some days are really busy, and some days i feel kind of unproductive, but end up really enjoying the down time.

so, last weekend, i had a great visit from a college friend, beth, who spent a long-weekend in town from kansas city. it was great because she'd already been to la a couple of times, so she was really content to just chill, hang out with friends, and have a great time. we spent time in malibu, venice, hollywood, griffith park, and in santa monica-it was great!! here is some proof by picture...






another highlight of the week was going to see a taping of the tonight show with jay leno. he was great. it was short and sweet, unlike many other show tapings, so i can't complain. i'd definitely go see him again. his guests included some animal trainer, norm mcadonald (the comedian i mainly know from SNL, aka burt reynolds in jeopardy wearing "a big hat, it's funny because it's bigger than normal, it's a big hat"), and ashlee simpson (is she or isn't she preggers!?!) it was a fun show!




next...i had the exciting privilege of going to see WICKED!!!! it's been running at the pantages theater in hollywood for a couple of years now, and my friend, cal, had tickets and invited me to go. oh man, it was awesome!! if you love musicals, i highly recommend it. i mean, it is really a great show. a) i want to play elphaba, one of the lead roles, b) i've got to get the soundtrack, and c) i definitely want to go see it again!!!!



finally, yesterday, my acting coach, anthony, called to see if i could help him out casting a feature film. he used to be/still is sometimes a casting director, and he was helping out a friend. so, i was sort of the associate casting director, which was really cool!! i liked being on the other side of the camera. i think it gave me some good perspective and will change my approach to the whole audition process, so that's good. we rehearsed, read with, directed, filmed, and commented on 25 7-11 year-old girls. they were so cute :) boy, there parents were starting them early... i bet i would've loved it then, however i'm glad i got to grow up having a "normal life" and then deciding on my own to come out and pursue acting...it's a whole different lifestyle if you grow up in it, i'm sure...

hopefully more exciting stuff soon? thanks for keeping up!

disclaimer: this post will probably be another pretty visual one. less writing, more pictures, which i'm quite fond of, and i hope you are, too.

well, i have fairly big news for you all. i've taken a big step in my acting career this week, actually it's been a busy week, in general. but, i am thrilled to report that i signed with my very first agent!!!!!! i got the call last wednesday, april 9th! i was riding bikes on malibu beach, perfect weather, it couldn't have been a more ideal day to get such great news!! (here's a picture almost at the exact moment when i got the call, actually)



i'm now officially represented across the board with daily talent agency!!! it's still sinking in, but i am so excited to have an agent working for me, and i really hope it turns out to be a lucrative relationship for us both. i'll definitely have more access to higher quality projects. i can't wait to see where this will lead, seriously, i am so excited about it. feels like things continue to fall into place :)

i was told about my agent (haha, so weird to say!!!) by a friend, cal, who also threw me a couple other connections. one of which was a hand modeling gig i submitted for. it was funny, because i've been told i should hand/foot model before, but since there was an actual gig to apply for, i finally went and got a mani/pedi and had my friend emily take some shots to send in. needless to say, at the end of that day, i was so sick of looking at pictures of my hands and feet. but here are a couple of them for your viewing pleasure. so weird that this is a part of my job, right?!?




my friend cal, who also referred me to my agent (heehee, that just doesn't get old! ok i'll stop!) anyway, cal invited me to go to a red carpet event for a dvd release the other night. i was all excited, and got ready to go, then we got there and it turned out to be a different night, however, we got to hang out and walk around hollywood, which was fun. we also stumbled upon the arclight (a really fancy movie theater) where they'd just had a premiere for a lifetime movie starring dermot mulroney (from: my best friend's wedding, the wedding date). so i got my red carpet picture one way or another! here it is...



finally, i had a really busy yet fun past couple of days. i did extra work for a new pilot called "austin golden hour," a medical drama in the real-time style of "24." it was so much fun. as i've said before, i always enjoy meeting great people on sets, and it usually solidifies my desire to work in the industry. i just love it, despite the 13-15 hour average days. but, anyway, i worked friday and saturday as a club-goer. however, it was a bit more complicated. one day was filming a club scene where pyrotechnics go wrong, but the first day, we filmed the aftermath of the club explosion. at first, everyone got some makeup applied to look like we'd been burned by the fire, which was so fun! exhibit a:



then, they said they were going to pick a severe burn victim, which ended up being me!!! so, i was sort of featured. i got to spend several hours in makeup (the hair/makeup people were awesome, by the way; and i felt like i got the star treatment, including them spending about an hour taking off my face and shampooing all the rock-hard blood out of my hair at the end of the day...), where i got more airbrusing done, AND had prosthetic blisters and burnt flesh applied to my face, hands, and arms! i spent most of the day with dean, the episode's guest star, who was the only other person to get the full workup of burn prosthetics, although his face seriously looked like it had been through a meat grinder; DIS-gust, i know. we had a really great time!! i also got to ride on a gurney and in an ambulance. if the pilot airs, you'll see me grab the main character's arm as she rushes past my gurney--she's an EMT.






