"Check In"

Hi Friends!
Last we left off, Loretta and I were in Wapato, Wa about to head to Missoula, Mt for "Check In". We really weren't looking forward to this because last "Check In" at the end of the Summer tour we thought we both got screwed and were both waaaay to stressed because of stupid stuff. The light at the end of the tunnel was that we knew as soon as it was over, we would have about two weeks off for Christmas break. Meaning. . . .

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!

One step at a time. We woke up and our homestay didn't actually make us oatmeal but a huge breakfast that consisted of bacon, eggs, toast, and homemade hash browns. If you gotta be up early you might as well make the most out of it. After breakfast and a few "Goodbye's" we were gone. On our way to Missoula we stopped in Coeur d' alene and met up with Loretta's boyfriend for lunch. Then we stopped and visited Loretta's Dad who is a very pleasant man. :) Once in Missoula we had some time before we met up with the other TAD's so we spent our time wisely and got costume laundry done and washed the truck.

We met up with our fellow roomates at Ruby's hotel. A bunch of us were sharing a room so we wouldn't have to pay a large sum. My roomates consisted of Loretta, Nicole, Jaime, Anne, Kelly and techinically Eli who actually never stayed in the room. Since there was so many of us, we tried to figure out the sleeping arrangements and it seemed that some people were going to end up on the floor. No fun! I however suggested to push the beds together making one giant bed. Readers you know I love doing that. The problem was one of the beds broke and we got a noise complaint. Whoopsie! Loretta and Jaime ran and hid in the bathroom while Nicole and I answered the door. He was actually very nice and didn't say anything about the bed. Do you think that stopped us? No way! We got the beds together. Anyways it was one GIANT slumber party for us girls. Our first night we stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking about our tours, TAD tales, TAD gossip, and of course BOYS! It was so nice to hang out with a bunch of girls for a couple days. It was the closest thing I've had to a "Gill's Night" in so long. It didn't replace it in my heart, nothing ever could, but it was still nice. :)

The next morning we headed down for breakfast. UGH! Too early! We all ate a healthy breakfast and then headed to the home office. At the morning meeting we met up with some of the home office staff and exchanged a few hugs and kind words. Then it was down to business. Luckily for Loretta and I we were not changing shows so our "Check In" wasn't nearly as bad as those who were switching partners or switching shows. Spring "Check In" will probably be aweful since we have to turn in everything. :(

When one goes to "Check In", MCT gives he or she a list of things that needs to be signed off before he or she leaves. Our first day of  "Check In" was just getting the little things done like turning in financial reports, seeing costume ladies, checking out with the box office, and meeting with Dylan the main honcho. Check! To reward ourselves we decided to have a little fun that night.

The night before we found out that Anne didn't actually get to celebrate her birthday so we decided to through her a birthday party. First day of  "Check In" we kept referring to Anne as "Birthday Girl" and it was just so fun to watch her get so many "I didn't know it was your Birthday!" from the home office staff. After day one of "Check In" everyone went back to the hotel room and took naps. While everyone rested Anne looked over my notes about T-shirts. I wanted to make sure I was completely prepared for meeting with Total Screen Design the next day. I didn't want to be taken advantage of again. Anne told me that I had done everything right so I could relax. If you say so. I talked to Rebekah on the phone for a little while that night. I just love that little Gill. Hopefully I'll get to see her when I go home for break.

When I went back into the room everyone was up and playing some game that I never quite understood the rules too. Our friends Jordan and Dan were there to add to the chaos. :) Afterwards we went to this little bar/restaurant that was within walking distance of Ruby's. Perfect! We caught up and had a few laughs, (Kelly and I went to the bathroom and had some one on one "girl talk" which later Loretta joined.) by this point we were exhausted. Loretta and I headed back to the room and everyone followed. When I woke up the next morning, my tired eyes looked up at our giant bed and saw all the girl's in one giant spoon. Oh dear. Yep slumber parties always bring people together. Haha!

We then went to breakfast, headed to MCT and got on with "Check In". Loretta and I had some down time so we snuck back to the room for some rest and facebook. We go back and Kevin tells us that we HAD to paint some of our set pieces. We definitiley didn't feel like it or that they needed to be repainted but oh well. In the end I'll admit they DID look better but don't tell Kevin I said that. We then had to meet with Total Screen Design. We were feeling a little nervous because we had already heard that some people owed them about $600 and we felt sure that they were gonna say something like that to us even though my math said different. We meet with the guy and to our surprise we didn't owe them anything except shipping which we anticipated. YEA!!!!! The rest of "Check In" wasn't that bad. Loretta paid Jordan five bucks to paint the ends of the poles for our set while I met with Gordon the truck guy. We finally got our entire list checked off meaning we survived "Check In"!

After "Check In" there was a small gathering in the lobby of the theatre were we all gathered and snacked on goodies. Loretta and I were ready to go though. We actually were headed to Coeur d' alene for the night with our friend Sara who was leaving out of the Spokane airport just like me the next morning. Loretta being the sweet girl she is said she would take us to the airport. I then flew across the country and I find myself in the comfort of my Dad's house, sitting at the kitchen counter, smelling my dog Gretel's loving but rank farts. Hahahaha!
Aww home. . .
-Jen :)

An interesting week indeed

Hi Friends!

Leaving Acme

Here I am in Wapato, Washington and I am loving it! This week has been nothing short of interesting. We first pull up at our homestay for the week and we find that we are staying at a Winery. My first thought was, "Oh the Gills aren't gonna like this at all. Nope. Not one bit. . .". The reason being is because Micah, Allison and I would go to wineries for wine tastings and I could just feeeeeel their jealousy as we pulled into the driveway. We then got settled in and got to know our homestay a little better over dinner and a glass of their wine. :)

The next day was Audition day. On Audition day, we have to get there an hour before the audition time so we can walk around, find out where everything is, and print parent letters. We had actually just got this new parent letter format so that we only have to print one for the kids that week with the full week's schedule rather than two which turned out to work out PERFECTLY for this week. The highschool office wouldn't let me use their computer/copier. This at first caught me off guard esp. after I was told that I could and then come to find out I can't. This had never been an issue before with past schools either so that was reason two. The third reason why printing letters was so weird was because I had to do it at a homeless shelter. Yep.

