Tribute

"I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true,
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you..."
- Stephen Schwartz, "For Good"

This year began on Cloud Nine for me, marrying my longtime sweetheart.

But from that cloud I could see all sorts of changes, people coming into and going out of my life, like my dear friend Robert Pesti Terrell, who passed away on January 3rd.

Strangely, another friend, Margery Beddow passed away on the same day.

I worked with Margie last Fall on the Off Broadway revival of Charles MacArthur's 1940's comedy, Johnny On a Spot. She and I shared a dressing room, and we both came on later in the first act to spice things up, so we had plenty of time to chat.

She was Gwen Verdon's understudy for Bob Fosse's production of Redhead, and she toured as Lola in Damn Yankees, among other shows, and was a dedicated friend to both Gwen and Bob.

In another strange twist, my Great Uncle George Thoemke, who was born on January 3, 1922, passed away last weekend. He was an amazing man and like a grandfather to me since both my grandpas died before I was 5.

This pic was taken in 1999 with his wife, Gladys, on the left, and my Mom on the far right.

Uncle George served in WWII and was a great fan of the film Saving Private Ryan, because he felt it fully captured the horror of the war, especially the scene of storming the beach at Normandy, because he had done that himself.

He lost 2 of his fingers "when a German mortar shell exploded just a few feet in front of me." He detailed much of his life in a family memoir called "A Barefoot Boys American Journal." I'd love to see this little novel fully published. Perhaps one day...

All of these people, even though they have moved on, are still an essential part of my world. They helped me become who I am today through their gifts of love, support, guidance and encouragement. And though I am sad at their departure, they will always be a part of me.

Life is funny, because as some people move out of your life, others come into it.

On January 12th, my niece and nephew were born, Anna Joy and Benjamin.

What a privilege it is to be a part of their lives, to be their Aunt Laura and Godmother.

I love this picture of Rob and Anna. She was so alert for being 5 days old - lifting her head and reaching out to touch her Uncle Rob.

These people are all a vital part of me. They are forever in my heart, and they go with me everywhere I go. I am so thankful for each and every moment with them!

Great Gratitude

Indulge me in one last wedding blog.

There is so much planning that goes into this one day event and it flies by so quickly. Truly each moment needs to be savored.

I want to salute the small businesses that helped make our day so incredibly special. They are simply The Best.

Rob's sister, Lani, was essential in connecting us to small business owners who were available the day after Christmas. She really took care of so many details that helped me plan the wedding.

She was my Matron of Honor, and I told her she would make the best wedding planner in PA ever! :)

Our cake was done by Pam Kakes from McAdoo, and everyone said it was the best cake they'd ever tasted.

The wedding topper, "Together" by Willow Tree, was given to us by Jerry and Patricia Kane, parents of our dear friend, Michael Kane.

Michael and his partner, Carl (above left), are our NY Family, including our Best Man, Ataman (far right). They're all an absolute treasure!

Michael ran the music for us, Carl read a piece for the wedding, and Ataman was the perfect Best Man. Such excellent support!

Flowers were done by Smith Floral, I don't think I've ever seen such lush, big red roses! They were awesome!

Prior to the wedding, we had a small handfasting, conducted by our friends, The Herb Sisters, aka Tina and Maryanne, whom we've known since our days in the Shakespeare troupe at the PA Renaissance Faire.

The Sisters created various hand-fasting keepsakes for us that were a testament to the great treasures they make daily from their home businesses. Maryanne adorned the cord with jewelry and beads that she makes in her Torchsong Studio. And the handfasting booklet was right out of the top quality print-work and research that goes into Tina's Essential Herbal Magazine.

I am so proud of these women and all they have accomplished. It was such an honor to have them conduct our hand-fasting.

Then we had the wedding at a lovely church called Faith UCC.

The pastor is a wonderful woman named Reverend Jane, and she was great at guiding us through the service.

The reception was at the deliciously divine restaurant called The Top of the 80's. We were in their Great Room, which is surround on 3 sides by windows overlooking the lush valley. Since we had misty rain that day, my brother said it was like being in a cloud, which I thought was appropriate since I was on Cloud 9 already! :)

The food was exceptional! Better than some of the fine dining restaurants in Manhattan! And the service was excellent. We were so well taken care of!

In fact, everything was so wonderfully taken care of for our wedding.

My Mom was an incredible help to us from the beginning.

My brother, Sean, was my Man of Honor, and he was fantastic at making sure everything was cool, smooth sailing.

Everyone involved was just phenomenal and made our day so very very special.

Thanks to everyone for sharing in this joy with us.

Nothing Better

than marrying your best friend :)

The Big Day

As I get back into auditions after a short hiatus to get married, I'm reminded very much of how trying out for a role is like trying on a wedding dress. There are tons of beautiful, glittering gowns, but not all of them are a perfect fit.

