What a week!

This week I was a busy girl. On top of my volunteer work, house work, working out, cooking and eating I also had 2 sets of visitors from WA. The Riggs, Ashley, Erin , and Caitlyn were down in San Diego for Ash's business trip so Xian and I jetted (in the Jetta:)) down to spend the day with them. The weather was beautiful and it was SO nice hanging with Erin and Caitlyn during the day. We then picked up Ash and headed to the Gas lamp district, or just the lamp district if you check out Erin's blog:), for dinner and dessert. It was ideal! As we walked back to the car after we said good night Xian shook his head and said that he could only imagine the havoc Erin and I wreaked back in the day. I just smiled as a wave of nostalgia spread over me!

Then on Saturday night John and Diane arrived at LAX for their 48 hour layover in LA on their way home from Mexico. First off, I was shocked that Diane and I had equally tan skin...Oh I mean we had completely oppositely tan skin...she was 60% Intense Cocoa chocolate and I am diluted milk choc...no, make that white chocolate! Over the next 2 days we went to fabulous restaurants, the farmers market, on a hike, on car tours of Beverly Hills & Santa Monica, and discover John and Diane's previously untapped talent for the Nintendo Wii! It was great fun.

I moved away from home long ago and I started completely over 4 years ago when i moved to LA. I knew NOONE! I established new friendships and relationships down here but there is something that is so soothing to your soul to be around people that GET you. They KNOW your past...you don't have to explain why or how you are what you are...they just know. AND they offer insight into your situation based on that deep rich knowledge and understanding. It was a good week!

FINALLY...

...I BOOKED MY VERY FIRST GIG FROM AN AUDITION!!! I moved to LA 4 years ago and enrolled in an acting school where I worked my butt off for 2 years learning how to: reign in my natural energy, use my life experience, live honestly-good bad and ugly, and live truthfully under the given imaginary circumstance. For the past two years I have done student films, short films, starred in a play and done misc. other projects here and there. Since buying our first home 7 months ago I really haven't been putting the time and energy into my career that it deserves and demands. It has been all about getting our home up to par. Well in September I refocused , wrote down my goals, and got to work. I have been movin and shakin. I have been giving my headshot to anyone that will take it, submitting myself for roles, interning at a talent agency, and continuing my personal development as an artist.

As with most industries right now show biz is slow. Many of the agents that I work with are having a hard time finding enough auditions for their existing talent to make a living so they aren't accepting any new talent. Anyways-my mangager got me out on 3 auditions this week. THe first one was odd. It was supposidly at GOLDEN ERA CASTING but it was really in a wierd office @ the Church of Scientology. It was for a commercial to try to get people to convert. The next audition was for Verizon. THe project would be used for in house training and website. The third was for a Web-series...I was sexy Wonder Woman that is icey, manipulative,bitchy, and uses her sexuallity to get her way and kills the bad guys. I just for a call from Jack, my manager, and he told me I BOOKED THE VERIZON GIG!!! It is so exciting! I will post more when I have more info:)

(Mr. Rychlinski-the good luck coin that you gave me totally worked!! Thanks a ton.

CASA

I am currently in training to become a CASA-Court Appointed Special Advocate. I am going to be a sworn officer of the court that will act as the judges eyes and ears for a foster child. When a child goes into the foster system they get an attorney and a social worker. Each social worker has 40-50 cases and the attorney has at least that. So my job is to make sure that my assigned child doesn't fall through the cracks. I get full access to the family, school, and medical records. I check out the foster house, talk with my child and make sure that they get what they need. I am so excited to have the opportunity to really make a difference in a childs life. Xian and I are considering opening our house to foster children in the next couple years so this is good research. A chance to get a first hand look at how it all works. It is a volunteer position, a two year committment. They say it is about 6 hours a week, court every 3 to 6 months and minimun monthly visits with my child. Every case in unique so I am earger to see what case i will be assigned. I will keep y'all posted.

And the verdict isssssss........

MARCH 28,2009!!!!! Thanks to my sisters help and slight cajoling we finally set a wedding date and booked our venue. So save the date. It will be in Tacoma so that will make it easy for some of you and a little bit of a trek for some of you. I am so excited!! My sister will be doing the majority of the planning with the help of my mother, that will be interesting!! I am so happy that I get to see all my peeps and dance the night away...oh yeah and marry my favorite man in the entire universe!

Pics from Seattle Trip

Our trip to seattle

Papa Joe, nana and Sierra picked Xian and I up from the airport. The air was so clean and COLD. I adored my time with Sierra. She is so refreshing with her big smile and tiny little voice. We truley enjoyed our time wakeboarding with Jamie and Pete in Bellingham, dining with Caitlyn, Ashley and Erin in Federal Way, BBQing with AnnaBelle, Trevor, Kristen, John, and Diane on the boat in Olympia, and playing mexican train, exploring, eating laughing, and swimming with Tam, Sierra, and Chris.

What a happy birthday!!

Today was a great day! I woke up next to the man of my dreams. Yes we live together and sleep next to each other every night but Xian recently got a "promotion". This means that there was a problem store that was in desperate need of a good manager. It has been chewing managers up and spitting them out for the past 3 years. It is an incredibly busy store with employees that...hhmmm..shall we say...they have been in survival mode instead of really living the values of our company. It has been 3 weeks and Xian has been making good progress...but it means a lot of over time, stress, and WORK. He works from 5am-5pm and I work 4pm-1am. So we never wake up together. So it was a special birthday treat to wake up, open my eyes, and see my beautifully delicious favorite person in the world.

Have you heard of the House of Blues' Gospel Brunch? I went to it for my 13th birthday in New Orleans. Then my friend Julie took Xian and I to the one on Sunset today. It was SO GREAT! I danced, stomped my feet, and clapped my hands and did I mention danced? It was phenomenal! i had sooooo much fun. The energy was intoxicating. I even danced on the stage with the gospel singers because it was my b-day!

Then I went swimming @ Steven and Sarahi's.

Then I went to Stacie and Tim's for a campfire...or rather a backyard fire. It was fabulous just visiting, hanging out, and enjoying each others company. My birthday was spent with great friends and I couldn't ask for anything else.

OKAY OKAY. If I was allowed to be greedy I would want to have seen my friends and family that are in WA, WI, Denver, and Sacramento too...but you get the point:)