Looking Back::

I was thinking last night how CRAZY it is that I have been here for almost a year! WOW.

It went by quickly.. and it also went by slowly at the same time. 

I am so grateful to still be here. I was thinking about the fact that I moved here ..with no job, into the apartment of my high school friend whom I had not really seen in 3 years, not knowing more than 3 people total in this city, and just praying for the best. I have worked as a Temp. in Hollywood, an Executive Assistant at a lighting company in the Valley, a barista in Beverly Hills, a nanny in Santa Monica and now a Production Assistant in the Miracle Mile stretch of West Los Angeles. IN A YEAR! This has been one of the toughest, yet most exciting decisions I have ever made and I am SO THANKFUL for all the prayers and support from TX. I miss my family and my friends, but I know this is where I am supposed to be. I only see what is right in front of me and hardly ever what is in the distant future. It is scary but it definitely forces me more than ever in my life to rely on my faith. Especially in this industry, there are no guarantees and I never know what is going to happen. I remember when I ran downstairs to ask my mom how someone becomes an actress when I was 8 years old (maybe she remembers this too). Other than wanting to be an ice skater (this dream was crushed when my brother refused to be my partner-- who knows what we could have become Chris! Your loss :) This is all I have wanted to do for my career and I sometimes drive around L.A. in disbelief that I actually got here! I still have a LONG way to go I am sure, but as the year is wrapping up, I was thinking how great God is and how blessed I am to have great friends and family. So-- THANKS!! Can't wait to be in TX--just 14 days!

Holidays in L.A.

I would like to start out this blog with a picture of my AMAZING parking skills::

This may not seem like much to some people-and maybe the picture doesn't do it justice- but considering I NEVER had to parallel park in TX I am proud to say I am pretty good at it now! The size of my car also helps.

OK-- moving along, this past weekend, my roommate's sister came to visit and so we did some fun touristy things in L.A. Beverly Hills is already decorated for Christmas and it is so  pretty! Rodeo Dr. has lights strung all along and snowflakes are hanging from the buildings. The store windows all have Christmas displays and Santa sits outside to take pictures. It reminded me of New York. The Grove is also decorated with flying reindeer and a cottage. Apparently the week before Christmas they make it snow at the Grove every night! It has also actually been cold so it feels a little more like the season. I wasn't expecting much of Christmas-time in L.A. but so far I love it! 

I am spending Thanksgiving with some friends here and I am grateful for that! It will be weird to be away from my family, but I know that it will make me appreciate going home for Christmas even more. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hey Steve

So this picture at the bottom cracks me up- take a look in the 

background of this picture:: that is my boss!! And I think I am standing next to her haha..

Anyway, This weekend I worked at an event called PS Arts in Santa Monica. 

It is an organization that raises money to put arts 

back in schools.

It was really fun because there were about 25-30 booths that came 

and had crafts and food etc. Since I was working, I obviously didn't 

have to buy a ticket..but I got to play with kids all day and enjoy

some yummy food. At the E! booth kids came and made an award, 

dressed up and then walked down a little set-up red carpet 

to get their picture taken.

Here are some pics of our booth::

38 days until TEXAS! :)

MONDAYS ARE THE BEST

EXCITING DAY TODAY!

It is Monday and I just love Mondays...

I did NOTHING this weekend and it was great.. I did start making some Christmas gifts-- yeah you heard right--MAKING gifts. Get excited family!

Also, this past Friday I was at the Four Seasons to help/observe/stay out of the way at the press junket for New Moon. I included these little screen grabs from the junket just so you could see the set-up. 

You see those trees? They are little and mean and they snagged my sweater. BOO. 

Also I hung little shiny mirrored garland pieces all the way around that back drop and the pin from one of them made my finger bleed. BOO AGAIN. 

But it was totally worth it! 

I rode in the elevator with Dakota Fanning & she was really nice. Kristen Stewart was really funny and laid back and Robert Pattinson is not as tall as I thought he would be- also his security guy gave me the stink eye after he walked by and said hello. The End.

I like working here a lot! So far, so good!

I hope everything in Texas is grand! Can't wait to be there in about 6 weeks!

::WHERE I WORK::

Here are just a few pics of my new desk area etc.

I don't know why the color is weird on that picture of my desk..oh well.

As you can see in this last one I DO miss my nephew and I am glad Callie posted some pics of his halloween costume!!

Also-- I may be late to find this-- but I was told about the website www.designspongeonline.com and I would recommend a visit! It has good recipes and party ideas..

OK that is all for now!! Have a great week!

another week...

SO-- from the last update::

I am working at E! now and it is great. I am a Production Assistant in the Art Department. I am learning etc and I am so grateful!! 

I am taking an acting class on Saturdays that is going really well-- I want to do more of this. I hope now that I have a regular schedule I can have more time. 

