"America the Beautiful" inspired by Colorado's mountains

If there is one place on earth that I can say is almost perfect, this will be Colorado. Set apart from the rest with its impeccable nature, clean air, history and mountains, this state will surely make you fall in love with it, just I fell in love with it!

I visited Colorado Springs in October of last year; a perfect time in fall to see colors and beauty in one. When I was driving through the state I couldn't help but wonder how magnificent this place really is! The fresh air was simply filling my lungs from the car window and with every breath I took I was falling more and more in love with Colorado. The sight in front of me, the mountains it was all majestic and powerful.

During my stay in Colorado Springs, which was only for three days, I experienced more than I had in a lifetime! I realized one of my biggest dreams there - I climbed on the top of the most beautiful mountain peak, 14000 ft above ground- Pikes Peak. What set this mountain apart was not just its beauty but history. A lot of history was in the air in the woods, rocks of Pikes Peak. The majestic sight had inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write "America the Beautiful" as she took the same ride I did many years before me. Even though I didn't climb it on foot, I was going up in the famous Pikes Peak Cog Train, which happened to be the most memorable and inspiring ride of my life! As we were going slowly up the peak I saw colors of red and yellow that were so bright and pretty that my eyes couldn't be taken of them. There were crystal clear lakes as well and it looked like an untouched peace of heaven! And here it was an hour later - we had reached the top and I set foot on the tallest peak of my life, heavily breathing, taking in the sight so high that no flower or grass grew on. This was the sight I was going to remember forever! Moments later I was on the ground again. I had left the beautiful clouds of the mountain only to end a bit dizzy and lightheaded from the infamous ride.

As I was walking the streets of Manitou Springs I stopped in the oldest castle full of history and magic. The whole city was magical too with its small shops, singing carolers and colorful historic houses. But its biggest treasure are the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings that echo Ancient Native American history and a little peace of historic nature heaven!

As I was driving around Colorado Springs' historic city a beautiful double rainbow crossed my way and made me smile. The positive vibe I got and the happy people I met in the little family owned stores along with its fresh air, made me feel at peace and happy with the universe, which is a feeling I don't get often living in Chicago.

Driving away from Colorado was a painful experience as my heart was sad to leave this state of joy, peace, beauty and history. Warm tears of love came down my face as I didn't know when I will feel like that again! I miss Colorado's happy vibe, friendly people, fresh air and mountains. I know I will
go back some day again but in the meantime the memory of this experience stays true to my heart forever!

Please Tell Me I'm Adopted - Interviews

If there is anything that drives success better that is love and passion. Chris Sobchack and Nichole  Sobchack know this best as the “baby” of their drive and love is the new Amazon Prime comedy sitcom “Please Tell Me I’m Adopted.” Season 1 has been written by Nicole and executive produced by Chirs who has also been working on Elton John’s team for 17 years now as the drum and percussion technician. They funded the production through a successful Indiegogo campaign and handled all of the post production themselves. Series guest stars include TV icon Marion Ross.With a great team behind them they are excited to share their story with you! Listen to my exclusive interview with Chris and Nicole here!

“Please Tell Me I’m Adopted!” follows the life of Tiffany Grant, who loses her boyfriend, job and house in a single day and is forced to move in with her newlywed sister, Emma, and Emma’s husband Bob. When Tiffany decides to regroup, she includes Emma and Bob into her crazy, often culturally current, escapades with outrageous and hilarious consequences. But no matter how hard Tiffany tries, she just can’t help getting lost on the way to finding herself – taking her family and all of us along for the comedic ride. Emma just wanting the best for Tiffany and Bob hoping for his guest bedroom and his sanity back!

Watch this fun sitcom on Amazon Prime now!

"Beyond Caring" premiers in Chicago

If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind theater production that not only makes you feel but let's you be part of the performance then "Beyond Caring" is your show. The show runs until May 7, 2017, at the Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago. It is written and directed by Alexander Zeldin. The press opening was on April 1.

What shook me about this production is how real it felt. Yes it was dark, sad, frustrating but that is because it reflected what happens in real life with people in real scenarios. It explores the working lives of four characters who work as low-wage cleaners at a factory in harsh conditions. With humor and sadness we witness the stress, abuse and struggle for money among these characters who simply want to make ends meet and feed their families.

The play was most recently produced at the UK's National Theater and re-imagined for Chicago by Zeldin who said in a press release that "looking at the lives of those working in the conditions of the temporary economy, the margins of society, says so much about the moral, spiritual, and emotional place that the country is in, much like it did the UK...But it says something else too - here in the US it tells us about race in this country."

The cast of the US premier is: Caren Blackmore (Ebony-Grace), J. Nicole Brooks (Tracy), Keith D. Gallaghar (Ian), Edwin Lee Gibson (Phil) and Wendy Mateo (Sonia). Community partners for "Beyond Caring" include: Chicago Humanities Festival, The Chicago Urban League, Chicago Worker's Collaborative, the Jewish Women's Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, Latino Union of Chicago, Latinos Progresando, Leadership Greater Chicago, and Women Employed.

"Beyond Caring" is produced in association with Dark Harbor Stories, which is led by David Schwimmer and Tom Hodges. Schwimmer brought this project to Lookingglass Theater and has been working closely with Zeldin on the production.

Beginning in the spring of 2016, a year before the production, the lead artistic team including Schwimmer and Zeldin began conversations with organizations that work with temporary labor force in Chicago. The idea was to create conversations and site vists to staffing agencies, factories and plants where temporary workers were assigned. Lookingglass theater has allocated more than 330 seats to be given at no cost to workers and their families whose lives and experiences are similar to those portrayed in the production.

The Lookingglass Theater is located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. For more information visit www.lookinglasstheatre.org.