Sunrise on Haleakala

One of the things I never got to do during my time in Hawaii was see the sun rise on Haleakala, an inactive volcano on the island of Maui. It was the last week on board for the cast, so they were dying to see the sunrise as well!

My alarm went off at 3am and I headed off to the gangway to meet my car full of adventurers! We kept each other awake until we got to the outlook on the top of Haleakala. Then we set an alarm and slept off the three am drive. 

Sleepy friends on a volcano.

Fun fact: It's actually freezing on top of a volcano, even in Hawaii. The elevation is 10,023 feet! This is definitely the most clothing you'll see on someone in Hawaii. (Except for maybe when it snows!)






The sunrise was not at it's best, but we made the most of an early morning and enjoyed the view nonetheless!

A Vacation In Hawaii? How Original! (Part 1)

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love surprising people. If I can feasibly pull off a great surprise, I go all out! (Check out part two of my surprise for my best friend Kathryn last year!) This surprise, however, was on a much bigger scale than I think I have ever done.

One of my favorite people from my time working on the Pride of America flew me out to Hawaii to surprise some of our friends onboard! First of all, what a surprise for me! How lucky am I to have such a wonderful friend? Kyle, you're the best! But more on that later!

Of course I couldn't turn down his incredible offer, so off to Hawaii I went!

When I landed in Honolulu, it felt like a dream. Most casts, and all passengers, arrive in Honolulu, Oahu when they board the Pride of America. However, I wasn't in my original cast, so I embarked in Kauai and missed this view!

Getting onboard was hilarious. As I walked with my carry-on luggage to board the ship, my best friend Alexa (one of the many to be surprised!) biked past me. I turned my back quickly hoping she hadn't seen me. She didn't see me, but my friends Andy and Justin sure did! They knew I was coming and helped me get onboard without Alexa seeing me! Thanks, guys!

I got through security, surprised a few more folks as I boarded, and then ran into the embarkation welcome party! On Norwegian ships, dancers and Cruise Staff work together to welcome people onto the ship. I was so fortunate that none of my friends were working, however, I was recognized by the other cast members!

The biggest thing to know about working on cruise ships is how close in proximity you are working and living with the crew. I liken it to living in the dorms your freshman year of college. It's a blessing and a curse, but at the end of the day you end up knowing everyone onboard better than you ever imagined. So, when you disembark the ship or someone comes to visit, you truly feel like you know them. Suddenly, someone who you may have seen in photos or on Facebook comes to life in front of you- and that's exactly what happened!

My new dancer friends promised to keep quiet until I could surprise my friends onboard at the Pool Party later in the day!

I got into Kyle's cabin and got settled. Then, I decided to surprise one of the most wonderful, caring, adventurous people I have ever gotten to work with, Vincent. Vincent, as you might remember, was a performer with me onboard the Pride of America last year. I had the absolute pleasure of getting to sing jazz standards with him every week in the Skyline restaurant. I knew if I wrote a lyric from one of our standards, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," on his whiteboard he would know I wrote it.

As soon as he saw it, he texted me, just like I suspected he would. I left Kyle's room and walked down the hall. I knocked on Vincent's door. He opened it, saw me, and shut it immediately! I wished I had recorded his shock, but I know I'll never forget it! I was so thrilled to see my Vincent after almost a year apart!

Next came the biggest surprise yet... The cast! But more on that to come!

XOXO,
Meghan

ps: Had so much fun updating you guys from my phone! What! More of that (and figuring out this Blogger app) to come! XO.

Puppy Love

This past Saturday my roommates, a few friends, and I went to Broadway Barks!













Broadway Barks is an event held in Shubert Alley every year to benefit local shelters and help raise awareness for pet adoption! It was founded by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore and has been going on for 17 years!

What a blast we had! We pet all kinds of dogs and ran into so many people we knew. It was so hard not to take them home!















