This is Brittany (Rhode Island), Humberto (Mexico) and I... we are getting ready for our final rehearsals on our very first SHOW DAY!!! ... Denver, Colorado
This is some of my castmates... all pumped up in the dressing room ~ because, at this point, it was T-45 minutes til SHOWTIME!!


Well, this is us at the end of "Keep the Beat"... I am in the front line (one of the purple people).. splitting center (look center, then right).

This is one of the tourguides at Phoenix Mine... right outside of Idaho Springs, Colorado. What an interesting character he was... with many old miners stories to boot.
This is beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado. The town is so adorable... all colorful with a mountain backdrop. So picturesque.
Here I am, front and center, as we perform a small show to promote our larger production. YAY!!


Hola! That's me... my papa taught me how to waterski at La Playa Balandra here in La Paz. I had so much fun!!! It took me 6 tries to actually stand.. and on the 7th, I skiied pretty far (farther than I expected)... kudos to me for stepping out of the comfort zone.
Beautiful Balandra beach... as the sun set, and we watched the sky change colors. As if you aren't jealous enough right now, I may add that at this point, my "mom" and I were ine warm ocean (over 80 degrees!) having a great conversation about the need to be catalysts for positive change. I was standing between my Mexican mom, and my Danish roommate... as a friend of my "papa" brought me a rum and coke. I stood, just soaking it all in... and realized it wasn't a dream. I truly am here.. in paradise.

This is Sammi... she is a sweet little thing. She and her father had the umbrella next to us at the beach.. with their dog, Sandy. I could tell she was curious, but shy. When Catherine (my roommate) and I were out in the water, she finally worked up the courage to come ask me to play. She spoke no English... and me limited Spanish. But somehow, we talked... and I learned she loved gymnastics and singing, but wasn't so good at dance. I love that about children. Their innocence makes it so easy to converse... even with huge language barriers. She wasn't judging me when I misspoke... (though at times she'd giggle if I couldn't find the words)... but instead, she just did her best to understand me so that we could play.
This is my dad, Alejandro (on the right)... he and his friends taught my roommate and I how to waterski! He is so awesome.. comes home from work everyday, eager to hear how our days were and what is in store for tomorrow. He laughs at me a lot, and says I'm "muy loca"... that means "crazy"... I can't help it. Sometimes, I use really bad spanglish (because my host parents are really helping me converse in Spanish so my speaking skills improve). Other times, its just cuz I do stupid things.... like forget to say "Chile o no chile" instead of "picante o no picante" ... you see, chile refers to those darned green peppers.. and picante means hot. In Mexico.. if you ask a Mexican, NOTHING is picante... however. their mild can best be described as the hottest tobasco sauce your tongue has tasted. Come to think of it... I am quite thankful that with all of the food mistakes I have made this week, I still have a tongue. I think I have resilient tastebuds or something... but they were totally tortured over these past few days!
This is me and my Dane, Catherine. She is one of my roomies here in La Paz. She is great. We talk often and I am really getting to know her. I am gonna miss our chats when I move on to another roommate, in our next city.

Ay.. mi mama. My mom here, is named Malvina...and she is a wicked amazing cook. She prepares all kinds of amazing classic Mexican dishes for us... to give us a taste of her country. Here, we had for breakfast, fresh tortillas, cottage cheese, regional cheese, huevos con jamon (eggs with ham) and frijoles refritas (refried beans). What you can't see is the fresh watermelon and mango she also sliced for us. It is a daily thing to have fresh food, and phenomenal breakfasts and dinners.

Just for jealousy...
Malvina, mi mama. She takes such good care of me here. It is amazing. Here she is in the kitchen. She spends a lot of time there making our food - and getting goodies together for us to take for snack. See the fresh frutas in the front of the picture>>? They were consumed shortly after this picture was taken! ;-)

Another story... then I promise I'll shut up. Tonight, was our first Mexican BTS show. It was amazing! I was so nervous... but the crowd was so supportive. Over 300 people gathered to watch us! Some of those in attendance were kids from Mobilize Mankind, who is our benefactor for the city of La Paz. Mobilize Mankind, works to increase accessibility and quality of life for those with physical handicaps that may otherwise limit them.

One little girl, Osmara... touched my heart. As I entered the audience to perform our One 2 One song in sign language, I knelt down to sign to her. Bless her heart, she started to sign back. The adults who were supervising her, gathered around videotaping and snapping pictures. I didn't understand why this was so much more of a featured event than those other UWP cast members who were also signing to children. However, after the show, the director of the Mobilize Mankind program personally found me, to tell me more about Osmara. You see... as of a few years ago, they weren't sure if she could even think... because she demonstrated such little mobility and such. Now she has a motorized wheelchair. She plays on her school's football team, and loves to wear wigs and sing kareoke. I asked her "Te gusta bailar"... and she said "Si, me gusta"... meaning, yes, I like to dance. So we danced a bit after the show.

I think, Osmara has CP... or something similar. She has very very limited use of her hands... as they don't seem to move as easily as she wishes. However... tonight... Osmara signed. With me. She put those little fingers up, and moved those hands to action. She tried, and tried... and sure enough, she did it. People were amazed. I was told it was the first time that she had demonstrated such focus and dexterity.

When we performed the sun was setting over the palms and the water. The stage was constructed beachside, and it was still a boiling 80 some degrees as we took the stage. Here, it is so easy to get caught up in the paradise that is La Paz. But La Paz, actually means the Peace. ... tonight, I feel so peaceful inside. I hope that this little girl's day was that much brighter... because she accomplished what was to her, such a difficult feat. Perhaps she will one day have the opportunity to perform. Until then, I will savor my moments on stage for her... as she reminded me why I am here. I want to make a difference... and to change my world... one person at a time.