Joyeux anniversaire

One year ago on Thanksgiving day, my family so kindly helped Rebecca and me cram our things into the van and our car, and endure a long drive from Charlotte to Chicago to move us into Chateau Byron!

2010

2011

Haha--not that much has changed in our living room..but it's still fun to look back at old photos.


It's shocking to think that it's December already. It's also shocking that it's December and we've only gotten a couple days of snow and it didn't even stick. I was bracing myself for blizzards every single day when November hit. That's what happens in Chicago, right? On our first day of the snow that didn't stick, I squealed like a 5 year old and threw on my coat to take a walk through the beautiful flakes, when the Midwesterners around me grumbled.

\A highlight of the past few weeks was my Thanksgiving break back home with my family. Due to the airline prices, I almost took a solo 15 hour road trip to NC, but thankfully I was able to get cheap flight on Priceline the day before I was supposed to leave. Everything worked out perfectly--from my friend Jill covering for me as a nanny for a couple of days, to pickup arrangements. Some things accomplished were lots of turkey and stuffing consumption, viewing the new Muppets movie the day it came out (Thanksgiving), hitting my favorite restaurants of my southern life (such as El Valle, Cracker Barrel, Bojangles...don't laugh...), trying a couple of new places, 1/2 off day at my favorite thrift store, and just all around family time including re-bonding time with the family pets.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I held an Improv class party, which turned out to be so much fun. It was a potluck, and I made a huge crockpot full of Chili, and a crockpot with hot apple cider. Everyone brought delicious food and games for us all to play, and in one particular game which was basically "20 Questions", we all learned so much info on each other that I never would have imagined we would find out. That definitely makes for some great jokes and scenes in the future, haha.

We only have one week left of level B! Yesterday we did serious scenes during the first half of class, which turned out to all be amazing scenes, but so intense. As I was watching my classmates' scenes as well as improvising in my own scene, I was tapping into a couple of different personal emotional wounds, and it was extremely hard to switch out of that mindset when we began the non-serious funny scenes. That has always been the case when I've acted, but I didn't normally have to instantly switch characters like that. It's definitely something I need to ponder on more and work on.
In January we begin Level C, and from that level on we start class performances! So exciting!

Towards the beginning of November, I auditioned for Disney once again but this time it was a Princess look-a-like audition. This audition was another example of how much taking ballet has helped me in dance calls. I still need to gain a lot of dance experience, but routines are coming much more easily to me now. In this audition I got the farthest along in the process than I've ever been in a Disney audition. I made the cut from about 80 girls down to about 12 after we all learned a dance routine that resembled what you would see in a parade. After that, they went down the line asking each of us a few questions then giving us a good look over. I didn't make the cut past that, and I have a feeling it's due to my height, since most of their female characters average at 5'4"-5'6", but I'm definitely going to keep on trying.

I have a new roommate! Since my sister, Rebecca, hasn't returned to Chicago yet, her room became available after Jacquie moved to NYC. My lovely friend Jill moved in, and it's about time that she did since she has basically already been my roommate! One of the fun things has been our piano playing/singing together times. We keep on joking that we're going to have a Jill and Rachelyn concert at Chateau Byron and invite all of our friends to hear us.

This past weekend I was ecstatic to be able to see the actual Jerry Lee Lewis in concert at the beautiful Congress Theatre here in Chicago. I didn't know much about him until my friend was cast as an understudy for the role of Jerry Lee in the national tour of Million Dollar Quartet. The entire time I could not believe I was watching this man...this legend. His fingers could still fly, and he was adorable. He was also such a divo, but he has every right to be one. After the first band played, we waited over an hour after he was supposed to enter for him to begin his set. One man towards the front got so mad at the wait, he stood up angrily, chucked his chair onto the stage, and stormed off. The most embarrassing part for him in the scene he made was the fact that Jerry Lee's band came out 2 seconds after he turned around to storm off.

Lastly, I'm excited to be working with the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company as a chorus member in The Gondoliers. Rehearsals start in January, just like the past two shows I've done with them. Auditions were way earlier this year than the past years, but it was so good to see dear faces again, as always!

we GRADUATED

This past Tuesday was my last class of Level A Improv at Second City, and most of our class is sticking together and moving on to Level B. We're all so proud of ourselves for graduating on. :)  "Yes, and..." is something that was taught to us in our very first class, and I need constant reminder of it. During our second class of scene work, that principal completely left my brain, and I was over thinking and not just listening and letting it happen. "Yes, and..." means that whatever happens (no matter how awful you think it may be) is correct, and you just keep on going. This past class of scene work was definitely much better! Also, our lovely teacher Kimmie reminded us last week that there is "no room for egos". People are going to learn at different paces, keep them as part of your family and help them out. I'm excited for Level B! 

Our class!

     On Monday, I auditioned for Full-time character positions for Disney World, and I haven't been as proud of my other 3 auditions for Disney as I was with this one. No singing was involved, because it was strictly a character audition, but lots of dancing was. I still need LOTS of improvement in routine memorization, but ballet classes have definitely helped my drastically, since it wasn't an absolute flop like some of my dance auditions have been. Disney auditions are always inspiration for me, since I love them so much and it's one of my dreams to work for them, but this one just felt even more inspirational. Haha, some of the people in the audition room were complaining or being negative at times and I just wanted to turn to them and say, "Umm, have you done research on Disney expecations? They don't hire Mr. Grumpy Pants..."
At the end of the audition, they thanked us all for coming and told us that they will keep our scores on file for 6 months and call us as positions open up for our height range if we are wanted. Of course, there is loads of competition, because they audition weekly in Orlando, and they are also touring the U.S. holding auditions. We'll see! I'm definitely not going to ever give up on them, though! ;)


       Recently my dear friends Jill, Kristin, and I enjoyed a trip to Six Flags Great America. It was an unusually beautiful day (for October) with a high in the 80s, which made it perfect for roller coaster riding. Due to everyone else feeling the same way about the day, we were only able to ride 2 roller coasters, since the lines were so long, but it was fantastic catching up on eachother's lives, getting to ride our 2 favorite rides, splitting a funnel cake, and friend in a show there that was in the cast of Man of La Mancha with us. 
        

          Last weekend was filled with family, Carolina sun, wedding music, Chick-fil-a, and Bojangles Boberry biscuits, after I hopped on a flight down south for my cousin Greg and his lady Keily's wedding. I was happy to be a part by singing "The Prayer" with Greg's best man, and "For Always" while my brother Matthew and our friend Juliana collaborated on viola and piano. It was such a surprise to discover that Juliana was the pianist for the wedding, and it was magnificent to see her again. I know her from college, and she also attended the summer conservatory the same summer that I did. We became friends that summer and also got to collaborate together then!
Seeing family was lovely, especially since it has been at least a year since I've seen most of them.
       