but yeah, it was an exhausting, yet great two days. today the temperature was in the 90s, and i was productive, but also tried to rest and recuperate. i'm hoping that i hear from gail, the new agent!! about some auditions this week. i'll definitely keep you updated!!

since i've been writing more infrequently, these posts tend to be pretty lengthy and content-rich. hope that's ok with you all. this one is certainly no exception...


yard sales
first things first, i can't recall if i already blogged about this, but i don't think so, AND even if i did, it is notable enough to reiterate!! scott, holland, and i went yard saling a couple weeks ago, and i have never had better luck! i found several things for great deals; things that i've been thinking about getting for months!! including: a $3 pair of chucks, a $2 camping pad, some cute clothes, and...a BIKE!! a basically new one for only TWENTY dollars! i've already used it several times, and it's so wonderful to have for exercise, transportation, and just for beach cruising. in fact, i'm pretty sure i passed owen wilson on the bike path in venice the other day...

and here it is in all it's pink glory!



easter
i had an excellent easter this year!! i got to see the sun both rise and set on easter sunday, which i've never done ever before. and both the beginning and end of the day was on a beach with gorgeous weather. i can't complain. a bunch of people from our church went to a sunrise service on the beach, to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with about 20 westside la churches. it was super early, but it was definitely worth it!

after that, i took a nap :) and then was treated to a delicious easter brunch (my first eggs benedict-so good!!) at liz's house. we dyed eggs the night before, and then had this wonderful meal with several friends! here's a glimpse of some of our colorful eggs (complete with bobble-head Jesus!), and then liz (our lovely hostess!), holland, jd (holland's friend from college who now lives here), amy (liz's roommate), and me (in my $1 yard sale easter dress)!




as if that weren't enough fun for an easter sunday...holland and i then party hopped on down to manhattan beach, ca, just a few miles south on the coast. holland attended asbury university in kentucky, and a lot of her fellow classmates relocated to the la area to use their media degrees. so...they all got together for an easter beach cookout, and i tagged along. like i said, the weather was amazing--it was about 90 degrees that day, but not stifling or anything! we had burgers on the beach, juicy watermelon, and sat around until the sunset that evening, just hanging out and chatting. it was the perfect end to a really full day.

here we are on our way to the beach.
















manhattan is adorable. it's a very wealthy town, so there are nice houses, and the beach was beautiful.
















these are all the asburians (holland's college pals) getting together for a little photo shoot to send home to their alma mater.
















me on the beach, and our friend, parker, in the background, braving the freezing ocean waters!!
















next...my family came for their visit!
my mom, cody, and his friend, tyler came for about 5 days at the end of march. we had so much fun! i think the highlight of the trip for the boys was that they got addicted to the best frozen yogurt place in the world-pinkberry! it's only in nyc and california, i think, but if it ever comes your way, definitely give it a go. we spent time on the beach, in venice, and breezed through tourist spots like hollywood and the fashion district. they got to experience a lot of culture, and i really enjoyed their company! oh, and we saw the movie "21," which i recommend!! it was so great to have them here...it was a first big trip west for my brother (and i was happy to share that with him), and my mom was really glad to see how i had settled in, since last she left me, all she had seen was an empty apartment and a car full of possessions! below are some pictures from their excursion. one at my house, some on the beach, and one with the skyline.





i bet you thought that was it, right? wrong-O! :) just a couple more things.

one, this past tuesday, i did extra work on the tv show "ghost whisperer." it's jennifer love hewitt's show, however she wasn't in any of the scenes that day, only her co-star jay mohr. it was fun, and as always, i met some cool people. on guy, joe, is a really creative photographer/graphic designer, and i think he and i might meet up to do some themed photo shoots for fun in the near future...

and finally...

futbol
last night, i lucked upon an extra ticket to the opening home game of the la galaxy soccer team (yes, david beckham's team). so, holland, nate, jd, and i made it a thursday evening roadtrip, which turned out to be loads of fun! we were in the car most of the afternoon and evening, since we had to all get together from various parts of the greater los angeles area, and then drive down south to the home depot center, where the galaxy plays. we saw a great game, too! the galaxy beat the san jose earthquakes 2-1. and, there were fireworks afterwards, too, as a special season opener treat!! for all your harry potter fans out there, when i got to stadium, i seriously felt like i was at the quidditch world cup! i loved it, and i really want to go to another game!

here's me playing around with the camera on the way




here's becks. and some pics of the stadium and scoreboard.





and here are the four of us diehard roadtrippers! so much fun and laughing, i love it!





after the game, we had to make an honorary stop at sonic. it's the closest one to us, so anytime sonic-lovers from la go near where we were, it's basically a requirement to at least get a lemonberry slush and some onion rings!!


ok, i lied, there is one more thing. i have been feeling very nostalgic for good ole mizzou. well, really just my friends in the mid-missouri area, lol. and, so i decided to plan a trip to missouri for mid-may. if you're reading this and you are one of those friends in that general area, then know that i really hope i get to see you when i make that trip! more details to follow, i'm sure.

congrats to those of you who made it this far. thanks for your diligence, readers :)

~lp