Spring Break: but it feels like winter & I still have work

So, for all those in the South, it might be interesting for you to know that many northerners are just now having their spring break. I know, CrAzY, right?! So it is not that delayed of me to consider this an all-around "Spring Break" blog post, ok?

These past couple months we've had some pretty good visitors... ok, some REAL good visitors.

It has been a WILD March & April here in La Gran Manzana. (The Big Apple.) Not only have we been averaging at least 47 auditions a week (I'm rounding), but in March it was my alma mater's AND my old high school's spring break the same week. And like I said...you know what that means?

Visitors.

So first, at least 15 Baylor friends (mostly BU theatre majors) came in town! Par-tay. First was this guy:

It was Brian's FIRST TIME ever in NYC! Can you even believe it?! Look at him in his city clothes... It just makes so much sense... #cowboyboots. AND it was his first time meeting ALEKZA. I mean, they had practically been online "friendship" dating (totally platonic) for 7 months, so we were all a little anxious for the real meeting. And it obviously went great:

So we hit the town in a BIG way. Meaning we went to Yum Yum thai & Schmackary's almost immediately. Then we spent the evening gabbing and catching up on Brian's life in #lawschool. It was a little overwhelming deciding how to spend the weekend with someone who had never been to NYC, but I think we made it work. Lekz & Brian spent the next morning hopping theaters looking for good rush tickets (& picking up Alekza's laundry, naturally) and after unsuccessful attempts at Pippin, Waiting for Godot & Raisin in the Sun, Brian eventually decided on what would become his very first Broadway show:

Mamma Mia.

oh yeah we did.

Without a doubt, seemingly one of the best 5 moments of these two's lives (Brian & Alekza). They. Knew. Every. Word. It was a remarkable experience for me. And timely, because I happened to have been called in for an appointment for the role of Sophie in Royal Caribbean's new production of Mamma Mia the thursday before then (got called in after being seen at a Pippin audition, which was probably the most exciting phone call I'd received thus far!! So that was a good day). So I, too, knew almost every word! And it may be hard to see... but this is a photo of Brian being one of maybe 4 people standing, clapping & singing along during the curtain call:

It was a good moment. And lasted a surprisingly lengthy amount of time.

Ok, so Brian & I had an action-packed next few days, so I'll speed through the rest of the events. I am in a constant state of "re-falling-in-love-with-new-york," so I was probably more excited than Brian knew to be getting to experience all of these things with someone who'd never seen them before! Landmarks we covered by foot in one afternoon:

- Radio City
- Rockefeller Center
- St. Patrick's Cathedral
- Grand Central Station
- Bryant Park
- Times Square
- Madison Square Park
- Union Square
- and, most importantly, Brian's (& my) first trip to the Brooks Brothers FLAGSHIP Store. Aka "346 Madison."

Brian also selflessly waited in line all the next morning for our two tickets to see Sir Patrick Stewart & Sir Ian McKellen in Waiting For Godot! It's in rep with the show No Man's Land, which means those same actors play characters in both of shows and switch between the two just about every other night. (Awesome.) We had box seats (you know, like royalty?) and it was everything we dreamed it would be. At intermission, everyone pretty much sat in their seats silently with the unspoken acknowledgement that "yes. this is happening." It was hilarious, it was thought-provoking, and it was the most fully I've ever understood Waiting For Godot. After reading this play in Jortner's MasterWorks class, I was pretty convinced of this - but after seeing this production, I am more convinced than ever that the spiritual analogies are THICK in that play. And I'm still trying to figure them all out.

Shake Shack with these three: Bri, Rach & the Empire State Building.

Also, thanks to Brian's dedication and intelligence, he was able to score tickets to his lifelong dream evening: seeing the Late Show with David Letterman...live. One does not oft see in their lifetime such joy & anxiousness embodied by a human as with Brian Aslin in that theater. Also, if you ever get the chance to watch the John McCain episode of the Letterman show, you will hear David Letterman imitate a studio member in a low "frat guy" voice - he was imitating our very own Brian Aslin, who made sure he was one of two members to ask Letterman a question before the show. We had a good time!

