New Beginning (Part 2)

The gate


In one of my previous post, I mentioned the way I found my new home.

This place has everything I was looking for, and I love the fact that even though my room is on the first floor of the house, because it sits on top of the hill I am looking down at the road, and have nice light coming through the window.


View from my corner window




The neighborhood is peaceful and quiet and there are no retail establishments in the area that would invite any type of crowd or traffic.

I did have to get used to driving on the hill, though, as it is no bunny hill here -- it is some serious incline.


Looking down from the entrance of the house





Side of the house


The area on the first floor outside my room



Mid-level



The sitting area on the mid level


View from the dining area window


Stairs leading to my room

Up up and away...and back

After a whole day of drizzling rain, today was a gorgeous fall like weather in Los Angeles.

I had the pleasure of taking a short trip up North to have lunch.

By airplane.




Santa Monica Airport




Our airplane awaits us... Piper Cherokee


I'm in the back...I'm not flying it, FYI


Not exactly a 747...


At the end of the runway, this sign made me chuckle for some reason...



And we're off...!


Just browsing by downtown L.A.


After lunch, we decided to take a detour around Catalina Island


Over the water


Catalina Island


Heading back to SM Airport over LAX

New Beginning (Part 1)

Sunset

My move out West was as smooth as it can be.


Somewhere between Missouri and Oklahoma....



Racing the train...



Just keep going West..



"Are we there yet?"




The drive was obviously long, but it took a whole DAY less than what we were anticipating, all of my boxes were delivered without any damage, and my bed purchase was one of the most pleasant experiences (thank you Ortho Mattress on Rosecrans!)
The weather was sunny and dry all the way -- and we did not encounter any accidents or road constructions along the way either.




Just beautiful



Who knew you would see THIS in middle of Arizona?



Family support was huge as I could have not done it without my parents that helped me drive my car and always had my well being in their mind.


Pacific Zone!!!!

Once my father put together my furniture and my bed was delivered, my room turned out exactly how I imagined it to be.


One of my 3 windows in my room



I brought several of my Barbie pictures I created from home for decoration, and am planning to make a visit to some local flea market to get some interesting looking vase for my flowers I'd love to put in my room, as well as anything else that may catch my eyes.


Side table with my orchid I bought for myself


My life in L.A. has started on a great note -- more pictures to come so you can get a glimpse of it very soon!

Small update....

I have arrived in Los Angeles, with my awesome parents who have been nothing but helpful and supportive.
They helped me drive my car cross country (34 hour drive) and slept on the floor for two nights that they were here to help me get settled in.

I can not think of a better way to start my new life - with 100% family support - and now that they are safely back home in Chicago, I am officially starting my new life here in La La Land.

Pictures of my new room will be available once I put everything away!

Stay tuned....

On the road..

I will be on the road for about 30 hours starting Sunday morning.

Finally, the day I have waited for over a decade is here -- my moving day.

My parents and I will be moving my car filled with whatever I haven't shipped out yet.

I love road trip -- it lets me appreciate the area that I am traveling in.

Next post will be from my new place, hopefully with pictures and updates.

Stay tuned!

What's in my purse??

Though this subject has been covered time and time again in many blogs and YouTube videos, it's always a subject that people are interested in :) We are all curious to see what other girls are carrying in their purse!








My purse that I have been carrying for about two years+ is by Tracy Reese.
The color is so neutral, I can carry it with anything, yet has the inside lining that is to die for!





My wallet is Louis Vuitton (Vernis series), it was a gift. I love the dark plummy chocolate color, and how versatile it is.







My favorite gum is Trident Splash, I buy them at Target in a 3 pack.

Carrying a little something to eat is always smart, regardless of where you are going. Here, I have some chocolate, but I usually like to carry some almonds, or a Clif Bar or something.






I carry a small container of Vaseline with me where ever I go as it can be doubled as hand lotion, lip balm, etc.

I do carry a separate lotion as well, this one is from PINK by Victoria's Secret (Fresh & Clean).




My mirror is from the new Hello Kitty series from Sephora. When you open up one side is magnified, which makes checking my eye makeup easier.

I carry either a MAC blotting powder or this beauty powder from MAC Hello Kitty series to 'powder my nose' when I feel a little oily.

My favorite lip gloss of the moment is by Nars, in Luster.

I don't always carry this with me, unless I am wearing my falsies, but the little pink tube is my falsie eyelash glue from DollyWink.





I always carry a memo pad and a pen as well.

Of course, my phone -- I can't handle iPhone, so I am a Blackberry user.

Wish come true

Stalking the Craigslist for almost a year has paid off for me in a big way.

Since I knew about a year ago that I wanted to move back to L.A., I started to 'do my homework' and started to check out my options for housing.

At first it was just to browse.
Then it helped me to determine my needs and my dislikes when I would see a posting and would either go 'blah' or 'ohhhh' on instinct.

By the time I was awarded my base transfer, and the move was in full motion I knew EXACTLY what I wanted in a place.

Privacy was my big thing, though the trickiest.
Since I didn't want to spend a lot of money to get my own place, I knew it would be sort of hard to get the level of privacy I was looking for without compromising the space I would be sharing with another person.

So many of the postings were for a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo/apartment, and I knew that wasn't going to be good enough for me.

I wanted someone that had a life of their own, but not picky or super neat, so I wouldn't feel like I would be walking on eggshells.

I would see a posting that would ask for someone to share a townhome with, and I would get excited since that would be a bigger place to share than an ordinary 2 bedroom place. Then I would 'hear' the pickiness of their personality with the way they wrote, or the pictures they uploaded were just not that great thus turning me off.

I wanted space as I need time to decompress once I come home from a trip, and I treasure my alone time.

I also didn't want to get my own place as that would force me to purchase furniture sets and kitchen items -- which would be more costly.

I was looking for a place that was big enough to give me my space but was already set up as a living space so I didn't need to buy anything.


Then I finally found my place. After hours and hours and hours and hours of searching and emailing.

I am renting a room in a 7000 sq. ft three level mansion in one of the finest area code in the country.
My own ensuite bathroom and a huge walk in closet attached to my room.
Free utilities, including wifi and cable.
My room would be on the first and the other residents would be on the third floor.
A fabulous kitchen with island counter, sub zero fridge, front load washer and dryer, a library, game room, pool, jacuzzi, a waterfall......
All for a price I couldn't even begin to imagine would be enough to live in a studio apartment in the area.

Within days I met the homeowner, and that was the only place I saw.

I will post some pictures once I settle in, within next few weeks.

I am so excited.