Day 50 - 53 leaving Los Angeles into Arizona or Mountain Girl turned City Girl

Day 50 - 1/22/10   Last night after the show I drove down to Temecula to see my good buddy Monty and check out his shop.  I'm super proud of him and all that he has accomplished.  Here's his website if you care to take a gander: http://ch7ind.com/ I arrived at his house just before 1am and made into bed and fast asleep by 2.  My alarm went off at 5:15am and I was first in the shower to start my crazy day.  We left the house just before 7am, Monty on his way to Long Beach for a clothing convention and myself heading up the mountain back to my hometown. Here's a little pic of the road I was driving on: 

As I made up my way up the snowy roads and passed cars that were stuck on the side of the road  because the snow and ice got the best of them I thought about the past 12 years that I had been driving this mountain.  I was extra careful around the curves that I know get icy and just kept moving along until I wound up at one of my favorite old jobs...Fairway Market. 

I got to visit with one of my close friends Geri along with Di, Lois, Vicki, Crabby, and Matt.  It was great to catch up with them.  As I was leaving I ran into Cathy so there was an unexpected get together and found out that she is a Grandma!!  After the fairway visit it was time to go see my Dad for breakfast at the Red Kettle.  The Kettle had an awesome veggie scramble that I had made without eggs and with veggie sausage and it was too die for....or not to die for as the case may be.  My Daddy-O and I had a great time catching up and watching the snow fall.   After breakfast I drove up to Pine Cove to leave my car at my Dad's for the rest of tour.  Before driving up my Dad had to remove all the snow that settled on my car in the past hour:

 

Here's a picture of the highway leading up to PC:

There were two snow plows running this morning...but it's hard to keep up I'm sure. 

Once we dropped off the car in PC we made it down the hill and met up with Justin at Staters and then Justin and I were off to see the Bloom Family and their newest addition Landen.  I brought them two little sleepers for the baby one that looked like a baseball outfit that said "Daddy's Allstar" and another that said "Mommy's Little Prince".  Meeting Landen was a surreal experience.  Shannon is one of my longest friendships I have, we have known each other since we were 10 or 11 and I can't imagine my life without her.  Ever since we were little girls she had always wanted to be a mommy and after she got married to Ben (who I have also known since he was probably 6) kids were on her mind.  Shannon, Ben, Landen, and Roxy (their doggy) are a sight to be seen.   Very happy and well adjusted to having a wee one around the house.

Here's a picture of myself and sweet little Landen.

The thirty minute visit went by much to fast but Justin and I had to keep moving and make it to our lunch date with Rachel and little Ben.  We met up at La Fogata and i had a vegetarian tostada...we ordered it without cheese and sour cream...but somehow the cheese was destined to end up on my plate.  Another quick visit went by and then Justin and I were on our way back to LA so I could make it to my show call.

Justin had made us 2 CDs to listen to on our way back into the city and they were awesome!!!!  The first CD had a bunch of really great songs to add to my gym mix for when I run and the second CD was full of duets for he and I to learn to belt out at each other.  I LOVE IT!!!!!!  One of my very favorite things to do in life is sing at the top of my lungs with Justy in our car and then bust up laughing when we totally miss the right note.

We made it to LA with a couple hours to spare so we went to dinner at Johnny Rockets and had a very yummy meal with wayyyy to many onion rings.  It was worth it.

Day 51 1/23/10
One of my Jr. High School Teachers came to see the evening show and it was so great to see her!  Mrs. Carratello, Patty, looked exactly the same.  She had brought her sister to see the show and they loved it!  We took a bunch of pictures together and talked about their favorite parts of the show.  She was also very complimentary on the article that was written about me in our hometown newspaper: http://www.idyl.com/stories/story.2.20091210.html

Here's pic of Patty and I near the stage door of the Pantages:

Day 52 1/24/10
Two shows and then a load out.  I love load out day.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment as well as of feeling of freedom.  It nice to move along to another city....sometimes it good, sometimes it's bad...but it's nice to move along none the less.  After load out it was back to the hotel to have a little champagne with Ryan (just for the hell of it) then down to throw the suitcases on the luggage truck and then sleep..love it. 