Brian got the autograph of the famed Rupert Jee
of both the Letterman show & the local Hello Deli 

Ok, so Brian & my activities took up most of the week (you know, aside from work) but there WERE other visitors, too! It felt like - not kidding - my entire undergrad theatre dept. made it out to NYC that week. It was unreal! An especially good night was getting to grab John's Pizzeria with Kat, Liz (my Chi Omega grandlittle!), Rach, Sarah, Dustin, Brian, Kevin, Caleb, Zeej, Seth & my newest friend, Cooper! Then most of them headed out to see Pippin (I couldn't actually breathe I was so jealous... but it was fine cuz I went & saw it for the 3rd time that next weekend, so...) and I met up with them afterward to wait at the cast door (it wasn't hard for me to fangirl along with those who'd just seen it for the first time, cuz y'all, it's that good). My good friend CALEB PIERCE & some ACU theatre majors also happened to be at the stage door that same night! (I'll talk about seeing him later.) So I was in a great mood. Then we headed to Juniors for a late dessert where Henry got to meet up with us! It was so good catching up with everyone.

And lucky for me, Kat & Liz stayed at our apt all week (sweetly sleeping in our living room) (and ignoring us on early mornings like the time we celebrated alekza's birthday in our kitchen at 7am) and i was SO happy to see them. Cutest people in the world!

middle picture: only missing my little/liz's big, courtney!

hi PATINA you're perfect we all luv you congrats on the Tony

Rach & I also decided to splurge a little & see Bridges of Madison County starring Kelli O'Hara (oh my word) and Steven Pasquale (oh my word) - but most importantly, the most breathtaking score Jason Robert Brown has ever created. The plot is about an affair, but you could set a story about doorknobs to that music & it would still take your breath away. He is deserving of every bit of praise and Tony nomination (which were released last week!!), and I cannot gush about it enough. (Not to mention that Kelli O'Hara's voice is, in fact, butter.)

Lastly, I got to finally catch up with my friend Caleb Pierce -

(we got sushi)

Gosh, it was good to catch up with this friend. Caleb's about to be a senior at ACU and is headed towards LA post-grad. There are few people who I believe in more than this guy. Anyone with a contagious personality like that is 100% going to be successful in whatever they do, but I think God's got some big plans for Caleb in that LA world of tv/film, and I am so thankful to be an onlooker. It's always good to catch up with others that are equally as passionate about the same field as you and know what the unique struggles of the entertainment world look like. (It's especially enjoyable when they're some of the funniest people you know ^^) So anyway, obviously I'm thankful for this guy, and glad I got to see him for a sec while he was in town! (And will still continue to insist that he'll end up in new york, even if against his own wishes.)

So altogether, even though it was a little tough to balance work + auditions + Alekza's bday celebration (more on that in a future post) + money spending since Rachel & I were not, in fact, on spring break, it kinda felt like we were! It was a good break from reality and felt good to invite friends into our NYC livin'. Thankful that friendships like these have still been able to continue even after college, and hoping that doesn't change any time soon.

And as a finale... Did I mention that:

BRIAN MET HODA KOTB?

WHO IS SURPRISED.

#SelfieWithHoda. After weeks of tweeting at Kathie Lee and Hoda about meeting them, who knew that all it took was walking through the theatre district on a Saturday morning? This was his FIRST full day in NYC, mind you. That does not happen!! If ever a meeting was set in the stars, I assure you it was this one. "Some people just walk in the light, chu know?"

#thepeopleofthepowerhouse

Ah, what a week in that Gran Manzana we call home.

So as my grandma Alpoo would always say,

"Come back now and see us, ya hear?"

enjoy. #breathtaking

Auditions: putting your best foot forward. Or your two left feet.

Hey, you guys. Welcome to my blog. Go ahead and take your shoes off when you come in - you can leave them there at the door next to my pride.

It's hard out here for a pimp.
And by "here" I mean the audition room, so, yes, I would be the "pimp" in this scenario.

