Random story of the day - just because it is too funny to keep to myself...

So, most of you know that I nanny for two precious children right now. Well, when I went to wake my little two-year-old up this morning, I found that she had decided it was a good idea to cover her headboard, pillowcase, a significant portion of her wall, and, most hysterically, her ENTIRE body in bright pink smiley faces. Apparently, she snuck a stamper into bed with her last night. Let me be clear - when I say her entire body, I am not exaggerating - (I never do...haha.) She spared no surface - neck, cheeks, lips, nose, up and down her legs, the bottoms of her feet, and - my personal favorite - her eyelids. This is a prime example of a case in which my blog would be bettered considerably were I to possess the capability to upload photos. As it is, I only captured this magical memory on my cell phone, which doesn't come close to doing it justice. It was by far one of my most difficult work-related tasks thus far - trying to explain to her that this was an inappopriate use of a stamper and that this cannot happen again, whilst struggling to contain my uncontrollable laughter. Her almost-6-year-old brother could only say, "Ohmagosh.....Ohmagosh..." at the discovery of each new happy face. She just grinned with pride as I scrubbed her raw. (They should make those things a little more washable.)

In other news, the holiday season has once again snuck up on us. I didn't really notice until I suddenly started running out of time in the worst way. I feel like each time I cross something off a to-do list, I have to add about ten more things. I have also been experiencing hardcore longing to be near family and friends - especially those so far away whom I miss dearly. I love you all and wish you heaps of cheer as Christmas approaches!!

Be back soon,
C

I just figured out what kind of person I am.

I'm the kind of person who stand in the Kleenex aisle for nearly 15 minutes trying to decide what my best option is, weighing all possible important factors - what is the best value (bang for my buck, if you will...), how many tissues do we really need/have room for in our home at one time, in how many different locations do we need a box and what is their optimum size, will they go on sale soon (seeing as "cold season" is nearing), do we need a lotion/aloe-enriched product, will Harrison be allergic to the lotion/aloe-enriched product............And after all that, I'm the kind of person who selects her tissue product based on the prettiest box.

I also realize I'm the kind of person who hasn't blogged in a really long time. I refuse to apologize. But I'll try to be better. If you're reading, it means you either haven't given up on me, or I told you that I blogged. Either way, thank you.

I miss you.
Carolyn

I know what you're thinking...How can Carolyn possibly be posting again without waiting a grossly inappropriate amount of time since her last update? But it's happening.

Just a quick little tidbit today. I was having a rough-ish, hard-on-myself, what-am-I-doing-with-my-life-? kind of morning. You know the type... Until - a certain adorable just-turned-three-year-old I know looked up at me and said, "I like your eyebrows." Out of nowhere. Just like that...I like your eyebrows. And kids don't lie about stuff like that.
Personally, I've always been a little sensitive about my eyebrows. I don't obsess about them, but I'm certainly not their biggest fan, and I would never have written a public-ish post about them to call further attention to them. But the wisdom of a child shook me up.
So, I guess I'm here to say - even though we all have things we don't love about ourselves, maybe someone out there really does like that quality in us, or on our face as it may be. And whenever you're having a one of those rough-ish, hard-on-yourself, what-are-you-doing-with-your-life-? kind of days, remember this: Surely someone out there likes your eyebrows.

