his show, and hopped around to various holiday parties.  After our group of people party-hopping had dwindled to just a few of us, we ordered pizza, and sat around my Christmas tree enjoying our late night food and company. On my birthday, I was reminded yet again of how lucky I am to live in NYC and have such good friends. 

best weekend with best friend!

Rosa Mexicana

Bryant Park

Jennifer came to town this weekend, and we had a wonderful time! I took the whole weekend off from work, and the whole weekend off from auditions! It was such a treat to relax and enjoy New York! On Saturday we visited my sweet southern neighbors, and their kids showed us every ornament on their Christmas tree! They're precious. Then after a delicious brunch at the Central Park Boathouse, we went to Bryant Park for the afternoon! They have ice skating and a fun Christmas market set up right now. It was freezing cold, but we had a great time, and purchased cute hats! We got manicures at my favorite manicure place in my neighborhood, and then had dinner at Rosa Mexicana. The wonderful pomegranate margaritas were way too much fun!

Freezing Cold in front of Rockefeller Christmas Tree

Sarah's Recital

Sunday we went to Sarabeth's for breakfast, and Apostles for church on the Upper East Side. We then ventured down to Union Square, shopped a bit, and went to see my friend Sarah's Senior Recital! She gave a lovely performance, and it was neat to see all of the hard work she had put into her musical theatre recital. After that, we went to an amazing restaurant in Little Italy that specializes in their gluten-free selections. It's called Rubirosa, and I highly recommend it. I cannot wait to go back! After our early dinner, we headed to Redeemer Presbyterian church, and then enjoyed Peanut Butter hot chocolate from Shake Shack! It was quite the weekend, and I'm happy to get to spend a little more quality time with Jenn tomorrow before she heads back to DC.

Rubirosa

I have another big week of auditions coming up, but I'm looking forward to interspersing the auditions and work with decorating my apartment for Christmas! The decorations I shipped from NC arrive tomorrow, and the tree should be delivered Wednesday! :)

Hello, December!

I cannot believe it is already December. November flew by so quickly! After many auditions, lots of nannying, and a short Thanksgiving holiday in NC, fall was over, and winter had arrived. It is winter in New York for sure! Not only am I wearing my down coat every day, but there are Christmas lights and Christmas music everywhere! I love it!

Ross and Me at church in NC

I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Having five days off from work and auditioning, and getting to spend time with family and friends was such a blessing. The trip to NC of course brought lots of feelings of nostalgia, but despite that it was a lovely vacation! I ate several delicious meals, shopped a LOT, saw three movies, and caught up with so many people!

B and me at the tree lighting

This week, my friends Bridget and Kate and I went to see the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. It was a one time experience that I am glad I had, but will probably never choose to have again. I will watch it on TV next year. The crowds were insane, there were way too many people invading my personal space, and though we heard all of the artists perform live, we were not close enough to see them. I'm glad I went though!

Kate and me at the tree lighting

Bromance the Dudsical

Wednesday night, I had the awesome opportunity to see "Bromance: The Dudsical" at Caroline's. It is a new musical, and this was the premiere of the concert edition. The cast is stellar, and it was a truly enjoyable night. We had a great time at the after party, and hanging out with the composers and creative team at Chelsea Grill after that.

I am so excited that December is here. The best month in New York is finally upon us, and I'm really looking forward to all of the Christmas parties, my visitors, and simply enjoying the Christmas cheer in the city.

Wonderful friends in a great city

I had an especially awesome weekend this past weekend, during which I was reminded of what amazing friends I have in New York. On Friday, Lindsay and I got a quick dinner, and then went to see Jule Styne's "Bells are Ringing," the Encores production with Kelli O'Hara. Kelli was fabulous as always, and it was so neat to see her in a role that transitions her from her typical ingenue character into a true leading lady. She played Ella, and was hilarious! The whole production was great, including Lindsay's friend, Kim who played a dancer!

Me with Kim and Lindsay after
"Bells are Ringing"

Saturday was busy with auditions and work, then I grabbed a quick bite with Sherrie before going to the Redeemer Recent Graduates potluck. It was so much fun to hang out with the girls from my small group who I have not seen enough of lately!

Small group at the Redeemer Potluck

At Radio City Music Hall
with the boys!

Sunday was even busier, as William, Geoff and I got up bright and early to go see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at 11:30 am! I had never seen the Rockettes before! What a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit.

The living nativity at the Christmas Spectacular!
Please note the camel in the upstage left corner!

