DAY 30. FINAL DAY... WOW! Speechless.

“Life lived to help others is the only life that matters.” - Ben Stein
"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." Joseph Campbell
God Bless all those serving in the military, and/or have lost someone they love who died serving our great country, and/or are a member of a military family.  "To those who gave all, you are never forgotten." 

DAY 30... CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S HERE... I am so glad I did this challenge.  I honestly didn't know if I'd pull it off... but once I really got into it and committed to it, it got addicting.  Tomorrow night, I'm so going to want to blog.  I almost photographed my healthy wrap sandwich today just because I'm a total NERD! 


OK so seriously, first things first.  First, I went for a stroll this morning to view a bit of my towns local Memorial Day Parade & service.  Said a lil prayer and such. 


THEN, it was time to get down to business...

DAILY VOCAL PRACTICE: 45 minutes... I did 8 of my favorite warm-ups... and I'd like to quote Kurt again on my favorite part of his cd... "Wow, that sure is a lot of vowels!"  Then, I sang through "Breakway" "Once Your Lose Your Heart" and my audition cuts of "It's My Party" and "Maybe This Time"

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #20!!!:  6:15pm Tap with JILL (Germaine Salsberg's sub).  Germaine I hope you are feeling better soon!!!  Jill you are awesome! 

BEFORE OUR FINAL CLASS... Rachel (fellow challenger) and I took a VICTORY SHOT! 

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #19: 4:30pm BALLET with the lovely DORIT KOPPEL, she is just the sweetest lady around really! 

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #18: 2:30pm JAZZ with DEBBIE WILSON... ok... Debbie is SO FUN!  I can't believe it was my first class with her.  I love her style, her positive attitude and her fun choreography.  I will be back Debbie.  =)  (pictured with fellow challenger Setsuko, left, Debbie, middle and me, right).

***I did more this month than I had done in a year... and I'm so grateful to all the teachers, performers and fellow challengers that were so supportive and nice (even about taking sweaty pics after classes).  It really helped me get less shy about talking to teachers after class and not just whispering 'thank-you' and bolting.  ***I have always loved doing charitable deeds... yet, in doing so much research on them this month I know lots of things I'm going to do this summer that I didn't know about before that I'm excited about.  ***Also, my breakthroughs in voice lessons with Kurt this month felt awesome.  In the fourth one I got emotional and said "I really have practiced everyday this month..." and Kurt said, "I know you have, I can tell" and it felt so good... knowing how quickly I grew from the hard work.  I know that if I can keep fitting in lessons here and there along with the dance classes; I will see the results in my auditions that I always wanted.  ***Oh and from recording my first demo, I conquered my own mini milestone and will be heading back to the studio this month to record tracks with my friend Christian for an album he is working on.  SO FRIGGIN COOL! 

So, as I sign off tonight, I'd like all my fellow challengers to know...

"It is not the position where you are standing, but which direction you are going." - Oliver Wandell

KEEP MOVING FORWARD EVERYBODY!  You are all amazing!!!   

Thank you Kurt Robinson, Kelly King, Sean Michael Murray, Tim Hanson, Kristen Buckels, Bradley, Christian Thomas Sutter, Sheila Barker, Chio, Debbie Wilson, Dorit Koppel, Ray Hesselink,Jim Cooney, Leslie Feliciano, Germaine Salsberg, Joy Karley, Alyssa, Jill, and Heather Riggs.  And to my friends and bridesmaids who didn't see me much lately.  And my amazing fiance Michael for all his support of me finishing this challenge from Day 1!!!  MWAH!  XOXO, LOVE LOVE LOVE! 

DAY 29

"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears." ~ Les Brown

VOCAL PRACTICE: 1-2hours: I sang the whole car ride home last night (1am-2am) but just in case that doesn't count... I just sang for another 30 minutes.  I am singing along with Kelly and Kurts cd now actually.  SO, by the time I'm done it will be an hour.  Later, I am gonna go through my audition book and re-organize and such.  Songs worked on: "Once You Lose Your Heart" and "Everybodys Girl"

Looking forward to tomorrow... MONDAY the last day!  I plan on attending a Memorial Day Parade and then heading to BDC to dance my last 3 classes for the challenge requirements away.  YAY!!! 

OK, but last night was awesome!  REALLY! 

I was so honored to be a small part of a big thing.  Fellow challengers and some of the most talented and nicest professional NYC singers & dancers performed in the lounge of New World Stages and raised money for the Japan Relief Fund! 