       Denyce Graves gave a  masterclass at the Belk Theatre in North Carolina that weekend, and I got to attend!  I was 10 feet away from her, and soaked in every single piece of wisdom that she gave. She says, "Voila." in the place of "there you go" a lot, and it's adorable. She's gorgeous.

      Something that I wish I would have started a while ago is making it a point to go to open mics consistently. The past couple of weeks, I have attended one particular one with Jill (and this week Kristin!), and have had such a great time. It gives motivation to learn new material, it's great for meeting new people who are fellow music lovers, aside from the fact that it's great experience!

Here's a few smiles: 

Caramel Apples and Baked Pumpkin seeds!

Carved with my nanny kids!

Fall

Ever since I tasted my first pumpkin spice latte pre-autumn, I haven't been able to get apples, pumpkins, and leaves out of my mind. Although rainy, this past weekend seemed to be the perfect start to fall. It was a curl up with your favorite blanket, candles, coffee, and book/laptop/music, weekend. The goodbye to summer dresses and beach time was sad for a moment, but fall has so much charm making it greatly welcomed.

One of my desired activities to accomplish this fall is follow in my family's tradition of going apple picking. A temporary cooling of that desire was the idea of an Apple Fest in Lincoln square which is a neighborhood north of mine. Roommate Jacquie, my friend Jill, and I made an alternate plan of eating mexican food when the rain didn't look like it was going to stop, but the sun ended up popping out and the sky cleared. We were able to enjoy a little walk through of the festival, get inspired to bake apple pie, and I bought these little pumpkins and gourds!

Afterwards Jacquie and I went to mine and Rebecca's favorite thrift store, and I found 2 amazing candles to add to the Rebecca and Rach "candles that moms don't like to burn and burn them" collection. Here is one of them:

              

I was able to skype with my family Sunday evening (so lovely, too), and I was tormented by their enjoyment of my mom's delicious freshly baked Apple Crisp. So what did I do? Asked mom for the recipe, bought the ingredients, invited Jill to help, baked it, and enjoyed it with Jacquie and the neighbor Tom! We made WAY more of the crisp part than the recipe calls for, because it's the best part. Here's the delicious result:

 The next day I told Alexander about my fun evening, and I promised that we'd make apple crisp together sometime this week. I made sure to stick to the recipe so that they wouldn't get as unhealthy of an apple crisp as we made last time. ;) He was such a great helper!

   

For the performance side of life, there's a couple of exciting auditions coming up. One is this Monday and the other one is the Monday after I return from a weekend in the Carolinas (for 2 weddings!) October 14-16. 

I'm still madly in love with my ballet class as well as improv class. It's fun to see our improv class grow closer each week, and I'm glad that's happening. Most of us signed up for the next level which begins at the end of October. The goal is to keep on signing up for classes and become an ensemble together. 

Chateau Byron news: My dear roommate Jacquie, who has been subletting my sister's room since January, recently took an internship with a photographer in NYC, and she left our lovely Chateau Byron Tuesday night. I'm so proud of her in taking that gigantic move and jealous of the fact that she will be there during the BEST season to be in NYC.

Lastly, all week I've been thinking about the beautiful rainbow that appeared for a bit of time Monday morning. Alexander spotted it first on our way to taking him to school, and it instantly brightened up both of our days. Later when I got home, Jacquie mentioned that she saw it, and it was exactly what she needed, too. Here's the rainbow that brought lots of smiles!

                   

twenty-three

In spite of Hurricane Irene's scare of tearing up NYC, my sister and I arrived early this past Friday morning for a birthday celebration/fun weekend. We met up with our friend Will, went to my beloved Shake Shack (waited in line 40 minutes for that delightfulness..), and our brother Matthew arrived at our yummy lunch after taking a train in from CT to spend the day with us! For my birthday evening just before we went to Catch Me if You Can the musical, our friend Will brought out a cheesecake with "Happy Birthday Rach" written on it that he had made himself! The three of us got dressed up, felt fancy by splurging to take a cab to the theatre, and enjoyed the show immensely!

The next day was crazy, because they shut down all mass transit in the city and hardly any stores were open. On our way to enjoy brunch at a cute French restaurant, we laughed as Will wrote off all of the restaurants that weren't open, because "they weren't true New Yorkers". haha. Later, we found an open Walgreens and stocked up on water, snacks, and spongebob floaties, just in case it was a disasterous storm. The next morning we scoped out Irene's damage, which was thankfully not too much in the areas we were at, but there were so many people that were complaining that Irene hardly did anything and that everyone (including the mayor) was making way too big of a deal out of the storm. Becca and I couldn't understand their non-thankfulness. We totally would rather play it safer than sorry!

Sunday evening Becca and I enojoyed bonding time through walking to Union Square, stopping in a bookshop, and chatting over coffee at a diner called the Coffee Shop. We ordered coffee and chocolate layer cake, but the server guy brought back something that wasn't even cold but tasted like ovaltine instead of our much wanted cake, so she and I competed over who would get the guts to tell him that isn't what we ordered. She did it, and we finally got the cake! It was so good to have time to be together and just talk again since it's been pretty much since January since we've REALLY gotten to have bonding time.

She departed Monday morning, but my flight got cancelled til Monday night, so I had an extra day to spend there, and it was such a beautiful day for exploration. I got to hit most of my favorite spots! After I hugged her good-bye, I took a train up to the Met. I was all proud of myself for my decision to go there, then I got there and they said it's always closed on Mondays, but it ended up being a good thing, because I took a lovely stroll through central park over to the American Museum of Natural History (which was my place of employment when I lived there), saw my boyfriend Dum-Dum (the easter island statue featured in Night at the Museum), went to my favorite exhibits, and saw a couple of dear old coworkers. Next, my thoughts of hunger instantly brought me to the location of Shake Shack that I used to visit the most. It's right next to the museum at 77th and Columbus. After my chocolate desire was satisfied, I walked down to the Lincoln Center, felt instant inspiration, went into the Library of the peforming arts and was even more inspired by all of the music and theatre books, and I picked up a book on the Lincoln Center, and an opera score. I read and read, then went over to the Met Opera shop and felt more happiness inside as I walked into the Met Opera House. The moment I laid my eyes on a Met Opera Diva mug, I had to buy it, and as I was checking out I had a nice little chat with the cashier guy who thought I lived in New York. That's always a great feeling :).

After that I decided to walk many more blocks down to Times Square, stopped in the Disney store, and down to the Drama Book Shop at 40th. Soon after I went back and packed my things, had a quick smoothie with a friend I haven't seen in a year, then hopped on a bus to the airport! I even made a new friend from Germany who is visiting the states for 3 weeks while in the airport.

