Cornbread.

This post is a little overdue, but better late than never.

Before leaving VA Beach, I spent my last day in rural North Carolina. I saw lots of cotton fields. And some goats.

The people were so nice. At schools, and just in general. I went into a supermarket, and every person I passed on the way in the door said hi to me. If this were to happen to me in Boston, I would think that I accidentally forgot my shirt when I got dressed.

At the second school I went to, I talked to a woman named Suzanne for a while. She was really sweet. She was pregnant and we talked about Disney World. I gave her a yo yo on my way out and she hugged me. The people at the schools in NC were so grateful that I was there, they said they'd never had anything like me before. I was in an extremely rural part of the state. There was nothing, for miles. The center of the first town had a gas station/supermarket and a post office, the second town had those two things plus a pizza grill. I feel lucky to have grown up in a city such as Boston- it's played a big part in who I am. I feel like a place like Gatesville, NC is probably quite wholesome, but probably quite difficult to ever leave- to see the world.

On my way back to the airport, I was stopped by road construction and a flagger named Cornbread. We chatted for what seemed like 20 minutes until the road was clear for me to pass. He was kind. He had a beard and told me how he was planning on painting it white for the holidays for the kids in his neighborhood-so he could be Santa Claus. He also told me I was the kind of person that could change someone's life just by meeting them. Was he hitting on me? Maybe. But I prefer just to think he was a kind old man.

My yoyo show is really shaping up. I feel confident that I'm doing well. I'm happier, not stressed anymore. It's sinking into that place where I start the first line of the show and the rest of it just flows out of my mouth. That's a pretty good place to be. It makes it a lot easier to deal with curve balls.

This week will be a very short 2 days, then Thanksgiving. I can not wait for Thanksgiving.

Va va va VA Beach

I am in Virginia Beach. Yo-yoing. The shows here have been going well, people are much nicer here than they are in Boston. Now I get what everyone says about us New Englanders. Not that I mean every Bostonian is mean, because they are clearly not, but in my experience of showing up at a school and actually needing help and time for people- the Virginians are much more accepting of my requests. People from NH are pretty good too, and also East Boston. That's a surprising mix.

As far as the yos go, it's getting better and better. I'm landing my tricks more often than not now, and totally wowing little children. I hope this only continues.

Today I had the day off, because it is Veteran's Day. No school. Woo hoo!

I took it upon myself to explore VA Beach. The first place I headed to this morning was the boardwalk. I was excited. As I left my hotel, the sun was beaming and it seemed to be getting warmer; however, as I drove eastward on I-264, the clouds began to roll in. I got to the gray beach a few moments later. I didn't let the clouds stop me, I walked on the boardwalk two miles down the beach to get to the pier. When I got to the pier I discovered it was closed for the season- I also discovered that had it been open, someone would have charged me $2 to walk out on a dock. Seriously? Where is the world at these days?

Well, I walked to the other side of the pier and proceeded to take my shoes off and stick my feet in the ocean. I did this while Virginians walked the boardwalk in coats and scarves. It was a balmy 53 today. The beach itself was lovely, so clean and crisp, with huge waves.

I walked back to my car along the strip, and poked my head into some cheesy gift shops along the way. The sun poked its head out for a brief moment, and it that moment I ran back to the beach and snapped the picture above.

I was hoping it'd be warm enough to actually lay out in my bathing suit on the sand, and maybe go swimming, but no such luck. I'll just have to wait until next month when I head to the D.R.(not yo-yo related).

I then took the rest of the day to explore the city.....it didn't take long. Strip mall after strip mall, chain restaurant after chain restaurant. I was hoping to find a quaint Sherman-esque coffee shop where I could do some reading, but no luck there either. I thought that perhaps the center of VA Beach would have something similar- the "center" of VA Beach is an office park where the town hall, crime solvers and other random governmental stuff meet. It was back to the strip malls for me.

