How to Love Moe?

My journey has continued a great deal, and I've been learning a lot... so why haven't I been blogging?? I have no idea...

I'm going to illustrate my thoughts today by telling a fictitious example story, because when imagining how to describe with he/she/them's I got really overwhelmed... :)

I have been friends, acquaintances, and even in deeply-close relationships with people like "Moe." Moe continuously goes through life expecting the worst to happen to him. Every day, saying that something awful will happen, and surprisingly (though not so much), it does! With these low expectations in life, one would expect Moe to be prepared and handle the hardships he asks the universe for well, however this is not the case. Moe is extremely shocked whenever life throws him a curve-ball, and *get this* blames everyone around him for his misfortune. It is a truly tragic story. Moe is unhappy. Moe chooses to stay unhappy. Moe makes everyone around him, strangers and loved ones alike, unhappy, and Moe cannot figure out why he returns, time and time again, to this miserable state of being.

Those who care about Moe can see this, but are completely helpless, because conditions like these can ONLY be truly resolved from within. Moe may find a good day, week, or few months in a new distraction, but the lack of true self-awareness, realization, and understanding will make any sense of happiness fleeting and unstable. The worst part about this is that in the process of hurting himself, Moe also hurts and pushes away all of the people near and dear to him. He lives a life of constant destruction, like the Tasmanian Devil, tearing through people (even innocent strangers) haphazardly, and ending up standing alone, in the middle of the bloody rubble, angry at his victims, and still completely clueless to his true problems.

We all have a little Moe in us from time to time, and I know we all know or have known and loved a Moe before in our journey. I haven't quite figured out how to handle the Moe's in my life yet. I truly believe that this is a lot of what I am meant to be exploring right now. The only conclusion I have right now is to continue to express love to them as best I can, without subjecting myself to their abuse. Unfortunately, I have a complete set of issues that directly clash with true Moe's, so I have a really hard time knowing how to handle them. One thing I do know is that everybody needs, deserves and desires love, and although Moe's don't express love well at all, they still need it. Love is about giving, and not expecting anything in return. When it is returned, that is true beauty, but even when it is not... it is good and right to love.

This is something I have to train and re-train myself over and over. It is so easy to get self-righteous and give up on people because they have wronged you and what-not, but true character is shown in the difficult times, not the easy.

love. love. LOVE.

♥AshPiece 

MY AFAA Group Fitness Certification Experience

It's official today! I am a Certified Group Fitness Instructor, and I'm so thrilled! I've been waiting until I received a yay or nay to draft this post. I'd like to share my AFAA experience to help others considering a certification!

So first of all, I read the ENTIRE text book... and that, I recommend. Whether or not you need it all in the exam, surely you want to be a good teacher, and it's all important information to know to embark on a fitness career. A couple months before the date, I made a commitment, signed up, and ordered the study materials. I wanted plenty of time to study thoroughly. You MUST push yourself though... it is a lot of material. Just ask my friends and family that watched me tote around a giant text book and study guide and read it at the pool and wherever we went all summer. :D

In the weeks leading up to the exam, I also did research on the practical portion and how the big day was going to go. I found some beautiful blogs that traced the entire experience from studying to receiving the certification in the mail, which helped put my mind and heart at ease, and really know what I was getting into. Here are a few of the blogs I found:

The Chic Life
Groupfit Power -most in-depth... but old so some of the links are broken, but this takes you to the main pg for all of the posts. There are quite a few going through everything.
Jackie's Health and Fitness

I found a few more too, and was picking them all apart to figure out exactly how to prepare and what was going to happen. The practical exam was the biggest area of anxiety for me... I knew I could do it, but I wanted to be prepared, and AFAA gives only basic info on what that portion entails. If I had to say one thing as advice for the entire day it would be: KNOW your muscle groups! I'd read this in the blogs, and glanced at the labeled guy in the study guide more often than the rest of it, but a LOT rides on that knowledge. I'd say a good 30-40% of the written exam questions stem around the muscles/science of the body, and there's that entire section of the practical, where they call a muscle group (10 total) and you are to demonstrate 2 strength moves and 1 stretch for that muscle group. Sounds easy but I got a little confused in the lower half and had to resort to squats - they work quads, hamstrings, and calves!

