Gratitude on the go! 11-30-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Today's TGIF: I am Thankful for podcasts and the vastly different subject matter that they cover. (I just found out TED talks are getting a weekly radio show on npr! #WIN!) I am Grateful for this Christmas show I'm in right now at the workshop. It's so much fun and so super silly. I just am brimming from ear to ear thinking about it. And I am Inspired by Amy. I don't know how I got so lucky to have such a wonderful friend like her in my life. I am in awe of all the amazing things that she does all the time. 
-This quote:
"Of all the means which wisdom acquires to ensure happiness throughout the whole of life, by far the most important is friendship."
-Being present. I was in the middle of a scene, specifically I was singing my face off during Old Country Buffet, and I just had this moment of...well...I guess a moment of bliss for lack of a better word. I found myself just taking everything around me. The audience smiling and laughing, my co-workers really rockin out and being silly, and I just couldn't help but brim from ear to ear. I thought to myself, "Wow. I am so happy right now." Granted it was a terrible actor moment considering I was so not present in that scene on stage, but I was very present to how I, Taj, was feeling. I'll try to make sure that doesn't happen too often on stage, but I definitely want to acknowledge that blissful moment.

-The basics

-Laughter

-Love

-As always, my friends. 

Gratitude on the go! 11-29-12

Today I am grateful for:
-TED Talks. I freakin LOVE TED talks. I watched a video tonight that made me so happy. A great presentation with a fantastic message. At the end of this video the presenter, Shawn Achor, lists five things that will create a happier lifestyle. 1. 3 Gratitudes. 2. Journaling. 3. Exercise. 4 Meditation. 5. Random Acts of Kindness. I am happy to report that I am rockin 1, 2, and 5 on that list. 3 and 4 are still a work in progress. Those are the two things that will better my self compassion.

-these quotes:
"The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away."
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars"
"You are already good, whole, and complete."
-My VO session. Aaron, my boss(?), kind of off handily said today about how much of an anomaly these projects are. I was a bit confused so I asked him what he meant by that. He elaborated by saying that in the Twin Cities it is so rare to be doing this kind of VO work. He's absolutely right. I am so incredibly grateful, thankful, and lucky that I get to work on these projects with them. They are so much fun to do and they make me beyond happy.
-This usually goes under the basics, but I really want to emphasis how grateful I am for the health of my friends and family. A co-worker of mine got into a car accident tonight. She hit a person with her car. Thankfully both her and the person she hit are fine. I know usually in these situations that disaster scenarios can start to really take over. I had to keep reminding myself that everything was okay. Everyone was alright and that's what's important. It's not important to think about the what ifs. So that's why I'm especially grateful tonight for the well being of all my friends and family.
-Laughter
-A fun improv set.
-Some alone time in my apartment.
-The basics
-As always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-28-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Being able to sleep in.
-Seeing so many wonderful funny ladies at an audition.
-My VO session
-Free dinner at the workshop
-A really fun set with john and jenni.
-Some alone time in the apartment
-Honey
-The basics
-Laughter
-As always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-27-12

Today I am grateful for:
-my therapist. I was finally able to really talk about how I want to strengthen my compassion and  boundaries for myself and others. I think I'm on the right path. She also gave me a good exercise for practicing being still.
-these quotes:
"One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats."
"The artist's life cannot be otherwise than full of conflicts, for two forces are at war within him- on the one hand, the common longing for happiness, satisfaction and security in life, and on the other a ruthless passion for creation which may go so far as to override ever personal desire. There are hardly any exceptions to the rule that a person must pay dearly for the divine gift of creative fire." 
"You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time."
-Cards Against Humanity. Proof:

