THIS HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!

 

I am still just REELING over the fact that one of my dreams has come true.

 

Last Thursday I went to see A Christmas Story on Broadway because my fabulous friend Nick Gaswirth was making his Broadway debut! 

 

The show was adorable and wonderful and they had REAL BLOODHOUNDS for the Bumpus hounds!  I mean, honestly, you won me over right there. 

 

But then, after the show, the most amazing thing happened.  I met my TV Dad. 

 

My TV dad, you say?  What the heck am I talking about?

 

Ok, so here's my Dad:

 

 

And here's my TV Dad:



 

That, my friends, is Dan Lauria.  You may recognize him from a certain late 80's/early 90's television show called THE WONDER YEARS.

 

I have loved this man ever since I first saw him on TV because he has always reminded me of my father.  In later years, I have had this feeling confirmed by multiple boyfriends telling me "Your dad looks like the dad from The Wonder Years." 

 

I know.  I know he does.  That's why I cry anytime his character on TV (or in movies) goes through anything more difficult than a papercut.  He is my dad, just on TV.

 

You're judging me now, aren't you?

 

Whatever.

 

Anyway, I posted the picture of Dan Lauria to my facebook the next day because I was so darn excited (excited enough to write this whole blog post about it...which is turning out to be longer than most posts I write...what does that tell you?) - and I kid you not, multiple people thought it WAS my dad in the photo.  (read my comment and you would've realized that wasn't the case, but that's fine.)

 

No, it's not like they were twins separated at birth, but my gosh, my dad couldn't have a better celebrity doppleganger.  And I got to meet him.  And he was SO NICE.  And I'm still really excited about it.

 

So, there you have it.  That happened.  And I can cross that magical dream of mine off my list.  Because...it SERIOUSLY HAPPENED.

 

Ok, I'm done now. 

 

Just don't forget that it happened, ok?  Cause it did.  It really did.



Grateful.

Y'all.  Less than a month until my birthday.  Let's just start with that. 

So, I said I would actually blog something of substance soon....I guess it's that time.

This week is Thanksgiving.  Can you believe that?  We are already there....shocking how quickly this year has gone by.

I have so much to be grateful for.  I really do.  My life is not at all where I thought it would be...I've had so many ideas of where I would be around this age...I am not really anywhere near any of them.  But things are still ok.  And because I feel so lucky that even if life isn't what I expected, it's still pretty fabulous...I would like to give thanks.  Here.  On my blog.  For the things I am so very grateful for:

I have amazing friends and family.  You all mean the world to me.  Like...you are seriously good people.  Seriously, seriously good.

I have the sweetest little dog on the face of the earth - and another little doggie up in Doggie Heaven watching over me.  (boy, do I miss him.)  I have the privilege of taking this sweet little pup to work with me basically anytime I want.  And she is so freaking well-behaved, I don't know how I got so fortunate.

I live in an adorable little studio in the best neighborhood in New York City.  I'm minutes from my absolute favorite spin classes.  There are about a bajillion amazing restaurants within walking distance.  The parks, the parks, the parks.  And...the streets themselves...are just adorable. 

I'm so darn grateful for SoulCycle - I wish I could afford to do it every single day.  It makes me happy.  And really, what exercise ACTUALLY does that?  Like legit you want to do it all the time?  I'm sorry, but nothing.  Nothing else is like that.

Ok, maybe dance sometimes. 

But truly, for me, nothing else kicks my butt and makes me smile at the same time like SoulCycle does.

I am grateful for my body.  I'm grateful that it lets me run and cycle and dance and stretch and sing and skip and laugh and oh-so-much-more every single day.  I'm grateful it lets me train for the half marathon I will run in February.  I'm grateful for its ability to adapt. 

I'm grateful for heytell.  Cause it's freaking hilarious.  Please, friends, connect with me on heytell.  It makes my day to be able to send stupid messages to people so quickly.

I'm grateful for vacations.  For the ones I've gone on this year and the ones coming up.

I'm grateful for the chocolate chip scones at the Lincoln Square Farmers Market.  And suncrisp apples.

I'm grateful my coworkers like my baking.

I'm grateful for Brandy, who does my hair, for literally letting me walk in EVERY time and say "I don't know what I want to do, I just want to change it" and she does her magic and I always love it.

I'm grateful for the Steelers for giving me something to cheer about and believe in.  Though you made me a little sad last night.  But regardless, nobody else gets me to yell at my TV like you do, my little bumblebees.

I'm grateful for Spotify.  For letting me listen to all the Christmas music I want.  I'm grateful to the Feinberg (and Feinberg-Rowe) children for introducing me to Spotify. 

I'm grateful for L.A. Burdick having a location in New York City.  Holy crap. 

I'm grateful for Christmas decorations - and for my ability to convince myself that it's all actually there to celebrate my birth instead of Jesus.

I'm grateful for people at work who make me laugh.  I'm grateful for an assistant who knows what he's doing.

I'm grateful for manicures and pedicures.  They make me feel instantly prettier.

