Tag Archives: moving

Still Preparing To Move (or Getting Rid Of Some Things And Buying Others)

Posted on January 12, 2022 | Comments Off

The exact timeline for when I will be moving to the condo is still a bit unknown right now. The renovations haven’t been able to start yet, but we are hoping they will start this week (we are waiting on one thing from the HOA before we can start). And once things start, they might move quickly because we have already planned out things. We have picked out the materials and ordered them. And most things are already in stock and waiting for us or will be arriving soon. So once the work actually starts, hopefully, it won’t take that long.

Ever since I knew for sure I would be moving, I have been working on cleaning my current place and seeing what I can get rid of. It’s been coming along slowly, but I don’t have to rush since I still have some time. But I have worked on going through my closet and seeing what clothes and shoes I won’t be moving with me to a new place. I’ve also started to go through my desk and filing cabinets and trying to see if I can scan in papers that I’ve been holding onto. And lately, I also have been going through my kitchen because even with the limited space I have in there, I have been holding onto things that I know I don’t need to keep.

It’s still tough for me to let go of a lot of things because I don’t want to get rid of something I might want. But most of the things I have trashed or donated have been things that I know for sure I won’t need. Those were easier choices, and now I’m getting to some of the tougher ones.

But while I have been trying to move to my new place with less stuff, at the same time I have also been looking at new things I want to get. Some of the things I’m looking at are because the new place will be bigger and I will need things that fit that space better. For example, my coffee table is very tiny because I have such a small living room. I always wanted a bigger one, but I didn’t have the space. So now, I can get one that I have been looking at online because I will have the room. But I’m also looking at what things I currently have that I can refresh with a new look.

A lot of the things in my current place are things that were handed down to me. I love this because I have gotten some great stuff without having to find it. And some of these things are older which also means they are made better than things are made now. And maybe because they were handed down to me and free, I feel a bit more open to replacing them. My headboard came from my parents over a decade ago. It was something that was in a condo in Tahoe they bought, and they didn’t want to keep it there. So they offered it to me and I took it. And it’s great and I’ve loved it, but I want to find a different-looking bed for my new place. Fortunately, most of the things I’m looking at replacing tend to not be that expensive. I do have to still be mindful of spending, but I’m glad I’m not looking at huge expensive purchases except for maybe one or two things. And almost everything I’m looking at getting are things I can always wait on. It would be fine for me to move into my new place with the things I have now and replace them later. But it would be easier if I didn’t move something that I was going to get rid of shortly after.

Maybe I’ll feel more of a push to get things going once the renovations start and the moving date seems to be more of a set date than an abstract one in the future. But for now, I’m still slowly getting ready to move and hopefully, this prep work will make the actual move a little easier for me when it happens.

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Posted in Fun Stuff

Tagged condo, home, moving

Cleaning And Socializing (or Making Getting Ready To Move A Double Win)

Posted on October 15, 2021 | Comments Off

As I’ve been getting ready to move (even though I don’t have a date yet that I will be moving out), I’ve been working on really organizing what I have in my house. I’ve said it before, but after being here for over 11 years, I have accumulated a lot of stuff. And some of it is stuff that I don’t need, but just kept because I never thought about getting rid of it. But now that I’m focused on what I do and don’t want to move with me, I’ve been working on clearing out what I don’t need.

A lot of what I’m not taking with me is paperwork that I don’t need. I try to keep paperwork in my house to a minimum, but it still seems to build up. Fortunately, that’s easy enough to get rid of. I shred things that need to be shredded and they go into the recycling bin. And I’ve also found a few beauty products that expired and other items like that which just go into the trash. Those are easy decisions to make with what I want to keep and what gets tossed.

But then there are some things that I have and use (or used to use) and they aren’t just things to throw away. I have a garage that I use for storage that doesn’t have a lot in it, but most things in there are things I haven’t used in years. So I have been making a list of what is in my garage and in my house that I don’t plan on moving to my next place. It’s not that big of a list, but there is a list.