-Laughter

-Uncontrollable laughter 

-The basics

-As always, my friends 

Gratitude on the go! 11-26-12

Today I am grateful for:
-my job at the SMM
-being present. Working at the SMM today, a day when the museum is closed, I was able to wander the museum without being bombarded by kids or accosted by questioning adults. It was very peaceful. I found my way over to this pen art machine. They've had it since I was a kid. I have some incredibly fond memories of my mom and I going to the old SMM when I was little and seeing an omni movie and also making art with the pen art machine. I must have been very, very little when we used to do that. I am so grateful that SMM has given me so much. A wonderful job, the ability to learn new things every day, and also some nice memories of my mom. SMM, you win.
-My roommate buying some stacking shoe racks from Target for the apartment.
-Hanging out with some friends. Ladies night! Mac and Cheese bar with all the fixings while crafting and watching ghost busters.
-Late night drive with my dad.
-Talking to Zarah on the phone for a bit.
-A hot shower.
-Laughter
-Love
-The basics
-As always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-25-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Brunch with my dad
-My big comfy chair
-Lunch with Amanda. I was able to process a bit with her about yesterday which was nice.
-Laughter
-Hanging out with Hannah and Josh.
-Not-dogs. I only have them every once and a blue moon but they're always a treat! And Hannah says they taste just like the real thing.
-Jen and I having a really fun set. Today's genre was Bad Science Fiction! Hilarity ensued.
-Laughter
-Late night happy hour with Emily. Our last Chino date for awhile. I'm so excited for her move out to Cali, but I am going to miss her.
-Alone time.
-The basics
-As always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-24-12

Today I am grateful for:
-The really nice employees at Caribou Coffee. They always take time to ask how my day is going.
-Knowing the trivia question at Caribou.
-Working at the SMM
-Having great audiences at the SMM
-Jen coming to see my show. I love hearing her laugh. It fills me with such joy.
-Laughter
-Being present. I've been present about a few things today. All things that are under the subject of compassion:

1. I've been thinking a lot about how I can become a more compassionate person. In her podcast, and her books for that matter, Brene Brown talks about the most compassionate people have clearly outlined boundaries. I struggle with this. I don't know how exactly to set up proper boundaries. I know I let people walk over me because I am willing to bend over backwards to make sure the other person is feeling okay. This has been a long standing problem for me I know. "Make sure everyone else is okay and happy even if it means sacrificing my own happiness." This is not a good mantra to live by. I've been doing it for years. I just did it this evening at work. Someone else was unhappy with an improv game they were suppose to play. I really didn't want to do it either, but I said I would. And I'll be honest, I didn't feel good about saying yes to it. As a result, I didn't have a good scene either. (Although even though I didn't feel great about it, I did dare greatly with my choices.) I don't want to resent them for that. I chose to step in and take one for the team. I'm literally doing it right now! I'm talking to a friend on gchat, and even though I know it would be so. helpful. for me to share how I'm feeling and what I'm trying to process, I just cannot bring myself to say, "Hey, I know you said you were doing fantastic right now, but I'm in a bit of a tough spot. Do you mind processing with me?" I just cannot bring myself to ask. Ugh! It's so frustrating! Breathe. It's okay. One day. I'm still learning to live in a moment of discomfort than stew in resentment. I think I'm going to try to work towards Brene's mantra instead of mine: "I'll do everything to help, but I'm not going to enable. I love you, but I won't participate in your self destruction. I'll own my part in our struggles, and I'll expect the same from you. Boundaries, respect, and consideration are not negotiable. Empathy works both ways. Love is something we practice, not something we profess."

2. I'm also present to the fact that if other people are not feeling good, I have a tendency to be sucked into feeling down as well. (I think this goes under the same category as the boundaries/compassion.)

3. I really want need to work on self compassion. I think a couple of big steps will be calling that nutritionist and looking into getting a personal trainer at the Y. I'm present to the fact that I don't think I can do self care/self compassion completely on my own right now. 

