good great grand amazing

it is GOOD

when a producer stops as he's walking toward you

shakes his fingers at you and looks as though he's trying really hard to remember something

(in most cases he will be trying to remember your name..)

and then announces that he was just thinking of you when discussing a new show.

it won't be for a year or so, he says.

"but i thought of you right away."

it is EVEN BETTER

when your friend and cast mate

who plays your 8 year old sister

somehow manages to get her bra

(which she was not wearing because we have specific ones for the show)

which happens to be black and lacy

attached to the back of her skirt and does an ENTIRE SCENE

in front of several thousand people

with it hanging off of the back of her.

yep, last night was all around amazing.

<3

it's time for a..

Grateful List!

this is my favorite activity ever!

okay, let's see...

i am GRATEFUL:

1. that i have the freedom to make choices

and then actually make those choices as opposed to becoming indecisive or stagnant.

2. that i'm living my dream every single day

and am in love with my "job".

3. that i have a healthy, strong, sexy body.

4. that i can communicate what i want and what i need.

5. that i will be able to grocery shop and cook in less than a week's time!

6. that i don't waste my time and i don't waste anyone else's time.

7. for my future dog(s) even though i haven't met them yet.

8. that i have the ability to learn whatever i decide i want to try.

9. that i have kind, strong, supportive women in my life.

10. that so many new adventures are on their way to me.

i swear making lists of things i'm grateful for makes my heart fill up and guarantees a great day. it's sort of impossible to focus on anything negative when you count your blessings.

try it <3

what are you grateful for?!

a love letter to my job

i'm not sure if you know,

but my job is very different than your job.

my job is the only workplace where:

1. my co-workers and i spend all of our time together outside of our work environment.

2. we live together, eat together, sleep together, travel together and play together.

3. we do not have any other important people around like friends or family.

4. we have worked together across the country and throughout canada.

5. we see each other naked. all the time. it's actually part of our job to change our clothing in front of one another and we even have other people who are hired to help us.

6. we have conversations with our co-workers while they are in the shower or on the toilet.

7. we know the details of who is sleeping with who, who is mad at who, who caused the current biggest drama, who is sick and with what and what bodily functions they have going on.

8. we celebrate birthdays and holidays with each other.

9. we speak in a strange language with words like "EPA's" and "ECC's".

10. it actually DOES matter what you look like, sound like, move like and how old you are.

11. we spend half our time pretending to be other people.

12. we are all somewhat selfish by nature and are completely okay with it.

13. our career goals, to an extent, are more important than almost everything else.

14. we can wear absolutely anything we want to our work place. anything.

15. we are very often given free food and free alcohol in exchange for spending time with strangers.

16. we did not choose our career, it chose us. and for most of us, it chose us at a very young age.

17. thousands of people pay money to watch us work.

18. our work day usually starts around 7 pm and ends around 11 pm give or take 30 minutes.

19. waking up early means being up by 10 am.

20. saturdays and sundays are our busiest work days of the week. monday is a breeze.

it's a strange existance

and i wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

not for stability, not for "normalcy", not for the comfort in knowing where your next paycheck will come from, not for all the things we miss being away from home, not for the people we lose because they can't understand our work and not for an easier lifestyle.

after about 13 years of being in theatre and

after 18 months of doing the same show 8 times a week,

i still get the biggest rush and the fullest heart

from performing.

my first true love.

rocking out in 1905

today is one of those days where i'd rather not listen to fiddler on the roof.

unfortunately, that's the show i'm currently in so i don't really have a choice.

so on days like this, when i am ready to never hear the soundtrack again,

i bust out my little secret weapon:

headphones.

and everything is totally cool :o)

[can people at regular jobs do this?

can you guys just bust out headphones and put them on?

or would that be a big no-no?

regular jobs fascinate me!]

i am grateful for little distractions.

xo

p.s. isn't this little girl the cutest ever?!

history lessons

don't tell NYC or LA but...

i kind of LOVE DC!

from Sticky Fingers Bakery (a very serious YUM.)

to Busyboys & Poets (yum again!)

to all the FREE museums and historical monuments

to the beautiful tree lined streets with townhouses painted bright colors

DC offered a more peaceful version of my beloved new york!

i can honestly see why people move there.

my two very bestest friends came to visit and one of them

completely fell in love with the city

(i can see her moving there, too!)

it just kind of makes you want to buy a bike and live in the district.

the National Theatre where we performed

i want the blue one!

opening night party

hanging with some elephants at the natural history museum

xo

give!

while we were in Washington, DC

(post to follow!)

my cast and i put on our third BC/EFA benefit!