Love you,
Carolyn

April 21, 2010. My one month anniversary of being engaged! Congratulations to me!!!
I know everyone that reads this already knows, but in case you haven't really heard the story - this seems like a good time to reminisce...
Harrison came to visit me - which was beyond exciting at that point in my NYC experience. I was, of course, on cloud nine UNTIL we got to our classy hotel room on the Upper West side right by the Park, and it was a smoking room. Disgusting. So what else would I do besides call my mom and bawl my eyes out about how the hotel was trying to ruin my life? Duh. Anyway, I finally calmed down and talked to the woman at the desk who rudely explained that we had only marked a non-smoking preference, and it was not a guarentee. Rude. She was nice enough to let us leave without charging us for the first night. With the help of Mom's stellar internet skills, we found a room in Long Island City which turned out to be the loveliest little place. It smelled divine.
We had a fantastic weekend. Harrison is such a child at heart - and a small-town child at that. So, let's just say, everything amused him!! It was like I had taken him to the fanciest of museums. If only you could have seen how excited he was about the rat in the subway! And don't get me started on our celebrity sightings. He is definitely one of those gasp-point-freeze-shout "That's Mario Lopez!!" - sort of people. This was mildly embarassing to me, but also rather endearing.
Anyway, he had had his mind set on going to this very fancy restaurant on Sunday night. I don't know the name of it, I didn't even know it then. I really should learn it, for the sake of telling this story. A friend of ours (love you Jarvis!) used to work there and had arranged a reservation and all for us. He had also told us that he used to seat the likes of Beyonce and company quite often. I was not really onboard with this idea, (not knowing the plan, of course). I kept telling him - we don't need to go somewhere so expensive and I actually don't know if I could handle myself appropriately in the case that I was ever in the same room as Beyonce. But he was determined, so I went.
Beyonce was not in attendance that evening.
As to how it happened: it's kind of a hilarious blur to me. He started to launch into his speech, and of course, not being aware that he was trying to propose, I managed to continue talking and generally dominate the conversation. In my mind, we were having a wrap-up our weekend/what have we learned talk. How was I to know this was more than one of our usual sentimental chats? I actually think I set him up pretty well without knowing it. By the time he actually pulled the ring out and popped the question - all I could think was "Oh my goodness...you've been trying to do that for so long!!" Haha. I cried forever. (To all those people who have told me I would not bawl at those pivotal moments in my life - you may want to revise your theory.) The food, BTW, was delicious, though I hardly ate anything.
It was sweet and subtle and just what I wanted. Nothing public or gimmicky - just our moment. Although Harrison did admit that if Beyonce had been there - it would have gone a little differently. Something along the lines of "If you like then you shou-ld put a ring on it..." - "You know what? You're right, Beyonce! I should..." Some things are too good to pass up...
Then we had to make a flood of phone calls. My sister started scream-crying and hung up on me because she couldn't handle it, my parents scolded me for not calling sooner (as if I knew), and my brother couldn't even answer his cellular (stupid Canada!). Almost all my friends thought I got a job...imagine there surprise when I said, "No...but I got a husband!!!" Harrison told me the whole 5th floor was probably very congratulatory. Sorry I'm loud - I guess you better get used to it H!!
He left the next day. Bye fiance! So it was rather surreal until I got back here.
Not that it's important: but my ring is incredible. It is finally sized and on my finger!! It contains a very rare cut of diamonds called "Hearts on Fire". This means the underside of the diamonds have hearts cut into every face and the top has very precise "fire" coming out of the center. This makes it extra-sparkly and extra-distracting to me during everyday life. Sometimes it scares me that I cannot really get it off, but the woman at the jewelry store says just use a little Windex - how very My Big Fat Greek Wedding of her.
And in case you're wondering: NO!!!!! We have made no decisions about when or where the wedding will be. It is still too stressful to approach the subject, though I suppose I need to start thinking about it soon. I will be sure to keep you informed - though that planning process may warrent a seperate blog.
In the mean time if anyone has input or ideas about what my married name should be, I would greatly appreciate it. The romantic part of me wants to take his name, but it would be such a drastic change - three words to three letters. And my name is so unique right now. I considered hyphenation. But Willems Van Dijk-Fry, seems slightly problematic to me. Other suggestions thus far have been Willems Van Fry or even Willems Van Fryjk. Cast your vote - I'm open to any suggestion or reasoning.
Love to everyone - near and far.
C