It was such a great trip and definitely wonderful to experience NYC again after not being there since October. One day Becca and I will return to live there. One day. :)

Since Man of La Mancha has closed, I've had time to have a bit more of a social life, since I withdrew from the show with the Savoyaires in Evanston. I was supposed to start rehearsals August 15, but I felt the need to take a break since I felt like I was spreading myself way too thin the past few months. It hit me when I got really sick a month ago. I'm so happy with the decision to withdraw, since I've had time to further myself now--for example--ballet and improv classes!

Ballet classes were on my to-do list for this self furthing time, but it was my friend Tiffany that got me started the very first class. She asked me if I wanted to join her in going to a modern dance class, but once I got to the studio I chickened out when I saw that it was Modern I-II, and the dancers in the class looked way more experienced, so I went to the Beginning Ballet class. I instantly fell in love. It amazed me the different muscles that we were working that I had never felt before. I was doing well until about 3/4 through the class when everything started getting more difficult, because I don't know any of the terminology yet. The teacher was impressed and recommended that I take her other class Fundamentals of Ballet in addition to this class so that I can learn the positions. I think I'm going to switch studios do to the distance, but I'll start back up again this week! I bought my very first leotard and ballet shoes, and I was so excited about them I wore them around my apartment for a while afterwards, haha.
 
Improv classes at Second City started up last week! I was very nervous the whole day about it, but was quickly put at ease when I got into the classroom, was amused highly by our teacher, and realized how fun it was going to be. I had no idea that the improv world was mainly men! There's way more guys than girls in my class, and that's the case for all of the classes. This is definitely going to be a fun industry to try to get into ;). I know I'm most likely going to be addicted to improv after this course. We get discounted and free tickets to shows happening at Second City, and our class is going to go together each Tuesday after class to a show. We're already becoming a family. How cute. :)

Can you believe it's already September?! There's a feeling of Autumn in the air on this labor day..it's a mixture of emotional feelings...more so about my wardrobe than anything else. Haha. I'm going to miss summer dresses, but fall clothes are fun, too! 

"Original" Primm kids togther again in NYC :)

"He's a madman!"

Jill as Aldonza, Lindsay as Fermina, and Me in my prisoner costume:

With Lane and Jill!

A description of last week: Exhausting, yet exciting.
Last week was full of being at work by 8am, leaving work at 5 to carpool to the theatre and arrive by 6, rehearse until 11pm, drive home, try to wind down and sleep, then do it all over again the next day. It was cool to see the show progress throughout the week until we opened on Friday evening. Friday evening was decent, Saturday was apparently not as decent, but Sunday was our best one so far minus the senior citizen man accepting a phone call and speaking for a while during an intense moment...haha.

I didn't fully develop my prisoner character until halfway through the week when we began to spend time working on our pre-show which was to happen for 30 minutes when the house opens. At that moment I had LOTS of time to think about it. I wanted the character to match the hairstyle that I chose to do. I teased, sprayed a ton of hairspray, and made my hair "nappy" for the whole weekend. It took quite a long time getting the tangles out Sunday evening in the shower, but I can't imagine how long someone with naturally curly would have to spend on their hair if it got into the state mine was in! Here's a closer look of one the days:

Mine and Rebecca's dear from Will flew in from New York City on Friday! We were able to really hang out on Saturday since I was so busy on Friday, and we enjoyed one of my favorite restaurants called Crepes a latte, gelato, then chatting and taking in the views of boats on the lake and the Chicago skyline at Montrose Harbor which is one of my favorite places to go. It was so much fun having him here! After the Saturday show (which he and my friend Denise went to), we went to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants here called Garcias which is in Lincoln Square. YUM. Hanging out with him flooded my mind with NYC memories from last Summer and our October visit when we thought that we were going to move back.

Will!

 Speaking of NYC, Rebecca and I are scheming a weekend visit on my birthday coming up...August 26...and I CAN'T wait. It has been almost a year since I've experienced the smells, sights, and Shake Shack (just one of the places that's a must do when we're there).

Cute story:
Last Friday, Alexander was going to have his first Tae Kwon Do belt testing. His parents had to fill out a form that described his home behavior, and a threat in getting a mark on his Tae Kwon Do form so that he couldn't get his yellow belt was what was used all week when he wasn't listening right away. Towards the end of the week, Alexander didn't like something that I said, and he said, "I'm going to tell your rehearsals and give you a mark, so then you can't be in your show and be on stage!"

6 months!

Monday I celebrated my 6 month anniversary nannying Sofia and Alexander! The family and I had a special lunch Friday to celebrate it after Alexander had a special program for theatre camp this week (which was adorable..so happy he got to go). I am still constantly thankful that I get to work for/with their family. It's so cute to look back and think of how much they have grown these past few months.

I know I'm basically being a mom, but I can't resist sharing this adorable Sofia video...

One more nanny related thing (Alexander's drawing I noticed one morning)...you know you've officially won a child over when you see this:

"Rahlen. I lev u." and if you need a translation: Rachelyn. I love you. 

Heart melting.

         
                     
This past week I was reminded how much I take good health for granted and what amazing family/friends I have.  I can't really remember the last time before this past week that I was too sick to even leave my bed. Last Friday I woke up with a splitting headache, but continued on to my nannying job. I was too excited for my weekend full of plans to really be bothered by the constant dizziness I had been feeling that afternoon. I got home after work to quickly get ready for "girls night" with my friends Jill and Tiffany, when I realized something was really up. I took my temperature, had a fever, called my mom, and she convinced me that I needed to stay home and rest.
My temperature had gotten much worse throughout the night, and I was extremely weak and achy, so I thought it was the flu. I knew I needed soup and gatorade to not get dehydrated, but I was too weak to go to the store by myself, but I didn't know who to ask or bother someone, so I prayed for someone to help. My friend Jill so kindly texted me about an hour later and asked if there was anything she could do, I told her my need, and she stopped by the store for me! Such a lovely answer to prayer.
Saturday morning's beach plans had to be cancelled, but I tried to rest up in order to survive going to my friend Matthew's birthday party since I REALLY wanted to go. I did go with Jill and survived, and I met a girl from Raleigh, NC who went to a Christian school that rivaled my school! So cool. I crashed into my bed the moment I got home, though, and my fever went way up that night. Because of my strange sore throat (sorry it's graphic--white/green mucous on my left tonsil, plus it killed to talk/swallow), splitting headache, and fever not going away, I decided to go to the target clinic, who sent me to the urgent care, because it turned out to be a really bad infection on my left tonsil. I was given strong antibiotics, a painkiller, I rested the next day, tried to take it easy the next few but got sick, and I didn't start feeling semi-normal again until Wednesday afternoon. Now I'm feeling much more like myself, and it's AMAZING.
I'm so thankful for my family who spent lots of time on the phone helping me and encouraging me, and my friends who checked on me and cared. My friend Tiffany even made me her special chicken and rice soup!
Now I'm REALLY set on cutting the chances of getting sick, I'm determined to take my vitamins and get into an exercising routine. :)