This made me think about the rest of America. And how lucky we Bostonians are. Not only the Bostonians, but the New Yorkers, the San Franciscans, the Seattle-ites...the people that live in L.A.- we live in a city with character. A city where a lot of the things in it can't really be found anywhere else. When I'm driving down the road here in VA Beach, I could easily be back in Kansas City, or even in Orlando. My boyfriend told me that the average American watches 4 hours of T.V. a day. I can see how this is possible, when the biggest thing to do where you live is go to the mall- and even that closes by 9:00.

I do thoroughly enjoy the beach though.

Tomorrow, it's back to the bean. It's been a nice little jaunt. Thanks for everything Virginia!

The fruits of my labor.

So on Friday I had a lovely little show in Attleboro. It went very well. The principal even gave me a cupcake!

Well, on Sunday, I left for my first solo tour. Virginia Beach baby. I've been meaning to write since then, but it's been a busy few days.

I had a good trip down. A suprisingly long trip down here, actually. I had a layover in Newark for about 3 hours. Anyone who's been through Newark, you can feel me on this. But, it was shockingly not crowded! Well, not as crowded as I have seen it get anyway. I spent the majority of my 3 hours reading in a Starbucks and eating the lunch that my wonderful boyfriend bought for me and sent me on the plane with. While sitting, I had lots of time to ponder.

Couples with matching luggage. I watched a middle aged couple walk by me, with matching silver carry-ons. They were sweet. I thought about them going to some tropical place, and thought about them still really being in love. There's something to be said for that. Loving someone so much that you even want your luggage to match. They didn't wear matching jumpsuits and fannypacks, though that may have been just as sweet. May have been.

Pretzels. I sat for a while by the Auntie Anne's pretzel stand. This made me realize Americans really love their pretzels. And ice cream. And hotdogs. Being in Virginia has made me realize even more how Americans love their Sonics, McDonalds' and strip malls. It makes me feel lucky to live in a place where these things are few and far between- relatively speaking.

Children. Children are to thank for my job. And they are the future. Really. I was a child once, and here I am, in the future. All that aside, no one wants to sit in front of a small child on a plane. Or anywhere near a baby.

Small planes. I rode two of the smallest planes I have been on in my life to get here- save the one I jumped out of in Spain. They were so tiny we got on from a staircase on the runway, and no carry-on suitcases were allowed on board- there was no room for them. So small, not even a complimentary beverage was served. Or it is possible that's a new FAA regulation. Which brings me to another thought...

Food on planes. Not the kind that you may or may not get from the flight attendant, but the kind that you buy at the random place at the airport. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. You're sitting on the plane, and then some guy gets on with Pizza Hut. It smells so good. No matter what it is, even if it's something you'd never ever eat, you want it. And I can almost guarantee everyone else on the plane wants it too. I have been this guy once or twice- one time I had Bojangles (a gift brought from North Carolina to my southern boyfriend up north), and one time I had a hotdog. A hot dog with mustard and sauerkraut. Everyone wanted the hotdog. The flight attendant asked me where I got it. The guy next to me said it looked good. The guy diagonally behind me was all "Is that sauerkraut?!?!", and proceeded to ask me how it was while I ate it. I then offered him a bite.

He didn't accept.

So, I guess to sum it all up, if you want to make friends on a plane, bring enough sauerkraut for everyone.

I'm going to have the day off here in VA Beach on Thursday. I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully there'll be some sights to see, and maybe, just maybe, it'll be warm enough to go to the beach.

Signing off for now, xoxo

Ow.

That's a bruise from yo-yoing. Ow.

They told me I need to throw it harder......

Hopefully I build up some beef and don't get bruises anymore. Yeah. That'd be good.

There'll be much more to update next week, I'm going on my first solo tour- to Virginia Beach! Woooooo!

The Silence.

Sooooo, after I've last written, some things have happened. Some.

I went to the Space Needle. Yeah, it was touristy, but it really is a must see. On a clear day. Because when it is clear in Seattle, you can see mountains and ocean for miles. I had fun, I took pictures. I drank a space beer. I bought a t-shirt.

Then I was back off to the airport to a red eye back to the bean. I may have slept the best I've ever slept on a plane. There was more sleep, and when I woke up, I had no voice.

