from Cambridge to California

Blind Date

2012-01-27T14:24:00.000-08:00

Six years ago today, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach. That night, I had a blind date.

I sat in math class passing notes with a friend discussing what I'd wear that night and how I thought it would go.

After school, two girlfriends came over and helped me get ready.

For dinner, I ate with a group but hardly touched my food due to nerves.

Afterwards, I headed to the coffee shop with the others to finally meet him.

And there he was, my future husband.

Planning makes me excited

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

There are two types of people in this world: people who like to fly by the seat of their pants and people who like to plan ahead. Or as some people like to call it, my dad and my mom.

My dad is literally the most laid back person I know and my mom could not be more on the other side of the spectrum. The fact that they were once married to each other is actually pretty bizarre.

I like to think of myself as a pretty good mix of the two of them (although I bet they each think I am more like the other). I am honest and bold like my dad and I can relate to his sense of humor. But, I am organized and type A-ish like my mother.

When it comes to traveling, I LOVE to plan ahead. I am not one of those people that likes to know exactly what I am doing each minute of the day, but I do like a basic layout of where I'll be and when. I find that planning and booking things ahead is super fun and makes me even more excited about the trip. That said, I like to leave room for spontaneity and I am not married to any of the plans I make.

Matt and I have made some serious progress on our Europe plans, flights are booked and hotel reservations are made. Here is what we have so far:

1) LONDON, UK

(Image from here)

We will be here for four nights and believe it or not we have a free place to stay! Matt's dad works with a company in London that has a flat for people they work with to stay in when they visit. Well, Matt's dad was nice enough to call and ask if we could use it and they said yes! This is a HUGE blessing as London isn't exactly cheap. The flat is in the City of London right by the Tower Bridge.

We know we will be going to Leavesden Studios one afternoon, but other than that we haven't made many specific plans. Yet.

2) DURHAM, UK

(Image from here)

We all know why we are going there :) We'll be there for two nights.

3) Helmsley, UK

I mentioned in this post that we wanted a portion of this trip to be relaxing. For a while we thought we'd go to Lake Como in Italy or maybe the South of France but then I thought about the English Countryside, how it is my favorite landscape, and got really excited about staying there.

So I went to this website and we found the Feversham Arms Hotel and Spa. It seems pretty great and you best believe we will be taking full advantage of the spa. We got the dinner package so we'll be eating well too!

During the day we will be exploring North York Moors National Park and the little town of Helmsley. Oh yeah, and resting! We will be here for three nights.

4) Paris, FR

(image from here)

From Helmsley, we head to Paris for three nights. We just watched Midnight in Paris the other night and it made me so excited just to walk around and eat french food. Thanks to wikitravel we found what I think is going to be a great hotel, Hotel de l'Alma. It's just a two minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and is totally affordable!

OK so that is the plan so far. WE CAN'T WAIT! Any suggestions about what to do/where to eat in any of these places? I got such great advice after my last post and would love some more.

Proud Parents

2012-01-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

You're looking at the newest member of the Godfrey family, and her name is Annie Hall!

She's a toy fox terrier mix, and we adopted her last week from an animal shelter. I've always told Ellen I wanted a dog, but we'd been holding off because we both are gone all day. Well, if you saw my last blog post, I'm working from home now! That shoved me over the edge into major dog-wanting territory.

I did a whole bunch of research on breeds and their temperaments, grooming requirements, etc. and determined that a toy fox terrier would be perfect for our lifestyle. Then I did a search of animal shelters in LA, and I only found one toy fox terrier. She was in a shelter right by our house. The next day on Ellen's lunch break we went down and met her. She was trembling and scared to death to be in that loud shelter, but she was so sweet and calm with us. We took her home about 30 minutes later, after finding out she had been in this high-kill animal shelter for 30 days. She didn't have much longer, and it seems we came to her (or she came to us) at exactly the right time.

She's 11 months old and weighs about 10 pounds. She needs to gain 4 pounds though because she had been underfed. Clearly in our house she doesn't have anything to worry about.

The first two nights with her were rough. We're using crate training as a method of housebreaking her, and she would whine and whimper throughout the night. Ellen slept in the guest room and I slept on the floor next to her crate to take her out to pee in the middle of the night. It took about 2 seconds to realize how terrible this was, and we are very blessed that on the 3rd night she decided to keep quiet, hold her pee until morning and sleep in her crate. She still has a few accidents in the house, but we're well on our way to being housebroken.

Ellen and I take watching television and movies seriously, and I cannot describe to you how perfectly Annie fits with our family. Currently she's been asleep on my lap for about 2 1/2 hours, and that's nothing. Her favorite thing to do is curl up on the couch with her head in your lap and sleep for hours. She is literally the most calm, low maintenance dog I've ever met. We have yet to even hear her bark. She's perfect - and perfect for us.

LA is a beautiful city, and below is a picture I took today at the dog park. Can you believe our dog gets to hang out in spots like this?

So now you know her. If we don't answer our phones it's because we're snuggling on the couch with Annie Hall and if we get up she would have to move. Yeah, she's spoiled.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2012-01-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

In the past few weeks, a lot of things have changed in the Godfrey household. First of all, Ellen's brother Oliver - who had lived with us for 4 months - moved out to an apartment. Which means we've got a free guest room, and it's ready for visitors. Seriously people. Come on over here and stay with us for a while!

As you know, I signed with a new talent agent. I've been auditioning almost every day, and so far it's really been fantastic. So fantastic in fact, that I booked a national Chevy commercial that will begin airing in a few weeks! It's for the new Chevy Sonic, so be on the lookout.

On top of all that, I was auditioning so much that it was finally time to quit my job at Apple. I was having to call out from work so often that I was on the verge of getting fired anyway. I had no real other job prospects, but I knew that I needed something absolutely flexible that would allow me to leave at the drop of a hat to audition or shoot. Impossible, right?

So I quit. It was definitely a leap of faith and scary being jobless with no real prospects on the horizon. But, I kid you not, the next Sunday at church someone who knew I once worked for Apple randomly approached me and offered me a part time job where I would go to people's houses and work with them and their computer setups. I'll essentially set my own schedule. Then I started working part time managing a database for my dad's company. I set my own hours. Then I was hired by our church for 2 part time jobs - both are mostly working from home. Are. You. Kidding. Me. And that's how the Lord is providing for us right now!

Sometimes changes are a pain, but right now they're feeling pretty good.

Lucy Turns 3

2012-01-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

To say I wish we could've been there is a serious understatement.

We love you, Lucy. Happy Birthday!

Picture Post: Celebrating My Birthday

2012-01-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

Clockwise from top left to right: Annie, Garrett, Mike, Me, Matt, Avery, Erin

Man, I love these people.

Gifty McGifterson

2011-12-31T18:52:00.000-08:00

Great minds think alike I guess because Matt and I both bought each other books for Christmas gifts.

Here is what I got him:

Because he is awesome.

Because Matt has a friend that is making this book into a show on HBO.

And here is what he got me:

Because do you know me at all?

Matt is practically done with the Dick Van Dyke memoir and I'm 200 (rather large) pages into the Harry Potter book, which if you ask me is waaay better than jewelry.

Happy Engage-A-Day

2011-12-17T11:58:00.000-08:00

4 years ago today Ellen and I got engaged in New York. I am so happy and blessed.

I Just Needed A Win

2011-12-08T13:36:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I feel absolutely stuck in my career. But then sometimes it feels like the spinning wheels are lowered onto the road and you suddenly jump forward.

When we first moved to LA I met with an agent who didn't sign me, but hip pocketed me. Basically this means he would submit me for a role if he thought I was right for it, but he wouldn't actively pitch me to casting. In other words, without spending much energy he would test me out and see if anything stuck. While I'm actually extremely grateful for some of the opportunities I got through him, this approach really doesn't work except in the rarest of situations. ("We're casting a woman with only one eye and half of an arm. Oh wow, you only have one eye and half of an arm!") Instead of constant auditions I spent my time networking and improving my craft. I've become friends with producers, actors, directors, and writers. I've made opportunities for myself through relationships, all the while making sure that when the opportunity arose I would be able to back up my words with my actual acting.

At the beginning of this past summer I set a goal for myself that I would have a brand new acting reel by summer's end. Then I told myself that by the end of November I wanted to sign with a new agent, just in time for pilot season to begin in January. I've gone through two pilot seasons in LA without so much as one audition, and I'm not going through another one like that. A reel and an agent could potentially change that.

Well, at the end of the summer I finally put together a new reel and began shopping it around to agencies. Now I'm excited and relieved to say that I've signed a contract with Berman/Sacks Talent Agency. My agent doesn't represent many actors theatrically, so I feel like I get plenty of individual attention. I've only been with her about a week and I think I've auditioned more this week than in the past 6 months.

Still, this doesn't necessarily mean success. But when you're trying a career in acting every single victory needs to be celebrated. So, Ellen and I are celebrating.

Also, in Blue Like Jazz news....

Check out this really great roundtable discussion with our director Steve Taylor and some guys who had just seen a rough cut of the film. Click here to listen to the audio.

Sometimes You Just Gotta Recreate the Magic

2011-12-06T16:48:00.001-08:00

Oct. 2009

Oct. 2011

Amanda (middle) is the one and only friend I made while I was at UAB for two years. She is super funny, unique, and someone who I love and respect. Lucky for me, her best friend Molly lives in LA too. Two years ago when we had just moved to LA I met Molly at the meet and greet time during church. She was sitting right in front of me! She recognized me from pictures Amanda had shown her I guess and serendipitously we both ended up attending Pacific Crossroads.

So now, we get treated to visits from Amanda every couple years. After many a failed attempt to get her to move out here, these visits are what I'll settle for. But hey, I'll take what I can get.

No Sew and Faux

2011-11-20T18:13:00.001-08:00

Thought I'd bring a little color into the kitchen. Click here for the tutorial.

Intertwined

2011-11-16T11:41:00.001-08:00

It's amazing how when you hear God speak to you, even if you only feel it for a moment, it sticks with you, encourages you, heartens you. Sometimes these moments are very spread out, but when one happens it's so clear. You just know in your heart that you're hearing what you need to hear.

Lately I've been coming across (by no accident I'm sure) so many verses about how we are intertwined with God.

Deuteronomy 32:9 - "But the Lord's portion is his people..."
Lamentations 3:24 - "'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul..."
Isaiah 49:15-16 - [The Lord speaking] "...I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hand."
Revelation 22:4 - "They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads."

Our soul's inheritance is the Lord; the Lord's inheritance is us. We have His name written on our foreheads; He has our name written on His hands. The point is, He loves us. Sometimes it just takes hearing something a different way for it sink in all over again.

Loving Los Angeles

2011-11-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

Just this past week my friend Avery and I were talking about how some weeks we just hate living in the city. Most days, it's amazing, but sometimes it just sucks. It's expensive, it's crowded, it's hard.

But like I said, most days I absolutely love it. And this past Sunday at church our pastor talked about loving the city. In fact, God loves cities because they are filled with what He loves most: people.

(picture from here)

This was the reflection in our church's bulletin yesterday, and I loved it:

You met her at a bar. She was a perfect 10. Actress. Model. Dancer. Whatever. You’ve seen her in pictures, watched her on TV, and heard about her from friends but you always wondered. And now she is right in front of you, but there’s just one problem, she’s a raging bitch.

She rarely pays attention to you. She makes you feel insignificant. She hates your friends. She hates your apartment. She hates your car. She is always looking over your shoulder at someone else. She four squares everything. She loves TMZ. She makes it really hard to love her.

Her name is Los Angeles.

I am part of the rare breed of Native Los Angelenos, yes we do exist. I grew up in the neighborhood of Atwater Village (you know that strip of land in between Intelligentsia and Armenia). After 27 years of living and growing up in this town I can say I hated it. I was sick of the traffic, $14 martinis, the Ed Hardy, the yogis, the vegans, the valley, everything. So I moved away. I moved to Connecticut for a glimpse of the countryside, the “better life”. I worked there for 2 years, paid super low rent, and spent weekends in New York. But about half way through that endeavor I realized I missed LA.

I missed the culture. I missed the style. I missed the 24 hour restaurants. I missed the music. I missed living in a place where “limited release” movies were actually released. I missed the weather.

There was a period during winter in Connecticut when I didn’t see the sun for two weeks. I decided to get in my truck and drive south until I hit sunshine (it took 3 hours). While I met some amazing people in my time in the Northeast I knew it wasn’t for me.

And so I came back to California. I took an almost 40% pay cut to come back to the Angel City because I missed her.

I came back to her culture. I came back to her fashion. I came back to her culinary mecca. I came back to her art. I came back to her opportunities.

The movie industry films here because its 70 degrees and sunny every day so you can work year round. While other parts of the country have snow, heat waves, and humidity I rarely go a day without sandals on my feet. You can take your tornados and I’ll keep my earthquakes (we don’t even look up from our iphones for less than a 5.0).