Day 53 1/25/10
Travel day.  I was up early to make sure my hotel bill was at a zero balance and then waited outside in the sun for the bus to the airport.  The trip to the airport was nice, I finished up crocheting a scarf for my Aunt.  The plane ride was only an hour then less than a half hour to the hotel.  The hotel is the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed at....the grounds were well landscaped, the grass was a beautiful green, the flowers extra bright, the fountains bubbling, the birds chirping pleasantly...heaven. We are in this hotel for the next week and a half and I am loving it.  Did I mention that the pools are all kept very warm and there are 8 of them!

That's all for now...sorry for such a long one.

Love and peace, Kim

Day 48 & 49 - Catching up

I'm finishing up seeing everyone that I could see while in California and it's both happy and sad.  While on the road I feel disconnected from friends and family, not as much as I did while on the ship...but a little.  Facebook helps alot to keep up on day to day happenings of most people, but you still miss out on the "real stuff".  Friends that see each other frequently have the inside scoop on what's going on in each other's lives, they have their inside jokes and stories and I get to "catch up" when I am around for a coffee date, or lunch, or game night.  I don't mean to sound like I'm having a pity party...it's just the way life is I guess. 

I love seeing my friends while I am home; it's always a happy get together for a few hours, but it does make it hard to say goodbye. 

On a happier note... Laci and I went out to breakfast at this great little place in Pasadena with a very yummy tofu and vegan cheese scramble and a soy latte the size of my head!  Here are some pics:

This is the place.

This is the head sized latte.  Yum!!

Day 47 - Faith in People

I just received an email from a friend who has been wanting to take the leap into living her dreams and in her email she said "So,  thanks for all your faith in theatre, me, and faith itself."  Wow.  I am so touched that I able to encourage people.  There is a quote "if you knew who walked beside you everyday you wouldn't fear anything"...I love this because for me it's so true. I do have faith in people, not just people...amazing, talented, unique individuals who if they only saw in themselves what I see in them they would be working in their dream careers and living their lives they had imagined YEARS AGO!

I wonder if the people that inspired me know that I look up to them so much!  I listen to and watch a lot of Dr. Wayne Dyer and Louise Hay as well as keep in touch with my friends who encourage and inspire me on a daily basis.  I understand what it is to visualize something into existence.  I understand what it is to leap without knowing where exactly you will fall and IF  you will fall safely in a good place.  When I leap it's because I've got nothing to lose.  If I stay where I am then I won't grow and I won't know what other things are in the world for me to experience.  I want others to have faith in themselves enough to take those leaps, trusting in themselves enough to know that it can only get better.  Things will happen if you make them happen. Dreams come true if you make them come true. 

I know this all must sound so out there to people that aren't aware of the power they hold inside of them.  And I'm not saying that I am the most powerful being because I know that there is something bigger than me that helps all of this to come to life, but I do understand what power I do have inside and what I can accomplish. 

In any case I just want you to know you can do it. You can do anything you want to do.  I encourage you to go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined.  I'll be there walking beside you.


All my love and much peace,


Kim xo

Day 46 & 47 - Joel and Fofi's Bday and LA rain

On the 18th Lindsay and I took Joel out to see the movie Nine and treated him to lunch for his birthday. Nine was better than I thought it was going to be, but really wasn't much of a movie. I hope that it made a better impact on stage. There were parts of the movie that were really awesome (Fergie's Performance) and the lighting and set were great, but the rest of the performances were pretty good...or maybe it was the script I didn't care for...or the direction. It was nice to go out with Linz and Joel and talk about the usual theatre stuff and catch up on all the gossip.

Later that night Lindsay and I headed over to Fofi's house for a game night to celebrate his bday. It was a lot of fun! It took around 3 hours to get through a game of cranium with lots of yelling and laughter, homemade chicago style pizza and ice cream cake. My tastes are changing when it comes to food now. Our friend Rob made the pizza and wanted everyone to have some. I love Rob and I love his cooking...but cheese just isn't the same for me anymore. The ice cream cake on the other hand...well...we all know how I feel about those yummy baked goods. The last time I had actually eaten real cake would have to be in early November because I had vegan cake for my birthday on Nov. 30th.

Today was awesome. The rain stopped and you could see the most beautiful blue sky and the air was very clear. As I walked to the theatre I passed by so many different types of people living here for many different reasons. The guy with his guitar case I imagined to be the next up and coming alternative rocker, the woman rushing by with a cup of starbucks is probably on her way to a production meeting for a new show...all really exciting. When I lived in LA I felt like everyone was very self involved, but I think it's a must in this city...it will eat you alive if you're not looking out for yourself. There is some kind of hopefullness in this city that is a little sickening for my taste, but really motivating for others.

