Do a Jig for my Gig!

(Whitney's Post)

     So, good news! I got a new theater gig! Wahoo! So here's how it all happened.
Nathan submitted me through email to be considered for a job posting that went up for an equity theater looking for a 'non-union female musical theater actress who can sing and tap well'. Nathan sent them a few videos of me tapping and also to my website. Within a few hours they emailed back saying that they were very interested in me but needed to know how tall I was. I responded with telling them that I am 5'3". Within 30 minutes, they called my cellphone. (things move fast!) They said that I was a little shorter than what they were looking for, but they liked me and needed to find someone fast.
     The gig will only take me three weeks out of NYC. They are going to fly me to IL on Sunday! (also very fast) and will fly me back to NYC when the contract is over. I will be provided with housing - my own room and bathroom, and also a free gym membership, ya! The gig is a vaudeville 1930's musical review that is a work-in-progress. (Think Follies and Betty Boop..haha) I am very excited because I am going to become EMC (an Equity Membership Candidate). This means that since I am working at an equity theater, I will gain some Equity points towards getting my equity card.
    At auditions...When you are EMC, you are seen before the non-equity actors are seen. So...this whole time since Nathan and I have been in New York, we have been non-union. Therefore, the Equity actors have been seen before us, and then the EMC members are seen after them...then the NON-UNION is finally seen...if they have time. So, this is going to help out tremendously in auditions. :) Hooray!
     This is also a positive because I will get a nice change of pace from Angelina Ballerina. Luckily, my theater here with Angelina is going to let me return to the show when I get back. :)
       The Lord is definitely providing and making everything fall right in to place in order for me to leave so quickly. It is very obvious that the Lord opened this door wide open for me to walk through. (and ..Thanks to Nathan for submitting me!) God is giving me a nice break from Angelina, which is something I have been needing and praying for. He is giving me a job at an equity theater where I get EMC points! My babysitting dates that I had schedule during those three weeks are being covered by my friends. My dance studio job is getting covered by my friends, and our dear friend Deonte is going to be subletting our guest bedroom for the month of March to help keep Nathan company and to help with our bills while I'm gone! Thank you Jesus!

Thanks everyone for your continuous support and prayers. I will of course keep you updated while i'm in IL!

Sick as a Dog

Nathan's Post:
 I worked on Sunday morning and felt really exhausted and came home about 6 hours later and forced myself to do P90X and then went to our friends place to watch the Grammy Awards - which were amazing by the way.

The next day (Valentines) I woke up feeling really tired and sick feeling. I knew I had it. The crud. UGH! The whole day I rested and tried to take naps but couldn't. Whitney had big plans for Valentines which I was
 excited for. The evening at the swing club was dreamlike. The food, music, and ambiance was sexy. The majority of the night, however, I was hoping that people wouldn't notice the two small rolled up tissue balls I previously stuffed in my nose to prevent snot from dripping down. Gross. Not sexy. Gross. All I got to say is - Whitney is the best wife ever to want to dance with me.

After an amazing date we walked home and the wind was brutally cold! I was feeling miserable. Whitney, thankfully decided to sleep in the guest bedroom because apparently I was snoring. I really hope she doesn't get sick. I had taken a Tylenol PM but woke up at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep. At around 5am I took another Tylenol PM and then about 2 hours later I checked my temperature - 102! I was shivering and I had layers and layers of clothes on. Awful. I called Whitney and she immediately started taking care of me. She's the best care giver! Whitney canceled all of her plans on Tuesday and took care of me. I slept most of the day away, finally. My fever broke and went back to normal later that day. And now it's Thursday and I'm still at home laying around trying to feel normal. I've watched movies, made Chocolate Chip Cookies from Nestle Toll House' recipe - thought of Phoebe from friends the whole time! The bummer of this week has been the fact that I had to cancel my masterclass with Justin Huff from Telsey. Whitney is going still so she can tell me everything he says but it would have been great to have sung for him.

This is what I look like in case you were wondering. I look like the teddy bear when Whitney is home taking care of me and then I look like the monster when she leaves. I have a dance callback next week and one on Saturday both for equity houses. Let's hope I'm feeling 100% by then. If not, the production team may get some snot flung at them.


 Phoebe's Nestle Toll House Clip

Valentine's Day

Whitney's Post:

   Ever since Nathan and I started dating, we decided to alternate who plans Valentine's Day. The first year we were dating, Nathan took us out to dinner and then to a pottery painting place in Nashville. The second year we were dating, I made dinner at my house and we watched a movie. The first year of our marriage (last year), Nathan took us to dinner and then to see the broadway show 'The Phantom of the Opera'. This year, was my year to plan. :) And we had a BLAST!
   I made reservations at a swing/jazz club that had a Big Band and a dance floor. The place looked like Frank Sinatra was about to walk around the corner and wink at you at any minute. We had dinner, enjoyed amazing music, and even had a small dance lesson (which us musical theatre majors, really didn't need at all, Ha!), and then danced the night away. The food was delicious, the atmosphere felt like you were in a movie, and the music was stellar.
    Nathan and I stayed there until 11:30pm. (We're crazy! haha) The night definitely felt epic to both of us. It kind of made it really sink in that we are living in New York City, and how lucky are we that we get to be at a place like this for Valentines Day! We felt like we were living in a movie. Everything was just too good to be true. (Very much like my marriage.) Our date was a perfect reflection on how this year and half has been being married to Nathan. Every day is too good to be true. He is the perfect man for me and is without a doubt my soul mate and my other half. God not only did a good job creating him as a person, but creating us for each other. I know that Nathan and I will be dancing in swing/jazz clubs until we are 100 years old. And if we can't get to the club, then I know we will be laughing and dancing in our home together.
     Here are a few pictures from the night:

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

Design

Nathan's Post:
My mother sent us a little package that included some cool sleeping baby pictures from Adele Enersen. So I googled her name and came across this really cool website. Here are some pics from the website.

