Home for the Holidays!

Tour ended nearly a week ago, and after being in New York for the week, I'm back in Raleigh for Christmas!

The tour ended well. One of our cast members had a medical emergency, so we had to call in an understudy for the last two shows. It was a little stressful, but it went well, and the understudy was an absolute delight to have around. Life post-tour has been a whirlwind. I had a great family dinner/early birthday celebration with my cousins on Friday night, and then left for NYC at 6 am on Saturday!

Saturday, Sarah and I spent the day getting ready for our party, cooking, and catching up. We had the best time together! Our Christmas party on Saturday night was a success and so much fun! Friends stayed over until 5:30 am...a new record from last year!

Party Prep!

Some friends at our party!

Singing and Dancing
on furniture at 5am!

Sunday was a wonderful birthday! I woke up and went to the Lessons and Carols Service at St. Thomas with Will. The boychoir is absolutely amazing, and the service was beautiful. Afterward, some friends and I went to brunch at the Boathouse! The Boathouse was decorated for Christmas, and it was a gorgeous day! After a nice afternoon nap, I went to Redeemer for night church with my girlfriends, and out for a delicious dinner at Dos Caminos! It was a great birthday in the city!

Brunch at the Boathouse

Dinner at Dos Caminos!

The rest of the week in New York was spent catching up on some theatre stuff, tying up loose ends before the holidays, and seeing people I hadn't seen in far too long. I had a great voice lesson and class with two of my favorite teachers/mentors, celebrated my friend Ali's birthday, had lunch with Will, and went to the Brother Jimmy's holiday party! I love Christmas time in NYC!

It's great to be home in NC, though I do wish it would cool off a bit to feel like Christmas...it's a balmy 73 degrees here on the first day of winter!

Best Christmas Pageant Ever

http://bcpever.blogspot.com/

The link for the BCPE blog!

Hitting the Road

We had our final dress rehearsal for “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” yesterday, and it went so well! We’re off to Georgia today! Everyone was reasonably calm and had a positive attitude when we met up at the studio to load the car and hit the road.  I’ve been designated the official Social Chair of our cast, so that means I’ll be googling restaurants and choosing dinner options near our hotels and theatres! It also means I will be blogging on the production blog, so stay tuned for the link to that if you’re interested in keeping up with what our cast is up to each day on the road as we tour the Southeast! J

Thanksgiving Week

rehearsing

This past week has been tiring but fantastic! I’ve rehearsed every day but Thursday for “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” So far, I really like the cast and creative team. We are ready to perform this show! We have a few days off this coming week while our director puts up another show, and then we head out next weekend.  I don’t have too many updates from this past week, because rehearsal is mainly all I’ve done, other than catch up with a few friends before and after my 8-hour rehearsal days. I think the coolest thing about this week is every evening when it starts to get dark, I subconsciously think, “Well it’s about time to head to work at the restaurant,” and then I remember that I don’t have to! I’m getting paid to do what I love and I’m so grateful for that.

my sweet Annie

Thanksgiving was fun because I had the day off, and spent it with my family. I waited until the last minute, and went to the store at around noon on Thanksgiving day to get what I needed for the dishes I was cooking. I also realized around noon that since Ross was finally 21, this Thanksgiving needed to include wine. Let me tell you, there is an interesting demographic at the Harris Teeter on Thanksgiving Day.  I did meet one really cute New Yorky looking guy who was running an errand for his mom. That was fun. I gathered my items (it took an hour because grocery stores down here in the south are HUGE), and then went to check out. I didn’t have my ID, and they wouldn’t let me buy the wine. They said I looked honest, but not 21, but eventually I talked them into letting me buy it.

I went home and made my Italian Sausage, Chestnut Foccaccia stuffing!  It was delicious. My Crack Pie (from Momofuku’s recipe) didn’t turn out as planned because I didn’t have time to make the Oatmeal cookie crust. I still thought it was delicious with the graham cracker crust, but Ross kindly informed my family that it looked like his biology experiment.  Thanks, brother.   Overall it was a lovely holiday! After our meal, I went on a nice long walk with Jennifer and caught up,  and then went to a movie with Mom. Kenan and Nick came over that evening…always so much fun to chat with them!

Cheers for Thanksgiving 

This coming week, I’m looking forward to five days off! I have some voice lessons in Chapel Hill scheduled, as well as catching up with friends there. I am so excited to see some of my favorite professors and spend time on campus! Otherwise, I’m trying to balance being productive with enjoying being home in the sweet, slow pace of North Carolina.

