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July 17th marked my 2 year anniversary here in LA. In some ways it feels like I've been here much longer and in other ways I still feel very green. In the last 24 months, here's what I've learned...

*Warning- I haven't written a blog post outside of my daily activity entries in awhile so this is a long one.*

Training
Man if you have the money, do this from the outset! I wish I could've afforded to be in the class that I'm in a long time ago because it's making such a difference. To be able to hone the skills that you have as well as learn new ones on a consistent basis is necessary. Every other professional stays sharp in their skills by doing whatever it is they do on a daily basis. Lawyers, Doctors, Athletes, Musicians, they all work/practice/perform as much as they can to be at the top of their game. Yet Actors, especially those of us just starting out, don't usually get that opportunity to be working for the majority of the year so when you're not working you NEED to be in class if you want to compete with the girl or guy who will be auditioning for the same role as you. Don't fall into the trap of thinking your talent is so great that you can't use some polishing. Please. If you're not working {whether on film, TV or stage}, get in class.

Day Jobs
Of course, if you have no money you can't afford to be in class or to pay for other necessary actor expenses so getting a day job is vital. While I tried my hand at serving, it wasn't for me. I really like people and I want it to stay that way. If, however, you can overlook the incompetence that ignorant, uneducated, drunk, or just plain rude people exhibit from time to time while in a restaurant or bar, then by all means get yourself a serving or bartending job and make it work for you. There's a reason this is the most popular actor gig- it's flexible! There's also catering, temp work, substitute teaching, extra work {though this should be done sparingly if you really want to keep your days free for auditions}, babysitting, tutoring, security guard positions and production work if you can get on the night shift.

I work as a Night Logger/Transcriber for a production company because I happen to type pretty fast and accurately. It started off as a very unstable, on and off gig transcribing one show and has lead to a consistent job transcribing all the shows they produce so that now I only have a few weeks off throughout the year. It's not my dream day job by any stretch of the imagination. It's somewhat tedious. It keeps me away from my family at night when I'd rather be tucking the boys in and spending time with Stephen but it's a means to an end. It helps pay for acting expenses. Hell with the cost of living out here, it helps pay for household expenses! It keeps my days free for auditions. It has weekends off so I can get some family time. I can make-up any days I need to miss for a shoot. And best of all, I have autonomy. No one's looking over my shoulder micro-managing me which I CAN'T STAND! Even my supervisor is an actor, so he gets it. You gotta use the skill set you have to find the job or jobs that will allow you to do what you need to do to make this work.

Auditions
I've certainly learned what is worth my time and what isn't. When I'm notified that I have an audition I read the sides or the whole script if available, to see if it's something that I want to INVEST my time in. If so, full speed ahead. If not, I thank the CD for the opportunity and respectfully decline. This isn't foolproof. Sometimes the sides aren't available until you get there and you realize you wouldn't want to do the part even if they paid you. But other times, the audition experience is exhilarating and it's why we come out here- to have an opportunity to play these roles. At my stage in the game I'm mostly auditioning for student films, short films and ultra low-budget indie films, not to mention commercials. Of course TV is where I wanna be but getting in those audition rooms without representation, while not impossible, is no small feat.

Representation
Speaking of rep, I'm still on the hunt for a good manager and theatrical agent. I knew this would take some time so I'm not concerned at this point but I do know how important and truly helpful having good representation can be. I mean let's face it, there are PLENTY of TV casting offices that I can mail or drop-off my headshot to tons of times and they're still gonna call in the girl who was submitted by her agent or manager. That's just the way it goes. Certainly there are exceptions to the rule but who wants to rely on those odds? Not me. If I wanna play in that sandbox, I gotta get some theatrical rep on my team.

Support
While I have a lot of colleagues that are talented/nice/sweet/whatever, my actual circle of friends has gotten smaller and tighter. People who I thought were friends turned out to be colleagues only and those who I thought I'd never have a deep connection with because of our differences have turned out to be some of the people I love the most {Tara & Lex for instance}. Having friends I can call back in Houston is wonderful {and I wouldn't trade them for the world} but you really do need a tribe out here to survive. You need people who understand the daily grind that you've chosen to put yourself through because they're doing the same. They understand the anxiety and self-doubt you feel from time to time yet they also get that there's nothing else in the world you'd rather do. Their support is invaluable, especially if you're not getting it at home.

Which leads me to the toughest one...

The homefront
My husband loves me. He loves my drive. He loves my ambition. He loves my steadfast determination to pursue something I want until I get it.