Each neighborhood has it’s own personality may it be from the hipsters in Silverlake, the key grips in the valley, the plastics in Beverly Hills, La Raza in Boyle heights, or the stoners in Venice. Sure there is ubiquitous traffic that everyone complains about but that’s only from people that don’t actually live here. People that live here accept that its part of the package deal and don’t complain about it. It would be like New Yorkers complaining about that weird smell in the subway or all the graffiti. Celebrities that constantly complain in interviews about how everyone here is “so fake” might want to re read their job description and then hang out with a different crowd. There are real people here and I have seen them in these streets that I know so well working as a Paramedic. I have rubbed elbows with them at In N’ Out, we have waited for our Grande soy sugar free vanilla lattes together, and I have cheered with them at the upper deck of Laker games. So don’t belittle my city celebrities, a city that has brought you so much.

Most tourists hate this town too but LA is like a fungus, it grows on you. There is no immediate visual pull like San Francisco, or history like Paris, or skyline like New York. There is no real town center like most any other city of the world. Think about it, what do you tell out of towners to do once they get here? I have no idea either. Besides Hollywood blvd. there is no Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, or Wrigley FIeld. When they ask you where to stay you say, “it depends”. When they ask you what to eat, “it depends”. Each neighborhood has a personality as does each cuisine and each person here. While we may not have many marquee attractions, what we do have is a bunch tiny pieces to the mosaic that makes up this great city.

Don’t get me wrong though, as with any relationship you sometimes hate each other. The parking, pretentious hostesses/bouncers, cupcakes, greenpeace volunteers, menus that tell you what’s NOT in your food (no preservatives, gluten-free, no dairy, flourless, etc.). Sure she may nag you, tell you to take out the trash, or ask you if you think these pants make her look fat but this is the place you, me, and that guy next to you in the Prius have chosen to live.

This is where I grew up and this is my town, and if you don’t like it get out, because traffic here is a bitch.

Los Angeles, I love you.

Chris Backley, "Los Angeles, I Love You"

The Date

2011-10-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

Finally. Blue Like Jazz the Movie will be released in theaters April 13, 2012.

We're Excited. (click here to read more).

S-T-R-I-P-E-S

2011-10-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

She's done.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. First, to remind you, we started with this:

First step was to give the entire hallway, doors included, a coat of fresh white paint. This step made a HUGE difference. I can't capture it in photos, but as I painted it felt like I was literally cleaning the walls and doors in the hallway.

Next, we taped. And taped. And taped. It was so tedious! I give you no illusions; this project was not fun. I decided I wanted 5 inch stripes, which for 95 inch walls meant we had to tape off 19 stripes. And the thing about stripes is that they need to be straight. And the thing about old apartments is the walls aren't straight. Like I said, it was tedious.

Then we painted. (And by we I mean me and Matt and my friends Avery and Erin. Thanks for the help guys!) I realized within second that it was going to take three coats of gold paint (Martha Stewart metallic paints, Color: Kiwi Peel) to cover the walls. So again, tedious.

But finally, she was DONE. And she is a beauty! You'll see that the cabinet doors remained white. On our poll there was a tie between stripes and white. I'm glad I kept it white for now, we'll see if I want to get creative with them later. (I've thought an antiqued mirror inset on each door could be cool!)

You'll see in this picture that the stripes are indeed gold and reflect the light. It's subtle but it makes a big difference.

One of the best parts of this project is the view into the hallway from other rooms, it adds interest to all the connecting rooms when the doors are open. So much better than a plain off-white wall.

In other news, Matt didn't know I was taking a picture, and right as the shutter snapped he walked into frame.

Remind you of anything?

Two Weeks in Europe

2011-10-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

For the past six months we've been putting a little away each month, and for Christmas and our birthdays this year, we are asking for one thing: money for a two week trip to Europe.

A two week, romantic vacation to Europe. To say that I'm looking forward to it is a serious understatement.

I have never been across the pond (Matt has been twice!) and I have always wanted to go. I especially want to go alone with Matt, before we have kids. So it looks like it's now or never. We are thinking our trip will probably be in April or May.

There are places I know we will be visiting:

1) London, England

(Photo from here)

Besides doing the normal London things (the theater, the parks, the sights, the food, etc.) we are going to do something that I find so exciting I get super giddy just at the mere thought of it. Beware for the nerds. We are going to tour Leavesden Studios! As in, the Leavesden Studios right outside of London. As in the place that Harry Potter was made. Yeah, we are excited.

2) Durham, England

(Photo from here)

Our dear friends, Andy and Miranda Byers, just moved here so Andy can get his PhD. We'd love to spend a couple days with them and their kiddos. Durham seems like a beautiful town.

3) Paris, France

(Photo from here)

With Paris being such a quick train ride from London, why not spend a night or two here? I find that people have strong opinions about this city. It's either their favorite place in the world or they detest it. I'd like to see for myself.

From Paris I'm not so sure what the plan is. I think I want to spend a couple of days in Lake Como. London, Durham, and Paris will be amazing but Lake Como could be much more relaxing. And, if it's good enough for George Clooney, it's good enough for me.

The question lies in this, do we take an over night train to Milan from Paris and then head up to Lake Como? Do we stop in Switzerland on the way instead? Do we want Lake Como to be our final destination or do we want to squeeze in Florence or Rome or Tuscany? Since I've never been to Europe and we are at the very beginning of our planning stages, I have no idea how much time all this traveling from place to place will take.

Anyways, as we plan, I'd love your help. You know I'm all about food when I travel, so do you know of some amazing restaurants in any of these places? Do you have any other activities you'd suggest? Any advice at all and I'd love to here it!

FAQ

2011-10-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ellen has been afraid she's turning this into an interior design blog, so here I am to turn it into an acting blog. Almost everyone from outside of LA that I meet asks me the type of questions about the business of acting that let me know they don't have a clue what's it's like to be an actor here. And why should they know? It's a totally different world here and the entertainment industry is particularly enigmatic. I had to learn all of this stuff for myself when we moved here (I'm still learning it), and I did a lot of that learning through reading articles by agents or casting directors explaining their take on the business of acting. Here's a few of the misconceptions I hear often and some articles that might shed a little light for those of you who are curious about what it's really like to try to make a career in acting in Los Angeles.

Why Don't You Just Get On A TV Show? That Would Be A Smart Career Move.
I've lived in LA for two years, and for those two years I've worked incredibly hard at building a career. While explaining this to people, someone will inevitably ask me why I don't just call up Mad Men and get a small role on there. If there was a red phone somewhere that linked directly to the casting gods, then all 50,000 actors just like me would start a giant gang brawl to get to the phone first. It takes years of building relationships, consistent branding, and training to make sure that when you get in the audition room you are absolutely ready to not blow it. After 2 years of living in LA, I can look back and see a clear path that I've cut out moving in the right direction. I can also clearly see that the path will be a slow one - but it is moving in the right direction.

Acting Is An Impossible Endeavor And A Pipe Dream.
Well, I can't argue that thousands of 20-something white guys just like me want to be an actor, and that acting is arguably one of the most difficult industries in which to break through the catch-22s and carve out a career. But it's not impossible. Read this amazing, encouraging article from casting director Bonnie Gillespie about how if you live in LA and are actively pursuing your career, you're already playing in the Super Bowl.

How Do You Get An Audition?
I truly didn't understand this at all until I moved to LA and experienced it for myself. In fact, it's almost too difficult to describe. Or maybe it's that no one really knows. Of course there's the whole agent thing, but I think relationships are more important. See what Bonnie Gillespie has to say about that here.

How Much Time Will You Give Acting Until You Decide To Quit?
A legitimate question, especially when it comes to thinking about providing for a family, etc. Something that Ellen and I both understand and have discussed is the fact that to build an acting career takes years. And not 2 years, but more like 5. Or 10. Or 15. Jenna Fischer, maybe better known as Pam from The Office was in LA for 2 years before she got on TV, and that wasn't a speaking role. It was 5 years until she actually said a line on television. It wasn't until closer to 10 years that she booked her role on The Office. She wrote an amazing article about her career journey. Also check this out. Another goldmine from Bonnie Gillespie. The bottom line is, dreams can change. What you've been striving for could change. We change as people as we grow. So until I stop having fun here, or until I feel called to something else, here I am.

Want to help me out? Go to my website. Click on my IMDb page. Say a prayer.

We're Getting Interactive Y'all (With a Poll)

2011-10-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm painting some horizontal stripes in our hallway. Right now our hallway looks like this:

(ignore the random, too small, weirdly placed arrangement on the wall)

Besides the fact that it's white, bland, and boring, all the doors are also different shades of white. I hate it. I want to make this space fun and noticeable, not just a place that gets you from point A to point B.

I love a bold horizontal stripe, and at first I thought I wanted to paint something more subtle (and admittedly more predictable) like this:

But then I saw THIS.

Oh yes, gold metallic stripes are in our future. Now this is where you come in.

I'm trying to figure out what to do with the doors at the end of our hallway. I have three options, and I want to know what you think is best.

1. I could paint them a crisp white like the rest of the doorways in our hall will eventually be.

2. I could continue the gold stipe right over the cabinet doors so they will almost disappear. Much like the door in this bathroom.

3. Or, I could paint them Olive Green like the color of this dress. This one will make the cabinet doors stand out most and is a little unexpected.

So tell me what you think I should do! Take the poll on the right side bar. I'm closing the poll down on Friday, October 7th so make sure to vote before then. And if you have some other idea, a different color option for the door perhaps, let me know in the comment section.

The Frame Wall

2011-09-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

This is how we did it:

Cut newspaper to size
Played around with different arrangements putting the biggest frame right in the middle to ground the collection of frames
Hammered a nail right through each piece of newspaper
Took down the newspaper
Hung the frames (all of which are white and from Ikea)

(And I am so not taking credit for this method, several blogs/sites suggest this way.)

And this is what we filled the twenty-six frames with:

I decided to fill the frames with the faces and places that mean the most to us. So, three of the frames have pictures of the places our families live (or where we live): a picture of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA, a picture of the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham, and a picture of a beach on the Big Island. The rest of the frames are filled with family, close friends, and a couple of us of course. We want to rotate pictures here so it never gets too boring, but I am so happy this project is "done" for now. It took quite a few hours to complete!

Number Five

2011-09-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

This blog should really just be called "See the Same Exact Furniture in Five Different Apartments" cause it seems like every six months or a year we have another house tour post for ya. Hopefully this will be the last one for a while (famous last words). It's funny looking back at our other apartments and seeing the million things I would change and would NEVER do in our house now. You live and you learn I guess.

We've lived here for about a month and a half and are pretty settled in. We searched for an apartment for what felt like an eternity. We have seen some UGLY places and met a lot of really shady landlords. Our current apartment actually wasn't that gorgeous or anything when we first toured it (as you'll see from the pictures - Barney bed and dirty stained curtains anyone?). We chose this place because it was in a great location (even closer to my office than before) and the rent here is actually cheaper than our previous two places even though it is way bigger and has a second bedroom. Also, our new landlords are the sweetest, most helpful people. Now that we've fixed things up, we feel really at home here.

We still have some things we want to do so I thought I'd say what we've done in each room and what we still plan to do.

The Living Room

Before

After (It's really hard to take decent pictures in here because of the light/window placement)

What we've done: This room is the most complete of all the rooms in the house. We painted the walls a dark muddy gray, bought some fun new pillow covers from Etsy, made a frame wall above the couch and bought and transformed a mirror at the flea market to hang next to our armoire. Because this room was so big, I decided to make it a dining room/living room combo and turn the dining room into a office/library.

What we have left to do: Like I said, there isn't much left to do. I would like to find a more interesting fabric and make some curtains and I wouldn't mind some side tables for the couch to put some lamps on. I also would like an urn or something to put to the right of the armoire. But, none of these things are necessary so they are at the way bottom of the to-do list.

The Office/ Library

Before

After

What we've done: Besides putting the furniture in here and hanging curtains we haven't done much (besides utilizing this room for a different purpose than was intended).

What we have left to do: You can't really see it in these picture but the light fixture in this room is super ugly. It's a ceiling fan which is really useful since this apartment doesn't have air conditioning so I think I am going to spray paint it one day and buy new light bulb covers. But, if I find a really cheap alternate option, I may go with that. I also am looking at thrift stores and craigslist to find a chair or chaise for the corner to replace the second white chair (which would be moved to one of the bedrooms) to make a reading nook. Also, like the living room, I'd like to find some fabric out of which to make different curtains.

The Kitchen

Before

After

What we've done: I had every intention when we moved in here to paint the cabinets; I had the color picked out and everything. But when we double checked with our landlord to see if we could do it, he said we couldn't soooo we are just going to have to live with these puppies. We did buy a stainless steel cart for our pots and pans cause there wasn't enough cabinet space for them.

What we have left to do: I found this neat tutorial for no-sew roman shades which I am going to make for the window above the sink.