3. I can't remember if I originally talked about this with Marit or not, but I've also been present to the idea that everyone is doing their best. What exactly does that mean? How do I really feel about it?  On the one hand, yes 100% I believe that everyone is doing their best. It's a great way to view people even in challenging situations. However on the other hand, is that a cop out? Is that me bending my boundaries? Or is that me still not having strong enough boundaries? For example, in regards to my mom, to think that she has and is doing her best is a way to perhaps deal with the struggles that we have and are continuing to going through. But what's wrong with wishing she would try harder? Or is it me wishing that I would try harder? Who am I really upset with here? I'm obviously in a pickle about this point and have a lot of questions still. I'm going to have to bring this up with Marit again. 

-knowing that processing and getting out what I'm feeling helps me so much.

-This blog allowing me to focus on all the positives in my life. 

-My apartment. 

-The way my apartment smells after I've lit candles. 

-The complements people give me about the way my apartment smells. 

-My big comfy chair. 

-My warm bed.

-The basics

-Breathing

-Dreaming

-Daring Greatly

-As always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-23-12

Today I am grateful for:
-This American Life. That show really gets me. Each episode exposes me to so much knowledge on such a personal level. It's wonderful.
-Small headphones.
-lunch with my dad
-a 40 minute break between work and the workshop. Was able to finish Top Chef and start American Horror Story.
-another sold out weekend of shows!
-being able to laugh at my mistakes. I was hosting the show tonight and completely forgot the title. Whoops! Laughed it off though. It was funny.
-A fun energetic improv set.
-being social at Emily's going away party. I never know what's going to happen, but tonight was good.
-feeling good
-being able to take a hot shower.
-the basics
-love
-laughter
-light
-as always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-22-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Pepito's Restaurant for welcoming anyone in today for a free meal. I've been volunteering there since I was in high school. Every year it brings me such joy to see everyone working together and helping each other out and being thankful for the little things that might be glazed over on other occasions.
-being brave enough to try to make my first pie ever. I've made a few pies before but they were under the guidance of Bead. She texted with me and cheered me on, but I had to do all the work myself this time. Here's the final product:

The crust is a little burnt,
and it could have a bit sweeter,
but I'm very proud of my first Peach Pie!

-The hodgepodge of people that all comes together for Thanksgiving. There were at least 18 of us! I got a bit overwhelmed at points, but nothing I couldn't breathe through.

-The fantastic meal that was prepared by several people!

Heaps of mashed potatoes,
creamed peas,
vegetarian stuffing,
and of course Turkey and gravy.
What a feast! 

-Dessert:

Pie Sampler:
Pumpkin pie,
Ice Cream Pie,
and Peace Pie!

-seeing a movie with my dad. Skyfall. I struggled a bit because it was long and slow at times, but I'm always grateful to go to the movies. :)

-Laughter

-The basics

-Light

-Love

-Thanksgiving. I'm not a fan of what Thanksgiving originally represented, which I don't think many people do anymore. Thanksgiving now really is a day of giving thanks. For a lot of people this is one of the only days people stop to actually think about all they have to be thankful for. I feel very fortunate that this blog has allowed me to express my gratitude and thanks every day for all the things that are so wonderful in my life. And I really do have SO much to be thankful for. I am thankful that I'm surround by people I love and care about, whom I will always support and be in their corner (and who will be in mine as well). I am thankful I have two amazing parents, who even though I struggle with sometimes, they made me the person I am today. I am thankful I have the most incredible jobs that I love with all my heart and that fulfill me completely. I am thankful for my insanely talented and awe inspiring co-workers. I am thankful for all the opportunities that I have been given. I am thankful for my personal struggles making me stronger. I am thankful for the comfort I find in my home. I am thankful for my roommate. I am thankful for Waking Up. I am thankful, I am thankful, I am thankful. Thank you. Thank you. 