I lost the voz near the end of my second show on Tuesday, but could still make noise. By Thursday morning, there was no noise. I was a little freaked. I went to the doctor to discover that I had Viral Layrngitis and had to go on Steroids. Yep, roids. Awesome. Needless to say, I had to take a sick day on Friday. After a lovely, but quieter than normal weekend, I was very pumped for my show today.

See today, I only had one show, and it was in Charlestown. A 9 minute drive from my house- so perfect! Unfortunately when I got the the school, I discovered that they had cancelled their show last week....and due to....whatever....I never got the message. No yo-yo show today. Wa wa waaaaa. Let's only hope tomorrow I'll at least get in the door- then proceed to knock of socks with my mad yo-in' skill. Mhm.

Road trip: Washington

So, I'm back in Seattle. It was time to follow up on my training, so I was flown here for three days, to do two shows that my trainer could watch. Because of booking, or the PTO in Seattle, or whatever, my shows were in Wenatchee, WA. Which is about a 3 hour drive from my Seattle home base. Needless to say, when I first discovered this, I was a little peeved. 3 hours is a long drive. Especially long after 9 hours of flying. But, when I awoke at 5:00 yesterday morning to leave, I was pleasantly surprised. The drive to Central WA from Seattle is one of the most beautiful I've ever been on. Imagine the sun rising while you pass through mountains like this:

And then, passing quaint little towns like this:

The sign says, "Rocky says: Welcome to Skykomish, A Great Northern Town"

A river was coursing through the mountains my entire ride, I wanted to jump out of my car and run into it. This picture doesn't do it justice. It was warmer on my ride home, but just above freezing on my ride in. I was a an elevation of 3600 ft abouve sea level- which I believe is pretty high.

And, tucked inside of all of this natural beauty, after driving for 90 miles without seeing any civilization, I stumbled upon the town of Leavenworth.

Leavenworth, WA is an interesting place. It is modeled to be a Bavarian town. Like you may find in the alps. Everything has a certain look to it, like this:

Yeah, even Starbucks dressed up. And Subway, and the gas stations. There was German music being pumped through the town center. The street signs were in German. This little town intrigued me so much, I took it upon myself to do a little bit of research.

Turns out, Leavenworth was first settled with folks looking for gold, and other things that pioneers did on the Oregon trail. In the 1890s, the Great Northern Railroad decided to plant its tracks right through the town, which apparently turned it into a bustling place of opportunity-complete with a sawmill. The railroad was re-routed sometime around the great depression, taking with it all of the prosperity this small town had. The people lived on the brink of extinction for thirty years- until someone said, "Hey, let's turn our podunk mountain town into a Bavarian tourist destination!". Which worked. According to the town's website, they see a million visitors a year, they have a huge Oktoberfest,and a Christmas Tree Lighting. Who knew?

After all of this adventure, I found myself at a school in a place called Rock Island, about to do a show that my boss would watch. Well, it went just as I had expected. Pretty bad. The yoyo master makes me a little nervous. But then, my second show, well, that was something to write home about. I did all of my yo-yo tricks, like a pro- which is what I'm supposed to be, after all. I was glad. Trainer said I've clearly improved and it's great to see. Phew.

Well, now I sit in a cafe in Edmonds, WA writing to you. I just sat on this beach for a little while:

And, I have 5 hours and 20 minutes until my flight home. I think I'll finally be a tourist and go check out the Space Needle.

Hazards of the Job.

Yup. That's a blood blister. From yo-yoing.

"That's tiny!" You may say. "Insignificant!" "You're a wimp!" Well, yes, you may think this things. And truth is...it's doesn't even hurt. But have you ever gotten a blood blister from a yo-yo? Yeah, that's what I thought.

This week was good, minus Connecticut which always sucks.

Friday I had a morning show in E.Boston, which was super fun, because I got to speak a lot of Spanish. It was so great I wish I could request doing inner city schools every day. Yeah, if the kids were older, it would be a little rough. But they aren't, they're super cute, and so unbelievably appreciative to have a show- and a fun one at that. I was told that I was the first assembly these kids had seen since 2008. That did make me feel kind of cool. Also, the city kids seem to be much more impressed with my yo-yo skill, which is a definite plus.