This week is tech/dress rehearsal/opening week of Man of La Mancha! Last week we began rehearsals with the pit, and it sounds so wonderful already. They're such great musicians, and our music director's ideas are perfect. We did a costumed run today, the set is almost finished, and everything is really starting to come together. This week is going to be crazy busy, but hopefully we all survive and kill it opening night :). Ticket info can be found here!  Here's the poster that Austin, (also our music director) designed:

Mine and Rebecca's dear New York City friend Will is going to be flying in Friday through Sunday and will get to see the show! I haven't seen him since October, and CAN'T WAIT to share Chicago with him. He is such a fun friend, and is one of the many reasons I miss NYC. Another dear friend, Adam, is visiting closing weekend of Man of La Mancha, which might be the last time I get to see him before he hopefully goes to Korea for 2 years to teach. So excited. I have such dedicated fans.. ;)...haha or maybe such wonderful friends. :)

Just a bit ago I got back from taking my nanny children to the beach, and it was a glorious time. Every time I go, whether with friends or the kids, I feel like I am escaping to the Bahamas for a couple of hours, and it's instant happiness. I guess it's because 99% of my beach encounters within the past 3 years have been my family and me happily walking off of a cruise ship and feeling the sand of either the Bahamas or the Caribbean in between our toes. I may have stated this before, but Chicagoans are right. The torturous winters are definitely worth the incredible summers. All of the outdoor seating at delicious restaurants, beach and downtown excursions, outdoor concerts, and cookouts are definitely making it fun. Speaking of cookouts, I felt like a grownup this past Saturday...my roommate Jacquie and my friend Denise got inspired to grill out, so I called up a dear friend for his amazing burger recipe, Jacquie and I stopped by the grocery store for needed items (one of them was charcoal...I had NO idea what kind to get...but the kind I got worked!), we borrowed the neighbor's Weber grill, and hosted our very first cookout. On the menu were burgers, grilled corn, potato salad, and baked beans. It was delicious!

Man of La Mancha opens in THREE weeks, and I can hardly believe how fast time is flying. I have great news from my previous update on my role in the show. I was originally cast into the ensemble, but since then have been given the role of Maria, the innkeeper's wife. I was ecstatic that not only I would finally have a Chicago credit with a named role, but also be able to gain more experience. The innkeeper is Chris Skyles who was in the past two shows with me, so it has been fun getting to be a shrewish lady towards him. ;)

Two days after Man of La Mancha closes, I will begin rehearsals for another show! I was cast into the chorus of the Savoyaires' (Gilbert and Sullivan troupe of Evanston--just north of Chicago) production of The Zoo and Eyes and No Eyes. Performances will be at the end of September through mid-October I think. It has been such a blessing to have been booked with shows since the beginning of the year! We'll see if another one comes a long after this one to make 2011 be an entire year filled with shows!

Fathers' day.

Couldn't resist posting this photo I saw when I was at home last weekend. It's of my parents on their honeymoon to Niagra Falls, and I found it completely adorable. So happy my mom chose that wonderful man to be her babies' daddy. ;)

Another update coming soon!

To dream the impossible dream...

Last week began the auditioning life after a 3.5 month break from it. I mentioned in earlier posts of the day that I auditioned for "The Sorcerer" being a monumental day in my life, because I actually knew people at an audition. This past Tuesday I went in to be put on a waiting list for Porchlight Music Theatre's season auditions, and the entire time I was waiting to be seen, there were so many wonderful more people that I knew and got to catch up with from either Phantom or through other theatre friends.

Thursday evening's audition for Man of La Mancha brought even more dear faces from Phantom. Excitement began to brew as we all hoped to be together again in the cast of Man of La Mancha. Saturday, the cast was announced, and I was cast into the ensemble as a prison lady!! A lot of my friends were cast, too! You know what's crazy? Two of the cast members, Kristin and Chris, were in my previous two shows, so this is our third show in a row! 

Cheesy statement of the day: This evening as I was checking out at Trader Joe's, I was chatting away with the super friendly worker guys, and they asked about my latest show just before I picked up my bags to walk out, and when I said Man of La Mancha, the guy who bagged them said, "Well that seems like the impossible dream!"

When I woke up Saturday morning and realized the weather was the perfect beach weather, Jacquie (roommate) and I went to target to get beach towels (mine had to be a disney princess one), sun block, bathing suits, and water bottles to prepare for the beach. We took the bus east, walked north to Montrose Beach, and as we approached the beach, I suddenly realized what everyone in Chicago means when they say the summers are worth the horrible winters. It was perfect sun dress weather, people grilling, playing beach sports, everyone was happy. The beach has never ever been as close to my place of residence as it currently is, and it's such a gorgeous one, too--getting to glance over at the skyline as your toes are in the sand.

This coming weekend I'm taking a mini-trip back "home" to Charlotte. Not only will I be enjoying the company of my family, but I will get to see their fantastic work in Matthew Playhouse's production of "The Sound of Music." My sister, Rebecca, is the set designer, my brother, Matthew, is the music director, my mom is the role of a nun, and my little brother, Victor, is the role of a nazi! Adorable.

Tonight was the ceremony of the presentation of the Non-Equity Jeff Awards, and if you aren't familiar with them, they are Chicago's version of the Tony awards. I REALLY wanted to dress fancy and attend the ceremony, but it didn't work out. I just received word, though, that Austin Cook received  a Jeff Award for Best Musical Direction for his work in Some Enchanted Evening!!!! I'm so proud and happy for him!! We all knew it was going to happen, though. ;) 

Opening night.

After surviving a tire blow out on the way to opening night of Phantom and making it to the theatre in just enough time to run in and have such caring fellow cast members help throw on my costume, opening weekend began. Ah, I love a theatre full of live feedback!

This is the first show I've had a headshot and bio in the program, a mic, more than 2 costumes (I have 4!), and that runs more than 3 shows (we still have 5 more performances!).

My family made a quick trip to visit! They were able to see Saturday evening's performance, and some of what we enjoyed together includes the Lincoln Park Zoo, Giordanos, and Millennium Park. Loved seeing them again, BUT it won't be long until I'm making a trip to NC. Oh! My aunt Melissa and Uncle Stuart were able to make it from Indiana to see Phantom, to

Last week, more bits of green and flowers have started to appear, and the city is looking so much lovelier! The weather is finally beginning to be no-coat weather. :)

Newsflash: Sofia doesn't call me "mama" that much anymore--she is beginning to call me "Re". Haha.