Of course clothes are made to be altered, and even acting roles will change depending on who is cast. Look at the various actors who've played James Bond or Glinda the Good, for instance!

Even the wedding gown I chose actually started as something else. It was beautiful, to be sure, but the shoulders were floppy and the sleeves and skirt were too long.

Luckily, my sweetheart's co-worker, Annamarie Ferrando, took one look at the dress and knew exactly what to do!

She's a ballroom dancer on the side and makes her own gowns, so she was able to make the alterations to my wedding dress with ease.

Plus she had seen me perform Off Broadway in the 1940s comedy Johnny on A Spot and felt that I had an Old Hollywood glamor that my wedding dress should accentuate. So she took it apart and absolutely transformed it.

I was thrilled with the results!

She combined my favorite eras of Edwardian/Victorian England...

... and then took me into 1930s Hollywood with a lovely satin and faux fur wedding wrap.

One of my friends captured the back which really shows off the art deco lines. I was kneeling to talk to my nephew. :)

Annamarie said when she first took on the project, "People should look at YOU in the dress, not the other way around. The dress shouldn't wear YOU!"

And I loved that. I loved that she was able to tailor the dress to my personality. And her attention to detail was incredible! She didn't feel my crown had enough sparkle, for example, so she added extra pearls and rhinestones. Boy, did I feel like a fairy princess!


And I love that my guy was blown away when I walked down the aisle.

We were both so overwhelmed by all the love and joy that greeted us on that special day, and we will remember it for years to come.

It was truly one of the best days of my life, and I hope that everyone who wants to celebrate such a day, will have one!

Much love and joy to you all!

In Memory of Robert Pesti Terrell

I haven't blogged in a while. It's been a whirlwind, getting married, and that blog's to come, but first I had to pay tribute to a great man who passed away yesterday. His name was Robert Pesti Terrell, and he was married to my best friend from high school: Lisa Terrell.

Robert was such a sweetheart, and he and Lisa inspired me with their modern take on marriage. He had a weak heart, so he stayed home to take care of the house and kids while she worked, and he kept an immaculately beautiful home.

He was from NY and had that "New Yawk" accent even though he'd been in CA for quite a few years. It was wonderfully peppered with his great laugh and lovely sense of humor.

He loved when I'd send pics from Manhattan, because he'd grown up here and missed the seasons, but the CA weather was better for his health.

Robert had been having heart problems for years. His heart only functioned 10-20% of capacity so he was often exhausted, but he had such a lust for life and was so proud of his wife and his family.

Whenever I saw him, he reminded me of a human sprite, full of smiles and a sense of good-hearted mischief.

Robert and Lisa taught me never to take a day or a relationship for granted. Each moment is to be treasured. Good or bad, rich or poor, in sickness and in health. Love is always there.

I can't believe he's gone, but I know he's free from pain, and his presence is still deeply felt.

I'll miss you, Robert.

With great love and respect,
Laura

Gifts from the Heart

This is such an unusual Christmas. For one, I'm getting married the day after. Wow. Just mind-blowing bliss. And I'm trying to keep track of all the last minute stuff. My sister-in-law suggested making a check-off list, so I've started doing that. I'm just hoping everything runs smoothly. So far so good!

Add to that the usual Christmas run-around. I went to Rockefeller Center the other day to check out the new Lionel Train Store for my brother-in-law, and so I caught a glimpse of the infamous tree:

My honey and I try to go every year, and maybe we'll make it this weekend, but if not, I feel like the tradition still stands. I saw The Tree. And while it seems greener this year than last (maybe it's the lights), it's still magnificent.

I love this town. I love that people were wishing each other Happy Hanukkah last week and that they're greeting each other with "Merry Christmas" this week.

I love that every moment is a gift, and I am so thankful for the bounty of blessings that are in my life. Friends sharing their life lessons with me, family coming together, these are gifts that are last forever!

And with everything going on, I'm amazed that I'm still able to maintain my audition schedule, but it's my job, and it's what I love to do, so I made sure to get my postcards out to agents and casting directors, and I hit an audition yesterday for the Irish Rep.

The director was so kind, laughing at my comical piece and thanking me for my choice of material, and I am so glad I went. Every time I hit an audition, I get stronger. I can feel it in my work. And yeah, I could easily choose to skip auditions since I have so much on my plate right now with the holidays and my wedding. But every time I go, I learn and grow, and it feels wonderful. And with the creative teams giving me these hearty nods of encouragement, I know I'm on the right track.

Like the evergreen trees that stay tall and lush in the winter, like the holly and ivy in my red rose bridal bouquet, I am vibrant and full of life, love and artistry. And I keep growing! I love it!