Eventually, I’ll probably make a list on Facebook Marketplace or another site like that and try to sell some of these things. None of them are worth that much, so I will probably list things for only about $20. I have things like an old bookcase that I won’t be using, a side table, an old chair, and other things that are perfectly good, just not for me anymore. But before I post them for sale to people I don’t know, I’ve been trying to find friends who might need them. And this has been a great thing so far. It gives me a chance to see friends I haven’t seen in a long time and make sure that the things I’m not keeping go to people who I know can use them.

I’ve only given 2 things to friends so far. First is a step and repeat frame that technically wasn’t mine, but I was holding onto it for a friend. So I messaged him if he still wanted it, and he said he’d come over to take it. I hadn’t seen him in about 2 years, so it was great to get to see him and catch up for a bit while he was picking up the frame. He had other things he had to do and I had to get back to work, so we weren’t able to hang out that long. But still, getting to see a friend I haven’t seen in forever was so nice and made my day!

And the other thing I’ve given to a friend was my bike. I was so happy when I got my bike and I went for some nice bike rides, but I just don’t go anymore. I would love to say that I’ll pick it up again and use the bike in the future, but I honestly don’t know if that’s true. So since I don’t know if or when I’ll use my bike again, it didn’t seem smart to move it to another place. Because bikes are sized by height, I had to think who it would be the right height for. So I reached out to my friend Erin to see if she or her daughter would want it. And she said it would be perfect so she came over the other day!

I hadn’t seen Erin in almost 2 years as well, which is crazy to me since I’m used to seeing her multiple times a year every year! It was so great to get to see her and her daughter and catch up a bit as well. And I’m so glad they were able to come pick up the bike because I wasn’t sure how well it would fit in my car. I wish I could have spent more time hanging out with them, but I had to get back to work. But hopefully when things calm down a bit for me, we can plan a real hangout.

Knowing that some of the stuff I’m getting rid of is going to friends is making it easier for me to let things go. And if I do end up selling some of the things online, I think I’ll be ok with it. I’m now really starting to get excited about moving and not feeling as anxious. It’s still overwhelming and there is a lot for me to do, but I’m getting closer to the fun stuff. And because there will be an overlap between my current place and my next place, I don’t have to worry or stress too much about the moving process. I will be able to take my time and move a lot of my stuff on my own in my car. When it comes to some of the big stuff, I will hire movers. And when it is time to think about that, I’ll worry about it then. But for now, I’m trying to just stay excited about moving and having a new adventure ahead!

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Posted in Fun Stuff

Tagged condo, home, moving

More Serious Condo Hunting (or Being Real About What I Want)

Posted on September 16, 2021 | Comments Off

I’ve been casually looking at condos around LA for several years now. A friend of mine from Orangetheory is a realtor and I’ve been working with him since I started looking. But most of the time, that just involved me looking to see what’s available and occasionally going to open houses. Several years ago when my parents were in town, we did so a slightly more serious look at what is out there, but we didn’t find anything that was right and there wasn’t a need to really look harder at that time.

But now, things are a little different. I’m not being kicked out of my current place just yet (it hasn’t sold, but I don’t know when it will sell), but I know that I will need a new place in the near future and now I’m really looking. Before it was more about seeing what was out there and if there was something good then my parents and I would discuss it. Now, it is more about finding the right place for me and looking until we find it. I’ve never felt this type of pressure to make sure we find a place, but I am grateful that there isn’t a serious time crunch so I don’t have to feel rushed into anything.

When my parents were here recently, we looked at 6 places in person. Since then, I’ve looked at 3 more on my own. And I don’t want to complain because I know how lucky I am to be in this situation and that I know I will find something that is right, but it has been tough seeing so many places that might be 80% right but something is off. And if I was looking for just a new apartment, I might let some of those things slide. But because this will be something purchased, I don’t want to buy a place (or have my parents and I buy a place) that I’m not sure about.