I was really happy to see my friends while here and feel reconnected to my life in southern california. Here are some pics from today after the rain. I will miss it here...more than I would like to admit.

Nearly sunset...so beautiful!

The intersection by the Pantages...what a beautiful sky! 

Love and peace,

Kim xo

Day 44 & 45 Vitamins - Boring.

I found a good B Complex vitamin yesterday, took it, and became nauseous. Fun. I ate food with it but it didn't seem to help. Later in the day I took my multi-vitamin and became reallllly nauseous. Yuck. Allison (wardrobe) had a great suggestion...take them at night. Ta-da! Hooray! Worked like a charm. Thanks Allie!

Yesterday and today we had two shows. Yesterday at 2 and 8pm, and today we have shows at 1 and 6:30pm...which I love! It's so nice to get home early on a Sunday night.

1/15/10 Day 43 - Reflection....A VERY LONG REFLECTION .

Yesterday I was hanging out with Lindsay at work (Center Theatre Group...I'm super proud of her) and as we made our rounds to the different offices to pick up supplies for her interns I heard a familiar tune being rehearsed “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down…” Wow!  How is it that this is our normal day? How did we get here?  Somebody pinch me…I must be dreaming.  Linz is working for one of the biggest theatre companies and I’m touring with one of my favorite shows.

As I was laying on Lindsay’s couch this morning I was reflecting on how it was nearly 4 years ago (next month anyway) that I came down to LA to live on Lindsay’s couch and pursue my dream of working in theatre full time.  It’s been a whirlwind of 4 years.  I could not be here if it wasn’t for Lindsay telling me to "just do it."

It was in January 2006 when I called her up and told her I had to make a decision.  I had to either work full time in theatre or give it up entirely and as much as it would break my heart to give it up I was ready to because working full time in an office and then working at 2 theatres as their resident lighting designer was actually killing me.  My back was thrashed…I was diagnosed with sciatica because I wasn’t sleeping but maybe 4 hours a night  and my body wasn’t able to repair itself at night.   Since high school I have worked full time at a “real job” and in theatre part time at night  or on the weekends with production companies…for the past 8 years at that point.  The first thing out of Lindsay’s mouth was “move to LA and live on my couch, we’ll figure it out once you get here.”  She was a couple years in working at CTG and was also involved with the Elephant Theatre Company as a Director.

The next day I went into the best office job I had ever had and told them that I was going to be leaving in month to move to LA and find a full time theatre job.  My boss, Susan, was very supportive and told me to go for it!  She made sure I felt good about going and said “Kim, anyone can be trained to do your job here…please don’t stay because you think you are leaving us without enough help.”  This nearly made me cry because there had been so many jobs I had stayed at because you don’t want to leave your employer short handed…she knew exactly what I needed to hear.  Thank you Susan.

My Dad came up to Nor Cal to help me pack up my Ford F150 and a U-haul trailer and we were soon on the road to Sunny Southern California.  We drove up to Idyllwild where nearly everyone told me I was crazy for leaving such a good job behind to go after a dream….I just shrugged my shoulders and said…it’s time to see if I can make it.  When I pulled up to Lindsay’s in my massive big blue truck I had to chuckle….what was this mountain girl doing in the big city?  I met Dave Fofi (Artisic Director of the Elephant and then boyfriend of Lindsay’s) that night and made a date to go into the Elephant the next day to do some tech work…organizing gel and lighting equipment and generally help out at the theatre complex.

Before heading down to LA I had signed on for a lighting designer job at the Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro getting paid a $100 …I’ll take it!!! Within a week of being in LA a job opened up and I nabbed it at CTG as their Master Electrician for their P.L.A.Y. program, which is a high school outreach program.  At the same time I went in for an interview with Annmarie Duggan to be her Assistant Lighting Designer for the new American Girl Store opening in The Grove.  I had a great interview and was offered the job!!!  The ball was rolling and rolling more smoothly and quickly than I could have ever imagined.

As we neared the end of the teching process for the American Girl’s Revue I was offered the position of Lead Lighting Tech…a full time position in theatre!!!!!!  38 hours a week, full medical, dental, vision, 401k, a flexible spending account, and a great pay rate!!!!  I had heard that these jobs only existed in fairytales and movies...but it’s my life now!  Crazy!

