How to meet a man while you do your laundry...

So, like most NYers, I have the regular opportunity of doing my laundry in a public location. Fortunately, our apartment building has a laundry room in the basement. This is especially convenient, since I normally let my laundry go as long as possible--thus, I am often wearing my last remaining clean "outfit" when I do my laundry. This outfit is often composed of mismatching, ill-fitting articles of clothing that happen to be too ugly to wear on any other day.

Last Friday was no different. I was preparing to leave town for the weekend, and I needed to get a few things done before I left. Since I didn't have to work until the afternoon, it seemed like a prime time to finish some laundry. I went downstairs in all my "laundry outfit" glory--baggy capri sweat pants, yellow (did I mention that yellow is a horrible color on me) t-shirt with paint on it and the neck cut out, glasses, no make-up, and a really "special" hairdo somehow piled on top of my head. Basically, I looked worse than when I rolled out of bed that morning.

As I put my clothing into the dryer, a very handsome man walks into the laundry room. He's putting his clothes into the washers. We talk briefly, and then I go upstairs. Being the dork that I am, I didn't think to change before I went back downstairs--I was busy getting some work done! I went back down to grab my dry laundry (still in my awesome outfit, and sweating because it was already really hot and muggy). As I'm pulling my clothing out of the dryers, in walks the hot guy to change his stuff to the dryers. For some reason we start chatting... and we continue to chat... and we chat some more. This whole time, I'm sweating profusely because I am holding the sack with my fresh-out-of-the-dryer clothing. Then he asked me if I wanted to grab coffee with him. Huh?! Really?! (I didn't say those things, but I thought them)

At this point I realized that he was flirting with me--yes, I can be fairly clueless. So, I looked at myself, looked back at him, and said, "umm, sure...if I can change first, then yeah." I know--I'm so eloquent. Anyway, he says he'll meet me out front in 10 min. I run inside, change, put in my contacts, stick my hair back (since it iis hopeless), and somehow make myself presentable enough to go back outside (still without make-up).

We went to "coffee," though I stuck to my good ole' cranberry juice. We had a really great time, and only stopped because I had to go to work. He walked me back to the laundry room, and asked if I'd like to go do something with him this week. Of course, I said yes... and tonight's date was great!

So, I have no idea if this will go anywhere. He knows I'm LDS, and that I'm active in the church. We'll see what happens. If nothing else, it's a great story!!! So the moral is:
Be careful what you wear on laundry day--you can never be sure who you will meet.

Hugs,
Jamie

Vegas for the Summer!

So, the big news for the moment is that I will be in Vegas for the summer. I fly out on June 26th and come back mid/late August. I will be living with my Aunt Sondee (she's a rockstar--no really, she is!)

I am soooo excited to be so close to everyone at home.

See you all soon!

p.s. I promise to put up something about my most recent NYC adventures soon! hugs

This week in free tickets...

One of the benefits of living in New York City and working in theatre is that I randomly end up with comp tickets on a semi-normal basis. The last few weeks have been particularly full. However, this week I was only planning on seeing one show and ended up seeing two shows at the last minute. What a blast! So, here are my reviews of what I saw this week:

MONDAY
Bernadette Peters Live at the Minskoff Theatre
Monday evening I finished work and headed out the door. As I checked my phone, I noticed that I had a message from a friend asking me to babysit. However, when I called, they were already set and asked if I wanted to go with them to see Bernadette Peters in concert (free ticket, of course). It was BRILLIANT! She is amazing. Her voice has never been what you would call pretty. If you listen to a recording of her, you won't understand how anyone can love her so much. BUT she is a brilliant actress and amazing performer! When she sang "Fever," you could feel the temperature of the theatre rise. FANTASTIC! I could go on and on about her, but suffice it to say that I was in the presence of a Real Broadway Mega-Star and Diva (not to mention Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Mary Tyler Moore, Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig, assorted other TV, movie, and Broadway stars).

THURSDAY
Wishful Drinking
This show was planned ahead. I work for Roundabout Theatre Company, and it is one of our shows. All I can say is... Carrie Fischer and all her baggage--it was HILARIOUS and very sad all wrapped into one. I came away still giggling from her show and praying with gratitude for my family and life. That woman is fabulous and quite the comedian. And the segment about "Hollywood Inbreeding" was...I can't think of a word that captures it...but it was crazy.