Then, the main event! Bernadette Peters and the new Equity president, Kate Shindle, opened the 17th Annual Broadway Barks! A slew of Broadway performers came and introduced dogs. Andrew Rannells also stopped by and helped find some pups their new homes!

We had so much fun! And, bonus shot! Here's me with a Great Dane! He was bigger than I am! I only wish this lovebug could fit in my apartment!

Have a great week!
Meghan

Tangible Love

If you're a dear friend of mine you know one thing to be true: I love sending letters.

Real life mail is such a wonderful thing. Opening up your mailbox can feel like such a chore. If you aren't paperless, every time you open your mailbox it feels like bills come pouring out. Student loans, credit cards, utility bills, rent, cell phone, car payment- you name it, it's there.

But! What if we all started sending letters, forms of tangible love, that reminded you that someone took the time to think of you and focus on how important you are to them. It's not a text or a facebook message. It's not a snapchat that disappears in ten seconds. It is a surefire way to tell someone how much you care.

• It starts with the stationary. Personally, I love to buy all kinds of stationary. Michael's actually has awesome stationary in their dollar bins... win! I love deals like this because I never want to send the same card twice, and that way I can't get bored of the stationary I use either! You can also make stationary (I'm a big fan of watercoloring a card!) Or, find printables online!

• Next, get on Pinterest! (Check out my letter writing pins here!) And check out some awesome ways to address your envelope! Nothing surprises a friend, family member, or significant other like a well addressed envelope. It builds the excitement for this awesome treat!

• Now comes the best part! The actual letter! I'm a fan of starting out with how much someone means to me, how important they are in my life, and how much I miss them! Or, if you've created a correspondence with someone, try sharing an quote that spoke to you recently or reminded you of them. Next, ask some real questions that helps them know that you truly think about them. Allow yourself room to use your stream of consciousness and delve into exactly what you would ask if that person was right in front of you, catching up over a cup of coffee! Give them details about your life, too- things that you wouldn't post generally on facebook. If you write back and forth, be sure to answer their questions they asked you and respond to the details they shared last! Don't forget to sign it with an anecdote of time you spent together! If you're feeling really fun, throw a picture of the two of you together inside the card!

• Lick that envelope, stamp it, and put it in the mailbox! You'll be sure to get an awesome message from your friend telling you how great it was to hear from you- and, even better, you might get a letter in return! 

Sending mail is such a wonderful thing. I know that when I receive mail, I keep it forever! Nothing is more important to me than my friends who took the time to write me. Since my friends and I are always off adventuring in far off places, sometimes all it takes is a letter to brighten your whole day! Even a postcard does the trick!



But, keep in mind you don't have to send all of your mail off to far off places. Sometimes I write my friends in the same town! If we had a really wonderful day together or their having a rough week, I'm bound get out some stationary and send them a card. It's the extra mile that creates lifelong friendships.

So what are you doing? Go grab a pen and draft a letter to someone you love! It'll feel so good to spread some sunshine!

XO,
Meghan

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

What a blast this weekend was! As if the SoBro CrossFit Bronx Brewery Competition on Saturday wasn't enough, today I got to attend my first New York baseball game!

We had tickets for the afternoon Mets game against the Reds. The surprise though, was that because the game the day before had been rained out, we got to see a double header!




The game from the day before went to 13 innings! The Mets won 2 to 1. 

Our gorgeous view of Citi Field!

The second game was a huge win for the Mets, with a 7 to 2 win, and a record for Steven Matz! He became the first MLB pitcher to record four RBIs (runs batted in) in a debut! His parents were there and so proud! What a fun moment to witness!

Derek, Josh, myself, Alan, Amanda, and Jan!
Citi Field through the afternoon, evening, rain, and during Steve Miller!

I attended the game with some of my favorite CrossFit Queens friends. We had such a blast through the rain and sun! 

Steve Miller Band! Is this real life!?