I booked a flight to come in December which is SO exciting! I am also going to Passion in Atlanta. Just two months away and I am very ready for this trip!

On another note I saw "This is It" last night when it opened in L.A. because my friend Brittany is a big fan of Michael Jackson. I went along for fun just because she had the ticket--and I LOVED watching it. I probably like Michael Jackson an average amount and of course he was talented etc. Watching this documentary of these rehearsals blew my mind. He was RIDICULOUSLY talented. He was overseeing everything. They had 12 short films to go along with his performance, ridiculous pyrotechnics, a giant bulldozer that was going to drive on from underneath the stage and the biggest 3D LCD screen ever.. and he was directing all of it. He was also dancing better than all the 20 year old back-up dancers he had chosen. I would definitely recommend seeing it-- just my opinion. It was pretty amazing to see that kind of performer at work.

I also was getting coffee this morning and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie walked in to get drinks! 

That was all fine and dandy...fun story.. the end.

the sad part? I put it on my facebook status and I got a message from a friend from college who now works for PEOPLE magazine- she wanted the scoop on what I saw... REALLY?! Here's what I would have reported:: "they were wearing sunglasses. they looked happy. they had a baby with them. they got coffee and said thanks." RIVETING. 

I mean I guess I asked for it? I did not respond to this message. I figured they should be allowed to get coffee without it being in PEOPLE magazine.. oh well.

updates!!

Over the past few weeks so much has happened!

My family came about a month ago--which was amazing! I got to show them my favorite spots, and of course just enjoy being with them :)

I want them to come back soon-- and I can't wait to get to Texas. It looks like it won't be until Christmas.. that means by the end of December, total time away from the lovely state will have been 5 and a half months.

AND I didn't even realize that until I just typed it. WOW. Almost half a year. Weird.

Here are some pics from my family's visit!

I took them to The Grove, Beverly Hills, Mullholland Dr. , Hollywood, Westwood, Santa Monica and of course a short stop by the set of The Office!

Also, a week and a half later, my great friend Maggie came to visit! She and I have known each other since theater in Jr. High and then we went to the same high school and off to Baylor. It is so great to spend time with people from home! It makes it easier to be here.

I have been looking for a new job to transition into over the past weeks. I am grateful for the nanny job and Starbucks, but between both, it was hard to have a steady schedule and income.

I was even considering moving to Austin around January/February.

BUT-- something wonderful has happened! I had interviewed at a production company and it went well--but then nothing. I was still looking and getting worried..but then I got an email from Catherine White at E! and she told me that a position as a production assistant had just opened in her Dept. (the current prod. assist. is moving to New York). **(note question at bottom)

I went last week and started training and learning the ropes from the guy who is leaving. It was great! I love it there-- the days go by fast and there is always something to do. I got to go to the press junket for the new film, "Law Abiding Citizens" and see the interviews for Gerard Butler (who said hi to me, be jealous) and Jamie Foxx. It was really cool!

Catherine was out of the office for work, and she will be back next week to talk about everything. It has been a great blessing so far!

SOO -- that is what is going on! I am very, very excited for so much going on! Hopefully more news to come!!

AND I leave you with a picture of myself and Moses the bulldog, my roommates' dog::

** ADDED ENGLISH QUESTION -- What is the rule again for where you put the period at the end of the sentence if it ends in parenthesis?? Is it IN the parenthesis or outside of it?? Thanks English teacher friends!!!!

23!

First birthday out of state is complete. It was a really great weekend!! I have GREAT friends and they made it so special. On Friday, we went to eat in Venice on a street called Abbott Kinney and every first Friday of the month they close the whole street down for sidewalk shops, shows and food. It was really cool!
Note to my family:: We should try and go when you're here the first of Sept!
Here are my lovely friends I celebrated with::
Me, Brittany, Shira and my other roommate Lindsey.

On my actual birthday, I went to my favorite coffee shop and cafe for breakfast, layed out at the beach and then went to a great pizza place by my house for dinner. I missed being in TX and seeing my family but it was still a great day! I am so blessed to have wonderful friends!

My family is coming in about 3 weeks! I CANNOT wait!!! I am planning fun things for us to do and I am so grateful they are making time to come see where I live!

Work is good...just moving along. I am also helping some UCLA students film a short this weekend.

Also I saw "Julie&Julia" and it was SO cute and fun to watch. I also have seen "(500) Days of Summer" and I really liked it too...it's really interesting how they tell the story.

OK here's one more pic of my roommate Lindsey and I at my birthday dinner! Have a great week!

Only In L.A...