-As always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-21-12

Today I am grateful for:
-relaxing
-taking some time to breathe.
-running errands
-hanging out with Hannah
-having dinner with Hannah and her family
-seeing some amazingly talented teens perform improv. They are so much fun to watch! I found myself covering my face to stifle my loud laughter. I'm very proud of them.
-laughter
-being asked to perform in a set tonight. I was hesitant to say yes because I really just went to see other people perform, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to play. It was really fun. I took some risks and pulled out some different characters. Not to mention getting to play with a fun group of ladies.
-getting to see Pop while she's in town.
-being present. Pop and I were catching up this evening and she expressed how she really like the picture I took of my dad and myself. She proclaimed at one point, "could you look any more like your dad?" She had no idea that was a trigger for me, but I smiled and said, "Nope. Probably not." I took a moment to realize how I was feeling, which was vulnerable (I could feel myself wanting to get passive aggressive or snappy towards her), but I was able to take a few deep breathes and let it go.
-a quite hour alone to myself at the house. It was very lovely
-the weather. The 60 degree weather the day before Thanksgiving. That really is something to be thankful for.
-as always, my friends

Ladies Reunion! (And it feels so good!)

Gratitude on the go! 11-20-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Sleeping in.
-being able to stay in my pjs ALL DAY!
-the time to clean my house.
-time.
-a quick gchat with Amy. It's always so good to hear from her.
-more purging.
-bitesquad
-catching up with Hannah OP. She's in town. I'm so glad we've stayed friends. She talked a lot about her job and some of the cases she's dealt with. Some sad, some funny, most just crazy. I always joke about if I was at her hospital that I would ask for another nurse, but honestly, I would only want her.
-Laughter
-The basics
-This quote:
"It's not what happens to you in life that counts; it's how you take it, and what you make of it."
-Some self compassion.
-Being present. Even though I had the ENTIRE day off, I had a hard time just sitting and living in it. I was cleaning for most of it. I dusted, I vacuumed, I did laundry, I washed dishes, I organized, etc. It felt great to be honest, but there was a small part of me that I was very aware of the fact that I really couldn't just sit and enjoy the moment. I was still numbing a bit. Josh on the other hand was sitting on the couch literally all day. He did not move until after I ate dinner which was around 6pm. He got up at 1pm. 5 whole hours of just sitting. I have to say I am impressed and slightly jealous. Granted he was playing a computer game the whole time, so I guess he was numbing too, but still. Anyway, I'm present to this fact and I'm going to try to work on it. I remember hearing something about an app called 10 minute meditations. I think I'm going to look into that.
-snuggling up in my clean sheets.
-breathing
-clean water
-As always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-19-12

Today I am grateful for:
-sleeping in.
-having my first day off since August. It feels fantastic.
-getting up the courage to call the abuse support group. They said I had to take the short term course before I started in the long term one. Fair enough. I did an intake with them and they're going to get back to me when they have enough people to start. I'm scared about it, but I'm glad I called.
-purging. I was able to get rid of a lot of stuff. There are so many things I've been holding on to for no reason. There are still a few things that I have found that I'll be keeping. Like a card from my grandma, or an old fanny pack from the 90s, or my Speak and Spell. Those have some pretty clear memories attached to them.
-being able to watch mindless tv. For a few hours. :)
-finding out that my mom also has a gratitude journal. I'm sure we're journaling about different things, but that is something that we have in common.
-having dinner with my dad.
-getting my apartment situated with my new furniture. Nesting is...how do I put it...um...all kinds of amazing.
-Laughter
-Breathing
-enjoying the moment. My roommate and I are separately on our own computers but sitting right next to each other. It sounds antisocial, but it's totally not. It's comfortable. We're respecting each others space.
-listening to great music. I haven't made a mix cd in a long time (probably because it's becoming a "retro" thing to do now) and I forgot how amazing it is!
-being present. Today I am present to the fact that when I don't hear back from people, friends in particular, I start to concoct scenarios in my mind about why they're not getting back to me. "Are they mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Was I being a burden? Should I stop contacting them?" Those thoughts spiral very quickly into, "Ugh! This is not about you. Why are you so selfish? I'm a bad friend." Then those thoughts leads to, "This is how I treat my mom sometimes when I don't contact her.  I should contact my mom. I'm a bad daughter. I'm so that ungrateful!" Etc, etc, etc.  I have to remind myself to breathe. I am present to those thoughts. I know I'm not a bad friend. I know I'm not a bad daughter. I'm breathing. I'm letting them go. They're just thoughts. They're just chipmunks. They don't control me.
-the basics
-my glasses. I feel really good when I wear them.
-this quote:
"We are responsible for our own destiny. What matters is how we improve ourselves from this moment forward."
-As always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-18-12