I'm grateful for New Yorkers and their amazing bravery and resilience in the face of disaster.  And for caring for others when times get rough.  It amazes me how strangers can quickly become friends in the face of a crisis.

I'm grateful for snow.  And sunshine.  And crisp autumn air. 

That is just a sampling of what I am grateful for this year.  There is so much more that I'm sure I could add to this list, but you probably want to stop reading now, right?

Oh, did I mention that I'm grateful for you reading my blog?  And humoring me and my crazy thoughts?  Yeah, I'm totes grateful for that.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

All Are Alike Unto God

Today was great.  I stood with gay and lesbian Mormons, both active and inactive, and their friends, supporters and allies.  I proudly held up my sign "LDS <3 LGBT".  Today I marched with Affirmation at NYC Pride.  They came from all over... a woman from Westchester, a man from Raleigh, a girl from Scarsdale, a couple from Manhattan and even a gentleman from Salt Lake City who was in town on a business trip…among many others.  I felt so happy standing behind the Affirmation banner with these people.  With these courageous people who aren't afraid to stand up and say "We love you.  We support you.  We are here with you."  I posted this picture to twitter:

I am so proud.  I am so happy that I was there.

I want everyone to know that no matter the church says, Christ says to love one another.  So here we are - being as Christ-like as we can.  Here I am, showing my love to all of you.

The best part of the day?  Right when I got there, a woman (in her church clothes) approached me.  "Excuse me, can you please take a picture of me and my son in front of the banner?"  "Of course," I said.  So she hands me her iphone and walks towards the sign.  A teenage boy wearing his rainbow gear walks up next to her and she puts her arm around him…and they smile.  I took the photo and held back tears as I handed her phone back to her.  What an amazingly wonderful mother - to walk with him and to support him and show her PRIDE in her son.  I was so touched.

These are some of our signs:

My favorite sign was "All are alike unto God" 2 Nephi 26:33.  Though the scripture is talking about black and white, bond and free…it applies here.  I loved seeing a scripture from the Book of Mormon that was so uplifting and spread the same message we were there to support.

I ended up ducking out early as I had said I'd be at church today (though I skipped 2 meetings and only made it to Relief Society) - the lesson was on the qualities of Christ.  When the teacher asked us what we thought of when we think of Christ, my immediate response was "Love one another."   It's one of the most important lessons we can take with us in this life - and it's the lesson that I saw so many people live today.

Happy Pride Everyone.

Day 337: Happy Birthday Thomas B Sapienza - the best Dad a girl could ask for! I love you.

Day 337: Happy Birthday Thomas B Sapienza - the best Dad a girl could ask for! I love you., a photo by lalasappy on Flickr.

What a handsome guy! You're the best, Dad.

Day 24: NYC Pride Day ("Butch on the Inside")

Day 24: NYC Pride Day ("Butch on the Inside"), a photo by lalasappy on Flickr.

This is my "Buch on the Inside" T-Shirt. I wore it yesterday in honor of NYC Pride. It comes from the show I cut all my hair off for: Lesbian Love Octagon.

NY just passed the marriage equality bill! I'm happy that now all of my friends have equal rights in our state.

I'd also like to share a funny tweet I saw yesterday that I totally identified with:

"Why is it that if I defend gay people, I must *be* gay? If I defend the environment, do you also think I'm a tree? Fine. I'm a gay tree."

Just cause I love all my friends no matter who THEY love, it doesn't change who I am. I am Lauren. I am a girl who likes boys. And I don't judge people. So don't judge me!

Though, if you're reading this, you're probably a friend of mine and you already don't judge me.

But I am throwing the thought out into the universe anyway!

Lovies to you all - gay, straight, whatever!

Words of Wisdom from Dick Van Dyke:

"I am a people person. My life has been a magnificent indulgence. I've been able to do what I love and share it. Who would want to quit? I suppose that I never completely gave up my childhood idea of being a minister. Only the medium and the message have changed. I have still endeavored to touch people's souls, to raise their spirits and put smiles on their faces."

-From his Memoir "DICK VAN DYKE: My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business"

I just love the way he describes being an actor. It really cuts to the core of why I love theatre.

Just wanted to share. :)

PS: Looking for a good book to read? Read his memoir. So entertaining and inspiring. He really has lived a lucky life. And it made me fall in love with Bert the Chimney Sweep all over again.

It's all about perspective.

I have a good life. I'm relatively healthy, relatively happy, relatively successful. I'm loved.

Some days...I don't feel that way. Some days I can' see the big picture. Or the small picture. Or I can't see the picture at all. All I see is the mess in front of me. Or inside me. Or all around me.

And then, I have a moment. A moment like I had today.

Walking down 29th street to run an errand for work. I look up into the sky. It was SO blue. It was warm. It's June. And I thought, "Lauren: It's a beautiful summer day and you live in New York City. Embrace this. Relish in it. Enjoy it."

I could've thought, "It's really hot...I'm tired...I don't want to be at work...I feel fat in this dress."

But instead, I focused on blue, blue sky. And sunshine. And summertime. And the warmth of the sun on my skin. And my sunglasses...because they're awesome.