Then, as if a double header wasn't enough, the Steve Miller Band performed! The Joker, Abracadabra, Jet Airliner, Keep On Rockin' Me Baby... So many hits and he still sounds incredible!

I'm so grateful to have such wonderful, adventurous, dear people in my life. Life could never be dull with these humans!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
Meghan

Battle at the Brewery

I have been looking forward to this Saturday because my best friend and a bunch of our friends from CrossFit Queens competed in the SoBro CrossFit competition at the Bronx Brewery.

The day was a little grey, but we didn't mind! My friend Jordan and I cheered everyone on as they ran, carried kegs, thrusted kettle bells, and killed wall balls and pull ups.

Then, my best friend Josh made it to the top six finalists! He did a chipper with 40 burpees, thrusters with a 55 pound weighted bag, 200 meter 190 pound sled, 200 meter run, and 1000 meter row. It was crazy and I did not envy that WOD (workout of the day) but I was so proud of him! He killed it and placed fourth!
















It was such an awesome day filled with people pulling off all kinds of impressive feats! 

Everyone worked so hard and I was jealous I didn't think to compete! So jealous even, that I took this picture with a kettle bell to represent my love of CrossFit!

Tomorrow I'm headed out to a Mets vs Reds game at Citi Field! New York, you never let me down.

XO,
Meghan

Remembering the Reason

Happy Memorial Day!

I don't have much to share with you today other than an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I am so grateful for all the men and women who have fought for my freedom so I could experience gorgeous days like today. I was so lucky to be in the sunshine in New York City with beautiful people from everywhere in my life. If you had told I would end up surrounded by these people, I never would have believed you.

Sending so much love to our military today, thank you for all that you do!

Girl's weekend!

photo credit: Nikki Williams

I could tell you about my fabulous weekend with my friend Nikki Williams (soon to be Costulas!!). But instead, I think I'll just share her already awesome blog post here!

New York with Nikki!

Check out Nikki's awesome blog Dream in Neon, her instagram, and her twitter!
Meghan

CrossFit (Or How I Joined a Cult)

One day after being frustrated from not seeing any progress from my gym time, I called my best friend. "Joooosh! I'm just so frustrated because it feels like I'm doing all of this work with no visible progress." To which Josh simply said...

"CrossFit."

Now, I know you're skeptical. I was too. Perhaps even more than most considering my dance background, but Josh reassured me. "Just try it."

Famous. Last. Words.

I stood up, brushed myself off, and dove in head first.

I was SO nervous about my first CrossFit class- I have no upper body strength! How am I going to lift barbells and do pull ups? As a competitive person, I was prepared to fight to the finish, but I had no idea what that entailed.

My first class was amazing. I had never felt so good after a workout. The box (CrossFit gyms are called boxes) was so welcoming and so helpful. Everyone wanted to do the work, no one was slacking off, and while it was competitive, everyone was so supportive of one another. I wasn't an individual at the gym anymore, I was part of a team.

Now, I clearly waited to post this, unsure if my initial reaction to CrossFit was just a rush of endorphins. But now, a month later, I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed working out more in my life! Ready to see some #gainz?

The difference for me was truly made when I woke up one morning and desired to be strong, not skinny. Fight for strong!



Stay humble,
hustle hard,
Meghan

Back to the Burgh

Remember in my last post how I shared about how wonderful RWS and Associates is?

Well, they're at it again!

Thanks to this incredible office of people, I had the absolute pleasure to drive down to my college town of Pittsburgh, PA for a performance and a visit!

I hadn't been back to Pittsburgh since I graduated, so I was truly jumping out of my skin to see this beautiful city I lived in for four years of my life.

In true RWS fashion, they teamed me up with two of the most wonderful people I have ever worked with! We learned our show in two short days, drove to Pittsburgh on the third, and performed on the fourth! Talk about a whirlwind experience. However, I made sure to get in all of my favorite, albeit touristy, spots on my Pittsburgh checklist.

