2012!

Ross and me at Angus Barn!

Christmas in NC was absolutely wonderful! Though I was sick for the majority of my time home, it was wonderful to spend time with family, and just relax. I got to catch up with old friends, some of whom I haven't seen in years, and meet some new friends too! Once I started feeling better, I went to Chapel Hill for a voice lesson with my NC Voice teacher, did some apartment shopping with mom (We are decorating my NY apartment this month!), and ate at several of my favorite restaurants.

Fearsome Foursome from
Sanderson HS

Dad and me at Angus Barn for my belated
birthday celebration.

 After Christmas, Michelle flew back to NYC with me! After some stressful packing (well...really just over-packing), Michelle and I combined our luggage so that none of our bags were over 50 pounds. :) We had a blast in NY, and crammed two weeks of activities into 4 days. We saw "Bonnie & Clyde," "Godspell," and "Anything Goes." (More shows than I had seen in the past 6 months!!) They were all wonderful, and we saw all of them for about $100 total. My good friend William has "hook-ups" with his job and was able to help us out with tickets. We had so much fun!

Michelle & Me in front of the Rockefeller Tree!

HAPPY 2012! I had by far the best New Years I've ever had! My friends and I went to Brasserie, where my good friend Bridget is a bar-tender. We enjoyed balloons, great music, unlimited Moscato D'Asti (my favorite wine), and some dancing on the bar. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by such positive people, and true friends. We enjoyed each other's company immensely, and had a blast ringing in the new year!

Sayrah and me!

ADPi Love!

Shimmying with darling Geoff.

I feel like I have a lot to really look forward in 2012. 2011 was okay, but all of the negative aspects of 2011 already seem to be resolving, which makes me so excited about the new year. I keep thinking of the quote, "When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window," from Sound of Music. I auditioned for Sound of Music today, so it's been on my mind, and I just realized how applicable that quote is to my life right now. Some of the doors God closed in 2011, have already directed me to new "windows." Already in the last months of 2011 and the first days of 2012, God has blessed me with wonderful families to babysit, in addition to my fun job at Brother Jimmy's. I am growing so attached to the great children that I get to play with.
My favorite quotes of the week:

2-year-old: "I try to be as silly as Miss Emily!"
4-year-old: "I protect the nice girls from the bad guys at school. That's my job."
4-year-old: "I used to want to be a Daddy when I grow up, but now I think I'll be a cheerleader instead."

The friendships that seem to have drifted apart in 2011 are being supplemented by the new friends I've made, and the deepened relationships that have developed with long-time friends. I have so many positive voice and acting coaches in my life, that I'm really excited to continue to work with in the coming year. Overall, I'm just feeling really positive about 2012. Here are a some of my resolutions... what are yours? :)

1. Be prompt/on-time when it matters.
2. Surround myself with positive people.
3. Be more grateful for daily blessings.
4. Keep my apartment neater. (Haven't started that one yet)
5. 2-3 dance classes per week.
6. Practice voice 4 times per week.
7. Only take taxis when it's a safety issue...not a lazy issue.

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!