I just took a moment to change my perspective. And it brightened my day.

Again I say...blog readers: Whenever I get down, remind me to go read this entry and focus on the good and the love in my life. There's a lot of both.

Lovies. :)

Great Day Yesterday = Long Day Today

I am so sleepy.

Yesterday was a long day full of lots of fun things...but silly me, I didn't get home until about 12:45 and then had to get up for work! I'm usually very good about going to bed on time.

But I couldn't help myself! First I went to the dog run with the puppies, then I went to a little garden party thrown by a dear friend of mine, then had a coaching with the amazing Lady Jo, and then finally I went over to my friend Erin's house to spend some time with her before she and her beautiful family move to Phoenix, AZ. We played this crazy card game and I really got to see how competitive her husband is. It was kind of hilarious. I think my favorite part was when he picked up his cards and said "ooo, Daddy liiiiiiiiiiiiike...." I'm so glad I got to see her before she left. And I am putting it on the blog so it's official: I AM COMING TO VISIT. :)

I'm so grateful for my friends. You're all so sweet and wonderful and just so so good to me. Thank you for that. I hope you know that you're always in my heart and on my mind, even if we don't get to chat as much as I'd like.

Anywho...just wanted to give you all the fabulous details of my Memorial Day (Memorial Day always makes me think of the musical PARADE. Do you know it? I was in it in Boston and all day I just kept repeating Mary Phagan's line in my head "Mr. Frank? Happy Memorial Day." in a southern accent. ...oh, actors.) and tell you that you're THE BEST BLOG READERS EVER!

Side note: Auditions coming up. Thursday and Monday. Scared. Excited. Other feelings too.

Lovies!

GOOD WEEKEND RUNNING YAY!

OMG. I amaze myself. :)

Ok, so, busy weekend. Lots of errand running and things. And I was like "ok, Lauren...you basically stunk on your 2.3 run the other day...you MUST run 2.5 on Saturday." So I went out in the gloomy weather and started jogging. And I was like "hey...how about I just keep running til I'm actually tired instead of stopping as soon as I reach my goal? I wonder how far I can push...like 2.6 or 2.7?" So...I ran. And I ran. And then I looked at my iPhone (which tracks my running...thank you iMapMyRun!) and it said 2.98!!!!!!! And I was like WELL HOLY COW! So I figured, "Well I'm close enough to my 3.1, I may as well just do it!"

So I did. 3.13 miles on Saturday. Granted, it took me 39 minutes....but I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!

I even took a picture to celebrate:

Please excuse my yuckiness. Did I mention that it started POURING about 2 miles into my run? Yeah. I was soaked. But too happy to care. Also, if you can't tell...I run right by the GW Bridge.

So to make life even MORE awesome...I ran on Sunday as well and I decided to push myself just a little farther and see how I could do. I ran 3.45 miles in 40 minutes! My 3.13 was in 36.23! Now, I can't just take credit for shaving like 3 minutes off my time...because the first like 5 minutes of the run is all downhill...and I think that helps. Haha. But I'm super excited because I still have like 11 days until my race and I'm running farther than 5K! Which was my goal! YIPPEE I DID IT!

OK- All done talking about running.

Um, seriously, had to share. How cute is this?

Scouter (Scout...but I always call her Scouter!) passed out in my arms. This was post run, I think...On Saturday. I was just hanging out watching TV and she came up to snuggle. I have the best dogs ever.

I also have the best visiting teachers ever!! (ERIN DON'T LEAVE ME!!) They brought me the most BEAUTIFUL flowers on Saturday. Seriously...how gorgeous are these?!

And they STILL look that nice. What a lucky gal I am.

More to talk about but I need to get back to work!

LOVIES!

Grateful.

Do you ever have one of those "Well, DUH." moments where you realize something that you were totally upset about was really for the best? And you definitely told yourself that while crap was going down but didn't realize until MONTHS later that it's actually true?

So grateful for those moments.

So grateful to realize I am better off where I am now.

I don't think or say that enough. I am grateful for my life. There are so many things that frustrate me and I am the first person to say the last 3 years have been the absolute hardest and worst (sad, right?) of my life. I struggled and I cried and I fought through so much pain...and I made it to the other side in one piece.

I'm so much stronger and I have learned so much about life and pain and how strong I am.

I am lucky. I am a beautiful soul. There are people in this world that love me for exactly who I am. And they care. You care...because the people who read this are definitely those people. I love you all.

I may not have everything I want right now, but I will find more happiness.

And I'm happy that those people that I left behind (or who left me behind) are happy too. I hope they'll stay happy. And I hope that eventually, they can wish me happiness too. Because they will be in my heart forever for the love they showed me at one time. Regardless of how they may treat me now.

But anyway...I'm just grateful. I'm grateful that today I said "DUH...Lauren, things are OK" and I know it to be true.

...people, please remind me of this the next time I'm freaking out. :)

Lovies!

PS: 1.5 miles on Saturday. I complained the last .3 because it was cold out and I was breathing through my mouth...but training is on track so far!