Today I am grateful for:
-An article on Huffington Post. It gave me a different view on online dating that I've never thought of before. For future reference.
-Brene Brown. It's her birthday today. I am very grateful for her being born.
-Listening to hours of This American Life.
-Teaching. We worked on genre today. After about an hour though we went to go play on the playground across the street. We played lava monster tag. I haven't done that in years! It was needed. Again, because the weather was so amazing!
-The term, "crafternoon." I will be using this from now on.
-A really great improv set! Jen and I performed a narrative horror mono scene. It was wonderful. Highlights for me: Getting to play with Jen (which is always an amazing time. She's so wonderful and brilliant. I feel so lucky to play with her), really sticking with the genre, having no idea how anything was going to work out but by the end everything fitting together, and having a fight with myself as two different characters.
-Meeting some new people.
-This joke: How do you know if someone is a vegan? Don't worry, they'll fucking tell you.
-As always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-17-12

Today I am grateful for:
-A good night of sleep.
-Having brunch with my dad.
-I know I keep talking about the weather, but seriously, look at this:

This might seem cold, but it's almost Thanksgiving.
For Minnesota, this is amazing.
Thanks Global Warming? 

-A couple hours to relax.

-Selling out every one of the holiday shows this weekend. The crowds contain mostly middle aged women and they are raucous! It almost feels like a bit of a rock concert. I love it. 

-A fun improv set.
-catching up with Bead on gchat. It's a bit baffling still to think that we weren't really close friends in college. Thank goodness that's not the case anymore. 

-This quote:

"Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more."

-As always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-16-12

Today I am grateful for:
-A restful morning
-my new chair! I love it a lot.
-some quiet time.
-TGIF. I am Thankful for the weather. Again. It was 50 degrees! AGAIN! I cannot express how happy I am about that. I am Grateful for opening night at the workshop. Right before the show in the pre show announcements, John and Jenni talked about how it is a right of passage to be a part of election show and the holiday show. I've been watching the holiday shows (and the election shows for that matter) at the workshop for years and have admired them from afar. It is still so strange to think that I am part of the crew. And this show is so much fun! It's just silly, silly fun. I love it. I love my job. I am Inspired by our director Caleb and his hard work and dedication to the workshop.
-Feeling confident after the improv portion of the show. A part of me is still struggling with just allowing myself to just be happy about it. I don't want to be perceived as cocky. However, the other part of me is saying fuck what others think! Tonight, I am listening to the latter part.
-Amanda coming to support me and see my show.
-Getting a complement at from an audience member after the show that I didn't know.
-Being present. I am going to try to write down what I am being present to from now on. Tonight I am grateful that I am being present to the fact that I have a hard time focusing in big crowds. I want to keep moving around and bop in and out of different conversations instead of fully investing in the one I'm in at that moment. I am present to that now and I hope in the future to change that behavior.
-Padre. He has always been so supportive of me. I don't think he has ever missed a scripted show of mine. That is impressive. He's a good dude.

Padre and I in front of a huge fake fire.
I'm pretty sure this will be our Christmas Card photo. 

-These quotes:

"The only person who never makes mistakes is the person who never does anything." 

"Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have."

-As always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-15-12

Today I am grateful for:
-being surprisingly happy for waking up early. Popped up like toast! Boing!

