Once again, i've failed terribly at updating this. I've been so so so busy this past month. I began working at Betsey Johnson once again. When I first moved out here I was unable to transfer from my Austin Betsey store to one in LA due to payroll hours and scheduling. However, this past month some shifts opened back up and I'm back with the lovely company again. The week that I was re-hired was also Betsey's birthday week. She made the trip out here to LA and celebrated at our Melrose location!

Betsey's party was so fabulous and she was as sweet and cute as ever! Then on the side of working at Betsey, I'm still doing freelance assistant styling work. Which has all been falling into place quite well. It's amazing how networking and marketing yourself really can work and how the people you meet and connect with really impact future jobs and work relationships.

I'll get a nice and much needed break from Los Angeles at the beginning of October when I go back to Austin for a few days for the Austin City Limits music festival :)

I'll get better about updating soon. xox.

High above the sea of cars..

I really need to get into the habit of writing here instead of letting so many days/weeks pass by and then not being able to remember what has happened since I last posted. I suppose it's just a matter of finding the time to sit down and dedicate time to writing everything out. These past two weeks have been nothing less than crazy and terribly busy. So, here are some pictures to quickly re cap a little bit of it all. 

I love my little store but work has been so overwhelming and has seemed to have taken over my life and all of my time lately.

When I haven't been left too tired after work I have made it out to see a few shows and to explore the city at night. Here's Shwayze performing at the Roxy and following that is a not even half way decent pictures of the city lit up at night taken from the top of the hills.

Here a few shots from down at Venice beach one afternoon. I love it there- so many cool people, beautiful scenery and a lot of culture, diversity and countless photo opportunities.

The one day this past week that I did have off from work at the store- I spent working as an assistant/intern stylist on the set of a photoshoot for a celebrity/singers new album cover. Such a wonderful and exciting opportunity- filled with lots of hard work but plenty of fun and I learned a lot! Being on set certainly reassured me that this is what I'm out here in Los Angeles to pursue and to achieve. Here I am at 7:30 in the morning ready and anxious to head out to the studio to be there by our call time.

The other evening I went to Museum Row. Literally,  a row of Museums on a main street near my house. It was so interesting and I left feeling a little more inspired and intelligent. Soon, I'll post pictures from that day and go into more detail about what life in the big city has entailed for me lately. Now, it's time to get ready for another day at work! This morning I woke up and went for a run to the near by YogurtPlanet for breakfast and hours later am still in gross running clothes..eww. 

This is what I see every day from the parking lot at work. 

xoxo.

you’re desperate in finding something else to please you, you've been searching your whole life

I've been so terribly busy with friends in from out of town and a new job that I haven't had a minute to sit down and post! Thursday marked my 1 month anniversary of living here :) I celebrated with myself by going out to get a milkshake from Millions of Milkshakes on Santa Monica blvd..too bad I ended up stuck in chaos caused by a million paparazzi going crazy over Lindsey Lohan walking out of the place. I couldn't even park let alone get in the milkshake shop because of the commotion and craziness! Anyway, Tuesday my friend Lauren from back home in Texas was in Anaheim with her family for a week at Disneyland. So, I drove up there and we spent the day riding the rides and catching up with her!

The drenched shirt and shorts are all thanks to Splash Mountain...haha. Then on the following day, my best friend since we were two years old and her family..who are practically like my second family were in Los Angeles! I spent the beautiful day with them out by their hotel pool and at a very exciting Dodgers game. It was so wonderful to see them and it was such a fun day!

For the past week I've been enjoying a great new job full of exciting opportunities and I am anxious for some of the things that are soon to come.. :) :) 

This week is the first week I really have felt like an adult and "grown up"..I actually have a stack of bills that I need to pay and a "to do" list that is far too overwhelming! 

xoxoxox.

Where the seasons never change, where all around the world they're all looking to L.A....

I had promised myself that I would stick to this blogging thing and update it regularly- I was doing pretty good up until this past week! It was a full week packed with interviews, meetings, and decisions as to where exactly I want to work and what will benefit my career goals the most. I've continued to enjoy driving around aimlessly, discovering new places and great areas..and of course getting lost along the way. I've driven the coast quite a bit, and it never gets old.

There's just something about the beach and the ocean that makes me so happy. I could spend the whole day laying out there- people watching, reading, taking pictures, thinking...anything.

The  flowers in this city never cease to amaze me. Everything here is always blooming and so gorgeous. And the palm trees are so great, too! 