2 Beautiful Fall weeks in the city.

My last two weeks in the city were somewhat uneventful, but still good! Fall in the city is beautiful!

Sarah, Megan and me at Lupa

My dear friend, Megan, visited and we had a great weekend! We shopped a lot, ate at my favorite restaurants (Made Fresh Daily, Lupa, Dos Caminos, Sarabeth’s), and hung out with friends. Having a visitor is so fun because it’s basically the only time I “splurge” and go to nicer restaurants/do fun things that aren’t work or audition related. I was also really glad that she got to meet some of my good friends in New York!

Megan and me in Central Park

After Megan left, I got sick, unfortunately, and was pretty much sick my whole last week in the city. I cancelled the audition appointments I had, and didn’t go to any open calls, so that was disappointing. I didn’t have a voice to speak or sing with, which is so frustrating when that’s your “product.”

Towards the end of the week I started feeling better, thankfully, and I babysat for a new family that I absolutely love. The sweet 2-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy are so polite and loving. They’re quite precocious too, which is always fun for a babysitter. I showed the 2-year-old a picture of my Halloween costume as a ladybug, and she particularly enjoyed that, and then referred to me as “Ladybug Emily” for a little while. One time I yawned and she said, “Miss Emily, is it time for your nap?” The four-year-old introduced me by name to all of his teachers at preschool. To top it all off the mom is a gem! Not surprisingly, she’s a good friend of another one of my favorite families.

dessert platter!

manicures!

My last 24-hours in the city were awesome, and such a good reminder of the wonderful community I have there. Bridget and I had a girls day and got manis! My former neighbors were in the city visiting, and I got to spend some quality time with them! My roommate, Sarah, surprised me with Riesling and a sweet card. Some close friends and I went out to dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Dos Caminos. The restaurant was late seating us, and gave us free champagne! Our waiter was a client of one of my friend’s, and so we got a delicious complimentary dessert platter! After dinner, drinks and lots of storytelling, we went to a housewarming party at another friend’s apartment! The next day, my dear friends William and Geoffrey took me to Olive Garden for a going away lunch. The three of us, especially me, LOVE Olive Garden, and particularly enjoy the unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks for $9.95 deal, so we deal with the Times Square tourists to partake in the yummy chain Italian food.

friends at Dos Caminos
*side note, I look so fat in this picture...terrible angle. But I
love the people in it, so I had to post it.

William, Geoff and me at O.G.

Leslie, me, Sarah right before I left

Katie Jane and me at JFK

When I got back to my apartment to leave for the airport, my sweet friend Leslie was waiting to see me off.  It was sad to leave Sarah, and all of my great friends. I had one last surprise visit from Katie Jane at the airport though! She locked herself out of her apartment, and I had her spare keys, so she hopped a cab and came to JFK! It was a $50 visit, but great to see her nonetheless :)

Weddings Galore

The past two weekends I've been attending weddings! I really like weddings, especially the ceremony. I find it fascinating to observe how different religions (even just different Protestant denominations) marry people. I also think it's such a special time of worship for the friends and families of two people, who have decided to spend their lives together. I love to take note of the aspects I want to include in my wedding one day! Both weddings these past two weekends were absolutely beautiful.

The last weekend in October, I sang the Benediction for my childhood friend Celeste's wedding. I was a bit anxious about singing, (singing at someone's important day is lots of pressure, because it needs to be perfect!) but it went really well, and the whole weekend was lots of fun! The reception at the Angus Barn was a blast!

Ross and me at White Memorial Presbyterian Church

Celeste's wedding was the first wedding that my whole family attended together since I can remember. It was really fun dancing with my dad, and spending time with all four of us together! It was also fun hanging out with Dr. Rhodes, one of my favorite professors from UNC, and her daughter, who I sang the benediction with!

Mom, me, Susanna, and Dr. Rhodes

First Dance - Celeste and Chris

My parents and me

Homecoming in Chapel Hill being the same weekend was an added bonus! I got to see friends over there Saturday night. Top-o is always a good time! I also really enjoyed going to CH for a faculty concert on Sunday--seeing my professors sing is such a treat. They are so talented!


This past weekend I went to Auburn, AL to see my New York friends Julie and Stan get married! I started off the weekend in the best way possible, by spending the night in Atlanta with Anna, Ashley and Ellen. I LOVE Atlanta, and I love those girls. We had the best time! We ate Chic-fil-a, saw Mamma Mia downtown at the Fox, and stayed up in their kitchen talking like old times at Little House.

best friends and me at Mamma Mia!
Missing you, Carly and Maddie!