After the Eastie school, I was off to Longmeadow. East Boston and Longmeadow in the same day you say? Yes. Yes that is what I had to do. But to make the most of it, I went up to Northampton after my shows were over. I love the Pioneer Valley. The weather was beautiful, I walked, I shopped, I thrifted, and I ate the best grilled cheese known to man from the Haymarket Cafe. Yeah, you UMass kids know what I'm talking about. It was so nice. I didn't want to leave. The fall is the most perfect of times to be in Noho.

I could get used to this having weekends thing. It's nice. I went out dancing on Friday, made new friends and it was super fun. Yesterday, slept in with the BF and made omelets. Also, I helped out a couple of friends open a show- which I recommend- find out more at www.unorthodoxarts.org.

Tomorrow, I head back to Seattle. It's time for a follow-up on my training. My trainer is going to watch me do 3 shows, and then tell me what I'm doing wrong. Please don't let me mess up any yo-yo tricks.

Connecticut Sucks.

That is all for today.

Overdue.

All of my posts seem to be overdue. This was my first official week back in the Bean- yoin'!

It's been good. I drove 696 miles this week. I went to Maine, NH, a quick little drive through Vermont and some good old Mass lovin'.

Friday was a good day. I had two shows at one school in Pelham, NH. A huge school. 950 kids. Pelham's pretty close to Lowell, MA, where I went for lunch. I did that because, suprisingly, the most delicious organic veg restaurant I've ever been to (save Earthfoods) is there. They're finally opening a store in Cambridge, look out for it. It's called "Life Alive" discovered by my lovely friend EL. I like their chairs.

It's pretty crazy to stop and think that about 4000 children sat in a gym, auditorium,multipurpose room or gymcafetorium and listened to me talk about life and yo-yo this week. I hope it helped. I also hope they realize that there's much more to life than yo-ing. But hey, if knowing how to yo-yo can pay you, send you around the world and allow you to mold the minds of children maybe it's not such a bad thing to learn.

A little girl asked for my autograph on Friday. Then she gave me some plastic yellow bungee thing. I don't know what it was, but it was sweet of her. My trainer told me that the kids would think I was a rockstar- I guess maybe I've reached rockstardom.

This also, was my first real work week. For the first time since college, it's a weekend, and I haven't worked. Not because I was sick, or requested it off, or couldn't find work, but because I didn't have to. I didn't know what to do with myself half of the time. So now I sit at one of my all-time favorite cafes, sipping on a Pumpkin Latte. I'm not usually one for stuff in my coffee, but pumpkin is the one exception.

Oh and incase you were wondering, I did whip my yo-yo tricks out at a bar again this week. I think that'll be a common occurrence.

Phew.

So I'm done in Seattle, for now. I had my first solo show....which did not go as well as I would have liked....but the little girls thought I was super cool so I guess it was still okay! I saw another lovely lady from Spain this past week- which was oh so good. And just like that, I'm back in Boston. On my own.

This is where I am now. The Early Bird in South Berwick, Maine.

It's super cute. And delicious. This week has been a bit difficult at times, but is getting better every day. When tomorrow is done, I will have driven about 800 miles this week. Not exaggerating. Coming from a girl who's spent the last year and a half riding a bike and T-ing everywhere, that's a lot. I don't want to drive anymore. But the shows are going well, better with each one. And today I get a nice little break in this lovely cafe!

Everyone in here knows each other, there's a sweet little corky dog asleep in the corner.

Two old guys that must have been sitting here for hours starting asking me about the yo hanging at my hip. I showed them a trick or two, they were quite impressed!

I like Maine.

WHOA!

Man, I haven't stopped. I haven't even gotten the chance to finish updating you on Atlanta.

It was great! I saw my bff from Spain, which was SO good. I wish I could have seen more of the city, because I really loved what I saw.