So now that I've maybe caught your attention, where to begin... okay, well, allow me to begin by saying I'm about to share about 3 audition stories out of the tons and tons of auditions we've done since January 1. So what I'm saying is so far these upcoming stories are few & far between. And let's just hope it stays that way;) But still, sometimes you just HAVE THOSE DAYS:

1. The Agent Workshop -
So, through Rachel's theatre program - Cap21 - she got the chance to perform in a showcase for several agencies here in NYC. One of these agencies that she had the privilege of interviewing with was also holding a Q&A session nearby that actors were able to attend and then perform a short song for the agent afterward. Well, Rach was kind enough to mention this Q&A opportunity to me - but what we couldn't have predicted was my impending 20-day viral infection. Ah, yes, what is my life if not a constant joke just waiting to be made into a sad sad blog post? So, anyway, the day comes & it was as if a medicinal apocalypse struck my immune system. I guzzled:

- Lemon tea
- Honey
- Airborne
- Medicine
- Coconut water
- Heck, I even downed a shot of olive oil. Lucky for me, my sweet roomies bought the garlic-flavored olive oil ;) Oh yes. Welcome to my world.

And despite all the remedies, my speaking voice still sounded like a small piece of cling wrap was covering my vocal chords. Strange, I know, but unfortunately surprisingly accurate. Rachel admitted to never having heard my voice sound like this ever before. So, anyway, that's where I was at. I attempted to do some vocal warm-ups, decided I didn't have the chops at the moment to do my usual audition song, so I decided to do the song "Someday" from the Wedding Singer. Cute song, not too challenging. So, skip ahead to the Q&A where I continue to cough up a lung every couple minutes in preparation for my 15 seconds of singing time with this agent. Then the time comes to sing my song. I have about 2-3 minutes before I have to go in, and I unknowingly make the gravest mistake of all: I decide to take a spritz of Rachel's "Singer's Saving Grace" throat spray. We have long since discovered that this throat spray is only useful when being applied to an already healthy throat.

But singers beware: it has now been proven to me TWICE that if applied to a damaged throat, your throat will experience a feeling unlike anything it's felt before. It's a mixture of a sting-like sensation paired with a perpetual urge to cough paired with an unexpected - and albeit confusing - feeling that you might actually lose your lunch. (Or in my case, 4 pounds of honey lemon tea & olive oil. Sweet.) Anyway, it was a weird time, masked only temporarily by guzzling an entire bottle of water. And watering eyes.

(use with discretion)

Finally, the audition: Now, all actors know that the #1 rule of thumb is that you never apologize for being sick. They always say that if your sickness makes that much of a difference in your singing, then the person listening will be able to tell that you are, in fact, sick. Well, "they" were correct. I confidently plunged into my first note without apology, and luckily for me, the agent's awareness of the sitch going down in my throat was pretty much immediate. So immediate, in fact, that I had to start over my song. Now let me just preface by saying that I never restart my song... I'm actually pretty positive this was a first for me in a professional setting. And here I found myself starting over my song. Twice. And the, erm, congestion in my throat was so overwhelming that it became almost ridiculous to not address it. So I gave a quick, "I'm so sorry, I'm a little congested." He then affirmed my efforts, and I proceeded to enter encore #3 of the Wedding Singer. Well, this time was the worst of all, but there was no turning back now. So I sucked it up, gave the most valiant audition any victim of polio could have dreamed of, and finished my audition. I then gave a sort of remorseful finishing statement, to which he replied, "No, no, it's ok. You're not the first actor to have to sing through a sickness!"

So there was that. Really, I was just impressed at his ability to develop a graceful and diplomatic reply without simultaneously crushing my dreams. Well done, good sir, and thank you. So I picked up my pride, walked out the door and couldn't decide whether to laugh or to treat myself to a nice pity-chocolate cake. Needless to say, I did not get an agent that night;) But someday when my kids are going through hard times or an embarrassing situation, I can't wait to pull out of my bag of tricks "that time when your mom performed the 'song of phlegm' for a new york agent."

alllrriighhtt (photo cred: victoria teague;)