Until next time!

cornbread, sweet tea, and fried okra.

It wasn't until I left the south that I even thought to consider myself southern. Sure, I only spent the first year of my life as a resident of Michigan before my family moved to North Carolina, but I still augmented the northern side of me. Now, there's times when I very happily claim southern. An example of those times is when I get to hang out with my lovely friend, Denise (a singer/actress here in Chicago originally from Atlanta), or my friend Hunter (film guy, old skydeck coworker, originally from Mississippi). A week and a half ago, I enjoyed a Saturday with Denise--Thai and Theatre!--and from it coming up in conversation, I really wanted cornbread . Well, Guess what? Dreams do come true. Hunter, his sister Katie Brook, her husband, and I had a heart warming dinner at the adorable "Dixie Kitchen" in Evanston. I've heard of this place on many occasions before from them, but I was finally able to have a taste of home--with very enjoyable company I might add.

As much as I had no clue that I would ever do it, I just recently, I became a Mary Kay lady! Marykay.com/rachelyn is my website if you or anyone you know is interested in their fabulous products or becoming a consultant. I've always loved the products, but I'm also excited about the positive atmosphere I stepped into when I attended the past couple of Mary Kay trainings. I also had no idea of the career possibilities with MK, and was inspired by meeting directors, particularly my director Kimberly, who is a Mary Kay millionaire!

Even though there have been many occasions when I've wanted to run downstairs and hug the neighbors below me for their song playlist, I had no idea as to what extent their awesomeness was. I had only briefly encountered one of the roommates who recently moved out. Saturday night I got a knock at my door, and it was the other one that I hadn't met yet. He invited me to his new roommate's housewarming party, and I went! It was so nice to finally meet him, his new roommate, and meet more new people. In fact, at least 5 of the attendees said that they are going to come to Phantom!

Yesterday we had our first full run of Phantom, and it went well! We open in a week and a half....crazy! One of the performances is sold out, and tickets are continuing to fly. Tomorrow morning on WGN Morning news from 7-9 AM, our production will be featured, which I've heard will boost ticket sales even more. I'll be on my way to work right around then, so I won't be on TV with them...BUT that shouldn't stop you from watching it ;).

Today is Sofia's/Alexander's/my 3 month anniversary! It's Alexander's spring break this week, so we were able to celebrate together by going to the Shedd Aquarium. I think I learned the most this time that I went, because I took more time than usual to read the signs and teach the kids about the exhibits. In spite of the bitter cold pouring rain and running together through it to get to the aquarium, we had a blast!!

Speaking of bitter cold rain....I had to scrape snow off of my car yesterday. I thought I was dreaming when I woke up to whiteness outside...

April!?

Every single year I try very hard to think of a brilliant April fool's joke. This year the only thing I could come up with was to either convince someone to let me be "married" to them on facebook or list Sofia as my daughter on facebook--both not very original BUT both would scare at least one person in my family/friends. I didn't follow through with any of them, but I found out later that my sister has been telling people that I really do have a secret daughter which explains my absence from NC over the past year. She doesn't quite have them convinced yet. I crack up every time I think of it. My sister and I have the perfect one for next year, though...or some other random time if we ever feel the need for more drama in our lives.

You know how thankful I am for skype? It's been so refreshing people able to skype my family here and there. It's hard to believe that it's been 4 months since I've seen them, and it will be 5 months when they're here for Phantom. 

Tickets for Phantom of the Opera at Morton College at the JPAC went on sale the first of this month! The performance dates are weekends April 29-May14, and tickets can be purchased through this link. 

Rehearsals have been fantastic for this show. I melt each time--always in awe of the talented cast! Everyone has continued to work hard which has helped us accomplish a lot in this short time that we have been rehearsing. Our masquerade rehearsal was especially fun. Our choreographer did a great job with this scene, and it's going to look so cool once we have the choreography in ourselves plus the complicated text down pat. 

Day job news: Within the past couple of weeks, darling little Sofia has made it a tradition to run to the window, wave, and kiss me goodbye. It's so adorable. This week, though, when it's the end of my workday, she has started to get her shoes and coat and squeal for me to help her and take her "bye-bye" with me. Talk about heart-melting. 

One day when we picked up Alexander from school, we arrived at home, and he gave his fish his dinner. (Notice that it's singular....the new fish died! :(... ) I noticed him rubbing the fish bowl and talking quietly to his fish saying, "Hii fishy! Fish, did you know that the opposite of up is down? And, the opposite of in is out!" I discovered that he likes to teach him what he learns in school each day, as well as provide artwork and reading material to keep his fish entertained during the day. Haha. Cute. 

I accidentally left my Phantom score at their house one evening, and the next morning I found a surprise:

THANKFULLY it's not a "return with no markings or else" score, and I get to keep it! A cast mate of mine loved it and said it's like a time capsule. Perfect description. Really funny thing about Alexander's drawings is that my brother jonathan used to draw very similar scenes!

This past week a dear friend that I met last year while working at the Willis (Sears) Tower came into town for a gig plus Chicago visit time. It was amazing fun getting to hang out with him again and getting to know him even more, since the time I met him last year was a little before I moved to NY with Becca and a little before he moved back home to Santa fe. A performance of his that I enjoy that you should check out: 

And lastly, one of the highlights of my upcoming weekend:

"The rollicking bun and the gay sally lunn..."

Another stage with the G&S Opera Company has been struck--the lovely tea parties in The Sorcerer have sadly come to an end. I was reminded once again how beautiful Mandel Hall is, got to finally see my costume and was super happy with the finished product, and got to bond even more with cast members while backstage. Surprisingly, nothing went crazily wrong in the show...like last year during the final dress rehearsal, one of the leads was locked in his dressing room and the leads on stage did some improv for a good while to keep the audience entertained.
During Saturday night's performance, I was moving quickly on my way to run up the stairs to enter stage left, and the overdress of my costume got caught on the door handle, tore a little hole, and tore the ribbon that tied the two sides together in the front. Karla came to the rescue with a safety pin hidden in her costume, but my costume was still flapping around as I moved. When I got the chance to go backstage again, I pinned it so you would never know anything had happened with it.
Just before the final dress rehearsal, our lovely director, Thrisa, tweaked a moment that I had with a birdcage into making it a moment with the birdcage and Dr. Daly. Of course, this made me verry happy. Another favorite moment of mine? I think I mentioned last year about the moment that I looked foward to was being lifted about 7 ft into the air by fellow cast member Steve during the party scene? Well...Steve was back this year, and he was my true love in the show that I returned to after the love potion was broken. When I returned to him, he would lift me into his arms and spin me around. I looovvved it. His mom helped out with the chorus during music rehearsals, and when I spoke with her after the performance that she saw, I laughed as she told me she got so scared, because it looked like I was going to fly out of his arms.
Gilbert and Sullivan shows are truly so much fun! I'll treasure the memories of this year dearly.
Pictures can be found here!

