Saturday & Sunday

Good Sunday morning all! Yesterday (Saturday) was jammed with fun experiences; my apologies for a late blog! I moved from my hotel to Pam's place around noon. Her space is great and I am very comfortable - Pamela is such a precious hostess. After we settled in, caught up, and chatted for a bit we headed out for some fun in the sun, starting with a LONG walk through her favorite parts of Central Park! Once through there we grabbed the subway downtown to Bryant Park (where the NY fashion weeks are held!) and spent some time gawking inside the Library. Another subway trip later, we were in Union Sq. meandering through Farmer's Market on a quest to find idyllic nectarines (once found, SO worth the effort! Mmhm). Then we walked some more and found a Flea market and some vintage antique shops that were neat to spend some time in. At about 6:30pm we found Grand Central Station and took a train to Columbus Circle; popping into Whole Foods for some dinner. Another subway trip and we were home! We settled into Pam's futon with pillows, blankets and our dinners, preparing for girls movie night: "Pursuit of Happyness" and "The Holiday". Midnight marked bed time.

For dinner I tried Pullock (fish) and Humus! (not together lol) I am a fan - really enjoying the opportunities to try these new things! =)

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Today was very chillax. Pam and I slept in a bit and then just stayed in all day accomplishing odd's-n-ends. I purchased airfare home for Passport in September - yay! At 6:30pm we met Paige (one of Pam's friends who also is involved with Paradox) and hopped a bus to Morning Star New York's evening service at 7pm. It was a sweet service; good message, book-ended by special presentations from the Ugandan Children's Choir leading us in worship. A whole new meaning to "... a child-like faith." I wouldn't say I felt at home amidst this church, but I wasn't uncomfortable either. I don't know that I would return very much more ... Pastor Steve has spoiled me with His teaching!

TGIF

Today was relaxingly uneventful =) I caught up on some much needed shut-eye this morning, so I hope I succeeded in setting my inner-clock to the time change! I left the hotel @ about 1/4 to 5pm and went down to the corner Pax Wholesome Foods salad bar for dinner, water, and a breakfast banana for in the morning. Then I took my rabbit food dinner across the street to the waterfall and spent about an hour just enjoying the serenity of the little sanctuary. The birds like it too. The waterfall provides a lovely backdrop for some devotional time, so I brought my Bible along and got a little spiritual feeding from the Psalms. When I came back to my room I had some odds-n-ends things to take care of online as well as packing my things in preparation to transfer over to my friend Pam's place tomorrow. Check-out from the hotel is 12noon.

Nothing earth-shattering but a good day of rest =) Goodnight!

Agency Adventures: Part 1

Day 1 of appointments, meetings, with NY agencies. I'm rather proud of myself *pats herself on the back* as today marks the conquering of my first solo excursion on the Subway transportation system - SO painless! "Why," I ask myself, "did I choose a 40something block hour-long walk yesterday when I could have paid a $2 fair for an 8min subway ride?" LOL my subconcious demanded the exercise I guess. My appointments this afternoon still required a fair amount of walking. I'm learning to be grateful for my flip-flops and the exercise.

3pm with Wilhelmina and 4pm with MC2 (squared); both were positive encounters and took their own respective sets of Polaroids for reference. The agents review/assess all noob's (pron. "new-bee's") and together come to a collective decision regarding their interest (or lack there-of) in the girl ... ME! =] I am optimistic; however, hardly over-confident, and have been surprisingly peaceful all day - even now as I reflect on the days comings and goings. I found myself praying as I waited in the agency lobbies, "Lord, Your Will be done here." It's a blessing how I feel Him so near as I am so far removed from all that is familiar and comfortable to me.

Here's a little video I threw together marking the end of my day, at about 6pm:



BTW: my dinner's something like an iceberg ... what you can't see below the surface is all crunchy water =P I love Whole Foods' Dinner Bar: mixed greens & (what you see) tofu, cranberries, broccoli, boiled egg, black beans, kidney beans, chick peas, walnuts, melon, grapes ... bout a pinch of everything LOL oh and Fuji water! Seriously the best way to eat healthy & cost effectively! Can you tell I got really excited to eat dinner? =P ok moving on ...

Tomorrow is Friday which means a day off for me - appointments are not the agents favorite things to work into their schedules while wrapping the week. So tomorrow Ramsey will follow up on feedback from today's appointments. I'll hit the pavement Monday and early next week with more meetings on the agenda.

GOOD NEWS! I received email confirmation this afternoon regarding Macy's Passport 2008! I am so ecstatic about booking this job - it will return me to the West Coast sooner than expected, for a few weeks, and the job is such a blast! Now the challenge is where I will stay and with whom. I've already connected with another gal who worked Passport last year; we're both looking for a situation we can share with a few of the models to make it cheaper all around. On top of already being an extravaganza - this years Passport will be featured as a Cinema presentation in 20+ cities across the nation! That's right, I will be on TV. Yippee!!! A whole day at the end of the LA tour will be dedicated to filming the broadcast. More details still to come regarding this exciting prospect!

I'm not sure yet what to do with myself tomorrow all by my ones-y! I did happen to spot some good-looking grub-getting spots along my street here, so I look forward to exploring around a bit. In case you were wondering, shopping is out of the question! =P
All my love,
Kayla

It's a Good Day

What an encourager our Lord is! Today I met with my agent/scout (Ramsey); took measurements, Polaroids, and connected on where everything stands. Turns out the jeans I have aren't good enough LOL guess they make me look heavier which is never a good thing! So after the formalities in our meeting were accomplished Ramsey sent me out on a denim adventure to find the perfect jeans ... Diesel ended up being a hole-in-one stop: 3 pairs of killer stitching that are perfect for casting calls and agency appointments. The wardrobe here is so simple! No fuss - unless we're taking into consideration my bank calling fraud alert to confirm it was indeed ME who made such an extravagant purchase LOL sheesh investments.

Ramsey's a real blessing from God - he's really trying to connect with me and make sure we're on the same page with my career and goals. He's very honest and a no bull kinda guy but is encouraging AST. Definitely went out of his way to make me feel welcome in the Big Apple today. The video below is of the view from Sheeps Meadow (The Great Lawn) in Central Park where we ate a picnic dinner on a rock edge - love Whole Foods dinner bar! =) Cheap and healthy just the way I like it.

Tomorrow is the test; I head out for appointments meeting with Ramsey's contacts at the agencies. The verdict lies in the Lord's hands. I am encouraged today and tomorrow is new - I am excited to see what adventures arise with the sun!

For now ... my bed is calling =)

Welcome to NYC

WOW o.k. so I'm here in Manhattan ... sitting in my little hotel room all by my onesy =) this is a bit strange - but I guess it's a good strange. It's just different; new experiences and everything. As always, my life is never uneventful - just GETTING to my residence here was an adventure; the shared-ride driver got us lost and I ended up having to walk 5blocks to the hotel LOL at 1am great I know... not fun at all! But I got here thank the Lord and Im ready to turn it in for the night (er uh morning)

the adventure begins!