Gratitude List :)

Today I was sitting on the train, and I was inspired to write a gratitude list. My grandmother and I used to write daily gratitude lists and it was always so nice to reflect on the blessings in my life. So without further ado, here is my gratitude list for November 1o, 2011!

I AM GRATEFUL FOR:
1. My wonderful boyfriend, who I started dating exactly a year ago. :)
2. My supportive family, who have been so supportive of my dreams
3. My hilarious roommates, who have always been there to make me laugh and chat
4. My friends, who have given me so much joy
5. New York City, my home and the most magical place in the world!
6. The fact that I get to work in my favorite neighborhoods in the city!
7. The funny things that I hear on a daily basis
8. My FREE and amazing gym classes! (ask me about them!)
9. Being able to listen to music on youtube and pandora for FREE
10. The amazing acting opportunities that I have been lucky enough to enjoy
11. Being able to watch all of my favorite tv shows for FREE on the internet
12. The way the leaves fall in the city...so pretty and peaceful
13. The beauty in Central Park
14. The Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center-delivered TOMORROW!!
15. Christmas in NYC...just breathtaking.
16. Learning how to make my own cup of coffee. I'm an adult now!
17. Trader Joes...my favorite place. No joke. Its awesome.
18. Finding out an amazing Thai food place delivers in my neighborhood!
19. Nutella being on sale at Duane Reade...its the little things.
20. Anything pumpkin :)

-Those are just 20 things that I am grateful for and the list could easily go on, but I won't bore you. :)

-Jackie O.

PS: Today's Youtube clip is one of my current obsessions: Unforgettable by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole. Its such a perfect song. So romantic.

A Fun To-Do List

So, I live in New York City. Its the most wonderful place in the world filled with amazing museums, parks, restaurants, cafes, theatre, art, music, dance and the occasional surprise. I have been living here for 3 years and I still haven't even scratched the surface of things to do. One of my favorite movies, and recent obsession, is You've Got Mail. One of my favorite things about that movie is how they make New York City seem almost like a small town. Yes, its a HUGE city with millions of people, and yet everyone manages to have their own "places." For instance, I'm sure the people at the Barnes and Noble near my work recognize me since I go in almost everyday to browse the latest gossip magazines. I always shop at the Upper West Side Trader Joes and I recognize some of the employees. I could go on, but the point is, that even though New York can be very impersonal, in some ways, it is one of the most personal and romantic places. You can easily run into old friends or spot some beautiful moment between a parent and a child or a pair of lovers. You also have your own "places." I love that about this city. Now, with that said, I have a bunch of places that I need to go and explore. So without further ado, here is my list of New York City Places:

1. The Brooklyn Bridge

2. Grimaldi's pizza (after I walk across the bridge)

3. Tea Lounge in Park Slope (totally happening this weekend, I've decided)

4. Metropolitan Museum of Art (I can't get enough...still so much more to see)

5. Museum of Natural History

6. Metropolitan Opera (I've been to Broadway and the NYC Ballet...must conquer Opera!)

7. Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building

8. A NYC sporting event (shocking I know)

I know that there is more that I need to add, but I'll leave it at that. I also need to find my pizza place in my neighborhood...so pizza gods, I am putting that in your hands. :) I love New York.

-Jackie O.

PS: This post's youtube video is courtesy of the movie You've Got Mail. God I love that movie. Hahaha. Such a perfect movie. You must watch it!!!

A White....Halloween?

Hello Dear Readers,
I'M BAAAACCCKKK!!! After reading my friend Olivia's HILARIOUS blog, I have been inspired to write again. Yay! It has been way too long and its nice to do this again.
So, first of all, Happy Halloweeen! The craziest thing about this Halloween? It SNOWED on Saturday. In fact, this was so crazy, that it felt like December, and I was compelled to watch Miracle on 34th Street on Netflix. I know, I know, its terrible, but the snow was so inspiring! Also, it is no secret that the holiday season is my absolute favorite time of the year. That movie got me even more excited! But its done, and I am back in the Halloween spirit! And now...I hereby pledge to not listen to any Christmas music or watch any holiday movies until Thanksgiving! The minute Santa passes by Macy's in Herald Square during the parade is when I am allowed to listen and watch all I want. Done and done.
Ok...one more Christmas thing. I know, I lied, but this is really cute! I would just like to say that the greatest moment in Miracle on 34th Street is when Santa talks to the little Dutch girl. Abhhh! Its so cute and makes me tear up. Ok, now I'm done. Back to pumpkins and Halloween.
Today is October 31st, so the famous Greenwich Village Halloween parade is tonight! I'm so excited! I have been to it for the past two years. The first year, it was pouring rain and miserable, but still a cool experience. Last year, Halloween fell on a Sunday, so after mass at my church, we had a rooftop party and watched the parade from up there! Yes, its true, my church sits directly on the parade route. Its pretty amazing and we throw a kickass party! Be jealous! This year, we are doing the same thing!!! I'm pumped! Its also a costume party, which will be fun. My boyfriend and I are dressing up as Woody and Jessie from Toy Story! We are ready to win this costume contest! Bring it on!
In true JUST JACKIE fashion, I will leave you with a youtube video. I know, you are probably thinking, "Geez, she better not post that Miracle on 34th Street clip with the Dutch girl! Its too early for that!" Well, to be honest, I thought about it, but no. Instead, I am going to leave you with one of the greatest moments in Halloween movie history! The famous "flames on the side of my face" moment from Clue! The best part about this clip is the faces of the other actors. You can tell that she totally forgot her lines and everyone else is like "what are you doing?" Haha! I love it! Enjoy and Happy Halloween!!!

