LA



This will probably be my one and only souvenir from Los Angeles. I love these cute Starbucks mugs. Regret not buying one in NYC.

 

Happy Birthday Loryn!

Our late night rehearsals are finally over! Everyone seems to have an out of control donut obsession though. Can’t wait to get on the ship and start eating like I normally would. I think we’ve all been spending entirely too much time together. Not a bad thing, but Sarah and I have said the same thing at the same time 2 days in a row haha… Anyway, last night we celebrated Loryn’s birthday with amazing food (homemade guac, pizza, cookies, cake, etc.) and fun. We also have an affinity for Tom's and surprised Loryn with another cute pair. Other casts came over to celebrate with us as well. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to some of our friends as they have left to board their ship already!

 

The words on the wall have special meaning to our cast.

We love you Loryn!

Time Flies

4 to midnight rehearsals began last night. I prefer rehearsing late, because that’s what I’m used to from high school and arena football. I love having the day to get things done. We are working on cleaning our final show before we begin some more office runs. Apparently we are ahead of the game and ended up getting out early. I can’t believe we are going to be getting on the ship next week. We will only have rehearsal next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, pack Thursday and leave Friday.  This time flew by. I think I will miss California and wish I could have seen more, but I’m ready to travel the world with some great people.

I think last Saturday’s rehearsal challenged me most. We learned a show that we may never even perform on the ship. It really messed with my brain. We had been learning so much in such a short amount of time that this was just not sticking. It’s funny how the simplest movements are the most difficult to retain. It’s going to be interesting to go back and do the shows that we learned in the beginning after putting them aside for a few weeks.

Getting ready to leave the country has been stressful. My suitcase broke so I had to go out and buy a new one, my credit card was declined since my bank messed something up, and my phone isn’t working properly. That reminds me, WHAT WILL I DO WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY? I have a communications degree and am about to be stripped of all forms of communication. I will have it occasionally, but still…

Disneyland!

I channeled my inner 5-year-old at Disneyland yesterday. My cast was fortunate enough to have connections and we got in for free!  Our day began at 9am and we did not get home until about midnight.  We waited no longer than 40 minutes for every ride we went on.  We experienced so much in just one day including tons of rides, awesome food, the parade, a production of Aladdin, the amazing water/lights show, "World of Color," a great show called "Fantasmic," and the fireworks.  Fantasmic was the perfect way to end our day, because we had VIP seating and free boxes filled with desserts and cheese as well as unlimited drinks!!! My favorite ride of the day was definitely the teacups. Sarah and I could not stop laughing as we spun around like idiots. We were the only adults on the ride...




Us girlies in front of the castle!

 

Ariel has always been my favorite.



Coolest balloons I've seen.

I do not understand how families can afford to go. If we had not gotten in for free, it would have been over $100 each not including food and $15 parking. I think it would be so fun to work at Disney though. I was impressed by the show that we saw and we all agreed that it really is the happiest place. We could not stop smiling the entire day. Seriously, check it out. It was my first trip to Disneyland. I had been to Disney World once when I was 4 and I think I had more fun now than I did then!

Take My Picture!

As I previously mentioned, our cast loves Apples to Apples and even created our own version. One of the singers in my cast, Ray Garcia, is an incredible photographer and makeup artist. He was kind enough to make us beautiful and camera-ready for our cast's photoshoot. At the company we work for, there are posters all over the walls made by each cast. People get really creative.

 

We went with the apple theme! Amazing what you can do with an apple... Modeling and being in front of the camera are among my favorite activities so I was loving it. It was a fun night of bonding and we ended up with some gorgeous photos. Everyone looked absolutely stunning.




They are the best!

Pink Lady



 

I'll post a picture of our poster when it's complete. By the way...we are already half-way through rehearsals. Time really does fly. Can't wait to board the ship in 2 weeks!

 

Let's Get Some Shoes

Yesterday, we all went to try on shoes for our shows. The fittings were held in a warehouse/storage/costume building. There were racks and racks of fabulous costumes and an entire room just for the shoes. I'm happy to say that I will be rocking a new pair of LaDuca's (my dance shoe of choice). LaDuca's are just so much easier to dance in. The Rockettes wear them so you know they are the best. I also wear white go-go boots and some flats. This experience has me excited to try on my costumes. I am a showgirl in one of our shows and know that once I try that ensemble on, I will be better able to play the part. I love feeling glamourous, especially onstage.

 

We will be wearing wigs in the show. I have never worn one before. It will be quite the experience. Hope they don't fly off of my head and into the audience!