What he doesn't love is LA.

He doesn't love that his salary is the same or very close to what he'd make in the south, yet the cost of living is 2 to 3 times more. He doesn't love that $150,000 can buy us a nice house with space and a yard for our boys somewhere in TX while out here it can barely get you a decent condo. He doesn't love that he has to spend a fortune to fly out to visit his parents while he can just take a road trip if we lived closer. He doesn't love that I have very few Christian friends out here who can encourage me in my walk with Christ, while all my friends back in Houston believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and try to share his love with others. Most importantly, he doesn't love that he's been helping me pursue my dream for the last 2 years while neglecting his. In case you're wondering, he wants to be a Pastor.

All of these things I can understand, especially the last one. There's no way I could've come out here and do what I've done without him being by my side and I want nothing more than for him to feel the utter joy that I feel from pursuing what I love most. I just want him to feel it HERE. Because to ask me to leave LA, the one place I physically NEED to be if I'm going to pursue TV & film work when we just got here only 2 years ago... I can't do it. I just, can't.

So there's that.

A lot has happened in 2 years. Some good, some not so good but it's all a part of my "adventure" I guess. And I share it because I know some of you are going through the same things too so this blog is my way of saying you're not alone. Or maybe it's my way of reaching out and hoping that I'm not alone. Either way, hopefully I'll have more exciting stuff to share by Year 3.

Being car-less in LA sucks.

That is all.

Day 38: *Met with my friend Desiree, the one who I helped produce the pilot episode of her webseries Millie's 101 Things, for coffee to talk about the next phase: marketing, film festivals and getting it on IMDb.

*Class: Wasn't as prepared as I should have been with my comedic monologue so I only got about halfway through it before I completely tuned out. Got some nice notes though on a few adjustments that Dustin wants me to make before I come back next week to do it again.

Day 39: Driving on the 110 for my BET audition singing Katy Perry's "Firework" in the car when BAM, somebody rear ends me!!! He was driving so fast that my car fishtails and as I tried to swerve out of the way of the car in front of me I ended up crossing two lanes and running into the cement block just a few yards away from where oncoming cars merge onto the freeway. AGH!!!!! I didn't see it coming at all and I've never been so scared in my life! In that moment of losing complete control of my vehicle I was scared to death that someone else would come smashing into me. Thank God that didn't happen!

So what's a girl to do when in an accident on a busy freeway?
First: I thanked the Lord right then and there for protecting me.
Second: I called 911.
Third: I called the casting director's emergency line to leave him a voicemail as to why I wouldn't be able to make it.
Fourth: I called my husband.

Yep, I called my husband after calling the CD because I knew he would be worried and would keep me on the phone until I was out of harm's way so I had to make sure the CD knew I wasn't being a flake by not showing up.

Once we were escorted off the freeway by cops and a tow truck we were able to give our report to the officer. Since my car was still operative I opted to drive it home rather than pay for a tow. But first I was determined to make it to my audition. After all, this would be my first TV co-star credit if I booked it and I already knew that this was the only day they were casting and that they would not accept tape. I could either go or not be in the running, and I wasn't cool with not being in the running so I went. I took the streets and drove 25-30 mph from downtown to North Hollywood with my hazard lights on. I'm sure I looked like a sorry mess to the other drivers since my bumper and padding were scraping the ground as I chugged along but I had to do what I had to do. Stephen wasn't totally happy with this decision but at least he understood. Once I got there I did my thing. The CD was surprised that I had come and called me dedicated. Dedicated for driving up Laurel Canyon with half a car? Absolutely! Foolish for driving up Laurel Canyon with half a car? Quite possibly.

After the audition I played it safe and went home. I notified both the agency and the cd's office where I intern on Tuesdays about what happened and they both told me not to worry but to take care of myself. I ended up going to an urgent care once Stephen got home since I was in a lot of back pain and they gave me a prescription for a muscle relaxer, an anti-inflammatory and recommended physical therapy. I'm not complaining in the least though because not only did I not have any cuts or bruises but I walked away without anything being broken AND my boys weren't with me at that time so for those reasons I'm incredibly thankful.

So I tried my hand at waiting tables but it just didn't work out, as I've shared in detail with the readers of my Unscripted blog so hop on over there for the full scoop.

