Halloween For (not quite) Grown Ups

Happy Halloween!

Personally, I have always loved Halloween. Fall is my favorite season, people give you free chocolate, and you get to play dress up! It's always been a blast. Even through college my friends and I have dressed up and made an effort to celebrate Halloween with our inner children.

This year, however, I wasn't sure how Halloween would go. Luckily, my cast likes to do crafts and play dress up as much as I do, so I was not disappointed.

We decided that we should be the Golden Girls for our Halloween rehearsal!
Thank you for being a friend...

Later that night we got ambitious and carved Disney Princess pumpkins! 














Mine was Belle, of course!

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

The Next Adventure

Life here in Rock Island is off to a very busy start!

Photo credit: Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse

I arrived in Illinois on the 23rd and began rehearsals with the cast right away! This cast is wonderful already. Everyone is older so there's no drama and the dishes are always done. The show has an audience on November 6th (that's nine days away!) and we've actually made quite a lot of progress in the short time we've been here!

Photo credit: Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse

Above are pictures from the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse Facebook page taken on the first day of rehearsal! There are ten kids in the show and they are so sweet and talented, albeit rambunctious!

The adults, including myself, all live in the Actor's House together, which is basically a gateway to practical jokes, late night laughs, and quick friendships. It's been a blast so far! I'm looking forward to more pictures of costumes and adventures to come!

More to come,
Meghan

Monday Music: Foy Vance

For fear of killing you all with my girly country Music Monday last week, here is a new artist with a completely different sound.

This Music Monday is dedicated to Foy Vance and his new album Joy of Nothing.

I first found Foy Vance on Amazon MP3's Artists on the Rise. If you have never enjoyed the beauty of Amazon's MP3 site, prepare to be amazed. He had a free download of his song "Closed Hand, Full of Friends." I fell in love at first download, went directly to Spotify and found the whole album. 

Foy Vance is originally from Ireland but grew up in Oklahoma. He has been said to be  similar to Van Morrison and Tom Waits, but he definitely makes his own sound. He has toured with Ed Sheeran, and you can totally tell. In fact, the two sing together in the song  Guiding Light on the Joy of Nothing.



So go check Foy Vance out on Spotify, grab his song off of Amazon, and enjoy this up and coming artist.

More to come, 
Meghan

Music Monday: Jana Kramer

So I thought I'd start a few "regular" things to add to the blog!

Today, I want start a "Music Monday" to encourage myself to keep discovering new music instead of listening to my favorites on repeat. (Although, I'll probably share some of those too!)

Today's Music Monday is dedicated to up and coming country artist Jana Kramer!

Jana is quickly becoming one of my new favorite female country artists. She's a mix of Jo Dee Messina, Carrie Underwood, and Dixie Chicks. She is definitely country, with some undertones of pop.

She began her career on One Tree Hill, but debuted her self-titled album in 2012. If you've heard her sing, you've probably heard the song "Why Ya Wanna." However, her song "I Hope It Rains," although very Taylor Swift, is slowly becoming one of my favorites. Jana also won the Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Female Artist in 2013.

I saw her in concert recently, at the Fryeburg County Fair in Fryeburg, Maine. She killed this concert. She sounded exactly as she does on her recordings, and I commend her for that! On top of her songs on her most recent album, she debuted some songs, as well as singing some crowd favorites including Katy Perry's Teenage Dream and Jo Dee Messina's Bye Bye.

Jana began recording a new album in September, and I'm looking forward to it! She also posted this awesome quote on her instagram a few days ago, and I really loved it.

Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @kramergirl! 

Enjoy!

Meghan

Saying Goodbye to New Hampshire

It is officially my last full day in New Hampshire without shows. I am surprised at how quickly my time here has dwindled, and I'm kind of sad to see it go, too.

I spent my morning packing up my car so I wouldn't have to do it over the weekend (also so I could know if all of my things could actually fit in my car) and my room is now empty except for the few things I will need for the shows this weekend.

Now, I am sitting at Starbucks rewarding myself with a Pumpkin Spice Latte and enjoying one of my last days looking at the White Mountains. (Joni Mitchell's "All I Want" just came on. Perfect.)

But, it's time for the next adventure. It's time to try my hand at the midwest and to do a full length musical for the first time in a long time. According to the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse Facebook  the kids have already begun rehearsals! I can't wait to arrive in Rock Island and have a show already being put together. It is going to be an exciting rehearsal process and a great run, I can feel it!

For now, I am off to the outlets. I can smell a Columbus Day sale all the way from here.


Goodbye, New Hampshire. Hello, Illinois.
Meghan

Flume Gorge

This morning Nina and I woke up and decided to travel to Flume Gorge!

Flume Gorge is a walk through granite walls, over water, up and down steps, at the base of Mount Liberty. Here's a picture so you have an idea:

I think my favorite thing about Flume Gorge is how it was discovered. The gorge was discovered in 1808 by a 93 year old woman named Jess Guernsey. First of all, I cannot imagine living in New Hampshire in the mountains in the 1800's. Second of all, I cannot imagine being 93 and living in New Hampshire in the mountains in the 1800's! Anyway, Jess had gone fishing, alone, and happened upon the gorge. When she went back to tell her family and friends, they didn't believe her! She finally got them to see the gorge and they were shocked- wouldn't you be? I was surprised and it's 2013! Initially, when the gorge was discovered, there was a giant boulder between the walls. 

If the boulder were still in place, it would have been over my head in the picture to the left, but in 1883, a huge rainstorm came and swept the boulder away. The rainstorm also created Avalanche Falls, a waterfall within the gorge.









It was stunning. The walk itself was short (especially in comparison to Mount Washington!) But it was a beautiful, cool, fall day and we enjoyed seeing more of what New Hampshire has to offer!

More to come,
Meghan

Portland, Maine

Today Nina and I ventured to Maine! I had never been to Maine before, but we took a trip all the way down to Portland to enjoy some sun and sea.

It was a positively beautiful day and we walked around for a bit and had lunch. We ate outside at this little restaurant called J's Oyster where Nina had the lobster roll and I had the haddock. It was absolutely delicious. I have this theory, about good seafood restaurants, where they should be a little run down with seats right on the water... You'll always see tons of people there, and that's how you know it's good. 

This sign was right outside the restaurant by the dock. It reminded me of my grandpa, because it sounded just like something he would say.

After a delicious lunch in Portland, Nina and I decided to do what we do best and visit the Freeport Outlet Mall, home of the Flagship store for L.L. Bean!

We were actually a little in shock as we pulled up to the outlets. L.L. Bean had a separate store for all of their products: Flagship, Home, Hunting and Fishing, Bike, Boat, and Ski, and, of course, the Outlet. All of the stores except the outlet are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So, you know, if you find yourself in Freeport, Maine in the middle of the night, now you know where to go! Last minute Christmas shopping on Christmas? L.L. Bean has your back!

All joking aside, it was like the mecca of the catalogues I have seen my mother get my entire life.

Nina and I on the L.L. Bean boot!

Hope you are all enjoying your own life adventures!

Meghan