My List

Today is my day off to rest and do absolutely nothing. I'm currently watching Pretty Woman and contemplating reading by the pool in sunny California (rough life!) I'm a fan of making lists and it's neat to check things off and see how far you've come. Thought it would be fun to share my list of goals:

1.       Get a job doing what I love.

2.      Become a Rockette.

3.      Go to an NFL game.

4.      Do a wine tasting.

5.      Intern at a PR firm.

6.      Go to Europe.

7.      Get a PR job.

8.     Act in a commercial.
9.     Get an agent.

10.  Dance for a sports team.

11.   Get Married.

12.  Model in New York City.

13.  Visit Los Angeles.

14.  Join a sorority.

15.   Become more involved with the Alzheimer’s Association.

16.  Move somewhere fun.

17.   Learn to shoot a gun.

18.  Write a book or at least freelance/have a popular blog.

19.  Place at my first real beauty pageant (Top 20 at Miss NY USA 2012 baby!!)

20. Win a Miss USA state pageant.

21.  Explore Cleveland more.

22. Live in New York City.

23. Have a family/all that good stuff.

24. Become a role model/inspire someone to follow their dreams.

25.  Attend a music festival.

26.  Go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (or dance in it).

27.  See Luke Bryan in concert.

28.  See Lady Gaga in concert.

29.  Meet my dance role model.

30.  Become involved with an Alpha Delta Pi Alumnae Association.

31.  Visit all 50 states.

That's all for now, but I plan to add more.

Put The Good Times In Your Pocket, Let The Bad Ones Make You Strong

What a week… It’s not easy to pack up your life and move on or just move in general. I’m definitely one of those people who needs closure. I didn’t get that with my last relationship. The other night I had a dream in which my ex apologized to me. I woke up thinking it was real. Perhaps it symbolizes the closure that I may never recieve in reality and this is my cue to actually move forward. Who knows, but it’s weird to me how the mind works. I haven't been thinking about him much since I left, because my time has been devoted to dancing and getting to know my cast. I tend to block out events in my life where the outcomes are not ideal instead of taking the time to deal with them. Right now, I have no time and he is just another misfortune I have to lock away and revisit later…or never. I also manage to focus solely on the positive memories of the past instead of the negatives. At least with this one, I know I didn’t do anything wrong. I will never EVER apologize for doing what I love and following my dreams. It is going to take a strong man to accept that. At least I make the one I’m in a relationship with a priority and not an option. 

From Pinterest <3

In rehearsal news, we have learned 4 shows in 8 days! My brain is stuffed. This is without a doubt a wonderful experience. I am making friends, making money, getting in shape, and most importantly, being challenged. This will all help me in my pursuit of becoming a great cruise ship dancer, Rockette, NFL dancer and country music video girl in the near future. I am definitely living my dream. It is weird to think that this is work, but then I consider the struggle and rejection I have dealt with leading up to this moment and I couldn’t be happier to be doing this instead of something less exciting. Yesterday, we had a meeting with our production manager where we watched a video on our ship and discussed rules. Cruise ships are huge and it’s difficult to know which areas are off-limits based on the brochure we were given, but once we board, I know it will make more sense. I’m just beginning to enjoy Los Angeles now that we will be leaving soon. 3 weeks from today I will be performing my first show and sailing away! The only complaint I have at the moment is no air conditioning in our apartment and I'm pretty sure it's about 100 degrees. Anyone want to come over and do some Bikram?

Cookout

We had a cookout after work. One of the guys in my cast has BA grilling skills and I ended up with some yummy chicken kabobs. Later on, Sarah and I spent time going over our dances in the pool. That pool must be magical, because we remembered EVERYTHING! Unfortunately, we had to relearn quite a bit in rehearsal today since we learned some things yesterday that were not correct.

 

My overly enthusiastic about chicken kabobs face?

Rehearsals

This week, we put together our first show with the singers. That was such a cool experience. So much talent in one room. We also had an office run yesterday, which basically meant we performed for our bosses and everything had to be close to show-ready. I wore all black and rocked red lips. I was a little nervous, but I think they liked it. Sarah and I dance well together, which makes it more fun. We already learned our second show and will begin yet another one tomorrow. Each show is unique and we get to perform more than one style. 



Clearly, we are taking advantage
of technology while we can!

There is so much to learn that I have to write down all of my numbers and videotape each dance. Hopefully it will become second nature by the time we get on the ship. There are still 3 shows left to learn and 3 weeks to perfect everything. I'm just now getting into a routine here in Cali. We found a cute lunch place called Veg It Up. Best blueberry smoothie I've ever had! For fun after rehearsals, my cast created our own version of Apples to Apples based on our jobs/random things. We all get along well, so I think 8 months on a ship with them is going to be a blast.

Hollywood

 

5 of us cruisers went to Hollywood today! Pretty sure we saw the houses of many celebrities as we drove up the occasionally creepy, winding hills.  La La Land is pretty cool.

 

 

Then we went to the Walk of Fame.

 

 

Hoping to have my own star one of these days.

 

 

 

Rodeo Drive was my favorite. Wish we could have spent more time there. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Except I couldn't buy anything, because I've yet to find a sugar daddy (kidding). Paid a visit to Sprinkles Cupcakes where they have cupcake ATMs! Best invention ever in my opinion. A little too convenient... Of course I couldn't just have one. I got a chocolate marshmallow and a peanut butter.

