Almost 4 weeks of Chicago life.

A recent enjoyment of mine is picking up the free Red Eye newspaper which has mainly pop news inside. I've discovered that most CTA riders enjoy it as well. My excitement in getting a fresh issue each day is for the crossword puzzle. I've never been good at crossword puzzles--growing up I've always peeked at the answers unless they were for school, of course. The special thing about these crossword puzzles is that they don't give you the answers or any hints. The answers come on the next day's issue. They have been difficult, and sad to say...I've given up many times. The other day on the train, 2 girls sat down--one beside me and one in front. I was reading my book until my ear caught the girl next to me talking about the crossword puzzles in the Red Eye. She said that she always does them just to make herself feel smart, because they're so easy. Just imagine my thoughts after that statement...

Random quote dedicated to my sister from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park:

"But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them."

Oh, how true.

Something I've found quite annoying is that the taxi-cabs here in Chicago highly resemble police cars. When driving, my mind is always extremely cautious of the speed limit and conscious of the break pedal due to taxis everywhere.

Rehearsals for the Mikado have continued to be a blast. There's so much little bits of choreography to remember, but the challenge is fun. It's hard to believe that we are doing a "stumble through" Run-through this Sunday afternoon! It's coming so quickly! Last Sunday, I met a couple of people that know 3 friends of mine who went to grad school with them for voice. It was quite interesting that they knew about BJU, because of my friends. Most people don't.

I had an embarrassing moment Thursday evening! There's a part when the ladies' chorus is shuffling/running in a huge circle to the other side of the stage and at the same time bowing in a japanese style to the Mikado and his "daughter-in-law elect" Katisha. Well, we rehearsed this, and I got so into it and was having fun bowing, when all of a sudden I was downstage center and realized that I should have stopped and stood in my place about 10 feet back, and everyone else was already in their places. Out of embarrassment I threw my arms out and exclaimed "Oh! Oops!" scurried back to my spot while everyone laughed. I was actually surprised that we've been in rehearsals for this long with that being my first embarrassing moment. That's a record.

Here is the poster for the show!!!!

Job update: Orientation was this past Wednesday for Jamba Juice/Auntie Anne's! The regional director Denver and the general manager Michelle did an excellent job it getting us excited for the job. It sound like a great company to work for!

I also had an interview for the Skydeck gift shop at the Willis Tower. It went very well! After they finish sifting through resumes and interviews, they will call back the people they really want for a second interview. We'll see! The wonderful thing about both of these jobs is that you can easily transfer to different cities. Jamba juice helps in relocation costs, but Skydeck doesn't..but the fact that you can easily transfer is fantastic.

Training for Jamba Juice/Auntie Anne's begins Monday bright through Wednesday, then it opens Friday!

A happy discovery was that the museums all have certain free days. This past Tuesday, my friend Austin and I really wanted to take advantage of the free day at the Shedd Aquarium.

We tried to get a couple of other people to join this fun event, but they were busy. We arrived at the aquarium around 11:00am, and the entrance was PACKED with a massive line. Schools were taking advantage of the free day...so we decided to go nearby to the Museum of Natural History. While walking through the exhibits, we saw art students sitting with their big drawing paper drawing the animal/exhibit of their choice. I knew Becca would've enjoyed seeing that since she often took her art students on field trips to draw. While in the exhibit of different kinds of birds, I wanted to create dresses inspired by birds such as the snowy egret, greater bird of paradise, and of course the peacock. Their design/feathers are gorgeous. How to accomplish this? Not quite sure yet. It will happen one day.

We also went to the planetarium, but to our disappointment, you can only go to the surrounding exhibits for free..not the actual planetarium. You'd think that for a free day to the planertarium you would actually get to see it.

On our way to the exhibits, there were giant "legs" in a park nearby. I absolutely HAD to get pictures with them.....

These are dedicated to Giuseppe...

Shedd Aquarium...Someday I'll get to really go...

Museum of Natural History...

Me with Sue!

In a glass exhibit with mammals....

Still confused why Belle was their chosen model.....

On a different note....