I was very fortunate to have an instructor that gave lots of information. She let us know that basically they are looking to see that you won't injure anyone, and know how to do everything correctly with safe alignment and progressions. She also went through the entire practical with us, so that I'd done my planned cardio routine a few times before the testing, and also the muscle groups and teaching portion once before. That helped me relax a bit! She also went through the study guide, and highlighted the important things to remember, which I think helped me ace the test, but I think that was only possible because of how thoroughly I'd studied the material. People who just walked in with blank study guides were the last to leave the exam room, scratching their heads and rocking back and forth.

Walking out of the exam, I couldn't imagine that I didn't pass. I felt extremely confident in my written, and besides a personal hiccup in my plan for the muscle part of the practical, I felt pretty confident that I'd met all of the requirements and performed everything well. 4 long weeks later, I opened the letter to find a brand new card for my wallet!!! YAY! My manager at the yoga studio/gym has expressed that as soon as I get the cert, he wants to start training me to substitute for his kickboxing class. So now begins the true adventure, the actual teaching part...


♥AshPiece

Being a "Yes-Man"

Street Team. That is my new title at Club H as a second job for free membership. It works out wonderfully! My days are full and I basically just stay an extra hour at the gym 4 days a week to hand out promo flyers. Little did I know that I would learn some valuable life lessons standing on the sidewalk in a screen wife-beater and shorts...

This job really heightens my people-watching skills. I notice trends: Most people have a knee-jerk reaction to say "no!" when, often times, they haven't even listened to what is being offered. These people seem angry generally, and inconvenienced that I'm offering them a free workout in 5 words or less.

This makes me think about my own life. When I've gone through patterns of constant knee-jerk "no," I tend to be living in a state of drowning and not asking for help/acknowledging that I want any help in my life. The thing is, we always need help! We can't do it alone! And who knows where something as silly as a flyer can take us??

I've now revised my methods and am trying to retrain my knee-jerk. I'm choosing to take the flyer/advice/assistance/whatever with a smile, then to decide what it's worth to me. If I really don't need it, I throw it away at the next bin and helped that person have a good flyer day (they are truly bi-polar). I mean seriously, people who say "oh I've already got a gym," why not try out another one for FREE? At worst, you take a fit class for free, then head back to your home gym with another style of teaching/learning under your belt and, oh yeah... A WORKOUT! Yeah... I hate it when I do good things for my body; please don't give me a coupon for a free workout. Really?

It's all perspective.. And I'm so thankful to be gaining a new one! Since then, I accepted a handout and had no clue what it was because the guy just kinda grumbled at me, although I understood the "thank you!" when I took it. It was a take-home menu and $2 giftcard for Blockheads! SCORE. All it takes is opening myself to the world and what it has to offer... And I've had a beautiful day all-around today. Giggled at a crazy-hilarious dog walking it's owner, took an awesome Zumba class, smiled at songs on my iPod, gave up my seat on the subway to a woman... I feel so FULL! Do yourself the favor: open up, and be a "yes!-man" You'll be glad you did!


♥AshPiece

Retail Therapy

I LOVE to shop. Right now, with my intense fitness kick, I'm in the market for quality fitness-wear and a good gym bag. All of the women in my family love to shop... and the September issue of Women's Health took away that tiny bit of guilt, and explains a little as to why we're so drawn to the activity. The little blurb on the health page of the issue says:

"Frequent trips to any kind of store could actually extend your life. In a new study, women who went shopping daily for 10 years--even if they didn't end up buying anything--were 23% less likely to die during that time period than those who browsed less often."

