The Move

After shrink wrapping my clothes, loading my possessions into the back of my car, and hugging my parents, I took off for the great big city of LA. I made a stop in Seattle to say goodbye to a few friends and meet up with my friend Shayna who accompanied me the whole ride south. To skip evening traffic we stopped in Portland for dinner in Portland with a friend, and then finally made it all the way to Redding by one o'clock a.m. Our gracious host, Jenny, gave up her bed and allowed us to sleep in! We hung out in Redding, and went to the only place worth spending time, Bethel church. Afterward, we took off again for a late night drive to San Jose. In the morning, after very little sleep, I finally surrendered and let Shayna do some driving, the rest of the way to LA. It took us about an hour to find the house, Mapquest and google maps have failed me. FINALLY, Friday evening, we unloaded my car and settled in.

I'm only a five minute walk from Whole Foods, and a five minute drive to huge shopping centers, yet my funky little duplex-type house is tucked away in what feels like an urban-chic neighborhood. It's safe and quiet despite being two and a half blocks south of Sunset Blvd. a block north of Santa Monica Blvd. and East of Fairfax. I had forgotten the 'cute' little name people have given the area of West Hollywood, which is WEHO (wee-ho). I can't say I'm in love with the name, but i'm definitely a fan of the whole area.

Saturday my parents finally arrived with the rest of my boxes. I did a pretty accurate job of packing for the space I have, not too much overflow, and only a few items to send back. My parents met my roommate, Carrie, and were pleased that Craigslist supplied such an adequate and safe living situation. Carrie is in fact normal, she is better than normal, she is way rad and I'm really going to enjoy living with her. So nobody needs to worry about that aspect, she's also doing her best to educate me on the area, places to go, things to see, places to eat, etc.

My parents decided to be way gracious and invite me along to dinner with their friends on the pier in Santa Monica. Afterwards we ventured out and the boys tried to break dishes, shoot baskets, and then we all joined in to blow up balloons. I walked away with 5 synthetic stuffed animals, a couple of which I gave away to little kids on our walk back from the pier. Finally, all retired for the evening.

Sunday morning my parents showed up early and we drove south, I'll have to ask the name of the area again, because i've already forgotten. We joined some of my parent's friends, the 'Shubies', for a day of fun. First we checked out their incredible new place and beautiful view and hung out with three human sized dogs, a couple cats, and some parrots. Then the limo showed up, we all hopped in and began an afternoon of wine touring! The first place was by far my favorite, they had a shop set up in the middle of the room with all sorts of fun things lamps, books, decorations, etc. and the bar was on the side of the room, with a cute server. I am going to defend the culture of wine tasting and say it is not just for 50 year olds +. It seems to be very popular for many occassions, I think we saw a couple bachelorette parties and a huge range of ages. I enjoyed myself. The second place we went was known for their "almond joy" which was a chocolate port with almond champagne. An extra extravagene was to have it served in a chocolate glass. At the third winery you barter with chips, you give a chip, you get a taste. Finally, we made it to dinner and I had an amazing chicken cordon bleu with sweet potatoes. The evening ended with relaxing back at th shubie's place on the patio, a car ride back, and then a little bit more unpacking.

My parents really love me! On Monday they invited me along on a business lunch, where i met some more of their work friends. I'm so glad to have had the opportunity and the time to go on so many adventures with my parents! It has made the move 10 times easier thus far. We'll see what happens when they leave :(. So Monday night we returned to a favorite restaurant of ours with a quaint new york feel to it. It's called the Grill on the Alley and it's in Beverly Hills, a street or so from Rodeo. They always have the most comedic waiters and waitresses. Our waitress Jane, with red hair in pigtails, kept my dad on his toes, and us all laughing. Considering we are in LA, and Beverly Hills, a star sighting seems appropriate. So next thing I know, I look up from my salad and Reba McEntire is being seated in the booth just kitty corner to our table. I'm not a country fan, nor do I watch her sitcom, but there's something about seeing the real thing that is always surprising. Coincidentally, on our way to the restaurant my dad was playing his recently purchased copy of Reba's new cd, and I was commenting on the cover/duet of Kelly Clarkson's song. Anyways, it was a fun little surprise. Afterwards, we drove up to Sunset, saw the Chinese Theater and the stars, and then headed back to my place.

Eventful, yes indeed. Realistic, not so much. I'm back to walking everywhere to save gas, eating cereal, and window shopping. But what a wonderful way to kick off life in LA!