This is a picture of the Virginia Highlands. A super cute part of town. The restaraunt my girrl worked at was here, and it was DELICIOUS. It's called La Tavola. I reccommend it if you're ever in the area.

Now, I'm in WA again, for the last time. On Monday, I'll be home doing shows in Boston. I am so looking forward to not living out of a suitcase (or rather and 80lb duffel bag) for a while.

Tonight I'm way south of Seattle, in Vancouver, WA. Not Vancouver, Canada, Vancouver, WA. It's decent. Lots of pretty open space nearby.

My first show flying totally solo is Friday. Wish me luck.

Where the players play.

I'm in Atlanta!

There was a last minute change of plans, and my tour for this week was changed from Portland, OR to Atlanta, GA. This may have thrown me off in the past, but with all of the traveling I've been doing, I just get on a plane and go where it lands.

I'm also super excited, because this means I get to see one of my bestest from study abroad- who lives here. So pumped, because the last time I saw her we were almost crying in the hot, busy streets of Granada- three years ago.

Also, fun fact, I'm staying in the hood. But not just the hood, like the hood of the hood according to my friend. She asked if I saw any prostitutes today when I got here.

Nonetheless, I am SO excited. This week we'll be doing 11 shows- which is a lot, but I could use it. Learn by doing. I feel like next week will be cake after doing so many shows. It'll also be nice to get accustomed to it, since I'll be doing 10 shows a week once I'm flying solo.

Here we go.

Short week.

Phew. This was a three-day week in Seattle. Way packed. I'm writing again from the airport before boarding my flight home. There was a lot of work, and a lot of yo-ing. I'm learning to yo with two hands now- so now my left hand is just as sore and bruised as my right one was about a month ago. But I guess I'll look cool. What good is being ambidextrous if you can't yo-yo with both hands?This week roomie and I went to our favorite restaurant and I did some more shopping for costume gear. We also went on a bit of an adventure!

Her cousin lives out on one of the peninsulas in the Puget Sound and we went to visit. We took a ferry over, which looked like this:

So beautiful.

Her cousin owns 19 acres of land. He had a barn, a cabin, a house, a forest with hiking trails and a creek, a full vegetable garden, turkeys, chickens, 16 fruit trees and a brand new baby. It was a magical place, not to mention everyone I met there was super sweet. Some photos:

It was really cool. I loved it. We were so close to the city, but so far away. We finished off the night with red wine by a bonfire. And we also cooked cheeseburgers on that fire. Yum.

Roomie and I also stopped by Pike Place Market on our way to the airport today. We saw the guys throwing fish, finally. We had a delicious dinner. We walked , shopped and took pictures. The market is really a very cool place.

I like Seattle more each time I come. But I'm still looking forward to home. Signing off.

Kansas City....what can I say....

Today I went and explored downtown. I read about all of the different neighborhoods, about a Steamboat Museum, and the Midwest's oldest and biggest farmer's market. Needless to say- this was the day after work I had been looking forward to all week. This is what Downtown looks like:

There was nothing in the Farmer's Market. Every store was closed. But perhaps weirdest of all, there were no people. Kansas City is a ghost town. There are buildings and fountains- places where people and things should be, but there is nothing. All of the stores, shops and cafes seemed to close between 5 and 6, or there was a for lease sign in the window. I wonder if the recession hit KC hard, or if it's always been this way. I had a quick walk around, found nothing, a quick drive around, and didn't really find anything there either. With an "Oh well!", I hit the road to get myself some BBQ.

My roommate and I went to a place called Oklahoma Joe's- which we were told by a local girl was one of Anthony Bourdain's places to eat before you die. It was pretty good. BBQ just may not be my thing though.

What they say about the sky is true. It does seem bigger here.

So, it turns out the Outlet Mall I went to last night was one of the top places to see in KC. If you ask me, this may have been the highlight of my trip:

This was a restaurant called T-Rex. It was like a dinosaur themed Rainforest Cafe. We didn't eat there, but the dinos were cool.

I fly home tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it.

First Show.

Today I had my first show. It went great. Then I went out to dinner with my boss and his family. That is all.