Our contact for our week in Wapato works as a college professor and owns a homless shelter. Now keep in mind that yes I have been in contact with this guy for about two weeks finding out information about the upcoming week but this was the first time I had actually met him. When he said we could go to the shelter and print off the letters I thought that he meant some other building that was apart of the school but then when he started walking in the parking lot I quickly realized that something was slightly askew . There was no turning back now. I didn't want to seem rude and more importantly how else where we going to print off the letters for the kids? I pictured some lifetime movie being made about this. Now when I mentioned in my "I see Stars" blog about being in movies, I didn't mean THAT WAY!  I knew if I didn't go then I would have a plethora of people mad at me, Loretta, the home office, PARENTS! Thankfully nothing happend. Whew! Even better I didn't have to go through that again since we only had to print off ONE letter. YES!

The kids in Wapato were awesome! We actually had a really hard time casting these kids because they were so talented and we couldn't make up our minds. Once we decided, we got started with rehearsal. Remember when I mentioned my "Serious Actor" face so I won't laugh onstage and to seem professional? Out the window! These kids made me laugh all the time and I found myself at every rehearsal thinking THIS is why I love my job! I think that often anyways but with this week I was constantly reminded of how blessed I am and how much these kids impact MY life. I may impact their life in some ways but I find that they bring so much joy to my everyday life. Thankfully Loretta performed this week so she was the one that had to struggle not to laugh onstage.

During our week in Wapato, I had to take the truck to get some work done: an oil change and a new brake light bulb. Nothing too out of the oridinary with the oil change. For the brake light our homestay suggested I go see this man down the hill named Dugen who fixed cars. I find him; he wasn't but 5 minutes from the house. I walk in and state my issue with the truck.
His response, "Yea I should be able to fix that but before I do I just want to tell you that you are gorgeous!"
My response: (places hand over heart and with genuine surprise/flattery) "Thank you so much!" Hahah! We chatted while he fixed my car about where I was from and my job the usual. Before I knew it he wa done. Sweet! I go to pull out my wallet and asked how much I owed him. He then opened the truck door for me (real Gentleman like) and said "Don't worry about it. Merry Christmas." (Insert sweet elderly man smile) I was in shock. What!?! He then told me IF he wasn't married and younger he would have asked me out the moment I walked in the door and continued with such flatter. Ooooooh Dugen!!! Sweetest mechanic EVER! So I saved MCT couple bucks because of my good looks apparently.
Your welcome Gordon!

The next day Loretta and I did costume laundry and rewarded ourselves by going to the Soda Fountain! We had a week in Granger, Wa earlier this fall tour and stopped here one day for lunch and we both agree that it has been our favorite place to eat so far. It's nothing fancy, just burgers really. We just like the atmosphere and the fact that its an old soda fountain. We meandered in town for a bit buying Christmas gifts for fellow TADs before heading to rehearsal.

Now if you look to your right of this blog you will see some tour goals Loretta and I have made. One of them was to see something haunted but Loretta has kind of been scared to explore "haunted places" for fear that it might actually BE haunted. Ok I can't really blame her, I wasn't really looking forward to meeting this goal either but it had to be done in my mind. We found out during one of our rehearsals that the stage was indeed haunted. SURPRISE LORETTA! We met our gooOooal. The story goes that a janitor in the 70's was working there and fell in love with a student who did theatre. He would always watch her from this little banister in the wings and one day he caught her with a boy. He became very upset and hung himself from the very banister he watched her from. They saaaay that he haunts the theatre during performances, things like moving shadows when no one is there, things falling off the stage into the audience and so on and so forth. He didn't show himself for us though, probably because he knew I was lookin for him or maybe it was because he knew my knight in shining armor Dugen the mechanic would come after him. We did notice how the area where he hung himself was always way colder than the rest of the stage. . . . .

The day of the shows went well. A performance day always seems to go well when a girl Mini doesn't cry because we have to draw a mustache on her face. Also no activity from the ghost, all good signs. Saturday's show wasn't as smooth. Two of the Minis were missing. Their parents decided to not have them show up. Great. These two Minis had big parts too! They were Mini Guinevere and Mini Merlin. Even more great! The Mini scenes lasted about 3 minutes but somehow it worked? What was awesome was that the big cast adjusted so well to the last minute change, for example Big Merlin said "I WOULD'VE turned him into a duck!". Nice thinkin Merlin!

But what made this show interesting was what happend afterwards when we were doing costume check in. Loretta has a very rare heart condition and she hasn't run into any problems with it on tour until that day. We had just finished photo sessions with the cast and Loretta was just about to sell some t-shirts when she looked at me and said she had to step outside. All she said was "Heart". I knew something was up when about 10 minutes went by and she hadn't returned. I had parents and kids coming at me from both sides worrying about costumes and t-shirts and by this point I had enough. I needed to go see Loretta. I politely explained that I needed to go see my tour partner that she was more important to me at that moment. I went on a mad search and found her outside with Jamie our other contact for the week. Loretta told me that her pulse was about 200 and that it had never happend that long. We got her some ice and anything else we could that she needed but it seemed like the best option was to take her to the ER.