So this is just a short little post to discuss some recent events that are definitely unique to living here...

starting with almost getting hit by a car. This can happen anywhere right?? You are walking across the street because the man on the sign says you can..but people driving also have a green light to turn right. If neither one of you are paying attention..well.. then you stop suddenly to let this car go in front of you. However, then it gets crazy because you look into the car and you see a face above the dash that is none other than MERYL STREEP's face. Yeah, I stopped breathing for about 10 seconds and we waved and she drove and I regretted not falling in the street and pretending to die, only to promise not to sue if she would just let me be in a movie with her :) And yes, it was definitely her. She has a distinct face.

Then, I happened to be bored at home tonight and I saw on the internet that John Mayer was playing an impromptu concert at a small venue in Hollywood. My roommate and I decide to go and after paying $5 to get in..we stand ten feet away from the stage and get to hear an AMAZING concert. There were only about 150 people in the room and he played some new songs off his album that isn't out yet..and they were great of course. He was really nice and funny and took lots of pictures with people afterwards. To say that he is good at playing guitar is a GIANT understatement. It was the most ridiculous thing to see that live.

These are just two crazy events that have happened in the past week. Little things like this make it fun to live here. It is not as glamorous as some people make it seem (that is also a huge understatement) but it can have its perks :)

Moving In!

So this past week has been pretty busy! My good friend Mallory, rommate from Baylor, came to visit me and it was SO great to see her! It is always refreshing to see a friendly face ffrom Texas who can also laugh at some of the ridiculousness in L.A. with me :)

While she was here we got to eat at a couple of nice restaurants because my roommate's mom was in town and she invited us to eat with them. A lot of times, papparazzi are waiting outside these restaurants hoping to see some one famous. Well, I took advantage of this and asked if one of them would video my friend from Texas like she was famous and he thought it was a great idea! Here is the result::
Pretty great right?? Ironically, we saw him again a few nights later and he recognized us and started talking to us. So I guess we have a new papparazzi friend?? Hmm..

Also, after much debate of whether I could stay or leave Brittany's apartment, I am staying! We took the weekend to transform her old dining room into a bedroom. I feel like I am in college again with a twin bed and rubbermaids under the bed full of t-shirts. I am so, so happy and I love it here!

Behind that curtain is the kitchen and to the right is the living room..

I also think I am going to have a meeting with an agent next week. I ended up talking to a customer at Starbucks, who happens to be an actor and he recommended I talk to his agent. So I emailed her my headshot and resume and she wants to set up a meeting with me! Also I heard about a job opening at Jerry Bruckheimer's company through Becca (Marion) Wolfe. Her husband's best friend lives here and works in the business and he is referring me over to the job! So it has been an exciting and busy week!

Also, here's a little section of Psalm I was reading the other day and I feel like it sums up my desires exactly, especially being in L.A. ::

"Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

Fulfill your promise to your servant so that you may be feared.

Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.

How I long for your precepts!

Preserve my life in your righteousness." Psalm 119:33-40

I hope you all are doing well :)

Back in L.A.

I LOVED getting to go home to Texas for a few days over the holiday weekend. I also realized what everyone was talking about when they said it was uncharacteristically hot. WOW...
I won't get to see my family on my birthday in August so Callie gave me my present early::

Here it is in use today in Santa Monica! I LOVE this bag! Thanks Callie, it is perfect :)

I am back to working this week and I want to set up some more auditions. As of right now, it looks like I am going to get to be an extra in the Iron Man 2 movie. It shoots next week and now I am trying to work out my schedule.

My family is coming (hopefully) in September... I am already coming up with things for us to do and places for us to go!

If anyone else wants to take a little trip out west I am more than happ to be a tour guide :)

SO FAB!

I don't know why...but I saw this is in my neighborhood and I just thought it was so funny.

Thank GOODNESS it's a FAB estate sale..otherwise there is

NO way I would be stopping by.

I was going to post a little movie of my favorite FAB (ha) spots in L.A. but the camera is having issues so it's going to be a little longer.

I am going to Texas in 2 days and I am so excited! Not looking forward to the heat though...I have been spoiled by 75-80 degree weather every day.

Just for the heck of it..I am going to post my recent Music/Movie and Book reviews because I know you all are DYING to read my opinions on these subjects.. and I would love to hear if anyone has any recommendations!

LITERATURE-

"My Sister's Keeper" Jodi Picoult-- it was good but DEPRESSING. I read it in like 4 days though because I didn't want to put it down. I think I might try reading some of other other books.

"Atlas Shrugged" Ayn Rand -- I just started this book and so far, so good. I heard a lot of good things about it so I am giving it a try. Has any one else read this??

MOVIES-

"Up" -- I think this is my favorite summer movie so far..it's really funny and really sweet and I think it's in my top 2 Pixar movies (with Toy Story) It is good for adults I promise you would enjoy it!

"Pelham 123" -- I don't even know why I saw this to be honest. It's good, not great. I love Denzel Washington but I feel like he kind of plays the same character all the time. By the end I was thinking..OK I don't know what life lesson I learned from that..