Ever since I started looking at condos, I’ve had a list of things that were must-haves and nice-to-haves. I’ve kept my must-haves to a pretty small list. Besides the obvious one of being within budget, the only other things on my list were having a washer/dryer (or ability to have my own washer/dryer) and off-street parking. That’s it. On the list of things that would be nice, I had other things like an outdoor space (like a balcony), a gas stove, a dishwasher, and other things that I didn’t feel like I needed but would be cool if a new place had.

Not a lot has changed on my personal list now that we are looking more seriously, but my parents did add things to the list that are on the must-have list. All of them are things that I think are great, but I didn’t put them on my list when I wasn’t looking as much as I am now. Now that this feels a bit more real and happening soon, I think we all had to figure out some real things we needed to make sure my realtor knew about so we could find the right place.

And as I’ve been looking more and more, I’m also learning more about what I really want to find. When I first found out my current place was for sale, I talked to my parents about getting more serious about a condo hunt and mentioned that I might be ok letting go of having a washer/dryer so we could find a place. So when we looked at 6 places together, not all of them had laundry in the condo. But as we looked at more of them, I had to admit that the washer/dryer was more important to me than I thought. I think part of this was also due to seeing the lack of price difference between places that had the laundry and the places that didn’t. So why not get something I want if the price is almost the same. And I’m also realizing that location is more important to me than I thought. When you are looking online, things that might be a bit further away aren’t a big deal. But when you start thinking about driving to things you go to now, it’s made me think more about where I would want to live. I have always said I wanted to stay in my neighborhood, but I was willing to look outside of my neighborhood in other parts of West LA. But now, I really feel more strongly about staying where I am. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of inventory where I live, but as they come on the market my realtor lets me know about them and I can decide if I want to see them.

I’ve been a bit overwhelmed and anxious about all of this because for so long the idea of getting a condo seemed so far from me and something that would happen in the future one day. But now, that day is going to be soon and it’s real. But I know I will be more excited about it when I find the right place. I know that I won’t find the perfect place, but I want to find a place that feels right. And once that part is figured out, then I can probably enjoy the idea of moving and celebrating everything that comes with that.

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Tagged condo, home, moving

Another LA Anniversary (or Almost Half My Life Here)

Posted on August 21, 2018 | Comments Off

17 years ago, I moved to LA. It’s so crazy to think that I’ve been in LA that long! It doesn’t feel like I just moved here, but it also doesn’t feel like 17 years have passed since I started college. Then again, I also don’t feel like I’m really 35 yet. When I’m trying to remember how long ago something was, my default thing is to think something was 10 years ago when it was really 20 years ago.

I was lucky with my move to LA. I have a bunch of friends who moved here after college and they seemed to have a bit of a shock when they got here. Between the traffic, high rent costs, and the energy of the city they were overwhelmed. But I moved here at 18 and spent my first 3.5 years here in college so I had a nice transition between growing up in the Bay Area and living in LA.

Even though it’s been 17 years, I do remember a lot about my move down here. My parents drove in their car and my best friend Kate joined me and was the passenger in my car.

Yes I had leopard print seatbelt covers. I also had a leopard print steering wheel cover at one point but I don’t think I used that for longer than a week or so before it felt weird. But leopard print car accessories were all the rage when I was in high school so of course I had to have some too.

We really needed 2 cars because I might have had a bit too much stuff when I moved here. My mom’s car was packed full with clothes, books for school, bedding, and a dorm refrigerator that we bought before moving down to LA!

