little miss sunshine

Yesterday I was reminded how wonderful life is. Don't get me wrong, I usually know this. But as many of you know, when the weather is nice I can't stop grinning. Kayla pointed out that I "get all giddy when the weather is nice."  Well yesterday was a wopping 70 degrees, and yes I did say 70! I was being teased by mother nature while I was at work. And promptly at 3 I ran out the door, grabbed kayla and we went on a stroll.

Walking from the west side to the east side along a (rather large) pond we took it all in. I'm happy to say it seemed as though the rest of New York had the same idea, the park was bustling with happy souls!

Fresh air, sunshine, passion tea, friends, and a good book. Life is beautiful.

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KONY

Please please take time to watch this video.  I promise you it is worth every second. 

http://vimeo.com/37119711

"Be the change you want to see"

Promptly at 5:58AM this morning I woke up.  It was rough, but mainly because I knew it meant I had to say a 'see you later' to Katherine.  I never say goodbyes, because that's a scary thought and frankly I'd rather not think about that.  Today she left, and it was not easy.  She's headed home for a week, spending time with her family before she gets on deck and is off to the Caribbean for a whopping 6 months.  I keep thinking about how happy I should be, but the selfish me seems to be win that war and wants her to stay here.  But thinking about how 95% of the time I make her laugh she can't stop until she cries assures me that come October we'll have a reunion of great proportions. 

Around 8:35 I woke up to prepare for my not so exciting day.  By 9AM I sent the "okay, jokes over. you can come back now" text.  Probably not the best idea, because reality was finally sinking in and recieving the reply of "can i please? can't stop crying" didn't make it any easier.  Funny how after 3 hours we miss each others' presence.  7 months is a long time, like a REALLY long time.  But right now I can't think about that, just one day at a time.  And tomorrow we skype!  

Sunday on the UWS

Today was no usual Sunday, but was a subtle reminder of how some live their lives up here on the Upper West Side. I don't normally work on Sundays, I take this one day out of the week to devote to church, laundry and some rest and relaxation (most of the time). Today I had to work brunch at the restaurant... Sunday brunch. For those of you who have never been, I encourage you to never go. Or as a matter of fact, go and see the crazies who come out on Sundays. It's absolutely nonsense. Honest to God sometimes I just laugh at it all. People come in, yell for tables, and are cranky, anxious, rude, and plain old strange. Plus not to mention Sundays seem to be "take your baby/babies in strollers the size of the empire state building to a tiny restaurant" day. Holy parking garage for strollers. Wow its a sight to see. Reciting tables that are paid, cleared, bussed all while calming raging guests, dodging servers and bus boys, putting tables together, taking them apart, but most of all... "remaining calm and cool, keeping guests happy and wanting to return" hahaha, yea you can laugh. It truly is a joke.

But that was today. Followed by schoolwork, dinner with the girls at a Ukranian restaurant, more schoolwork and funfetti cake.

Smiling and counting the days til some sun and sand.

XOXO

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life lately

so here's the low down of my life in this crazy city lately:

-brother visited aka wonderful and fun

-dancing full force aka sweaty and sore

-preparing for next year aka scary and stressful

-2 weeks from now ill wake up with my entire family aka Florida power spring break

-busy busy busy!

also my best friend and roomie leaves Tuesday to go on an adventure of a lifetime aka Caribbean. haven't really comprehended it yet, its her last weekend in the city. scared yet happy. so tonight we eat Greek yogurt with frozen raspberries and watch Couples Retreat while squished together on the couch. and tomorrow we dance together. Sunday we pack and Monday we shop to keep our minds off the inevitable.

life is always changing, taking it one day at a time.

XOXO

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God is so good.  This week:

My grandma went home from the hospital.  Not only this, she actually refused to go to rehab.  Yes, that would be the one and ONLY grandma Kapanka.  She's pretty spectacular.  She texts me every Wednesday "Happy Hump Day" and every Friday "TGIF. XOXO" Can't begin to explain how wonderful this is, she may be one of the most incredible women I know.  I am so blessed to have her in my life.  This alone makes 2012 wonderful.

A good friend of mine booked a gig working on "Superfly".  This is still in it's workshop stage, but watch out for this show, it's going to be killer.  Note:  she was cast as the only white girl in the entire show. 

I joined a gym.  Yes I sure did.  I'm not sure everyone would be able to understand, but boy this makes me happy.   As a dancer you are constantly critiquing and evaluating your body, and this can be extremely frustrating.  Being able to join a gym means I can separate dance from working out.  Dancing because I love to, and working out to stay in shape.  Tying to combine the two makes me crazy!  Not to mention I got a killer deal.. 10$/month with NO contract. 

This month will be great.  Praise God.