#alekzasbirthday

2. My First Dance Call - 
Hahahahaha. So this was quite a time. We found out that a new Texas theatre was having NYC auditions for their production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Well, wouldn't you know it, Rachel, Victoria & I were IN Thoroughly Modern Millie in college, so we figured of all the dance calls, this one might not be the MOST tragic - especially considering it was a new Texas theatre... so surely we could handle it!? Well, ok, so we arrived hoping that the first audition would be a tap dancing call. But when the boys exited their audition dripping in sweat & laughing in disbelief, we learned that this was more so a dancer-technique-and-prove-that-you're-trained sort of call. Anyway, so the three of us were in the first audition group. While learning the dance, the amount of turns & footwork that were required of us started FREAKING me out, and I was relieved to find out that Rachel was having some difficulties too. When we separated into groups of two, Victoria went in the first group and looked great! (And though she won't admit it, Rachel really did fine;) And I, well, I stumbled through the first few run-throughs with some difficulty, but it was fine. But then we were asked to go in groups of four.

Oh. Okay.

Well, by this time, my nerves overcame me, and I pretty much couldn't remember anything about the turns. I mean, every other one was in the opposite direction starting with the opposite foot requiring ridiculous opposite things with the arms - like, WHAT? But eventually I found a trick that I could totally nail - I like to call it "strike a really beautiful pose while the other girls turn and then nail the final hand flick." Oh, did I nail it. So I just sat and smiled, silently cheering the other girls on with my facial expression as they did their turns, and then...HAND FLICK. And anyway, I didn't get a callback - you know, like, their loss - but Victoria kindly reassured me that no matter what, I landed that last flick. And that is the one thing I will choose to remember about my first dance call & consequently how it will be remembered by all that choose to ask me about it.

"we love dance calls"

3. The Type-Casting - 
Finally, the type-casting. So, stop me if I've explained before, but type-casting is something casting directors do when they have a large showing of actors at an audition and a very specific type they're looking for. So they will "type" the auditioners to eliminate all the "types" of actors there that they know they are not looking for. (For example, if they are looking to cast Leisl in Sound of Music, they can pretty much eliminate every female that looks over the age of 23.) They typically do this by taking in headshots and then announcing the people they wish to see or by calling people in and assessing them in groups of 10 or so (you know, looking them up & down - very "america's next top model"). But recently casting directors have decided to get creative with their typing, and we've had the pleasure of being the subjects of this creativity.

So we attended a call for the musical "9 to 5," and they were calling girls in groups of 10 to be type-cast by stepping forward and doing a double turn for everyone. Oh, the joy. Thank you. So we all got through it, and everyone was pretty much of equal skill (it was a singers call, so no one was particularly fantastic at doing a double, aside from a few girls). Then it was my turn. I stepped up, placed my foot out in preparation... and then I turned. And I nailed it. I was so relieved! Then, I got back in line, and something occurred to me.

I had - confidently & majestically - done a single turn.

Oh my gosh. The other girls might not have had the best doubles, but at least they were doubles. Oh, the horror. All I could hope in that moment is that everyone assumed I had done it on purpose. Oh pleeease wrongfully assume that I knew what I was doing. Well, anyway, let's just say I was excited to get that day going and move on from my morning audition.

but look who I ran into at an audition! 

this Bring It On: Tour dance captain would've been very proud;) 

(Eean's prob gonna be on broadway in the next few minutes)

So anyway, there's that. 
Hope you enjoyed yourself.

And now that audition season is coming to a close, I can look back on these memories with a special fondness. Especially in knowing that these were the only 3 horror stories I could think of! The rest have been great, and I really quite enjoy auditions! I don't love the early mornings or the waiting around, but the actual auditions are the best! I live for those 30 seconds where I actually get to do what I love to do!

Well, I'd love to follow-up with some success stories for the sake of my own dignity, but I think I'm all blogged-out for today. But since it's been so LONG since I last blogged, get ready! Cuz it's springtime, and I love this city, and I have lots to update on.

Thanks for reading. 
And happy almost MAY, everyone! 
Wild.

we luv summertime in the city! and tacos!

Oh yeah, and THIS ^ HAPPENED! So stay tuned... ;)

Auditions: the inside look you've been waiting for...