The drive is about 6 hours long and I remember it going pretty easy. We had a stop for gas and I don’t remember any crazy traffic moments. The only weird thing I remember is that we had walkie-talkies to talk between the 2 cars. But we also had cell phones so I really don’t know why we thought the walkie-talkies were thought to be a better idea. I do remember that Kate and I were having fun with them, but it’s still a weird things that we did. I also remember the exact exit and roads we took off the freeway to go to the hotel we stayed in the night before I moved into the dorm, and I now know that we actually took the longer way to get there from the freeway. That still makes me laugh a bit when I drive around that area again and realize that we didn’t know better since it was our first time in that area.

Moving into my dorm room was quick and easy because I moved in about a week before most people did because I was doing a program for new students to have fun in LA before school started. I remember moving in the dorms for my sophomore year and it was so much more hectic because everyone was trying to move in at the same time. I’m glad my first dorm move-in was when it was calm and we didn’t have to feel like there were so many people around also trying to get all their things into their room. And when my parents and Kate left, they called me to make sure I wasn’t too sad to be left in LA. Even though it was weird to think I was living away from my family, I was so excited to be in college and in LA!

In my 17 years in LA, I haven’t lived that many places. I had 2 dorm rooms (and I sublet an apartment my first summer in LA), I had an apartment on my own for a year, I had a 2 bedroom apartment with a rotating cast of roommates for just under 6 years, and I’ve lived in my house for about 8 1/2 years. I’m not big on moving and I’m happy staying where I am right now.

It’s been fun thinking for the past few weeks about how my LA anniversary was coming up again, but then I also realized something very crazy to me. Next year when I celebrate 18 years in LA, I will have lived half my life in the Bay Area and then half my life in LA. And right after that anniversary, I will be able to say that I’ve lived a majority of my life in LA!

That idea seems so odd to me. It still seems like I lived in the Bay Area significantly longer than I have lived in LA. But as of right now, it’s only a year difference. I’m sure that this happens for other people as well, but the only other people I have heard say things like this have lived in multiple cities as an adult. Then it makes a bit more sense to me since you are comparing living in one place to adding up the time you lived in multiple places. But right now I lived 18 years in one place and 17 years in another.

Maybe I need to do some more reflection about what I did in those 17 years in LA so far. I am sure that I am skipping over important things in my head that help to make my time in LA seem more significant and longer. But even if it never feels that way, it’s not a big deal. I don’t care if it feels like so much more of my life was in the Bay Area even if it’s not really accurate. I guess it’s just a weird way of how time goes by so quickly as you get older.

I guess for now I should enjoy the last year I have where I can say a majority of my life was in the Bay Area before that changing to a majority of my life has been in LA in a year!

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Posted in Celebrations, Fun Stuff

Tagged anniversary, college, Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount, moving

It Sucks To Say Goodbye (I Don’t Like It When My Friends Move Away)

Posted on August 17, 2018 | Comments Off

I’ve lived in LA for almost 17 years (more on that next week when it’s my anniversary of moving to LA), and in those 17 years most of the friends I’ve made here have stayed here. In college, I didn’t have a ton of friends who were in school with me. And a few of them have moved away from LA after college or after a few years of working in LA. And the friends that I have met outside of school have almost always stayed here.

I understand it can be tough to live in LA. It’s not easy for me. If I wasn’t pursing acting and didn’t love LA I could have a much better financial quality of life living somewhere else. The money I make at 1 job would possibly be enough to support myself on instead of having to hustle and find random jobs to fill in the gaps. But I love living here and the struggle is worth it. But I’m also single and don’t have kids so I only have myself to think about. And when my friends have had to move away, it has always been for a reason that makes perfect sense and I know they are doing the best thing for themselves and their family.

Because it’s not that often that I have friends who move away, it is tough when I have to say goodbye to a friend who is leaving. And unfortunately, that was the case this past weekend. 2 of my friends (who I know through the group that I attend all the epic parties with) and their kids are moving back east. They have family there and it will be awesome for their kids to be raised near family. I know they don’t want to leave LA, but they have to do what is the best thing for their family and right now moving away is the best thing.

