Beach Book Thoughts

I'm finally back home...for a day. Tomorrow I leave for D.C. to visit some Phi Mus and Miss Virginia girls one last time before my departure to the Northeast. I am SO excited to spend time with everybody!

Oliver beach week ended with a bang. After another day of fun in the sun, the whole family went to our favorite karaoke bar, The Jolly Roger, to belt out some tunes and- best part- people watch. Not lying, I danced with a one-legged man in this place last year. The regular characters in The Jolly Roger are an absolute hoot..most are over the age of 60 and are missing at least three teeth. Last night my cousin asked the bartender how he's doing and his response was "I'm dressed in a pirate costume. How do you think I'm doing." Quality, quality people. After "singing" Sweet Caroline and dancing to Play that Funky Music White Boy with my cousins, I decided to sing my go-to angry country song...

Along with getting praised by the karaoke DJ, another one of my accomplishments yesterday was finishing my latest beach book, The Alchemist. I've really been on a reading kick this summer, thanks to my friend Bethany from work, and I love how much books make me think. I've read Life of Pi, The Time Traveler's Wife, A Million Little Pieces, and now The Alchemist in the past two months. With a common theme of living life in the moment, each one has made me reevaluate my priorities and perspectives. If we focus on the past or the future, we lose sight of the beauty in each day...something I truly believe is important to ponder.

In my life, I've decided happiness is a choice, not just something that happens. Through the ups and downs I've had in just 2011 alone, I always try to remind myself that each day- each moment- is a choice to see either the good or the bad in life. Of course there are times when you feel defeated, rejected, or hurt, but instead of dwelling on those things, it is crucial to remember that you have the power to make things better (for the most part). If you lose a relationship, spend more time building friendships. If you hate your job, find a new one. If you miss someone, call them...and if you can't, call someone else. There's always an alternative to being sad. Maybe I'm a bit naive since I have incredible friends and endless support from my family, but I still think everyone can make the decision to do what makes them happy. And if you can't figure out what makes you happy- ask your friends. Mine have shoved me in the right direction many a time :)

All in all, these books have reminded me that life is full of moments, and all we can do is make the most of the one we're in right now. Thus, I am taking full advantage of the joys I have in Virginia- my friends, my family, and my cheap living (hah)- while living here these next two weeks. But, in pursuit of my dream, I know that contentment lies in the unfamiliar territory of New York. As difficult as moments may be in a large city with no money and many musical rejections, I know that I have to see each day as a step towards something greater. I am beginning an adventure I should be happy and grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of.

"When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I've known that every hour was part of the dream that I would find it. When I have truly been searching for my treasure, I've discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not the courage to try things that seemed impossible to for a shephard to achieve." -The Alchemist, Part II.

I am moving to New York in pursuit of my Personal Legend (read The Alchemist..you'll get it) and my treaure. The decision has been made...

"Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to place he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision." -The Alchemist, Part II.

I can't wait to find out where this decision will lead. I am confident that, no matter what, I will be carried to places I never dreamed...and that's something to be happy about :)



Nags Head: Oliver Beach Week

Let me start this by saying that no one in my family has a drinking problem. Collectively, however, that may not be true. KIDDING. But seriously, my stepmother dubbed 4pm "Oliver awkward hour" because everyone is kind of quiet as they silently count down to themselves until the clock reads exactly 5 o'clock. When the clock fiiiiiiinally strikes 5 (or 4:58 since my grandmother's watch is 2 minutes fast and she's the initiator), the Oliver family members jump out of their seats, excited chatter rings throughout the kitchen, and smiles spread as wide as the Mississippi river. It's Happy Hour.