 

I went to the roxy again the other evening for a show.. After questioning what the line was for and why hardly no one was getting in it seems as though the security/bouncers felt kind of bad for me once they heard that I just moved here, don't really know anyone, and was out by myself. So, instead of waiting in the long line only to get told "no you can't get in because you aren't on the list or have a vip wristband"- one of them took me around the back door and let me through. :) I've become quite the regular at Yogurt Land- It's like the Yogurt Planet back home in Texas. It's so delicious, almost healthy, relatively cheap, and just a couple of streets away from my house!

I miss my friends a lot and I really hope that they haven't forgotten about me. Luckily, my friend Lauren is coming to Disneyland with her family next week. So, I'll be driving to Anaheim on Tuesday to spend the day riding the spinning tea cups and splash mountain with her!- it'll be nice to see a familiar face. I'm now off to take the trash out...I forgot to last week, eww.. and then to pick up some dinner at the delicious sushi restaurant around the corner from my house.

xoxoxo.

I'm in LA triiiick.

Since Jennifer left Sunday morning- today is really the only third "by myself" day that I've here in LA so far. And I'm not going to lie about how weird it is! It's a strange transition- from living in your parents home for 18 years to being by yourself, having no one else there or no one to answer to. Granted, I was always given a lot of freedom when I lived at home- but still, being able to come and go as I please and not having to tell anyone where I am going is something I still haven't quite gotten over yet. 

On Monday night I went out to The Roxy on Sunset for Vitamin Water and "the cobrasnake"-(Mark Hunter, famed for capturing LA's underground party scene as well as high fashion events)- "Spin the Bottle" party with dj am, steve aoki, marshall barnes, lmao, and paserock... Going by myself to an event like this and not knowing anyone there forced me to definitely step out of my "comfort zone". But even by myself, I had such a fun time dancing.

I found the fitted denim romper/overalls at the Buffalo Exchange here that day and was very happy to get to wear it out. 

Today I went to the Farmers Market and The Grove shopping center. Out of all of the times I visited LA I never made it there. There were sooo many places to eat, and wonderful fresh fruits and baked goods to buy! The Grove was neat too and I loved people watching there- this outdoor shopping area reminded me a lot of The Domain back in Austin and had similar stores. 

xox.

Girls in the hills, go day trippin'

I can't get over how beautiful everything here is. It makes me so happy to turn onto my street and drive amongst all of these palm trees! 

Jennifer came in Thursday night and we had a wonderful weekend-- Friday we walked the streets of Venice Beach, met and hung out with some locals, and of course spent way too much money in the shops and street vendors.

For the fourth of July we decided to drive to Malibu where we spent the day laying out on the beach while enjoying the sun, beautiful breeze, and had fun splashing in the ocean and rolling around in and playing in the sand. Our intention was to stay until the fireworks- but 4 hours into our day at the beach we realized we were getting terrible sunburns. 

On our way back home when driving through Bel Air, we noticed a MJ memorial and people crowding around a street corner.  We turned onto the street and realized it was Michael's home that he was renting out. It was surrounded by security and the lawn was covered in items left by fans. 

The rest of our evening was spent complaining about our sunburns, walking along the craziness of Hollywood blvd, and driving with the top down, and music up loud on the Sunset strip and Santa Monica blvd. Jen's flight left early this morning, leaving me the rest of the day to clean my house and recuperate from an exciting and tiring weekend. I can't wait to see what this coming week brings. 

xo.

Lazy days in Los Angeles..walkin' through Malibu, not a thing to do

One of my favorite things to do whenever I would visit LA was to drive to Venice beach and then drive the coast road through Santa Monica and then to Malibu. It hasn't hit me yet that I can now do that whenever I want! Yesterday my mom, dad, and I drove to Malibu and then up through the hills and cliffs looking down on the beautiful ocean. It's so nice to be able to be in the heart of the city but then just have to drive 25 minutes to reach the tranquil beach and ocean.

I think that everyone that I have talked to back in Texas since moving here has been interested to know if I've seen all of the Michael Jackson craziness. Less than 24 hours after his death buildings and billboards were painted all over the city in remembrance of him. I did drive down Hollywood Blvd. on Friday... I have never seen so many people crowded around one area before. The sidewalks and street were packed of people, young and old, gathering near his star. Some were selling t-shirts with Michael's face and quotes from his hits on them. There were those wearing all black, some crying, and even a few people were dressed up as him. There were soo many police trying to control the chaos and what seemed like hundreds of news trucks and media trying to capture the pandemonium and the grieving of those present. 

This evening my parents leave- and then I really am on my own. Their flight leaves at 8:00 but then my dear friend Jennifer lands at 9:00 and will stay with me over the Holiday weekend- I'm so happy that I'll have someone to spend the 4th of July with and a friend here to explore the city with me! 

