oh, my.

It's been over a year since my first (and last) post. How crazy time flies!! Back then, the most important person in my life now... I had barely even heard of. I didn't have all the crazy things in my life that have happened this past year. So I will now catch up, whoever is reading this.

My junior year was pretty crazy! The summer I last wrote, I had started working at Auntie Anne's... I never knew the people there would change my life so much! That fall, I assistant directed my first play, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon. I had lost my best friend of years, and found a new one during this play. We were seemingly two peas in a pod, and I was happy. In December, right after my show closed, I actually found my first official boyfriend. And yes, he is still in the picture, thank you Auntie Anne's for him! This past spring, I got a lead role in our school's musical, Back To The 80's, and finally, finally got to live out my dream. I cannot describe to you what I felt on that stage... proud, I would say, as well as amazingly motivated and driven towards my dream. I guess you could say that past school year was the best of my life.

Unfortunately though, the summer brought about some unexpected things. I visited my dad in early July, and he passed away on July 28th, 2010. I cannot stress how important it is to tell people every day how much they mean to you. I now can't leave the house without giving my mom a kiss goodbye. I am so so thankful for the people I have in my life, and I don't want to take advantage of that anymore. I also recently lost that best friend I made during the fall play, but the old one did come back to me. We went to the beach together, and I am so grateful to have her. Even though we fought sometimes, we know it's just because we're exactly like sisters, and now we're as close as ever.

This school year, I believe to be very challenging. I am struggling every day with the loss of my dad, and I'm taking many classes that leave me feeling completely in over my head. My boyfriend and I... we definitely have our tough times. But throughout everything that has happened, he's been there, and I have faith that we will continue. I'm starting to apply to colleges now, (so scary!), but I will still be living out my dreams, even there. My main schools are USC (for acting and music composition, minor in songwriting), NYU (major in theater and music), FSU (major in theater and music) and Towson (major in music education). And no, I'm not really sure what I want to do with my life yet. I would like to be a music teacher, but so far, who knows! Let's hope I decide at some point.

I'm going to keep, and hopefully actually write in this blog, as much as possible. I hope that it will help me to decide what I want to do with my life. Whether that is to continue performing or teach or maybe something not even involved in the arts, hopefully I can make that decision for myself.

xoxo,

Rachel

P.S. Next see me on stage in Fools, playing the role of Yencha! This will be a doozey :)

just the beginning.

so right now i'm watching hannah montana, figuring it would be a good time to start this :) my name is rachel, i am almost six feet tall, and my passion is performing. ever heard the song thank you for the music by abba? i have been dancing before i could walk, and singing before i could talk. literally. i'm singing in all my home videos, way before i could talk. i started taking ballet lessons when i was three, and you could call it my first love. i have always loved being on stage, a natural ham. now, my first try at acting... i was in the fourth grade, auditioning for a class play about colonial times. i auditioned for the part of sybil ludington. my strongest memory ever was of reading that script, feeling how easy it was to play a character other than myself. and that started the snowball.

and, i will tell you now, i'm not like some of my other friends, who only listen to musicals and always go to shows. yes, i listen to musicals, but i also listen to every other kind of music. my love of acting plays into my love of music. i read into lyrics of every song i listen to. if it has no meaning, i don't like it. i don't believe we were meant to only feel what the characters are feeling in a musical, but also an artist while creating an album. the true artists that inspire me write their own songs. about situations they've gone through. you can feel the pain and joy through their writing, and that is truly awesome to me.

my passion is acting. and music. and dance. but also psychology. i am determined to become a performer. but i also find it interesting when people can tell your feelings through your facial expressions. it's my backup plan. if you've ever seen the show Lie To Me, that's my backup plan. i've learned from a young age that i need to have another plan. mainly because of my height. but i promise you, i won't go down without a fight. kinda like how my acting program at my school has gone down the drain. i'm not going down without a fight. i'm scheduling a meeting with my principal next week about that. this blog will be about my crazy, insane life, before i can live my dreams.

this coming school year, i'm taking guitar, psychology, child development, and english. my second semester classes... not finalized yet. now, along with school, i will have rehearsals for my dinner theater mondays and thursdays (more info on that coming later, probably along with photos!). tuesdays i will have lyrical and ballet class, and wednesday, an acting class. plus work! my first job is at auntie anne's and it's a pain but... it gets me money. haha.

keep reading! feel free to ask questions and such. i will always answer them :)

xoxo,

Rachel