BC/EFA = Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

which raises money for lots and lots of different important health organizations

including a women's clinic, research, the Actor's Fund, etc.

i've added some pics here but you can check out the write up here!

the night was so wonderful - it was a packed room filled with excited humans who were willing to shell out some cash and play along with our raffles and songs.

if you came, i like you a lot.

more on DC soon!

raising money and singing for a great crowd?

sign me up for that any day.

xo

making my own silver lining

i have been feeling particularly bad for myself over the past few days.

it is my belief that feeling bad for one's self does not help any situation.

in fact, i truly believe that it only makes things worse.

so, in the spirit of healing and happiness, i submit to you, dear readers:

my grateful list

1. my mom

(who has been taking super good care of me even when i'm cranky).

2. extra time away from performing reminds me how much i love + need it.

3. amazing friends

(who have been sending well wishes full of love).

4. not getting what i want

(because it makes me work even harder).

5. other people's blogs who keep me company during days like these

(like this one + this one + this one).

6. creativity! + good ideas

(which keeps my mind moving even when i want it to be still).

7. NYC, LA, Austin, NJ

(+ the other beautiful and interesting places i've been this year).

8. adventures + future adventures.

9. pretend designing my future homes.

10. the ability to learn new skills

(+ crossing things off my to-do list).

i feel better already :o)

what are you grateful for today?

xox

did you know ...

... this Thursday, April 8th, 2010 is One Day Without Shoes?

TOMSshoes (which i love, love, love!)

has declared this Thursday a day to rid your feet of shoes and spend a day learning what it's like to be without shoes. they've recruited many a celebrity to make videos to promote the day and have set up events all around the country (world?) where folks can get together and support each other and their barefootedness.

check out www.onedaywithoutshoes.com

for more info and for nifty little banners like the ones i've got posted here.

you can even replace your current facebook/twitter/tumblr/blogger/etc icons

with the stickers and banners and so forth that are found in the toolkit.

i changed my facebook and my twitter!

see, all the cool kids are doing it!

and these kids over at TOMS are no dummys

(they are the opposite)

and know that lots of people can't go shoeless all day

and so they covered that little issue with this logo:

cause sometimes it's not about doing everything

it's just about doing something.

spread the word

BUY TOMS

(vegan!!)

and spend a minute, hour or day learning what it's like

to walk in somebody else's (non-existent) shoes.

give. give, give, give.

xox

Think Happy Thoughts..

i rediscovered my love for Operation Nice tonight.

have you checked it out? if not, go do it! i'll wait.

a year and a half ago, i had the privilege of interviewing the woman who created and runs the blog and spreads kindness every single day. she was just as cool as i thought she would be and the interview was done through email. when you can tell someone is cool from email, you know you have met someone amazing.

i particularly love the posters she created (as seen above) because it reminds everyone who sees it that simple, everyday gestures like holding a door or sharing a smile or some kind words can do wonders for the people you encounter each day and for yourself. think about it: don't you feel so much better after giving someone else a compliment or keeping a smile on your face even when you're exhausted or frustrated? it really helps me to be kind when i'm in a grouchy mood. check out her blog when you need a pick me up!

spread that love -- xo

LOVE is...

... a tiny two year old seeing how you are sitting and copying it to be more like you.

... a little dude knowing who you are and busting out smiles when the last time you saw him, he was still a little mush of a baby and now he is a small person with thoughts and ideas.

have i mentioned i love these babies?

my cousin Jen is the mommy to Ryan & Cyrus and has a super amazing 8 year old step-daughter named Brooke, too.

i need to get me some new Brooke photos, stat!

my cousin is the coolest of cool. just a few years ago she was still a wild child, out adventuring in the world and in the past three years she has gotten married, become a mom and moved four hours away. the cool thing is that she is still totally herself. she still has the same sense of humor and way of being but has all these new traits, too. i love that she's maintained herself throughout all of these life changing, amazing blessings and challenges.

i like her a lot :o)

who is your favorite family member?

xo

there have been numerous times today where i was smacked in the face with how unbelievably blessed i am and how completely and entirely grateful i am.

for this tour, for these people, for this time, for this adventure, for this certainty, for these lessons, for these words, for this love, for this day, for this second.

i am so grateful.

i felt like i had to write this after so much awareness today. i couldn't ignore it.

i am grateful for you reading this.

i am blessed to be able to write it.

spread love.

the way i see things

go west.

(then come back east. then go west again. and repeat.)

photo: San Francisco, CA. February, 2010.