As soon as we arrived in the burgh, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and drove through the Liberty Tunnel (You know that scene in Perks of Being A Wallflower?) to "dahntahn Pixburgh" for Primanti's sandwiches.

My Primanti's sandwich was comprised of freshly baked Italian bread, french fries, tomato, coleslaw, provolone, and sirloin steak! The classic!

Michael and Brittany were as in love as I first was with this sandwich! If you're ever in the Pittsburgh area, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

We went to bed early, however, because we had a show the next day! As much as it can be joked about, I love doing children's theatre. It's so magical to have children looking at you, so enthralled by your every word and movement. 

After the show we did some shopping, and I headed to meet one of my favorite dance teachers from college, Miss Maria Slutiak. This woman is a force to be reckoned with! She has four beautiful children and can teach anyone how to land a double pirouette. She's tiny, she's loud, and she has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen.




Eating my way through Pittsburgh! Primanti's, Pamela's, and Razzy!





Next stop, meeting up with one of my favorite people from college, Bucci! (Apparently he goes by Jonathan now, but I don't buy it!) We walked around one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill, and then we headed to our old college stomping grounds in Oakland for the best frozen yogurt I've ever had: RazzyFresh. I actually can't talk about it for too long because truly, nothing compares!










My last morning in the burgh was the cherry on top of a perfect weekend. I met up with Bucci again, but this time the one and only Ian Sulkowski met us too! We pulled up some chairs at Pamela's, ordered big breakfasts, and got caught up on everything we've missed. (We took some jogs down memory lane, too!)

Then I headed back on the road with my country music Pandora station and my windows down. I hope you all had beautiful weekends!
Meghan

Symbiotic Relationships with Manhattan (part one)

Sometimes, things just don't go your way.

I've always believed that New York City is a living organism. Remember when you learned about symbiotic relationships in Science class? (If you don't remember, symbiotic relationships are the interaction between two species.) There are multiple forms of these interactions, mutualism (both parties benefit), commensalism (one party benefits, the other is unaffected), and parasitism (one party benefits, but the other is harmed.)

At any time, I believe anyone in New York is having one of these three relationships with the city. This past week, New York City was my parasite, and I was it's prey.

It all began in one of my favorite places in New York: The Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. I love libraries, but this one is special. What an absolute wealth of knowledge for people who love the arts! So many of the things in this library (books, music, plays) are out of print, but here, pretty much anything is at your fingertips.

Kevin and I were going through sheet music looking for audition material when we found out we won the TodayTix lottery for On The Town. I went down the aisle to grab my purse and... Vanished! Someone had taken my purse in one of my favorite places in Manhattan. After a desperate scramble looking all over the library for my navy longchamp (I know!), I was in tears. Luckily for me, I had the most amazing group of people being good Samaritans and looking everywhere for me as I cried on the phone (which I still had, thank goodness) to my mom.

Then, out of nowhere, Kevin comes running at me with my purse. My cash had been taken, as had my cards, external phone charger, and metro card, but that was easily taken care of. New York had given me my first test as the host of a parasite, but not without a swift change in relationship.

Kevin and I missed our chance at our lottery tickets for On The Town. We were devastated. But after a few tweets, (Follow me! Follow Kevin!) the incredible team at TodayTix called me and offered me lottery tickets for the evening. So, after a dreadful day, New York still came through with a mutualistic relationship I can only describe as love.

Keep your belongings in sight at all times, and stay tuned for part two!
Meghan

Welcome, 2015!

Happy New Year, friends!

This past year has been such a whirlwind, but I'm so glad I've kept this blog to keep track of it all! Illinois, New York, Florida, Hawaii! What a year it has been!

I spent the day ringing in the New Year with my awesome parents, my best friend Kathryn, her husband, and her mom at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Because what else is a Florida girl supposed to do except go to a theme park?

