Dear Evan Hansen

I love living in DC and all the great venues there are to enjoy live theater. DC is also great because there are many shows that premiere here in DC before they head to Broadway. I have thoroughly enjoyed being apart of those beginning audiences. 

Tonight I went to see a new musical called Dear Evan Hansen. It was amazing! Very moving and applicable to today's world of social media and trying to fit in when you feel so alone. The messages in the show were very moving. When tragedy happens everyone wants to be apart of the buzz and connect to it. This is true of many events, celebrity weddings, natural disasters, racial attacks, political agendas, etc. Woth today's social media everyone wants to have something to say and a connection. This helps them to feel apart of something. For those who normally feel alone, rejected, unnoticed in this world , social media gives them a way to feel like they belong. 

Budapest and Prague Food

I recently went to Budapest and Prague for vacation. One of the many things I was looking forward to was the food. I love to eat and knew that the food was going to be fabulous. Here is a look at some of the many treats I enjoyed in these beautiful countries. 

Cafe Louvre in Prauge had an amazing dinner of duck, red cabbage and dumplings. Finished the meal off with chocolate cake, cheesecake with peaches and raspberry crumble. 

Chimney bread filled with Nutella, strawberries and ice cream. The bread was covered with cinnamon and sugar. 

A hotdog baguette. They taste so much better stupider in a baguette.

 Hot potato. They spiraling a potato and spread it out on a stick before frying it and adding salt for taste. It literally is like eating fresh potato chips.

Grandpas rolls. It was little pig pastries with whipped cream and powder sugar on top.

Stuffed cabbage. It was amazing! 

This is a cans bar that is local to Hungary that every Hungarian misses when they leave. It's like a cottage cheese/ cream cheese bar with chocolate. Some have other favors stuffed inside as well.

Nutella pizza. Nothing more to say about it. 

Gelato flowers. I tried it with mango, white chocolate lavender and chocolate.

Goulash soup. 

Langos. Fluffy bread with sour cream cucumbers, peppers, pepperoni, goat cheese, jalapeños.

There were blossoms everywhere

Spring is truly here when you look out and see the daffodils and tulips blooming. There is a family farm in Haymarket, VA where you can go out and pick your own daffodil and tulip bouquets. It's so beautiful to go out and see these beautiful fields in bloom. It tells me that new life is here on the earth again as we change seasons and hope is in sight of we are just patient and weather the storm. 

No Day But Today

In the spirit of New Years resolutions I'm determined to live this year for each and everyday and not procrastinate what I want. If you keep putting off until tomorrow what you could have done today you will have a lot of empty yesterday's. 

Make new, enriching memories this year.

No Day But Today

Rent

There's only us, there's only this
Forget regret, or life is yours to miss
No other path, no other way
No day but today

There's only us, only tonight
We must let go to know what's right
No other road, No other way
No day but today

I can't control my destiny
I trust my soul, my only goal
Is just to be

There's only now, there's only here
Give in to love or live in fear
No other path, No other way
No day but today

There's only us, There's only this
Forget regret, or life is yours to miss
No other road, no other way
No day but today

No day but today
(No day but today)
No day but today
(No day but today)
No day but today
(No day but today)
No day but today

Children of Eden

As much as I love musical theater it never really occurred to me that I should try out to be in a show. I love to singe but don't think I have the best of voices and I definitely can't dance. So back in November when Sister Smith encouraged me to audition for a community production of Children of Eden I was a little skeptical of my chances to actually get in to a show. I went to the audition so nervous and not really sure what to expect. The music part was simple enough but I had no idea how to dance. By the time I got up to the reading I was pretty sure that I was not going to be cast in the show so I relaxed a little more and just went with it. Who knew that acting would actually be my best part. 

Weeks later I received a phone call with an offer to play the role of Aysha, one of the wives of the sons of Noah. I was thrilled as there are very few female roles in the show. Even though it was a small part I was very excited. 

The process of putting together the show was long and we had several bumps happen along the way. Our music director committed suicide a month in to rehearsal. We didn't have enough men audition for the male leads so we we're still looking for cast there. The directors mother had a stroke and was not going to fully recover from it. And then schedules never seemed to work out for us to all get together and rehearse. It really was a miracle that the show was able to come together. But for all the struggles that happened I was very touched and moved by the music and spirit that the show is trying to convey.

The show is written by Stephen Schwartz who also wrote Pippin, Godspell and Wicked. It is literally the first 8 chapters of Genesis. The first act covers the creation through the death of Abel. The second act starts by going through the generations of Adam down to Noah and then covers the steps of Noah and the flood. It ties in the lessons that are taught in the first act with the second act. There are some great lessons that they draw about love, being a parent, forgiveness,. Some of my favorite songs are Spark of Creation, Lost in the Wilderness, and Hardest Part of Love. 

I also really enjoyed studying the life and decision of Adam and Eve in the garden and about the creation. Even though it wasn't all told on the way that I believe I was really touched to hear how other religions teach the creation and view the garden of Eden. 

I was so grateful to all my friends who came out to see the show and support me. They are the best and I'm so blessed to have such a great support system in my life. I made some great friends in the show and was able to stretch myself into doing something new. I even learned to dance a little bit. Looking forward to other shows to audition for and perform in.