Hope your holidays are very merry!

Full Speed Ahead!

I'm a Star Wars kid, and I remember seeing that scene where they jumped to lightspeed for the first time. It was miraculous!

I still get a kick out of it!

And now, where I'm at in my life, I feel like I'm making the jump to lightspeed!

I'm getting married in 18 days. The holidays are in full swing. I'm hitting auditions, making sure to savor each step of the way. In fact that holds true for all areas of my life!

"I'm deriving a great deal of pleasure from each and every one of you, as if you were chocolates."- Wallace Shawn, Grasses of a Thousand Colors.

And I'm so grateful for all the incredibly cool people I've met this year. From working with old buddies like the Hell's Belles creative team on their new musical, Argentina Rumpus...

... to reuniting with the Kaboom crew for an improv event and the staged reading of Michael Small's new play, Got You...

... to meeting so many wonderfully talented people in Karen Kohlhaas' classes at the Atlantic Acting School. It's a pleasure to work with such incredible people, and I've fully realized that we all have something delicious to bring to the table! It's a thrill to share in such bounty!

I met with some musical theatre friends last night - amazingly talented people with Broadway credits on their resumes - and we nurtured each other in our preparations for auditions. It was a great forum, and I'll be doing the same thing tomorrow night with some more students from Karen's classes, focusing on monologues, scenework and goals.


Karen talks about doing what you need to do to find satisfaction as an actor, and her Advanced Monologue class particularly focuses on time management skills and creating healthy daily habits. Seriously, her classes are the best investment an actor could make. I have felt richer and freer in my work, bolder, always making discoveries, breaking through boundaries. It's thrilling!

And that's where I feel like I'm at in my life. "Unlimited... my future is unlimited."

I am so thankful to be on this ride, and I'm ready to make the jump to lightspeed!

The Gift of a Performance

My honey and I were watching some old Ed Sullivan clips last night, and I swear it was like traveling back in time. There were the Beach Boys, The Doors, and Sly and the Family Stone. These were bands my parents grew up with, and then my brother and I discovered them. That had to make my parents laugh, hearing us groove to tunes they'd rocked out to as kids.

My friend, Tina, blew my mind by telling me she'd actually SEEN Sly and the Family Stone live, as well as The Grateful Dead, Arlo Guthrie (whom I don't know, but you can bet I'll check him out!), James Taylor and Carol King. Can you imagine seeing all these people perform live? I'm still simmering from the performances I got to see on PBS last night!

And this whole thing has reminded me of how incredible art and music is, how it moves us and inspires us and pulsates with this great sense of sharing. Generations can be bridged! It's too cool. And it inspires me to press on, to find my freedom and expansion and joy in my art.

I tell ya, watching Sly and the Family Stone rock out with such unbridled jubilation... it made me want to go there and Dance to the Music! :)

Follow your bliss! Groove with your muse!

"Dig the life fantastic."

I saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox yesterday, and I'm still grooving with it.

Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors. His films are always so layered and a delight to visit (and re-visit) - from the incredible color palettes of The Darjeeling Limited and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou to the emotional rollercoaster rides of Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums! I still need to see Bottle Rocket. :)

The Fantastic Mr. Fox was a wonderful adventure about family and community. Yes, it's about a family of foxes and their neighboring animals, but it struck me as so human, because Mr. Fox talks about why he is the way he is and how he doesn't "want to live in a hole anymore," that he's most alive when he's being true to his nature. There's also a great scene where he points out the strengths of all the other animals, and I just saw it as a great testament to recognizing each other for who we are and why we do what we do.

"Influenced in part by Le roman de Renard (1930) ("The Story of the Fox"), a stop-motion film by Russian animator Wladyslaw Starewicz based on the trickster fox of medieval European folklore. It inspired Wes Anderson to use the bristling textures of real animal hair, as well as sets and puppets of varying sizes." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432283/trivia

I really enjoyed the artistry of the film, and feel inspired as I embark on my own fantastic adventures.

There's a sense of artistry in every aspect of my life right now, from planning my wedding, to working on a solo show project (The 20 Monologue Challenge) and cultivating the cabaret I've been wanting to do, to nurturing the short film ideas that are bouncing around my brain.

This is an exciting time, and I am looking forward to enjoying each step of the way and celebrating each bountiful blessing of the harvest!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Fun Factor

Last week was jam-packed! In the midst of planning my wedding and hitting auditions, I went go-kart racing with my office-mates from my support job...

I also had a presentation to do for Karen Kohlhaas' Advanced Monologue Workshop. I tell ya, studying with Karen has been so life-changing for me as an artist. The homework has been awesome!