Of course, there was a party to say goodbye to them. It was a smaller gathering than most of them because they wanted to focus on saying goodbye to each person who attended. And it was nice to have time to talk to them and the other friends of mine who were there. We were all enjoying watching their kids play with all the other kids at the party (one day kids are going to outnumber the adults there!) and we were saying how there are so many ways we can stay in touch even though they will be living far away.

Social media has made it easier when people move away. You can stay informed on what is happening in their lives and still feel connected. And since karaoke is such a big part of these parties, we realized we could do Skype karaoke while they are back east! We could project them on Skype on the wall of the garage (where the karaoke lyrics are usually projected) and they can participate. I brought that idea up to Marie and Chris and I think they love it. I can’t wait to see the first party that involves Skype karaoke and I think that maybe more people who can’t attend the parties in person are going to take advantage of it!

Everyone was trying to stay upbeat, but you could tell there was a bit of sadness with everyone not wanting to say goodbye. Like I said, it’s not something I have to do that often and it’s not an easy thing to do. I cherish my friends so much and it’s never easy to know that I won’t be seeing one of them as often as I like to. But I also am happy that they are going to be moving to be closer to their family and that their kids are excited about it (although I wonder if they understand it since they are little). And I also know that a move doesn’t have to be forever and there is a chance they will move back to LA one day.

Also, I have a feeling that eventually they will come back to LA for a visit since they have so many friends here. And if it’s around a party that normally happens they will be at the party like normal. And if it’s not around a party, I know that a party will be created for them because having them back in town will be a reason to celebrate! And when we have a reunion of our party group, it’s going to be an epic party and I can’t wait until that happens!

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Posted in Tough Stuff

Tagged friends, moving, party, sad

One More San Diego Day (or I Don’t Know When I’ll Be Doing This Again)

Posted on January 23, 2018 | Comments Off

This past weekend I did a day trip to San Diego for what will possibly be the last time for a while. My grandma is moving from San Diego to up north where she will be close to my aunt, uncle, and my parents. I’m super excited for my grandma because I think this move will be a really great thing for her. But it’s still a weird feeling that I won’t have any more family in San Diego anymore.

My entire life my grandparents lived in San Diego. They bought their house a year or two before I was born. Then a few years ago they moved to their apartment which was only a few freeway exits further from their house. When my grandpa died, my grandma moved to assisted living but it was in the same building as their apartment. So that move didn’t really feel like a big move. But now she’s doing the biggest move in my lifetime.

On my drive down I was trying to not think about how this was probably the last time I’d be doing this drive for a long time. I’ve been going to San Diego my entire life. And once I moved to LA, I started to do the drive on my own for visits with my grandparents and for Thanksgiving. I would guess that I probably did the drive 3 times a year on average for the last 16 1/2 years. So that’s about 50 times that I’ve done that drive. I have so many random landmarks that I look out for on that drive to help pass the time. And I’ve had a lot of random driving adventures on that drive as well.

I probably won’t be driving to where my grandma is moving to (it’s about a 7 hour drive for me) so I’ll be flying to visit her and for Thanksgiving. In some ways it’s nice to know that I won’t be doing that drive again because it is a bit tiring, but it’s sad to know that I can’t do a day trip to see my grandma and that I will have to do more planning when I want to see her.

For this last trip to San Diego, I went down to help with the prep for my grandma to move. 2 of my aunts where there as well as my parents (and the dog). There were so many people in my grandma’s place that it did get a little crazy in there, but I was just trying to help wherever I could. My dad and I put together boxes and got artwork off the wall. I didn’t really do any of the packing, but I also wasn’t going to be the person unpacking so I wanted to let others do that job. They would know what was in each box so I didn’t want to ruin their planning.

And the main job that I knew that I would have that day would be to be a distraction. While I think my grandma is excited to be closer to family, I think this move is a bit scary and overwhelming for her. We are doing everything we can to make it as easy as possible, but it’s still an unknown for her and I think she still sometimes struggles knowing that it’s just her and not her and my grandpa. But I made sure that my grandma was feeling ok throughout the day. And I joked to her how her only job was to sit back and enjoy us doing all the work.