Second Bedroom

Before

After

What we've done: Got ride of the terrible terrible curtains and the creepy Barney bed, painted the walls a steely blue-gray, and hung some curtains and lamps.

What we have left to do: Find some fabric to make new curtains (seeing a theme here?). I am picturing this, but we all know I am waaaay too cheap to spend that much on curtains. We need to cover up the cords from the lamps like we did in our last bedroom and change the light fixture. Also, call me crazy, but I really really want something like this to hang above the bed.

The Master Bedroom

Before

After

What We've Done: First we took down the HEINOUS wall paper from the closet doors. We painted the walls a creamy off-white, made over the lamps, and built a headboard. We also hung pictures from our wedding day on the wall. I was happy that while we bought a new duvet we were able to utilize the same pillows from our first bed and our old living room, and our craigslist dresser has a proper home now.

What we have left to do: I want to make/find some decent sized art for the wall to the left of the bed. I also think I am going to move the chandelier from this room to the second bedroom because it is black and nothing in this room is black. Also, Matt hits his head on it on a daily basis because it is so low. I am either going to make something or do something simple and inexpensive. I wouldn't mind a ceiling fan in here either cause on hot days it gets HOT.

The Bathroom

Before (sorry for the poor quality photos)

After

What we've done: I cannot tell you how nice it is to have a functional, big bathroom and Matt loves that the bath tub and shower are separate. We hated our last bathroom (there was no storage for anything, we kept all our toiletries in the hall closet). There is only so much you can do to a rented bathroom, but we took down the ugly, weird curtains and put a frosted film over the window for privacy.

What we have left to do: I want to find some kind of art work and then I want to get a little table for the side of the tub so there is a place to put things when your taking a bath like magazines and a candle. I had every intention of painting the cabinetry in here too, but alas, it has to stay as is. I am looking for new hardware for the drawers.

I didn't post any pictures of the hallway but I have some fun plans for in there (right now its all white and plain). Also, I plan to do a couple of posts explaing some of our projects like our mirror and the picture wall.

Hope you like the new abode. We are really liking it here!

What I'm Filling My Head With 2.0

2011-09-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

A while back Ellen and I did two posts entitled "What I'm Filling My Head With." I thought I'd come out of my blog-hiatus and write a sequel.

Music:
"Devil Town" by Tony Lucca

I first heard this song on season 1 of NBC's amazing Friday Night Lights. Sorry about the crappy video, it's about the best Youtube has to offer.

Book:
World War Z by Max Brooks

Soon to be a movie with Brad Pitt, I thought I should read this before it comes out. I don't want Brad Pitt on the cover of my copy of the book - man, that's annoying. It has a slow start, but it's a really terrifying and different look at humans during the zombie apocalypse.

TV:
Parks and Recreation

I don't know how I didn't watch this show before. Everything about it is hilarious - especially Ron Swanson.

Film:
50/50 and Drive

SAG is screening these two movies this weekend at the DGA, and I've been pretty pumped to see both. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ryan Gosling are two of my favorite actors, and both movies just look like fun movies. Except the cancer part.

When Lucy Eats an Apple...

2011-09-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

...she REALLY eats an apple.

I Love Lamp

2011-09-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't love these lamps:

So I spray painted them and bought a new shade at Target:

Now, I love lamp.

A House to Live In

2011-09-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry but not really that sorry that it has been 22 days since our last blog post. Life has been cah-razy. We moved, we had a house guest, my brother moved in and work has been busy busy planning a retreat for 100 people amongst other things.

Life has been good though. We are really loving our new place, loving having my brother around, and I've made some dear new friends in the past three weeks.

In addition, our camera broke. We figured it was a problem with the battery so we ordered a new one and it just got here in the mail. I was so hoping to take pictures of our place a week after we moved in and then just update you readers as things changed, but now it looks like you'll get pictures a month after we moved in and we will blog updates as we go on. We are pretty settled, but I definitely have a long list of things to do and projects to take on. Stay tuned. I'm planning on cleaning up and taking pics tomorrow.

In the meantime, my mother-in-law mailed me the September 2011 supplement to Good Housekeeping (A magazine titled "good housekeeping" never interested me that much and who knew they made a supplement? They can't get it all in their monthly magazine?). She sent it to me because of an article on window treatments but I kind of fell in love with one of their house tours.

As most of you know, I LOVE interior design. What a lot of you don't know is that I very seriously considered going back to school for it earlier this year. I applied and everything. But, when it came down to it, the decision was made because of simple dollars and cents. We just couldn't afford for me to work part time AND go to school. We'll see what happens in the future with that, but now it's just a hobby (and something that fills my mind a whole whole lot).

Anyways, back to Good Housekeeping. The pictures below are of a house in Rhode Island and I'm in love with it. Is it the best, coolest, most interestingly designed house I have ever seen? Nope. BUT it's a very realistic picture of the kind of house I want to live in some day.

As you know, I love Pinterest and I love pinning beautiful spaces. But usually when I see a space I always have to think about things I'd actually want to live with and things that, even though they are pretty, don't really suit our lifestyle. For instance, take this room designed by Emily Henderson:

I looove the scale of the window with the huge chandelier and the long curtains. I love the warm walls with the bright yellow chair and the bold blue couch. I love how the coffee table and console are styled. I love the plaid pillows on the couch because I would never think to bring that textile in this room. Do I see Matt and I (plus future bambinos) living in this room? Nope. It's too formal for us, doesn't feel that cozy to me, and not colors I'd want to live with on a daily basis. Still, can I take some of these elements into my own home? Yep.

So when I came across this house in Good Housekeeping, I thought, "Well, I could just move right on in." Are there things I'd want to change/tweak? Sure. But for the most part, this is a great representation of a house I'd want to live in.

I love the colors of the floor, the weathered leather chair, the gold metal side table, the open staircase, the neutral wall color, the big wooden table in the center of the room piled with books. I love the quirky "Hippies use the Backdoor" sign. And I LOVE that light fixture: simple, clean, interesting, lightbulb exposed. The only thing I'd change in here is the rug, and that's only because Matt's not a fan.

In this room I love the ceiling, the striped rug, the graphic pillows, the white couches, the built in shelving, the roman shades, and again the warm neutral wall color. I love the modern touches of the coffee and side table.

In here, I love the calming colors, the art work on the wall and on the side table, the sturdy wooden bed, the comfy looking chairs by the window, and the awesome industrial lamps.

I looooove a clean kitchen, crisp white cabinets, subway tile backsplash, dark counter tops, open shelving, tall faucet, and that rug peeking around the island there looks like it'll be a nice addition of color to the room. The clock doesn't look like the right scale for the room and I'd either add art work to that wall or replace it all together with one big vintage poster. Also, I think the room could use some more interesting bar stools. Maybe something metal? Otherwise, I'm in love.

And this! When my kids are all grown up I want them to remember their house being fun with no room too precious to play in. A swing and handle bars in their bedroom? Sign us up.

So there's the house that had me at hello. Is it the most interesting house you've ever seen? I'd be shocked if it was. But I love it, and that's all that matters right?

Who Says I'm Not Crafty?

2011-08-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

We really wanted a headboard for our new bedroom as it's something we've never had. Well, give me a couple sticks, a hammer, and a few nails and I'll make you a headboard. Well, sort of.

Ellen found some great DIY directions online for how to make a headboard, including the cut list and step by step instructions. In about 4 hours we were totally done!

After I built it, Ellen stained it a dark walnut.

I think it looks awesome.

A BIG post for our trip to The Big Island

2011-08-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks since we got back from the Big Island. And we are already dying to go back!

We did some fun things like visit Volcanoes National Park:

Yes, that is steam coming out of the crater.

Mason and Lucy in Volcanoes National Park

Abby and I in Volcanoes National Park

Went body boarding at my dad's favorite surfing spot:

Mason was a pro! I failed so miserably and it was one

of the most exhausting things I have ever done in my life.

Went swimming at the beach at the Mauna Kea Hotel (it was my perfect beach! The sand was so smooth!)

While we definitely did some normal "Hawaiian vacation" type things, the goal of this trip was to spend as much time with our family as possible so the a lot of the time we were sitting around the house and doing everyday things like going to the grocery store. My dad, my stepmom Emily, Abby, Mason and Lucy were all there and it was SO nice spending 6 straight days with them.

Abby and Mason have gotten so old! They're DEFINITELY not my baby brother and sister any more. In fact, Mason turned 9 years old while we were there! It's been years since I have been able to be with them for multiple days instead of just a night here and there so I cherished this time.

Matt introduced Mason and Abby to Jurassic Park one afternoon. They loved it!

As for Lucy, she has gotten so much fun (and she was even super cute the last time I saw her). I could spend all day every day with her. We were pretty much attached at the hip the whole week.

Lucy and I laughing in the Hilo Farmer's market

Yes, I look like a goofy fool but I had fun making her laugh!

Lucy chasing me in Liliuokalani Gardens

Playing in a park by my dad's house.

Lucy in the grocery store

And because this post isn't long enough, here are some videos for your viewing pleasure:

This one is our personal favorite. Lucy was doing funny faces in the car (the last face she called the "car face". To this day we have no idea what that means.) When she says, "Turn around" it's because she wanted Matt to turn the camera around and show her the video he was taping.

Lucy running to give me a hug while we were on a hike one day:

Playing with the baby chicks. My dad has a chicken coup on his property, and they recently bought some baby chicks and a baby rooster to add to the bunch.

Lucy explaining to me all the dogs names. This was our first big conversation as it was on the first day and she was still a bit shy. Trust me, she got way more talkative and loud than this.

And finally, us playing chase in the park on the last day (looking like a goofy fool once again)

Moving Tomorrow

2011-08-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

We have A LOT of posts coming, but, news flash, we are moving TOMORROW so it ain't happenin in the next couple of days.

We'll have an entire post on the long long process of searching and finding an apartment.
One about the one thing I'll actually miss about where we live now (OK maybe two things).
One about our trip to Hawaii.
One about finally building that headboard.
And one about how I made over these lamps I have always kind of hated.

So in other words, I promise we'll be back, but just not in the next 48 hours.

How DJ Kaskade ended up costing me $75 and making me eat dinner at 10pm

2011-07-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

We got back in town from Hawaii early Tuesday morning (blog post coming). Since we literally had salsa and some noodles in our kitchen, we desperately needed to buy some food. So last night after rush hour was over (we thought) we decided to go to the grocery store. We left our place around 7:00 and headed to Fresh & Easy.

Now, Fresh and Easy is located smack dab in the middle of Hollywood. It's literally next door to the Kodak Theatre and the Graumen's Chinese Theatre. I, for one, really despise Hollywood. It is super congested at all times, dirty, and filled with tourists (and cheap tourists shops). Yes there are some really cool things there like the Oscars, the El Capitan, the Pantages and soon, Iris. But, for the most part I avoid it like the plague....except for every two weeks when we go to the grocery store.

You see, when we lived in Pasadena, we had a Fresh & Easy conveniently located down the street from where we lived. We fell in love with the place because of their products, its small neighborhood market feel and, most of all, the prices. We save SO much money on groceries by shopping there. For instance, we have a Ralph's down the street from us and when we first moved to our current home we tried going there and it ended up costing us $75 more to buy the exact same things we buy at Fresh & Easy. Yes, we used a club card and bought the items that were on sale. We decided that the distance and headache of driving to Hollywood to go to our nearest Fresh & Easy was worth the $150 we'll save every month.

So, like I said, we left for the grocery store around 7:00 last night without checking any traffic reports. Well, as we got closer and closer to Hollywood the traffic started getting worse and worse. Even for Hollywood standards, which often has movie premieres at night, the traffic was a little bonkers. I looked on Google Maps and sure enough EVERY road in Hollywood was completely red indicating that traffic was basically stopped on all roads leading to our destination.

What in the world was going on? Well THIS was going on.

So, a big thank you goes out to Mr. Kaskade for the mayhem he caused in Hollywood yesterday. I love buying expensive groceries and eating dinner at 10pm. Couldn't have done it without you!

How We Made a Boring Desk a Little Cuter

2011-07-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

Remember all our projects? Well we finished our desk makeover a while back but I've been lazy about posting about it. Remember, this desk was given to us for free by my office (they needed to get rid of it) so it might not be something we would have chosen ourselves but the price tag was right.

To refresh your memory, we started out with this:

A big boring brown box.

And now the desk looks like this:

Not a major transformation but I think it looks loads better than where we started. We bought the handles from home depot (Martha Stewart Collection). We thought we'd go right home and stick those handles on but the screw the handles came with were way to short to fit through the drawer. See?

So we had to go to a hardware store and buy new screws so we could attach the handles and add a little interest to the desk.

We also bought two white chairs from Ikea (we bought two so we can add them to our dining room table if people come over for dinner and we are in a pinch) and a cute little mouse pad via Etsy.

So there you have it, not a shocking before and after but I think a vast improvement from where we started. Now if we could just find a new apartment (a different post that's coming soon)...