The cable guy is here now trying to install a satellite dish so that I'll finally be able to have a working tv to fall asleep to. :) Once he is finished I'll be able to go out and complete all of my house shopping with my parents, buy some fresh flowers, and get some groceries for Jen and I. 

xox.

If I were celebrity.

I think that one of the questions that I've been asked the most in the one week that I've been living here from friends and family is if I've seen any one famous. Maybe? But, I honestly don't watch enough tv or movies to know a celebrity from just an ordinary person. I did however go to a taping of The Price Is Right yesterday. And no, I didn't get called up on stage or win anything.. womp womp. I'm so happy that we went though, even though we had to be there at 6:00am and the taping didn't begin until 4:00pm-- My dad and I have watched the show every morning for years. I remember growing up and watching it on the weekends while eating a bowel of cereal. It was reallly interesting to see how they film it and a lot of fun to be apart of the audience! The episode airs on October 2nd :) Drew Carry seems like such a nice and fun guy, too. He really knows how to carry on a conversation with someone well and is very witty. Anyway, we did see some star from the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful walking around CBS studios while we were waiting in line to go to the taping.

The sunsets that I see every evening here are so vivid. The following picture was taken from my bedroom the window the other night. 

I think that only in Los Angeles would you see this:

 

xoxo.

It's all falling into place..

I'm quickly becoming accustomed to the crazy driving here in LA and am becoming more comfortable on the roads. Except, today I learned that whenever parking on the side of the street you must be aware of that streets "street cleaning day". Because if you park there and it's street cleaning day...then apparently you get a ticket. I found out the hard way today. 

I adore my little house and think that I finally have everything in place and am getting settled. 

  

The first pictures is part of the backyard of my house- My guest house is on the left and the main house is on the right..I have my own entrance to the back yard, which entails going through two big gates.  In the picture above the building shown is my two story guest house. In front of it is my outdoor living room/cabana. My two front doors are big and all glass, and a perfect opening into the outdoor living room and gardens. The following picture was taken from my entrance, looking to the left of the cabana. The house shown is the main house that is in front of my guesthouse.

 

Once inside you walk into the kitchen. To the right is a large bathroom and to the left is the stairway... underneath the stairway is a cozy desk "nook" as seen in the above picture. The next picture was taken while walking up the stairs and looking down into the kitchen.

Upstairs is my bedroom. My window, which I leave ope 24/7- the weather is perfect and I don't ever use the air conditioner-  looks out into the gardens and even has a window box on it so that I can plant flowers. Unlike in Texas, everything grows and stays pretty here!

   

My room is full of picture frames, antiques, and lots and lots of flowers, flower prints, and lace. These pictures don't hardly do the room or the colors in it justice. During the day the sunlight shines through and the breeze is perfect. 

Today I spent the afternoon walking Robertson blvd. and drooling over amazing shoes and beautiful dresses in the designer boutiques. Tomorrow is the second to last full day that my parents will be in town with me...we'll be spending the day at a taping of my dad and I's favorite show- The Price Is Right. Together we've watched it religiously for years and are hopeful of making it on to the show!

xox.

Nothing's gonna stop me now, California here we come.

My mom and I made the 22 hour trip from Texas to Los Angeles in one day, non stop! Our original plan of dividing the trek into three days was quickly nixed once we realized how wired and awake we were. We were just too excited and anxious to get there to stop. Mom drove the first 11 hours and I finished the last 11...We arrived around 2:00 am on Thursday.

Exhausted upon our arrival we checked in to our hotel and slept until 1:00pm. Later that day we went to the guesthouse that I'll be living in, where we met the man and adorable little boy that live in the main house. I immediately fell in love with my guesthouse- it's surrounded by beautiful gardens, a fountain and cabana, and is just the perfect size. The neighborhood is lovely and is in the most perfect location. The past two days have been filled with getting settled, buying household items, groceries, driving around while familiarizing myself more with the city, and being so grateful for this wonderful opportunity and life that I'll be living!

Pictures to come soon :) xox.

7 hours.

Seven hours until my mom and I begin the move/drive to Los Angeles! We plan on leaving at 6:00am. Which means we won't actually leave until at least 20 minutes after then. I'm always running late...  Yesterday my 10 year old car- that has seen better days- decided to have some problems... After much consideration, we decided a new car should be purchased. Being as in love with my car as I was- I couldn't even consider getting anything different! So, here we have it. A new car, the same as my old..only the new version and black. New car, new city, new life.

Once returning home from the dealership- the rest of the packing was completed and the loading of the car began. By the end of the night the trunk was filled with more dresses, other clothing, boxes, bags, and every little space was used wisely and put to good use. Then, the backseat and floor were strategically filled with the remainder of boxes and items.  It was kind of like playing a game of tetras.

Tomorrow my new big adventure will begin...

xox.