We got a lot of stuff packed up while I was there. I went back home that evening but there were movers to help move all the heavy stuff the next morning (and there will be movers at the new place to help unload all the heavy stuff). Fortunately, my grandma’s new place will be just about the same size as her current one so we didn’t have to worry about downsizing her things. We’ve done that when they moved from their house to their apartment and then again when my grandma moved from the apartment to where she was living. It was stressful trying to do that and I know it made my grandma emotional deciding what to keep. So I’m glad that we didn’t have to do that part again.

On my drive home, I was a bit sad. I’m so happy for my grandma and I am so glad she won’t be as isolated as she has been in San Diego. But this is the end of something that has been a part of my life for my entire life. I am not someone who moves that often (it’s almost been 8 years since I moved into my house) and my parents still have the house that they got before I was born. So maybe I’m just not used to transitions like this. I do still have some friends who live in San Diego (although normally they come to LA to see me) so I know I’ll be back down there eventually. But for now, I’m saying goodbye to San Diego and closing the chapter of my life that has family living there.

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Posted in Family, Fun Stuff, Tough Stuff

Tagged family, grandparents, moving, San Diego

A Goodbye Dinner (or My Friend Is Becoming A Georgia Peach)

Posted on March 25, 2016 | Comments Off

While I love celebrating all of my friends‘ accomplishments, sometimes those accomplishments are a bit sad too. My friend Brandi announced recently that she and her family are moving to Atlanta and she had her goodbye dinner the other day. I’m happy for the new adventure that she’s going on, but I’m sad that a friend is moving away.

Brandi and I have been friends for a while. I actually can’t remember exactly how we met. I think it might have been through The Actors’ Network but we’ve known each other so long that I can’t be sure. Ever since we met, she’s been an amazing friend to me. She’s the one who started our Girls Night Out group and because of that I met so many of my other friends. She’s helped out with the Inside Acting 200th episode celebration by making custom cookies for us, and then she inspired so many of us with her amazing story when she was interviewed on the podcast. She has accomplished so many things in her career and I only hope that I can have similar successes to her some day.

With Brandi

Brandi’s move is going to be a really good thing for her. She’s got family near there and there are so many opportunities for actors there. I’ve already told her that I’m expecting that it’s just a matter of time now before she is cast on “The Walking Dead”. While I wish that she was staying in LA, I know that her move to Atlanta is the best thing for her and her family. Plus, I know she’ll be making trips to LA every so often (and this gives me an excuse to go to Atlanta for the first time)!

Brandi’s dinner was technically also a Girls Night Out gathering, but since Brandi wanted to invite some of her guy friends too we made it co-ed. It was the same night as the rock opera screening, so I was a bit late arriving to the dinner but that was ok. As soon as the screening was done, I got into my car and drove over. I was only about an hour late, but because there was horrible traffic everyone was late too.

The dinner was held at Kitchen 24. Originally I was totally going to stay there for dinner and hang out with Brandi and everyone else as much as possible. But because I got there late and was exhausted that evening, I was only able to be there for about an hour an a half. All the food there looked amazing, but it was a bit late for me to eat and I knew that I needed to be out of there by a certain time. I wish I could have ordered something because when everyone else started to get food, it smelled so yummy. So I guess I’ll have to go out there another time to try it out.

Since I wasn’t eating while I was there, I spent my time chatting with my friends. Some of them I haven’t seen in a long time, but since we are friends on Facebook it always seems like I know what they’ve been up to. It actually shocked some of us when we realized it had been over a year since we had seen each other! So even though we were virtually caught up, it was nice to catch up for real. And we all started planning our next Girls Night Out since it has been almost 2 years since our last real one. So we are working on scheduling the next one (and making sure that we FaceTime Brandi in so she can be a part of it) and hopefully we get a good turnout for it.