HP7 Part II

2011-07-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

Reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for me was like having your best friend move away - you're so close and have been through so much it's hard to say goodbye. Not only have Ellen and I watched the characters in the books grow up, but we've grown up too. We were just dating when I started reading the books, and now as the films come to an end, we're married! Going to midnight book releases and film screenings has always been a part of our relationship, and this shared loved of Harry Potter (and having something to totally geek out on together) is something I really appreciate and love. I remember when I was reading Order of the Phoenix and Sirius Black was killed, I was so heartbroken I immediately called Ellen and just said, "Sirius Black is dead." Are you embarrassed you know me yet?

Needless to say, we bought our tickets for the midnight screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II weeks ago, and leading up to it we've been both giddy and sad knowing this is our last time to visit Hogwarts. I can still remember vividly what I felt when Harry finally left the Dursley's cupboard and caught his first glimpse of Hogwarts from the boat. To me that's what makes a good story - when I feel what the characters feel and I long to keep on reading. And that's what Harry Potter has been for me. I hope in my acting career I can be involved in something like that.

We'll be watching these movies and reading these books for years to come, but it still feels like something is ending this week. So, for the final time, to the characters, places, and stories we love: Goodbye.

And in case you can't get enough of Harry either, this is a good place to start.

12 Days

2011-07-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

12 more days until I am here:

With her:

And these two:

It's gonna be a loooong week.

Picture Post: The Best Girl

2011-07-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

Living Between The Edens

2011-06-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

"For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

Romans 8:20-25

Two weeks ago Ellen and I returned from a trip to Alabama. Unlike most trips home, we weren't there to see family and friends. This time we came with a group from our church to aid in the disaster relief efforts after the recent tornadoes. We were primarily stationed in Tuscaloosa and the small community of Webster's Chapel, which was almost completely destroyed. People were living in tents next to the ruins of their homes.

Ellen mentioned to me that our trip reminded her that this simply isn't the way the world was meant to be. I immediately thought of the verse I posted above. Something is wrong with our world. Creation itself is groaning, and sometimes we can feel those groans more intensely than others. Poor people with no insurance aren't supposed to have everything they own blown away by the wind. Mothers aren't supposed to have their happy toddlers suddenly stolen away by a strong storm. Creation is groaning, humans are groaning, it seems like everything is groaning.

Luckily, creation isn't just groaning, but it's groaning in the pains of childbirth - and that means that something is coming. Our adoption as sons and the renewal of our bodies. What struck Ellen two weeks ago was that amidst all of the groaning we saw in those small Alabama towns, something was pointing to an inevitable redemption and restoration. If I had been astute enough to recognize it I would have told it to so many people we met. But, oddly enough, the people we met standing in the spots where their homes once were seemed to already know. They were smiling.

As my friend Andy Byers writes in his book, we are living between the Edens. That phrase always made me think of the end of The Last Battle where Lewis writes, "...All of you are...dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning." I groan in anticipation of stepping into that morning, the second Eden.

Read another account of our trip here.

See all of our pictures here.

Catching Up: 3rd Anniversary

2011-06-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but Ellen and I have been married for 3 years! Being married to her makes me the happiest man alive, and I always try to show her that. We always try to do something cool on an anniversary, and this year was no different. I had the idea to create a "Choose Your Own Anniversary" anniversary, with the theme being famous movies. I made a little surprise video for Ellen:

She chose painting pottery, which had the potential to be romantic and fun. What it turned out to be was a maddening waste of money. Why? Let's just say neither one of us can paint a straight line. Which is why I ended up painting a solid brown pencil holder and Ellen painted a white vase with one blue stripe.

We recovered from this catastrophe by having an amazing dinner at Lucques, whose chef was just nominated for an Outstanding Chef James Beard Award.

We thought we'd set up the tripod and take a few pictures, too. Wow, they turned out great.

We did all of this celebrating on the Saturday before our real anniversary, since on the actual date we would be in Alabama on our tornado relief trip (blog post coming soon). While there wasn't much time to do any celebrating while we were in Bama, we were actually housed by our old church. That means that on our anniversary at the exact time we would have been getting married, we got to go into the sanctuary where our ceremony was. It felt good to be in the same place we were 3 years ago, with the same person, even happier now than we were then.

Marriage is awesome.

Catching Up: A Tourist in My Own City

2011-06-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

Goodness, there is a lot to catch up on. We've been crazy busy since my last post on June 1st with friend visits, a romantic anniversary and a mission trip to Alabama. But never fear, this week the catch up posts will appear (oh yes. I rhymed).

Over Memorial Day weekend, some of our best friends came for a visit. Brother sister combo Ben and Katie and Katie's boyfriend Adam. I LOVE when people come to visit because I get to be a tourist in my own city, essentially just doing all things I love to do most in LA. And the best part is showing those things to people who haven't experienced them before. So fun.

In a lot of pictures and a few words, here's what went down:

When Katie and Adam first arrived we went straight to Pinches Tacos* (my very favorite Mexican in LA)

Then we grabbed the best cupcake money can buy: Sprinkles

Next up, the Getty to enjoy our cupcakes on the lawn...

...and met Adam's doppelganger, Ryan Gosling.

On Saturday, we fought the traffic to San Diego to attend the super fun wedding of Bradley Hasemeyer and Kiersten Lyons

Then after church on Sunday, we drove up to El Matador Beach in Malibu. It's like heaven.

Then off to a fun Sunday night out at Terroni and UCB.

On Monday, the epic Disney day (14 hours) commenced.

We hit a low point on the Finding Nemo ride (this is not staged).

Then there was the "penny incident".

Then we rode on Tower of Terror with Tommy Magic (yes, this is his real name)

And we threw in some World of Color and some "clubbin" at Electronica before calling it a night.

We had so much fun Ben, Katie and Adam! Come back soon!

P.S. If you want to read a more detailed account of what went down, head on over to Annie's blog who joined us for 80% of our activities :) or to see more pictures head on over to Katie's Facebook album.

*Pinches Tacos is this little family owned, hole in the wall Mexican place here in LA. Coincidentally, they have family in Birmingham so they are opening up a Pinches Tacos in Homewood. So if you are one of our Birmingham friends, go try them out!

Obsession Pinterest

2011-06-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

She loves it. So does she. And I love it too.

Come and see what the buzz is about.

To My Barista At Starbucks

2011-05-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Starbucks Barista,

It's not fun to lose your voice. So when you asked from across the store what I wanted to drink and I didn't respond, you shouldn't be offended. Then I waved you over and you looked so put out. I had already prepared a note on my iPhone for you so that you would know what I wanted to drink. Here I am, holding the phone up in the air, and you aren't looking at it. You're just looking at me. So now here I am, shaking my phone up and down. Finally you look at it. You read my note. You know I've lost my voice. Why is it that suddenly now you've lost your voice too? You're waving packets of honey in my face as if to ask, "Would you like some honey?" Well guess what, Barista? I'm not deaf, I've just lost my voice. I can still hear you.

And you didn't even give me a receipt.

From the Divine Hours

2011-05-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Breathe on me, breath of God,

Fill me with life anew,

That I may love what Thou dost love,

And do what Thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, breath of God,

Until my heart is pure,

Until with Thee I will one will,

To do and to endure.

Breathe on me, breath of God,

Blend all my soul with Thine,

Until this earthly part of me

Glows with Thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, breath of God,

So shall I never die,

But live with Thee the perfect life

Of Thine eternity.

At the church office where I work, we go through this book every day together. I particularly loved this hymn that was in the "Vesper's Office" yesterday afternoon. May it be my prayer every day.

Homesick

2011-05-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

As I was perusing Design*Sponge today, one of my most favorite design blogs, I was pleasantly surprised that they chose Birmingham, Alabama as their City Guide city today! It made me miss home and the South so much. Good thing we'll be down there TWICE this summer: June 5th-12th and June 30th-July 4th.

To see the guide, you can go here.

A Perspective on Pilot Season

2011-05-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found a great PDF that a talent agent here in LA put together that gave me a lot of perspective on this past pilot season. He looked at every pilot that was picked up by a network and analyzed every role and actor cast. It sheds so much light on the demographics of who is getting cast. Here is a link to the whole PDF which I would suggest reading, but here's my quick breakdown of some important points.

The majority of male roles in pilots this year were in the 30-39 age range.
21% of series regular roles went to big star names.
50% of series regular roles went to former series regulars of major shows.
27% of series regular roles went to heavy working actors with numerous recurring roles in previous shows.
2% of series regular roles went to actors whose careers are "in development," and most of those were children.

While this may sound a little discouraging (by the numbers, this past season I had less than a 1% chance of booking a series regular role in a pilot), it confirms something I've always known to be true. You MUST be in this for the long haul. You MUST be ready to build your career from the ground up, one audition and one role at a time. You will start small. You should celebrate every audition, really celebrate every callback, and really really celebrate every booking. You'll start with a tiny part in a show, and if you're business savvy and a hard worker you'll turn that into a bigger part next time around. Then, 5 years down the road maybe you've booked a guest star on a TV show. Then if things go well you can turn that into a series regular role. Now you're in the top 50% of actors that were cast in this year's pilot season. Bottom line: building a career in the entertainment industry takes hard work and patience.

Does this discourage me? No, it doesn't. I really enjoy auditioning, and when I'm on set working there's almost nothing better. I can already see my career being built, even though it's being built one little step at a time. I get impatient because I want to be able to provide for my family right now by doing something I love, but I'm SO blessed to be married to someone who supports me while we're on this long road of building a career.

This Is How You Buy A Computer

2011-05-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

Despite the billions of dollars my acting career is making us, I also work a side job at an Apple store. It's a great side job and I've actually met lots of career contacts here, but there's one other thing about working at an Apple store that's great: I know how to freaking buy a computer. Really well. And here's how you can, too.

So this past week new iMacs came out. They're shiny and fast. Don't get too excited though, because we're not buying that. We're buying the previous generation iMacs that just DROPPED WAY DOWN IN PRICE. Oh yeah, and Apple gives employees a pretty good discount on one computer purchase per year. Since both mine and Ellen's computers are from 2006, it goes without saying that I hadn't used my computer discount this year.

Now you've bought your new(ish) iMac. Congratulations. Now we need to sell your old computer. There are a million websites where you can do just that, even if your old computer doesn't even work. Google that. I did, and I sold our two laptops. Now I'm going to amaze you with some math.

Original price of iMac: $1200
Price I paid after discount and previous generation pricing: $824
Price I sold our laptops for: $875

I'm not great at math, but even I can tell that those numbers are pretty good. Now let's add in the tax. How much did we pay for our brand new iMac? Drum roll please....

$37

So here's what you can learn from this: A) I'm really cheap. B) Even seemingly expensive computers could be really cheap if you time the purchase right, take advantage of every discount, and sell your old stuff.

*takes a bow*

We're Going to Alabama

2011-05-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

...and bringing a team with us.

As you all know, on April 27th the worst outbreak of tornadoes in US history devastated the state of Alabama leaving people without homes and wiping out neighborhoods.

In response, our church here in LA is sending a team to Alabama from June 5th-12th to help with the disaster relief. Matt and I have been tapped to lead the trip as we obviously know the area well. We are going to be housed by our old church Mountain Brook Community and going out every day to pretty much do whatever is asked of us. I am seeing a lot of manual labor in our future :)

Comment on this post with your email addy...
   If you live in California and are interested in going on the trip
   If you live in Alabama and would like to join us one of the days as a volunteer
   If you would like to financially contribute to our trip
And I will send you some more deets.

Prayers are needed for the planning stages as we are trying to recruit people to join us and prayers are certainly needed for the Alabama folk who have lost everything.

Hope to hear from you soon :)

*photo from CNN.com

Where were you during the royal wedding?

2011-04-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

Matt and I set our alarms for 2am and bundled up in our "brown blanket" on the couch and watched the royal wedding. Oh the things my sweet husband will do for me! We went to bed after they were officially married and finished watching the festivities later Friday evening, but I'll always remember snuggling up with my husband at an ungodly hour to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton become the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Can every Monday be like this?

2011-04-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes these things happen just in time. Lately Ellen and I have been needing a vacation, but things are so busy and it costs so much to get away I was starting to wonder if we would ever get a break. Thankfully this Easter weekend our schedules aligned and we got 2 amazing days off in a row...together. That's a rarity and it was so needed.

Easter Sunday was filled with friends, church and killer Mexican food. Then on Monday Ellen and I drove up the PCH to Zuma Beach.

Relaxing with a picnic on the beach is not overrated. If it wasn't for the tornado speed winds and the Hidalgo-style sandstorm they created, I think we'd still be sitting there now.

But we left in the late afternoon and got some Baskin Robbins, took a nap, grilled out and then went to the 10pm showing of Water for Elephants (Ellen's choice, not mine). If only every Monday could be like this.

Paint the Dresser. Check.

