Journey to California: The First 6 Weeks.

I know it’s been FOREVER since my last post. Needless to say I've been a little, actually, A LOT busy since I made my announcement about moving to California and accepting a fantastic job offer. So what’s been going on the past four months? I’ll attempt to sum up the insanity as best I can! Future posts that I will be getting back to will get into more details.

Here’s some insight to the crazy world that has been my life since I stepped foot back in the city of angels…

Wheeling & Dealing.

Did I just buy a car in less than 24 hours of stepping foot in Los Angeles?

Yeah I did. After a frustrating day of apartment hunting, I found myself at a dealership checking out options as getting a vehicle was on my checklist to do anyhow. Didn't like what I saw at the first dealership, headed to another and all of a sudden I was signing my life away on paperwork to own my first ever vehicle in my name! Pre-owned, BUT my first vehicle AND my dream SUV!!! After that difficult day, needless to say my spirits were lifted at the end of the night driving off the lot in my new wheels!

It was love at first sight. 

Couch à Air Mattress à Bed à MY OWN BED. The Apartment Hunt Struggle Was Real.

Need.Apartment.NOW.

I expected to find an apartment fast. Heck I just bought a car in 24 hours. I started off at two separate friend’s apartment on their couches. Then my ever-incredible cousin who just moved to LA was back in town and I upgraded to air mattress! I never loved an air mattress so much and I was beyond happy to finally have an actual family member close by.  My life became my new job consuming my days and then the apartment hunt consuming my evenings after work and my entire weekends. God Bless my cousin who even helped me out on the weekends as a co-pilot and personal assistant helping call landlords and set up viewings as I feel like I drove around forever and ever. I must have seen at least 30 apartments and I’m not exaggerating.

Finally, Christmas weekend I got to see an apartment that was at a lower price point than anything else I had seen for a one bedroom I was looking for. It had no pictures posted on the ad, so it was one of those places that you didn't know what you were walking into. I walked in and was pleasantly surprised with an apartment that had brand new carpeting, fresh paint, perfect, I dare say even new tiles, a common area patio that I would be allowed to keep my grill and outdoor rocking chair. Even an outdoor place for my bike and Aubrey’s tricycle. The size of it was perfect too! I asked the landlord if anyone else had seen the place, did anyone turn in an application and what I needed to do to get this apartment because I NEEDED to have it. No one had turned an app in so you better believe before his short open house ended I ran to my car, filled everything out, brought back the $20 credit check fee and said please let me know if anything else needs to be done, I would truly love to live here and have been looking for so long.

YAY, AN APARTMENT!!! Celebrate!

A few hours later…..I got the best call of the five weeks I had been in California. I was offered the lease to the apartment. I broke down in happy tears and relief. The apartment hunt was the most emotionally draining part because it was what was preventing me from going to get Aubrey back from staying with my parents in Georgia. For a parent that has never been away from her 2 and a half-year-old child, besides one brief night in her entire life, being away for that period of time was sheer torture and quite a strain on the heart. 

I knew what I was doing what the right thing though. In no way would it have been right or possible to drag a toddler around during this cross-country moving process and drag her out for all day apartment hunting.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

Last piece of the puzzle. Now that I knew where I would be living it was time to pick a preschool in the area. A territory completely new to me as Aubrey had been with me every single day of her entire life. Now I needed to make a quick decision of who was going to watch, help raise, teach my child all day long. I did my research and narrowed it down to two places to do site visits. I visited them back to back one morning and easily made a decision. I preferred the second school. I liked the location which was less than a mile from our apartment, on the route to work and the values of the school. They had also just redone the back play area so that was a bonus. I also loved the fact that they required uniforms! No fighting over outfits in the morning and no longer having to buy clothes constantly for the ever growing toddler! Friday’s she can wear whatever she wants to express herself but the rest of the week, easy breezy.

So I signed her up and with this done I was able to finally make the flight plans to go get my baby girl and bring her HOME.

“Moving is so much fun.” said no person ever.

I got an apartment on the 2^nd floor. I loved that, but when you are moving that is no fun. I also had no furniture. The only actual furniture items that would be arriving in my pods I shipped would be Aubrey’s bed, rocking chair and changing table. That was it. So I needed a couch, mattress, TV stand, TV, coffee table, dining room table.

Why so many parts? WHY?!

Luckily I snagged a killer black Friday deal on a TV and just chose the option to “pick up in store” and chose an LA location. That worked out perfectly. Everything else I found, got great deals and praised my SUV for being able to easily transport everything around. Moving these bulky items in throughout the week and on actual move in day, I honestly could not have done it without Rob. He literally hauled pretty much every belonging from two pods up the flight of stairs! If I was to do it alone, I would have been out there for seriously like two days, maybe three. It was a lot to carry up from the street where my pods were dropped to my complex and up to my apartment.

I was up LATE every night until my flight out to GA; assembling, unpacking and trying to just get everything of Aubrey’s ready as quick as possible. She had been without her belongings and toys for so long I was so excited to have them ready for her when she walked in. I wanted to create a homey feeling as much as possible in the short amount of time I had, fully knowing I still wouldn't be completely unpacked [3 months later….I’m still not :o ].

I did the best I could. I wasn't satisfied and wished I could have set up more but my apartment was ready to welcome my baby girl to her new home. I couldn't wait for our new life together, our new adventures and our many new memories…..

………off to Georgia I flew.

*Stay tuned for the continuation in my next posting...