A surprise from the week: my family sent FLOWERS on monday for theatre happenings! They are beautiful!

The past couple of weeks have been full-force, hence my lack of writing! With work all day, then rehearsals every night, I had to find ways to keep my energy up. What was my favorite? $3 medium mochas during Chocolate Happy Hour at Caribou coffee. Second favorite? Dance party with the kids. Third favorite? Naked truth Green Machine drink. YUM.

A couple of weeks ago, the family that I nanny for got 2 goldfish for Alexander. He has taken such good care of them--feeding them every morning and afternoon, and watching them swim around. When we came home after I had picked him up with Sofia, I took a look into the fish bowl and realized that the orange fish was floating on his side. How in the world was I supposed to tell him that his fish had died?! I remember the tragedy of the death of my family's first fish...and I didn't know what the outcome would be. His dad was home and broke the news to him, and I offered to help him with a funeral in his backyard, but he hasn't been convinced yet that he is really dead. He thinks the water is too cold and that he is frozen.... :/


What rehearsals started this week? PHANTOM! I cannot believe how perfectly it has been cast. Austin Cook (our music director) is so on top of his game that he makes us all want to work really hard and push for excellence. I enjoyed rehearsal so much on Wednesday and am looking foward to tomorrow's!

22.5

Yesterday I celebrated a very important day. My half birthday. Every single year I ask my family for a party or presents on my half birthday (Februrary 26), and no one ever takes me seriously. ;) I guess I haven't gotten rid of the childlike anxiousness to be older...for example...Alexander always stresses that he is 4 and a HALF, and he can't wait to be 4 and four-quarters like his friend Luke. No need to be worried, though, because I gave myself a little gift---I finally got my hair fixed from a hair dye mistake--long story--that happened a couple of months ago...it's now trimmed, colored (dark red base) and highlighted! I can't afford high salon prices, but you never know what you're going to get at a place like Great Clips or Hair Cuttery. I decided to go to the Hair Cuttery just a couple of blocks away from Chateau Byron (Primm ladeez apartment) and see what would happen. To my astonishment, I was so very pleased with the hairstylist and her excellence! Great experience.

I haven't been as busy as I have been this week since college! Since The Sorcerer opens in just under 2 weeks, we started having rehearsals every evening (excluding Friday and Saturday). As draining as working all day, then rehearsals, it was actually nice rehearsing every evening, because the choreography and music became drilled into me even more. It's really coming together very nicely! I cannot believe that we have a Sitzprobe tomorrow night...and before we know it, we will be rehearsing in Mandel Hall which is our performance venue.

I've been getting very pumped for rehearsals for Phantom! Our music director, Austin, has been excellent in sending us kind e-mails, tracks and the score to practice with, so we can be on top of it when rehearsals come around in 2 weeks.


This week Rebecca returns to Chicago! Her stay was extended due to an interview for an amazing opportunity which will span the month of April in NYC. She interviewed to work with an artist (who worked for Andy Warhol) on a project that will be going in the Met. This artist saw her artwork through a friend of hers and loved her work! She will find out soon if she got the job or not.

More great news: My brother Matthew got accepted into both Florida International University and UNC Greensboro and offered assistantships at both to work on his master's in composition. He is waiting to hear back from a couple of more schools before he decides.

The news of my sister, brother, and my getting into shows are just incredible to me. Life seemed to come to a halt after our dad passed away almost 2.5 years ago. Our whole family just felt like we were floating through life...unsure of what to do...nothing was really happening...and it was quite discouraging. Now, the Primms are beginning to go places. It feels amazing. We still have to work on significant others though...;) it's pretty sad that the only one in our family who has a love is the youngest, Jonathan... haha.



Quote of the week from nannying:

Alexander: "I don't like school. All of the kids are mean to me. They all swear at me."
Me: "They do? That's not nice at all. I'm so sorry. What do they say?"
Alexander: "They all swear at me. They say, "I SWEAR!"

It's mellltttiiing!

This week we had beautiful weather here in Chicago. A couple of days this week you were able to go outside without being a bundled up marshmallow---even able to go outside with just a sweater on! You could definitely feel everyone's spirits were much lighter and see many more smiles. Now with most of the giant snow piles gone, there's more street parking and more sidewalk space. Yess. Next week is supposed to be much cooler, but I'm very thankful for the bit of relief we had this week.

I had the strangest feeling on Sunday evening. As I was driving home on Lakeshore drive after rehearsal, I was getting closer to downtown, and I started thinking about life here and how blessed I am. I gazed over the buildings, glanced over to the lake, and the feeling of "home" came over me. I feel so content about living here...I know this is where I need to be...in spite of missing my family. Wherever they are will always be my HOME home, but this my life home right now. It's a nice feeling.


I had lots of fun baking valentines brownies and cookies for friends, and I was super excited to bring valentines cookies to our rehearsal on Monday. During rehearsal, I realized that I had left them in the car, but I wasn't one bit disappointed to be bringing a plate of cookies home.. ;) I received two lovely surprises in the mail for Vday--sweet cards from my mom and aunt!

I cannot believe that there's only 3 weeks left until our performances of "The Sorcerer"! Time has been slipping away. Tomorrow afternoon we have a "stumble-through" of the entire show. Hopefully it goes decently!

My roommate Jacquie (who is renting out Becca's room while she is away) and I stopped by Petsmart during our running errands time today, and I was set on bringing a pet home. We took a look at the adorable lizards, birds, and hamsters, but my heart melted when we made it over to the adoption room with the cages of kitties. There was a fluffy orange and white cat that looked and acted exactly like our darling cat Toddley that passed away 2 years ago from cancer. I was so set on adopting him, but Becca reminded me that she's allergic to cats....sigh....so I bought a fish! :) I named him Fauré after the French mélodie composer who I love so much. Fauré seems pretty happy in his new home. His vase is sitting on the window sill looking over the neighborhood.


A daily conversation that cracks me up each time:
         After picking Alexander up from school....
    Me: "What did you learn today? Did you learn anything cool?"
    Alexander: "I didn't learn anything. I already know everything."

"The Phantom of the Opera is here inside my mind...."

