Summer is almost over...

Wow what an amazing summer it's been! I feel like life has taken me in so many different directions lately and I'm so proud of everything I've accomplished this far. Just 6 weeks ago I was having a "quarter-life" crisis and very confused with what I was doing for the next year or so. Through talking to family and friends, and consulting with myself, I am happy to say that I feel more confident than ever! I've stopped making plans! So far, everything I've planned for my life has somehow done the complete opposite of what I was expecting. I've learned that making plans only creates false expectations that set people up to feel like failures if they don't accomplish what they've set out to do. I think now I will set goals to reach instead of planning my future to a "T". I'm excited to see what my future holds now...

I've been interning for almost 3 months now and it's so bittersweet that it is ending next week. I've learned a lot about the business side of acting that is very valuable to my future career. I've also made some really great connections and, what I like to think of as, friends. Being around powerful women in this industry, I think, will benefit me in so many ways that I never even thought about.

I also just finished stage managing my third show with Wide Eyed Productions. It was, as always, a great experience and I'm so thankful that I've made so many friends through it. It's pretty cool how much you learn by watching the same show 10 times. You start to see different things going on inside the actors and you discover what works and what doesn't for a scene. It's key to realize that there are never wrong choices in acting; you just have to discover what works and what doesn't by always trying different things.

My job has been pretty swell too! I recently started waiting tables and am loving every minute of it! Not only is it more money, but it's way more interaction with people. Those of you who know me well, know just how much I love to talk to others and meet new people. I've started enjoying work more and have made some pretty awesome friends at work. People who I would've considered strictly co-workers 2 months ago, now I would call some of my best friends. I'm so thankful for the family I have at work.

Oh yeah! I had a few visitors during the month of July. Tessa came to visit me for 6 days and we had a blast! We explored many parts of the city that I had never even been to. We both (I assume) had a great time shopping, watching fireworks and riding subways. :) There was waaaaayyy more to it than that, but we did SO much in such a short amount of time! I think the walking was new to Tessa, but she survived and I hope will come back soon! Then, Caitlyn, Amy and Sontera came to see me! We also had an amazing time :) It wasn't aaaassss crazy as last summer.....it was better!! I had to work most of the time they were here, but I'm so glad I got to spend as much time as I did with them. I know they'll be back :) Even though everyone almost died of heat stroke in my apartment (due to lack of AC) I think it was a successful 2 weeks of visitors and I've been lonely ever since they left....good thing Dexter is here to keep me company :)

In about a week and a half I will be moving into a new apartment!! Woohoo! I will be saving money FINALLY have AC, so it's a very much needed move. I will be sending out my new address via email, so be on the lookout for that! Sadly, though, Dexter will be moving back to Texas after I move in. I decided that it's only fair to me and him for him to move home. He will be missed dearly, but I have a feeling I'll be seeing him much more next year :)

I hope everyone has had as great of a summer as I have had! I will say that my birthday was probably the lamest one yet, but to those of you who tried to make it great, I thank you for that :) We were just too tired to celebrate it fully. I have realized, though, the older you get, the less people really want to celebrate birthdays. Maybe it's just me, but I love celebrating birthdays! Most of the time, I even enjoy others more than mine. Anywho...I think everyone needs to come visit me ASAP!! I love and miss you all and wish everyone a fantastic week!

Lez

This quote is dedicated to Brittni Jones. A woman who I love and miss more than she'll ever know. Just remember that your strength and courage is unbelievable and truly inspiring.

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'"
Eleanor Roosevelt 

And I'm back...

Wow! What a wonderful 12 days it has been! I FINALLY got to go home and I had an amazing time. I got to see family that I haven't seen in way too long and I met some new people who turned out to be pretty cool :) I don't even remember what I did while I was home, but time didn't go by too fast or too slow, it felt just right.

