New York: Before the Storm

Wrapping up the Summer

August is a quiet month for me. No one gets married in August, it’s way too hot in New Orleans, Hurricane season is in full swing and I don’t start theatre until the end of September. I usually fill the lull with family time and getting my kids ready for school.  I love having my kids home! I love planning activities with them and taking random day trips. Before August ended we squeezed in a day trip with the kids to Pensacola. We are a beach family and we had to get in one more beach day before fall schedule kicked into full gear.

Back to School

This year I am homeschooling Jonah before kindergarten.  Surprisingly, homeschooling has been very rewarding for me. Jonah calls it his ‘special time with mommy’ and seeing him retain everything I teach him is the best feeling. Next year he will be on the bus going to school just like James, so until then I am loving him being home! James has started 2nd grade and so far it’s been awesome. He really loves school and his friends. We’re super excited that James will be making his 1st communion this year!

Family time in New York

At the end of August I went to New York for a family visit (no work this time!).  I spent most of my time with my cousin Ali. We don’t see each other often, but we text everyday and FaceTime weekly. I love Ali so much and wish more than anything in the world that she lived closer. When my sister Madelynn, Ali, and I are all together we’re 3 peas in a pod!  Ali always keeps me laughing and her daughter Ella is absolutely precious. Ali has been going through some major life changes and I had to go up to visit her.

While in NY, the stars aligned (as they sometimes do in New York City) and my good friend Andrew Lee (Andrew Lee Imaging) reached out and wanted to collaborate on a shoot.  I knew Ali would be the perfect model and that it would be just what she needed. I treated Ali to a hair and makeup session and I was her hype girl for the day. Andrew took several gorgeous bathing suit pictures of her, but one stuck out as my favorite.

This is the Ali I know and love, and it felt good to help her ignite her light again.  Ali-I love you and remember, you got this! You are a gorgeous mom-boss-babe and you’re beautiful inside and out. Don’t let anyone ever steal that smile and light from you. This is only the beginning for you and Ella and I cannot wait to see you take the world by storm!  Thank you for letting James and I drag you around the city!

New York through a Child’s Eyes:

I was 8 years old when I first visited New York and it made a huge impact on me. I knew I had to bring James. He loved every second of the trip starting with his first plane ride. The Southwest pilot let him sit in the pilot’s seat and snap a photo, which was so cool!  We did all the touristy things- the Natural History museum, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Spongebob Squarepants on Broadway, and we took the Long Island train into Penn Station! He also loved being able to meet his cousins for the first time! It was instant friendship and it made me so happy to see them playing together. My favorite day of the trip was at the beach in the Hamptons. Watching James play with Olivia, Carson, and Ella made memories to last a lifetime! New York means so much to me and always re energizes my creative soul.  

Turandot

As many of you know, I do hair and makeup for opera companies all around the United States, but that started here, with the New Orleans Opera.  I was fortunate enough to get to work with them again on Turandot on September 28th and 30th at Mahalia Jackson theatre,  which is one of the most gorgeous venues.  The backstage area is really nice, and I’m blessed to be able to work with so many talented singers and staff. 

If you’re not familiar with the show, Turandot is an opera written by Puccini.  It’s sung in Italian (with subtitles in English) and is based on a poem by a Persian poet. It’s all about Turandot, the daughter of Turan who happens to be a Princess.   She’s extremely cold, but Prince Calaf falls in love with her. She makes him enter a game where suitors have to answer three riddles to win her — any wrong answer results in their death.  Calaf passes, but Turandot still doesn’t wish to marry him. He offers her another deal– if she is able to learn his name before dawn the following day, he’ll let her out of the agreement. 

Here are some pictures of my work from the show. Comment below if you were able to see it!

Setting Goals Before Turning 30

This is really hard for me to share but I want to blog about the REAL me.  Facebook and Instagram just show pictures that capture a moment in time, but it’s not always what’s really going on.  Those who are closest to me know I love taking care of people which is why I’m in my industry, but they may not have realized the sacrifices that I’ve made to try to build a career while still managing to put my husband and children first.  I’ve missed out on a lot of the things that I’VE wanted to do for myself, or that I’ve needed to do for my own health and well-being.

I know I’m not alone even though I may feel that way.  I fight the same insecurities and anxieties as all my fellow mom-boss-babes out there.  So over the next 9 months I’m going to share my weight loss journey and how I do it in my fast paced lifestyle. It’s going to be tough, but it has to happen!  I’m planning a sister sister trip to France to do a wedding there and I want to look and feel my best. I want to start my 30’s feeling my best. I’m so nervous posting this because I’ve tried so many times and have failed but I’m hoping this holds me more accountable.

Feel free to post your own list of what you’d like to accomplish in the next nine months and we can reach those goals together!

Until then,

Stay beautiful,

Amanda