Women's Health Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

So grab your purse and hit the pavement! Just still be mindful of your personal finances (I know I am!!)... the best way to do that is to create quests. Shop around and do research for your important purchases. It will eliminate buyer's remorse, lessen your likelihood to make impulse purchases, help be sure that you get exactly what you want, and helps log those shopping hours for your HEALTH! Right now I'm doing that with the fitness gear and I've also had a few-month-long quest for the perfect pair of flat boots. I know that I can get along without these things for a while, so it makes the quest a fun shopping game! 

Shoppers: take your mark, get set.... GO!

Good Morning Starshine!

New York City is a magical place. This morning, I had some pent-up energy that I needed to release, and I've been tempted to run lately... so I went for it! I've been inspired by my little cousin, Suzanne, who just recently began basic training at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and also by my sister and her best friend, who've decided to run a 26.2 mi. marathon in October (they are blogging their experience: A-1: Getting a Marathon Done). By no means am I saying that I'm picking up running as a sport or main hobby, but I'd like to see if I can get to the point that my knees don't continually hurt every time I run. I took it easy, alternating between power walking, jogging, and light running, and I had a wonderful early-morning run!

Before I left the house, I equipped my nano with plenty of auditory nourishment (multiple options), and checked out the route I wanted to take. My roommate, Heather, has been clocking her distance by the elevator train, but I just didn't want to run along that... I would be instantly unmotivated! So, I chose to run to Queensboro park; to get there is about a mile from my apartment, and it is right on the East River. When I got there, I saw that the park is not the best-kept park in the city, but there is a nice figure-8 paved pathway, a playground, baseball fields, and a view of the city across the river. I didn't have my phone or anything on me to capture the moment, but let me give y'all an idea of this view from my pals at Google Images:

This is the best I could find of the view... I'll have to take my own photos later!

This is the biggest motivator that I didn't even think to expect. Here I am pushing myself, and when it gets rough, all I have to do is look over at the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings towering over this island that contains everything you could possibly dream or imagine, and I'm rejuvenated. I kept smiling... and I have always had a general distaste for running! Then, when I wasn't sure I could make a last lap, Empire State of Mind came on my ipod, and I actually chuckled at my city. I went at it for an hour, which I honestly didn't expect out of myself on the first go. I love this town, and I love how God is working with me to make my place here. I am truly blessed, and I can't wait to get back over to that park again!

♥AshPiece

Ch-ch-changes...

Lately I've been going through an identity crisis/time of change. I've been feeling God's pull in my life, and I'm working to stay open and vulnerable to His plan. I don't care what your profession is, adjusting to New York life, or life in any new place, is extremely taxing, difficult, and challenges one's character to the very core of your being. The only common key to this adjustment that I can find is to stay true and honest to yourself and work to remain open to change. I think the better you can face a change of heart, path, or destination, the easier time you will have of staying true to your heart.


♥AshPiece

Lovely Life Lessons from a Lovely Book

 This is an excerpt from The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, which I've been loving a lot! :) It's a wonderful story, and is told from the perspective of a young girl named Lily Owens. Here is a little part of the story that stood out to me, with some great life perspective. :D

"How come if your favorite color is blue, you painted your house so pink?"

She laughed. "That was May's doing. She was with me the day I went to the paint store to pick out the color. I had a nice tan color in mind, but May latched on to this sample called Caribbean Pink. She said it made her feel like dancing a Spanish flamenco. I thought, 'Well, this is the tackiest color I've ever seen, and we'll have half the town talking about us, but if it can lift May's heart like that, I guess she ought to live inside it.'"

"All this time I just figured you liked pink," I said.

She laughed again, "You know, some things don't matter that much, Lily. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the over-all scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart--now, that matters. The whole problem is--"

"They don't know what matters and what doesn't." I said, filling in her sentence and feeling proud of myself for doing so.

"I was gonna say, The problem is they know what matters, but they don't choose it. You know how hard that is, Lily? I love May, but it was still so hard to choose Caribbean Pink. The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters."

-Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life of Bees

Sunday Celebration of All That is Good

My church (Forefront) recently had an event that was called the Celebration of All That is Good, which was just a fun, creative celebration. People brought random items, pictures, and artwork that make them feel inspired, happy and blessed, and I'd like to do something similar for a little weekly boost and perspective!

Here's just a few for today! :)

**The way Xander loves to ride in the car with his head out the window!

Bath and Body Works' new scent, Country Chic, which I bought today, and cooking with fresh ingredients!

Yoga.

My Best Buddy, who I miss so much right now.

Happy Sunday Everybody! Enjoy the beauty of the world that we have been given today!

               ♥AshPiece

SPRING FEVER!!! :D

 

"Inspiration can bloom in spring... "                                      source

 

I have had this bug for too long now. It's about time for some warmth!! Spring is on the brain and on the horizon! I'm SO PUMPED for sundresses, central park, beach trips, picnics, flip flops, flowers, the beer garden, dog parks, sunshine, friendship, love, music, and COLOR! Play this video and scroll through my favorite spring pics that have me drooling and squealing! It's coming...!!

Plain White T's music video: Rhythm of Love

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 I love The Notebook... I know it's totally cliche to be a chick who loves this movie, but the whole lovers-falling-in-love story is absolutely precious, and Rachel McAdams' wardrobe is pure eye candy. This picture makes me happy :D

Springtime makes me want bags. Vera bags. I am giddy and must control myself...

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I can't stop thinking about nesting once I finally get my own room! The colors in this photo are so bright and cheery!

 

 

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Well... that's what I've got for today! Happy soon-to-be Spring!

♥AshPiece

 

 

WHEW!!

So after a month-long hiatus, I am getting back to my poor, neglected blog and am ready to go! Since I last posted, I closed my show in Georgia, went on a vacation to Colorado and Oregon for 2 weeks, and finally landed in New York City again, where I vacationed another week before kicking my settling-back-in into gear! Since I've been back here I got a new job (finally...), saw a couple of awesome shows, auditioned a bit, and really worked on settling in and getting used to the NY pace again.

With that being said, I am now in NYC, and I think that will take this blog someplace new. I have so much to discover in this city, and I'm thrilled to document it all and see where my little project can go! So come along on this ride with me, and enjoy!

♥AshPiece

Inspiration for Your Lovey-dove.

 

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This picture is just beautiful. It's such a romantic little nook... It's in places like these that people's hearts come alive and magic happens.

Here are some of my favorite romantic inspirations of the week... enjoy!

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I loved this year's winter Tiffany's ads! At work, I would look out at 41st st and see these ads on the bus-stops.  This photo soon became my computer's desktop pic. So precious.

♥AshPiece

iPhone App Fun

I took this picture on the way to the Atlanta airport the other day.. Pretty cool :D

I'm testing out my new iPhone app for blogging on the go! It's called Blogpress, and I read tons if reviews but now it's time for a test run!!

♥AshPiece

ADDICTION: Parenthood

I L♥VE this show.

I've always had a severe addiction to Gilmore Girls, and once I heard Lauren Graham was doing a new mommy show I had to check it out! There are so many things I love about Parenthood. The large family aspect is one of them; for those of you who don't watch it, this show is centered around one family (one set of parents/grandparents) with 4 children that each have kids and lives of their own. There are a lot of characters, but its not too difficult to follow. I love how the siblings, as adults, love and care for each other; it really reminds me of my wonderful relationship with mine. :)

The thing about this show is that it so beautifully touches on all of the wonderful, crazy, terrible, and beautiful things it means to be a family. I cry, sometimes multiple times, almost every episode... happy tears, sad tears... this show is just so charming, gut-wrenching and gorgeous. The episodes also have the most AMAZING soundtracks. If you haven't seen any of this show, it is a MUST SEE. It's on Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC, and the most recent episodes are on Hulu, and also NBC.com. I find that Hulu tends to work better in my browser... anyway, enjoy Parenthood!!
 
♥AshPiece


p.s. FUN FACT: Lauren Graham is dating her co-star Peter Krause (Six Feet Under) - they actually play siblings on Parenthood! ...weird?...