 

 

Thankfully, we took an extremely long walk on the beach in Santa Monica to burn off these guilty pleasures.

 

 

There was even a giant yoga class on the pier. Would have loved to participate had I known.

 

 

I'm really enjoying California!

 

I feel like Marissa Cooper



My friend Danielle, whom I met at the Miss NY USA pageant, showed me around Santa Monica last night. I absolutely loved everything about it. We started at a Mexican restaurant and ended up playing pool with a few guys from Whales (random). After that, we headed to the pier to ride the roller coaster and ferris wheel. I felt like Marissa Cooper from the O.C. (minus Ryan Atwood and the Kick-Off Carnival).

Love her!



Pier.

I’m convinced that I’m living in a dream world. I could picture myself moving here. Then again, I can picture myself living everywhere I visit and enjoy. That’s a real problem, but I’m working on it. It was great to catch up with her. We are very similar in that we let nothing stand in the way of our dreams. She’s such a go-getter and it’s so inspiring. We left the places we're from in order to accomplish goals that are only attainable elsewhere. It's nice to be in the company of people who understand this crazy performing arts world.  My castmates are this way as well. Everyone is here living their dreams. I feel more comfortable in this new place knowing I have people like this to guide me.  

Cleaning Up

I forgot to mention the other day that our contract was extended. I will be at sea until mid-June. At first I was concerned, because it's such a long time to be away and wanted to wait and adjust to ship life before I agreed to it. However, I think that by May an extra 6 weeks at sea will seem like nothing. We'll be back in the country by that time and that just means that I'm able to do what I love for a little bit longer.

Haha ...this is not part of the choreography!

I feel so much better about what we learned yesterday after our rehearsal today. We spent 2 hours cleaning each of the dances and going over numbers. I can learn things super quickly, but tend to forget them just as fast. I think the movement is becoming more natural to me and I can begin focusing more on the performance aspect and selling it now. I am so sore. I can't lift my leg after doing countless developes. We have tomorrow off though. Woohoo!

First Day

Today was the first day of rehearsal for us dancer girls. There is only one other dancer, Sarah. We get along and perform well together, so it should be a great contract. It felt like we were on our way to the first day of school. We packed lunches and took a picture (ha!) We learned an ENTIRE show. My brain is a hot mess right now. Not only do we have to remember all of the intricate details of the choreography, we must also stay together and utilize numbers, depths, props (feathers, balls, masks). We will be learning at least 1 show per week.  Our teacher videotaped our most difficult piece for us to practice and I also keep a notebook so as to not forget anything major. Tomorrow we will spend a few hours cleaning what we've learned thus far.

 

Do What You Love And You'll Never
Work A Day In Your Life.

After rehearsal we just chilled by the pool in the California sunshine. One of the guys in my cast told me that I have pretty feet. That made my day! It's important to have good feet in dance :P It really hit me during rehearsal today that I am living my dream. I've worked incredibly hard and dealt with so much horrible rejection in order to get here, but I would never sacrifice my experience for anything. Dancing can be physically and emotionally draining at times, especially when rehearsing long hours. It can also be a life-saver and a release unlike any other. I know that I'm so fortunate to have a job that I actually enjoy. Hopefully I won't be eating my words once we board the ship. I've never been on a cruise and have no clue if I get sea sick!

La La Land

Saying goodbye to my family and puppy was the worst. I could not stop crying. I know that this is a wonderful, life-changing opportunity, but leaving never gets any easier. After 2 long flights, I finally made it to Los Angeles. I absolutely love my cast. Everyone is so talented and kind. We went out to a fun Mexican restaurant last night and bonded. So fortunate to be with people who have done cruises before and can show me the ropes. Two of them are from the UK! So cool. I feel like I've known them forever. The apartments are going to take some getting used to, but we won't be here long. I feel like I'm in college again (sleeping in the top bunk!)

Singer/Dancers

Today was our orientation. We went over rules and information about rehearsals and cruising. We were measured for costumes and given a tour of the studios where we will be rehearsing. Rehearsals begin tomorrow and run 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. I'm really looking forward to touring Hollywood and maybe seeing some friends on our days off.

Our cast!

 

 

I'm homesick, but I think that once I start dancing and have something to focus on, I will be fine! They already want to extend our contract by 6 weeks. That means I will miss the first Rockette audition in May, but will for sure make it to the August one!

California Dreaming

One of my best friends, Jenn, wrote a really nice post about me. Please check out her great blog!

 

...Not sure how great communication/technology will be in the middle of the ocean, but I promise to try to update my blog as much as possible. I head to rehearsals in LA this week and am so looking forward to meeting the rest of the cast. We have trips to Disney, the Hollywood sign, and the Walk of Fame planned for our days off. I know rehearsals will be rigorous, but I love having something to focus on and can't wait to learn the shows. I haven't performed for a large crowd since I danced for arena football in 2010!

 

 

It is going to be especially hard to leave though considering we got a puppy! She is going to do dog shows though, so that will keep my mom occupied while I'm gone.