Just kidding. The show was so fun! I was nervous, more nervous than I've ever been, because of the yo-ing. But the kids thought it was cool. I think they loved my magic tricks. And want to hear something really crazy? After the show, a little girl comes up to me and says, "Hey! Do you do the Ghost Tour in Boston?". In Kearney, Missouri. Can you believe that? Not only had she been to G&G, but on a day that I was working, also she recognized me out of costume (which most people at Old Town Trolley couldn't even do), and she was at my very first show. Wow. I wonder how often that will happen.

Tomorrow, roomie and I are going to check out Downtown Kansas City- there's a steamboat museum. I'm excited.

Kansas City!!

Here I am. First tour. And first show tomorrow. Wish me luck.

I'm in Kansas, and I haven't seen much except for the highway, a Whole Foods and the Courtyard Marriott. But here's to more exciting things to blog about tomorrow!

The West is pretty.

This is the beach in Edmonds, WA. See the mountains? Wow. It's also an underwater park and sanctuary.If I knew how to scuba I could check it out. This beach is maybe a 10 minute drive from where I "live". It makes me smile. The ocean always does that.

The yo-ing is going well, my first show is on Monday. It's split with my trainer incase I fall on my face and blank in front of the crowd, but I think I'll be okay.

Roomie and I had plans to hike to a waterfall today, but it is rainy and cold, so they had to be postponed. The first time it's really rained of my time in Seattle. Funny. I wish the weather were just as beautiful as it was the other day when I took these pictures. O well, I'll be returning home tomorrow!

On the road again....

S0, much has happened since my last entry!

Friday was so busy I didn't even get a chance to write. There was rehearsing, and a group lunch, a hurried, trafficky ride to the airport- where there was an interlude of trying to find a gas station that would accept AmEx to refill the rental car. And yes, boyfriend, we found a place that would take American Express! (He always laughs at me when people won't take my credit card.) There was a flight home with a miserable stopover in SFO. But then I arrived in Boston, for a lovely weekend! It included sunshine, and farmer's markets, friends and plays and ziplining- which was so wonderful. A quick stop at Mike's Pastry on the way to the airport, and here I am. Back in Seattle again.

I brought cannolis to a friend that had asked nicely for them, and was happy to share in the creamy deliciousness. I watched three movies on the flight here, Black Orpheus (kudos to Hil), Shrek Forever After, and Hercules. Huzzah.

Training buddy and I are back at our hotel. The lady at the front desk remembered me by name. Not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. Today was a day spent running lines and yo tricks, which I felt overall went well. I'm very good at lines. Not as good at yo tricks, but that will come. My first time performing in front of a crowd will be next week in Kansas City, wish me luck.

For now I'm signing off, off to check out some small-town oceanside Washington. xoxox

I should be going to sleep now.

Ah, another day. Today was a day filled with paperwork. Learning paperwork. Learning how to do paper work. Learning how to talk about paperwork. My brain is tired. There hasn't been much yo-ing this week. I also got to learn a little bit about what my schedule's going to look like and where I'll be going. I have some questions about that- but for the most part I'm excited. I'll be spending a lot of time all over New England.

After work was nice today! My roommate, a new friend from the office and I went straight downtown after work. We had a crepe with lemon and sugar, we chatted in the sun. We walked, and learned about Seattle. The more I see, the more I like it. It's a very cool city. To me, everything feels so new, very 20's. No cobblestone streets or gas lamps like Boston. Mountains and water surround the city, and the sky is just big. But it is cold. It maybe got close to 70 today...maybe. Feels like late September.

I love September.

Today was a lovely day.

Cal Anderson Park. Capitol Hill, Seattle.

