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08.17.21

5 Things I Learned About Myself Since Moving to Los Angeles

Our big move to LA coupled with the fact that I was pregnant all along, has really taken me on an emotional rollercoaster these past 6 months. Some days I’m super up and some days I’m super down and think about our life back in Oregon. There’s a lot of factors that go into my very up and down mood, but I’m really trying to remember, I’m pregnant and my hormones are all over the place. The 1st trimester alone was a nightmare, so I didn’t really start off on the best foot once we arrived here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying all the sunshine and new experiences, I’ve just noticed how up and down I am, which is very unlike me. I’m a very self-reflective and aware person (almost too aware, lol), so I notice when things are off for me or when I’m not feeling like myself. I like to take a seat back and reflect to see what’s the root cause – in this case I really think it has a lot to do with pregnancy. 

As I go through this journey, reflect, and really try to take it all in, I want to share with you the 5 things I’ve learned about myself since moving to Los Angeles (doing lots of reflecting lately). These are 5 things that have really stood out to me, where I’m like, yes to this, and no to that, or wow, this lights me up. 

1.I need to feel settled in my home

After some thought, I realized this has been one of the biggest disruptors for me for not feeling like myself. Our house is still unfurnished, and while we have the bare essentials to feel “moved in,” I’m struggling. I entered my 1st trimester right when we moved here and was so sick, I couldn’t really focus on anything house related. Once I was starting to feel better (2nd trimester), we weren’t sure what we wanted to do – do we want to work with brands, do we want to invest in any furniture since it’s just a rental, etc. I was kind of all over the place. The longer I was undecided, the more an unfurnished house was giving me anxiety. We furnished our last house right away, so I never knew I could feel like this. We finally made some decisions (in the last couple of weeks) and furniture is starting to trickle in. I’m not kidding, when I get a delivery notification, it lights me up. Just the thought of finally getting organized and having a space that feels like home, that brings me joy every morning when I wake up, is something I can’t put into words. It’s just a feeling. Lesson learned (for me) – do not sell all your furniture when you move just to have no furniture in your new place. 

2. Can’t deal with the extreme heat

Everyone warned us about the extreme heat in the Valley, but being naive to the whole situation, we didn’t really understand or know what we were getting ourselves into. The Valley is huge, but of course we picked the area where it gets the hottest. How is that even possible? We’re talking high 90’s-100’s for all of July, August, and probably most of September. It’s too hot to go outside, so we find ourselves cooped up in the house or going to other parts of LA to hang out. Even 15 minutes away is in the 80’s which for us is so much more bearable. Let me tell you, 80’s is MUCH different then 90’s, lol. Our lease is up in March, so we’ll see what happens. We’re definitely looking to move out of the area… thinking more south or maybe even the OC. I’m not sure we’re ready to buy yet and we’ll see what the rental market looks like then. I know right now, there’s no inventory. We’ll see, you’ll have to stay tuned, lol. 

3. I actually like the beach

I never thought I was a beach person. Would I go and have fun, sure. But, it wasn’t really my thing. Feeling sticky after putting your legs in the ocean coupled with the sand being in places that it shouldn’t be, the whole experience just felt annoying, lol. We’ve been to the beach more times in the last 4 months than maybe in the last 10 years and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually enjoy it. When I see, hear, and smell the ocean or when my toes dig into the sand – it all feels very peaceful and relaxing. I’m able to sit and reflect, dream, and watch Harper’s pure joy. It’s a great family experience and we feel pretty lucky that Malibu is just 20 minutes away from us. We’ve even mastered beach packing with 1 kid… It might be a different story once baby #2 arrives, lol. 

4. Suburban vs. Urban

I was very adamant on living in a more urban area when we moved here. I didn’t want the suburban life at all – we just came from that and I wanted something different. Especially because we were going to be in LA. Hello all the things to do, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. Well come to find out, I like suburban life. I like slower streets, neighborhoods with sidewalks, and an overall more neighborly feel. I researched our area quite a bit before moving and we’re 1000% in a great location for all the things we like. We don’t have to go on the freeway for our everyday life/needs. But, it doesn’t have that quaint, calm, neighborly vibe I never knew I needed. We live very close to Ventura Blvd, which is super convenient and what I wanted, but now that we’re here, I realize it’s not for me. We’ve been researching and visiting other neighborhoods/cities and have a few we like so far. Sometimes it takes trial and error, right? The right neighborhood and town will definitely play a major factor in our decision on where to settled down.

5. I love having a backyard

This is my first ever backyard (as an adult) and it’s a game changer. A little backstory. Yes, I had a backyard as a kid, several in fact as my parents were divorced. But, as an adult, I’ve never experienced my very own backyard. As a young adult living in the Bay Area, I only ever lived in apartments, so no backyard. We lived in a rental house when we moved to Oregon, but it only had a tiny side yard, which we didn’t do anything with and used it for dogs. Our last home in Oregon (where we moved from) had a backyard, but it would get devastated by pine trees, so again, we only used it for the dogs. We had a small deck where we laid out some furniture, but could only use it sparingly because the weather didn’t allow for outdoor furniture. While looking for rentals in LA, one of the top requirements was a large backyard. And boy did we get that. We have so much space and it’s been amazing. Every time we eat breakfast in our backyard it feels like I’m on vacation. The birds chirping, the crisp morning air, the sunshine, it’s all very glorious. Before the heat, we spent more time in the backyard than we did in the house. A good size backyard is now a non-negotiable for me wherever we decide to move.