Big struggle this week: Loneliness. It's hit incredibly hard. Many tears over the need for fellowship. It hurt so badly that I kept on checking craigslist to get a cat to love. I called my dear mom one night and cried.."Mooommm I want a kitty!!" She was very supportive, BUT my sister said, "No! you don't need a cat...you're going to become a cat lady..and get lots of cats...have conversations with them...and refer to them as people while talking to others." I laughed and laughed. She is right. I would. She made a mission for me today--to meet someone, get a number, and have a good story to tell. At my objection, she lowered the standard to just having a good story about meeting someone. What a good cheerleader she was. I got off of my bum, got ready for the day, and started this conquest. The first stop was Quest Diagnostics to get a pre-employment drug test for the Skydeck gift shop--not exactly the place you would think you'd meet a new friend. When it was my turn to go into the back, a guy worker around my age opened the door and called my name. He was quite friendly with a very pleasant smile. My first thought was, "Greeaaat. I have to give him the cup." After giving him the sample, he asked about where I was from/why I was up here/etc. Turns out that he is a musician as well and is a piano tuner. It surprised me, because I have never met anyone around my age that was a piano tuner. We talked a little bit more, and then the other lady workers were giving him assignments to do, so he went back to give me his business card just in case I needed or knew someone that needed a piano tuned. As he gave it to me, he said, "Call me anytime" with a smile. Pretty sure I had a huge grin for at least 15 minutes afterwards. I had already met the goal of the day! I immediately called Becca and shared the story. She was proud. During my other stops of the day, I didn't really get the chance to talk to any more people, but I was satisfied. I'm thinking about making a daily goal to meeting one new person. Thanks so Becca for encouraging a day brightener :)

Random fact:

These Chocolately cat cookies for people from Trader Joe's are amazing. I have to restrain myself from eating the whole container each time my eyes lay on them.

More auditions are coming up in the future! I'll post about them (what they were for/how they went) closer to that time.

Hope your weekend is smashing!

TLE

snowy days

Most Chicago residents probably groaned at the thought of the snow storm coming, but I was filled with excitement. If I had waterproof gloves and pants I'd be out on the back building a snowman! I ran into a bit of a problem, though...I'm not sure how I'm going to get the almost foot of snow off of my car and the foot and a half of snow out from around the car so that I can use it tomorrow for rehearsals....

Speaking of rehearsals, they actually cancelled on on Tuesday due to the snow! Sunday's staging rehearsal was wonderful. I was amazed at how the director can remember to each group of people their blocking, and she smoothly transitioned from each one. She taught us different Japanese movements for us to remember so we aren't standing stiff on stage. We laughed as she looked at her notes and said, "It's a good thing that I drew stick figures for these." It was cute picturing stick figures doing the poses and movements she was teaching us. I've been able to get to know people in the cast more! It's been a pleasure. It was also fun being able to drive one of the lead singers and a fellow chorus member to the train station so that they didn't have to take a long bus ride. It's easier to remember people's names who you spend a bit of time with in a small group rather than looking at the huge cast and trying to remember everyone's names.

This past Sunday morning I attended The Moody Church which is pastored by Erwin Lutzer. My mom mentioned that she would love to go there, because his books have been such an encouragement to her. I was kindly greeted as I walked in the door, and I was amazed at the beauty of the Sanctuary. As I looked around, I loved seeing people from all kinds of backgrounds. It's a huge urban ministry. The choir and accompaniment were absolutely gorgeous, and the pastor was so wonderful. He began a series called "Nothing Else Matters: How the Glory of God gives meaning to all of life", and I can't wait to hear the rest of the series.

Newsflash-- Last week on craigslist I spotted a hiring event for a Jamba Juice/Auntie Anne's that's opening at Navy Pier soon. My friend Austin is in dire need of work as well, so we both were sure to be at the food court where the interviews were going to be held exactly at 10:00am Tuesday morning. The interviews were going to be from Tuesday until Thursday. When we picked up applications to fill out, we saw the man doing the interviews, and I immediately rejoiced inside, because he had a NC accent. I had points already. Austin had his interview first and he was hired on the spot for a part-time worker (the few ahead of us weren't...quite sad for them...). My turn came, and I tried my best to turn on the Primm lady charm. ;) Come to find out, he was the regional director of MSE, and they own a ton of locations around the U.S, so it's easy to transfer. He grew up in Denver, NC, and his daughter works for the speed channel in Charlotte, so we had a tiny bit of a connection. I asked about moving up to management, and he began to tell me about the hourly manager position and asked me if I would be interested in giving it a shot, even though I haven't had management experience, yet. So, he hired me to definitely be a part-time worker, and I could call him back to take the hourly manager position if I desired. I asked my family and friends about it, and I came to the conclusion that it would be best to start off as part-time and get the feel for it, even though I would have secure hours and higher pay with the hourly manager position. I am so thankful for this! To tell the truth, I began to worry after I got this job that I would barely have enough to cover rent and food, but I knew God would still provide. This afternoon I was contacted by the Willis Tower (formerly Sears tower) skydeck gift shop, because they received my resume and CV and wanted me to come in for an interview to be part-time employee there. If both of these jobs work out, that would be marvelous! It would be quite funny to have two jobs in high tourist areas. When I read the e-mail asking when I could come in on Tuesday or Wednesday for an interview for the gift shop, inside I thought,"See, Rachelyn! God is taking care of you!"

Today I went to the library to find and check out a book to read during spare time and when I start riding the bus/trains more often. I can't express how much I love libraries. We grew up going every weekend with Dad, and it's always a joy. I chose Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, because I want to read more of her work. :)

Also, I made it a point to take pics today......