I had to stay and deal with all the parents, take down the set, do costumes, sell t-shirts, double check rooms, and load the truck without Loretta. Holy. Crap. I did the best I could but all I kept thinking about was whats going on with my friend????? I finally just stopped and asked those that were around me to pray with me. Yep MCT, I don't care. It says in the Bible that the Lord is there and listens when more than one gather and pray to Him. Thankfully for me the ones that I asked to pray told me that they just so happend to be Christian. Coincidence? I think not. Once everything was done, you could not have gotten me to the hospital fast enough. When we got there, praise the Lord she was fine! They gave her two different kinds of shots to calm her down and she was feeling much better. They caught her pulse at like 239 or something like that when a normal one is about 70. Loretta said that these spells last about 5-10 minutes, this went on for an HOUR. I was so glad to see that she was ok, I couldn't contain myself. I gave her the biggest hug I could without hurting her.

By this point we were both starving so we found an Outback and got some dinner. We originally planned on doing costume laundry after the show so we wouldn't have to worry about it for Check In next week. Yea I'm not looking forward to it. :( However due to the circumstance, laundry did not happen. We both decided to just do it tomorrow when we get to Montana. So I better get some sleep. It's late and our homestay is making us breakfast in the morning (home-made oatmeal and bacon)before we leave for Check In. Hopefully this Check In will go a lot better than the last one.
-Jen

Cabin Feva!

Hi Friends!
After my escapade in L. A., Loretta and I headed to a part of the United States that maybe 200 people have heard of. The thing is those 200 people all live there so if you go anywhere else and mention this place no one and I mean no one will know where you are talking about. This place is called Acme, Wa. Now Acme may sound familiar but thats only because of "Acme products" in Looney Tunes. Two very different things. Loretta and I stayed in a cabin for the week which was very cozy and warm. The only thing we didn't like was the fact that there were flies EVERYWHERE! Now I am not being dramatic but I cleaned my room that night and I woke up with about 20 more flies DEAD in my window, on the floor and a few buzzing around my room. I would come home everyday and vacuum up all of them but would come back a little while later and find more. I bought a fly swatter from the local general store and all I'm gonna say is that I knew my Badminton skills would come in handy one day. Ha!

We also didn't have internet that week so I really felt as if I was away from the world which was pretty cool up until day two. I knew I was going to get behind in my blogs and facebook gossip. :( Loretta and I found things to occupy us when we weren't in rehearsals like reading and watching movies on the VCR. I even got to talk to Sarah Seaman on the phone! That Gill is so hard to get in contact with but I just love her anyway! Oh and remember that general store? I bought a giant Princess and Fairies coloring pad. I'm an artist. I told a fellow TAD Jordan Williams that he was my Prince in all the pictures. Haha!

Since this was a small town, everyone knew everyone and was very kind. A lot of the families invited us over for dinner at their houses. We went to the principle's house (Mr. Rogers) and met his wife who fixed us a wonderful meal. We then went out to their barn and watched a teen girl band practice some of their music so that was cool. Another night we went to the basketball coach's house who had two girls in the show. They had so many puppies at their house!!!!!!!! Loretta and I were tempted to steal one or two. :)  When we weren't eating with some of the families we stopped by the Blue Mountian Grill where we were given free meals. Saaaweeeet! One day after eating at the Grill we headed back to the cabin and saw a heard of Elk just hanging out infront of our cabin. Way cool.

The kids that week were sooo great. They were fun to be around and perform with. There were times where I had to pull out my "I'm a serious actor" face so I wouldn't laugh onstage. Loretta and I also had to do some workshops that week. Nothing out of the oridnary but this was our first week where we had to do the "If Forest Could Talk" workshop. This workshop is very odd. The other workshops we do deal with acting or improv but this one is basically about encouraging the kids to go outside and enjoy nature. Ok not a bad point but still kind of odd. Not to mention that this particular workshop doesn't actually have a script for Loretta and I to follow, just a rough outline. All I'm going to say is it's a good thing Loretta and I work well off each other and both know how to think on our feet. I feel like we actually made this workshop more fun than what MCT had outlined. But that's just my opinion. Also there was one day where the accompaniest for the week was warming up by playing a beautiful song called "Kiss the Rain" by Yiruma and I got to dance like no one was watching. The reason being was no one WAS watching and I had the stage to myself. :) I love and miss dancing.

Since we just had a show on Friday, Loretta and I had Saturday off which never happens. Woot Woot! We decided to go to the Acme Cafe for lunch and then went to Bellingham (we went there earlier in the Fall) for some shopping. When we got back that night we exchanged Christmas gifts by the fire. I got Loretta and owl pillow; she loves owls. Loretta got me a Britney Spears concert dvd; I LOVE BRITNEY! After our day of fun we decided to hit the hay and get a good night's sleep because the next day we were headed to Wapato, Wa!
-Jen

Its the CLIMB!!!!!!

Hi Friends!

Friday morning I wake up still satisfied from my Thanksgiving meal from the night before. Although, I could've had another slab of turkey with cranberry suace; I just love that stuff! The sad thing was that this was my last day in L.A. :( Tyler actually got of work early and he, Cody and I decided we wanted to go hiking but first lunch. What did I have you may ask? Panera Bread! Another restaurant that is very hard to come by on the road. Once we were all fuelled and energized we headed to Beverly Hills. Cody and Tyler said that they had gone up this hill quite a bit and were always running into celebs like P Diddy so I figured it muct have been cool.

We started up and before I knew it Tyler was gone. He had taken off in a sprint up rocky , uneven paths. Call me a wimp but I'll walk thanks. With my luck I would have slipped and rolled down a rocky ravine. Uh no thanks! Even though I walked, this was by far the hardest hike I had ever been on! I don't hardley ever sweat but I could feel myslef begin to glisten on my back. UGH! Oh well, I was wearing my sunglasses and by the looks I kept getting, people thought I was a celeb. :) We made it to the top and I was speechless. The view was so awesome! It was a beautiful sunny day and you could see for miles.  We then headed down and once we got to a more flat not so rocky area I took off running. I have no idea where this burst of energy came from! Must have been all that turkey and cranberry sauce. Awww to feel the wind in my hair. . . . . . Afterwards,Tyler and I went out for dinner and had a few more heart to hearts before I left early the next morning.  Saying "Goodbye" to Tyler was so sad. I guess I'll just have MAKE myself visit L.A. again. Talk about pulling my arm. Ha!