Julie & Stan

I spent Friday and Saturday in Auburn! The kindest family hosted me, and I was literally wined and dined the whole weekend by so many generous families who wanted to participate in Stan and Julie's special weekend. From the Bridesmaid Luncheon to the Rehearsal dinner, I met so many wonderful, Southern people. Julie and Stan are such a sweet couple, and they are so in love! Their ceremony at Auburn United Methodist Church was so special, and the reception was amazing! It was really cool to go into a weekend knowing very few people, and leave feeling like I had a whole community of friends in Alabama!

Ali G and me at the reception

Laura, Ali and me after the Wedding Day Brunch

Sunday was another great day in Atlanta! I FINALLY ate at The Varsity, and yes, I did get a Frozen Orange! Spending time with my girls and their roommates was such a treat!

Ellen, Ash and Me @ The Varsity!

Booked it!

This afternoon, I accepted an offer to go on tour with a Christmas Show! I am so excited to be touring the Southeast (NC, SC, GA, VA, TN), and hope to see many of my southern friends as I go from city to city! I am playing the role of "Mother," in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

It's a great script, and from what I hear a great cast! I can't wait to meet everyone and get started.  I'm playing a young mom who gets stuck directing the Christmas Pageant for the first time, the year the worst kids in town decide to participate. The kids learn the true meaning of Christmas through this little show, and there are plenty of laughs along the way. I think the role will be a good challenge for me!

I'm also glad that I won't be away from New York for too long! I will come home just before Thanksgiving, begin rehearsals, go on tour, and fly back to New York on December 17!

A Weekend in the City

After two weekends away, it was awesome to have a weekend in the city! My good friends, Jennifer and Brittany visited! I couldn't spend as much time with them as I wanted to because I had to work a lot, but we still managed to do some fun New Yorky things like dinner at Dos Caminos and brunch at The Standard! It was so fun having them in town! :)

brunch at The Standard Grille

dinner at Dos Caminos

Other highlights of this weekend included drinks with a UNC professor, Andrea, and going on a "double date" with my roommate, and William and Geoffrey!

Sara, me, Andrea and William at Hotel Empire

Andrea took a group of UNC alumni to drinks at Hotel Empire! It was so fun to be with wonderful people, and chat with Andrea! I didn't study with her while at UNC, but it was so kind of her to include me, and we had the best time! My friends always told me she was amazing, and I've really enjoyed getting to know her. It's so neat how the UNC Community stays close even after we go our separate ways!

William, Sarah, Geoff and me outside of Carnegie Hall

On Saturday, William, Geoff, Sarah and I had a delicious Italian dinner at Sera Fina, saw AUDRA MCDONALD in concert, and then had dessert and coffee at a little French restaurant. Audra was absolutely stunning, and seeing my first concert in Carnegie Hall is definitely a New York milestone!

Emily's Tour Part I

In looking at my calendar, I decided to call this fall "Emily's Tour." I realized that I would only be in New York one out of five weekends between the first week in October and the first in November. I am of course staying here during the week and working like crazy to play catch up and stay on top of things. The first part of my tour consisted of a visit to DC October 7-9, and a visit to North Carolina October 14-16.

DC!

Lauriol Plaza

DC was an absolute blast! It had been awhile since I visited, which is ridiculous considering how many of my favorite people live there! I stayed with my friend Jennifer the first night. We went out to my favorite DC Mexican restaurant for dinner (Lauriol Plaza), and then celebrated our friend Matina's birthday in Dupont Circle.

Saturday, we shopped in Georgetown, and then I met up with Jenna (She's the best!!!) and saw Parade at Ford's Theatre. It was really neat to actually see Parade, because my only experience with this fantastic Jason Robert Brown musical is actually performing in it.  The two leads both had Broadway credits and were truly fantastic. Jenna and I had a great dinner at a restaurant she chose called "Matchstick" which will be my favorite DC Pizza place from now on.

I had to leave Sunday, but I didn't leave without some quality time with my good friends Ashley and Katie Sue. We had a lovely reunion at Le Pain Quotidien in Georgetown!  They are such wonderful girls, and it was great to catch up! What a fabulous trip!