MY LIVE PERFORMANCE: I sang "Home Again" by Carol King.  It was actually my first time singing a solo with a microphone. 
I was so nervous, but it was an amazing experience and the support in the room was incredible.  What got me through it was knowing why I was singing it... not only for the charitable cause, but for my fiance who is far away from home in the military.  He is the reason why I picked this song to record and perform for this 30 Day Challenge. 

My amazing voice teacher and friend Kurt Robinson... before the show.  Thanks for organizing everything, KURT, KELLY, KRISTEN and BRADLEY.  I WAS SO GRATEFUL for the opportunity!!! XOXO 

Fellow challenger and buddy Brandon.

                                                ME ON-STAGE

LOVELY LADIES THAT DANCED!  On that itty bitty stage... amazing!

AND I SAW AN OLD PAL THAT I'VE DONE REGIONAL THEATER WITH, DANIEL!  YAY!

SUPER COOL FINALE.  SEASONS OF LOVE

THEN, I STAYED TO WATCH KELLY KING AND MARTY CUMMINGS PERFORM... AMAAAAAAAAAZINGLY BRILLIANT PEOPLE... AND SERIOUSLY SO NICE. 

VIEWING A NEW YORK CITY PROFESSIONAL LIVE VOCAL PERFORMANCE

Honestly, Marty is just fabulous... what a personality!  Hilarious.  But can really sing too!  And Kelly King, wow... she has a gift, her voice is in the likes of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston (before she was a hot mess)... REALLY, at the kick-off event, Kelly sang for us and then she told us how awesome we were for wanting to do the challenge in the first place.  I was so inspired by her that I just knew I had to give the challenge a real good try.  I'm so glad I did.  Last night she sang all kinds of stuff in her show with Marty and really, I just can't say enough how amazing she is!  But even with the ridiculous amount of talent she has, she is such a warm and easy-to-talk to person.  She is truly beautiful inside and out.  Thanks for being so great Kelly.  I wish you all the success in the world!   

DAY 28

"Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back." - Plato

VOCAL PRACTICE: 30 minutes... warmed up... and working on "Home Again" now, as I blog, for tonights performance at the Japan Relief Fundraiser concert. 

MY LIVE PERFORMANCE... tonight... it's for a great cause... I just hope I make it to sound check on time. 

CHARITABLE DEED #5: will donate to Japan Relief Fund tonight.

I will post pics in tomorrows blog of the concert, as I know I won't be home before midnight tonight... so, this blog is just for staying in the game.  =)

DAY 27! Holy COW!

‎"To change one's life:
1. Start immediately.
2. Do it flamboyantly.
3. No exceptions."
~William James

VOCAL PRACTICE: 40 minutes... Did about 15 minutes of goos, gees, meows, slides, and scales... THEN, I sang "Home Again" 8 times... I played with the ending a lot too... for tomorrow's performance.

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #17 6pm-7:30pm JAZZ/FUNK with the super cool CHIO! 

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #16 4:30pm-6pm BALLET with the lovely DORIT KOPPEL!

 

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #15 2:30pm-4pm JAZZ with HEATHER.  So FUN!!!  So sexy!!! 

 AND MY LEGS ARE TIRED!  nighty night. 

DAY 26

"Danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high & falling short; but ...in setting our aim too low & achieving our mark." - Michael Angelo

OK... Vocal Practice: 45 minutes, warmed up for audition and lesson.

VOCAL LESSON #4!!!!  One hour with Kurt.  Some big breakthroughs today, songs: "What I Did For Love," "Once You Lose Your Heart," and "Home Again"

AUDITION: Pioneer Theater season EPAs, 16 bars of a song and one minute monologue.  "On the Other Side of the Tracks" and my Peaseblossom bit from Midsummer.  ALSO, picked up my new AEA card (paid my dues)... saw my friend Rita and she snapped this for me...

TRIED TO ENJOY CRAZY TIMES SQUARE ON A BEAUTIFUL DAY BY BEING A TOURIST FOR A MINUTE...

HEALTHY MEAL #26:  OK, bonus meal... I missed one pic for meal #11 so I figured I'd make up for it with a pic of my sprouts, avocado, tomato, carrots and cucmber sandwich on whole wheat.

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #14 6:15pm Tap with Ray Hesselink

FITNESS BDC CLASS #13: 5pm TAP WITH GERMAINE SALSBERG and fellow competitors

Fianlly, WOW... ok, major shoutout to the following people who got me through today... Kurt Robinson thank you for the pep talk!  You have been an inspirational teacher and friend of mine for a long time now.  So grateful!  Sylvia Kolb (fellow challenger & buddy) for making me take an extra tap class today, she is such a sweetie.  And my fiance Michael for all his support this month with my busy business.  Thank you... Final 4 here we come...