Good morning!

Here is a before and after picture.
Last night at 10pm
This morning at 8am

-these quotes:

"The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself."

"The kindest thing you can do for someone else is listen without forming an opinion."
"Remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life."

-the weather today. 50 degrees, bright and sunny. For November 15th, can't ask for better than that!
-laughter.
-my job(s). Again, beyond grateful.
-the stars shining brightly tonight.
-Water
-a long shower.
-feeling happy.
-telling myself that I am beautiful. And believing it.
-the basics
-breathing
-as always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-14-12

Today I am grateful for:

-Ruthie helping me move a chair into my apartment. It was a bit of an adventure. I really appreciated her sacrifice with her time. I know she's insanely busy. Busy with good problems, but busy none the less.

-Seeng Brené Brown speak. I've been wanting to gush about it all day. She was incredible. Words simply cannot express how great she was. She talked for an hour and then did about 40 minutes of Q and A. Her talk  consisted of mostly telling stories. Her stories were so impactful. I really resonated with so much of what she said. And she's funny! She really is a master at what she does. I started taking notes at the beginning, but I stopped right away. I just wanted to be in the moment and listen to what she said. Man. I felt so grateful to have been able to go see her. Her Q and A was great too. And I was able to get second row seats! I don't know how I lucked out on that one. I got there pretty late and the place was mostly packed. Then there was a side section of seating and two whole rows no one was really sitting in. I was like, no way! I can't be this lucky. But I was. I was just smiling the whole time. Just grinning like an idiot. At the end I thought I'd try to go up and see if I could talk to her (not that I had anything to say to her other than OH HAI THANKS FOR CHANGING MY LIFE I LIKE YOUR GLASSES) or if she was signing books. She had a plane to catch so she left pretty quickly. Which I think is for the best. So yeah. That's my free gush about seeing Brené Brown. 

I wasn't allowed to take pictures once the lecture started,
but this is the event I was at to hear Brene Brown speak. 

-Another great preview for the holiday show. 

-feeling confident. I got a new pair of gap jeans (which makes my butt look amazing btw) and wore my new boyfriend sweater and plain dark grey tshirt. And my cowboy boots. I got a lot of complements, which I decided to take fully.

-feeling happy.

-being present.

-having a really fun set with the Minneapples tonight. 

Getting ready to go onstage. 

-daring greatly. 

-loving deeply

-as always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-13-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Therapy. It was a hard one, but overall good to get off my chest. I really hope one day I'll feel worthy of love and belonging. I so long to be wholehearted. I know I've made progress, but there's still a long road ahead. "It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. I'm going to be okay."
-Having the time to do some house work. I started purging today. I gave my desk away, made a pile of books and clothing I'm going to give away, and I moved my bookshelf to make room for my new chair. There's still a bunch of stuff on the table that used to be on the desk that I need to be put away, but this is all very helpful. This stuff makes me happy. I'm happy in the present. "Today is today. Today is not yesterday. Today is not tomorrow."
-getting a new pair of discounted gap jeans. I was able to get them using a gift card. Free gap jeans are even better than discounted gap jeans.
-Hanging out with Emily
-Laughter
-Some alone time
-A nice quick rehearsal to tighten things up in the show.
-Seeing a movie at the last second. It was called Sessions. It was pretty good. I love that I've seen 3 movies this week. I used to do that all the time. It's more rare these days. The fact that I'm able to do it at all though makes me a bit giddy.
-Breathing
-Being present
-The basics
-finally being able to do laundry.
-As always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-12-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Visiting Kat. I don't see her nearly enough, but I'm always so glad when I do. She's like a sister to me. An older sister that I wish I could have had growing up. She's one of only a few people I can talk openly with about mom. She's known my mom almost as long as me and she also has struggled to have a relationship with her. It's nice to have someone who understands the majority of that whole situation.
-Getting a lovebomb email from Jen today. I didn't really answer any emails at all today, but her message made me smile.
-the majority of the day off. Amanda and I had quite the adventure today. It was great! We started off by getting tacos around 2pm, then seeing Taken 2 (so bad it was good), then getting smore stuff and coming back to my place eating candle s'mores while watching Walking Dead. It was so much fun.
-SO much laughter
-Being able to see another play. Trista wrote a play and I was able to see it. It was pay what you can night. I most definitely only had...around 40 cents. I wanted to support the theater though! I really liked the show. It was strangely surreal and also too real at the same time. None the less, I liked it.
-StumbleUpon.com
-The basics
-Being present
-Love
-As always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-11-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Teaching. I love my group of kids. I honestly wished I had the imagination that they have. They are all such wonderful improvisers. Better than a lot of improvisers in town that have been improvising for years. I sometimes dread going to teach, but once I get there it all melts away. They light up my day.
This quote:
"We do not remember days; we remember moments"
-Laughter
-The basics
-As always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-10-12