"They were the best of times, they were the worst of times."
"Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred auditions."
"Tomorrow, tomorrow, auditions tomorrow! ...and the next day and the next day..."

Ok that's all the relevant phrases I can think of right now.
Here are pics of some of my 2014 audition ventures thus far:

*Items in photos might be less glamorous than they appear*
unless they don't appear glamorous. which i simply can't believe. ;)

So when we moved to NYC in september (happy 5 months, new york! ahh!) auditions started out really slow, but everyone reassured us that we would need to buckle our seatbelts come springtime - aka "audition season." There are a lot of reasons for this - some having to do with shows' contracts ending with their respective theatres so new shows move in, some (tons of) auditions are out-of-state theatres auditioning for their summer stock shows, and lots are NYC-based shows trying to get their shows cast & running before the summer Tony awards. So, a mere 3 days into January, I was already getting my first audition under way - Matilda! My first couple weeks of auditions in 2014 left me with unrealistic expectations because I got seen at every single one of them (mostly having to do with the fact that a lot of people weren't back in town yet). BUT it wouldn't be a normal audition week if it didn't come with a few complications. ;)

About 30% of my auditions thus far have felt like undercover missions - stressful, highly strategic missions. Pretty much having to do with the "full-time job" sitch. But the good news is they have helped me develop a fairly reliable system for each audition studio - how early to arrive, how long I must wait til I can leave for a little while, what time I must return for actual sign-ups & how much time it takes to SPRINT from my cubicle & still make it to the studio in time to hand them my headshot minutes before my audition. Learning this system has come with many successes & failures, and is still not full-proof - but allow me to give some examples:

1. My Audition For Newsies On Broadway: NEAR FAIL.

So, quick recap: there are 3 types of actors - 
(Here's a more in-depth explanation on one of my first blog posts this summer)

1. the equity actor who has had the chance to perform in a show that is legit enough/has enough money to be able to offer an actor or numerous actors an equity contract, which then allows that actor to join the actors' union - aka the Actors Equity Association;

2. the actor with equity points or EMC points - these are actors who worked in a show where they were not offered a full contract, but were able to receive points toward their equity card... once they gain enough points, they are then able to join the union;

3. the non-equity actor - or as many kind, politically-correct individuals like to refer to it - the future members. this is the humble few with which most of us get to identify. the very teeny fish in a very large pool waiting for their equity opportunity - but this title is not all bad! there are MANY shows and tours that are exclusively "non-equity" (shout out to Eean Cochran on his SECOND non-eq national tour - before college graduation! WHAT?), and once you become equity, you can never be cast in a non-equity show again. so as we have been told too many times: do not RUSH to get your equity card, let it come as it may.

so like... it's pretty chill.

So, what does this have to do with auditions?
Well, everything, really. Equity actors get the significant privilege of being seen first, always. Depending on how crowded an audition is expected to be, equity actors get to arrive at a reasonable time and set an appt. for that day (or have their agents schedule an appt. for them) where they get to then leave, enjoy their day, and arrive a mere 10-15 minutes before said appt. Nice! Then, after all equity appointments have been assigned, actors with EMC points get seen next. This middle ground is a pretty sweet place to be. AND FINALLY, after the entirety of new york city has flooded in & out of that audition room, and if there's time left in the day, the non-equity actors get their chance to SHINE (with about 20 seconds to sing 16 bars - or even 8 - which is excellent if you've been wanting to sing a song composed of a single note).