On Saturday, Loretta picked me up at the airport and she and I caught up and hung out. We meet up with Cole and went out for some yummy Japanese food and shopping. Loretta also took me to go see the lights on the lake in Coeur d' alene. I made friends with a Gingerbread Man. :) The next day Loretta and I would be back on the job headed to Acme, Washington. From one adventure to the next.

(Sigh)
It's a tough life that I lead.

-Jen

Thanksgiving in L.A.

Hi Friends!
The next day in L.A. was the BIG day.....THANKSGIVING!!!!!! I was actually pretty sad because it was my first EVER Thanksgiving without any of my family members. Over the years because of my parent's divorce I had gotten used to the fact that Thanksgiving wasn't as big as a deal as it used to be. It used to entail about 20 some Aunts, Uncle's, Cousins, and babies all gathered around the table. Lacey, Lindsay and I would usually would go find our own spot on the stairs, away from everyone else because we were too cool back then. Ha! For a couple of years now the holidays have been a lot more intimate and private with it just being my Dad, Grandma, and occasionally my brother but this was my first where I was by myself. I also didn't expect enjoy any kind of "meal". I would've been lucky to get KFC. Tyler however mentioned that one of his work buddies was having a kind of a get together at his apartment complex. Ok so it wasn't Thanksgiving with my Dad but they at least had turkey and cranberry sauce. Bonus!

So I spent the day just hanging around the apartment with Cody and the crazy roomates that Tyler and Cody live with. I talked with Allison on skype a little and my Dad on the phone so that was nice. I then proceeded to lounge. Once Tyler got home, he and I headed to his friend's apartment not knowing what to expect. We arrive and they had tables all outside under the stars, close to the beach, and lit by candle light. All the signs of a perfect date if you ask me. The other people at the apartment weren't able to spend Thanksgiving with their families so they spent the whole day preparing the meal. We had wonderfully fun conversations and just enjoyed each other's company. It was very relaxing.

Once Tyler and I felt like we were about to go into a food coma we decided it was time to leave. We then got caught in L.A. traffic. :( It actually ended up being one of my favorite moments in L.A. and I had a lot of 'em. Tyler and I had 2 hours of a non-interuppted heart to heart. Tyler and I would always have these type of conversations at Micah and Allison's old apartment on the patio so this one was long overdue. We both opened up about a lot that had been going on in our lives and in our past's and it meant so much to connect like that with an old friend. Just like the old days. No I couldn't spend Thanksgiving with my family but at least I got to share it with one of my best friends.
I am thankful for Tyla. :)

-Jen

I saw Stars

Hi Friends!
My next day in L. A. was pretty relaxing. First off I got to sleep in so that was very nice. When I eventually rolled out of my air-matress bed that I was sleeping on for the week I asked Cody what he had planned for the day? His response: "Whatever you want to do." EEEEEE! I told Cody that I wanted to go see the cement sidewalks where the Stars put their hands and feet prints in. Cody admitted that he had yet to do that and was more than willing to do so but first we decided to make a pit stop or two.
CHIC-FILA!!!!!!!!! I was soooo excited! Chic-Fila is mainly a Southern East Coast thing and I LOVE IT! Chic-Fila lemonade is the Nectar of the gods and I just HAD to have some. So when I found out that there was actually one in L. A. I made Cody take me there.

Cody was very sweet and chauffeured me around all day and helped me run a few errands like go to the bank and post office. We also did a little Christmas shopping at one of the many shopping centers. Granted we were Christmas shopping for ourselves but hey. . . I do what I want. I'm in L. A. ! All day we hammed up our new duds and wore our sunglasses to trick people. Cody even ducked his head down while I talked very angrily to my cell phone about how "________ wasn't good enough for Mr. Damon". We definitely got a few looks and we caught the paparazzi staring at us with his camera ready. HAAAAAA!

The mall that we were at had the biggest Farmer's Market I had ever seen! We walked around for a few good minutes until Cody decided what he wanted to eat. I bought a mango that was bigger than a softball. I couldn't even finish it all but what was nice was that it was a fruit so I didn't feel fat by TRYING to finish it. Ha!

We then drove through Beverly Hills, you know where the REAL celebs live. We then walked up to the Kodak Movie Theatre where all the Stars go and watch their movie releases. Just a couple days ago "Breaking Dawn" was shown there. UGH! So close and yet so far! So we walked inside and took a gander around we saw the big staircase right outside the theatre. I've seen a lot of pics of celebs on those very steps. We however were not let into the theatre since a show was going on which was fine with me. We probably wouldn't have been able to take pictures inside and that would've been a real tease for me esp since I love taking pictures. We then walked back outside and saw all these people dressed up in home made costumes of characters from movies. We saw costumes ranging from Woody and Buzzlightyear to Optimus Prime. Nuts! I also got to see the famous "Hollywood" sign. Woot Woot!

As Cody and I headed towards the Chinese Theatre where all the sidewalks were, Cody and I heard someone comment on our new clothes that we bought at Abercrombie. They said "Looks it's a walking Abercrombie and Fitch commercial." To that we just covered our faces and strutted as if we had somewhere to be (Real Celeb style).  Then I saw it, the Chinese Theatre. I immediately went searching for the Judy Garland pavement. She is/was my favorite MGM performer and I have always found her past to be very interesting. I was having a hard time finding it though. I was distracted by all the other celeb's pavement: Shirley Temple, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Depp, Debbie Reynolds, Fred Astaire, Shirley MacLaine (who through my Dad's side I am somehow related) and the Twilight and Harry Potter cast. So where the heck is Judy?!?!? Aww right upfront and center.