 

Elsie's ADORABLE Record Store Jumper

 

Today's treasure is this adorable jumper that Elsie of A Beautiful Mess designed in her first dress line for her store, Red Velvet...this is also her modeling it. I am SO in love with this fun, flirty dress, and I really want to get it when her line goes on sale March 1st! I love following her blog, so creative and fun! Check it out!

...in other news... I have named my iPhone Willow. So now I have Xander and Willow. Nerd Alert...

♥AshPiece

All About Character Shoes...

So I'm an actress... and I've seen too many people spend money on character shoes in all the wrong places (I've done it a lot too...), so I thought I'd gather the information that's floating around in my head and post it, so a new actress somewhere might learn from my and others' experience. This is my little post about my experience/knowledge with character shoes and what's good and what's out there!

Every professional needs a toolbox of important items to be prepared, professional and successful in his/her work. For an actress, especially a musical theatre actress, one of the most important tools is character shoes. They are a staple in theatre, from high school to community theatre to professional theatre. At the highest professional level, performance shoes are provided, but character shoes are vital for rehearsals, classes, and some performances. Especially for a dancer, having a GOOD pair of characters is very important, but who has $250 lying around for LaDuca's??

Source: Awesome Rockette Rehearsal Photos I Came Across--Great Inspiration!

As a performer, your body is your most valuable instrument. It is what you are selling, your character type, abilities, etc., every time you walk into an audition room, so you MUST take care of it. Bad character shoes destroy your feet; I know I've experienced it with bleeding heels and pain after only wearing them even a few minutes (CAPEZIO T-STRAP). Protecting your feet is worth the investment, regardless of whether performance is your hobby or your profession, and if you're doing this as your career, make it a priority to save for the right tools for your craft.

Height: If you are an adult, you shouldn't be wearing anything shorter than 2-2.5" heels. The 1" are not THAT much more comfortable and they make anyone's legs look stumpy and unattractive. the end.

Color: Preference, preference, preference... but you SHOULD have a pair of both tan and black character shoes just in case. I have both, but my good ones are black, so I rehearse in those and switch if the costume designer wants tan for performance. Tan ones make your legs appear longer, but black is sexier, especially if you're wearing dark tights or fishnets.

Style: Generally, a T-strap or cross-strap down the foot looks a lot prettier than the traditional Mary Jane style, but once again, this has to do with preference. I've seen some really attractive Mary Jane characters (like the Capezio ones in the height collage above), with a high, elegant heel, but for myself, I prefer a strappier shoe.
       Now, the T-straps that still come up around the arch of your foot, like the Capezio T-strap (the pair that made my feet bleed countless times), I find a lot less attractive than the open ones:

The open-sides do a lot more for elongating and beautifying the feet/legs, and allow for a prettier, more defined pointe and arch when dancing. The shoes pictured here are the Capezio T-strap and the So Danca CH57. Now Bloch and Capezio have also kept up with the open T-strap trend and each created more affordable options, but I find the lesser-known So Danca shoes a lot more handsome and comfortable. I own these as my tan pair (just wore them in Bye Bye Birdie).

Brand: The BIG question. I'm personally really unimpressed with Capezio as characters go, and I, like many, wore them exclusively until college because they are the Microsoft of dancewear. I've discussed this a bit already as far as the affordable brands go, and So Danca CH57 is my current favorite. I've now been through 2 pairs of them in both black and tan, and I've loved them. They are very comfortable, durable, and the best pair I've found among the affordable characters.

However, there is the giant trump-card of character shoes, and that is those made by the one and only Phil LaDuca. He makes nearly every shoe you see on a dancer's feet on Broadway and in the big movie-musicals (Chicago, Nine, The Producers, etc...). If you're interested in his credits and celebrity LaDuca-lovers, check out the LaDuca Shoes website. You'll be amazed.