As gin martinis, red wine, and boxed lemonades (oh hey, 7 year-old brother) start flowing, the atmosphere becomes more and more convivial. Last night, Lala (my grandmother) even balanced her empty scotch glass on her head to let the room know she needed a refill. Gettin' a littttttle crazy in the Oliver residence. In all seriousness, though, I absolutely love my family. So do my friends, for that matter. My Phi Mu sisters talked about my Dad for weeks after they met him at one of my pageants (Claire Marks: "Hahaha I love your father. 'Does my daughter drink as well as she sings?' Oh J. D. ..."). And FOR THE RECORD, Dad, I really was not a party animal in college. I was actually quite lame, hence the pageants and "good example" thing. But back to what I was saying. Phi Mus loved him, my a cappella group (The Newport Pearls) called him "Papa Pearl," and more oft than not, my friends inquire if "your Dad and Jean are coming" whenever I go out. I can't blame them, though. Dad and Jean are a good time. Having a 7 year-old brother is pretty entertaining, too. Mostly I just mock him and/or chase him around the house when I get bored. However, if I get asked one more time if he's my son, I'm going to get one of those shirts with an arrow made that says "he's my little brother." I was NOT 15 years old and pregnant...but these days, perhaps that would have gotten me my own T.V. show (ugh). To sum it up, my family is the greatest and spending time with them this week is phenomenal!

As much as I love the fam, however, last night I left our beach house in Nags Head to spend the night in Corolla (45ish minutes away) with some college friends- John and Coleman- and some of their buddies. Now, let me explain how John and I met. In 2009, I went thrift store shopping with two of my girlfriends to find ridiculous outfits for our Jazz Dance final exam (shout out to Kayley and Shannon P....and to the easiest semester ever!). There before me was a rack of the most FANTASTICAL ugly Christmas sweaters one could ever hope to lay eyes on. I thought to myself "I will surely be invited to an ugly Christmas sweater party this year. Good investment." I bought two. Well, December rolls around and because I am lame (remember that, Father?!), guess who never got invited to an ugly sweater party? This girl. It was the last week of school before Christmas break and I was determined to make use of my purchase, so one night I decided to just rock the ugly Christmas sweater at the karaoke bar. Let me tell you, wearing an outrageous sweater as though it's totally normal can make you a LOT of friends. Even having made friends at the expense of my fashion reputation, I really could've used fellow sweater-wearers for the sake of avoiding stares. Fate was on my side when in through the door strolled about eight guys completely decked out in ugly Christmas attire. Obviously, I had missed the invite to THAT party. Either way, I decided they had to be my BFFs since, until their arrival, I had been riding solo in the Christmas sweater bandwagon. Two Backstreet Boys karaoke tunes and one secret handshake later... Voila! Observe (John's on the right): 

With a friendship founded on something as profound as Christmas cheer, John and I were bound to maintain contact. Yes, that contact may have been as simple as awkward eye contact in the gym for the few months following our initial meeting, but it was contact all the same. We actually have only hung out four times since that fateful night in 2009, but it's always so fun. Last night included the beach, the hot tub, and endless inappropriate jokes from Coleman's cousin, who apparently hadn't been in the same room as a female in quite some time. I also learned that tank tops are very in right now...? (Photo: Coleman, me, John, Marshall)

After the fabulous evening in Corolla, I had to wake up at 7:30am to meet my family for the wild horse tour. Let me repeat that. 7:30 A.M.!!!! Woof. Bouncing around in the back of a four wheeler on the beach after a night of little rest was not ideal. Luckily, my stepmom thought ahead and showed up with a bagel and water for me...GOOD move, Jean (see picture below). The tour was actually pretty neat. Our tour guide was super awesome and super typical with his bleached hair in a ponytail, outer banks slang, and totally believable ghost stories about the lighthouse. Naturally, we became fast friends. We saw several herds and even two little fillies who were only a few months old. Adorable. All in all, it was a great morning.

Since this whole blog is really about NYC, let me go ahead and tie that in. I got an email today that says I officially start my job on August 15th!! I will be an administrative assistant for a tiny company on the Upper East Side. Also, great news- I'll be living just a few train (metro) stops from my older brother and his fiance in Brooklyn! I plan on making the most of the last 2 weeks I have within a stone's throw of the beach, but that doesn't mean I'm not jumping out of my pants in excitement about this move. 15 dayssssss!