Another dream come true.

 

 

We then went and got something to eat. Nothing fancy since we spent most of our money shopping that day so Taco Bell suited us just fine. It was off to the movies for us. We had spent the entire day looking at movie stars from the 40's old signatures so it seemed perfectly appropriate to go see the new movie that was made about Marilyn Monroe. In Cody's defense he wanted to go see an action movie but the one he wanted to watch wasn't in theatres anymore. When we got to the movie theatre we were buying our tickets and one of my college theatre buddies walked by and we both did a double take and were like, "OMG!" . It was soo cool running into Othon,small world!

After the movie Cody was equally as pleased as I was when we left. The movie was just visually beautiful and I loved all of the music. I've been listening to the soundtrack ever since. Maybe one day I'll put my hand prints in a cement sidewalk and years later a movie will be made about me. A girl can dream right? So far some of my cheesy dreams are coming true, dreams that I merely considered just that. Dreams, nothing more but a passing thought, here one second and then gone the next. Hmm that sounds like a shooting star.  Yep, I saw Stars. : )
-Jen

PS: Forgive my cheesiness, I'm writing this late at night.

Bike Ride to Venice Beach? Yes Please!

Hi Friends,
So yesterday was a BIG day for me, I hung out with Tyler, met my childhood idol (She was my idol B.B. meaning Before Britney), and I strolled the promenade. My next day was pretty awesome too. I got to go bike riding on the famous "Boardwalk". Now the Boardwalk is just like a big sidewalk next to the Santa Monica beach in L.A. but its where famous people go running/walk their dogs, a bunch of venders sell their merchandise, goes to Venice Beach and most importantly its by the beautiful beach! Needless to say I was stoked. I set off with Tyler early that morning and after I did some reading in the lobby (I had to get another free cappuccino and do some shamless flirting with some of the waiters tee hee!). Once I was satisfied I headed out.

I walked up to this guy who was renting bikes and all other kind of mobiles for the Boardwalk. I can't even BEGIN to express how tempted I was to rent the Segway. I always wanted one. But alas, I set out to ride a bike and I wasn't going to let the glitz and glamour of L.A. distract me. I got my apple green colored bike, no helmet for this girl! I'm a rebel. Now heres the one factor I did not consider when making my plans: people.

In L.A. people are everywhere! This is going to sound really pompous and arrogant but I feel as if I'm a pretty girl. In L. A., if someone remotely attractive walks by a stranger that stranger stares at him or her and tries to figure out what movies he or she was in. I have to admit I did this a little bit too, everyone stares or does the double take when someone walks by wearing sunglasses. Fun Fact: L.A. is the one place where it is actually OK to wear your sunglasses at night. So that doesn't sound like it would be too bad of an issue but where it became one was EVERYONE stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at me. It was flattering at first until people got in my way. By getting in my way the messed up my flow making me have to stop, get off my bike, and maneuver my bike around them. RUDE! An Asian man even took a piture of me while I was on the beach thinking I was someone famous. True Story.

Anyways, as I rode my bike all the way to Venice Beach which wasn't too far just about a 30 minute bike ride away, I saw a bunch of cool things. The first one is obvious, the beautiful beach! I also saw some interesting public art and there was also a skateboard park. The skateboard park was kind of cool, there was an area where they could practice all of their tricks and a bunch of graffiti. I love colorful things. I also biked past some of the venders along Venice beach. Terrible idea, there was more people. No sooner had I just arrived did I realize that I had 15 minutes to get back to the bike rental. I was only given an hour to roam and if I didn't return on time then I would be fined. Remember when I mentioned that it was about a 30 min bike ride to Venice?

UGH!

Thankfully I made it just in the nick of time and bonus, got a good thigh workout. HA! After returning my bike I walked on the pier and saw all the rides and venders they had to offer which was pretty cool. I've seen this very pier in movies and music videos so it felt pretty cool to see it up close. I then hopped on a swing set that was on the beach and ate a very large Granny Smith Apple. It's the little things that make me happy. I felt like a kid again, bike riding and swinging!!!!!!

I realized that it was about that time to meet up with Tyler so I started heading back to Shutters. I just so happend to walk by Muscle Beach. Muscle Beach is where a lot of people come and do a bunch of intense workouts. There's all kinds of stuff there and I saw this one group doing what looked like a type of Gymnastic or Cirque Du Soleil type of stuff. What do you think? That night Tyler and I went to this mexican restaurant and met up with one of his work buddies for dinner. I got a big glimpse into the world of a guy.
Thank God I'm a girl!

Whew a fun but exhausting day. : )
-Jen

My First Day in the "City of Dreams"

Hello Friends,
I woke up the next morning awake and ready to go! Where to you may ask. Well I was actually spending my day with Tyler at his job. I know what your thinking but bear with me. Tyler works at this very Hoity Toity Hotel that has a fancy restaurant that is right off the beach in Santa Monica. It's also known as Shutters. Tyler works in the restaurant but I stayed in the hotel lobby did a bit of work, mail, phone calls, and some reading. While I worked I kept noticing people staring at me. My imediate reaction was "Ah CRAP! They know I'm not staying here!" Then I noticed that it was mostly the male workers. I soon felt better once I started getting free stuff, peanuts, chips, cappuccinos. . . I guess I wasn't in trouble. : )

As I sipped my free coffee, Tyler swooped in and whispered in my ear that Leann Rimes was in the restaurant.

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He then told me I HAD to keep it cool because if I went up to her and asked for a picture that security would kick me out. The restaurant/hotel prides itself on the Star's privacy.
My response: OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so she's not Justin Timberlake whom I was HOPING to just run into BUT I love Leann Rimes! When I was little I used to have all her CD's on Cassette (old school) and then I would sing all her songs to this Karokee Cassette that my brother ALWAYS stole from me and hide in the house. Rude. Real Rude. Sooo being in her presense and NOT talk to her was like asking a fat lady to not eat Girl Scout Cookies.
UGH!