Today I am grateful for:

-A relaxing morning

-Seeing a movie. Wreck-It Ralph. It was really awesome. It made me realize how much I would love to do more voice overs. 

-A quick catch up with Ruth. 

-Hanging out with Amanda. Laughing about the stupidest shit. 

-This:

It's November 10th and it was 70 degrees today.
Pardon my French, but FUCK YES! 

-Being able to go to Jenny's wedding. I was only able to go for a hot second, but it was really nice to see her walk down the isle. I'm a huge sucker for weddings. As Steph would say, "It's my kryptonite." It's true. I cannot hold my shit together at weddings. I also feel very honored that she invited me to her wedding. I honestly can't remember the last time we actually spoke to one another, but once upon a time we were really good friends. Lots of great laughs. So it was wonderful to be a part of her big day. Even if it was just for a minute. 

-Another fun preview. Sold out crowd. Not as wild as last nights, but that's okay. I really like the show.

-Finding out we don't have rehearsal until Tuesday evening. 

-Performing with the Minneapples. 

-Being present. 

-Laughter

-The basics

-As always, my friends. 

Gratitude on the go! 11-9-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Being able to sleep in.
-A productive rehearsal
-Taking a power nap.
-A really fun second preview.
-Finding out I have the day off tomorrow.
-Laughter
-The basics
-Love
-This quote:
"Joy comes from using your potential."
-Being present. I am present to the fact that I am feeling happy. Genuinely happy. This feeling hasn't happened in awhile. There are a lot of elements that are contributing to why I'm feeling this way, but I really want to make note of that I actually am feeling happy.
-A quiet evening at home.
-TGIF. I am feeling Thankful for the great audience at our preview tonight. I am Grateful for my strengths that I was able to identify in therapy this week. I am Inspired by this speech by Barak Obama:   
-As always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-8-12

Today I am grateful for:
-A good nights rest
-Tea from the Tea Garden.
-Having a good first preview for the holiday show. It still needs work, but adding the audience was great to see what works and what doesn't.
-Chino happy hour with Emily.
-Laughter
-Love
-Light
-The basics
-As always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-7-12

Today I am grateful for:
-finding out that both the marriage and the voter ID amendments didn't pass! Feeling extremely happy and proud to be a Minnesotan.
-Amanda helping me with my lines.
-laughter
-the basics
-being present
-as always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-6-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Voting. This is my third election I've been eligible to vote in and it's still exciting! I got up bright and early and by 8:30am:

True Fact. 

I was beaming ear to ear when I left the polling station. I knew that no matter what the outcome was at that point in time, I exercised my right as an American. And it felt damn good.

-Therapy. I felt very accomplished today. I left not feeling deflated, but instead inflated. I believe some people might even call that confidence. :)

-My therapist

-A productive tech. 

-Laughter

-Love 

-Joy

-Freedom

-Seeing this on TV:

Beyond elated! 