2011-04-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Well folks, the first project on our list is done. On Saturday we turned this:

Into this:

Matt and I are so happy with the result! It was a looong process that included four steps: sanding down the entire piece, priming with oil based primer, painting two coats of the color and then brushing on a protective top coat. I'll save you the details because we essentially followed these instructions to a T.

Right now the dresser doesn't really have a place in our home (which, by the way, is starting to look like a furniture warehouse) but I think it will be perfect for our bedroom in our next home.

This project has definitely given me the DIY bug and I am filling my mind with all sorts of new projects to accomplish. Stay tuned.

D(oing) I(t) O(urselves)

2011-04-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

As we are preparing to move to a two bedroom in a couple months I am determined to get creative with furnishing our next home on a budget. We already have a couple major DIY projects on the to do list. (Two numbered lists in two days! Lucky you):

1. Last weekend we scored this amazing dresser on Craigslist for $100.

This weekend, we are planning on sanding it down and painting it. We went to Home Depot last night and picked out this Glidden paint color, Slate Gray.

I'm going to turn in to the crazy lady on the block because I'll probably accomplish this task out front in a bathing suit to get some sun. You can pretend like you don't know me starting now.

2. Matt and I have been wanting a desk for a while now but haven't found one that fits in our budget until now. A bunch of people where I work were switching offices (Did I mention I got a promotion? YIPPEE! I am now the Community Group Coordinator. It's pretty great.) and this little desk was not going to be used by anyone. The church was going to give it to Goodwill but I volunteered to be the church's goodwill and they let us take it for free! Definitely in our budget.

Because the desk isn't solid wood the plan now is not to paint it. While we were at home depot last night we bought some hardware for the drawers that will spruce it up a bit and we are searching for a chair to go with the desk (preferably something with a cool geometric print). Pics to come soon.

3. The original add for the Craigslist dresser above had a listing price of $125 because this mirror was included with it. We didn't really need the mirror so we asked if we could buy the dresser for $100 and not take the mirror. Well when we got to the seller's apartment to pick it up, they told us to take the mirror at no extra cost. I think they just wanted to get it off their hands. Glad we negotiated because we got a huge new mirror for free!

I am not a huge fan of the stain on the wood so I am going to sand it down as well and stain it a darker color (see below).

4. This next project is a doozy. Since we will have two bedrooms soon, we are going to need a new bed. I have always wanted a big wooden headboard for our master bedroom and I am finally going to get it! I have long since loved the clean lines and classic look of the Mason Headboard over at Pottery Barn but I am not about to spend almost $800 on it.

Well I headed over to Ana-White.com and found a plan for this very headboard! So Matt is going to build it for us! Then, I'll stain it to look almost identical to the "real" headboard. I am super excited about this little endeavor and will definitely be blogging about the progress. See below for a homemade version of the headboard using Ana White's plan. Looks great right?

So that's what we'll be busy doing the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted.

Change of Address

2011-04-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

So guess what? We're moving again. AGAIN! I honestly have moved at least once a year since I was a freshman in college (not to mention moving 3 times in one year). And let me tell you, it is getting old. I always dreamed of a life like Carl and Ellie's. I love the idea of buying an old house and loving it and fixing it up until you die. Morbid I know, but I love the idea of making memories in a home to the point where the home is almost like a character in your life. Well this dream has come and gone with us :)

But I am actually excited about the move this time around and it is absolutely necessary for several reasons:

1. The biggest and best reason: My brother Oliver is moving in with us! He wants to come out to LA to work in the film industry and he will be staying with us until he learns the city and figures out what he wants to do here and where he wants to live. Since we don't want him sleeping on our couch for 6 months, we will definetly need a second bedroom.

2. We want a guest room and a room for a potential bambino. Currently when my family visits, out come the air matresses. It gets CROWDED when seven people are sleeping in a one beroom apartment. It will be nice to spread out and give our guests some personal space. Also, I like the idea of not having to move if we were to have a baby. We're not planning on having a baby anytime in the immediate future but ya never know. I'd hate to have a "surprise" and then stress out about moving to a new place.

3. We've never loved out current apartment. We had to move out so quickly from the duplex that we didn't take the time to find a place we would love. Not that our apartment now isn't great; it's just that it has always felt very temporary and I'd love to be in a home that we love again.

We won't be moving until July because that is when our lease is up. I have been scrolling PadMapper like a madwoman though to see potential places to live. I have actually sort of fallen in love with a townhouse that is located in our old neighborhood, is in our price range and has all the amenities we want. Too bad it is for rent now and we can't move for another 3 months. Here's hoping no one snags it!

We also hope for the day that we actually get to plant some roots and purchase a home. But I don't know if you got the memo: Los Angeles real estate is wacko expensive!

Not So Plain

2011-04-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that the most beautiful commercial I'd ever seen would be about yogurt? I swear I go into a trance whenever it comes on the television.

I think it's just beautiful.

What Schwarzenegger And I Have In Common

2011-03-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

We're both action stars.

Let me explain.

There's a film being made about a pizza delivery boy who is suddenly given the task of delivering a mysterious briefcase to a mysterious location. The fate of the world hangs in the balance. Along his trip he shoots down helicopters with a rocket launcher. He's tied to a chair and kicked off the side of a building. He fights demons with a broadsword.

That pizza delivery boy is being played by none other than me. Ha.

This is a movie called Courier, and it's directed by Michael Newman. He's graduating from USC with a Master's Degree in Directing, and this is his project. It's huge for me to be cast as the lead in any film, but I'm really happy about this one for lots of reasons. The director is super cool, the special effects are super cool, and it's super cool for me to get to know an up-and-coming director who's headed out into Hollywood to make films full-time. I hope there's a way for you to see the film when it's done, because I think it's going to be....well, really super cool.

And let's be honest. Who doesn't want to shoot a rocket launcher?

To Bring Us To God

2011-03-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have been chewing on the following chapter from this book by John Piper today. Do I want God? Do I embrace the Good News without embracing God? I want to want God above any and all things. How do I get to this place? How do I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind? Until I get to heaven, I'm sure I will always be wrestling with these questions, but for now I'll just meditate on these things...

Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13

When all is said and done, God is the gospel. Gospel means “good news.” Christianity is not first theology, but news. It is like prisoners of war hearing by hidden radio that the allies have landed and rescue is only a matter of time. The guards wonder why all the rejoicing.

But what is the ultimate good in the good news? It all ends in one thing: God himself. All the words of the gospel lead to him, or they are not gospel. For example, salvation is not good news if it only saves from hell and not for God. Forgiveness is not good news if it only gives relief from guilt and doesn’t open the way to God. Justification is not good news if it only makes us legally acceptable to God but doesn’t bring fellowship with God. Redemption is not good news if it only liberates us from bondage but doesn’t bring us to God. Adoption is not good news if it only puts us in the Father’s family but not in his arms.

This is crucial. Many people seem to embrace the good news without embracing God. There is no sure evidence that we have a new heart just because we want to escape hell. That’s a perfectly natural desire, not a supernatural one. It doesn’t take a new heart to want the psychological relief of forgiveness, or the removal of God’s wrath, or the inheritance of God’s world. All these things are understandable without any spiritual change. You don’t need to be born again to want these things. The devils want them.

It is not wrong to want them. Indeed it is folly not to. But the evidence that we have been changed is that we want these things because they bring us to the enjoyment of God. This is the greatest thing Christ died for. “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

Why is this the essence of the good news? Because we were made to experience full and lasting happiness from seeing and savoring the glory of God. If our best joy comes from something less, we are idolaters and God is dishonored. He created us in such a way that his glory is displayed through our joy in it. The gospel of Christ is the good news that at the cost of his Son’s life, God has done everything necessary to enthrall us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy, namely, himself.

Long before Christ came, God revealed himself as the source of full and lasting pleasure. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). Then he sent Christ to suffer “that he might bring us to God.” This means he sent Christ to bring us to the deepest, longest joy a human can have. Hear then the invitation: Turn from “the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) and come to “pleasures forevermore.” Come to Christ.

We Like Cheese

2011-03-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

We really like cheese. The other day Matt and I were at the grocery store, and we were laughing about how much cheese we were putting in our cart. We go shopping every two weeks for groceries and try to keep our budget small, but we can't help but putting a large percentage of that budget towards the finest dairy product around. I could see myself going vegetarian, but I would have to be deathly allergic to cheese to go vegan.

These are the cheeses we picked this time around:

Shredded Cheddar
Shredded Mozzarella
Shredded Parmesan
Dutch Gouda
Sliced Cheddar
Feta
Goat Cheese (my favorite snack is goat cheese and honey on crackers)
Blue Cheese

The saddest part is this will all be gone before our two weeks are up.

He Isn't A Tame Lion

2011-03-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

I recently finished rereading The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Lewis has long been one of my favorite authors, and it's been so long since I've picked up Narnia I thought it was time to do it again. Most of my memories from reading the series revolve around the character of Aslan and how much of an emotional connection I have to that character. This time through was no different; in fact I probably felt even more emotion than ever. I think as I grow in my faith I start to understand a little more about what Lewis was doing with the character of Aslan and his parallels to Christ. I ran across so many fantastic quotes that describe the character of Christ so perfectly or perhaps even directly parallel Scripture verses I wanted to compile some of them in one place. This is almost more for me than it is for anyone else, but I hope these quotes give you a slightly different perspective on the God that become one of us to save us. And if you haven't read The Chronicles of Narnia, leave this blog and go to a bookstore. What's wrong with you?

The Magician's Nephew
(referring to Aslan singing the world into being, and watching colors appear in the earth) "They made you feel excited; until you saw the Singer himself, and then you forgot everything else."

Aslan: "Oh Adam's sons, how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good!"

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
"'Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.' 'That you will, dearie, and no mistake,' said Mrs. Beaver; 'if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly.' 'Then he isn't safe?' said Lucy. 'Safe?' said Mr. Beaver; 'don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.'"

Aslan: "...though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward."

(after Aslan's resurrection he runs and plays with Lucy and Susan) "It was such a romp as no one has ever had except in Narnia; and whether it was more like playing with a thunderstorm or playing with a kitten Lucy could never make up her mind. And the funny thing was that when all three finally lay together panting in the sun the girls no longer felt in the least tired or hungry or thirsty."

(after Aslan speaks to another lion who is commonly regarded as stupid) "'Did you hear what he said? Us Lions. That means him and me. Us Lions. That's what I like about Aslan. No side, no stand-offishness. Us Lions. That meant him and me.'"

"But amid all these rejoicings Aslan himself quietly slipped away. And when the Kings and Queens noticed that he wasn't there they said nothing about it. For Mr. Beaver had warned them, 'He'll be coming and going,' he had said. 'One day you'll see him and another you won't. He doesn't like being tied down - and of course he has other countries to attend to. It's quite all right. He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.'"

The Horse and his Boy
"'Please,' she said, 'you're so beautiful. You may eat me if you like. I'd sooner be eaten by you than fed by anyone else.' 'Dearest daughter,' said Aslan, planting a lion's kiss on her twitching, velvet nose, 'I knew you would not be long in coming to me. Joy shall be yours.' Then he lifted his head and spoke in a louder voice. 'Now, Bree,' he said, 'you poor proud, frightened Horse, draw near. Nearer still, my son. Do not dare not to dare. Touch me. Smell me. Here are my paws, here is my tail, these are my whiskers. I am a true Beast.' 'Aslan,' said Bree in a shaken voice, 'I'm afraid I must be rather a fool.' 'Happy the Horse who knows that while he is still young. Or the Human either.'"

"There was a short silence and then they all stirred and looked at one another as if they were waking from sleep. Aslan was gone. But there was a brightness in the air and on the grass, and a joy in their hearts, which assured them that he had been no dream."

Prince Caspian
"'Welcome, Prince,' said Aslan. 'Do you feel yourself sufficient to take up the Kingship of Narnia?' 'I - I don't think I do, Sir,' said Caspian. 'I'm only a kid.' 'Good,' said Aslan. 'If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been a proof that you were not.'

"'You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,' said Aslan. 'And that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.'"

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
"'Oh, Aslan,' said Lucy. 'Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world?' 'I shall be telling you all the time,' said Aslan. 'But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river. But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder.'"

The Silver Chair
"'You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,' said the Lion."

(after Aslan tells Jill the directions for her quest) "But first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs. And secondly, I give you a warning. Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly; I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters."

"'You see, Aslan didn't tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do. That fellow will be the death of us once he's up, I shouldn't' wonder. But that doesn't let us off following the sign."

The Last Battle
(spoken by a pagan whom Aslan saves) "'And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me Beloved, me who am but as a dog.'"

(after the end of the world, referring to the new Narnia) "'I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this.'"

"'There was a real railway accident,' said Aslan softly. 'Your father and mother and all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.'"

How amazing to know that now we are stuck in a pale, comparatively lifeless school term, filled with work and stress - and the vibrant holiday we were made for is waiting just around the corner.