"My Sister's Keeper"-- Like I said, I read the book and that RUINED the movie for me. They eliminated an entire character, they changed whole sub-plots for more than one character and they COMPLETELY changed the ending... I get that it is BASED on the book...but I would say at best it was "inspired" by the book because it was almost a totally different story. Good acting though and of course it is still sad, so if you want to cry a little bit, go see it

.

CLASSICS::

I have been renting some older movies and these have probably been my favorite to watch. It's my goal to watch all of the AFI top 100 movies and I am about 70% finished. I have also been going to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences building in Hollywood because they have screenings every week of classic films from their archive. Am I a nerd? Probably..

Recently I watched::

"The Big Sleep" -- Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman -- Very classic Old Hollywood mystery movie and I really liked it!

"Sunset Boulevard" -- This was extra fun to watch because I recognize all the places and street names now that I live here. Needless to say things look a little different now than they did 50 years ago... I wish they still made movies like this!! This is the movie with the famous line..

"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

"Sophie's Choice" -- This movie isn't that old..and it's not really fun to just pop in on a Friday night, but some how I had never seen it. But, could Meryl Streep be any more amazing?? Seriously, I thought for a second maybe she really was Polish. This is enough reason for me to watch this again..she is SO ridiculously good.

"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" -- Who doesn't like Jimmy Stewart?? Just see it.

MUSIC--

"Far" Regina Spektor -- It is kind of unique but I really like several of the tracks..I would recommend it if you like her other music..

OK so if you actually read all of that junk..thanks! Maybe I will put up my little video soon..

One thing's for sure-- The day after tomorrow I will be on a plane to TEXAS! :)

Would YOU work HERE?

SO ugly right?? Well I will be having to stare at these views all day starting in July! I am going to be a nanny to a 5 yr. old boy and an 8 yr. old girl. I got the job through my other roommate, Lindsey. Her old boss needed a nanny and that's where I am stepping in. I am also going to work Starbucks a few nights when I am not a nanny! Which basically just means, I can stay! This is great news and I am grateful for more time here. I am also starting an improv. class on Monday nights and we are still writing the film that we will shoot in August. I have been fiming on my own this week all over L.A. and hopefully I will post the video after this weekend. It is NOT professional in any way, its just me, filming and showing off some places around where I live.

I am also coming home to Houston July 2-6th! This might be the last time for a while..probably Thanksgiving, so I know I am going to enjoy it!

I can't wait to see my family!

Video soon to come.....

Pretty Much Nothing..

So nothing has really been going on recently..I wish I had some awesome exciting news to report..but unfortunately..not really.
I have been on a couple of job interviews, one for a nanny position and one for a server position at a restaurant. They both went really well, and I think I would definitely rather have the nanny position. It would be flexible and a little more steady..
I am filming a little video right now that is kind of like "A day in the life.." It's just going to be highlighting a few places I like to go, where I live, etc. I just thought it might be fun. I am filming it myself this weekend with my friend's camera and I will edit it and put it up next week!
Also, a few friends and I are going to write a short film for an upcoming festival. I am going to be in it as well! I will post that too but it will be a long while before that gets wrapped up.

Have a good weekend!

Catching Up!

So the past few weeks have been a little crazy..to sum it all up::

I went into work last Thursday and worked until about 4 when my boss called me into his office. We started talking and...the fact is he doesn't need a personal assistant. I haven't done too much for him over the last few weeks and basically I have just been helping out other people around the office. So, to sum it all up..I am not really needed there right now. Which makes sense..if you aren't doing a lot, you probably shouldn't be payed to do it. So I was a little upset and scared at this information, but I had my last day there this week.

The crazy thing about this is, the week before I had written in my journal that I didn't feel like I was going to be there for long. I didn't feel settled and I wondered how I was really going to get into film. I was praying that God would show me how that was going to work, or if I should even continue in that direction...and then I got this information. It was a slap in the face, but it is was a huge encouragment for me to really pursue my goals. That is the reason I came here in the first place.

Thankfully, I got to go home that weekend and see my family. It was really great to spend time with them...Here are some pictures of the weekend::

I still have my job at Starbucks and now I am looking for jobs at production studios etc. I am hoping to have a more open schedule so I can join a community theatre group and take acting classes at night. I will need to have another job if I want to stay here, but I feel confident that this is where God wants me to be so I am going to do everything I can to make that happen.

Also here are some other pictures from Runyon Canyon, a hiking trail in Hollywood I visited this week. I ran all around these paths and I definitely found a great new place to work out..

The view was of the Hollywood hills and in the distance you could see downtown L.A.

And here is a beach in Malibu I went to a while back..I LOVE this area and these beaches are amazing..

So that is about it..I am looking for a new job and that is not always fun..but I am excited to see what's next!!