My darling abode--2nd floor

Front Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Bathroom--Nice Brickwork!

View to little backyard

Mom's car that I borrowed :) surrounded in snow!

Lovely Houses on Nearby Street

Fair at Navy Pier

Navy Pier Chicago View

Enjoy!

TLE

settling in

Week 2 of the Chicago adventure is coming to a close. Things I've enjoyed this week: teaching myself to parallel park and being accident free, realizing my new addiction to Craigslist.org, moving into my apartment, seeing snow every day, my drive to rehearsals--passing the gorgeous lake Michigan which is frozen closer to shore topped with snow, passing the beautiful city/navy pier lights in the evenings, absolutely delicious veggie burrito from my first real visit to Chipotle, getting to know fellow cast members more, being on skype with family and friends during my brother's welcome home party...

Much has been accomplished this week in relation to job applications, but I'm still on the job search. During this search, though, Luke 12 has been a marvelous encouragement to me. I think on it every day as a reminder that our Heavenly Father knows our needs, and we don't need to constantly worry about things---He will provide!!

Big event previously mentioned was finally getting a place to live. It's a gorgeous vintage flat in a very safe area. I share the 2nd floor apartment with a female artist. She is very kind and helpful! I'm excited to get to know her more. I was so happy to find out that the previous girl who lived in the room that I am living in left her mattress/boxspring, so I have a bed! I've been scanning craigslist.com a lot--the free section particularly. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to snag anything yet, but hopefully soon I will be able to make my little room not so empty and be able to put clothes in drawers. I hope to take pictures soon to show the darling place. My favorite part about it are the doorknobs and the woodwork coming up the staircase to our apartment.

Sunday evening, I auditioned for "A Tale of Two Cities" the musical with Jedlicka performing arts center. It was a pretty good audition! I sang "When I Look at You" from the Scarlet Pimpernel and "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" from Sweeney Todd. I chose very contrasting pieces to give myself more of a chance--auditioning as a mezzo and a soprano. A not so happy thing happened, though--I wore my character shoes for the dance audition, and the material on the floor didn't agree with the sole of the shoes, so I was constantly slipping, so my footwork looked horrible! They mentioned that we should hear back by Saturday, but sadly I haven't heard back yet. My friend Austin auditioned as well, and he got a lead role--Dr. Alexander Manette--so many many congrats to him! BUT I must say though, that girls have a much harder time landing roles due to the massive amounts of girls that audition.

Everyone who auditioned received a voucher for 2 free tickets to an upcoming play. When I went up to the desk to get my voucher, I talked to the guy at the desk (he was about my age) for a tiny bit, joking about him hiding the vouchers and giving out extra for a little cash. Later when the audition was over and I was about to walk out the door, he called my name and told me that I forgot my voucher. I was utterly confused, and I said that I already got one. He kept on saying, no really, you forgot it, and proceeded to hand it to me. I laughed and thanked him, and I happily went out the door, because I thought I had 4 free tickets then, and I was trying to think of who I could invite. Later, I told Austin about it, and he said, "He gave you his number didn't he", and I said "What? No, why would he do that?", and Austin said to go check the voucher. Lo and Behold, he had written his name and number and wished me good luck. I rolled on the floor laughing about how I had completely missed it. Poor Mike didn't realize that he smoothly gave his number to a partial blonde.

I also auditioned for Light Opera Works' season with "Were I they Bride" from Yeomen of the Guard. It went quite well, and the director asked me what else do I have to sing for him. I froze for a second, then explained that I didn't bring anything else due to the website saying only one 32 bar song. I felt like an idiot. I've read this in audition books--to bring more than one selection in case they want to hear more of your voice--yet I failed to think of that. Now I know for next time! He asked me to sing my song again,though. We probably won't hear back for a couple of weeks due to the large amount of auditionees and productions that they are casting for (the auditions lasted over a week long). I'm so glad that I put that I'm currently in the Mikado on my mostly white resume, because he asked how rehearsals were going, and he mentioned that he hoped to come see the production!

For the first time ever, I saw an escalator for shopping carts only that ran right next to the people escalator in a two story target that I went into today. Pretty interesting.

Tonight was really a blessing to get to "attend" my brother's welcome home party through skype. I loved seeing and talking with everyone again. It helped ease the pain of missing them.

Tomorrow afternoon begins the first staging rehearsal for the Mikado! We will be staging the Finale from Act I after we review Act II. I am so excited for it, because staging rehearsals are the spark to the production coming alive. Music rehearsals these past couple of weeks have been fun, but once we start getting to move around and become the people of the town of Titipu. The excitement of being in a production begins to burst even more!

Better end this before my words start to become an unknown language as my eyes beg to close themselves. Pictures will come of the place soon.

Best,

TLE