FRIDAY
Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular
Another surprise for me. I got a call from a friend I'd met the night before asking if I'd like to go. He works for the LDS Public and International Affairs office, and so I ended up sitting next to the Argentinian Ambassador.
So...Holy Cow, giant show!!! I didn't realize that shows this ginormous still existed. That place is crazy. And the budget on the show has to be astronomical. The only time I have seen a hall that large was when I've gone to the Met Opera. The Rockettes are amazing, but I am glad I am not one of them. The singers were great. Santa was lovely. What surprised me most was that the whole last part was the telling of birth of Christ--camels, sheep, angel, donkey and all. It was surprising and gratifying that such a commercial, mainstream show would remember the true reason why we have Christmas (even with glitz).

Well, that's it for this week. I'm going to see Mary Poppins again on Monday. [insert evil scientist laugh--"Mwah hahaha!"--here] I love my work!

Good News!

So, I know that I've done a horrible job blogging and I owe everyone (yes, you too mom) a ton of pictures from this summer and the beginning of this fall. I will try to repent and get on that before this month is out. However, I wanted to share this good news first.

In case you didn't know, my work in New York is contract based. I am what is called a Teaching Artist for three different theatre companies here in the city (Disney on Broadway, Roundabout Theatre Co, and Queens Theatre in the Park). Well, because the work is contract based, you're always looking to hire on with another company to expand your possible work base. That leads to today...

Today, I auditioned for a program called Dancing Classrooms. If you've seen "Mad Hot Ballroom" or "Take the Lead," then you've seen the movies on this program. If you haven't seen them, you may want to rent one of them and see what it's about. "Why?" you may ask... because I got the job, and I'm super excited. This group is different than my other Teaching Artist jobs, because it is ballroom dance based instead of theatre. I'm super excited! Ballroom has been a love of mine since BYU, and I've wanted to be part of this program since I saw "Mad Hot Ballroom."

Well, now it's off to bed. I have to be up early in the morning to work out. I started the 90 day P90X Challenge. I'll let you know how it goes. Rock on!

Just keep swimming...

Do you ever have those times when you feel like you just can't get control on things? You know, like when you thought you had everything important under control, and then it just seems to slip through your fingers without you realizing it until it's gone. That's how I feel right now. It's hard not to get discouraged when that happens. But we get up and keep going. So, tonight, I'm going to read my scriptures, drink some warm yumminess, and get a good night's rest. Tomorrow, I will get up (literally and figuratively) and figure it out again. Yeah, that sounds good. :D

*hugs*

Jamie's Life Lessons...Reality Show Style

So, my birthday is tomorrow, and I'm musing on the many things that I've learned this past year. But the question is, what was the most important thing I learned this year? If this was a reality show, I would just list the top 12 (or 13) things and then I'd let you vote on which was number 1. Hmm, I kind of like that idea...

I like it so much that I'm going to do it! That's right! So here are the rules, 1) read; 2) comment with your vote; 3) remember that I love you!

Here it goes.

Jamie's Life Lessons during her 27th (or something like that) year:

1. It's possible to date like a guy while still being a feminine lady

2. I'm dang good at what I do, and I have no reason to be afraid of working with my peers

3. Guitar Hero World Tour is a lot of fun to play, but gets lame when there are a bunch of guys that take over the game controls

4. Substitute Motherhood is way more difficult and rewarding than anything else I've ever done

5. I can play the piano and conduct a band for a 60 minute rock musical with only a few days notice

6. Boker Tov means "Good Morning" and Lila Tov means "Good Evening"-- and I need to learn Hebrew

7. I really love working in education and really hate working in marketing

8. People sell/buy a pair of jeans for over $200

9. In order to increase my income, I need to start performing again

10. The professional theatre world is like a Disney ride--it's a small, small world

11. I am neither a republican nor a democrat. I am an American

12. It can rain, snow, and be warm & sunny all within the same week in NYC

13. I can get even pastier (whiter and paler) than I already was, but I still tan very well

14. The Lord is keenly aware of me and regularly performs miracles in my life

Some friends threw me an early Birthday Party on Sunday.