ADPi Ladies

Kenan Stadium

North Carolina was equally wonderful. The primary reason of my visit was to help Ross celebrate his 21st Birthday! I spent Friday with mom, shopping primarily, and then on Friday night, went to the Sanderson High School Homecoming game! It was great to see a few old friends and some of my favorite teachers. Saturday, the family went to the UNC game which was a blast! We "tailgated" at the Carolina Club for lunch, and then cheered on the Tarheels. They lost, but it was still an exciting game.

Let's Go Tarheels!

Happy Birthday Ross!

After a delicious dinner at my favorite Maggiano's, I headed over to the McDade house to party with Ross and some of the KAs...and 100 of his other closest friends. In addition to Ross' party, which ended at Topo (another one of my favorite places), I was lucky enough to go party with some of my Pauper friends as well!

We had a low key day on Sunday, and after lunch with my dear friend Michelle, I had a few coachings in Chapel Hill. (Always have to practice...even on vacation!) We celebrated Ross' birthday with the grandmothers at 411 West for dinner, and after a quick visit with Kenan I headed home to pack. I spent a few hours studying for my Brother Jimmy's serving exam (No, I'm not kidding...I made flashcards...it was intense), and then flew back to NYC at 6:00 am on Monday!

I Love You Because reunion pic

It was a whirlwind 10 days, being in three states and all, but I loved every minute of it. I will finish up my server training this week, and have a weekend in the city this coming weekend!

"Lay your requests before Me and wait in expectation"

Psalm 5:3

This past week was such a reminder of God's control and perfect timing. I generally stay away from super religious posts, because I have "blog followers" of all faiths, and am very open minded to others' religions. However, this week was filled with too many humbling blessings to not blog about it.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday were rough days. I was beyond stressed financially, and had at least three meltdowns to my parents. I was questioning why I was in NY, what I was doing with my life, etc... All of the doubts and questions that actors have about themselves when they're not working in an acting job.

Monday, I took an incredible masterclass and was slightly inspired, though still overall discouraged. I remember walking to the studio on Tuesday afternoon, listening to "Come Thou Fount" on my iPod, and just making a decision that I was not the one in control of my life, and that I was going to "Let Go and Let God."

Later in the day Tuesday afternoon, I got a call that I had booked a film for the Discovery Channel! Tuesday evening, I got a call that I had been promoted to server at Brother Jimmy's, (meaning I could hopefully make rent for the month of October.) Wednesday, I got a Glee audition appointment, and Friday morning I had a very encouraging email from the casting director of Glee (Robert Ulrich) in my inbox. Mr. Ulrich had always been a distant figure who I dreamed of one day meeting, and then there he was emailing me. It was as if God was just waiting for me to let go of the reigns, remember that ultimately He was in control, and lay my requests before Him.

Put some south in yo mouth

I've realized that having a healthy dose of "south" in my life in the city is crucial to maintaining a positive attitude and loving this city. The city life can be tough, Northerners are brash, chivalry is virtually inexistent, and it's hard not to get homesick for Southern hospitality, and the wonderful things about North Carolina. I definitely don't want to move back anytime soon, but I do miss it.

chapel hill meets NYC

My solution = game days at Brother Jimmy's.



Yesterday, I got a group of my dear Carolina friends together for the UNC vs. UVA game. Not only was it a great opportunity to see some of my favorite people, but it was like being temporarily transported to the south for a few hours. Truth be told, we didn't really pay attention to the football...we just wore our Carolina blue, ate southern food, and drank beer out of "He's Not" cups (trademark cups shipped up from a UNC Bar). I felt so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people, and though it made me really miss my UNC friends who aren't here (THE JAM), it made me really appreciate my UNC friends who are. There's something very special about this group of people who knows me better than anyone in this city...they're really more like family than friends, and I am so thankful for them.

great people, great fun

love these friends.

we look like we're ready to tailgate.

my favorite couple

Where did August go?

So many things have happened since August 12!! I don’t even know where to begin.

I’ll start with the constants that haven’t really changed… I’m still auditioning, it’s still going well.  I’m still working at Brother Jimmy’s, and I still love it! I still live on the Upper East Side, and I still don’t have laundry or a dishwasher.

Now on for a little more “excitement.”

I have a new roommate, Sarah, and she is FANTASTIC! We have the best time together. She is so laidback, and it’s such a treat to come home to a positive environment. Her cheerful attitude is infectious, and seeing her discover Manhattan for the first time is giving me a new appreciation for this city that I’ve totally taken for granted the past few months. Her relaxed attitude has helped me relax (always a good thing), and as a result my auditions, my acting, and my quality of life have all improved drastically. I love living with her, and feel so blessed that we just happened to both need roommates at the same time. She just turned 25 last week, and we had a great celebration!

