Monday 31 December 2012

"2012: A Year of Personal Growth and Reflection"


January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

Ok…so once again I fell behind on the whole blog thing. One of my resolutions for 2013 is to at least blog once a month. Even if it is only a sentence or two for that month I want to make sure I stay committed to keeping family and friends updated with something other than Facebook.


So lets play catch up:

Stacey M and I on the Subway!
January: I moved to NYC with 2 suitcases and no money.
February: I found a job with NY Kid Club. I also started my first time through “audition season” and learned some of the do’s and don’ts of the process.
NYC Cast of Guess Who's Coming to Seder
March: I moved into my first sublet with my friends Jessica Howell and David Brown in Astoria and love it! I also booked my first theatre gig. I was cast in Guess Who’s Coming to Seder, a reading of a new musical that was at the York Theatre.
Moving on the Subway!
April: I subletted my sublet and went to Tulsa to put the first production of Guess Who’s Coming to Seder up on its feet with Tulsa Project Theatre.
May: Finished up with Seder and came back to NYC.
June: I had my first “final callback” for Jersey Boys.
Gatlinburg, TN

July: I joined my family for vacation in Gatlinburg, TN.
August: I had my second “final callback” for the Les Miserables tour. I was promoted at work (NY Kids Club). I made plans to move into a new place in Astoria with some of my best friends from college. I flew to Dallas, rented a Budget Truck, and drove all of our stuff to NYC.
September: I moved into my new home in Astoria!!! There was a lot of moving things around and getting settled into the apartment. With a bittersweet goodbye, my grandmother went to be with the Lord & Papa and I flew back home to attend the service and celebrate her life.
October: First Halloween in the city and I celebrated it by going out in Manhattan dressed as a Power Ranger with Natalie. A visit from Hurricane Sandy made for an interesting lock in for my roommates and I. We are so very thankful to have stayed out of Sandy’s destructive path.
November: Unfortunately my parents had to cancel their trip to the city due to the destruction of Sandy. Had my first Thanksgiving in NYC with the roommates. GOT MY FIRST NYC CHRISTMAS TREE!!! J I also used some of this month to look through my audition material to clean out and prep new material in anticipation for Audition Season (January through April). 
December: I my first Christmas season in NYC! I went to the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and saw all of the beautiful window displays in the city. I visit family and friends in Nashville and Memphis and enjoyed so much southern food and Christmas cheer…I will be working for the next 6 months to loose the weight I gained in 7 days… 

     2012 was a great year. It wasn’t a year full of much theatre work but it was a year full of personal growth and reflection. From the excitement of moving to my dream city to the death of my grandmother, this year was full of ups and downs. I have realized through all of this that the best way for me to handle this roller coaster of life is to just be true to myself. There were times this year that I felt so lost and alone and there were times I felt so surrounded and supported by friends. I’m not sure what 2013 will hold for me but I look to God to lead me through it one day at a time.

     “Despite being the outsider for as long as I can remember, I look back fondly at my early and involuntary declaration of independence and realize God often seems to know what he is doing…preparing us perfectly for our tailor-made journeys that lie ahead. If we can only make it through the madness, endure the hate, the hurt, the shame and sadness…if we can tolerate and survive the neglect, the rejection or abuse…we often find that even the most painful of experiences can prove to be of use. They prepare us, season us, soften us and make us more compassionate…”  -James Alexander Langteaux-