What the Other One is Filling Her Head With

2011-03-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

My turn I guess.

Music:
I just downloaded Adele's new album 21. Man oh man is she good.

Also, the song "Don't Wait Too Long" by Madeleine Peyroux has been making me all kinds of happy.

Books:
I just started Water for Elephants. I'm only on page 31, but I have a feeling I am really going to like it from Sara Gruen's writing style. And the fact that it is a historical romance doesn't hurt.

TV:
I am ashamed to admit it. Really I am. But Grey's Anatomy and I have become fast friends. I have watched the first 3 seasons in a month. I am fully aware that it isn't a good show. I am also painfully reminded all too often that the writing really sucks. But it is just a guilty pleasure that I am ok with having.

And on March 29th, Mad Men season 4 arrives in my Netflix queue and will be devoured promptly. Can't wait!

Film:
I really have been watching Grey's and preparing for Oscar night by watching all the Best Picture nominees so I haven't had that much time for movies as of late. This week I will watch The Hours for the first time ever. But I guess if you want to know what I have been filling my head with, yesterday Liar Liar was on ABC Family and I got sucked in and watched that. I miss the old Jim Carrey...

What I'm Filling My Head With

2011-03-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

I talk a lot on our blog about acting and what's going on with my career, so I think it's time for a lighter post. Here's some things that I'm loving right now....and I'm hoping you'll come to love them too.

Music:
I've been in a very folky mood with my music lately, so if it's got a banjo and a dobro I'm already halfway to being a fan. Right now my biggest obsession is The Avett Brothers.

I'm also loving Mumford & Sons, who are kind of the British equivalent of The Avett Brothers. Folk and British Folk are the best!

Books:
One of my recent resolutions was to read more, and so far it's been going pretty well. I sped through The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and then moved on to re-read The Chronicles of Narnia. Right now I'm on book 6 of 7 (depending on how you're counting), The Silver Chair. I think I want to do a whole post just highlighting some quotes from the series, because it's really been spiritually fulfilling for me to go back through these amazing fantasy books. Once I'm done with Narnia I'm moving on to a book by Graham Moore called The Sherlockian.

TV:
Justified is one of the best shows on TV right now, and it is most definitely my favorite. Timothy Olyphant plays U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens, a modern day cowboy stuck in the backwards town of Harlan, Kentucky which is run by the Dixie Mafia. Basically it's a clever, well-written shoot 'em up that is at the same time smart and funny as it is dark and suspenseful. Also it stars the incredible Walton Goggins, a Birmingham native who is the most under-appreciated actor in LA.

Film:

I haven't seen it yet, but since it stars two people on my Goal Sheet I can't not write about it here. I am so excited for the movie Paul!

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are two sci-fi nerds who are driving cross country when they run into an alien. Sounds like my kind of movie.

What are you loving right now?

Our Full Oscar Predictions 2011

2011-02-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

Who we think will win

Who Matt wants to win

Who Ellen wants to win

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Melissa Leo, THE FIGHTER

Amy Adams, THE FIGHTER

Helena Bonham Carter, THE KING'S SPEECH

*Hailey Steinfeld, TRUE GRIT

Jacki Weaver, ANIMAL KINGDOM

*Just so you know, we think that the fact that Hailey Steinfeld

isn't in the Best Actress category is just plain stupid

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, THE FIGHTER

Mark Ruffalo, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Geoffrey Rush, THE KING'S SPEECH

Jeremy Renner, THE TOWN

John Hawkes, WINTER'S BONE

BEST ACTRESS

Jennifer Lawrence, WINTER'S BONE

Nicole Kidman, RABBIT HOLE

Natalie Portman, BLACK SWAN

Michelle Williams, BLUE VALENTINE

Annette Bening, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

BEST ACTOR

Javier Bardem, BIUTIFUL

Jeff Bridges, TRUE GRIT

Jesse Eisenberg, THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Colin Firth, THE KING'S SPEECH

James Franco, 127 HOURS

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Toy Story 3

The Illusionist

How to Train Your Dragon

BEST WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

Danny Boyle and Simon Beeaufoy, 127 HOURS

Aaron Sorkin, THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Michael Arndt: Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich, TOY STORY 3

Joel and Ethan Coen, TRUE GRIT

Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini, WINTER'S BONE

BEST WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

Mike Leigh, ANOTHER YEAR

Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson; story by Keith Dorrington, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson, THE FIGHTER

Christopher Nolan, INCEPTION

Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blunberg, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

David Seidler, THE KING'S SPEECH

ORIGINAL SCORE

127 Hours

How To Train Your Dragon

Inception

The King's Speech

The Social Network

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, BLACK SWAN

David O. Russell, THE FIGHTER

Tom Hooper, THE KING'S SPEECH

David Fincher, THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Joel and Ethan Coen, TRUE GRIT

BEST PICTURE

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King's Speech

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter's Bone

Unlike last year where Ellen and I had mostly differing opinions and those opinions differed from the mainstream opinion, this year we are in almost total agreement with each other and popular thought. I don't know what that means, but there it is. Ellen feels like The Social Network really might upset The King's Speech for Best Picture, but I'm not so sure. Either way, we both liked The Social Network best, even though we truly love both films. Until 2012...

The Top Ten: Ranked

2011-02-27T12:44:00.000-08:00

It's Oscar Sunday! One of our favorite days of the year. Like last year, we watched all the best picture nominees. We both have to agree that this year's top ten didn't have a bad movie in the bunch (unlike last year's Blind Side or, on my end, A Serious Man). Here are our thoughts on the films counting down from our least favorite to favorite of the bunch:

Matt:

*Let it be known from the start that I set out to see every nominee, and The Kids Are All Right is the only one I didn't watch. So here is my ranking of the other 9.

9. 127 Hours: I enjoyed this movie much more than other Danny Boyle movies, but overall I just don't like his gimmicky directing style. James Franco was fun to watch, though.

8. Winter's Bone: This movie sets a new benchmark in setting an appropriate tone, I think. The feel of the movie was so consistent, dark, and suspenseful. If you haven't seen this one, you really should.

7. Inception: Christopher Nolan has some great ideas. Wow. I'm not sure how I feel about Ellen Page as a casting choice, though. I had a hard time believing her in that role, even though I think she's good.

6. Toy Story 3: Pixar is on another winning streak. Let's hope Cars 2 doesn't break that.

5. Black Swan: I loved the Hitchcockian suspense of this movie, but overall it didn't knock me down as a Best Picture winner. However, the way Darren Aronofsky films directly into mirrors was insanely cool.

4. The Fighter: When I saw this movie I hadn't heard a thing about it, which made the experience great. I had no clue about the style of the movie, or the humor with which they treated the subject matter. I really enjoyed it.

3. True Grit: I love me some Coen Brothers, and this is one of my favorites by them. It is so beautifully shot and the storytelling is so compelling.

2. The King's Speech: I thought Tom Hooper knocked it out of the park with this one. People were complaining about his use of wide angle lenses, but I think it worked perfectly. And it was so refreshing to see a film about good people, fidelity, and friendship. Well done by everyone involved.

1. The Social Network: I saw this movie 3 times. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score was more than perfect. Aaron Sorkin's script nailed that dialogue style. David Fincher told the story amazingly. The cast was everything I aspire to be. I will show this movie to my kids as an example of great filmmaking of this decade.

Ellen:

10. Winter's Bone: Just because this sits at #10, it doesn't mean I didn't think this was a great movie. I really did. Jennifer Lawrence was great. It was just very slow and pretty depressing, so it probably was the one on the list I least enjoyed watching.

9. The Kids Are All Right: I liked this movie. And I definitely think Julianne Moore should be nominated over Annette Bening. The reason this is #9 is because I just don't think this is an Oscar worthy movie. It wasn't that special to me.

8. 127 Hours: I thought James Franco was so so great in this movie. I think his performance might even be better than Colin Firth. Like Matt though, I just can't get over Danny Boyle's directing style. It's just not for me.

7. Black Swan: This movie was so dark and suspenseful! It was a fun ride and I felt like I had to keep up with Nina's crazy mind games the entire time (a good thing).

6. True Grit: I am so not a fan of the Western genre but this was such a good surprise. This BEAUTIFUL movie was the perfect mix of humor, action and emotion. And when Mattie Ross fell into the snake cave! I had to hold my mouth to keep from screaming.

5. Inception: Wow this movie was fun. I didn't really get the Ellen Page casting either but give me Leo, Tom Hardy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt any day. And that ending! Christopher Nolan can do no wrong it seems.

4. The King's Speech: Ok now the ranking gets really hard. The top 4 are all deserving of the #1 spot. The King's Speech was so refreshing. A compelling story about good people. I cried a whole lot of tears in this movie. Most people are guessing this one is going to take the big prize tonight, and ya know what, I'm ok with that.

3. The Fighter: I love The Fighter! This movie was filled with 4 performances that deserve an Oscar, but Christian Bale stole the show.

2. Toy Story 3: I can't wait for the day when Pixar finally wins an Oscar for Best Picture. If any studio deserves it, they do. Unfortunately, I'd be willing to bet a whole lot of money that they will not win it this year. Toy Story 3 was a wonderful original story. Something that almost never happens in the third movie of a trilogy. Pixar's standards are high and it shows. With them, story always comes first.

1. The Social Network: Aaron Sorkin, David Fincher, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara, and, yes, even Justin Timberlake were all part in making the best movie of the year. I really hope there is an upset and this wins!

Glee

2011-02-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

Matt and I hate Glee and haven't watched it since the end of season one. We think it is a poorly written and executed show (even though they sure can sing). However, I thought you readers (especially the non Angelenos of the bunch) would find it interesting that Glee has been filming down the street for the past two weeks.

We live right behind the Saban Theatre. This theatre is actaully where we went to see the Lost Panel for Paleyfest last year. Who knew we'd be living a mere 50 steps from the place one year later? The theatre is used for plenty of concerts and events, but it is also used for filming on a regular basis. In fact, a couple of months ago Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, and Adam Sandler were filming the movie Jack and Jill there and the production closed down our street. It was actually more annoying than it was exciting because Matt and I park on the street and we ended up parking a couple blocks away from our house as a result.

Anyways, we are pretty sure they are filming the finale there because that is where they filmed regionals last year. They are trying to be secretive too because the directional signs say WMHS intead of GLEE (directional signs are yellow and black signs that direct crew members to set). We are guessing WMHS stands for William McKinley High School.

We can tell how accustomed we are to living in LA now because a year ago we would have been waaay more curious and excited about all this. This sort of thing really becomes normal after living in LA for so long. For instance, I was late to work a couple of weeks ago because The Cape was filming along my regular route to work and I had to take a detour.

These are just things that come with living in LA. Over time they become commonplace or even annoying, but we are constantly reminded how cool our city is.

Our Stay at The Grand Californian

2011-02-21T00:06:00.000-08:00

Little did I know that when I got married I would also be sucked into the odd parallel universe of Disney Fandom. From the outside it looks like a dark, scary place full of only creepy people wearing Mickey Mouse ears and fanny packs, but from the inside it's somehow different. Disneyland actually saved our butts when we first moved to LA and didn't have anyone or anywhere to hang out, and I really enjoy spending time with Ellen there. And Disney truly is an amazing entertainment company that I'd love to work with one day. And frankly what the Imagineers do in those parks is amazing. But I do not and never will own Mickey ears and a fanny pack. I'm not that guy.

Staying in a Disney hotel is something Ellen and I have wanted to do for a while now, since they really are some of the nicest hotels out there. Disney knows how to do a vacation. So, thanks to a really awesome Christmas gift from my parents, we spent last weekend at The Grand Californian in Disneyland.

The hotel was everything we wanted it to be. We started off our stay with an amazing nap (aren't we fun?). We opened the balcony door and the smell of the cotton candy in the park and the sound of the music and monorail outside put us right to sleep. Then we got ready for dinner at Napa Rose, where our great friends Tanner and Molly met us. This restaurant is always wonderfully reviewed, and the food lived up to all the hype.

The next morning we headed into the park for some fun, and then sadly had to go home. Our stay was really wonderful, but rather than placate us for a while I'm afraid it just made us want to spend a whole week there. Maybe we'll go back soon.

Matt's Surprise

2011-02-17T16:17:00.000-08:00

I just got these pictures back, and that, my friends, is the face of a very surprised man.

Matt's 25th birthday was January 9th and I threw him a dino themed surprise party (see that dino tattoo on Cory's hand?). One of Matt's favorite movies is Jurassic Park so I thought it was fitting.

I really don't think Matt suspected a thing. The morning of Matt's birthday, we took my family back to the airport and that day we were both sick with a cold so by the time we finally dragged ourselves out of our nap, I'm sure he thought his birthday was a bust.

Our friend Tanner "wanted to have some guy time with Matt" so around 5:00 Tanner came and picked Matt up so I was able to then prepare the house for the party. Molly (Tanner's wife) and I met the boys for dinner at 6:30. In the mean time, 30 of our closest friends were arriving at our home.

