There's No Place like California!

Back in Californ-i-YAY!!

Was really sad to leave Seattle… such a wonderful city. I absolutely loved it. Hope to go back someday soon. ☺ Never made it up the famous Space Needle… it was rainy on our day off so I never got the chance to see the view from the top. Boo. BUT I did run there on Saturday morning and saw it form the ground level. Besides that, I saw everything I wanted to see and did everything on my to do list. Yayyy!

Nothing too crazy happened this week… everything went along as scheduled. Finally got my camera up and running so here are some pictures from the shows (Enid and Judge/Cashier):








**For those of you who are wanting to come to the shows in San Jose here is my track line up that is scheduled:
-Thursday: Mom
-Both shows Saturday and both shows on Sunday: DA Joyce Riley
**For those of you who are coming to San Diego, I am scheduled to go on as the Judge /Cashier track all 8 shows!! So go ahead and buy tickets for any show! : )
I am so so so excited to see so many people in the next couple weeks. Please email/call/text/facebook/comment/etc to let me know when you are coming so I can meet up before or after!!

Stenographer: approx. 44 times
Judge: 5 times
Mom: approx. 12 times
DA: 2 times
Kate/Chutney: approx. 8.5 times
Combo Track Kate and DA: 2 times
Combo Track Judge and Stenographer: 1 time
Enid: 4 times

Count down until San Diego (where I get to see lots of friends and fam): 14 days!!
Count down until Elle debut: 48 days!! (May 2nd in Omaha, NE)

Love to all!
Shine on!
-Ash

Sleepless in Seattle...

...literally...sleepless. Brain has been on overload so I have been quite the night owl. Hopefully things will start to settle down... but in the meantime melatonin (natural sleep aid) is my best friend. : )

Last week here in Seattle… can’t believe it!!! Very bitter sweet. I don’t want to leave, but it just means that I get to go to San Jose and see lots of amazing friends and family in Norcal!! AND it also means that San Diego is coming soon… all my SoCal people!! So nice to be on the west coast! : ) Lots to look forward to… but I will miss my time here.

Some highlights of this past week: I had a fabulous time with Matt Lawrence (high school friend who moved here). I got to see his amazing place in Mercer Island, go to Bellevue with him, and then go to the body exhibit here in Seattle. It’s so nice to catch up with him and get to meet the people in his life here. I’ve been spending a lot of time at Pike’s Market… the best place to people watch. ☺ Not in a stalkerish way (haha)… people are just interesting. I’ve been walking on the waterfront a lot. I took my Elle Harvard law headshot (picture below) and had my final Elle fittings. I am officially ready to go on! All the finishing touches are done. Yayyyy!! My website has been updated (finally)!! The girl that designed my website disappeared on me… so my beloved friend Jonathan Rayson (who plays Aaron Schultz in the show) saved the day and has been updating it for me. www.ashleymoniz.com And lastly, last night we had girls night in. Our company manager hosted a Legally Blonde ladies night for us and rented out the Presidential Suite in our hotel. Lets just say we had an AMAZING time.

Plans I hope fall into play this week: Going to the space needle, seeing Alice in Wonderland, more adventures to Pikes and the waterfront, and getting a massage!

In other news: My Vacation is coming up! Booked my tickets to NY for a quick fun visit! Taking a red eye late April 8th and I go back to tour April 13th in Milwaukee. So excited to see people! Speaking about people… LB is losing and gaining some people this week. Our fabulous vacation swing, Casey, is here for a couple weeks as all of us go on vacay. Sara Shepherd is BACK!!! She was Kate/Chutney when I came into the show… now she is the new Mom. Sad to lose the hilarious J.B. Wing… but we are all excited for her plans to move back to NY. She seems very happy to move on… but she shall be missed. I am also heartbroken to lose one of my partners in crime: Alex Puette. He is a fellow 2009 graduate (he graduated from Michigan) and a fellow swing. The fabulous and hilarious Josh Walden is replacing him so that is wonderful… but I am sad for Alex to go. Very very sad… he brings a whole lotta joy to my life. Love you JB and AP!! Knock em dead in the citay!! As far as me… I plan on staying to the end. Can’t believe it has been 6 months on tour… 5 months left and they offered me another rider to stay on board until the end. So I look forward to the next 5 months of adventures and learning a whole lot more. ☺ Bring it on!!

After going on for 3 tracks (including a combo track)/7 shows last week…here’s the update:
Stenographer: approx. 44 times
Judge: 3 times
Mom: approx. 11 times
DA: 2 times
Kate/Chutney: approx. 8.5 times
Combo Track Kate and DA: 2 times
Combo Track Judge and Stenographer: 1 time
Enid: 1 time

This weeks line up (that is scheduled…who knows what will happen haha):
Thursday- Mom; Friday and Both Saturday Shows- Enid; Both shows Sunday- Judge.

