Mom's Visit

So mom came and got to see NYC!!! It was great having her here. She did lots of mom things...like my laundry and we got to see so many SHOWS!!! I think both of us like In The Heights the best. I cried in almost every song, I don't even know why. I think this acting school thing is making me even more emotional. IT WAS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!! DONT JUDGE ME!!! I am exhausted from going going going. We got up at 5:40 am for the macy's parade and about that time for the Today show (I don't even want to talk about my experience at the Today show! ... all I will say is those little third graders in moms class better have been watching!!!) In conclusion I leave you with mom's pro's and con's to Lone Ranger travel to NYC! (but didn't the Lone Ranger have a side kick, Tanto or something...that doesn't make him very Lone : /


"Top 10 Reasons not to travel alone to New York

1. There is no one to talk to other than utter strangers!
2. It is really awkward eating alone in a crowed food court. You might have to resort to sharing half of your french fries with a stranger.
3. There is no one to take your picture.
4. It is boring!
5, There is no one to hold your luggage when you go to the bathroom.
6. You have to figure out things by yourself.
7. There is no one to bum gum off of.
8. It is hard to have a good laugh by yourself. Yes people will stare!
9. You might easily get mugged.
10. It is just lonely.


Reason to travel alone!
1. You are free to make all the choices!
2. You can relax and have quiet time.
3. You can listen in on very interesting conversations going on around you.
4. You have only yourself to blame if you make mistakes.
5. It is much cheaper than taking your children.
6. No arguing!
7. You meet new friends.
8. It gives you time to read.
9. No stress from getting separated from someone.
10. You don't have help keep up with someone eleses things."

2 Days!

I think next sunday we might go to the bronx zoo... I say might because I dont know if it is worth missing a sunday matinee broadway show...hmmm we will conference mom. You are doctor dolittle though! I bet she would end up going home with one.

3 Days!!

Mini Thanksgiving Dinner.

Mom is going to make a mini-turkey (aka rotisserie chicken) dinner for all of my classmates!!! We are group 1 - c so we call ourselves the onesies!!!

4 Days!

Meet Celebrities

No big deal, Molly Shannon said "You are so handsome, you will do great in the business."

Can't wait to introduce mom to celebrities, because she will have no idea who they are. Two years ago she called me and said "Oh MY LORD CLAYTON! There is a guy on Ellen who looks and acts just like you. I think his name is Ashlyn Catcher?" "Ashton Kutcher mom?" "YA That's him!!!"

See ya soon!!!

5 Days

I am going to break my mom coming to visit countdown to simply ask for anyone who reads this to please pray for my dear friend Ashley Henley who is desperatly fighting leukemia right now. Things took a bad turn today and it is a reminder to me that Ashley is in the same state we are all in everyday, we are just unaware. Everyday our only hope in Christ. Creator and commander of the universe wrote our lives before we existed in a way that Glorfies Him, not us and makes Him God. These are my sweet friends that sent me my first care package, even before my mother sent one! I am so blessed by their friendship so please pray for them like you mean it, like you actually think God hears what you are saying.

6 DAYS!

the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir!

This summer I read Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire and I am so excited to finally get out to Brooklyn and see arguably the greatest gospel choir in the world. It is going to be a busy first day for mom, this is one of the the three stops we are going to make on mom's first full day in the city. I am going to take her to the evening service of the church I attend, Apostles.

1 WEEK

Top of the Rock and maybe an NBC tour! There are few breath taking places in the world left, one is at the top of the rock, another is anywhere with my mom. Can't wait to see what breathless plus breathless makes!

8 days!

BROADWAY!!!

I am going to try and drag mom to West Side Story... Addams Family...

Scottsboro Boys ...and maybe just maybe Next to Normal. That last show is a little heavy, so we will see how emotionaly stable she is that day!!!

Just a few more years and she will be coming to see my show on the ol' broad way!

9 days!

In two weeks mom and I will be live at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!! We will probably go see the lights at Macy's that day. Some of my friends from school have family coming in so I think we will meet up with them. The parade started in 1924, it is the second oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in America, and this year we will be there!! Turkey Lurky tim momma (that's from the Broadway Show Promises, Promises that is staring Kristin Chenoweth, the wonderful woman I got to sing for almost 3 months ago now)!

MOM is coming in 10 days!!

So in honor of my mom's visit I will be posting 10 different things on our to do list!

First on the list is CENTRAL PARK... classic, I know.

Mom and I will probably go take some headshots one day when the weather is good. This is the fountain by my side of the park!

So excited for you to come mom!!! We are going to have so much fun

Camera!!!

So the blog is going to get updated as soon as I get my camera shipped to me. I had a really great idea today. I am going to make a movie, a new hobby of mine, about my first year of living in New York. Then when I see famous people at events, which I often do, I can go up to them and tell them that I am making a documentary about my first year in New York City and they will love me and be in my video. So if anyone has an extra flip camera or video camera they want to donate to the cause, I would appreciate that. If not I will just have to wait until I get another job, ya, another, waiting to hear from Starbucks and maybe working the consession at Shubert Theatres, but then I will be able to update the blog better!!!! I LOVE SCHOOL AND THIS CITY!!!!!!!!