-Jackie O.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92IkddsjtAA

Seeing the Sites

Hello My Dear Readers,

I told you I wouldn't let you down!! I'm writing another entry and its only been a little over a week since my last entry! Hooray! I'm being consistent...this is good. Let's keep it up? Yes, blog, I will.

I am writing from a hotel in beautiful California. It was rainy today, but we have had beautiful weather here since we arrived last Thursday. One of my tour mates said it best: "California reminds me of what Europe must look like." I must say that I agree. We have been driving throughout this massive state and it seems to be true. It is just beautiful.

This touring experience has just been incredible. I have gotten to see so many wonderful sites. I have also gotten to see some family! Last Thursday, when we arrived in California, we were in Los Angeles and my new extended family lives there! I am the last one in my immediate family to visit LA, so it was a really exciting visit. I finally got to see all of the places that my family members had told me about and it was wonderful! I had so much fun! What was the best part? Well......I GOT TO STAND ON THE RED CARPET AT THE OSCARS!!!!!!!!!!!! When I got into town, my sister-in-law's mother took me to Hollywood to see the Kodak Theatre, which was being prepped for the Oscars. The red carpet was set up, but it was covered in plastic. I still got to walk on it and it was thrilling! There are plenty of pictures and videos too! I had so much fun! I am so blessed! We had three shows in the LA area and I had someone there to support me at every show. I am so grateful! What a gift!

I have one more month of being on the road. In the beginning of April, we return to NYC and then just perform locally, give or take a few nights away. I must say, I am very excited to get back home. I miss the city. Still, I am very excited to see what else this adventure has in store for me. On Saturday, we leave CA and head to Las Vegas!!! I can't wait to see all the hotels! I'm also looking forward to Utah and Wyoming. By the end of this tour, I will have been to 31 states! I am on my way to achieving my goal of visiting all 50 states! I can do this!! Yay!!

Thanks for reading! I will be back soon!!!

-Jackie O.

PS: I promised you a picture from my visit to the Four Corners. It was a surreal experience. I was so excited to be there! Here is the money shot! I'm hoping it will end up in a social studies textbook one day so that someone can be as inspired as I was! Start the campaigning, people!

HELLO FROM TOUR

Hello My Dear Readers,

Greetings from New Mexico! I'm so sorry that it has been so long since my last entry. I really need to do a better job of updating. I keep saying to myself that I am not a great writer. I'm sure that this would change with practice. What better way to practice then on here? So I promise from this moment on, I will update more. That's a promise!

So here is an update on what I have been up to: I'm on tour! I am playing Mrs. Rachel Lynde in a touring production of Anne of Green Gables. It is with the same company that I worked for last year. I started this blog on that tour! Things have certainly come full-circle! This year's tour is great because we are going all over the country. I have never been to most of these states, so I am very excited. It has always been a goal of mine to go to all 50 states. With this tour, I am that much closer to my goal!

I am really looking forward to tomorrow because.......I am going to the Four Corners!!! Let me explain why this is a big deal for me. When I was in the third grade, in our social studies book there was a picture of a kid laying down at the Four Corners with each of his limbs in a different state. I thought that that was the coolest thing ever and I have always wanted to do that. Well, I am finally going to get the opportunity to go and I couldn't be more excited!! This is a life-long dream of mine!! I am going to e-mail my teacher the picture! I will be sure to post it on my next entry!

The show is also going really well. Anne of Green Gables is such a beautiful story and I am enjoying telling it everyday. We have been performing in some beautiful theatres and the audiences have been incredible! The cast is wonderful as well and we are having a blast seeing the country together! We bought authentic Texas cowboy boots in Terrell, TX and got to go to the Center of the Universe in Tulsa, OK and Harry Potter World in Orlando, FL. We also went to the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX. That was a really neat experience! You all need to go to these places!

In honor of my special experience tomorrow at the Four Corners, I am posting a youtube video of this incredible place!! Enjoy!!!!