Count down until San Jose (where I get to see lots of friends and fam): 5 days!!
Count down until San Diego (where I get to see lots of friends and fam): 19 days!!
Count down until Elle debut: 53 days!! (May 2nd in Omaha, NE)

Current Book: “The Boys of Summer” by Roger Kahn (about the Brooklyn Dodgers)
Current Netflix: Season 2 of BIG LOVE
Current Song on Repeat: Overboard by Ingrid Michelson
Current Obsession: Physique 57 videos…. AMAZING! I’ve been work shopping a ton of work out videos on tour and it is by far my favorite!
Goal of the Week: Sight See and live it up the last week of Seattle!!

Sending big hugs and a WHOLE lotta love love love!
XOXO
-Ashley

Elle Headshot for Harvard Yard scene:

Thank God for Coffee: Trip to "Buckies," crazy swing week, and adventures

Starbucks (aka "buckies" thanks to Kathleen Monteleone) amazes me. I am sitting here at a Starbucks on 6th and Union in Seattle, there are 2 just around the corner on the same block, another one a block over, one in the Barnes and Noble by that starbucks, so on and so on…and then right down the street is the first Starbucks ever. Liberty (the new Kate/Chutney) and I are sitting in comfy chairs with books, coffee, and our computers while we people watch. Across from me is a couple who are on a blind date. I can tell because both are dressed up (for coffee…), their body language screams “I AM ON A BLIND DATE,” and because I heard them say “So Jim says you are from…and that you…wow that’s great…ya that’s great.” There are two women to my right who are having a business meeting hence all the files and paperwork being passed around. Then there are the 2 hunky suits that just came in for lunch break. A man reading the newspaper alone, 2 friends catching up, Oh…yep… and there are the tourists who are taking pictures. There’s no reason for me to be writing about this right now… I guess it’s appropriate because this is where it all started. But really I am just pointing out the fact that Starbucks is quite the phenomenon.

One week down in Seattle and it was THE CRAZIEST week ever! Lets just say my new track tally is:
Stenographer: approx. 40 times
Judge: 3 times
Mom: approx. 10 times
DA: 2 times
Kate/Chutney: approx. 8.5 times
Combo Tracks: 2 times
Enid: 1 time

Just in last week I played Mom on Tuesday and Wednesday, Kate/Chutney on Friday, The Judge Saturday Matinee, Mom Saturday Night, and Stenographer both shows Sunday. 4 Tracks in 7 shows! Since I have been on tour, there has not been a full swing show. Last week we had 2 full swing shows (that’s all 4 of us swings on… if one more person would have called out… all hell would have broken loose). Here’s an example:


Besides craziness, Seattle has been a fabulous host to us Legally Blonders. Some fun galas and such (pictures below). I was so excited to meet up with my friend Matt Lawrence, his sister aka my brother’s girlfriend Sarah, their fabulous Mom, and their fabulous friends! Matt moved to Seattle not too long ago and it just so happened that they were able to visit the same time I am here! So they came to the Sunday night show and we went to a FABULOUS Chocolate Bar afterwards… the chocolate sunday I got should be illegal. Such a great time and so happy to have 2 more weeks here! Who knows what can happen. ☺

Some of the ladies at Natalie’s WHEN IN ROME party

The ‘05ers (as in we all graduated High School in 2005) at the Opening Night Party

Sara Andreas, DB Bonds, Kathleen Monteleone, Michael Rupert, Barry Anderson, and I at opening night Gala

Liberty and I are Natalie’s WHEN IN ROME party


I have had a few of you ask for more pics… my video camera and camera batteries both died died died. But I finally bought new batteries and should be getting them soon. So stay tuned! I promise to be better about that : )

Current Obsession: Cooking!! We have a full kitchen and I have been cooking my little heart out. Some favorite New creations: **sliced sweet potato sauteed in a frying pan (coated with Organic Olive Oil Spray) like mini pancakes. ** 1 pounded plain grilled chicken breast with side salad chopped papaya, small avocado, cilantro, lime juice, shallot, spinach** 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, Steamed asparagus and kale, with one hard-boiled egg.

Current Goal: Journal more and have more quiet/peaceful time.

Current Book: looking for one… I started the Sookie Stackhouse series but I just love True Blood the show so much that it was hard to read it. I don’t want to find out what will happen next season.

Current TV Show: Netflixing “BIG LOVE” and Huluing (haha) “White Collar”

Current Song on Repeat: “Legacy” by Nichole Nordeman

Thing I can’t live without: COFFEE! After last week… my brain was definitely over stimulated and so coffee was my very best friend. I should ease off of it for a bit… or not.

Last Movie I Saw: RUN to see “Blind Side” if you haven’t already. SOOOO GOOOD!

That’s all for now… excited to take my vacation soon (the week after San Diego: April 5-13th). As of now the plan is I’ll be in California April 5-8 Then NY April 9-13th!! Yayy).

Sending lots of love and happy wishes!
XOXO
-Ashley Mo