Needless to say, I haven't written in a while. It's been over 6 weeks and I feel bad about it. I keep trying to remind myself to at least post some pictures, but I haven't even made myself do that and I'm sorry.
Why haven't I posted? Lots of reasons I guess. I have been busy and in my spare time I like being vegetative and not creative...ie: Watching the entire first season of Glee on Cast TV, playing ridiculous games online, etc. In short, I enjoy wasting time in my spare time. Sad but true.
Also, I would get so far behind on updating this thing that I felt like I could never catch everyone up on what was happening anyway, so it was easier to ignore it.
Another reason: I didn't know what to write and I didn't want to write some of the depressing things that I was thinking. I didn't want to post long blogs about how homesick I was or how I was sick of touring and felt lonely or how I was frustrated that doing what I love to do (acting for a living) makes it almost impossible to live any sort of a normal life. I didn't want to bring anyone down and I don't like whining (especially in electronic form) so....I've avoided my blog. And I'm sorry.
But now I'm back. So here's a quick recap of the highlights of the past few weeks:
1. I was in the northeast for a long while and I really liked it. I went around Pennsylvania and Maryland. I got to spend the day at the Holocaust museum and had a nice dinner right outside of D.C.'s Chinatown.
2. The guys in the van didn't secure the box that holds all our stage weights...so they came loose and crushed my luggage. It's still useable, but a little worse for the wear.
3. I had several free days in Manhattan. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel in Tribeca and I tried to make the most of it. I ate great food, saw old friends from my year at the Know and grad school and saw some great theatre--A Behanding in Spokane with Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell and Time Stands Still with Laura Linney, Brian D'Arcy James, Eric Bogosian and Alicia Silverstone. Both were amazing and reminded me of why theatre is still important. I also ran into (almost literally) Paul Giamatti in a subway and Toni Collette was hanging out at the karaoke bar that I went to in the East Village. Brushes with greatness. AMAZING.
4. After NYC we headed south...after some amazing stops like Statesville, NC and Newnan, GA we crossed down into Florida. We did a night of Miami South Beach, Pompano Beach, Clearwater, Tampa, etc. We ate tons of seafood and got some sun and it was glorious.
5. We stopped in Paducah, KY. It was actually a lovely place. They have a program that is designed to get artists into the town by giving them old Victorian houses to live in for free as long as they fix them up and make them open galleries five days a week. They also had a great Argentinean restaurant that we enjoyed.
6. We went through Arkansas (close to Fayetteville, sigh) and spent a few days in Texarkana. My Mommy came and we went to Shreveport, Louisiana and had a great time! Mom got to see the show in Texarkana and so did Dad, Linda, Aunt Kim and my sweet little step-niece Haven. They all loved it and I have quite the agenda for coloring, stickering, hide-and-seeking, etc., with my little girl once I get back.
7. We went back up north to Chicago and I got to spend 2 nights with Kyle (from TU) and one night with Abbey (from U of A). It was a balm for my soul to be with my wonderful friends and spend time in the city. I saw 2 great shows (one at Steppenwolf) and auditioned for a company while I was in town. All in all, a great trip and I SO didn't want to leave.
8. From Chicago we headed north to the Canadian border and cooler temperatures. Currently we're in Grand Rapids, MN, the birthplace of Judy Garland. We went to a museum dedicated to her and saw the house she was born in. It was pretty cool.
So there are the highlights of the last 6ish weeks. I have seen some pretty amazing stuff. I've gotten to visit some wonderful people. I've gotten to see lots of our fabulous country. And I've gotten paid to do it. Which sums up most of my experience of this tour.
After it's all said and done I will have seen 35 of our United States. That's just insane.
It's been challenging to say the last.
Honestly, this year has been the hardest of my life so far. I've lost my Papa, made some major life changes and been away from home and living in hotels for 4 months.
I missed being there for my family during this time of grief. I missed my friends' babies being born and growing. I've missed a lot. And that's the hardest thing for me.
But I've also learned what I can take. And it's a lot. More than I thought I could. And for that, I'm proud.
I couldn't have done ANY of this without the support and love of everybody back home. I appreciate my friends and family more than I can say. I have been so blessed to have you in my life and if I can support you and be there for you one-tenth as much as you have been for me, then my prayers are answered.
I don't know what the next step will be for me. I have some soul searching and decision making and, if I'm smart, praying to do to figure things out. Bottom line, I am more blessed than anybody has a right to be and I know that there is a plan for my life...I just have to find it.
So, blah blah blah...sentimental and philosophical. Sorry for the delay in blogging. I will put some pics up here soon. Tomorrow we leave Grand Rapids and start east for our final trip into Philadelphia. Lots to see and do there, so it will be fun!
I love you all and I can't wait to see you SOON!
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