Before I knew it, I had to head back home. I’ll see Brandi one more time for sure before she moves because I am giving her some of my old suitcases to use for moving. So it wasn’t a big goodbye when I said goodbye, but it was still sad. I know with Facebook, twitter, Instagram, and other technologies that it won’t be that hard to stay in touch when she moves; but it won’t be the same. And I think having to say goodbye was also a lesson to the rest of us that we have been slacking on seeing each other in person and we need to remedy that now.

But for now, it’s bon voyage to Brandi and the amazing adventure she’s going on. I have no doubts that this move is going to benefit her career so much and before we know it she’ll be back in LA again accepting an amazing award or something!

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Posted in Celebrations, Fun Stuff, Tough Stuff

Tagged acting, dinner, friends, girls night out, moving

A Pure Moment Of Happiness (or Loving Life)

Posted on October 29, 2014 | Comments Off

Over the weekend, I was running around doing errands a lot (doesn’t every weekend just seem like an endless cycle of errands?). There was a lot of driving around from one part of town to another, and while waiting at a light during my driving, I had a little “aha” moment.

I’m currently living the life that I dreamed of.

Now, not everything is exactly what I dreamed of. I’m having trouble making ends meet and I’m working various day jobs instead of working in my dream career. But I’m living in LA and making it work.

I have always dreamed of living in LA, and I’ve been able to do so for the past 13 years. And while I’ve had some not so great apartments, when I lived at my last apartment I told several people that all I wanted was to live in a little bungalow. Maybe something that used to be a part of one of the major studios.

And when I found out my old roommates were moving out almost 5 years ago, I went on a frantic apartment search. And I found my house that I live in now. And it is a little bungalow that used to be a part of a major studios (the stars would live here while they were off filming something nearby).

This is pretty much everything that I’ve ever wanted. Again, the job situation might not be great, but I’m working on that. I can’t control when my acting career will take off, but I can control that I will be ready for when that happens.

I have my next few plans in my head for what I would like next. I know that my next move will be into a place that I buy and not rent. I got a great deal on my house when I signed my lease almost 5 years ago and everything else in my neighborhood is at least $300 more than what I pay for a similar place. So moving to another rental will most likely not be an option for me.

I’ve been looking at what places cost around where I want to be, and I’ve made a list of things that my next place will need (I don’t require a lot but I would like a parking space and the ability to have my own washer/dryer).

Hopefully one day in the near future I’ll find the perfect place for me to buy and I’ll have the ability to buy it. But for now, I’m just going to continue realizing that I really do have almost everything that I dreamed of when I was younger.

Comments Off on A Pure Moment Of Happiness (or Loving Life)

Posted in Fun Stuff

Tagged home, Los Angeles, moving

My LA Anniversary! (or 13 Years Have Gone By Quickly)

Posted on August 21, 2014 | 2 comments

It’s my LA anniversary! I’m not exactly sure if it’s today or if it was yesterday, but since I can’t remember the exact day I moved into the dorms at LMU, I’ve always celebrated it on the 21st.

13 years ago my parents helped me pack up my car (and theirs) and we made the 6 hour drive down from the Bay Area to LA.

My parents car held most of my things since at that time I drove a small car.

My friend Kate didn’t start college as early as I did, so she decided to come along for the adventure! So Kate came with me in my car for the drive and my parents drove together in their car.

I remember a lot about that drive for some reason (which makes me shocked that I don’t remember the date). I remember us goofing off and talking about how amazing college was going to be for both of us. I remember the exact route we took to get to the hotel we were staying in the night before I could move into the dorms. I remember the freeway exit, and for years after that, whenever I took that exit I remembered my excitement to move to LA.

Being in LA had been my dream for as long as I can remember, and I was so happy that my dream was coming true. I knew that I was very lucky that I could say that.

