On Saturday (very early) morning June 12th, we left San Antonio in a Budget moving truck with our car towed behind it, filled with hopes and dreams and what little we now owned (ICYMI, I had a moving sale on my Instagram stories and sold as much as we possibly could in preparation for a down size from 2200 sq. ft. to 400 sq. ft.) and set out on our adventure to the next chapter of our lives and careers.
Two days later, we arrived safely in Los Angeles, CA (thanks to Dan’s sheer determination and marching band truck driving skills). We are so happy to be on the precipice of something new and different. Dan was accepted to USC Marshall School of Business, where he will be getting an MBA and pivoting into the business side of the entertainment industry. As for my next act, I’m looking forward to finding every opportunity possible to grow creatively…as a content creator, an editor, a consultant, a performer…and anything else that might happen to be thrown into the mix. I still work in my part-time marketing job in San Antonio, but I’m now a remote employee. I feel endless gratitude for that entire situation. I love my job so much, the team I’m apart of, and I am so lucky to have this opportunity. Now that I’m here, for the first time in my life I truly feel like the sky’s the limit. I’ve always dreamed of living in NYC or LA, and finally…here we are!
About two weeks before we moved, I just happened to find our tiny dream apartment on Instagram one morning (@glbproperties) and we put down a hold deposit sight-unseen hours later. Had we waited any longer, it wouldn’t have been ours. Before I found the apartment management company on Instagram, I did as much Google mapping as I could to get an idea of the location we would need based on commutes to school and to Dan’s sisters’ houses, and landed on Hancock Park. The LA fantasy for me was–hands down–old Hollywood, nothing modern (I’m sure you’re all shocked to know). Hancock Park and all of its time-capsuled glory, just a few streets south of old Hollywood, had my gut firing with every intuitive signal saying “this is home”.
I researched the neighborhood, researched the apartment building we ended up moving into, and then somehow magically manifested this studio apartment into being available during the exact time window we needed it 😉 The Universe is funny like that.
Upon arrival, we stayed with family for about 10 days (boxes piled high) until our lease signing and move-in date. We’ve now been here a month, the decorating and settling process is just about complete, and we could not love our cozy life more in our tiny home within this big bustling city. We are within a 10-minute walk to Larchmont Village, which makes it feel like we live in an idyllic small town that looks like it could be somewhere in New England. Every coffee shop, restaurant and boutique we could hope for is in the village, and the ability to walk there on a whim has made each day feel like a little escape. The people watching and the dog watching never ceases to provide joy and inspiration, and the way old friends, new friends and neighbors have welcomed us into our community has been extremely heart warming, to say the least.
I wanted to share the photos of the day we first saw our apartment–the day we signed our lease. They were quick iPhone snaps, but they were moments filled with excitement and hope for what’s to come, and a sense of accomplishment for the team effort that landed us here. It was a long and intense process, and it wasn’t at all easy. It especially did not happen overnight. But pushing ourselves hard was all worth it for this fresh, energizing new start.
The next blog update will be the studio decorated, which I’ll shoot with my camera. Until then, enjoy the charm of this beautiful old building! Built in the 1930s, the aesthetic is a French Normandy style Chateau, and the bones are just stunning. It has been tastefully renovated with modern conveniences and meticulously maintained, but the timeless glamour oozes from every beam, chandelier, tile, window and soaring ceiling. We say to each other at least once a day that we can’t believe we get to live here. We’ve adjusted so quickly to having fewer material things and much less space, and to living more simply surrounded only by the possessions we love and are inspired by most.
Cheers to new beginnings!
xx,