19 Days Until Take Off!

\Hi everyone! In less than 3 weeks I will be starting my newest adventure: living in New York City! As much as I will miss everyone in the 757 (and my Richmond friends close by!), I am beyond ready to kick-start this new chapter. Coming to the decision to move was both hard and easy...I'll try to explain what that means in this first post. 

Let's start in May 2010. I graduated from Christopher Newport University with a degree in Psychology...right, not a whole lot you can do with that degree outside of managing Starbucks or going grad school. Neither seemed to call to me. What HAS always called to me is making a living with my vocal chops. I've been singing in musicals and taking voice lessons since elementary school, but I didn't think singing professionally was a viable option until I was hired at Busch Gardens theme park in 2009. Now, obviously, singing "I'm a Barbie Girl" (see video) didn't qualify as my dream debut, but Busch Gardens afforded me the opportunity to realize that I can, in fact, bring home the bacon with my voice. And as my dad and close friends will tell you, I really, really love bacon.

Okay, so maybe we actually started in 2009. Back to graduation in May 2010. Along with my dream to sing professionally was another dream: to be Miss Virginia. Yes, as in the beauty pageant (AHEM..scholarship program!). Since I wasn't interested in managing Starbucks or going straight to grad school, I had to decide if I wanted to stay in Virginia and pursue Miss Virginia OR move to New York and pursue Broadway. I decided to spend one year in Virginia building my musical theatre resume and getting waitressing experience for when the time came for me to make the move to NYC. Meanwhile, I prepared to compete in Miss Virginia 2011. To make the long story of this past year short, I'll use some videos and pictures (I love pictures!) to bring you up to speed...

August 2010, I got my first waitressing job at Cheeseburger in Paradise:

October 2010, I was cast in my first professional theatre production:

December 2010, I had a minor life crisis including a break up that made me question if I wanted to stay in Virginia after all. You'll learn that I pretty much have no luck in the relationship department. I'm okay with that for now, though. None-the-less, December was a trying time. Solution? Dog sledding. My parents know that I thrive off of challenging adventures and situations that force me to see new perspectives. This time, an Outward Bound dog sledding course seemed to fit the bill. As a Christmas present, they sent me to Ely, Minnesota in January 2011 to spend a week in below zero conditions. Sleeping on frozen lakes with 9 people I had never met and 17 dogs definitely slapped me back into reality. I mean, I had to manually saw down trees for warmth...it was hard NOT to realize how trivial some of my life "problems" were.

Three more musicals, two pseudo-relationships, and one fake Facebook relationship later (to my Facebook friends: NO Ricky Bourke is not actually my boyfriend and our "open relationship" is just an inside joke from the dog sledding trip...), I competed in Miss Virginia 2011. I won my local (Miss Greater Hampton Roads) in late January, then got 3rd runner up at Miss Virginia in June:

I know most people don't understand the Miss Virginia thing. As much as I try to explain it, most people probably STILL won't understand it. But here we go: This is NOT about having a shiny crown on my head. I am 23 years old. That would be ridiculous to simply want a princess tiara made of rhinestones. On the contrary, Miss Virginia is a full time job based in Roanoke, VA that includes a school tour during which she speaks to 25,000+ students about her platform (mine is diversity awareness), numerous other public speaking gigs, and dozens of parades, fundraisers, and random appearances. To me, this was a dream job. I am a diversity educator and have already spoken in dozens of schools regarding my platform, I absolutely love making other people happy, and I feel completely comfortable speaking with anyone of any age, race, or background. Essentially, those are the fundamentals of being an effective Miss Virginia. Of course, the pageant part is the kicker. Different judges, different night; it's truly anyone's game. I was disappointed, of course, but I never put all my eggs in one basket or define myself by pageantry, so life goes on.

The decision about moving to New York was difficult in that I have one more year of elegibility for Miss Virginia, so I wasn't sure if I was ready to leave the state and give up that dream. I realize that as much as I want the job of Miss Virginia, however, I am not happy waiting tables in Virginia Beach and simply dreaming of doing bigger and better things. I actually have to go out and DO bigger and better things. In that sense, the decision to move to New York was easy. I am at peace and ready to start my life in the City...and hey! There's always Miss New York ;)