Hey Y'all.
Greetings from Pennsylvania! I have left the Big Apple, and am spending a few days with my friend Ellie who I have not seen in almost two years!! I'll fly back to Olympia on Thursday...so excited!!
I really do apologize for the significant breakage in the timeline of my blog. (I am especially sorry to my sweet Grandpa who, from what I've heard, has tried to be a devoted follower regardless of my frustrating lack of postage.) I think my main problem was finding a way to bridge the gap between my previous frivolity about condiments and a post announcing some of the best news of my life!! But more about that later... This does, however, mean that you must now endure another "catch-up"post, though if you're still reading my blog at this point, you're probably used to it.
Many people have asked, "How do you like living in NYC?" To that, my response is always the same: "It depends on the day." On days full of waking up at 5am, waiting 8 hours to sing for 20 seconds, being semi-lost during inside-out umbrella monsoons, spending more money that I'd like to, loneliness, trying to make arrangements to avoid homelessness, trains not running, and feeling invisible - on those days, I wanted to book my flight home. But on days full of sunshine, delicious food, walks in Central Park, fun auditions and promising callbacks, Musical Mondays, laughing/talking/cuddling with my amazing friends, wonderfully convenient public transit, museums, so many shows (!!!), and endless opportunities at my fingertips - on those days, I wanted to stay forever. I never thought I wanted to live in NYC, I didn't think I had it in me. I've learned that I could definitely do it. I could. I'm just not sure if it's worth it to me. At least not right now. I'm glad to know the possibility exists though.
One thing I will say for myself is: I'm really good at LOOKing like I live in NYC. I will never forget the first time a couple asked me for directions. I felt pretty darn cool. Of course, I'd only bee there about three days at that point and though I answered them with a confident smile, I will never know if I sent them in the right direction. This began to be almost a daily occurrence. And with the exception of the few people who were definitely not speaking English, I think my record was pretty good.
I also developed a really good NYC walk. I figured out that, especially when I was alone, if I didn't look around/point/gasp/take photographs as I walked, people would assume I was not just visiting. I realized that my "I live here" face however, was really scary and mean - which is not something I'm accustomed to. I found, though, that I could combat this intense face by playing inspirational upbeat tunes on my ipod. It's so funny how much it can change your mood. I would always start strutting to the beat - don't deny it - you do it too. Anyway, it helped keep my spirits high.
I was fortunate enough to see 9 shows while I was there!! In chronological order, they were: The Miracle Worker (with Abigail Breslin), Come Fly Away, Rock of Ages, Time Stands Still (with Laura Linney and Alicia Silverstone), A Little Night Music (with Katherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury), Yank, Sondheim on Sondheim, Next to Normal, and The 39 Steps. While there are too many to talk about individually at this point, though I would be happy to share my feelings about any of them if anyone is interested. Just let me know!
I am so grateful that I had this opportunity. I cannot thank my friends enough for their hospitality, for all the fellowship, for keeping me grounded, for their advice, and for just being so incredible in every single way!!! I'm the luckiest.
Thank you everyone who has supported this adventure in any way, shape, or form. Now - I am so ready to return to Olympia...at least for now.
I love you all,
Carolyn
Ps. I'll be back soon. I swear. We haven't even discussed the engagement... :)

Reason #1 I may not be able to live in NYC: I had to buy Strawberry Preserves instead of Strawberry Jelly because it was significantly cheaper. This of course means dealing with a frustrating lack of spreadability. Talk about sacrifice! I'm still deciding if it's worth it...
Love,
Carolyn