Hmm, so work. This morning my roommate and I arrived at work about 8am. When we arrived, we went down to the kitchen to look at a map. In the kitchen there's a big map of the U.S. with all of the Yoyo Pros' (people who do what I do) pictures on it, with an arrow pointing to where they work. While chatting, I met my person who books shows for me. She is awesome and originally from N.H.- so knows the lay of the land out east which is awesome. I asked her about some of the places I may go. She's working on booking me shows in VT, in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick- which I am so excited about. All of which I hope I get a chance to see before (or after) it gets unbearably cold. After chatting, we went over some policy/handbook things. When finished with that (10a.m.), we went shopping. Yes, yesterday I colored and today I shopped. And got paid for it. We picked up all of our costuming needs for the show, and also had a stop at Red Robin for lunch. Red Robin was pretty cool- two words- bottomless fries. Yes, they refill your fries as if they were a soda. With a quick fashion show of our costumes back at the office, the day was over. And off to yoga!

Yoga was great. Finding the studio was not great. We got very lost and were 30 minutes late. But we still went into the class, and it was nice. I did my first headstand which was exciting. The first class at this place was also free. I think I'll be returning as soon as possible.

After yoga, my roomie and I took a jaunt into Seattle. By suggestion of a new friend who works in the office, we decided to check out the Cal Anderson Park (pictured above) and the neighborhood surrounding it- it's called Capitol Hill. This was a really cool park. It was filled with art, fountains, reflecting pools, circus performers, kickball and puppies. I loved it. We asked a guy in the park if there were any cool restaurants in the area- he gave us oodles of suggestions, but we decided to go with his first- the Bleu Bistro. His mention of Wasabi Grilled Cheese caught my attention. This was a cool cool joint. It was tiny, and all of the tables were tucked into grottos surrounded by candles, christmas lights, tinsel and funky velvet curtains. The ambiance was awesome, and so was the food. I got the grilled cheese, which came with 3 delicious dipping sauces (wasabi, basil mayo, mango/apricot something) and veggies to put in, on or around your cheese. It also came with a fantastic salad. I highly recommend it if you're in the area. The Bleu Bistro, near Broadway & John. Yum. This was definitely what I was looking for for dinner, and far more successful than our search last night. We may be going into the city a lot more often...

Now with tired eyes I write again. What's in store for tomorrow, who knows?

Baaaaack in Seattle again.

So, after a few days of working from home, and a lovely weekend, I returned to Seattle yesterday. After my plane landed, I went directly to pick up my rental car- which is a very nice red Jeep Patriot. While driving to my hotel, I realized, "Hey, this is the first time I've ever had a rental car." That was pretty exciting, in adult milestones I guess. Hopefully the milestones don't get progressively duller as I grow up, I think it'll be a mix, but I digress.

My roommate and training buddy arrived at the hotel about two and half hours after I did, due to diverted flights. I tried to stay awake to wait for her, but fell asleep around 3am EST after trying to keep myself up by watching a cake decorating show. Nonetheless, it was great to see her when she arrived! We hadn't seen each other since the day of our auditions, which now seems like eons ago...but it was really only 6 weeks ago. I tried to sleep last night, but found myself feeling like it was the night before the first day of school- and sleep was hard to come by.

Training today was nice. Kind of relaxing and a good way to ease into things. There were a few introductions, a lot of talking, some shopping and a little bit of coloring. Yes, today I got paid to color. I can't wait until tomorrow. No yo-ing today, but no fear my friends, the yoing will be plentiful.

After work I did some research on yoga studios in the area, and I'm very excited because I found one that looks pretty cool. It's called the Laughing Buddha. My roommate and I are going to a Vinyasa class tomorrow after work. Yay! Today I went for a bit of a run while listening to Depeche Mode, had a little visit with the gym downstairs, and a much longer visit with the pool. After being cooped up inside all day, I needed to get out- and it was still relatively hot and sunny when I got out of work at 4:00 today.

After workouts, chats and chilling, my roommate and I decided to grab ourselves some dinner. The dinner options here made me very thankful for Boston. We don't have many chains there. Not like the rest of the country does anyhow. I think I'll get a real taste of this over the next year. Every where you look there's a smathering of Starbucks', Subways, Denny's, Red Robins, Panda Express and any other chain you could think of. Old Country Buffet. Macaroni Grill. McDonald's. I googled thinking I could find better options. I used the little things finder on my phone. My roommate and I talked about all of the great local places we could have gone back home- the North End, Diesel(or any cafe near the Red Line). She told me about her favorite place in L.A. And after discussing all of these things, we realized our bellies were still empty. We got in the car and began to drive. 15 minutes of indecision later, we chose to go to the restaurant at the hotel I had stayed at last time I was here. And funnily enough, we both ordered the exact same thing. A Caprese Salad, with Chocolate Monton Cake and a scoop of Vanilla ice cream for dessert. It was exactly what a girl needed.