There were some skeptics amongst us in the group.
They said it was called too soon.
But if Fox News says Obama won,
It's a fact.
Boom. 

-As always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-5-12

Today I am grateful for:
-being able to get a good nights sleep
-a productive day at tech
-singing
-laughing
-breathing
-being present
-the basics
-seeing Jen and Megan. Even it it was for just a minute. I feel like I haven't been able to be there for them because of schedule stuff. Ugh. What a lame excuse. I know I'm not pregnant and I don't know what they're going through in that regard, but I want them to know that I care about them and if they did need anything I'd be able help them out. I don't want to be thought of as a flake. Oh time management, you tricky bastard.
-working on lines productively
-as always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-4-12

Today I am grateful for:
-this quote:
"We choose our destiny in the way we treat others."
-being able to capture some highlights of my day in pictures:

My friend Anna on This American Life. Awesome. 

Some amazing chalk art on the walls of the BNW stage.
It's only for a corporate event so it'll be gone soon.
This is just a small portion of all the art,
but I wanted something to remember it forever

Leaving rehearsal and finding this note on my car.
Completely made my day! 

A little hot cocoa while I memorize my lines. #win. 

-hanging out with Christine tonight. It was her birthday today. She's such a joy to be around. I am so glad that we have stayed friends for all these years. She had a small gathering at her place. A "kiki" as it were. As much as I hate the term kiki, I still had a good time. 

-laughter

-love

-hugs

-the basics

-Amanda calling me to come pick her up while she was at work because she was intoxicated. She had a rough night but I'm glad she was able to talk about it and process it with people that she trusted. Ruth was there too. She was giving some solid advice. I'm hoping that in our attempt to support Amanda we didn't overwhelm her too much. 

-my therapist. she has really allowed me to help others in a way I've never been able to before.

-Brene Brown. She has given me a vocabulary that has also allowed me to communicate with others in times when they or myself are in need.

-As always, my friends

Gratitude on the go! 11-3-12

Today I am grateful for:
-This quote:
"Happiness is in itself a kind of gratitude."
-closing night of the workshop. This show was really something special. The people, the material, the audience, the improv, etc. I really could keep going on and on. I am forever grateful for having the opportunity to be working there.
-Josh Eakright. I said it already, but he really taught me a lot. I have a lot of respect for him so I'm really glad for the chance to work along side him. I hope he's off to bigger and better things and that he's happy in his new chapter in life. I'll miss him. I hope he comes back to play set again.
-Hanging out with Bffl and playing darts.
-allowing myself to relax a little. I got a beer last night and just enjoyed it. I got "tipsy." And by tipsy I mean drunk but it was nice and not overly so.
-the basics
-laughter
-my bed.
-some alone time
-as always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-2-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Receiving an email from Amy first thing this morning.
-This quote:
"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
-Amy's amazing supportive texts while I was going through a shame storm.
-breathing
-being present
-the basics
-the day being over
-as always, my friends.

Gratitude on the go! 11-1-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Josh Eakright. Today he informed the cast that he was leaving the workshop and will not be doing the next show with us. It was an abrupt decision but in the end a good one for him. I am actually deeply saddened by his news. Josh has been very good to me. He's made me feel comfortable from the time I've started at the workshop, he's been very encouraging of my ideas and listens to me talk about stupid shit, and he has taught me some incredible lessons in writing sketches and improv. I feel truly honored to have had the opportunity to have worked with him. I admire him greatly and I'm excited to see where this next phase in his life takes him.
-a relaxing morning.
-being present
-listening to some new music. Both Missy Higgins and Mumford and Sons new albums are outstanding.
-laughter
-the basics
-being present
-how great my boss is at the science museum. I've always thought this, but recent events make me realize this even more.
-remembering to not take things for granted.
-breathing
-my co-workers
-bffl coming to see my show
-a late night drive with my dad
-as always, my friends.