I'm going to tell you a secret. I only started a new post because the other one was getting really long and I knew no one would read it all. You still might not, but this makes it appear slightly more approachable. I also know this is not actually a secret because the post will state the same date, but I'm trying here...
On Friday I took a rather impromptu journey to Wilmington, Delaware (random...) to see AARON in the National Tour of A Chorus Line!! This was one of the greatest ideas he has ever had, but more about that in a minute.
We must first discuss the bus I had to take. I was of course super nervous about where to meet this bus. I mean, I was convinced I was going to miss it. So Aaron, being the great friend that he is, tried to calm me down by gathering as much info about this particular bus that he could. So, he told me I was looking for a sign with the address on it on the side entrance to Macys, that there would not be many buses, and that I should just ask. But most importantly, I should look for a WHITE bus. White bus. White bus. White bus. I totally had it in my mind. So, the time comes. I had found the posted placard and was waiting directly beneath it, pacing nervously, and trying not to look too touristy. All of a sudden, a bright pink bus with rainbow tiger striping rolls up and all these people begin to board. I was thrown. I mean, I was committed to white bus. But I thought I should ask, just in case. It was my bus, so said the very intense asian woman loading luggage. I laughed pretty hard. But in the end, I was glad - it was really more my style anyway.
I made it to Delaware pretty easily, and my extravagent bus dropped me off on a sketchy corner where I waited for Aaron. He walked past me on accident one time, but when he came back and finally found me, it was magical. (I even got to re-visit the glory later when I realized Aaron had pocket-dialed me at the exact moment we found each other and the voicemail had recorded our giddy squeals.) I was so happy to be with him again!! And I felt very fortunate to meet these people he had spending his days with and be a part of this experience with him - how exciting!
I realize I am biased, but Wrong Arms Roy was so magnificent in the show - a true standout!! I'm not kidding. He gave a memorable performance and made his moments on stage count. Everyone should be proud of our friend! The little old ladies next to me were so very impressed that I knew him and, for that afternoon, they let me live vicariously through his fame. (See his blog for photos - the Wilmington Theatre was incredible.) I forgot to tell him this, but my favorite part of the show, (Wrong Arms Roy), was when they held hands in the blackout as they walked onto the stage to hold their placement. It was so cute and clever.
Not only did I get to see one of my best friends' do his thing, but I love the content of the show. It seemed especially poignant and motivational to me at this stage of my life, as well as reviving some pretty priceless memories of Chorus Line BHP style. This was after all when I met my Harrison, and it is impossible to forget us crammed in that tight little sauna of a rehearsal room, with Harrison trying to figure out the ridiculous vamps and singing about gonorrhea. (sp?). No wonder I fell in love.
Enough flashback though...Aaron and I had a fantastic weekend of chit-chat, Rupaul, PB sandwiches, looking up auditions (ha!), deep conversation (haha), and late night leg wars. I have missed him - even more than I realized before. And I cannot wait to spend more time with him when he gets back here!
We saw Mariann too! As usual, she was full of kind words and hilarious stories for us. Just what we always need. We were happy to find out the "I am a stone" picture is proudly displayed in her new office! That makes me happy...even if I look more like a turtle than a stone.
Then came my time to depart, which was only ok because I was comforted by the fact that I shall see my shady friend again real soon. Sadly, my bus was a less fabulous experience this time. It WAS white and I had to share a seat with a stranger. I'm sure she was a nice lady and all, but she was eating fried chicken out a plastic bag for the majority of the ride, so...there's that.
Then when I got back to the city, I had the most unpleasant NYC experience thus far. I was so proud because I knew my route home and then there was a big scandal with the F train being backed up and not running. So, I'm walking all over the place trying to find one that's actually running or an alternate route, calling Hart, dealing with bad reception, finding out all the other trains I could take are not running because of weekend maintenance, not finding anyone working in their little subway booths, dripping sweat, carrying all my bags, and my shirt was riding up to expose my tummy, so I looked both haggard and slightly scandalous. I really cannot express in words how frustrating and awful this was. I was walking by all those gross souvenir shops and thinking "I do NOT heart NY!!!!!" By the time I reached Hart's, I was ready to book my flight home, but she made me laugh and turned my world around.
Today, I went to...(dramatic sound effect)...my first NY audition. Let's see...I was lucky number 279 - these non-union people are not messing around. I waited for eight or nine hours to sing for thirty seconds. I hadn't eaten. My throat was beyond dry. They are lucky I didn't fall over in front of them...although that probably would have made for a better story. Anyway, it was awesome. Tis the life. And on an extremely positive note - I saw Serena (who I haven't seen since the BHP!) and Jason and Morgan!!! It made my day totally worth it.
Additionally, I miss Harrison mucho.
Sorry my blog is so wordy and there are no photos and videos to break it up and entertain you. The fact is, I still don't know how to upload such things. And, even if I did, I have only taken one photo since I got here and that was of Hartleigh's rattail that I braided last night while we made cookies. I clearly have my priorities in the right place. I will vow, for your sake though, to try to learn this skill and perhaps to take better visual documentation of my time here and beyond.
I'm pretty caught up now. It would probably not be so intense if I kept up as I went. More to come, I'm sure.
Love,
Carolyn
ps. These are too long to proof-read right now. I apologize in advance for any errors.