Stay tuned, by brother/best friend is coming in 5 days! 

g-men

Last night I had my first experience of the nyc super bowl mayhem. The beginning of my day started with me waking up an hour late, but determined to go to church I hopped out of bed, put on jeans and hailed a cab. That's right, arriving to church in style (yellow city taxi that is). After a crazy week, I really look forward to dedicating 2 hours for myself (meaning no dancing, just church). After grabbing a coffee and reflecting on my whirlwind of a week I decided it was time to bust out some homework. Promptly at 6pm I said goodbye to humanities in search for some ball park franks. We were having some friends over to watch the game, and I volunteered to supply the hot dogs. Well let's just say 6 super markets later I found some. Who was aware nyc had a severe lack of normal hot dogs.. not this girl. But to tell you the truth, there was no need for hot dogs because the amount of left over food is unbearable. I personally only paid attention to Madonna and the last 10 minutes of the game, but it doesn't mean I wasn't a happy camper. Not sure why, but I had a bit of pride for the blue g-men. And oh you wouldn't believe the city. We opened our windows to let in the screams and cheers of ALL new yorkers who could not help but rejoice in the victory. Sirens, screams, and everything in between. It was unbelievable, definitely something I won't forget.

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kicking it vitamin c style

So lately I've been going through this circle.. sick for a week and recover slowly (and miserably), healthy and happy for two weeks...sick again. Repeat. It seems as though my two weeks of health and happiness has been cut short by yet another sinus/congestion/cough bug. The joys of being exposed to the monster germs of Manhattan. And because I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, I've decided to go on a Vitamin C kick. Stopping at duane reade after work study I picked up a few things, and after returning home I dug out the vitamins I bought a few months ago. My immune system won't know what hit it.. but I'm ready for it! Bring on the Vitamin-C and healthy body.

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Going Insane

The definition of insantiy is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.  Does that make me insane? 

Starting with Thursday..
7AM-3PM work followed by class and work study until 11PM.  Not to mention, homework.

And then there's Friday..
10AM audition, meaning be there at 830AM, meaning leave by 8.  Alarm set for 7AM.  Class, work study until midnight, more homework.

And Saturday..
Work 9AM-4PM brunch mayhem. Serious non-stop power walking, talking, and seating of guests.  Class and yet again work study until 10PM.  (Inserting normal life occasion here).  Movie night with friends.  Lion King and Scatagories until 2AM.  Asleep and 2:02AM

I made it to Sunday..
Rockette Audition at 11AM. Alarm sounds at 8AM; COFFEE, shower, hair, makeup, leotard and tights, heels, taps.. go time.  Arrive at the music hall at 945AM. Lucky #105 out of over 200.  Here's the best part.  FINISH AUDITION AT 445PM.  Yes.  That's right, it was 6 hours long.  Womp.  Grab food, work study until 9PM.  Homework.

So here's the thing, this was a normal weekend.  As normal as it gets.  So why do I expect anything different?  I'm a dancer, who lives in Manhattan.  And a student, who works 2 jobs.  And a girl, who likes movie time.  So the answer is yes.  You can just go ahead and call me insane, because at this point I will embrace it whole heartedly. 

All the World Wide

My dear friend just got back from an unforgettable visit to Africa.  She, and her entire family of seven, spent 3 weeks in Togo serving the people there.  You see her father is a surgeon and the entire family are all very involved in the church.  How great is it that he can use his profession as a window to help so many in more than one way. Her blog is gorgeous, read for yourself. 

Africa is beautiful, God is beautiful, people are beautiful. 

http://lydiablickley.blogspot.com/

art makes the world full

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ949OYP8vw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

In case you ever forget how beautiful art can be.. just listen.

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Carnival

Yesterday was a wonderful day.  Somewhere between 11AM and noon my dear friend and roomate Katherine stopped by where I was working with tears in her eyes.  She had just recieved some news that would be the start of her career.  She was on her way to class when she answered a phone call that informed her she had just booked her first job, her first dance job.  She will be dancing for 6 months on the Carnival Cruise Line that will be traveling the Paradise Caribben route.  Now this may not sound like the most exciting job, but it is actually hard to book it.  If you make it to the end of the audition they inform you that they may keep your name on file.  If they decide they would like you on board they may contact you within the next 6 months.  Katherine had actually auditioned in October, and had given up on hearing from them.  Yesterday was an answer to all of our prayers.  In March she will head down to Florida for rehearsals and dock out the second week in April.  I am like a proud mother, her extremely hard work and dedication has paid off.  Not only is this an amazing opportunity, but she gets to pair dance and travel.  I'm talking about getting paid to dance and travel around the world.  How wonderful.  I could not be happier for her, and only wish I would get to keep her a little longer.  Her life is just starting, and I wish I could be there with her traveling the globe.  This has given me hope as I begin to dive into the scary scary world of auditioning.  Everything is possible, and who knows maybe I'll be traveling the world and dancing next year?!  Such a happy day, ended by celebrating with pizza and a movie and cinnamon rolls (for breakfast this morning). 

