Texas was HOT. It was over 100 every day. The weird thing was that it wasn't humid. It was a really strange heat. Our hotel was gorgeous. It was the nicest hotel I have ever been in. On Thursday night, Our Time performed. The boys read an email from Joe Pop (who was in Hawaii and had to miss the conference), I read my speech from the gala, and the girls and I sang a song. It was pretty awesome. You'd think we would be nervous to perform in front of 850 people but we had so much fun, the fact that it was in front of so many people didn't even daze us.
Friday, we went to workshops (which were incredible by the way) then that night we had the honor of having dinner with David Seidler. For those who don't know who he is, SHAME ON YOU! Just kidding. :) David Seidler is the amazing Oscar Award winning writer of The King's Speech. If you haven't seen that movie, Ihighly recommend it.Anyways, Our Time and David went to an Italianrestaurant that was delicious! David was so funny and charming and probably the nicest, sweetest man.
Saturday was full of more workshops including the opportunity to run a workshop for siblings of kids who stutter. We played some theater games and racing games and it was really fun! Saturday night was the closing ceremony and the dance. During the closing ceremony, my good friend, Phil read a poem that he wrote. Now, I'm not one to get emotional over a poem or a book or even movies. I will suckup my pride and admit that Phil's poem made me tear up. It was so honest and so real that it struck something in me. It was absolutely incredible.
The dance was so much fun!! Phil, Alison, and I were dancing till at least 1am. It was one of the best nights I have had in a long time.
Sunday came and it was time to fly home. Alison and I got a cab to drive us back to her place. That was an adventure in itself. What cab driver doesn't have a GPS?! We got lost and had to drive in the ghetto which was...interesting to saythe least! We finally got back to Alison's apartment and had a pb&j sandwich and just relaxed! I adoreAlison and her family. I miss them!
Monday was a big day for me. Two weeks ago, I was invited to audition for the ABC show "What Would You Do?" for their stuttering scenario. My audition was on Monday. Alison and I headed to ABC studios and I was freaking out the whole time. I walked in there and saw 12 professional actors auditioning for the same thing. At that point, I told myself that there was NO WAY I could get it. For the audition, there was an employee, a stutterer, and 2 bullies. When they called me in for the first time, we went through the scenario and it brought back a lot of memories from my past. I was bullied a lot for my stuttering and it was hard to hear everything they were saying even though it was just acting. The producers and directors told me to wait outside after my audition. I went out in the waiting area and I talked to a girl who was so nice! She was auditioning for a bully which was very ironic--she was the sweetest girl! I told her how hard it was to hear all that stuff and she was so supportive. I was called in again and she was called in as well. She told me a zillion times "I don't mean any of it! I'm sorry!" I laughed and told her to be as mean as she can! We ran through the scene and afterwards I was pulled aside by one of the people working for the show and she told me right there that I got the part! We film in a couple weeks. The best part: I get paid to stutter! As far as me being able to handle it, I realize that it is acting and I have confidence that I will be fine!
After my audition, Alison and I called EVERYONE! haha. We then met my mom for dinner and then spent some time in Central Park. My time in Texas and New York has been unforgettable. I got to spend a lot of time with one of my best friends and I miss her a lot!