A lot of things have happened in the last few weeks that have made me realize just how special and lucky I am to have a family like mine. I'm so thankful that nothing but my passion drove me away from my home, and the fact that I have such a huge support system in Texas makes it more difficult to leave every time. For once, I actually enjoyed doing nothing and getting 8 hours of sleep every night. Now I'm back in the hustle and bustle of the city and I'm already tired of thinking about it. I shouldn't complain though, this city has taught me so much about myself and life and if I get nothing else out of this experience, that in itself is HUGE! It's really forced me to grow up and face life's challenges head to head.

Anywho, I miss my family dearly and I miss Texas too :) Hopefully one day I can return home while still pursuing this crazy dream of mine... I mean that is ultimately the goal right? We'll find out when I reorganize my life :) Until next time...

Lez

I love this city!

I have been feeling so blessed lately....it just seems like only positive things have been happening in my life. I don't even know what I did to deserve it, but I am so very thankful for everything that's happened in the last week or so. It's almost scary because I feel like I'm waiting for something bad to happen....

I was very excited about my final grades in school and...wait for it...I got accepted into the second year! Woohoo!!! That means I'll be continuing my education at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts for at least another year, and possibly two more years, but news on that will come later. The show started on Wednesday and it was a great success! We had such a good turnout and I even had friends watching live in Australia!  I can't believe how many amazing people I've met just by being a part of "Untitled: The Project". I have made so many new friends and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for all of us. It has been such a wonderful experience and I am thrilled that I got to be in this show. My internship has also been going smoothly too. I feel like a true cliche of an intern when I am on my daily Starbucks run :) I am really enjoying it though and learning a lot along the way.

I get to come home in exactly a week!! It has been waaaaaaay too long since I've seen the great state of Texas, and though I'm not looking forward to the heat, I am ECSTATIC to see my family and friends. That's my update for now, I will go into great detail about my busy life when I see all of you next week!! I love and miss everyone and hope life is treating you as well as it's been treating me :)

Lez

It's the FINAL countdown...

I feel like I am counting down to so many things in my life right now... it's exactly 7 days until school officially ends for summer, 20 days until "Untitled: The Project" debuts, and most importantly, in EXACTLY one month from today I will be back in my hometown for 12 whole days!! I am beyond excited! I have successfully managed to go 6 months without stepping foot in the great state of Texas, and I'm really not sure how that was possible. This semester has kept me pretty busy though... and i did have family come visit me, so that helped.

School ending is very bittersweet to me. While I am very happy to have 3 months off of school, I know my life is just going to continue to get busier this summer. For those of you that know me well, though, you know this is how I prefer to live life. I have an interview this week for an internship with a casting director (which I'm very excited about), so wish me luck on that one! I also want to continue taking outside acting classes so that I can keep fresh over the summer. I am so happy by the amount of growth I have experienced in my first year of school. I have been taken to places in my acting that I never thought possible and cannot wait to see how much further I can go. This school/ city has taught me so much about myself and my craft and I am so very thankful for the friends and teachers I've met here. At this point in my life, I really don't think there is anything I can't accomplish.

I wish all you mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day and of course, to the best mother in the world, THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU :)

Until next time...

Lez

Tick, Tick, Tick...

Well, there are only two weeks left of school (2.5 to be exact) and I'm very excited for the summer. My schedule will change drastically, but hopefully it'll be just as cram packed as it has been. :) Everyone who knows me well, knows that I LOVE to stay busy.... it's just the way I live. I have a few things in the works for the summer, but until they are final, I won't be giving anything away. The show I'm in ("Untitled: The Project") will be opening on May 25th and I'm very excited about it. We rehearsed on the stage last week and the theater space is so cool!! It's like an island of booth seats surrounded by water, with a stage in the front center. I wish everyone back home could come see it, but hopefully it'll be the first of many shows I'm in. :) I'm also stage managing again for a show called "Trojan Women". I've heard it's a fantastic show and I'm really happy to be a part of it. If anyone is in town at the end of May or the middle of July, PLEASE let me know!

Finals are the week after next and I'm very interested to see how my scenes turn out. Somehow, I got lucky enough to get paired with three of the coolest girls in the world, so I feel very at ease about my final performances. I will keep everyone updated with how those turn out...