Clearly, Kathryn and I had a blast. There's never a dull moment when we're together! There truly is nothing like starting off a year with your best friend.

I hope your 2015 is off to a great start! I'm off to watch some serious championship bowl games!

XO,
Meghan

I'll Be Home For Christmas

There's nothing quite like being home for the holidays. As dear Perry Como sang, "Oh there's no place like home for the holidays." Between you and me, I think he stole that line from Glinda in the Wizard of Oz, but that doesn't make it any less true!

I am so happy to have had the opportunity to be back in Sarasota for the holiday season. From seeing my kids perform in the Christmas Parade, to shopping with my mom and watching football with my dad, I really couldn't ask for anything more this holiday season!

Happy Holidays from the Sunshine State!
Meghan

Some Early Christmas Spirit

Tonight I had an absolutely classic New York experience.

I went with my roommates, Kevin and Connor, to see the window unveiling at Bergdorf Goodman.

The event was magical. Children sang Christmas carols, Broadway's Nikki M. James performed, White Christmas was honored, and the snowflake was lit on 57 and 5th.

Then, the magic moment! A year's worth of planning goes into this one moment, and it was well worth all the work! Check out these windows!



It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! (and Thanksgiving hasn't even come!)
Meghan

Falling in love with Fall

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love fall. Maybe it's the weather cooling off, everything tasting like pumpkin and cinnamon, or the leaves changing. No, it's all of those things! This Florida girl yearns for autumn all year round, so getting back into the city just as the leaves started changing was the greatest gift.



Although I didn't get to see fall from the White Mountains this year, I did get to spend time in Central Park soaking in my favorite season.
















Without further ado, go outside! Stop looking at my fall pictures and take some yourself!

With love and a Pumpkin Spice Latte,
Meghan 

Back to New York

Watching football on all the screens in Honolulu!

After a full day watching football in the Honolulu International Airport with friends and a long red eye flight from Hawaii, to Chicago, to New York, I am so happy to say that I am officially a resident of land and of the East Coast again!

Flying over Chicago!

My best friend, Kevin, because he's pretty much the greatest, met me at the airport for a very joyous reunion. I think I jumped up and down so much people thought I was crazy. But I am! Crazy happy to be back with my best friends in the city that never sleeps.

Reunited and it feels so good!

The initial rush of getting back to New York after a contract is always a blast. Connecting face to face with all of your friends is such a gift, and I'm so grateful for mine!

From the East Coast,
Meghan

The Boiling Pots

This past Tuesday in Hilo, Hawaii a few friends and I headed to the Boiling Pots. The Boiling Pots is a place located off of the Wailuku River, about a mile and a half north of Rainbow Falls. The Boiling Pots have their own falls, however, the Pe'epe'e Falls.

While this area can be dangerous while flooded, we made sure to go on a bright sunshine-y day! We swam through the first couple "pots" (pools created by lava flow!) until we got to where you can see the waterfall!

Meghan, Billy, and David before swimming to the falls!

Meghan pretending to be Ariel with Abe, the cliff post-mud fight, pre jump,
and Meghan and David swimming to the falls!

Abe was our guide, and we followed him out to the falls! (The Boiling Pots are Abe's favorite adventure spot in Hawaii!) We swam out, walked under the falls, had a big mud fight, and jumped off a cliff into the water! Then we coasted (Heel's Up!) back down the falls with the current. We were WIPED after, but what a blast!

After our day of adventure's in Hilo, we all went to a "family" dinner at the Skyline restaurant on board the Pride of America! I love these boys! I can't believe our adventure time is about to come to a close!

XO,
Meghan

  

The Road to Hana

Last Sunday a few of my friends and I rented a car, and ventured out on the Road To Hana.

The Road to Hana is a long winding road in Maui, Hawaii complete with an estimated 600 turns and 54 one-lane bridges. It is certainly an all day trip, complete with hiking trails, beaches, arboretums, and waterfalls. Needless to say, all of us were really excited to see the beauty Hawaii has to offer.