But truly... It's Not All Bad. ;) For real. There are MANY moments when I'm done with an audition by 11am, or moments when I arrive after lunch & still get seen, or "non-equity open calls" when we get to be the first in line! So really, I don't mind all that much. F'real! BUT ANYWAY, BACK TO:

1. My Audition For Newsies On Broadway: NEAR FAIL.

So, what often happens is we'll arrive to the audition studio around 6:30am, put our name on an "unofficial list" created by all of the non-eq actors wanting to reserve their place in line, and then we wait! Usually we spend about 1.5 sweet hours in the bitter cold and then get let into the building around 8am - possibly 7am - depending on the studio. Usually studios are kind enough to let us transfer over our "unofficial list" onto their "official list," but we'll typically hang around til sign-ups just to make sure. ;) At that point, there's usually a guarantee that you have a least a couple hours til your audition time - although there's no way to really know. So the Newsies audition - what does an audition look like for someone with a full time job? As I've mentioned before, the Lord SERIOUSLY blessed us by placing us in an apt. right next door to one major studio (Telsey), and by placing me in an office in the SAME building as another major studio (Pearl 519), and across the street from the two other major studios (Pearl 500 & Ripley Grier).

SO I CANNOT COMPLAIN.

Buuuut still, it can be stressful. So at this particular audition, I waited nervously in my cubicle (Newsies is my dream), heels & music binder hidden nearby, for the green light from Rachel. After looking away from my phone for two seconds, I realized I had about 5 texts from Rachel consisting of "i think they're about to call our names. wait, they just called your name. wait, they're taking headshots and lining up. ok you better hurry. wait, COME!" AHHhhhhh! So I grabbed my stuff, quietly burst out of my office, confused our doorman & ran through the snow to the other studio - and I made it in just enough time to hear the words, "you missed your shot, we'll put your name at the end of the list." So there it was. A big ole bummer. So I then waited an entire hour for my audition time and was forced to use that hour as my lunch break - it was 10am.

to break up the monotony...a pic from a happier time;) CAFE LALO

2. My Audition For Newsies Nat'l Tour: SUCCESS!

So here's a story of when it worked. I showed up at 6:45am and was around #20 on the list (this is the audition studio that's right next door. aahhh, #tooblessedtobestressed). After putting my name on the unofficial list, I took a gamble on the knowledge that Telsey doesn't open their doors til 8am, & I went home! I was able to go home, enjoy my coffee, get ready for the day & sprint back over around 9am - when they DID end up transferring the list! Thus, I made it to work on time, stayed up to speed via those who were kind enough to post on auditionupdate.com, and made it in plenty of time to be seen around lunchtime! Pshhh, what, like it's hard? ;)

In addition to those, we've also experienced just about everything in between:

• Sister Act - prepared for days, so excited, ... never got seen.
• Mamma Mia - Sarah signed us in super early, we waited around for hours, we got seen with ease. (And my boss let me take off work! So I was even able to go out to lunch! Ah, too nice.)
• Hee Haw - (yes, "Hee Haw") in the same building as my office, got seen during my "20-minute snack break."
• And so on, and so on...

But in our life outside auditions, we've done some other stuff too!

there was that time we waited in line for SNL... #maybenexttime

then we finally explored all the way from our neighborhood to the hudson.

then i saw Roundabout's "Machinal" with the T-Dunn! Wahoo!

celebrated our sweet Nat's bday! in mega NYC style. #photobooth

and the bday of the FABULOUS Vicky T! (whatta cutie)

& celebration #2 when we belted & screlted showtunes with
the waiters til we shut Ellen's Stardust Diner DOWN! #suchlocals ;)

Ok, but all this to say, it has been a CRAZY january & a crazy 2014. Auditions out of our mind, birthdays every time we turn around, endless financial battles involving "shall we buy groceries or a dance class? or perhaps a yoga groupon? but wait, kinda need to replace a broken hairdryer...", and somehow we STILL have time to catch a good episode on TLC (or twenty). So 2014 has been good to us so far. A lot of uncertainty, a lot of change -- but a lot of hope, and a LOT of excitement. And I've barely even dipped the surface! So more to come, such as:

A story about the time I auditioned for an agent amidst a battle between 

"Kelsey's voice vs. Kelsey's chest cold." (Guess which one won...)

OR a story on my first dance call! AKA the differentiation between "fake it til you 

make it" and "shimmy in place until the other dancers complete their pirouettes."

NEVER A DULL MOMENT. 

So anyway, stay tuned... Til then, a couple pics 

of the things that continue to make NYC worth it:

Hey, look you guys! It's Sarah Beard! Sarah Beard moved
to NYC! Sarah Beard lives in NYC! And we're friends
& spend lots of time together! And we're so happy!