The next day, we all drove to LMU to get me moved into my dorm room. I was there before my roommate, so I got first choice in which bed I wanted. My freshman dorm was pretty awesome and I had a very nice view out of my window.

Once we got everything moved in, my parents and Kate had to make the drive back up so I said goodbye to everyone.

In my 13 years in LA, I’ve gone to and graduated early from college, had about a million different jobs in tons of different industries, had some really horrible roommates and some incredible roommates, pursued my acting career, and pretty much just lived the same dream that I had when I moved down here 13 years ago.

It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve never regretted my decision to live here. It feels more like home to me than going back to the Bay Area. And in 6 years, I will have lived in LA longer than I ever did in the Bay Area.

Next month is the LMU Alumni BBQ. As I have for the past few years, I will be going this year. I like to go back and see where my LA life started. I always walk by my freshman dorm room and look up at my window and remember how crazy things were for me that first year and how I wondered how I would ever find my place in LA.

I’m so glad that not only have I found my place here, I have filled it with amazing friends who make my life amazing.

2 Comments

Posted in Celebrations, Fun Stuff

Tagged anniversary, college, Loyola Marymount, moving

Bar Food Hangout (or A Quick Friend Catch Up)

Posted on April 8, 2014 | Comments Off

As I mentioned before on here, my friend Kate moved back up to Northern California for an awesome job. It sucked that she moved away, but I understand having to do something for a job that you love.

She finally got a new apartment and she had to come down to LA to get the rest of her stuff. The plan for me originally was to go and help her move things into a van after doing the 5K, but since I was in so much pain (and she had enough help), I decided to just join in for the dinner portion of the day.

I have to say that I totally forgot to take photos of my meal, so I’m sorry. But, as always, I ordered a Dirty Shirley. We also ordered some food for the table and I got some mac and cheese.

But the highlight of the evening wasn’t the good food, it was the good company. Kate’s boyfriend also made the trip down so it was great to get to chat with him some more. And everyone else at the table was someone who I had already met, so that was awesome as well. In fact, two of the girls at the table and I all got season tickets for the Pantages Theater together.

We were at Bar Food for several hours just chatting about everything and nothing at the same time. The food was all great, but I’m sad to say that the service kind of stunk. People who ordered non-alcoholic drinks were charged for alcoholic drinks (and the manager claimed that she put alcohol in them). We also had things we ordered not come to the table until we prompted the waitress and the wrong dessert was brought over to the table as well. And when it came time for the bill, the waitress made it so much more complicated than it needed to be.

I joked that the service was a sign that this was the end of the good times at Bar Food. I’m sure some of the other people will go again (since they live super close to it), but I think unless I’m doing something in that neighborhood I probably won’t be going back.

Now that Kate’s getting settled in her new apartment, I’m getting excited to visit her in the future. I’m not sure when I’ll be going up, but my summer is starting to get filled with fun weekend adventures so I hope I’ll be planning that soon.

Comments Off on Bar Food Hangout (or A Quick Friend Catch Up)

Posted in Celebrations, Food, Fun Stuff

Tagged alcohol, bar, dinner, friends, happy hour, moving

Tag Archives: moving

Still Preparing To Move (or Getting Rid Of Some Things And Buying Others)

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Cleaning And Socializing (or Making Getting Ready To Move A Double Win)

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More Serious Condo Hunting (or Being Real About What I Want)

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Another LA Anniversary (or Almost Half My Life Here)

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It Sucks To Say Goodbye (I Don’t Like It When My Friends Move Away)

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One More San Diego Day (or I Don’t Know When I’ll Be Doing This Again)

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A Goodbye Dinner (or My Friend Is Becoming A Georgia Peach)

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A Pure Moment Of Happiness (or Loving Life)

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My LA Anniversary! (or 13 Years Have Gone By Quickly)

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Bar Food Hangout (or A Quick Friend Catch Up)

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