-Jackie

I'm Back!!!

Hello Dear Friends!

It has been quite a long time since I last posted. I'm so sorry for the delay! But I have lots of exciting things to share! First of all, after Into the Woods, I returned to NYC and had a lovely fall in the city. I spent my time working and just exploring. I got a new camera for my birthday, so I took some really beautiful pictures in Central Park and Washington Square Park. I have really grown to love this city so much. I'm so grateful to call it home. November 30th marks my two-year anniversary of living in New York so that is very exciting!

I am currently in Tennessee at the Roxy Regional Theatre performing in A Christmas Carol. We opened last night with a sold-out audience and they gave us a standing ovation. It was a wonderful opening. I was very excited. The cast is fantastic and we are having a blast. The show runs until December 18th. Come and see it!!!

I have some exciting news to share! After Christmas, I am going to be going back out on tour!! I am going to play Mrs. Rachel Lynde in Anne of Green Gables for the ArtsPower National Touring Theatre. This is the same company that I did Four Score and Seven Years Ago with at the beginning of this year. I'm thrilled to work for this company again. They are so wonderful and I love the work that they do. Also, I am a HUGE fan of Anne of Green Gables so I am very excited to tell this story! It means so much to me. So lots of good things are happening! I couldn't be more grateful. I am so blessed!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you all enjoy the holiday season. This is the best time of year. I'm excited to enjoy it with the people that I love and I hope you all do too! Happy Holidays to all!!

-Jackie O.

PS: The youtube video for this post is a song that is in our production of A Christmas Carol. This song is just gorgeous. Enjoy!! Its called The Secret of Christmas and its sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

It's Been Too Long!

Hello!

Wow! It has been a long time! I'm sorry for the lack of entries recently. But, this will be an epic post since I have so much to talk about with all of you! So here we go!

Disney World: My family and I went on a wonderful trip to Disney World in the beginning of June. It was absolutely glorious and RELAXING! Can you believe it? Yes, I said relaxing. Usually one does not associate relaxation with Disney World, but somehow we did that. I think it was because we were all older so there weren't any meltdowns. Anyway, the rides were fun and the food was amazing. It was just awesome.

Tony Awards: I wish I could tell you all that I went to the Tonys and went up onstage, sang a big diva number and then won Tony, but of course that did not happen. Instead, I had a wonderful time at a friend's apartment watching the awards with theatre friends. We had a pool and I almost won, which made me very proud. The Tony Awards are always an exciting time for me. I consider them my superbowl. I was so worried that they were going to be while I was in Disney World, but they weren't! They were inspiring this year. The opening number was fabulous and Katie Finneran's speech made me cry. I loved them!

Finish of Survival Job: When I am not in a show, I work at an after-school program. The end of the school year was a very exciting time. We spent a lot of our days outside, which was wonderful in the beautiful New York spring weather. I am especially excited though because I was asked to teach a musical theatre class next year!!! I am going to be co-teaching it with the music teacher. I am really looking forward to this. I am also teaching yoga and wood-working. I love yoga, so I'm pumped for that. Woodworking will be a fun and interesting experience. I am missing my kids and hoping they are all having great summers!

3 Shows in 3 Days: I spent the week before I left for Tennessee for Into the Woods with my family. It was so nice to spend a few relaxing days with them. I got some important errands done and got to see my goddaughter a lot, which was great. I also got to go to the beach for a few days. One of the best parts, however, was that I got to see 3 shows in 3 days. My mom and I do this a lot and we love it. I saw A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the PA Shakespeare Festival, Promises, Promises on Broadway in NY, and Fiddler on the Roof at the Walnut Street Theatre. All of these shows were wonderful. I got to see some friends in Forum a and Fiddler which was nice. I also got to spend a great day in New York to see Promises, Promises. It was a great way to say goodbye to my city for the summer. I LOVED Promises, Promises, which was a big surprise since it got awful reviews. I thought it was great and Katie Finneran was amazing. I want to play that role someday. Fiddler was absolutely brilliant and reminded me how much I love the theatre. That show remains one of my favorites.

Into the Woods: And for my final update, I am currently in Tennessee rehearsing for Into the Woods. I am really proud of the work we have completed so far. I think that it is going to be a great show. The cast is so strong and everyone is perfect for their parts. I am playing Jack's Mother and I am loving revisiting this role. I played the part in college. It has been 3 years so I'm excited to find new things. Its a challenge! We open July 16th and run thru August 29th. If you find yourself in Clarksville, TN, which is near Nashville, come and see us! Its going to be a great production!!!

Well there you go! An update on what I have been up to! Whew! I wrote a lot. Kudos to all of you who read it. Thanks! See you soon!

-Jackie

PS: For my youtube clip, here is the amazing opening of this year's Tony Awards! Enjoy! Its awesome!