I love you all! May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Fun Times and Good Friends in the Last Week of February

Life is pretty good. In fact, I'm in a constant state of feeling overwhelmed by the many blessings that the Lord has poured out upon me. I am so grateful for how wonderful my day-to-day life seems to be. However, some weeks are even better than average. Last week was definitely one of those.



MONDAY: The week started off super well with a large gathering (Stake FHE--see "Cookies" to hear a little more about that adventure) and a movie (I saw Push. Has anyone else seen that yet? I don't think I would have gone by myself, but it was my friend Tessa's birthday).



TUESDAY: The next day I had work (which is always good) and then, on the way home, I helped an old friend, Shawna, pack up her apartment. It was so nice that we got to chat and catch-up. I ended up inheriting 6 new purses, cleaning supplies, and a bunch of brand new make-up from Victoria's Secret (she didn't want to stick it in storage). It was like Christmas all over again!



WEDNESDAY: American Idol! I watched it at my friend's house just so I could see my cute cousin (Kai Kalama) perform. He did well, though he didn't make it to the Top 12. I had to stay up late so that I could vote for him (my cell phone is a CA number, and the voting system is somehow related to your time zone. Yawn!). It was awesome seeing someone I love and adore on national television.



THURSDAY: Rachel Ray Show! Yes, so I went to a taping of the Rachel Ray show. It was fun. By the end of the taping, I was hungry and ready to go, but I definitely enjoyed myself while I was there. Jeff Foxworthy was one of the guests and Tom Allen (from the Food Network?) was the other guest. During the real life spot (whatever that is when they do a spot on viewers and their real life challenges), I was sitting next to the three guests. So, I should definitely be in the shot. Other fun times from that day include a visit to Grand Central Station, Hip Hop Class, and going to Cafe Lalo (anyone seen You've Got Mail?) to meet up with my friend, Kevin. Since he was staying with us for the weekend, he treated my roomies and I to dinner and dessert. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much. We were all so tired and loopy (especially Kevin with his 2 hours of sleep), and it was like being back in Provo... but cooler since it was NYC. :)



**Okay, I need to take a moment to mention that Kevin is one of my dearest friend's from BYU, but we haven't actually seen each other since his wedding reception. To give you an idea of how long ago that was, his wife is currently pregnant with their 2nd child and they waited a bit to start having kids. He was staying with us for a few days while he hit some auditions and met with work associates. Thus, he's mentioned for the next few days, though there is obviously no romantic interest since he's happily married**



FRIDAY: First, it's important to note that the weather was AWESOME! I didn't wear a coat at all (day or night). Woohoo! So, Kevin's friend, Nicole, is currently playing Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway. Though we'd both seen it before, Kevin felt like he should see it again, and didn't really want to go alone. So, we played the lottery and won (I know--I love my luck!). Since we... okay... he won, I met him in the Theatre District after work so we could grab dinner. While in that area, I ran into a bunch of friends, including my friend Daniel with whom I did a show in San Diego. Crazy! NYC is seriously the biggest small town I know. Anyway, Wicked was very good (though there was one character with pitch problems--NOT Elphaba or Glinda) and we went backstage after the show to chat with Nicole. She is super sweet! After we left the theatre, we went to Serendipity and put ourselves into serious sugar highs. No wonder we stayed up talking til 3 am.



SATURDAY: Saturday I had a stake meeting (very inspiring and informative) and then came home to get a bunch of work done. Then, I got all gussied up and went to our Stake Speed Dating Event. Yes, you read me right. I went Speed Dating. I only went because I promised my roommates and friends that I would go, and I LOVED IT! There were 115 guys and 115 girls. It was sooooo fun! I don't know if anything dating-wise will come of it, but it was great to meet so many new people. After we (my roommates and me) got home, we stayed up til 2 telling Kevin our speed dating adventures and laughing our tails off...again.



Well, I think that's where my tale of February ends. Sunday started a new month (Hurray for March!), and a brand new week of adventures. I am grateful for extra fun weeks. It was exactly the stress relief I needed and that I've been praying for.