Happy Wednesday, everyoooone!

No place like home for the holidays. SERIOUSLY.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! 

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

A baby changes everything! 

Etc. etc. etc. 

I am so sorry I'm appx. 32 days late.

Christmas + New Year haven't left a lot of time alone with just me, my computer & I. But wowza, WHAT a christmas it was! Lots of glass-half-fulls, lots of glass-half-empties & LOTS of airplanes. Holy airport, were there lots of airplanes... So, in fact, I have a story for you. An anecdote, really. I was debating whether I wanted to share this semi-humiliating story, but was convicted by the fact that the whole thing serves no purpose unless it is shared. So... you're welcome. 

Let's just cut to the chase- right before my NYC plane to DFW took off, I received this group text from my sister: "While I have you all here, don't forget PASSPORTS!" Yup. That's where this story is headed. It's headed straight into the garbage can. I forgot my passport. Our trip to Canada (why do I need a passport to Canada? good question, all.) was in two days. But no problem, my amazing roomie alekza was so kind to overnight it to me so, like, sleep easy, kelsey. And by "sleep easy" I mean UPS didn't get it to me in time so the morning of our flight (527 calls to UPS having already been made) I got to sleep in because - oh yes - I DID NOT MAKE OUR FLIGHT. yes I'm an idiot, yes I reaped the consequences, but yes UPS probably still owes me a flight, OK?

You think the story is over? Ha! I scoff at the thought! So the only thing that kept my 76 more UPS phone calls from ruining my Saturday was that I got to enjoy my coffee in front of hallmark movies. all afternoon. In fact, I ended up missing a potential 3:20pm flight because I eventually had to drive 30 minutes into Fort Worth to FETCH my passport. Oh yes, I fetched. But my family was so sweet & assured me over & over that I wasn't a total idiot & that these things happen. (Please reaffirm that statement when you see me in person.) So I got to go to Fellowship's christmas service with my sis & brother-in-law & had a blast spending the night eating, chatting & christmas movie-ing at their new apartment. I love them :) then woke up at 5:30am & my sweetest aunt Marsha & uncle Jamie offered to take me to my 8:30am flight! 

But wait. There's more.

Got on my first plane to Philly, PA, made it with no problems (except for some "Airplane Etiquette 101" - mainly having to do with the girl in the above photo and the use of my earbuds, which are also in the above photo - but f'real, a whole blog post on that later). Then grabbed myself some Au Bon Pain & kicked my feet up for 3 hours. Got on my second plane for Quebec City next to a nice-looking, although alas French-speaking, man. That's when we heard "alright, folks, we've got some heavy freezing rain that might set us back a few minutes" which turned into "alright, folks, we're actually canceling this flight, so if you could just make your way on out." ... what. well, at the time, I actually wasn't super bothered by this? call it ignorance, call it "the peace that passes understanding," call it what you'd like, but mainly I just had no idea what the implications of this moment were. Basically, long story shorter, I waited in appx. 4 special services lines and got on standby for appx. 2-3 different flights that ended up being booked over capacity. The only silver lining was that the French people were in a great mood. So while we could not communicate, I was able to look in on their conversation with joy & appreciation. Meanwhile, there was the most irritable young guy both yelling and sobbing on the phone because he had missed his flight. We're talkin' profanity to the point of policemen walking over & checking out the situation (which is when the better part of the sobbing ensued). 

But anyway... this story ends soon, I promise. 
Here's two Quebec photos just to make sure you're still with me:

  

throwing snow & stuff!

So here's what happened. I grabbed another Au Bon Pain wrap and a water bottle and hauled it to a flight to Washington, D.C. (this is after appx. 10-11 hours in the Philly airport, mind you) well, I somehow managed to get a seat because someone missed their flight (sorry about it, but like, PTL). But this flight gave me the slightest insight into what this all might've been for. 

