California House Hunt

So we went to Los Angeles, CA last week to house hunt. I've never been to the West Coast, so I didn't quite know what to expect, after all this girl is used to the south.

Day 1:

LAX might be the biggest airport i've ever been in. There were tons of people everywhere and was quite a bit to take in.

We met with our wonderful realtor and then viewed 4 houses right away. We saw house #2 and seriously considered it right on the spot. I kind of wished we would have put in an application right away, because let me tell you, if you like a house in California, chances are others like it too.

That night Matt got to pick where we ate for dinner. We had never eaten here before. Texas got their first one in Dallas, but we had still yet to go. The service was amazing and it was literally ran by kids in high school.

Day 2:

We didn't have too much planned for this day, just browsing the area and figuring out where everything was. I will tell you that Los Angeles is so much more than I thought it would be.

I can't believe I get to live somewhere this beautiful. I never knew how many hills there were in LA, there were actually cliffs over water. Now this is in a town a little bit outside of LA, called Rancho Palos Verdes, seriously the nicest area.

A sight like this sure makes me forget about the traffic and all the craziness that is in this city. Look at all that blue water. I had never seen this clear of water in the US. I will buy a kayak. Something you probably didn't know about me, I LOVE TO KAYAK. 

Day 3 and 4: 

We had been contemplating living in the middle of LA or near the water. After seeing all the beautiful sights we knew we had to be near the water. We made the mistake in Charleston of not living by the water and we're not going to make that mistake again. If all goes according to plan, we will live in a little town called San Pedro, right outside of LA.  

And the best part is.. we will get to live 5 minutes from this view. 

Day 5: 

This day was a day to contemplate everything we've planned this far. Our trip was amazing, it was filled with tons of meltdowns and stress, you know because i'm a neurotic mess 97.3% of the time. 

BUT... we are still married and made it back to Charleston in one piece. 

You know what?  It wasn't a total culture shock. Woah. PUMP THE BRAKES. 

Yes, Los Angeles in a weird way reminds me of Austin, TX. I'm just as surprised as you are.  

The people are weird, they are all about saving the environment one plastic bag at a time, and there are hippies everywhere. Most of all people are just doing their own thing, and I love that. 

I might change my mind when I live there, but there were parts that made me feel at ease, such as the really nice people (which a million people said, "oh everyone is so rude"). 

Well.. NEWSFLASH: there are rude people everywhere, some people just stay in a bad mood. 

People also said: "omgosh. California is SOOO expensive." 

You know what, it is. We will probably pay a million dollars to live in a shoebox for 3 years, but you seriously can't put a price on experience in traveling and doing. I'd rather do this while i'm young and can do all the things I want. Because after all 30 years down the road, you'll be mad at yourself for all the things you didn't do while you had the chance. 

I've been told a million different things about moving here. Good things, but mostly bad things, and I couldn't understand why. I'm glad I figured things out for myself. 

Here's to the people that scoffed at me for wanting to move to LA: I hope birds poop on your car. 

Stay amazing, people. 

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PS. 

I conquered one of my goals already for this year. Toes were dipped in the waters of the West Coast, and it was 72 degrees this day in January. Be jealous. Very jealous.