Ok. I have a LOT of catching up to do...it's so overwhelming. I don't even know where to begin.
On Tuesday, I kissed Harrison good-bye and headed for the big bad apple. I was flying AirTran - which, even though I have been successfully transported by them many times, I do not believe is a real airline. Have you ever heard of them? No. I definitely thought it was a scam. During my layover in Milwaukee, a man tried to persuade me to open a frequent flyer account with the fake airline. I reluctantly agreed - because my mom told me to and I do (almost) everything she says. Anyway, this guy was being super ooky. First he complimented my drivers license photo - which is not a good photo. (For anyone who has not heard this story, the crazy woman taking the picture says in the most I-hate-my-life voice, "Look at the Santa and smile". She then proceeded to snap the photo right away. Moral of the story: I had still not found the Santa. I look cross-eyed and confused.) He also gave me a Deluxe 6-in-1 Travel Game Compendium (something which reminds me very much of Paul Sabala for some reason...) which included: Chess, Backgammon, Cribbage, Dominoes, Draughts, and you guessed it - Playing Cards. He said it was a free gift with signing up, but I have to say...I didn't any of the other sign ups receiving such a treasure. I hate to admit though, as sweet as his gesture was, my first thought was - "Does it look like I have room for this??" I'm not exactly a light packer...
I must continue. The fake airline finally got me to NYC - LaGuardia. And who was there to meet me, but the fabulous Hartleigh Buwick. She was returning from a whirlwind trip to Norman and we timed out our arrivals so we could share a cab. It was wonderful to be met with a hug from my Little Pants Buwick. Almost as wonderful as her sassing the cab-driver about the best way to get her house...really funny. Hart has been very generous to me - extending a wealth of hospitality to me and sharing her cute little Brooklyn apartment with me. We have had some great times giggling in bed and illuminating our faces with our cellular telephones. We're resourceful like that.
On Wednesday, Hartleigh and I ran some errands in the Chelsea area. Well...Hart ran errands and I tagged along and tried to soak it all in. I saw Gristedes which Katie's character mentioned in Ordinary Days!! We went to Chelsea market and walked around a little. So many bakeries...shucks. I have a knack for running into people I know - I think my total is 5 thus far - unplanned instances that is. I know people say it happens all the time and it's such a small world/business, but it never ceases to amaze me. Later, we went to see my Melisse in Astoria. What a glorious reunion - another moment where it felt totally normal to pick up with someone I hadn't seen in way too long. We have a lot to talk about and have only scratched the surface of our catching up, but I am loving every second of it. I needed to be nurtured. We watched American Idol, ate Hartleigh-original quesadillas, laughed, and cuddled. Much needed. So much love.
On Thursday, I got the distinct pleasure of meeting Harrison's Aunt Carolyn (we're great friends because of our great names) and Uncle John who were visiting NYC from Alaska. They are absolute gems and I was so happy to get the opportunity to spend quality time with them. We had breakfast and then ventured over to the museum of Natural History. The museum was astounding, although we felt very overwhelmed with knowledge. Literally, there was so much to see that I felt slightly numb by the time we left. I think all of our brains were on total overload. The Silk Road exhibit was really special though and we watched an IMAX movie with many gorgeous shots of upper-Midwest landscape which reminded me of home. (The movie was actually about saving sturgeon - something I care very little about, but I appreciated the scenic shots...) C&J also made an extremely generous contribution to the I-want-Carolyn-to-survive-in-NYC fund - a Subway map!!!! Without this donation, I would surely be wandering still. I wish our time here overlapped more, but it was great to see some familiar faces and be fed by their bright spirits if only for a few hours.
I met Hartleigh and Melissa later for a snack and then pad thai. Besides being yummy, this was a pretty large step forward for me, as it meant me navigating through the city and arriving at a specific destination on my own. I will have you know, I did it like a champ. There was a minor incident with a woman in a beehive wig feeding birds in front of me. This resulted in pigeons flying in my face and some innapropriately loud cussing on my part. I apologize to any readers this may offend, but it was really beyond my control. I spent another lovely night with Melisse. My friends are so kind and accomodating. I appreciate them so very much.
Like I said, an overwhelming amount of information to share...more to follow.
Love,
Carolyn