I booked my trip home to Texas and I will be staying for 12 WHOLE DAYS!!! I couldn't be more thrilled! After being away since Christmas, this will be a much needed trip home filled with lots of tears and laughter, I'm sure. I'm hoping to make a trip to Austin, Magnolia and of course around Houston :) I absolutely cannot wait to hold each and every one of my beautiful nieces and nephews until they are in pain from the amount of hugs and kisses they will be receiving....ok maybe that's a little drastic, but you get the idea. Dexter is pretty excited too! It looks like he'll be making the trip with me as my carry on bag, which should make for an interesting flight.

I hope everyone has a very lovely Easter weekend! I'll be working and rehearsing so make sure you hunt some eggs for me!!!

Until next time...

Lez

It's an Oklahoma Morning!

Oh What a Beautiful Mooooorrrniiingg.....Oh What a Beautiful Daaaaaay!!!!

So this morning I was woken up by the big, bright sun and a rough tongue licking my face. I know what you all are thinking, but sadly, it was just Dexter. I got off of work late last night, and BOY was he glad to see me this morning! Even though I was tired, he was not going to let me sleep another minute. I decided that since I don't have to work for a few hours that we should take a walk. And walk we did! Dexter and I walked to the park, through the outdoor market, and back home down a new route we've never seen before. He was really impressed by the sights and the other dogs everywhere, though he was uninterested in meeting them. (we tried the dog park once, and he was terrified so we left immediately) He is currently passed out between Brittni and I, so I guess it was a good morning.

Yesterday, I had my first singing lesson in New York City!! What an amazing experience. I found out that the Voice and Speech classes I've been taking since August, through my school, have really increased the quality of my voice. My new teacher said I have a really strong voice and she seems excited for me to learn how to use it. I've set a new goal to be on Broadway, at least once, in my life. Who knows what could happen...

I saw "Avenue Q" off- Broadway last Wednesday night and it was HILARIOUS! Definitely an adult show, but if you don't know the story, it's well worth checking out. It's all about puppets and people living on Avenue Q and the subjects they sing about are so funny. VERY ADULT, let's just say that. By the end of the show, you forget that there are people on stage operating these puppets. They somehow just become more characters on stage. Also, the amount of admiration I have for these actors is unbelievable! They not only have to operate puppets and act at the same time, but then they sing on top of it! What a hard job! They did amazing though and it was a fun night on the town.

The rest of my week was spent schooling, working, and rehearsing for scenes/ the show I'm in. My days are never dull here and sometimes I lose track of the day I'm on. I've forgotten what a weekend was and most nights I get about 5 hours of sleep. I miss my family and friends back home and can't to reunite with all of you...but would I change any of it? Absolutely not! For the first time in my life, I'm content. Even though life is crazy, there is a calming feeling by being here. Like I have finally found my place. I wish everyone the same feeling :) Til next time.....

Lez

Are you happy now?

Well, I finally did it... I started a blog. I have become one of those people that I said I'd never be. What's next? Twitter? Since my last email update took me sooooo long to send, I figure this would be easier to keep my family and friends, back home, updated with. So no, all of you will know what I'm doing EVERY DAY instead of once a month! Aren't you excited??

Last night I went to a comedy club with a few friends and cried laughing for most of the night. Maybe it was due to the racial/ sexist jokes being made, but it was nice to have a fun relaxing night out on the town with my girls. We FINALLY finished our scenes in my Actor's Lab class that we have been working on for almost 9 weeks now, and it feels great to be done! This whole class did amazing work and I loved watching all of the scenes. Even though I've seen them numerous times, I still enjoyed it very much.

Today, of course, it's raining so my joy from yesterday has been crushed. Not to mention, Dexter doesn't like going out in the rain. So after the second time of trying to FORCE him to poop, I gave up. At this point, he could go in the apartment and I wouldn't care. I have a workout session in about an hour so I'm resting until then. Then, it's off to dance class and voice/ speech class. Shakespeare here I come!

That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed my lovely update, and Chellie... I hope you are happy...

Lez