This class focused on choosing monologues that got us out of our comfort-zone. Plus we looked at the business aspect of show business and had to come up with a game-plan for reaching daily/monthly/yearly and 2 year-goals.

I created a daily monologue and song workout and set monthly goals that included gym-time, nutritional goals, training, self-made-productions, and something I like to call The Fun Factor.

See, you have to have fun. Each and every day! Life's too short not to include Fun on the to-do list. Don't you think?

And actually, one of my best friends reminded me to incorporate this into my wedding planning as well. So I'll tell you what I've been doing that's been fun!

I loved trying on 10-20 dresses with my Mom in some little bridal boutique in CA. Imagine a tiny stucco shop in the desert - I think it was even near the railroad tracks - but they had absolutely beautiful dresses inside. Just goes to show: don't judge a book by its cover!

Mom and I had a blast looking through the gowns, which were all top-quality, but nothing really called to me as THE dress, so for fun we went to our favorite thrift store, The Assistance League. It's wonderfully clean and they always get great things in.

Well, don't you know they had a wedding dress and train that they had just received! It was pristine! Not a mark on it! In fact, my designer believes it was used as a prototype for other gowns because of how it was put together.

The gown fit really well in the bodice, and the rest could be easily tailored, and the price was beyond right, so my mom quickly snapped it up for me. Thanks, Mom!

And everyone in the little shop went wild with cheering that a bride had found her dress at their place. It was a really neat moment.

Then my sweetheart's co-worker, Annamarie Ferrando, offered to assist with altering the gown. She's a ballroom dancer, a la Strictly Ballroom, and she's been refashioning gowns for a long time! So she took on this project with glee and has absolutely transformed the dress! I hesitate to show too much of it here, because I want my honey to be surprised when I walk down the aisle. :)

Annamarie and I had a blast running all over midtown Manhattan this weekend in the misty rain. She took me to all the sewing shops, and we found almost everything we needed: gloves, veil; I bought shoes earlier in the week, and I really enjoyed going to places I'd never been to before, finding all sorts of beautiful treasures. I swear, Manhattan is magical, because just when you think you "know" this city, it opens up another door and says, "Look what else I can show you!"

The other fun stuff? The cake:

It's based on this design, and it's a TOTAL CHOCOLATE EXTRAVAGANZA!!! :) We met the cake-maker, Pam of PamKakes, whose shop is in McAdoo. I just love saying that! McAdoo! What a great little town. And Pam herself is lovely!

The other cool stuff: Rob being with me 100% of the way, showing such love and support and his usual sense of humor. We've laughed a lot, and that's been key. It's really kind of a testament to how well we work together.

So yeah! I'm having fun! :) Hope you are too!

Wedding Wows

The Fall is always a busy time for me. Usually I'm in the midst of juggling shows, and while I've been busy with readings, auditions and acting classes, this year is especially exciting because I'm planning an event that is incredibly close to my heart: my wedding.

My sweetheart, Rob, has been awesome about helping me with it. It's such a testament to how we always do things together - with a sense of adventure! So welcome to our wedding adventure!


On Friday we went to get our marriage license. The building was plain and simple, but inside, there were books upon books filled with marriage licenses. It was kind of cool to think that we were adding our names to the book, so to speak.

Then we were off to meet the pastor, Reverend Jane at Faith UCC. She is a really cool pastor and I'm glad she'll be doing our wedding. The church itself is very welcoming and has a really nice vibe. We've been to many events there, including Rob's sister's wedding, and it's going to be decorated so beautifully for Christmas. I'm absolutely delighted that I'll be walking down the aisle surrounded by poinsettias and pine.

Then we met with the florist and were also able to squeeze in time at our favorite jewelery shop, Fellin's.

This place is so beautiful and the staff is wonderfully helpful and friendly. Rob bought my engagement ring there and has given me many other little treasures from Fellin's over the years. It was neat to shop for our rings together, and we found exactly what we were looking for!

We also visited Pam at Pamkakes. Rob's sister Lani recommended her to us, and her cakes look amazing, so even though we ordered our cake with her last month, we still wanted to drop by to say hello!


And we met with a wonderful photographer, Tom Probert (tap1digital@verizon.net), who's starting his second career, doing what he's always loved to do. We'll be his third wedding, and his pics looked great! I'm very happy we'll be adding to his portfolio and he'll be helping us out by capturing some special moments of the day.

It's been so cool how everything for this wedding has just fallen into place. My brother-in-law remarked that it took them 2 years to do what we'd done in two days, so Rob and I felt pretty good about what we'd accomplished!

We're just so thrilled that there have been so many green lights along the way. And I am wonderfully warmed by all the love and support from our friends and families.

Looking forward to the rest of the adventure!