Here's the story with LaDuca's:
If you are in musical theatre and are a dancer in serious training, you need them. If you are serious about theatre, and dance is not your forte, you should still get them if you can, but you may be able to get away with a cheaper alternative. Really, if this is your profession, there is no excuse not to have them. I got mine as a Christmas/Birthday gift my senior year, after doing a lot of research, and GOING TO A RETAILER to get fitted and try the different heights/styles on my feet. These are handmade, Italian leather shoes, and each style, and even heel height, may put you in a different size, and feel different on your feet, so you'll want to try on and feel each style. The sizing is also not your traditional American sizing, so you should find a retailer to help you pick your first pair.

There is a reason that these shoes are so expensive and so famous. LaDuca makes shoes for the dancer. They are intended for long dance rehearsals, classes, and performances. These shoes are no joke... In my 3" pair, I've survived 12+ hour rehearsal days in dance-intensive shows, and the only pain is from the fact that I was on my feet that long. They simply feel like an extension of my legs/feet, and if they fit right, you do not feel the shoe when it's on. With these, I have been able to ignore what's going on down at my feet, and really focus on my work. This is so incredibly valuable. I own the Black 3" Alexis (right), and I absolutely love them. I've now rehearsed 3 dance shows in them, and they've remained solid throughout. Best purchase ever.

So this is my take on character shoes so far... like anything, this is a journey and it's always changing! If you have more questions about LaDuca's, affordable options, or which shoes have failed me, don't hesitate to email me at AshPieceBlog[at]gmail[dot]com ! I'm writing this post for YOU... I really hope it helps someone! Have a fabulous day!

♥AshPiece

Here are my shoes that I use most, pictured in the 3 big dance shows I performed in within the past year:
1. Chicago (Roxie Hart) - LaDuca 3" Alexis
2. Guys and Dolls (Adelaide) pictured with my friend, Nastasia (Sarah Brown), who introduced me to the So Danca's (and my boyfriend, but that's another story...) :) - LaDuca 3" Alexis and So Danca CH57
3. Guys and Dolls (Adelaide) - So Danca 2 1/2" CH57
4. Bye Bye Birdie (Margie/Gloria Rasputin) - So Danca 2 1/2" CH57 - I rehearsed in the LaDuca's, but the costume designer wanted tan, so I switched once we got into costumes!

Newest Addiction.

Oh hello- guess what??

I FINALLY got an iPhone!!

Oh, It's so totally love.

Treasure: My KitchenAid Hand Mixer

 

For Christmas, I was overjoyed when I received my new empire red KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer. This shows that I am growing up ...ugh... but I finally got to take it for a first run, and I love it! I made a double-layer pumpkin cheesecake (I found the recipe on allrecipes.com last Thanksgiving), and it worked through the cream cheese and everything very well! I love my new toy! :)

♥AshPiece

Ash Piece's Gift Craft Tips

Hey y'all! I'm back from my short hiatus from entertaining my special visitors that came into town to see my show. Today, I thought I'd start sharing some of the crafts I did for Valentines day in a little list (I LOVE LISTS) of craft tips I came up with along the way!

1. Keep it personal: it shows how much you care when you really remember what you know about the person you are creating for! For my brother's family, I made this silly little cartoon of their little budding family.

2. Find a fun through line: for me this year, it was Peanuts!! I found these little cardboard cut-outs at Michael's, pulled out my glue gun, and went to town! I had a blast picking out each specific character for my friends!

3. Mix homemade and store-bought accents

4. Cardstock ROCKS.

5. Homemade gifts/greetings are ALWAYS better! It shows you were willing to give some time to this greeting, not just a couple of bucks in the Hallmark aisle.

6. Find creative ways to send your message: this year I used bananagrams letters and love the result!

7. Glitter is ALWAYS a good idea!

8. Take something completely random and beautify it to make it a treasured goodie: This year, I painted a small pizza box white and decorated it with hearts, pictures, and Peanuts comics. It became the gift box for Chuck's present!


That's what I have for today... coming soon: pictures of my gift for Chuck! It turned out really well I think and I'm excited to share! :)

♥AshPiece