Growing up I was always a homebody, going as far as getting homesick on a 5-day school trip to Washington D.C. Literally, like tears and wanting to come home early. Funny to think now but throughout the years, I tried curbing my fears of leaving the nest in a number of different ways, everything from going to sleep away camp in New York, college in Tallahassee, but never feeling quite at home as I did when I was back in my childhood house, surrounded by the family and friends that I grew up with. So you might think it strange that right after college I packed up and moved across the country to Los Angeles. Thinking back on it now, over five years later, its hard to remember exactly what my motivations were and what the heck I was thinking but ultimately the 3.5 years that I spent in California were transformative and I wouldn’t change them for the world. Sure, moving all that way was no simple undertaking but, with the right help, it wasn’t going to be impossible – I made sure I did my research on the best car shipping services around to make the transition that bit more seamless and get all my vehicles where I needed them to be, for example.
I should start out with mentioning that my best friend lived out in LA for 6 months when I decided to move out. Literally opening up her home… and couch… to me while I got my feet on the ground. She was working in the “entertainment business” and made it seem so glamorous, I obviously wanted in. It took about 2 weeks to a month before I landed my first gig – a receptionist at one of the top talent PR agencies in the world. While that was definitely not what I spent 4 years in college working towards, I understood that it was a “foot-in-the-door” opportunity, so I snatched it! It wasn’t long after that that an assistant position became available and already I was moving my way up. From there my experiences were a whirlwind, walking celebrities on the red carpet at the Grammy’s, attending press junkets for blockbuster movies and overseeing celebrity photo shoots. While all of those moments were very glamorous, they were definitely a lot fewer and far between, when in actuality, the majority of my days AND nights were spent in the office sitting in front of a computer.
California is like Florida, in the sense that you’re close to the beach and its always “summer,” however the weather is nearly always perfect in southern California, unlike Florida and you have such a diverse terrain right at your fingertips. Just a quick walk or car drive away and you’re on top of a canyon, or a couple hours north and you’re skiing or sipping wine in Napa, whereas just a few hours south and you’re in either San Diego or Mexico! The people were fabulous and the nightlife was amazing. I won’t lie, my early to mid-twenties were a blast but I always did miss home. It got to the point that between work and money, I was only making it home once, maybe twice a year. Eventually I needed to make a decision. Did I see myself officially laying down roots in California and looking at the likes of these homes for sale in Palos Verdes Estates, then finally digging in for the long-haul? Or did I want to be near home? Ultimately it was one of the hardest decisions I had to make in my life thus far but one that I feel in retrospect was right for me.
While I have been back home since early 2015 I still miss running on the Santa Monica boardwalk or walking the Abbot Kinney farmers markets and going to the occasional movie premiere. I encourage every person, whether they are homebodies or not to take a risk and jump outside of their comfort zone, even if its just for a few weeks, months or years. No matter what, it will be a life changing experience that you will cherish forever.