When we finally arrived at our place, Matt was shocked! And from these hilarious picture, I am sure you can tell.

My Goal Sheet

2011-02-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

When we moved to LA (almost 2 years ago....wow!) one of the first things I did was start acting classes at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. The place was kind of kooky and I ran away quickly, but I learned some good stuff there too. One of the biggest things was from BHP alumnus Jorge Garcia, who said that you should write out your biggest goals and dreams on a piece of paper. It makes them concrete and helps you to actively remember what you're pursuing. I took his words to heart and made my own version of a goal sheet, combining goals and people with whom I want to work. It's short, but lofty. I hope in blog posts in the years to come I can update you as I achieve them.

Goals:

1.) I want to work on a long-running, smart, respected TV show.

2.) I want to voice a character in a Disney/Pixar movie.

3.) I want to spend plenty of time with my family.

People I Want To Work With:

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright

Steve Carell

That's it. Let's see what happens!

Picture Post: Ben Came to Visit

2011-02-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

And it was way fun! We are trying to convince him to move here when he is done with that whole Teach for America thing.

Bootie LA

2011-02-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

When you think of Matt Godfrey you probably don't think of dancing. Or if you do, it's probably in the same way you think of great acting and David Hasselhoff - as in, "Wow, he really can't do it."

Well, regardless of my talent level, Ellen is my witness that I tore up the dance floor of Bootie LA this past Saturday night with moves so ridiculous only a grasshopper/grandaddy-longlegs hybrid could replicate them. Sadly, there is no existing video of how much we rocked that club and lit it up like dynamite. I did, however, take some video of Bootie LA's resident dance crew, "R.A.I.D.", or Random Acts of Irreverent Dance. And it was irreverent. Really irreverent. This little gem is only a tiny taste of the irreverence (or as I like to call it, obscenity) that was R.A.I.D., but it's still pretty funny.

Oddly enough, I actually had a great time. Ellen is a great dancer, so it's no surprise that she had fun. I've never been a club person, but Bootie LA was the perfect place for a non-clubber like me. The dancers onstage were acting like idiots which made me feel right at home, and no one there was really into the club scene. It was just a really eclectic group of people having fun. Bootie LA is once a month, and I think we'll be back in March.

Guess what we are doing tonight?

2011-02-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

Bootie LA. Yes you read correctly.

I'll let you know how it goes. But with these moves, what could go wrong?

5 Years Ago Today...

2011-01-27T22:03:00.000-08:00

A boy met a girl in a coffee shop.

April 2006, 1st picture together

Big Bear Break Down

2011-01-26T11:12:00.000-08:00

Matt blogged about Big Bear yesterday but left out this little jewel. The boys were in the funniest mood and were dancing around in a circle together. Let me state that all the ladies were lounging around and watching (Molly actually took this video). Isn't it usually the other way around?

Enjoy.

Big Bear 2011

2011-01-25T21:52:00.000-08:00

Ever since childhood the mountains have been one of my favorite places to go. I'll take any excuse to go where there's snow, which maybe explains our out-of-character splurging on snowboards and lift tickets last year. While we didn't snowboard, this past weekend our community group took a quick trip up to Big Bear that was just what we needed.

We rented a cabin and played games, sat in a hot tub, and had good conversation. Ellen cooked everyone two great meals and we just used the time to relax and have fun.

I really do love these people.

Like a Tree Planted By Water

2011-01-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share this little passage from Jeremiah 17. Matt and I read it regularly to keep sane. Living in LA with very uncertain career choices can lead to constant worrying and stress. Who knows what the Lord has planned for us, but whether success or failure, we choose to be "trees planted by water" that are not "anxious in the year of drought." Maybe it will be encouraging to you today.

5Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man

and makes flesh his strength,

whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6He is like a shrub in the desert,

and shall not see any good come.

He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,

in an uninhabited salt land.

7"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

whose trust is the LORD.

8He is like a tree planted by water,

that sends out its roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious in the year of drought,

for it does not cease to bear fruit."

9The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately sick;

who can understand it?

10"I the LORD search the heart

and test the mind,

to give every man according to his ways,

according to the fruit of his deeds."

11Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,

so is he who gets riches but not by justice;

in the midst of his days they will leave him,

and at his end he will be a fool.

12A glorious throne set on high from the beginning

is the place of our sanctuary.

13 O LORD, the hope of Israel,

all who forsake you shall be put to shame;

those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth,

for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.

14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;

save me, and I shall be saved,

for you are my praise.

The Back of Matt's Head is FAMOUS

2011-01-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

If you find yourself perusing the magazine aisle at your local Barnes and Noble you might want to pick up the January/ February 2011 edition of Relevant Magazine. Why you ask? Because Mr. Matt Godfrey is in it! Well, the back of his head is anyways, and at this point in the game, we are going to count that as a WIN!

Here Matt is shooting a scene for Blue Like Jazz with Steve Taylor (director) and Don Miller sitting in the background. If you don't want to purchase a copy of the magazine but you still want to read the article, click here.

Maybe next time, we will see that cute mug of his too :)

*Photo credits: Jonathan Frazier

Little Lucy Turns 2

2011-01-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that this little girl:

Has turned into this big girl!

As I mentioned earlier, my dad, step mom, and some of my brothers and sisters paid us a visit over the weekend making a pit stop on their way home from Birmingham to Los Angeles. I always have the best time when they are here, then go into a funk for a couple days after they leave because I miss them so much. In honor of Lucy's birthday today, below you will find some video we took while she was here. Lucy has gotten so funny and social. She is one of the happiest babies I have ever been around! She kept making us laugh especially with her obsession with our window unit and crazy dance moves (Seen below. The "Running Man" is our personal favorite. What is that face!?). I hate that I miss so much of all my siblings lives, but I really cherish the little bit of time we spend together. Matt and I hope to visit them all in Hawaii this summer. Can't wait!

*Excuse the bizarre lighting. This weekend was a true lesson in using the iPhone camera in various situations :)

New Years Disney World Trip 2011 (Or reason #1 we haven't blogged in two weeks)

2011-01-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

We have been MIA on the blog for nearly two weeks despite our rules, but I can't say that I mind because we have simply been too busy. In the past 13 days we have gone to Disney World for 6 days, enjoyed a visit from my dad and the kiddos, celebrated Matt's 25th birthday (with a surprise party) and both dealt with nasty colds.

We'll have a blog post to cover all the above (Except for maybe those colds. Who wants to read about snot and coughing?)

First things first, Disney World!

Matt and I always love a good Disney World trip and we have been dying to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter ever since it opened and we have been reading articles about how good it is. So, as birthday gifts for both of us, Matt's parents took us on a trip over New Years to Orlando to spend time at Disney World and a day at Universal for our beloved Harry.

This trip was quite a bit different from our last trip because, well, it wasn't just the two of us and we had half the time to get everything done. Since we have Disneyland here at home, we spent about 4 hours total at the Magic Kingdom and tried to do things we can only do in Orlando. We spent the most time in the Animal Kingdom and Epcot.

And we spent about half our time EATING. I know most people (heck, I'd probably think the same thing if I had never been since childhood since I usually hate touristy things) think of Disney as a cheesy place for kids with crappy, expensive food. Yes, there are things about Disney that are cheesy and crappy but there are some LEGIT restaurants there. We went to three (Artist Point, California Grill, and Boma) that I had never before that I thought were super tasty.

But on to the main focus of the trip:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was AMAZING. It was so detailed and whoever was in charge got it right. The stores looked exactly like they do in the movies, Moaning Myrtle could be heard in the bathrooms, and the "magical" touches everywhere were a lot of fun. Our only criticism was how small it was. That part of the park was so crowded while the rest of universal was a ghost town. Hopefully in the coming years they will expand it beyond the one street it is now.

Butterbeer was so yummy! Like a caramel soda.

The main focus is the ride: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey that is located inside Hogwarts castle (Which is so cool inside! The talking portraits looked so real!). We only got to go on the ride twice because the wait was so long and it made me very motion sick, but it still was a ton of fun (read this article for a description).

Thanks Jimmy and Nida for the trip! We had a ton of fun.

I don't want to laugh, I promise, I don't want to...

2010-12-29T17:07:00.000-08:00

This video was meant for no one's eyes except my mother's. Her birthday is today, and last night, Matt and I were preparing to send her a video of us singing Happy Birthday to her. For some reason, we could NOT stop laughing. No matter how hard we tried (and we gave it a good college try) we couldn't keep a straight face.

Aside from obvious reasons, no one was supposed to see this cause we are looking toe up from the flo up since we were about to go to bed. I, for one, don't have a stitch of make-up on. And after seeing this, you'll know why I don't sing in public. But after seeing this little compilation of us failing so miserably, we knew this comic gold could not be kept to ourselves. So without further adieu:

*please notice Matt's serious "I'm trying SO hard not to break" face (1:31)

The Palm Tree and the Pine Tree

2010-12-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas happens to be my birthday. I turned the big 2-3 this year (ok it's not that big), and enjoyed a day with the hubs. As a gift, Matt bought me a top from my very favorite store, Madewell. But the really good gift came next. Many of you know, some of you don't, that Matt composed the song I walked down the aisle to. You can listen to that song here:

*I started walking when the music builds and the violin comes in.

For my birthday this year, Matt composed another song for me. He titled it "The Palm Tree and The Pine Tree". You can give it a listen here:

"I hope that in it you hear things we've done and places we've been,

and overall I hope you hear how much I love you."

I love it.

Christmas for Two

2010-12-26T23:25:00.000-08:00

This year Ellen and I had a quiet Christmas by ourselves. We're developing our own holiday traditions now, and one that I am particularly grateful for is letting Ellen cook like crazy and then freaking eating our weight in food.

This year's Christmas eve menu: Sauteed asparagus and fingerling potatoes, roasted roma tomatoes with goat cheese, filet mignon with a balsamic reduction, and baked apples for dessert.

After dinner we opened our gifts from each other and from our parents.....

And all day on Christmas we took it easy. Ellen made a frittata for breakfast, and that night we went to see a movie. It was a great Christmas that Ellen and I got to spend together, and even though we always want to see our families, especially this time of year, it was nice to just have a quiet, relaxed Christmas for two.

Potty Humor

2010-12-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

Hands down, our favorite pilot from this past season of TV was Fox's Lone Star. It only lasted two episodes, but it was well written, well acted, and had the potential to be a great story. The writer of that show, Kyle Killen, also has a blog that we've started following since we became fans of the show. Please click this link and read his latest entry. It's one of the funniest stories I've heard in a very, very long time.

Merry Christmas to you.

Rainy Day

2010-12-19T23:05:00.000-08:00

It has ben raining three days straight here in LA. A rare treat for us. Or at least I am choosing to look at it that way.

Matt and I have been snuggling on the couch all day with only a candle lit and the Christmas tree lights on. We have watched Mad Men, The Holiday, and both finished an entire book. We took a bath and listened to the perfect rainy day playlist. We made brownies and ate straight from the pan with a fork.

Tonight, I will thank the Lord for this weather and the wonderfully romantic day it gave me.

Engage-A-Day 2010

2010-12-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

3 years ago today in New York City I asked Ellen to be my wife.

3 years later, we're living in Los Angeles and we're very happy to be together.

Given the choice, I'd ask her again in a heartbeat.

Picture Post: Community Group

2010-12-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

"I'm using this pic for our submission to ABDC, season six." - Cody Gibbs*

This is our LA family.

Every Wednesday night, the people in the picture above (minus a few) come to our home. We spend time together, study God's word, and pray for each other. We really do have SO much fun with them. To say they are a blessing to us is an understatement. Matt and I feel like we have met life long friends in this group and are so glad the Lord has blessed us with their friendship.

A couple weeks ago, our Community Group divided in two because, once again, it grew in size. Now, half the group has stuck around and still meets at our place and the other half meets at Annie's in Los Feliz. It really is bittersweet because we definitely miss seeing some of them every Wednesday night, but we are genuinely excited that a new group has been planted. But, it isn't like we don't see everybody during the week and at church on Sundays. If we didn't, I think we'd go crazy.

*ABDC = America's Best Dance Crew

Top Chef: Fantasy Challenge

2010-12-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

Ever since season one I have been a fan of Top Chef. The new season (which premiered 2 weeks ago) is actually Top Chef All Stars. They've brought back some old contestants who almost won but didn't quite make it, many of them actually being the runner up of their season. Some of my friends are fans of the show as well and we decided to create "Top Chef: Fantasy Challenge." It works a lot like fantasy football for any of you sports people out there (me not being one of them).

First we had to draft our teams and we chose picking order by drawing names out of a hat. I got to pick second! On my team I have Angelo, Carla (forever my favorite), and Fabio as my normal draft picks and Richard as my wildcard pick (meaning I could have him on my team regardless if someone else snatched him up yet).