And the lovely people I ran into today that lift my spirits... Tara!  Sara!  Rita!  YAYYYY!  Love to all.  Good night. 



DAY 25... Alive... Ahhh, crazy dayzzzzz

"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead."
— Charles Bukowski

That quote couldn't be more accurate for how I'm feeling today, CRAZY!  And I'm so grateful for this challenge because it is teaching me a lot about myself.  Five days left to stay alive.  =)

VOCAL PRACTICE: 30 minutes (15 in the morning and 15 in the evening... in my car, with Kurts cd)  people must think I'm nuts on the highway.  I sang through "Home Again" twice for this weekends performance.  Which, I might do with a track, but my friend Drew might be able to join me on guitar... we shall see if we can get that together.

AUDITION: (non-challenge audition)... my commercial agent sent me out today for a Chase Bank commercial.  It went well, and so I snapped a happy post-audition face pic of myself... strange, crazy, ME

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #12: BALLET 4:30pm-6pm with Dorit Koppel.  I knew I'd be in a rush so I snapped a pic towards the end of class with no flash. 

HEALTHY MEAL #25!  DONE!  thank goodness... Grilled Chicken, broccoli, and a big slice of tomato.  The pill is my vitamin B complex... trying to drink more H2O these days as well. 

DAY 24... 6 more

"Where there is a will, there is a way"

Woke up at 6:15am to get to work from north NJ for 9am-2:30pm... I said, heck let's keep going with the challenge! 

VOCAL PRACTICE: 30 minutes.  Did about five of the exercises on Kurts cd and then sang some of my audition cuts including "Another Suitcase"

VOCAL COACHING with Tim: 30 minutes.  Worked on "Home Again" and "Where Am I Going" 

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #11 Hip-Hop with Alyssa who subbed today for Leslie Feliciano.  She has an awesome personality and great energy. 



HEALTHY MEAL #24: Veggie sushi... almost ate it all before I remembered to take a pic.

HEALTHY MEAL #23: SALAD... romaine chopped with black olives, chickpeas, grilled chicken, almonds, tomatos and cucumbers and balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

I have some much needed sleep to get to now... looking forward to Day 25. 

DAY 23 YIPEE!

“As we grow spiritually, we see the perfection of all life.”
–Louise Hay

VOCAL PRACTICE: 30 Minutes... warmed up quick... had to take it easy cuz my voice seems stressed from the crazy weekend with the kiddies.  Sang thru "Home Againg" "Clara's Dancing School" and "Nothing Really Happened" so I'm ultra prepared for my coaching with Tim tomorrow. 

First, had to do some office work at my awesome office job. 

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #10 THEATER DANCE with JIM COONEY... SO FUN!!!  Pictured with Jim (center) and 3 other fellow challengers! 

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #9 AdvBeg JAZZ with the fabulous SHEILA BARKER, and she is so awesome about the pic things but she said no more after today, lol... she said she would sign something to prove I was there from now on.  HAHA... love her! 

FITNESS: BDC CLASS #8 STRETCH CLASS taught by LENORE today.  Pictured with Lenore (center) and Sylvia (left) a fellow challenger & buddy! 

DAY 22! phew!

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." ~ W. Churchill

VOCAL PRACTICE: 40 minutes total... did some scales and sang through my songs that are audition ready now, "It's My Party," "Other Side of the Tracks" and then did some work on "Once You Lose Your Heart" which is from me and My Girl, one of my all-time favorites and the first Broadway show I ever saw.  It's a little more soprano and legit for me, but it's coming along now that I've been practicing so much. 

HEALTHY MEAL #22 LUNCH: Chicken wrap, pasta with roasted veggies, potato salad on romaine (healthy back-stage catering... YAY!  So grateful!)

HEALTHY MEAL #21 BREAKFAST: Kashi, skim milk, banana and a greek yogurt

More recital madness today... 11am and 3:30pm shows... WENT GREAT!!!!!!  I am so proud of all my students.  And congrats to Jenn and Pat on another great year owning their very own studio!  Good luck to all the 'seniors' who hopefully will keep dancing in college!!!!!!  Great weekend.  SO TIRED! 