Some really creative business cards

Interesting huh?

I think this is genius

Hilarious

I want toilet paper like this

These are vacuum shoes!

Check out the really innovative website here.

P90X

 
Have you all heard of P90X? I'm sure most of you have. Our friend Maria gave us the videos for P90X and I am on my second week out of twelve. It's a 90 day workout and you follow the schedule according to the program you choose. The workout is usually around an hour long. Talk about sweating. WOW! Every morning I wake up sore and I wonder how on earth I will be able to do the next video but somehow I get through it. I'm doing the Classic so for the first three weeks my workout involves:
Day 1: Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2: Plymetrics (this I would say - is the hardest)
Day 3: Shoulder and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4: Yoga X (this is also very hard but amazing)
Day 5: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X (after you do this prepare to be sore for about a week)
Day 6: Kenpo X
Day 7: Rest or X-Stretch
The only thing is that I need to get heavier weights - I'm using Whit's 8 lbs and I feel like a girl.
If you want to get in shape and get your butt kicked - do P90X!

We'll see if I can last the 90 days. I'll let you know.

THE GLASS CASTLE

Whitney's Post: 

 

This has been me the past few days.
I have been reading the amazing book, THE GLASS CASTLE and just finished it a few days ago.
I suggest it to anyone and everyone.
Nathan just read it because his Mom suggested it to him, and then he suggested it to me, and now my friend Maria is reading it now. :)

This book is a memoir by Jeanette Walls.  It retells the story of her and her siblings unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing at the hands of their deeply dysfunctional parents.
It is mezmorizing to imagine such a poor upbringing. There were so many parts of this book that struck a deep heart string with me. I'll give you just a few so that when you read it, it won't be spoiled. This book will give you a new outlook on the homeless and people who may seem of a lower class.

Sometimes there are people who choose to live in horrible circumstances because it is a thrill to SURVIVE. This blows my mind.
 These young girls and boys in middle school would have to secretly rummage through the trash at school to find something to eat for lunch because they couldn't afford the school lunch and were so embarassed.
Jeanette would have so many holes in her jeans that she would mark her skin that was showing in blue permanent marker so the holes wouldn't show as much.


This book shows how hope and a strong will can get you anywhere in the world. Even though Jeanette's circumstances were the WORST, she is now extremely successful because she wanted to have a better life than the one that she was given.

Here is a video of Jeanette Walls now and also a glimpse of her mom.

 

Coasting

Whitney and I are doing well. So far this year it seems like we are just coasting... I think we are ready for a change in our inconsistent schedules. Every day and week is different for us which can be good in the sense that we don't get bored but bad in the sense because it's exhausting. Sometimes we feel like chickens with their heads cut off.

Something that is different for me is that I no longer have a job. BOO! Yes this is awful for many reasons. I was passing out pamphlets for Billy Elliot with a company called Allied Live Entertainment. My boss just informed all of us that the two are no longer partnering together. Honestly I think it's because Billy Elliot is doing fine on it's own and doesn't need extra advertising help. So I have been frantically running around looking for a job. I had an interview today with Vital Theater to do their merchandising for one of their shows. Vital Theater is the same company Whit has been working with Angelina. I got the interview through her. It's just on weekends, a Saturday and Sunday job but I'll take it. I've been messaging everyone I know in the city if they know of any jobs. This is one of the hardest times of the year to get a job because winter is cold and so are the hearts of employers. Please keep us in your prayers that something comes up soon!

Whitney is really over doing Angelina Ballerina.
And naturally - I mean, 5 months is a long time to be doing the same character and same show. Yes, you're probably thinking, but Broadway contracts are usually longer, but people... it's Broadway. Better quality shows, better treatment, better pay.

We have been keeping busy with auditions especially this week. We've gotten a few call backs. But no offers. We've still got strong faith! The Lord is good! We are waiting.

On another note - winter weather ... really? I mean it's bad enough that there happens to be snow storms here like every weekend but when you're living in New York there is nothing that makes less sense. Walking around in freezing rain... I slipped and fell yesterday actually. Thanks to P90X I sprang back up as if nothing happened;)




In relation to my post here is a video of a group of our friends a few years back from Belmont. It's a long song but worth all of your time. The two girls are Maria and Kara. This is a song entitled Coasting from the musical Edges. If you want to skip the intro - start at 0:53



Here are the words to the chorus. I bet we can all relate to this feeling of "coasting"

"And on and on I ramble from my vault of used up sayings
But I'm praying that I'll find some sort of substance and connect
'Cause really what's the point if we're just coasting on the surface?
We stop living when we claim that it's not worth it to reflect
we're just coasting"

Have a great weekend everyone!