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.

So many celebrations!

Frying Pan with my UNC friends!

The second half of July was celebration central in NYC! So many friends of mine had birthdays, got engaged, got promotions... nothing too exciting happened to me, but it sure was fun going out and celebrating with everyone!

dancing with the birthday girl,
Katie Jane, at Libation

Katie Jane's Birthday

Julie and Stan's belated engagement party! They're so cute.

Equally exciting was Leslie's return to the city after going on tour in "Wizard of Oz." It is GREAT to have her back.

moving Leslie from storage unit to her
new apartment, in my neighborhood!

Starting my job at Brother Jimmy's has been awesome. It's busy and crazy at times, but it's by far the best restaurant I could have ever asked for. Everyone has been so welcoming. I told my friend that training felt like Bid Day at Carolina, because all of the girls were introducing themselves and welcoming me! There is no shortage in attractive (often Southern) guys that come in, which is a nice little perk. The managers are kind, everything is organized, and the food is great!  I'm really happy to be working there!

Meg moved out officially, and took the majority of the apartment with her, so I've been doing a lot of rearranging. I've purchased a lot of things to replace what she brought home with her, and still have a long way to go. It's been a lot of work, but fun getting to choose the color schemes for the different rooms, and decorate a little bit. So far, my favorite is my blue and white bathroom, with the blue seersucker shower curtain. Otherwise, I am waiting on a lot of big decorating decisions until my new roommate arrives, because I want her to feel like it's her apartment too!

swimming in the ocean with William

As an early birthday celebration for William, William, Geoffrey, Alexis and I went to Long Beach for the day on Saturday. It was wonderful to be out of the city, relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. It won't ever compare to an NC beach, but it's pretty fantastic for the north.

beach bound on the train with Geoff!

Summer has been great, but I'm ready for fall. It has been SO hot here, and nothing is worse than sweating in the subways, underground, where it's 15 degrees warmer than on the street. I know this month of August will be a scorcher, but September is going to be fantastic, I just know it!