[Edited since posting...previous paragraphs removed]


My "day job" has been fantastic. Last Friday, I felt so special to get to witness Sofia's first really long moments of walking. I turned on the Toddler radio station on Pandora, and had basically a toddler dance party which involved jumping, bouncing, clapping, and walking in a circle. I have a video to document her cuteness. Since then, she has gotten even more confident in her walking. Today I took them to look at fish at the pet store, and it was the first time she didn't want me to hold her in a public place. She walked around to each of the tanks and cages of furry pets.
During our time in the car when dropping off/picking up Alexander from school, I discovered Chicago's classical music station, and I decided that's what will be our majority of music listening. I want them to appreciate classical music :). This week was the first week Alexander has actually loved listening to it. When opera comes on, he tries to figure out what is happening and describes the scene to me. Of course it's completely different than the real scene, but I'm so proud of his growing imagination. He likes my translations of the libretto, too. ;)

We began staging "The Sorcerer" this week! It's coming to life. In one of the scenes a few of us ladies will be "sprites" that are working for the sorcerer. Karla, who is also in the chorus, is helping with choreography in the show, and she began teaching us movements for the sprite scene. It's soooo much fun. It's more of a modern dance feel to the scene which enables us to be creepier. I'm happy she believed in me enough to pick me to be in the scene in spite of my lack of dance experience.


Remember that record snow storm we had a week and a half ago? I wasn't able to dig my car out for a few days, so I took the bus to work. I had ridiculous adventures (I guess you could call them that), trying to get home with the bus problems due to the storm. One night while waiting for the bus with my friend Eric (also in Sorcerer and was in the Mikado last year) after rehearsal, I thought I was going to freeze and become a snow lady. It supposed to be -25 degrees that evening, and thankfully it wasn't that cold, but it wasn't above 0 degrees that's for sure. We told stories, and attempted to have fun in the snow to keep our minds off of it.


It hit me that THIS is the month we hear that Chicago people just want to die, because the cold and snow just needs to end in their minds. I have to admit that I can see that, but I think it's beautiful when it snows. Definitely can't wait for summer, though. ;)

Ah, the stage.

Boy, it’s good to be back in rehearsals. Life feels semi-normal now…. ;)

Last Sunday was the grand introduction day in which we met most everyone involved, were told the ideas for the aspects of the show (scenery, costumes..), and began rehearsing our music. There are a lot of new people in the cast, but a good amount of people that were in The Mikado last year. It was such a pleasant feeling not being nervous about the first rehearsal. I knew people (and was EXCITED to see them again). I knew the location. “I got dis….”  is what I thought as I almost skipped into the building.

Marty Swisher (brilliant lady!) has been working with the chorus on our music and diction this past week and a half. Thrisa, our amazing director, has really great plans, and I’m looking forward to seeing them come to life when we begin the staging process in the near future. Our music director, Tim Semanik, has been working with the principals, and the chorus got to meet and work with him Sunday.

One of the many things I’m really happy about the show is that each of us gets to be our own character—even the chorus members which will be townspeople. We won’t be grouped like the
School girls’ chorus” in The Mikado. Thrisa really pumped each of us up about this aspect. My character is Aline’s best friend. Aline is a principal role, she is engaged to Alexis, and the show revolves a lot around both of them. I’ll withhold the rest of the details so people will come see the show… ;). It’s already been fun brainstorming on developing our characters.

“The Sorcerer” has a lot of really beautiful moments. I didn’t know the music at all before auditioning for the show, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. It’s different than the other Gilbert and Sullivan shows I’ve seen, but there are some of the same elements, of course.

I’ve been a nanny officially for two weeks! It’s truly such an enjoyable employment. I’ve learned A LOT so far. It doesn’t even feel like I’m working (except for when I have to wake up early) I’ve loved getting to know the kids and the family, coloring, taking library trips, playing pirates or astronauts, and trying to think of more ways to keep them entertained and help them grow. In the middle of last week, I asked my sister (who has LOTS of baby, preschool, education experience) for help since she had way more knowledge in this field. Her most helpful words were saying that the key was to develop their imagination.  I’ve realized that in order to take care of kids, you have to know how to improvise!

I'm incredibly blessed to be working for this family. They are really such great parents and children.

Moving onward to continue my hot chocolate, cookies, and blizzard watching time..while trying to concentrate on audition material for the weekend.

I'm sure there will be photos of this record storm...

just in time.

Upon returning to Chicago after a lovely time with my family over New Years, I have to admit that I was scared out of my mind. I didn't have a job, didn't hear back from any of my many applications, didn't have enough money to pay my credit card bill, let alone next month's rent. Right before I checked in at CLT on my way to ORD, my sister read my worried face. She said, "You'll find a job soon. You're good at that." It comforted and motivated me. When I returned, time started ticking. A part-time job that I thought I was going to get fell through, and even though my friend Kyle was very kind in helping me get back with Event Network at Shedd Aquarium, I knew that even if I was hired with them the week that I would interview, I wouldn't get paid enough by the time Februrary rolled around. I avoided the thought completely of asking my family or anyone for money if it had to come to it. I knew that the only way I would be able to pay bills on time was if I got a cash paying job such as a random voice gig, promo event, or nannying. I was reminded of the thought that I often heard growing up: "God is never late, but He's seldom early." I knew I needed to trust Him. I had to remind myself that He'd take care of me as He has always met my needs.

I continued my daily routine of checking craigslist, sittercity.com (referred to me by my friend Jill who is fellow singer/actress but babysits), and other job websites. Last Sunday afternoon, I noticed a new ad on sittercity.com for a family that needed a full-time nanny. I applied, and shockingly heard back shortly to interview that evening. I met the whole beautiful family--Mom, dad, and a 1.5 year old girl and 4 year old boy. The whole interview/conversation was so pleasant. We all clicked. They let me know that they were going to interview a couple more people, and I'd find out soon.
I was excited about the opportunity. I've always enjoyed babysitting in the past. Being a nanny, of course, is completely different from my more recent day job experiences (retail). You still affect people's lives, but long term. You're a role model. You have a the chance to be even more of a blessing.
Wednesday morning I received a call from the mom letting me know that they chose me to be their nanny. I was excited, thankful, relieved, and I'm sure many more feelings can classify in what I was feeling.

I began Wednesday afternoon, and had two full days on Thursday and Friday. I'm amazed at how great of kids they are. Completely adorable, too. The family is wonderful. There will be many posts in the future with quotes...for sure.
Here's one:
Just after the baby Sofia and I picked up Alexander from school, we were driving home, and I was pointing out the cool clock store that we were passing. After a little pause, I asked Alexander a question. He said, "I am thinking a thought, and no one can talk to me when I am thinking about something." haha.