Perfomance Time

Come enjoy DANCE in a relaxed and casual setting!
Snacks, drinks and LOTS of DANCE!

Suggested donation: $5 at the door
All donations going to PINK! Supporting the global campaign against breast cancer

Come support a wonderful cause, watch wonderful dance, and have a wonderful night!

So take the night off and come watch us share dance with you.



forever friends

My 'forever friend' came to the city this weekend. We say 'forever friend' instead of best friend. It just fits. I love her like my sister. I am just filled with joy and as content as can be. Although only here for a mere 36 hours (a little sad) we still managed to pick up right where we left off. An hourlong fiasco finding a parking spot, the 'BRGR' restaurant, a dance showing, laughter beyond measure, car rides in downtown Manhattan, more parking issues, cookies, hours of 'remember when' stories, pure joy. Friends. The big man upstairs is such a wonderful guy for bringing such loving and warm people into my life. I can't express how happy I am to have spent just 36 hours with some of the most true loving, caring, hilarious, and talented people.

Thank you.

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The one picture I got, oh well.

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Casual Friday Night

In attempt to fully take advantage of this lovely city (one of many resolutions) we figured it was time to take a visit to the stunning Highline.  After class my roomate and a friend from Joffrey and I met to start this mini adventure.  We kicked it off by heading on over to Pizza Pete's one of the many 'whole in the wall' places we want to experience a little bit more of.  2 huge slices of pizza, a large coke and $7 later we were officially stuffed and ready to walk it off.  Next stop the Highline.  For those of you who may not be familiar with this, the Highline was once an above ground railroad that traveled from 14th to 33rd St along 10th Ave.  It stopped running in the 80's and just within the last 2 years has been completely renovated into a railroad park stretching about a mile long right above the middle of Manhattan.  Pretty neat, eh?  I'd visited it before during the day, but was excited to experience its full glory at night with the city lights shining.  Here's the funny part.. We took the elevator up 3 stories, walked enough to catch one photo and were promptly told that the park was closed and asked to leave.  2 minutes was all we got.  Who knew closing time was at 7pm?  Not this girl.  A little bummed and feeling as though we still needed to walk off some pizza, we decided to venture for a while, having no where to be.  We stumbled upon the most expansive 'market' I've ever whitnessed.  What once was an abandoned church has now been completely remade into a rather chique rather large market.  You know the three of us took full advantage of our find and spent a good hour and a half exploring.  Tempted to go wild in the 50% off section, I can proudly say I resisted.  That's not to say I left empty handed, I mean they had a gelatto shoppe.  The previous walking I had taken part in was a complete loss when I ordered a small salted caramel brownie gelatto.  Oops.  A complete opposite of what we were going for, but I can't complain.  Love this city.  So much. 

XO

miss independent

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Did I mention this is what I was doing in Astoria? Meet Selah. Babysitters be jealous
Photo cred: Corey Melton

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Little Things

Yesterday I made the trek to get to Astoria I braved the extreme cold: holding close my Dunkin' Donuts coffee and bundled up in my mittens, oversized scarf, and wool hat anxiously waiting for the A train to arrive. Once on the train I had one of those moments.  You know, one of those 'I can't believe He makes this for us' moments.  I was filled with so much joy when the shuffle on my iPod played beautiful song after song.  Beautiful beautiful music.  Isn't he wonderful, to create something so gorgeous for all to hear.  If you just open your ears the music will seep into your soul.  And that joy will without doubt warm your soul.  So beyond grateful for all his simple gifts that warm my heart and soul.

dancer problems

To Do:

-Buy socks

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Because of some weird copyright rules we weren't allowed to take pictures..so this is as best as I could get without getting caught. Couldn't tell you how breath taking it was. Picture does no justice.

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wonderful and talented friends

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Lifelong Memories

I have never really been all about the 'New Years' hoopla and all it brings, but this year was different.   I rang in the new year in the city that never sleeps with just a few of my lovely friends, dancing the night away at the absolutely stunning Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre Studios.  6th floor with floor to ceiling windows.  Beautiful view of the city is an understatement.  It seemed like the perfect way to sum up my wonderful year and kick off 2012. As I looked at the clock which read 11:27 I couldn't help but be filled with awe.  Over the past 365 days I have experienced so much life and love.  It is honestly hard to comprehend all that has happened.  Mistakes, failures, successes, friends, love, laughter and family.  So for two minutes I reflected on how beautiful life is and how much it has to offer.  And although there are days where nostalgia seems to take over,  I look forward to what is to come.  Life is unpredictable, but isn't that part of what makes it so great?  So in attempt to appreciate each day a little bit more,  I am diving into life's exciting adventure and living to create memories for life.