As I worked at American Girl I was asked to work as Child Supervisor and then finally as the Calling Stage Manager for our Bitty Bear Matinee show!  I was ecstatic!  While working at AGP I also worked at the Elephant as their Resident Lighting Designer and eventually started Stage Managing for them and worked at numerous other theatres in the LA as a lighting designer…which I actually kind of miss….

After a year and a half of American Girl I interviewed with Disney Cruise Line and became their Production Stage Manager/Company Manager for the Disney Wonder.  I had always wanted to work for Disney so I considered this another dream come true.  Within 3 weeks I had given my notice to the most amazing job I had ever had and taken a job aboard a cruise ship to set sail and live on the ocean for the next 4 months.  I missed my AGP friends so much…the stability, the drama free environment, the dry land….  I worked for Disney for 2 contracts and it changed my life and my career.  The shows I worked on there were the biggest and craziest shows I have ever come into contact with to date.  I was calling lights, sound, automation, pyro, 2 followspots, fireworks, stunts, camera shots, and the kitchen sink…all by mouth…not a cue light in sight.  In the Walt Disney Theatre we had 3 lifts in the stage, scenery moving up and down, in and out…and occasionally a very rocky ship with audience members throwing up all over the theatre…FUN!

After my second contract with Disney I told them I was ready to be on solid land again but would consider coming back to work for them if a couple minor changes were to take place.  My next venture was working as a Production Manager for the Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena.  Since the AGP theatre closed Hillary (the AGP Theatre Manager) had moved over there and offered me the gig.  Being a PM is a HUGE job and I felt accomplished in the job I did…but I missed Stage Managing.

I had a phone interview with a touring company to go out on the 2^nd National Tour of Altar Boyz and I got it!  I was finally a touring SM!  This was something I had wanted to do since I was in the 8^th grade and had a book on “Jobs in Showbiz.”  Altar Boyz was a wild ride.  Mostly one-nighters and 15 people on a 12 person sleeper bus…it was cozy to say the least.  We all made it through the tour with a lot of love, we made friendships that will last a life time, and gained experience on many, many different things some having nothing to do with theatre.

The last week of the Altar Boyz tour I was contacted by the Stage Manager I took Altar Boyz over from and she was seeing if I was available to come fill in for her while she moved into the Production Stage Manager spot on Riverdance. I had a phone interview with the Company Manager Jesse and was offered the job on the spot.  I hung up the phone and went into hysterics.  I had watched Riverdance over and over as a kid and loved, loved, LOVED the show.  I called my Dad and Mom and through sobs told them that I was going to be the Stage Manager for Riverdance.  Altar Boyz closed on a Sunday in Milwaukee and the next morning I was on a plane to Saginaw to meet up with Riverdance.

I went to work for Riverdance as a Dep, but it very quickly turned into a longer engagement.  Riverdance was such a different experience from Altar Boyz and I was loving every single minute of it.  There were ups and downs of learning to work with a new crew and PSM, but all in all I was still doing a job that I had always wanted to do and found much joy in my work.

On our last week of tour in Vienna, VA I was asked if  I was interested in coming back out on tour and that they would be making a decision over the next few weeks as to who was coming back out in the fall.  I was so excited to have even been spoken to about returning and immediately went to work visualizing myself back out on tour.&

October first we started the beginning of the final leg of the Riverdance Farewell Tour and I was so happy to have returned.  The cast and crew on this show are so brilliant and I have learned so many new things in the past few months.  Each night I start my show being thankful for being here and living this dream.  I hear the audience applauding and see the performers smiling and I am at home.  We still have 5 more full months left on this tour and I already get teary eyed thinking about our last show together.

It’s time for another show here at the Pantages in Los Angeles so I just want to say how thankful I am to have a friend who will let me sleep on her couch whether or not I am gainfully employed.

Peace and love, Kim

Day 42 - Lush, Nu Go Organic, Truly Vegan Restaurant, & Alegria on Sunset

This was where Lindsay took me to lunch.  It was quite delicious.  I had the Vegan Tostadas.  

Alegria On Sunset

www.alegriaonsunset.com

3510 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026-2106
(323) 913-1422

 This article was on the table at the place I went for dinner. The restaurant is called the Truly Vegan Restaurant.  The food was so-so but the cake, THE CAKE, was to die for.  Vegan. Lemon. Cake.  Shut your mouth and get out of town.

 THE CAKE. YUM.