Great show in NJ!

That was followed by brunch with friends at Eatery, a delicious new restaurant that I look forward to going back to, and Starbucks with Sherrie! THEN the adventure began... Sherrie and I hopped on the NJ Transit and took the train to New Brunswick to see [title of show] at the George Street Playhouse. Since I saw the show's opening preview on Broadway two and a half years ago, I've loved it...Since I burned the CD for Sherrie two years ago, she's loved it! It also happened to star my friend Lauren Kennedy, so it was just a show not to miss! It was fabulous, and there was a Qdoba right down the street. What a great night for Sherrie and Emily!

All of us outside Eatery after brunch. I'm not sure why
my face looks like this. I was probably talking. Typical.

For multiple reasons today was not a particularly good day, but I went on a lovely walk with Dan! The weather was beautiful in NY and about 60 degrees...a huge improvement from the freezing cold weekend. Dan is just the best person to cheer me up, and we had a great time walking through Riverside Park and enjoying the last of the fall foliage!

Sweet Dan and me on our walk by the river!

Countdown to NC: 2 days! :)

I can't believe we're halfway through November!

I haven't posted in quite awhile because I've been so busy! I also had a two-week marathon of sickeness... one cold and sinus infection after the other, so almost everything but auditioning and working was pushed to the back-burner so I could get a little more sleep than I've been getting, and try to get well.  I'm on the uphill now, I think, thank goodness! Being sick really makes singing auditions a challenge.

Since I returned to the city on November 2, I've been on twelve auditions...some good, and some not so good. The good feedback that is interspersed with "Thanks for coming in today, have a good one" is what keeps me auditioning. I got called back for a tour yesterday, so that was exciting! I sang my song, and they said they wanted me to come back in to read for a role. My reading audition went really well, and they wrote a lot, and said positive things...hopefully that's a good sign! They're auditioning for two more days, so I'm trying not to be too hopeful. The crazies have been out in full force again this week (crazies = psycho musical theatre people at auditions), and my friend Dan and I had a great time people watching at an audition yesterday.

Other than auditioning, I've been working a lot, taking a few classes and coachings, and seeing some shows. I saw Ground UP's production of "Letters from Algeria" with Will on Friday night, and "Scottsboro Boys" with Sherrie on Sunday. The direction of "Letters from Algeria" was really awesome, and it was a very solid performance. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is so neat to see what an amazing theatre company Ground UP has become.  The founding members are all from UNC-Chapel Hill! "Scottsboro Boys" was definitely eye-opening. Broadway is certainly grittier this year than in the past, with shows such as "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" and "Scottsboro Boys" but I think it is an interesting turn for the theatre world. "Scottsboro Boys" was irreverent at times, and in some ways offensive, but so well-directed and creative. There was a protest before the show with people shouting that the story of the Trials of the Scottsboro Boys were not appropriate material for a minstrel show etc. That being said, I am so glad I saw it! The talent was unreal, and it was a very moving production.

The fall leaves are at their peak right now in NY, and the park is absolutely beautiful. I find myself walking out of my way, just to walk on 5th Avenue by the park and enjoy the fall season. I know before long it will be snowing, so I'm trying to soak up this last bit of colorfulness. :)

I have five more auditions to get through before Thanksgiving, and I couldn't be more excited to come home! My NC trip in October was mostly spent in Chapel Hill with friends, so I'm looking forward to some quality time in Raleigh with the family.

Carolina Girls -
A bunch of my UNC friends were all together
this weekend celebrating a friend's birthday. It was wonderful
to see everybody and catch up! :)

City Lights!

The kids were so excited
about Halloween!

It's the second day of November, but now that Halloween has passed, several places in New York are being decked out with Christmas lights. Living in New York over the holidays has been a dream of mine for years, and I'm so excited to see the city transform into a winter wonderland of holiday decorations! The five-year-old starts her first day of ice skating tomorrow, which means it's officially turning into winter in New York!

Lindsay and me ready for the Wizard of Oz dance call.

Life here just gets busier and busier, and now more often than not I'm going to two or three auditions in a day, instead of just one.  Being invited in for auditions, and having audition appointments certainly makes life easier, but I'm still going to the "line up at 6 am" auditions too. Last week, I put in about forty hours of nannying, and went to seven auditions. That's a productive week if I ever had one! :)

I do not have too many New York stories because I have been in North Carolina for the past five days. It was a good trip, but I am also happy to be back in the city.