I will say that I was very cool. I went to the bar (as instructed by Tyler) and sat within a few feet from her while I talked with the handsome bartender. I didn't get a drink, I didn't want Leann thinking I was a Lush and it not even be noon yet. Can't have that. Haha! Nathan was the bartender and he was a very nice boy. He told me about his background in dance and TV (he appeared on shows like Greys Anatomy, House, CSI: Las Vegas to name a few) and asked about my job. He seemed impressed that I was a WORKING actor. Score!

Remember how I mentioned I kept getting stared at by the workers? Once I was at the bar, they all swarmed in and I felt like a celeb infront of Leann. Talk about Ego booster! She then left and I felt so proud of myself that I had kept my cool and didn't get kicked out. Yea! I had drank a lot of water at the bar which was all aprt of my front for Leann and then it hit me. Pee party! I walked into the bathroom and unbeknownst to me, there she was.

Leann Rimes was in the same bathroom as me, primping in the mirror and when I walked in she smiled at me.
HOLY. COOOOW!
I tried to play it cool by acting like I didn't really know who she was while I walked towards the stall but I've NEVER had such a serious inner monologue war go on in my head.
Mind 1: Be cool.
Mind 2: HOLY COW!
Mind 1: She's just a normal person, just like you.
Mind 2: HOLY COW!
Mind 1: Don't. Don't! Your gonna get us kicked out.
Mind 2: I'm never gonna see her again OR have this opportunity. I HAVE to say something!
Mind 1: DON'T!
Mind 2: We're in the Bathroom, no security guards here.
Mind 1: True...
Mind 2: Pleeeeease!
Mind 1: I guess it wouldn't.....

Before I knew it I was talking to her. I don't even remember what I said but it was something along the lines of introducing myself, (she shook my hand!), telling her that I have always loved her music, (she said thank you) and that I just had to tell her that. She was so KIND! She said thank you again and wished me to have a good rest of the day and we parted ways. Its a good thing I was in the bathroom, I might have peed all over myself.

I went back to the bar where I saw Tyler and Nathan the bartender and I was in a word Star-struck. I had just met one of my childhood idols. Never once did I dream that I would meet her. All that time of me singing her songs in my room to a hairbrush, knowing every word of every song, the Lord knew that I would one day meet her.
I am in complete awe.

I went out on the patio and attempted to read some more of my book. To no avail. I just met Leann Rimes! There's no way a book is going to hold my attention now! I decided to go for a walk on the beach. I called my Dad and told him everything. He was pretty excited for me. I also put my feet in the Pacific ocean. I never thought that would happen.

Once Tyler got off work, we headed to the Promenade where we got some Greek food. It was sooo yummy! As we perused the little shopping area, Tyler and I stopped to listen to this one girl sing. Her name is Amy May and she was set up on the sidewalk just singing her heart away. I actually really liked her. Look her up on facebook. She has a very chill-acoustic flavor which I just love. Tyler mentioned possibly going and seeing a movie. I mentioned Breaking Dawn half kidding half serious and wouldn't you believe it, he said YES!

YEAAAA!!!!!
So recap:
1. Met Leann Rimes
2. Put my feet in the Pacific Ocean
3. Walked along the Promenade
4. Saw Breaking Dawn
5. Hung out with my good friend Tyler

BEST DAY EVER!
Los Angeles is called the City of Dreams for a reason, five reasons for me and it's only the FIRST DAY!!!!!!
-Jen

L. A. Here I COME!

Hello friends,
Incase you can't tell from the title, I spent Thanksgiving break in L A! I would have LOVED to go home and see my Dad and Grandma for the wonderful day that only comes once a year where I stuff my face with endless turkey and cranberry sause but alas I could not afford it. I told myself that since I had just seen them a week before for my brother's wedding and that spending $500  just to return two weeks later for Christmas seemed financially silly. So I guess I guess my other option was to plan another adult vacation for myself. . . . YEA! But who wants to spend the Holidays by yourself. Sounds depressing if you ask me.

So I thought and thought and thought, "Who lives near Washington state that I haven't seen? hmmmmm". As I pondered my friend Tyler Turner just so happend to call me. As we caught up on our lives and relationships, I metioned to Tyler my circumstance without even thinking about it and it was as if we both had a lightbulb go off over our heads. A big lightbulb, like the kind you find at Home Depot.
Tyler: "COME TO L.A.!!!!!"
Me: "REALLY?!?!?!. . . . . . . . OK!!!!!"

Last Friendsgiving

After making plans, I found myself counting down the days until I saw the little squem. I was sooo excited! Every Thanksgiving my college friends and I would get together and celebrate Thanksgiving. We would each make an item for the table (Green Bean Casserole is my speciality) and we would gather around the table just like in Charlie Brown. Only we didn't serve toast and popcorn like Cody Carwile wanted. We hence named this occasion "Friendsgiving". So if I can't partake in the traditional Thanksgiving I might as well with the Friendsgiving as best as I could. . . . with TYLER!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Loretta dropped me off at the Spokane airport in Washington early Sunday morning and I was on my way! With in a matter of hours I was in L. A. Funny thing about this job, once you've driven 24 hours to Texas and back and then take 15 hour flights to Florida a five hour drive or two hour flight seems like a walk in the park. Ha go figure. Tyler and an old friend from high school (Cody Wilson)picked me up at the airport. That night we went to the Cheesecake factory for a little something to eat. That little something to eat was DELICIOUS! I always love the White Chocolate Raseberry Cheesecake for dessert. We then headed to their apartment which they shared with two other roomates and this apartment was sooo nice! As I layed down on my airmatress for the week I fell asleep to the hilarious comments and giggles of Tyler and Cody.
It's gonna be a good week. : )

-Jen

The Adventures of Jennifer Crews

Hello Friends,
As Loretta and I made the trek from Oroville, Wa to Lewiston, Id we could tell that this week was at least staring out on a good note. We were staying at the Red Lion hotel which Loretta kept telling me was a really nice hotel and we were on our way to go have pizza with our Contact Stephanie and her family. As we drove we saw some interesting things like a sign that said "Bighorn sheep crossing".