Truly Vegan Restaurant Delivery

trulyvegan.net

5907 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028-5409
(323) 466-7958

A gift from Ryan and Jesse!  Dark chocolate....HELLO!!!!!  I don't always eat this many sweets, but I'll take it when I can get it.

 

Today must have been my lucky day because Catherine also brought in a little something for me.  It's a bubble bath salt from Lush...and it's vegan!  Woo Hoo!!!!!

Thanks everyone for such a great day! 

Love and peace,

Kim

Day 42 - lunch at Bright Spot with Linz

I'm super excited about going to lunch with Linz again..there is this totally great place called Bright Spot and it has all kinds of yummy stuff for vegans, veggies, meat eaters...anyone and everyone!  Today I think I will go for a vegan shake!  The last time I was there I had a vegan club sandwich complete with facon, tofurkey, and vegenaise.  Sooooo yummy! 

Of course all this fun will have to wait until I am done with laundry...  I don't miss much from working on the ship, but the way my laundry would come back pressed and beautiful...welllll...I do kind of miss that. 

Here's the info on Bright Spot:

Brite Spot Family Restaurants

(213) 484-9800

1918 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Tour Pics - Los Angeles, C A

Sunrise on the Hollywood sign
The Pantages Theatre and Riverdance together one last time.
Personal smoothie maker and soy protein powder...yummy!
Traveling pantry...it works!

Day 41 - California Vegan Restaurant

The California Vegan Restaurant is awesome!!!! They deliver which makes them even more amazing!! I ordered the Curried Vegetables, Spring Rolls, and Carrot Cake. Anyone who is around me knows how much I miss eating sweets...the lack of chocolate in my life is unreal, but the carrot cake totally rocked. Everything was very tasty!!!

Here's the website: www.californiavegan.com

Peace and love,
Kim

Day 39-40 Los Angeles...my old home.

On the 11th I had a short road trip from San Diego to Los Angeles. I love driving in the car with loud musicals blaring through the speakers and me screaming along with them. What happened to my voice??? I know that I was never the best singer, but really? Even though my voice isn't what it used to be it doesn't stop me from belting out a little Rent, Wicked, Last 5 Years, Title of Show..just to name a few. I like driving and thinking....pondering life if you will.

I was thinking and thinking turned into gratitude about everything that has and is happening in my life. I was thinking about my friends and how I am so blessed to have such good friends who love me and back me in everything I do. And by friends I also include my family, because my family is more than just blood, they truly are my friends and some of the best friendships I have. I would not be here if it wasn't for the support I have been given in my life choices. I've never really reflected on how much I try to change others and I'm actually really sorry for that. I try my hardest to motivate them to do what I think they should do. It's always something they have mentioned to me they want to do, but when they change their mind and want to do something else I should also support them in that choice as well. I promise to work on this.

I am so proud of my friends, who they are, what they do and I will tell them that more often.

The load in to the Pantages was so awesome. I could hardly believe that I was working at a theatre that I had always wanted to work out of. The day was long, but the show was fantastic and the audience really enjoyed it.

Day 31-38 Load out of San Jose...leaving behind Christian, Travel day to San Diego, San Diego Veggie Sushi...

The load out of San Jose was tough for one reason only...The TD Christian, he is wonderful. He is tall, dark, and handsome...kind, funny, and completely lovable. He had sent me a link to a couple running trails in the area...how sweet was that?!?

On Monday I drove down from San Jose to San Diego with our Lead Wardrobe Gal, Brigid. The drive down was verrrrrry boring because 75% of it was in heavy fog. I HATE driving in heavy fog because it doesn't feel like you are going anywhere at all. We stopped a few times for leg stretches, coffee, and finally In and Out Burger...yummy! I had a veggie burger which is really just the bun and all the fixings minus the meat and cheese. I had forgot to order it without the thousand island so there was a minor glitch in the vegan diet that day (also I must remember to look up their ingredients of their buns). You don't really notice the absence of meat when you get the flavors of everything else and not to mention their ever so famous french fries! The drive took about 8 hours and the very last bit of it was in some light so cal traffic, which wasn't terrible because the sun was shining and all was beautiful.