Cotton

Today I stumbled on to my most important moment thus far.

I found an art installation under the Highline Park.



The subject matter was cotton.

It startled me to see it, however I wasn't scared and I wasn't in love. No one else was there. Bails made benches and I sat alone. I dug my fingers in and instantly realized why you were upset when I took the replica decorations off of sisters shelf. I hope they are still there. The burlap and the metal wrapped around felt like prison and I longed for a field. The living cotton plants against the worn brick buildings in strangling black pots shared my desire. They told me so in their weeping. There was a tangible stripping of my entire being, and I could feel it filling Papa's pride in self-employment, and Mamaw's desire to get out, to go to art school. It was the first time I understood them both. I could hear "Cotton Tail Over" on the c.b. radio. Through the crackle and the friction of the car I could distinguish that the people saying it were unaware of the privilege they were experiencing. I wish I would have known you as a child. I started to sing "We are standing on Holy Ground/and I know that there are angels all around" but those were the only lines I could recall; the silence of the city sang the rest. There was nothing religious in it, only the spirituality felt when music runs up your arm like the chills and down your spine like sweat.

I didn't stay long. I don't know why I had to leave; maybe because I was so far from home, I became aware of the dawn ending the day (as it used to do), or the fear that someone would find me stealing the dry stalks with the cotton still clinging. I was going to like and say "I am a writer and I need to take this home!" but then I realized that wasn't a lie, and you wouldn't be afraid to just take it. As I walked down the street it was as if the cotton stalks were holding my hand like an ol' familiar friend. Much older. I felt as if no one else in the world could understand me in that moment, not even the South.

When I got on the train, a kid was reading his son's story about a girl in class who gave a boy a bloody nose. Only you would understand. The boy said something I couldn't quite decipher, and the dad told him, "That's not true"! That's how I knew he was a kid, because everything his son said was true, as is usually the case. I suddenly wondered where everyone around me was from. The local is a dieing crop. I wondered if they knew where they were from, as I do.

This Package Came with Matching Best Friends!

I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD!!!

So if you get a hankerin' to do something like my wonderful friends amber and ashley did! Go right ahead. Amber is...well Amber! Ashley is an inspiration to everyone around her. Just kidding Amber, you are one of the most loyal friends and anyone who spends time with you is blessed by you! My favorite part was the card addressed to "Future Mr. Chenoweth"!!!

Seriously...mail me groceries:

Clayton Jones

232 E 74th St Apt 5B

New York NY 10021

Check out their blogs for Ashley's inspirational fight with lukemia and Amber's random thoughts on life! Thanks yall!

It's Raining Hard: amber-denae.blogspot.com

Ashley's Amazing Story: caringbridge.com/visit/ashleyhenley

1 Month!

1 month!

What a way to celebrate my one month New York Anniversary. Broadway on Broadway in Times Square. Next to Normal, Promises Promises, Fela, Wicked, In the Heights, Addams Family and more all performed, plus previews for Pricilla and ELF! So excited about both.

coney island

Went out to coney island this weekend and had a blast with some amazing friends!!





We rode the wonder wheel first, the biggest ferris wheel of it's time when it was built. Katie got really scared and went a little overboard on the screaming. She told a girl in line "This is REALLY fun!" while we were on the ride, but the girl was unamused and fired back with a hearty "WE KNOW!" well brace face. Hope you have the first ever accident in the wonder wheels in it's 92 year history!

We went out to the beach. Boys pic!

(Bret, Chris, Yo soy)

girl pic!!!!

(Cristine, Katie)

I was so happy to be tall enought for the cyclone! It was built in 1927 and is one of the oldest roller coasters in America still in opperation.

WE DID IT!!!

we ate wonderful cheap food from Nathan's, it's the place where the hotdog eatting competition is held. The record on the board was 68 hotdogs. If anyone knows about my gag reflex with large amounts of food, and if you know about my stomachs rejection of hotdogs at every summer pool party from birth to age 5 when my mom finally stopped making me eat them...you understand my reaction to 68 hotdogs!

Our Place

So Apartment life. Everyone thinks that you have this tiny unliveable space. Well our place is pretty spacious if you ask me. The 5 flights of stairs make moving things pretty brutal, especially that 400 lbs entertainment center from the girls up door that didn't fit in the stairwell because they built it in their living room and we had to bust up with a rubber mallet. We made friends with those girls though and they have access to the rooftop, which is a big deal because now WE have access to the rooftop! However with that said, I love our place.


So this is my room/side of the room. Charles and I share and this is my corner. I need to get some decor up on the wall. But I love down sizing and I feel like I have more space than I did in college. I dont have a desk but other than that I just got rid of a bunch of junk.

This is the living room. We just moved in the footan yesterday so now we can have VISITORS! Seriously come. You just have to let us know when you are coming so we don't have other people at that time but COME one and all




The kitchen is the only thing that is really tiny. We don't have a drawer. How funny is that, not one!? Silverware goes on top of the fridge. So besides decorations we are pretty much all moved in. Thank you ikea!!

This is our guest room, bum bum bum!!

just kinding it's Trevor's creepy red light in his bathroom, it was there when we moved in