The photo cards have been ordered and will be handed out/mailed soon (I hope!) but I decided to save some trees and put my usual 'update letter' in blog form instead of including it in my holiday cards...so here goes... (plus this way I could add some bonus photos in the montage below*)
This time last year I was in the funk of all funks and did not decorate for Christmas nor send cards. I was in probably the worst depression ever (at least I hope it never gets worse than that!) and I had just started therapy and was awaiting a prescription for an anti-depressant. (Trying to get into a doctor over the holidays ain't easy, friends!) It's one year later and I'm astounded, amazed, and encouraged by the changes in my attitude, demeanor, and overall state of mental health. As we learned from many famous people dying this year, depression can literally be a killer - if you are feeling the weight of the gorilla, do yourself a favor: share your fears (they become less powerful that way) and seek out & accept help. It ain't easy (you don't have to tell me!) but you can do it.
After getting through the initial adjustments, 2014 proved to be a banner year for me professionally and one full of changes & forward movement personally. I decided to get my finances together, as living paycheck to paycheck was adding to the stress & depression. Step one was to change my living situation - I had been in my own, amazing & wonderful one-bedroom apartment for nearly 3 years, but utilities had gone up and I wasn't putting money in the savings account like I wanted to be. Enter Leigh Barrett: fabulous friend, amazing artist (lighting designer extraordinaire and Artistic Director of Babes With Blades Theatre Company), and a damn good cook. She was also looking to downsize her monthly bills so when our respective leases came up, we found a groovy 2-bedroom apartment in a neighborhood we both liked and have made the transition. (*Me with Leigh's cat, chillin' on the couch) Incidentally, since doing so, I've paid off my car loan (1 year early, YEAH!) and increased my monthly savings...not to mention taken a trip to Scotland (*there were so many great pics but I just chose one for now)!
Acting highlights this year included performing in 5, yes FIVE, shows, starting with Promethean Theatre Ensemble's production of The Lark directed by my good friend, mentor, and personal theatrical guru, Jack Lewis (truly, this guy inspires & humbles me in equal measure on a regular basis). I met some amazing folks and got to learn about fabulous women of history. (*My costume & the Inquisitors were the perfect holiday colors, so we decided to make our own 'family photo' for the Christmas cards this year). After that, I jumped into the insane world of L'Imbecile with my beloved Babes and channeled my inner Moe (*see our post-apocolytic neo-commedia version of the 'Stooges'). At the same time, I understudied with Theatre at the Center for "Miracle on South Division Street" and had the great fortune of performing the role of Bev (*she was a bowling fanatic!). After that insanity, I dropped into the role of a lifetime with the Babes' world premiere production of Witch Slap! by Jeff Goode. Playing Crone was definitely a highlight of my year and I hope to reprise the role many, many times before I'm - ahem - too old for it! (*backstage was crazy in its own right - I really don't give a damn about my reputation!) Finally, closing out the year (and the show itself tonight!) is Hotel Aphrodite. I'd previously not had the chance to play with any of the folks of The Factory Theatre and I was super stoked to get the call from Matt Engle to play an "uptight virgin T.W.A.T. from downstate Illinois". Oh the innuendo...(*Opening night party fun)
My beloved Babes have also had an exciting year - we raised a bunch of money on IndieGoGo for our Fighting Words new play development program and used it to develop 4 (FOUR) new scripts this year (3 more are on the way next year!). If you were able to help us out - special loving kudos to you! Every dollar helps! For. Real. We added some wonderful ladies to the ensemble and worked with lots of folks we hadn't had the chance to work with previously. We are gearing up for a strong 2015 (rehearsals for an All Female production of Titus Andronicus kick off on January 5th) and I couldn't be prouder of my theatrical home. You can like us on Facebook to keep up with all the latest news & pics if you are into that sort of thing.
iGive is still my wonderful, inspiring, fabulous place of employment. We are continuing to grow and get the word out (BTW, if you use Amazon Smile, you'll love iGive! We work with Amazon AND 1500+ other stores that allow you to donate to your favorite charity.) We recently hired a Marketing Manager and I now head a 'team' of folks so the job is growing and changing & teaching me lots about myself.
"But Kim, what do you do in your spare time?" - besides laugh at that question, this year I was able to get out & about quite a few times. I saw some amazing concerts (including Aerosmith, Slash, Guided by Voices, Styx, Foreigner), a wonderful night of comedy (*Eddie Izzard is AMAZING!), many, many theatrical productions by fabulous friends & colleagues, watched my brother get married, hosted Thanksgiving dinner with friends...and took a trip to SCOTLAND! But that's a whole 'nother blog post (or at least it will be once I get around to it).
My personal 'resolution' is to take a bit more time during the madness of day-to-day life to reflect & enjoy - just typing up this little year-end wrap up has filled me with a huge sense of gratitude. I can only imagine how great I could feel if I remembered in the moment, how wonderful life really is!
2015 is already shaping up to be a wonderful year and I hope it brings blessings & joy to you and yours!