Sarah and me on her 25th birthday!

party time!

I’ve been babysitting “for fun” here and there as supplement to my hostess work at Brother Jimmy’s. I say “for fun” sort of jokingly, because babysitting is a job.  However the main two families I’ve been babysitting for are both such pleasures to be around. One family with three kids never fails to keep me laughing! I love playing games, and hearing the hysterical things the kids say. We have a blast together! My favorite conversation so far went something like this:

Emily: Bye Buddy! See you tomorrow!

Four year old: What? You’re leaving me?

Emily: Yeah, but I’ll be back.

Four year old: WHERE are you going!?

Emily: I’m going home for the night!

Four year old: Man, Emily, you’re going to miss a good time… a real good time tonight.

The other family I sit for occasionally is my favorite baby ever, Henry.  He is more fun every time I babysit for him. He’s six months, and so he’s starting to really respond.  I hate it when he’s napping because I just want him to wake up so we can play! :) 

I got to go home for 5 days in August, and it was AWESOME. I made it out of the city just before Hurricane Irene. I stayed with my parents in Raleigh, spent quality family time with them, saw several good friends, ate at my favorite restaurants, went to see two shows downtown, shopped with Mom, ate lots of Chic-fil-A, and generally had a great time. I also got to spend a day in Chapel Hill where I visited former professors, stopped by ADPi, saw some wonderful younger friends who are still in school, got to go to a class (my former voice studio!!!), ate at Sutton’s with Ross, ran through my entire repertoire book with my former accompanist, and rehearsed my song for Celeste’s wedding with Dr. Rhodes! I love North Carolina!

Other highlights from the past month:

Seeing Lion King with Marsha and Ali, and going out to dinner with Marsha, Ali and Claire in the city!

Cousins!

Coaching with the incredible Bob Cline… a casting director and friend who never fails to impress me.

Having lots of girls nights with Bridget! So glad we live in the same neighborhood now!

Going to the US Open with Will, our annual Labor Day tradition, and seeing three matches!

at the U.S. Open

Eating at Times Square Applebees with William and Geoff. Quality tourist move right there.

Seeing Sherrie and Matty’s Stevie Wonder Cover Band, “The Shades,” perform live at Ella Lounge!

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered"

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

Happy Anniversary to me!

Truth be told, I forgot yesterday was my one-year until about 10:30 am when I was walking down Lexington Ave, and I thought, "Wow this is a gorgeous day. It may be the prettiest day since I lived here... wait a second... I moved last August... Oh WOW today's my one-year." I had already scheduled auditions, and I had to work that night, so I didn't exactly do a big celebration, but it was fun nonetheless! I met up with a few of my favorite girls at Brother Jimmy's after work (they were so sweet to meet me out at 11:30pm during the week), and had drinks.

Celebrating at Brother Jimmy's!
Love these girls
(hate how dark this picture is!)

While I didn't party all day, I did a lot of thinking and reflecting. I thought about whether or not I have accomplished my goals for myself, and the answer is "yes" for about 90% of the realistic ones, and "sort of" for about 50% of the reach goals. (For example, I'm not starring in Priscilla Queen of the Dessert on Broadway...bummer. HAHA) Then, of course, so many things have happened that I didn't even foresee enough to make goals regarding them. All things considered, I'm pleased with where I am, and look forward to see where I am in a year! It's amazing how much can change in a year.

When I texted my parents, informing them that it was my one-year anniversary, my dad responded with "Yee haw!! Have a happy day!" My mom texted me and said, "Wow! Does it seem longer or shorter than a year?" I responded with, "I feel like I've been through enough shit for 5 years, but time has moved quickly." She responded, "I get that." My text was the jaded New Yorker side of me coming out, and I think a more eloquent way to express that is: "I've learned more in the past year than I did for all of college, but time has flown by so quickly." To be completely honest, I've learned many things the "hard way," but I think that's pretty common in one's first year out of school, and even more common in a city as challenging as New York.

I've learned a lot about:
myself
acting
show business
New York
people
shoes
friendships
public transportation
scheduling
relationships
kids (SO MUCH ABOUT THIS ONE)
money
accents/losing one

I could probably write a book, with each chapter being about what I learned in those categories this year, and in actuality, I probably will. For now, I'm going to stop blogging, and go begin the second year in my life as a New Yorker.