I love my iPhone

Thank goodness I made the bold step to change services and get an iPhone... it has saved me many a times on the subways and walking around. It's so easy to get lost here... but thanks to my handy dandy little iPhone, I have only gotten lost once and was able to navigate back pretty easily. I've been doing a lot of studying as far as areas, subway lines, and streets. Getting better and better! : )

The first time I came here (without the family), my friend Laura and I got on the subway for the first time by ourselves and ended up going the wrong way... we were lost for about 2 hours. And then there was the time when I took the wrong train and ended up lost for 3 hours by myself... that was fun. But now... no more getting lost thanks to my iPhone and studying! : )

Last night was so much fun! Ian, Anthony (friend from Tour), Myrona (my professor), and a bunch of the UCI people went and saw my friend, Laura, as Petra in a Little Night Music. It was in White Plains, NY so we took a quick little train ride and saw her rock it out. So proud of her!! I had never been to the Grand Central Station too... I'm excited to take more trips on the train soon.

Today was no more vacation day here in New York. Ian started his classes and I started my gym membership (I am officially a New Yorker haha) and getting ready for all the auditions this week. Looks like I will have my first one on Tuesday. There are mainly regional theatre auditions until Legally Blonde (April 2) and Bye Bye Birdie (April 4). In the meantime, I plan on auditioning for the regionals, getting back in shape, and taking some dance classes. I'm getting excited to move into my place and get settled!! As far as part time jobs and such, I'll probably start looking in late April/ early May... just need time to settle first. : ) Hopefully something fun will show up. Until then... enjoying my days without commitment : )

I MADE IT TO NY!!!

So I finally made it... the Big Apple.
It's a weird humbling experience. When I first started college, I wrote down a list of things I wanted to accomplish before moving to NY:

1. money saved
2. my Equity Card
3. an apartment
4. some credits
5. Friends in NY
6. My College Degree

Thanks to tour and UC Irvine, I checked all those things off of my list last Friday and was on a plane Wednesday to the city. Some might call me insane, but I just wanted to start the adventure : ) I am also very lucky because Ian (my boyfriend) is going on the UCI New York Satellite Program for the first 5 weeks that I am here. He is taking classes while I get adapted to the city. So it is so nice to have him here and for him to help with the move. Little girls could use a strong man to help with suitcases and boxes. I am a very lucky gal. : )

So to officially start my New York journey... I thought I'd start a little blog to update everyone. I used to send out emails while on tour... but this is so much easier : )
So heres the update so far:

March 18th: Flight with Ian on Virgin Airlines. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! We had such an amazing flight. Ian makes friends with everyone so we met an incredible flight attendent named Robb (with 2 bs) and he treated us to a few drinks to celebrate me moving. A nice little start : ) Once we landed, we went to my sublet on 104th and 2nd. My friend, Amanda, is playing Natalie in All Shook Up in PA so she needed someone to rent out her place for a bit. Works out perfectly for me because I needed a place until April 1st!! So I'm in her place until then. After we dropped off our bags, Ian and I hopped on the subway and went down to Chelsea to look around the area of where my apartment will be come April 1st (15th St and 8th Ave). We walked for hours, took pictures, took in the city, and got excited!!
March 19th: Ran a bunch of arons all day, showed Ian my apartment (thanks Paul for letting us in) and then saw Shrek!! What a fun show! I bought tix for Ian and I all the way back to Valentines Day so we had been counting down the days for some time now. 8th row back house right... nice and close. We were a little bummed that Sutton was gone, but the understudy was great too. I really recommend it for anyone especially with kids. Just silly fun entertainment. After the show, Ian and I went to my dear friend's (Anthony) birthday party. It was such a joy to walk in and see those familiar friendly faces from tour. And it was even better to give big hugs and catch up for a few hours. Ian got to meet them (finally) and I got my friends back! yay!!

Anthony and I at his party (Ian is in the back)

March 20th: Walking and exploring day! Starting from 112th st. and 2nd ave, Ian and I watched the city and people change as we walked to 14th st. and 8th ave. We went up and down avenues, made a few stops, and enjoyed the day. Which leads me to right now... exhausted, watching a movie on the couch, and starting a blog.

I get more and more excited about living here each day. But I do miss my family and California people a lot already. So come visit!!! : ) I am excited for the things ahead and for "living the dream." Just trying to stay positive no matter what and seeing what cool things God has in store.
So cheers to that! XOXO