I am competeing with four other teams, and this is how scoring works:

QUICKFIRE CHALLENGES
Winner (if individual challenge): 3 points
Winner (if team challenge): each chef on the team receives 2 points
Mentions in the top: 1 point
Mentions in the bottom (team or individual challenge): -1 point

ELIMINATION CHALLENGES
Winner (if individual challenge): 5 points
Winner (if team challenge): if one chef is identified as the winner on the winning team, s/he receives 4 points, all other chefs on the winning team receives 2 points (if only one team is invited to Judges' Table) or 3 points (if more than one team is invited to Judges' Table)
Invited to Judges' Table (in the top): 2 points
Invited to Judges' Table (in the bottom, team challenge): each team member loses 1 point
Invited to Judges' Table (in the bottom, individual challenge): -2 points
Eliminated: -3 points

BONUSES
Every chef that survives each week receives 1 additional point
Every chef on the winning team of Restaurant Wars will receive 1 additional point

FINALE SCORING
All chefs that make the finale receive a bonus 3 points
Chefs will no longer receive any deductions in the Finale rounds
The winner of Top Chef: All Stars will receive a bonus 5 points (on top of the 5 points s/he wins for that challenge)

It is serious stuff. I am happy to report that I am currently in the lead! BUT we have a long season ahead of us and that could change oh so quickly. Am I a huge nerd? Yes, but I'm loving it.

Picture Post: Lots of Screenings

2010-12-12T23:11:00.000-08:00

This week we went to The Social Network (which you read about), True Grit (which was awesome) and How Do You Know (which wasn't).

Farm Fresh to Us

2010-12-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

We've gone local! Let me explain.

Since we started watching LOST, Matt and I have been following Jorge Garcia via his blog about life in Hawaii. When he moved to LA, Jorge started a new blog and one day this post caught my eye. In it, he explains how he subscribed to a CSA called Farm Fresh to You in order to be more intentional about supporting local farmers and eating organic produce.

I thought this was pretty brilliant and researched around to see if this is something that we could afford and incorporate into our lives. Turns out we could and we did! For the low price of $25 dollars ever other week, we get a box of locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs delivered to our door step. The price actually hasn't affected us at all because we do our grocery shopping every two weeks and have just cut our budget by $25 which is almost what we were spending on fresh produce anyways. Matt and I LOVE our grocery store Fresh and Easy (seriously, we should be the spokespeople for it) but one thing it does lack is a bountiful produce section. It is more like one long aisle instead of an entire section of the store. So now with the combination of our grocery store and the CSA we have the perfect balance.

I love the Tuesday mornings when we get our box. Every other week something new is inside and I know that whatever it is it is freshly picked and in season. It has forced me to get creative with some of my cooking since we sometimes get things I have never even heard of. Still, before we ever received a box, we were able to list things that we don't like (brussell sprouts anyone?) and those things will never ever be put in our box. It is pretty great! I also love how the farmer always includes a newsletter in the box that includes a personal letter from him that explains what has been happening on the farm. It is so fun being a little greener and a little healthier!

The Social Network, again

2010-12-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

As we've blogged about before, Ellen and I are getting a lot of invitations to special screenings of films that are campaigning for Oscar nominations. This past Sunday night we saw The Social Network (again) with a post-screening conversation with Aaron Sorkin and Armie Hammer.

It was a really cold night here in LA, and we were having one of our thrice-yearly rainstorms. We got to the screening 45 minutes early but still had to wait in line to get inside behind around 100 people. Once we made it inside the theatre filled up pretty quickly and you could tell everyone in the room was excited to see this great movie one more time.

That's the cool thing about going to these screenings. Everyone in the room is a member of one of the entertainment guilds: Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild, Writers Guild, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, etc. Everyone in the room shares the same love for entertainment, which makes for a really cool vibe during a screening. Everyone is just excited to be there watching the movie, and everyone is particularly excited to hear the question and answer with the filmmakers/actors afterwards. And that is the best part.

Aaron Sorkin

Once the movie was over you could tell everyone was on edge waiting for Aaron Sorkin and Armie Hammer to come out. Finally they did, and they were such easy-going, cool people. Aaron Sorkin is certainly a formally educated writer, and he had some great insight on screenwriting and life in general. When asked his opinion on social networking and the internet, he told us that despite the ease of access to information, social networking bred inhuman, insincere relationships and the internet was a hotbed for wrong information. He said that at some point recently he'd become his grandfather.

Armie Hammer

Armie Hammer was also really interesting. He plays a set of twins in the movie, and he told us how that worked technically on set. There was another actor there who fed him lines, then when it was time for him to switch characters everyone would leave set and David Fincher would set up a couple of tennis balls in place of the other actors for his eye line. He was hearing audio from his previous takes in a hidden earphone and responding to that. It would have been extremely difficult to pull off, and he does a fantastic job. Another thing that's very encouraging to me about Armie's story is his relative lack of previous work. He had a short guest run on Gossip Girl, but aside from that his experience on film is not drastically different from mine. He's just an amazing talent and he has the right agent to get him into the right rooms. And the next thing you know, he lands a meaty part in a David Fincher film.

We'll keep updating you as we learn more stuff, meet more people, and see more film. We're praying that one day soon I'll be doing a Q&A. Until then I'm available for birthday parties and bar mitzvas.

Picture Post: Celebrating Cody's Birthday

2010-12-05T01:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our friend Cody's birthday, and we celebrated with him at the super-cool Bigfoot Lodge West in Culver City. It's a bar modeled after what appeared to be a ski lodge from 1984, and I mean that in the best way possible. It wasn't too crowded but it wasn't empty; it wasn't too loud but it wasn't quiet. It was a very cool place and I'm sure we'll be back soon. Here's our friends who were there, and please forgive the terrible photo. It was taken with a phone in a dark room.

This is our friend Annie. I'd like to let you all know that my glasses were her inspiration for getting those glasses you see. I'm impacting millions.

My family calls my glasses "birth control" glasses because of their nerdiness. Judging by this picture I'm not so sure they're controlling much....

Our Christmas House

2010-12-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

Our house is decorated for Christmas! It was so great to properly decorate after last year where we were living in our tiny studio and had a two foot tall tree. This is what our house is looking like these days:

The Tree

I am all about some white lights on a tree.

The Centerpiece

The Stockings

I am a little more than sad that we never got to decorate this mantel and

hang our stockings from it. This year, this solution will have to do.

The Coffee Table

This candle makes our house smell SO good.

The Nutcracker

Cause it isn't Christmas without one.

My "Days Off"

2010-12-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

As you all no doubt know, Ellen and I moved to LA so I could continue my career as an actor. What maybe you don't all know is that being an actor in LA means you better find a side job or you'll go broke. My "survival job" is working at an Apple Store in Beverly Hills. I work behind the Genius Bar fixing iPhones, and I also train our customers on how to use our machines and software. I only work part time at Apple, so every week I get a couple of days off. "Day off" is a pretty loose term, because being an actor is a full time job that pays like a part time job, so when I'm not at Apple I'm working my butt off on furthering my career. I thought maybe I'd give you guys a little look into what I actually do on my "days off."

First off: submit, submit, submit. I have an agent who submits me for roles, but this doesn't mean I sit around and wait for him to call. Casting directors for movies or TV shows release breakdowns for each role they're casting, which are basically descriptions of what each character is like. I look through these and find which roles are a good fit for me, then I submit myself for them. This could be done electronically through online casting services, or it may mean writing a cover letter and sending my picture and resume to that casting director. That's part one.

Then there's networking. This town is literally built around the entertainment industry. Almost everyone you meet is involved in the industry somehow, and part of my job as an actor building his career is to know as many of these people on a personal level that I can. I email or call producers, actors, directors....anyone I can find. Sometimes I meet these people out in public and get their email address there. Sometimes you just have to root around and find it. To a lot of people this may seem like using someone - getting to know them solely to further your own career. That's why so many people become bitter and jaded in this industry. They're either using or being used by other people. I try very hard to never do that. If there is someone I need to meet because I think they can help my career, I'm very clear with them that I'm looking for a business relationship where hopefully we can both help each other. But there are several "networking" contacts that I have developed over my time here in LA that are truly my friends. One is a producer whose movies you all have seen and have in fact been nominated for several Oscars. Another is an amazing comedic actor who you all have laughed at. These people I meet with regularly to keep up our friendship, but I am extremely careful about asking them business-related favors. Sometimes it's appropriate, a lot of times it's not. You just have to be smart about it. I don't meet with them to get ahead, I meet with them because they are great people whom I love.

I also am constantly looking for other members to add to my "team." I need an agent, manager, career coach, acting coach, etc. to help me succeed. I'm constantly looking for the perfect fit in an agent or manager to get me to the next level of roles I could be getting. Securing meetings with agents or managers is possibly the most difficult of all tasks I try to do.

Next, I audition. It's amazing how the Lord works out my schedule. Miraculously, 8 out of every 10 auditions I land come on my days off. I think God knows I need to be at work to make money, so He works things out like that. I am so grateful. This step is kind of self explanatory. I go into a room with a script, pretend like I'm someone else, read a few lines like that other person I'm pretending to be, and hope the casting director wants to later pay me to keep pretending I'm that person. That's about all there is to it.

Lastly, I hone my craft. I work on scenes, I read acting books, I go to class. You have to be ready when an opportunity comes your way, so this step is extremely important.

Maybe this gives you some more insight into what a working actor does. I need just about all day every day to get this stuff done, but I only have a few days a week to make it happen. It takes a lot of discipline that often I don't have. I always love prayer for that sort of thing. If this is a subject you're at all interested in, I would recommend getting the DVDs to the HBO series Unscripted. It's an amazing look at what happens to young actors trying to build a career.

Well, while I've been writing this blog post I could have submitted to about 10 new shows, so I better get going.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we decided to host a potluck Thanksgiving dinner for some of our good friends out here in LA. Ten people ended up eating dinner at our place, and we had the best time! Because our dining room table can seat six people at most we had to get creative and rearrange some furniture and set up a table (the "kid's table") in the living room.

Even though it was a potluck dinner, we were cooking all day long. I was responsible for four different dishes, including my aunt Nuri's famous apple pie.

The menu for the evening ended up being pretty extensive, but man was it yummy. This is all we had:

Turkey

Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Stuffing

Green Beens w/ Shallots

Asparagus Casserole

Mac and Cheese

Yeast Rolls

Salad

Pumpkin Pie

Fudge

Apple Pie

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We were STUFFED by the end of the evening but we worked some of that meal off playing taboo, mafia, and, my personal favorite, nertz. Matt and I kept commenting that this was one of if not the most fun Thanksgivings we have ever had. Maybe it will become a tradition :)

But even though our evening was great, I couldn't help wishing we could have been at this table:

*Yes, even with Mr. Grumpy-Pants on the left

Picture Post: The Official Start of the Season

2010-11-26T15:19:00.001-08:00

The Fighter

2010-11-22T22:44:00.000-08:00

As we posted earlier, I recently joined SAG (finally got my card in the mail!) and one of the benefits of being a SAG member is being able to go to free screenings of movies. This past weekend Ellen and I saw The Fighter.

I won't spend too much time with a synopsis, because you really just need to go see this movie. It's bound to be a huge Oscar contender, mainly because of Christian Bale's performance. It is stunning.

But the best part of the whole evening came right after the screening. Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams (along with the director and a few other actors) all came onstage for a question and answer session with everyone in attendance.

It was surreal to watch the movie and then immediatly turn around and see the actors who portrayed these characters standing right behind us. They were so nice in answering everyone's questions, and Mark Wahlberg even addressed us as "his peers." It really was a cool feeling to be in a room full of actors just like me, all trying to make the same career happen. Everyone watching the movie loves movies, so there was a great mood in the room. The director and actors seemed touched that the audience was so enthusiatic with their performances (when the movie was over there was a standing ovation).

We've already gotten several other invites to screenings of other Oscar contenders as well, so look for more posts later on what and who we see.

Picture Post: Harry Potter and a Birthday

2010-11-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at The Grove

*I know this isn't the best quality photo to start our "picture posts" with

but it does reflect what our entire week revolved around: Harry Potter

Celebrating Samantha's 25th Birthday at The Village Idiot

A Goal Accomplished

2010-11-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

Ellen and I have been living in LA for almost a year and a half. One of my goals coming to LA was to join the Screen Actors Guild. To be a professional actor you must join this union, since all of the mainstream work shot in LA and around the country is shot under SAG's jurisdiction. In other words, it's a big step in a young actor's career.

It's very difficult to become eligible to join, because you have to be hired as a non-union performer on a union project in a principal role. There are a few other ways, but for the sake of simplicity I'm just going to mention that one.

As of yesterday, I am now officially a member of SAG! Thanks to the amazing people over at Blue Like Jazz hiring me, I was eligible to join and I now have (thanks to paying a pretty large entrance fee). This is a big thing for Ellen and I, and we're really celebrating. It is such a blessing from God that I was made eligible, and it's only because of Him that I'm here.