Wednesday, August 29, 2007

wow...

long distance relationships sure are fun and easy. prioritizing personal passion with committed love is tearing my heart out.

and, yes, i am in Cats. i will be playing Jennyanydots and tap-dancing in a fringe suit. if you are interested in seeing it, we play sept 27-oct13. get tickets!

much love...

Monday, August 27, 2007

the first day of school...

Well, well, well, I'm a grad student and let me tell you a couple of things about being a grad student here:
(keep in mind, I plan on keeping my own counsel while being here so this blog is my only outlet of keeping it real...)

1. When I am done here, I am going to be such a better person: smarter, more disciplined, more creative, and it is really exciting. I cannot begin to tell you how incredible the first day of classes (subject, curriculum-wise) was. Specifically Theater Research, despite the demands of having to read 4 full books and write abstracts on them every 2 weeks (yup, that's over 20 full books I'm reading in just ONE class this semester), is really exciting purely because of what it means for the potential of my career.
2. When you are directing a show that all the kids want to be in cuz it's naughty, UNDERGRADS HAVE NO SHAME. We're talking running up to me when I'm walking through the hall, in the restroom, in the middle of an audition (!!!) to tell me how much they love the show blah blah blah. It's hysterical. Don't they know I've learned my lesson about not getting close to students?
4. Surprisingly, I feel really comfortable and not overly overwhelmed with all the work. I'm already done with my homework for all of Wednesday's classes and the skills of multi-tasking have come back. That said, Tuesdays and Thursdays are much bigger in my schedule, so I will blog again at the end of week with the revised version of this statement.
6. I'm in love with my advisor. A third year director has taken me under his wing. I went out for drinks with the new professor and did well schmoozing at a Department Potluck. I'm okay.
7. Here I am after a really long day with so much news and thoughts and analyses to make and all I really want is my friends and Happy Hour at Green Mill. I guess water at an internet cafe will have to do for now. Miss you guys!
8. I miss Ben. I miss Ben. I miss Ben.

Not bad for a first day, right? Much love!!!

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering how Lex is doing without me, he started school this week and is doing really, really well and freaking everyone the fuck out. Go Monkey Go! :)

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

carter and logan!



In case I hadn't updated lately on how freakin' cute my nephews are, check it out! Remember how they were sick, tiny babies 8 months ago? Yeah, the days of tiny are long ago! Look at those cheeks!

That's Logan (Choppers) on the right and Carter (Spike) on the left...good nick names, huh?

And congrats to Breezy on her new ink in honor of the boys! I am nothing, if not supportive of scarring yourself for life with tattoos! Can't wait to see it!

And, yes everyone, I live in Mankato now. 4 days down, 3 years to go... It's not bad at all. Much love!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

it's all happening...

well, the time has finally come and it's beyond bizarre. i am spending 7 days in limbo, not really living anywhere, not really here, not really there, and then I GO BACK TO SCHOOL. it's hard to believe that somethig i worked so hard for and seemed so far away and unachievable a year ago, is actually here. it's crazy to look back to a year ago.

1 year ago, I was...
...heart-broken beyond words, completely shut down, devastated, and scared that i would never be a part of something that good again, scared that that was the best i'll ever be, scared that i hadn't made a difference, scared to be home
...working retail, wearing designer clothes that i couldn't afford, and wouldn't be caught dead out of the house without heels on.
...someone who had a bumper sticker that said 'babies kill dreams' and really believed it.
...dating someone just to date someone, trying to fill the void of leaving my first love.
...not a college graduate, despite having left college two years previous, and it hanted me.
...12 pounds thinner
...a girl who told everyone i was taking a year off and then going to grad school, never once believing that it could happen.

NOW, I am...
...grounded and at peace 85% of the time, crazy the other 15% but that's how i like it.:)
...a flip-flop wearing, Target-shopping fashion plate who thinks about the workers in India before I buy anything and cannot justify spending too much on anything...I can also probably count how many times I've worn heels this summer, though that makes me a little, teensy bit sad, as i do have a ferce shoe collection.
...a nanny and an aunt who is so in love with my boys my heart could burst at the thought of Lex, Carter, or Logan at any given moment.
...in love with a wonderful man who knows me inside and out and laughs with me everyday like true love.
...a college graduate and a MFA Directing candidate.
...thinking about how to get those 12 pounds off in time to maybe be in 'Cats' this fall. Think it can happen?
...a woman who has followed through on every single promise made about the future one year ago and for some reason, shocked that it is actually all falling into place. I made good on my word.

Sorry about this self-exploratory entry, but that's where my head is. Also while I'm at it, I've got to say how much I have enjoyed my year of vacation in Uptown. This year of not really doing theater and not working insane hours or being bogged down with the kind of responsibilty that comes from working with kids, teaching, or the creative process in general, has been so much fun! Root City Wednesdays, Grey's Thursdays, The Fam, the Big Green Couch, walks around Lake of the Isles, Calhoun, Harriet, Twins and Timberwolves games, snow nights, Santorini's, GREEN MILL, THE DINER, weekend visits with Gayle, LEX!!!, The Fam, The Fam, The Fam, and every second with Ben has been the kind of year you tell your kids about when they ask what you were like before you had them and they can't believe the kinds of stories you have for them. It's just been incredible so thank you for everyone that has been a part of this wonderful time of fresh breath and healing. I needed it.

But just for the record, I cannot WAIT to be doing theater again every day!!!!!! It's time!!
Come see me in Mankato, y'all...it'll be different, a new phase has begun for me, but I want you to be a part of it...
See you in 3!