Whaaaaaat? Loretta also told me that as she was driving there earlier in the week (I was in Florida remember) she saw a Sasquatch statue thing to take a picture by. We kept looking for him but I guess he was nestled up in his little cave.

We did stop at the Coulee Dam which is the biggest Dam in the U. S. Although we didn't just stop there, we may have gone out in "JeLo" (thats our team name) style and "JeLoed" infront of it and planked. Yep. I never realized how dangerous planking can be, it took us a few tries hahaha! We also stopped and got some Huckleberry Italian Sodas which were ok. I've never been brave enough to try an Italian soda. I always go for a water or a sweet tea but this year is all about adventure right?!?! Plus it was Huckleberry Flavor so I figured it couldn't be too bad. As we drove we caught a glimmer of snow on the mountains. In Lynchburg it doesn't even look like snow until about mid December so this kind of blew my mind because I thought it was so early.

When we arrived at our hotel I was sooo excited! I had another room with TWO double beds which when you push them together you get one AWESOME GIANT BED! This also left me with lots of room to dance. :)
I like to dance.

Stephanie provided us yummy meals all week!

As we got settled in our rooms, we got ready for Pizza with our contact. We went to this local pizza place which was really fun. I love the local places. Our contact ordered us all two pizzas one with everything and one with sauerkraut. I know what your thinking, I thought it too. Sounds gross! Well I don't think I had ever tried sauerkraut so I can't really say that I don't like it, it just sounded weird at the time. SOoo like I said before, this year is full of adventures I could at least try.I did.I actually liked it! Maybe it was a combination of that and all the ranch I was dipping it in but it was pretty good. Now this isn't one of those pizzas you can wake up in the morning and eat it again but at  that moment in time with my diet coke in hand, it tasted pretty good, different but good.

Red Lion Elevator

Moving on, that week the kids we had were sooo cool! They were a bit young but they did a really great job at memorizing and having fun which was sooo refreshing! The kid that played King Arthur even reminded Loretta and I of our friend Kepler back at the home office. haha! We also had four Assistant Directors which made my job a little easier that week since I was Directing. Woot woot! I absolutely loved working with these kids. They had such a desire to learn and to keep improving their characters which for me is a lot of fun.

Loretta and I also got to do a few workshops that week too. Ever since we left for Fall Tour every school has wanted us to do the assembly workshop which we do once and its for up to 600 kids. Its Nuts! So it was nice to go back to the basic ones and connect with some of the kids who weren't in the show better.

One thing that kind of stunk was we couldn't get into the performance space until the day of the show and we couldn't do costumes until then either. Talk about panic. Thankfully our contact was so sweet and had others come in and help us get everything ready just in the nick of time. Everyone was so helpful!

The shows were great that weekend and since we were done on Saturday at 2pm we decided to head to Loretta's after the show. We however did not expect to wak up and see snow everywhere! No worries, Loretta drove really slow and we got there safely. That night Loretta, some of her friends and I went to this show called "Harvey" in Coeur d' Alene and it was pretty fun. I had to go get some sleep though, the next day I had a pretty big adventure planned for Thanksgiving.
-Jen

Back to Reality

Hello Friends,
After a long day of flights, I stayed at a hotel in Wenatchee for the night. Aww sleeep. :) Sweet Loretta picked me up early in the morning so we could head back to Oroville together. Since my day of flying was on Monday (audition day) I had to have a "Fill in". Luckily for Loretta it was actually a really good friend of hers named Jillan. She used to work for MCT and is now loving life with her husband. I bet that was really nice for Loretta to hang out and catch up with her friend. So the next day, when Lorettta picked me up, we had to hurry back to Oroville for the second day of rehearsals. Oroville is literally 5 miles from Canada.

I travelled as far East as possible (Washington-Florida) for my Bother's wedding. That. Is. Love. :)

I was definitely ready to go back to work. My job is a fun job. :) The kids in Oroville were really great. Loretta and I had a lot of fun with them and we even performed some Bieber. We're on youtube, "Team JeLo", look us up! It did stink that we were missing a Damsel hat for some reason. I still feel like its hidding somewhere in the truck. Also a lot of the black pants had to be stitched up so we had a sewing party in our homestay's basement next to the heater and watched "The Guardians". Loretta and I also went to two Zumba classes that week so that was a lot of fun. Loretta and I always stopped at this little coffee/cafe place in town and it was so cute. It had delicious Chia Tea. :) This probably defeated the purpose of the Zumba class.

I also got some mail from the sweetest Gill in the whole wide woyld! Allison sent me a love note that was sooo encouraging. Thank you Gill you are just the best Gillfriend a Gill could ask for! I just love you. There wasn't much to do and we had no internet and no phone service, that week so I felt so cut off from the world! Getting that love letter just made me feel so warm. I love getting mail! With all this lack of communication to the outside world, Loretta watched a lot of movies while I did a lot of reading. I finished the 2nd Harry Potter book and started another one my Dad sent me. I also caught up on some sleep. Remember all that flying?