Initially I wasn't thrilled to be sitting by an angsty teenage girl who asked if I could move my bag to another overhead bin so she could use the one above our row. (Maintain composure.) But as I actually fought with the voice inside me saying to chat with her, I asked where she went to school and then sat & listened to her story for the remainder of the flight. I found out her best friend had just passed away literally one month beforehand and she was battling with whether to stay in school or take the trip to Mexico that her best friend had been planning on taking with her dad. She had a surprisingly sound mind about the whole thing, but you could tell she was really struggling. Not to mention she goes to a school where they have to do "co-ops" so she spent a semester at a cheese & milk factory. This story is true, I tell you no lie. Anyway, if any of y'all are familiar with Luke Steinmann's story, I was able to share a little bit of how I, too, had a friend pass away while I was in college and how it was amazing to see the good that came from it, but also how sometimes it feels as though nothing could take away the sting of his absence in our lives. (And I know no one understands this better than his own family. Although it was amazing to watch their strength through that time - and their continued strength now.) And I briefly mentioned how none of it would've been possible without a Jesus-filled community, to which she answered "yeah, that's why I loved my best friend so much. she taught me a lot about what it's like to be spiritual." So although the conversation was short-lived and although I thought this was the day from you-know-where, I knew the Lord was whispering "you don't always know what I'm doing. you gotta just trust me." So, even though I had to spend the night alone in a hotel in Montreal, Canada, surrounded by French families with the knowledge that my luggage was potentially missing, I'm still thankful for that flight from D.C. to Montreal.

And the good news? The next day I was informed that I was merely on standby for my flight to Quebec City, but by the grace of God, I MADE IT BY NOON! And my luggage made it too! And we had a marvelous, snowy, scenic, family-filled holiday :)

 

the fam (minus ken!) after dad, bro & tiff's night skiing
(yes that is tiffany in the night-prowler-ski attire)

And any other hiccups were merely anthills in the grand scheme of things. Except that time my momma might have taken a tumble on a mogul-covered blue slope (thanks dad) and had to be sledded down the mountain by bearded Canadians in one of those plastic emergency sleds that looked like a body bag to the horror of her 3 children waiting at the base of the mountain. Happy 2nd day of skiing! Ha! Nothing like that's ever happened to us. (Except that time dad jumped over a fallen skier and broke his nose on a tree.) But mom took it like a champ. A champ who got to spend most of the rest of her trip next to a fire with book in hand. Poor girl ;)

she's gonna love me for this ;) 

And then there was also that time that Kris & I had just skied down the mountain to meet the fam for lunch when we were greeted by Andrew saying, "Yeah, dad slipped in his ski boots in the local cafe and broke their door. And then Tiff thought it was mom who fell so she jumped up & then she slipped too and broke off her nail. But seriously, everyone's fine."

Um. What?

So anyway, he wasn't lying, and here's a pic of the bathroom door that now has a missing panel right where the view of the toilet is. Nice aim, dad. ;)

^^ left a perfect view of the toilet ;)    ^^ hardly noticeable, right?

But aside from the excitement that never evades a Martin vacation, Quebec City truly was a dream! We skied, we ate, we watched Christmas movies, we ate, we made gingerbread houses, we found out we're terrible at gingerbread houses, we walked around the village, and then we ate! It was such a beautiful city with so much history, so much French and SO MUCH SNOW. Yes, NYC might be having the coldest winter since 1996, but the -10 degree weather in Quebec was surely a helpful precursor to "Winter Storm Hercules." Winter storm...pfft. ;) So enough of that, here are some pics:

another pic of the bro & i...that looks like an engagement photo;)

sigh...boy, was it breathtaking. 

our humble fire & charlie brown tree :) thankful for parents
that always bring an entire extra suitcase just so we have
presents to open on christmas day when away from home!

It sure was one unforgettable Christmas trip to Quebec. God showered these Texans in snow, and we were spoiled with underrated views like this ^. So thankful for a time away from distractions & a moment with family. Especially in this new season that I'm in - I'll never take that time for granted again! Can't believe it's already been a month, but I hope you all had the merriest Christmases & the happiest New Years! Now onto February & a phrase that's never been quite so all-consuming:

AUDITION SEASON.

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a 

pretty good subject for a blog post to me...