Wow! Three followers - well, technically two of them are Aaron, but I'm trying to boost my e-confidence, so I'm going to go ahead and say three...
I'm only posting to grieve another error of technology. You know when your computer makes you type the word that you see - (I don't know exactly why that is, and I don't particularly care...it's probably both important and beyond me.) Anyway, most of the time it's a legit word like 'happiness' or 'rabbit'...but then once in a while it's complete jibberish. For example, it just made me type 'cleade'. Cleade is not a word - I checked. And it makes the lettering so jumbly and skewed that I really worried I might get it wrong. I mean I sat there for a while before submitting my answer, thinking "It's usually a real word. Why wouldn't it be a real word this time...is it just messing with me...maybe that's an I...nope - still not a word..."etc. Don't worry - I got it right. But I just need a little consistency here!
I now have to go work on the finale number of a student-created mini-musical for which I am partially responsible. Translation: I have to attempt to choreograph/alter the lyrics of Oliver's OomPahPah so that they would be appropriate for a waffle festival celebrating the solution of the Handicapped Pet Shop explosion mystery. (You may or may not need to read that sentence again.) I realize it sounds like I'm making it up. I can assure you I'm not.
Wish me luck. I will need it.
Love,
Carolyn

Remember when livejournal was so big during middle school-ish?? And I thought to myself - That's super weird. I'm never doing that... Well - I'm kind of doing that, although I promise to keep the emo to a minimum. And while I'm a little proud that I finally sat down to write this first post, I'm already frustrated because, frankly, my blog is ugly. I don't like ugly things and I have no idea how to fancify it like all my fancy friends. This is the primary reason I have waited so long to get this thing up and running...as most of you know, it could not have been for a lack of thoughts. I surely have no shortage of things to say. So, I guess I'll just whine publicly until someone shows me how to make it spiffy and personal. I suppose, at this point, I should just be grateful to have a working computer - (there was a minor boat-related accident that sent both me and my computer crashing to the floor...we're fine, if you ignore this hatch-burn armpit wound I'm nursing.)
Anyway, I don't expect this blog to be life-altering or even endlessly entertaining. I mainly only started it because Aaron was peer-pressuring me and I was starting to feel a little left out. But sometimes funny things happen to me and I like to tell stories of my many adventures. So...I guess if it can be even the slightest bit cathartic for me and can once in a while bring a smile to a reader's face, then it has served it's purpose. (Thanks to Hart for help with the url.)
I'm not nearly finished, but I don't want to overwhelm cyberspace. This was a big step. Stay tuned...
Love,
Carolyn