Last night I had the grand privilege of attending the premiere of the first big screen production that my friend Hunter (old coworker from Skydeck but a film guy) has been a part of. It was shown at the beautiful Music Box Theatre which shows independent films, and is actually near cheateau byron (the Primm ladeez apartment). It was a documentary on William S. Burroughs. I've never heard of him until the invite to see the documentary, but before I went to see it, I only knew that he was a controversial figure who was friends with artists who I'm familiar with. Boy, the whole experience was interesting. There was a Q/A time with the director named Yony afterwards. I was shocked at how young he was. Late 20s. Very cool. He had been working on the documentary for 4.5 years!



Hunter!



If you look carefully, you will see what the temperature read when this next photo was taken yesterday morning...

I call this photo: AHHHHHHH!!

Funny thing is, it was even colder than that. The poor car couldn't register what it was it was so freaked out.



Rehearsals for "The Sorcerer" begin tomorrow afternoon! A rush of excitement just filled me as I typed that. hehe.

I'm in!

Wednesday, I received an incredibly thrilling phone call. The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company offered me a role as an alto in the ensemble, and I tried so hard to hide my excitement. Most would wonder what's wrong with expressing your excitement? Well, if you've spent much time around me, you would realize that Rachelyn's happy mood is 5x more expressive than the average human, and when something exciting occurs, it's pretty much 10x more. From previous experiences, I've realized that this can be overwhelming for people who aren't expecting it. ;)

It feels so wonderful to be able to be able to give people a show when they ask if I'm singing in anything. As do all people concerning each of their fields, I don't feel like a legitimate performer unless I'm working on something performance related. Friends' reactions to the great news was so encouraging, too. Many congratulated on twitter, and a Chicago friend, Hunter Spears, demanded a celebration dinner. Super Burrito on Irving park by the brown line was the choice. Delicious.

Another great thing happened on Wednesday, as well. The night before, I had gotten in contact with a lady through Sittercity.com that needed someone to babysit her 2 year old son the next morning while she had a dentist appointment. I got the job, and played everything from Thomas the Train to Barbies (I played the girls) with little Jack. I got really inspired by one of Barbie's dresses....when I saw it I immediately thought, "CONCERT DRESS!" Here it is:

Naturally, it will need some modification. Picture the giant lace butterflies completely lined in sequins. Ahh, Yes.

Friday, I enjoyed attending a surprise party for my friend Josh. If you look back to the middle of my post on February 19, 2010, you can actually read the crazy story of how we met. We've kept up since! :)

You never quite know how surprise parties are going to turn out (obviously), but by Josh's reaction when he stepped inside his apartment after getting something to eat with his friend Lauren, we all knew it worked. I wish I had a photo of his reaction. Complete shock. I got to thinking....if I was expecting a nice quiet evening after a long day of work when I walked in the door....I wonder if I'd be ticked off.....haha.

I attended the Saturday evening performance of "Grey Gardens" at JPAC, and I was absolutely impressed. I had been getting the insider throughout Jill's and Austin's rehearsals, so I don't know exactly what my expectations were, but it was great. The musical is very hard core emotionally (as is the documentary), but it's such a fascinating story. Mary Nigohosian who had the roles of Edith in act I and Edie in Act II was stunning. She was even more as Edie in Act II. She had Edie's mannerisms and voice down perfectly. The audience loved it in Act I, but they livened up even more in Act II due to their recognition of the characters/lines straight from the documentary. Jill and Austin were both fantastic. This was my first time seeing Jill perform. She was the role of Edie in Act I. She is incredible with her ability to sing fantastically in both legit voice and belting! Everything about Austin was perfect for the role of Gould. The rest of the cast did such a great job, too. It really is a must see for Chicago local theatre goers. 

Yesterday I found a great opportunity to be a full-time nanny for a family with 2 adorable children. I actually interviewed with them last night, too, and it went very well. They were great to get to know. I should find out by this evening if I have the job, and I'd start tomorrow!

If that doesn't work out, the Shedd Aquarium gift store manager contacted me to set up an interview. My friend Kyle who is friends with the manager informed me the other day that they were going to contact me soon, and they did. :)

Off to rehearse for upcoming auditions....

FREE Days, Snow, and Shows.

I love Chicago's museums, and I really love the museums' free days. There are a couple of great websites such as this one that have all of the free days nicely compiled together for our enjoyment.

Yesterday, I was able to see two dear friends that I haven't seen in a long time. My sweet friend Iliana came to visit for part of the day. She lived across the hall from me in college 2.5 years ago, and she just happens to be from a suburb an hour away from the city. She took a train into town, and we headed over to the Shedd Aquarium prepared for the worst line to wait in which has happened in previous experiences on Shedd free days. To our surprise, we only waited about five minutes! Being an animal lover, or maybe fanatic would be a better word, I ate up every minute there. After we visited, we stopped in the gift shop, and I spoke with the manager about the possibility of getting hired back with Event Network and working there at the Shedd. Event Network owns the gift shops in multiple tourist venues, and I was employed by them when I worked at the Willis (Sears) Tower then transferred to the AMNH.

 Here are just a few pictures of our time there! (Not wonderful quality due to my camera/difficulty taking photos through tanks)

My new little friend Iliana bought for me! :)

Monday evening I had dinner with the newly married Joe and his father-in-law at Gino's East! My family has known Joe and his family for many years from attending the same church/school. Joe came into town with his father-in-law for business related matters, and it was so wonderful to see him and catch up on life. Gino's East is a famous deep dish Chicago pizza place, and I've heard great things about it. It was delicious.

Chicago is blanketed with white again! While walking home today I had a moment that I've only ever seen on TV or in Movies. I was waiting to cross the street during rush hour, and a giant snow plow was zipping a long on the side of the road that I was on. I saw that it was madly spraying everything in its path , and I tried to think of a quick get-away plan. The moment I turned to run, it attacked me. Soaking wet, I just laughed and laughed and proceeded to wait to cross the street. Thankfully I was near home, so I didn't freeze too long. I can imagine it was a funny sight to see for the traffic around! I bet the snow plow drivers have contests for how many people they can soak. I know I would.... ;)

I'm very excited to attend the musical "Grey Gardens" opening at the JPAC this weekend. My friends Jill and Austin are in it! When I heard of the musical, it was suggested that I watch the documentary of the two ladies on Hulu or netflix to watch the story of the ladies of Grey Gardens. When I watched it, I couldn't believe how young Edie acted for her age, and I couldn't get over how adorable Edith was. It was so cute to watch her smile and sing a long listening to her recordings of herself singing back in her vocal prime. Her never ending love of ice cream, cats, and singing make me think I'm going to be a lot like her when I'm in my 80's. haha. 

If you're in the Chicago area, ticket info can be found here.