NC Girls at the Homecoming Tailgate!

Brrr...it's so cold!

The past couple of days have been freezing cold in New York! I know it's only going to get colder, but for me, 40s is pretty chilly. I have been bundling up, just like Aunt Laura taught me in New Jersey last winter! :)

I have been to ten auditions since my last post, was seen at eight of the ten (the benefits of waking up before it's light outside, and trekking to the subway on the cold, dark Upper East Side), and was cast in two of ten.  Unfortunately I had to turn down both opportunities due to my work schedule, and some prior commitments. I hate turning down projects because I would love to do as much theatre as possible, but until I book a commercial, theatre alone will not pay my NY rent.

Even after living here for awhile, darkening up my colorful wardrobe a bit, and working hard to kill my southern accent, I still stick-out as a Southerner. Last night in a cab, the driver asked me to remind him which street I lived on, as we were getting close. I said "92nd, please," and he responded with, "You can't be a New Yorker. Are you?" I said, "Yes, why?" He told me I had a much sweeter spirit, and better manners than most New Yorkers. I told him I was originally from the South. :) He said that explained it all. It's so hard to believe I've been here for over two months! Time flies by in the city! The holidays are right around the corner, and I am looking forward to spending a few days in North Carolina.

Marg and me at Alice's Teacup

Highlights from the past ten days include taking the five-year-old I nanny to Alice's Tea Cup because she "wore her listening ears" all morning during our errands, going to a swanky jazz bar with my friends Dan and Roz, and baking delicious pumpkin cupcakes!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Sing Roz!

Dan and me at Sugar Bar

Last week was slow with auditioning, but this week is busier than ever. I’m juggling multiple auditions every morning, which is stressful, but wonderful! Everyone says that auditions get old, but I find I’m enjoying them way more than I did at first! I have a few friends that I often see at auditions, and then of course the usual crazies… I probably shouldn’t blog about all the musical theatre wackos that I’ve come across, but I have plenty of stories.

View of the city from Bumble & bumble

I had an amazing weekend last weekend, during which I realized how truly blessed I am with wonderful friends. It involved trying new restaurants, margaritas with my small group girls, an "Awesome 80s Prom" audition (don't ask), and a new haircut (4 inches shorter, lots more layers)!

Dinner at Tipsy Parson with Will!

Cousins

I had a lovely breakfast after church on Sunday with Sophie and Claire at Le Pain Quotidien! It’s always great to catch up with my awesome cousins! Sunday afternoon, the weather was perhaps the most beautiful weather I’ve ever seen in New York, and Will and I took advantage of it and played tennis at Riverside Park.   I had the privilege of seeing my good friend Dan play “Mary Sunshine” in “Chicago” on Broadway on Sunday night.  We went out afterwards, and had the best time chatting. He is such a special person, and one of my closest new friends up here.

Hudson River at Riverside Park

Relaxing on a grassy knoll after our tennis match in the park.

Sherrie, Dan and Me at Glass House Tavern, after Dan's stunning performance in  "Chicago"

Took the kids to the playground...

Yesterday was Columbus Day. In the South, Columbus day basically means you don't get any mail. Well, in New York it's a big deal. They have a parade, the schools are closed, and it's a total holiday. That means all of the people who are off work near Manhattan come to the city and take over the public transportation. Getting around was an absolute nightmare and the crowds were horrible. However, I took the girls to the playground, to a movie, and to Shake Shack, which basically made yesterday the best day of work ever. 

"Don't you love New York in the fall?" - You've Got Mail

This quote rings so true this week in New York. The weather (post-Monday) has been absolutely lovely! I've enjoyed school pick ups more than ever because I just love being outside on the beautiful Upper East Side. Upper East Siders go all out for Halloween, apparently, as there are several courtyards that resemble this one on my walk home:

Happy Halloween!

Baked chicken, sauteed peas, brown sugar carrots,
and homemade macaroni and cheese!

I'm learning more recipes every day, and am really enjoying the cooking!

love the pink and green apron!

Life is going well overall! Having my roommate leave has been pretty stressful, but I am being presented with other opportunities daily.  I am trying to take all of the transition in stride, as much as I can. I have never liked change, and I feel this is a good opportunity to learn how to adapt.

There have been no auditions this week, and I've actually missed auditioning. I suppose that is a good sign that I'm doing what I should be doing! Next week brings more auditions than ever though, so provided I can knock out this minor cold, I'm ready to go!