One of the first places we stopped was the Keanae Peninsula. There, we checked out the beach, climbed the rocks, and, my favorite part, walked through through the arboretum. The arboretum was filled with native trees and plants. The Rainbow Eucalyptus was a huge draw, and many people who were traveling to Hana stopped to check out these beauties.

This is the Rainbow Eucalyptus tree! (Or, Eucalyptus degulpta)

Once we were in the arboretum, we decided to walk down toward the water we could hear running below us. We took the "adventure is in the journey" theme of the Road to Hana to heart and hiked down the creek to get back to our car.









The greatest part of the Road to Hana is the waterfalls. There are so many of them, and most are just off the highway! Our first big falls that we stopped at along the way were the Upper Waikani Falls. Here, we decided to get a lovely family photo.

Left to Right: Chris, Myself, Sam, Michiko, and Trevor

Next stop, a black sand beach! We stopped in Wai'anapanapa State Park and enjoyed the Pa'iloa Beach views, and the rich history and legend of the land. 

Pa'iloa Beach from above, Lava caves, and the Pa'iloa shore

Waves crashing on lava rock on Pa'iloa Beach

Wai'anapanapa Park was stunning, and it took a lot of willpower for us to leave! But there was much more to see and only a few hours of daylight left!

Wailua Falls was our next stop. These falls were stunning, tall, and cold! We even got a chance to hike down the the base of the falls, swim around, and stick our feet in the water! It was gorgeous!






Last but not least, we stopped at Haleakala National Park. Here there are the Seven Sacred Pools, or the 'Ohe'o Gulch. The view here is beautiful, and when we arrived the sun was casting a beautiful light on the incredibly blue water. It was simply perfect. 

And, as if that view wasn't enough, we were blessed with a rainbow to complete our incredible day on the Road to Hana. 

Thanks for sticking around for all of this post! I know it was a long one, but I just couldn't imagine leaving anything out! All the photos were taken by me, with some assistance by the wonderful Trevor Rex!

More to come!
Meghan

An Early Morning in Waikiki

This morning my fellow cast member, Qiana, the ship’s personal trainer, Chris, and I got off the ship at 7am with bicycles and a craving for a good breakfast.




We biked our way out to Waikiki Beach in Oahu and found a wonderful restaurant called Hula Grill. I had the croissant french toast with fresh cut strawberries and a fresh fruit smoothie. It was delicious! I love eating breakfast, and the thirty minute bike ride to Waikiki made is taste that much better.

After we finished our breakfast, we walked along the beach for a bit before heading back to the ship. (Qiana and I had to do our soundcheck!) As we started getting closer to the ship, we happened upon a parade!

Hawaii is gorgeous, but it is mornings like this with exercise, great food, amazing views, and even better company that remind you that you are living in a place people call paradise.

Surprises Around Every Corner part 2

While receiving that phone call was a fantastic feeling, realizing that I would be living in the same city as my best friend, Kathryn, was so exciting.

As soon as I accepted my contract, I began plotting with her fiance. Fiance! Did I mention she gets married to a wonderful guy in a few short months? (Amazing!)

For so long I didn’t tell anyone about my contract or where I was going so I could surprise Kathryn. It was such a hard secret to keep! I wasn’t even home for Christmas this year, so seeing her was top priority.

Yesterday was the day. Gabe, her fiance, got her up for a nice breakfast out, he pulled into my new subdivision to “turn around” and surprise! Best friends united at last!

After breakfast at First Watch (Floridian French Toast, what’s up?!), we decided to head to Busch Gardens in Tampa to see Gabe perform in his show, Soundsational! 

You know, there are many things about musical theatre that I have always loved, but today I love the surprise factor, never knowing where I’m going, but finding out I am exactly where I should be at the end of the day.