After we arrived and I unloaded 4 grocery bags, 2 suitcases, a big box, and my purse it was hard to believe that we were going to be here for a week. I need to seriously lose about half the stuff I am lugging around while I have my car. For dinner I went to this place called Sushi Deli 2 and it was the BEST veggie sushi I have ever had!!! The waitress I had was super fantastic and a vegetarian so she recommended some great rolls to try! They had my favorite roll which is tempura yam with avocado on top. I love it!!!!! I went there a total of three times this week.

The next day I made a trip to Ralph's to gather some other necessary groceries:
- Orowheat Whole Wheat and Double Fiber bread (no eggs, honey, or dairy!)
-I make really yummy PB and Banana sandwiches on this bread or PB & J with smuckers organic grape jelly and Skippy's All Natural Creamy PB.
- Wheat Sourdough bread (no eggs, or dairy) and very yummy!!
-This bread is for my tofurkey and fake cheese sandwiches with spicy mustard and veggie crisps. Also great for dunking in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a touch of garlie salt.
- Tofutti American "Cheese" absolutely no casein in this, which isn't the case in a lot of other soy cheeses. It was a happy find!
- Apples (Gala, Red Delicious, Pink Lady)
- Bananas
- Paper Plates (to be thrown away in the recycling bin - well done Westin Hotel!!)
- Straws (disposable...couldn't find reusable ones...these are for my protein shakes)
- Soy Yogurt
- Chili beans
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Seasoning Salt
- Garlic Salt

The theatre we are playing at is great! It's the Civic Theatre. Love it. Love the house staff. Awesome. This is the first theatre that I have seen other shows in and also get to work in. It feels great! I saw Rent with Shannon and Danielle and Miss Saigon with Linz and Jason years ago.

The weather here is so beautiful and it's going to be hard to leave here tomorrow. I have decided that I will return to SD and live here after I am done touring and have lived and worked in NYC. So...several years from now, but I'm still ecstatic about it.

I was able to see Monty, Genn, and Justin while in San Diego and it was great! When Monty saw me the first thing he said to me was that I looked really healthy which made me feel good because I think there is a misconception about vegans looking un-healthy or weak. I find that I look the opposite and feel fantastic! In the past month that I have been living the vegan lifestyle I have maintained my weight but still lost inches. I can only attribute it to the fact that I am keeping my muscle mass, but continuing to lose fat. I have kept up the jogging every other day and because of that I make sure to get all my protein and carbs more than I think I normally would have. The veggies are much easier to eat now as well and I never thought those words would pass my lips.

Tomorrow we will be traveling to LA and performing there for 2 weeks. I'm really excited to be near some great health food stores that I know of there...Erewhon, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's...and I'm sure I can hunt down a few more. Seeing Linz, the Elephant Theatre Company, and hopefully some former teachers will be the highlight of these next two weeks....then off to Arizona.

Love and peace,
Kim

Day 28-30 New Years Eve, New Years Day, People who need people

New Years Eve was a pretty exciting day. Everyone was a buzz about what they were doing to ring in the new year. My plan was to go up to Jesse's (Company Manager) with Ryan (Associate CM) and Brigid (Lead Wardrobe) to share some champagne and eat beans. The bean eating was one of Jesse's family traditions. At the stroke of midnight you eat a spoonful of beans and this will bring you wealth, good fortune, and health in the new year. I was down with it and ate nearly half a can of beans...it doesn't hurt.

New Years Day I spent in bed with the expected champagne headache...I woke up at 10am and ate a tofurkey sandwich, took a nap, woke up watched the docu "The Beautiful Truth"...hello...amazing! Took a nap, woke up, had a tofutti better than cream cheese sandwich with tomatoes and red onion...yummy, took a shower and headed into work.

As much as I had set up 2010 to be something amazing it really just felt like another day....until showtime. When the show started I started to feel really happy...how blessed was I to work on such a great show. I started thinking about future job interviews and how I will be asked about my time spent with Riverdance, what was my experience like...it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I love my job very much and look forward to these next 5 months together with some of the most talented and lovable people I have ever known.

Living on the road and being single is always a strange thing...I'm sure people on the road who are married would say the same. The lifestyle itself is unlike anything else. It's strange because you go on day after day without much personal contact and you don't realize how much you miss it until you have it. Spending time with my family with all the hugs and kisses really makes you realize how much you need those things. It's been proven that babies will die without human contact in their first few months of life, so it makes me wonder how long adults can live without this kind of personal touch. The cast is a pretty huggy bunch so we do get enough to get by and it's nice to have some friends close enough to lean on...but it does make you wonder.

Peace and love,
Kim