Our homestay was nice that week too. Their names were Loyd and Beverly. They made us dinner every night and wanted to have breakfast with us every morning at 7am. :( We didn't always eat breakfast with them but they understood why and were constantly like, "Your job requires you to sleep." SO we did. I did wake up for a breakfast or two with Loyd and Beverly. On the menu everyday was a shot of orange juice, citirusy fruit, a bran muffin, and porridge. Now I had never had porridge but as I suspected it was a lot like oatmeal. Nancy Drew look out! Beverly told Loretta that she liked to pour the milk around the porridge and said it was her porridge moat. Haha! Ohhh Beverly... When it came to the muffins Beverly MADE me eat my muffin with a fork...odd. Loyd and Beverly were really into the game Bridge and Jeopardy, fun fact. Whenever we would see Beverly before or after rehearsal she would always greet us with a hug. That was fine but then she added a kiss which was a little weird but whatev!

After the show Loyd and Beverly took us and their Granddaughter out for pizza at this place that had Mickey Mouse EVERYWHERE! I felt like I was in some sort of store at Disneyland. . . . . .weeeird. . . .  Anyway, Oroville was really chill which was nice but I was definitely excited for our next week in Lewiston. The last time we were in that area, it wasn't the best experience but I hoped that this time would have a better outcome.  :)

-Jen

Ding Dong the Bells are gonna Chime!

Hello Friends,
After my day in Seattle with Kelly, I headed back to Coeur d'Alene to reunite with my tour partner Loretta. We had been separated a whole week and we had so much to catch up on. Although, we didn't have a whole lot of time to catch up. The next morning I was leaving for Orlando, Florida for my BROTHA'S WEDDING!!!!!!

Loretta was so sweet as to take me to the airport at the crack of dawn-that's love. It was so early in the morning that I didn't go to sleep when I was at Cole and David's Apt for fear that I wouldn't wake back up. I knew it would be a long day ahead.  I had to be at the airport at 4 in the morning, fly to Colorado, then take a looooong flight to Florida. Thankfully nothing happend like a flight delay and I only brought a carry on so I didn't have to worry about my luggage getting lost. When I finally arrived in Florida I had been in the air for about 9-10 hours. UGH! 

I was so glad to see my Dad and Grandma at the gate. I practically ran and pushed everyone out of my way. It was so nice to hug my Dad again. My Dad, Grandma and I headed to my brother's Apt and hung out with him for a little bit. The night before the big day and it was nice just to have some long overdue family time. I have to admit I got a little teary eyed when I watched my Dad help my brother practice putting on a bow tie. Whether that was the long day of flights or the fact that it was a very sweet scene to watch play out, whose to say? Afterwards Dad, Grandma and I went out for a late dinner. I was starving! We went to Bahama Breeze which is one of the restaurants affiliated with Darden. I used to work at Red Lobster so I had to try it.

After dinner we went to our hotel room and I decided that I couldn't wait until the morning to try on my dress. It was a beautiful flower dress with light blue flowers that matched the color scheme of Justin and Tania's wedding. Whelp sure enough it had a cheap zipper and would not zip. Now what am I to do ?!?!? That was my only dress that I had with me! UGH! Worsties. The dress mishap I think was actually a kind of blessing in disguise. My Dad and I had to rush to the mall the next morning to try and fing a new dress. Grandma stayed at the hotel so that left Dad and me for some long overdue Father-Daughter time. Before the stores opened we grabbed a quick Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. I think Dad has a new favorite drink. Then we rushed into Dillards to see what we could find. We ended up getting this yellow dress at The Limited that would actually make a pretty audition dress. I felt like Belle. :)

We rushed back to the hotel and got ready. Sure enough 10 minutes before we had to walk out the door Grandma accidently locked herself out of her room. She left her shoes in there and couldn't very well go to her Grandson's Wedding in her bedroom slippers. Thankfully a very nice man came and unlocked the door just in time and even hit on my Grandma.

Get it!

Once we got to where the wedding was going to take place, things settled down. It did rain a little which made more work for the workers trying to keep the chairs and dance floor dry buuut you know what they say about rain on your wedding day. ;D  The place that they had picked out was beautiful! It was very much their style and everything was just right. Dad and I visited Justin in the Groom's room where the guys where drinking beer and watching football. (Sigh) Typical Men. :) We posed for a few pictures and Dad and I even caught a glimpse of the beautiful Bride. She was up on the balcony and she looked stunning in her beautiful gown.

The ceremony started and everything was just perfect. It was a very private, intimate wedding and it was just right. I watched my brother take his vows, a beautiful poem was recited by the Pastor, and then the kiss....

I HAVE A SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!

As Justin and Tania took their wedding photos the sun was setting at just the right time. While we waited for them to finish their photos we all snacked on delicious grilled chicken, shrimp, spinach dip and wine. Yum! They came downstairs and the night of dancing soon began. Since it had rained the dance floor was now the porch of the house which I liked better. Justin and Tania danced to a Frank Sinatra (Loved that!) song and it was so fun to watch! I didn't know Justin could dance like that. I gotta step up my game. Maybe he'll teach me a few tricks. :) Everyone Flamenco danced and ate yummy food and cake all night.

When Justin threw the Garter belt guess who caught it? My Dad. HAHAHA! The DJ asked me who it was that caught it and all I could say was "That's my Dad! THAT'S MY DAD!!!" It was so awesome! The DJ then told my Dad he had to put the garter on the lady who caught the bouquet's thigh and for every inch up, it was 10 years "Good Luck" for Justin and Tania. All I'm gonna say is that Lady was eyeing Dad the rest of the night. HAHAHAH! Dad's still got it.

I said my "Goodbye's" to Justin and Tania and wished them luck before I left early in the morning. I really miss them.The next day I had to be at the airport early in the morning for another long day of flights from Florida to Texas to Seattle, Wa to Wenatchee, Wa. My ankles were so sore. I had to stay in a hotel that night and wait for Loretta to come pick me up in the morning from Oroville. "What a good friend".

Justin and Tania I wish you both the best and I'm so glad I got to be apart of your special day.
I love you both so much and hopefully the next time I see you it will be a longer amount of time.
love,
-Sis

My Family