I'm looking forward to planning out my week.  I have a coaching with Tim Tuesday and my 4th lesson with Kurt Thursday... hopefully, I'll be performing this week, seeing a show, and I'm looking forward to attending a fundraiser Tuesday night for The American Bard Theater to see some old pals and do another good deed.  I'm going to figure out my dance class schedule for the week now!  Only have 3 more healthy meals to photograph!  HAHA!  LOVE IT!  It's gonna be a BUSY week. 

DAY 21

DAY 21

“You may as well memorize this sentence now: If it’s to be, it’s up to me.” – Wendy Robbins

VOCAL PRACTICE: 30 minutes... JUST finished.  Sang through my performance piece options twice each... "Nothing Really Happened" "Where Am I Going" and "Home Again."  I'm glad I had time to sing through them tonight when nobody else was home. 

2 RECITALS today... Not part of the challenge, but spent the entire day there helping things run smoothly.  And we have 2 more tomorrow, hoping for equal success.  My little cameo appearance with the dads was hilarious and so much fun.  I'm posting a rehearsal video for you all to see the funnyness.  LINK BELOW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96kljwUrnus

Life at the recital today... as Miss Lauren and all my little joyful future stars!

DAY 20

DAY 20:  "Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success." ~ Swami Sivananda

VOCAL PRACTICE: one hour.  Warmed up, worked on "Someone Like You," "It's My Party," and sang through "Home Again" and "Nothing Really Happened."

OFF TO DANCE RECITAL DRESS REHEARSAL NOW!  WOOHOO! 
http://www.thedancersedge.com/

CHARITABLE DEED #4 WOW... the one thing I was intimidated by when I decided to do this challenge was record a demo!  But now that i've done it, I feel so fulfilled.  I accopmplished something that to me seemed impossible.  Now it has turned into something so much more.  To get the demo online, Bradley reccomended making a slideshow... then a lightbulb in my head went on and I knew what I'd do.  I picked that song for someone so I made the slideshow for them too... AND then I realized I could plug my friends charity in it too!  http://www.honorvet.org/  NOW, I have a music demo and video.  It took some time, not gonna lie.  But figuring something like that out and growing so much in three days is not challenging, it's rewarding!!!  http://youtu.be/p8XNIStlDz0

DAY 19!

‎Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I Was 18: #4 - "Explore new ideas and opportunities often. Your natural human fears of failure & embarrassment will sometimes stop you from trying new things. But you must rise above these fears, for your life’s story is simply the culmination of many small, unique experiences. The more unique experiences you have, the more interesting your story gets. So seek as many new life experiences as possible & be sure to share them with the people you care about. Not doing so is not living." ~Marc & Angel Hack Life

VOCAL PRACTICE: total time 45 minutes.  Warmed up for 20 in the morning and then did another 25 minutes tonight.  I worked on some songs I'd love the chance to perform.  Including the one I recorded, "HOME AGAIN;"  Also worked "Nothing Really Happened" by Craig Carnelia for the acting moments. 

PRIVATE ONE HOUR VOICE LESSON #3 with KURT. 

HEALTHY MEAL #20!!!  A good ol' SALAD from PAX.  YUM.  Had to eat it fast at the office and do some work today too.

AS I RUCK-MARCHED through the city today...

I then, left work and headed back to JERSEY for...

CHARITABLE DEED #3 DANCE RECITAL REHEARSAL with the "DAD's" of our students.  They have volunteered to perform one VERY hilarious number in the recital this weekend and I have the pleasure of working with them.  I also get to make a little cameo on stage myself.  WHAT A GROUP (as you can see...)!!! 

AGAIN, I gotta thank my fiance.  He is so supportive of me surviving this challenge.  He is currently stationed in Germany... I miss him terribly every day.  BUT one thing I've been learning this month... is that when you really know somebody has your back... it's much easier to come out of your shell.  ~NUGGY LC



Day 18.

"Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." ~ Napoleon Hill

OK... today after work, I headed to BDC for the 'half-way thru' meeting for the challengers to check-in on stuff.  I am so glad I went, it cleared up a lot.  And now that I have a demo... Bradley gave me a super cool idea on how to make it more of music video... I will be excited to share the whole song that way.  SWEET! 

THEN...

FITNESS: BDC class # 7 JAZZ with SHEILA BARKER!  I have been studying with Sheila for years.  She just makes me happy.  And her combos are so creative and really involve the whole body.  SWEATY and good times!

VOCAL PRACTICE: 30 minutes... thank goodness for kurts CD of exercises... for nights like tonight, I sing sing sing in the car.  Worked on "It's My Party"

Healthy Meal #19, Greek salad with chicken.

I put up a little bit of my demo recording session last night on youtube.  This is the link. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_OG3mSS6lw