The good news is, I may have an interview next week for a full-time gig. An old boss of mine from Vegas now works out here at a really cool hotel and sent me a message via facebook yesterday. Since I have experience with weddings he wanted to know if I'd be interested in a position focused solely on booking & planning weddings there...um, yeah! I've gotta meet with his director first though and win him or her over so hopefully that will happen next week because the sooner the better.
And in other news, last weekend was my sister's birthday which we celebrated at the W. Though the drinks and the food were overpriced {typical of Hollywood}, the drinks were strong and their steak sandwich was delicious so we were happy.  Love you sis!!

Soooo not happy with the way tonight's Lakers game unfolded. They've got to do better or else it's over.

That is all.

These last two weeks have been non-stop for me. I've finished our Diary of A Wedding Planner director interviews, had my first consultation with a potential bride {a real one, not one for the show} and went to Houston to visit my friends.

Though I had an absolute blast in Texas, I came back kinda sad and lonely. What can I say? I'm not the type who prefers solitude. I'm the type who plans all of my friend's birthdays and hosts regular game nights and get-together's just because so my need for social interaction just isn't being fulfilled right now. But that is no one's fault but my own so hopefully that will change soon since...

1. We recently found a church home at Crenshaw Christian Center.
2. We move into our apartment on Wednesday. Praise God! This one has been a looooooooong time coming and after all the driving around in the Valley, the Westside and in Central LA we finally found an affordable yet still spacious place near Ladera Heights. I'll be much closer to auditions, classes, events, etc. so I'm very happy that our time has finally come.
3. Now that I'll be living closer to the center of the action I plan on attending a slew of networking events in the next few weeks- starting with tomorrow night's Spring Fling by Hollywood Happy Hour.
4. I'll be auditing a few more scene study classes so that I can begin mid-May.

With all this going on I'm bound to shake this lonely feeling, hopefully sooner than later.

Yesterday I had my first pilot audition for a guest star/possible recurring role. I read my sides as well as the entire episode and really liked the script so I did my best to prepare. The audition was at Cazt and it went very well! I was comfortable with the character and confident in the room, a far departure from the way I felt when I auditioned there back in August. The four auditioners seemed to like my read so I'm hoping they liked it enough to warrant a callback. We'll see.

Today was a beautiful, sunny productive Saturday. It started off wrong though, as I was supposed to attend a free CD seminar with Matthew Barry that LA Casting produces every month. I was late {my family would say that's the story of my life} but come on, WHY IS THERE TRAFFIC IN LA ON A SATURDAY?!? I didn't want to be rude and walk in the seminar a half hour after it began so I decided to go to the Samuel French bookstore on Sunset instead. Great idea! I stayed there for about 2 hours reading a few things and even bought 2 new books- all of which I've added to the Recommended Reading section of this blog.

Afterwards I headed over to The Counter in Studio City for lunch with fellow LVA Alum Baron Vaughn. Baron is a hilarious comic who is seriously on the come up. He just booked a pilot as a series regular that was recently picked up by USA called Facing Kate, so woo-hoo for him! We had a great meal {super fattening and DELICIOUS} and he offered a ton of generous advice for which I am thankful. The main point I took away from our meeting was to start submitting my headshot to theatrical CD's NOW rather than wait until I have an agent or manager. I was on the fence about this because I didn't want to waste my money mailing my photos if CD's wouldn't give me a second look since I don't have any rep or real credits yet but he stressed to me that a lot of them won't care about that if I'm right for what they're looking for and he gave me some examples to prove it. Well that's all I needed to hear! I had just purchased a subscription to Casting About a few days ago anyhow so I'm going to put it to good use on Monday and start my first round of targeted casting director submissions!

After lunch I wrapped up my day by heading to USC for a student film audition. This one went alright, not great and not bad, just alright, so once again we'll see.

Up for tomorrow: Visiting a new church {we're looking for a church home that has a great children's program in case you know of any} and then meeting with a potential co-producer for my webseries who has read the pilot episode and is really interested in coming on board.

After my February audition break it feels great to have some momentum going!

Feels like I'm back in Houston with flooding like this...

Thought I'd share a few photos & a quick video of the fitness center where I'm working out at every weekday morning. The area is right by the water so the breeze is cool and the vibe is calming. Definitely makes me want to live near the beach one day.

So as most of you already know I'm steadily preparing for the move to LA...well I'm super excited because I'll be taking another quick trip next week! I have three (3) interviews for employment in the Special Events industry (one of which is at a movie studio lot!) and I'm going to take a little time to look at apartments & condos that will be available next month. I'm so thankful & relieved with how well things are lining up so far and am really looking forward to making some concrete decisions since our move is less than 30 days away!