One small step...

So much has happened since my last post, some toward the NYC goal and some not.

My sister and I took a short trip down to Alamogordo, NM to visit my mom and step dad. It was nice. My sister and I had a really great talk on the way down there. We talked about things we had never talked to each other about. It was surprising, and enlightening and I feel a lot closer to her now. During our full day there, my sister wanted to learn how to shoot my step dad's guns, and I tagged along (I mean, every one else was going). I wasn't very interested in it, but I wanted to be with my family so I went too. I shot his rifle, because I have shot and taught others how to shoot the rifles at camp. I mean the camp ones were air rifles, but it was essentially the same. My sister had a ton of fun with that, and she's a pretty good shot too. Afterward we went to lunch at the fanciest restaurant in Alamogordo. And after that my mom and I upgraded my phone (it's pretty neat, I'm still getting used to it though) and then we all went to White Sands to watch the sunset. We were all so exhausted on the way back that my step dad even fell asleep in the car.

The ride back home was only a little more stressful, because we got a late start and accidentally made a wrong turn and drove in the wrong direction for twenty minutes... and then had to spend another twenty minutes going all the way back to Tularosa. So it took us about an hour longer to get home than usual, but in the end it was a really nice trip with my sister.

Kenneth and I have been starting to sell some of our stuff on Craigslist (the stuff we didnt think would do so well at a yard sale). So far we've sold Kenneth's Dungeons & Dragons books for $400, which is super awesome. And Kenneth got a bonus for referring me to ARCA, and we were able to put that in our savings as well. I also put my very last paycheck from Campfire USA in our savings account today. The number's getting higher and it's starting to look like we're not so screwed. We still have a long way to go, but it's not looking so dismal anymore :)

If anyone has ever been to my house and seen something they wanted (like if you really love our couch or or tv...) shoot me an email and let me know and maybe we can just sell it to you :) We will be having a yard sale (the yard is TBA) before we leave for our trip next month and everything must go!

I also decided that it's time for me to get a second job, because I'm only getting part time hours at ARCA and instead of picking up 40 hours there, I could get a second job and make a little more money (thats what I was doing with Campfire USA). I've also decided that its time for me to get some serving experience. I've done childcare and retail already and could probably get a job doing one of those when we get to New York. I could also work for an agency like ARCA, but I want to have as much work experience as possible so that in the event that I want to work as a server in New York, I'll have a better chance. But its really important for me to have my weekday evenings free, so I want to work at a restaurant that does breakfast/lunch. I was inspired by my friend Christie who just moved to New York City in January- when she lived here she worked at Cracker Barrel. So I went in today and applied, I talked to a manager right away who seemed impressed with my application, liked the fact that I knew Christie (asked how she was doing) and said he would give me a call by Friday to schedule a formal interview. I also applied at the Range. Either tomorrow or Wednesday I'm also going to apply at Weck's, and look at some other breakfast joints close(ish) to my house.

My friend Amy came with me to my last voice lesson because she wanted to see how a voice lesson typically goes with my teacher. It was really fun, but I wondered afterward if I behaved differently because she was there. Was I performing? It was odd, but I still got some good work done. What I really need to do is pick five songs for my audition book that I do really well and then work on them with Donna until they're perfect. I wish my printer was working because there are some pieces of music that I need to get off my computer to work on with Donna. Also, once I work on something else with her I'll record another video with Paul.

So that's it! I went on a trip with my sister, had another voice lesson and put some more money in the bank. I just keep on keeping on. As always, thanks for reading and if you ever feel inspired to pitch in to help me achieve my dream of moving to New York City, you can click the ChipIn widget below to donate.  Thanks!