Now with a satisfied belly and tired eyes I write. My yo-yo arms are getting stronger from the rest- and I think I'll need it. Signing off, xoxox.

Day 4

I could get used to this whole working from home idea. I spent a good chunk of today in the sun, on my roof, learning lines. It's going well, I feel that I'll be ready to go back to training on Monday which is great.

After "work", I headed to yoga, which has become a new necessity in my life. My body is so happy when I make it to yoga a few times a week. I had a lovely dinner with Eve at the Cheesecake Factory which was, as always, delicious. Surprisingly, it was also the perfect amount of food- which never happens at the Cheesecake Factory. We split Avocado Eggrolls, and I had an Arugula salad. Yum. And then, I showed Eve some of my Yoyo tricks. I think she liked them.

I also think these posts may not be as thrilling until I start traveling again...so maybe I'll hold off until Monday for the next one.

xoxo

Day 3

Back in Boston. Landed this morning at 4:34am. That's too early to land in Boston.

After sleeping far too long, awoke and worked on some lines. No yoing for today. The next few days are full of show learning, which is good, because it'll give my yo bruises a chance to heal.

I had a lovely evening, my boyfriend cooked me a delicious linner and I went to a good friend's birthday party. It was a visit that was long overdue. I think I'm going to like this whole having nights and weekends off idea. Off for now. xoxox

Day 2

Hey guys. So I'm back at SeaTac again. It was a quick trip, but things have happened since I last wrote.

Perhaps most exciting, I met all of the other "Yoyo Pros" from all over the country, there are 17 of us. And yes, "Yoyo Pro" is my new job title. Ghost Host to Yoyo Pro. It seems to only be getting better. Everyone was really awesome and very welcoming. Most of them had just gotten back from Australia, which has made me more than pumped to go in the future. Only a year to wait.... A lot of the other girls seem to be my age, or close to it, and a few of them only started six months ago. This gives me a lot of hope, because when I was first introduced to the company, I thought everyone else on the job had been doing it since I was in High School...it's really good to know that I'm not all alone.

Yoyo tricks are hard stuff man. My yoyo hand is swollen and bruised...and I have a bit of a bruise above my eye where I whacked myself with a yoyo yesterday. I did learn some new things, and I feel A LOT better about doing my tricks in front of other people. This time around, I also learned to make a balloon hat and how to pull 15 feet of colored scarves out of my mouth. I know- Hold the phone- I can now do magic. I also got a company phone and a company credit card which makes me feel like a bit of a grown-up- no more chasing trolleys around Boston to get credit cards!

Now my plane is about to board, so I must cut this post shorter than intended, but I am sure I'll write from this same place again not too far from now. It's back home to Boston for the rest of the week, then I return to the west on Monday. xoxo.

Day 1

"This is not a parking meter. This is a chance for new beginnings..."

Hey, so as many of you already know, I got a new job. This new job involves yo-yo-ing, acting and traveling the world. As you can imagine, I'm very excited. A lot of folks have asked me to keep them updated on my travels, so I figure, what better time than now to start a blog?

Today is my first official day of training, on the payroll, in Seattle, or Lynnwood actually. Lynnwood is about 45 minutes north of Seattle...though I'm not really sure exactly how far, because every time I come it takes anywhere from 2-3 hours to get here from the airport. That's thanks to this ride share kind of thing called "Shuttle Express". It seems to be all the rage at SeaTac airport. Well, not really I guess. I did notice all of the airport cabs are hybrids though, and that made me happy.

So here I am, in the Embassy Suites in suburban Seattle. Work starts in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Wish me the best....