a day of thanks.

 I wasn't able to go home to Iowa for Thanksgiving.

So...I decided to host my own with my a few of my fellow co-workers.

We called it 'orphan friendsgiving'

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Blessed to have family that I miss and co-workers that serve as friends and family.

P.S. This was the first time I cooked a turkey...! It turned out well - a little dry, but nothing a little bit of gravy or cranberry sauce couldn't fix.

P.P.S.  It was a 20 lbs. turkey :)

Jessica Visits!

Night Number One:

She hopped off the plane at LAX and we headed straight to the beach for the sunset.

Not so yummy Italian food.

Fro-yo.

 Night Number Two:

Manhattan Beach.

Christmas Lights.

Sushi. (she hated her seaweed salad)

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II

 Night Number Three:

Souplantation.

Hollywood. 

Seeing the Stars.

We were on the lookout for Neil Diamond and Leonardo DiCaprio's stars.

Neil's was still a mile away and Leo doesn't have one.

Day Three:

Jessica visits TOMS.

I got off work early so we went to Santa Monica.

The Promenade.

The Pier.

Mani's and Pedi's.

Traffic.

Target.

Fro-Yo.

Five Guys.

I loved having Jessica here.

She is my best friend and my make-me-laugh until I cry person.

Sure do miss her kind spirit, warm heart and contagious laugh.

Mumford & Sons at the Hollywood Bowl

Last Saturday, I went to Mumford and Sons with some of my girlfriends.

 It took two hours and twenty some minutes to get from mi casa to the Hollywood Bowl.

We sat in traffic on The 10 for about an hour barely moving...

Luckily, the sun was setting which gave me some sort of entertainment...so did the palm trees.

We packed a picnic dinner to eat, but it was so close to show time that we inhaled the food.

We knew it was going to be a chilly night so we prepared with heavy jackets and blankets.

(The Hollywood Bowl is all outside, you are surrounded by mountains and can see the "Hollywood" sign)

I sat with Katherine during the concert.

We curled up in the blanket and danced around to keep warm.

(Yes, it was only 50 some degrees - but it was cold!)

It was such a great concert!

The lights, music and mountains made for a perfect night.

A Visit from my Aunt Ann

My Aunt Ann visited So. Cal. the coldest weekend of the year...

despite the chilly weather (65 degrees...) we still had fun.

She came and saw my office at TOMS with her friend Pam and Pam's friend Karen.

We went to dinner in Santa Monica one night and lunch in Culver City one afternoon...

then we were brave and got up extra early to drive to Pasadena.

We tackled the Rose Bowl Flea Market.

Huge.

I've never seen anything like it.

Ann describes it best...

"Dead people's stuff"

We found some treasures here and there, but the memories we made have more value to me.

Thanks for visiting, Ann!
Check that one off your bucket list!

Movember

On Halloween we had a costume contest/dance off at TOMS.

Each department was given a decade and had to incorporate a mustache into the costume.

The mustache is part of a collaboration with Movember.  Movember is a movement that encourages men to grow a mustache to raise awareness for men's health.

My department was the 1950's.  It was a little tricky to decide how to incorporate mustaches...

We decided to be the "Mustache Ladies" from Grease.

We had a dance along with props, music and mustaches made from car 'grease.'

It turned out really cute and we walked off with 3rd place bragging rights!

oh LA.

i miss friendly, geniuine people.

fortunately, i work at a company that has a lot of kind individuals.

however, we are growing so fast that each week brings seven to ten different faces.

today i was chatting with one of the new people we brought on.

she told me that she worked for the obama campaign for a year and a half and absolutely loved the time she spent in iowa.

she explained that she had never met such nice people before and loved all of the cute, quaint little towns.

it once again reminded me of how much i miss iowa. or missouri... lets just go with the midwest in general.

i hate having conversations about celebrities.

i don't own designer clothes and handbags.

my parents don't own a beach home.

and no...i don't want a boob job. 

seriously, some of the conversations i have out here have absolutely no depth.

LA continues to live up to its stereotype.

people think i'm crazy when i tell them i don't love this city.

but i don't.

and i won't lie. 

i feel like i'm over the 'honeymoon' stage of moving and have sunk into 'reality'

i'm very fortunate to have a job and i am very very blessed.

the beach keeps me sane and knowing that the big beautiful moon i saw as i drove away from work is the same moon that shines brightly back home.

lunch at the beach

yesterday we had lunch at the beach.

because ya know, you can do that when your office is only two miles from the ocean.

greetings from california

did you know...

the population of LA is nearly 4 million.

the population of the state of Iowa is a little over 3 million.

today i went for a walk and found this beautiful red leaf.

it is the only sign of fall i have found in so cal.

people always ask me "how do you like LA?"

to which i reply "i love my job, but i don't love LA"

i'm itching to get out of the city for the day.

i need some wide open spaces.

my mama came to visit me!

and it was the best!

we ate, sat by the beach, shopped, got our toes and nails all pretty, went for walks and caught up.

i love her so much.

she is my best friend.

come back soon mama, the beach is calling your name.

each day...

...i fall more in love with TOMS.

and my team.

wes. kortney. and pete.

they are the best.

let's go to the beach.

i live approximately 3.5 miles from the beach.

i spent my labor day there relaxing and chillaxing with my friend abby.

work gets better everyday.

i was so excited monday night about going to work tuesday morning.

it is exhausting, but at the end of the day, i know that the harder i work, the more shoes are sold which equals more shoes to children in need.

win win.

one for one.

what's happening in CALIFORNIA

           

hey-o!

after five trips to target, a short phone call with 1-800-mattress and a trip to IKEA ....

i am finally getting settled into my new apartment.

internet and cable were set up on saturday and i am connected to the world again.

sometimes i find myself laughing out loud at people in LA.  they are so different than the midwest...or any other place.

few things i am re-learning:

1. dogs are welcome anywhere! target, restaurants and even my place of work.

2. organic. organic. organic.

3. the news includes updates on celebrities.  literally watching the news now. they breeze over the presidential race and start talking about the kardashians..

4. everyone works in 'the entertainment industry'

5. obama stickers are on every hipsters bumper.

6. organic. organic. organic.

7. this boy told me he was a Pescetarian. i thought he said "I'm Presbyterian."  (to which i almost replied ... "oh hey! i'm christian too!")

here is Wikipedia's definition:

Pescetarianism ( /ˌpɛskɨˈtɛəriən/) (also spelled Pescatarianism) is the practice of a diet that includes seafood but not the flesh of other animals. A pescetarian diet shares many of its components with a vegetarian diet and includes vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, beans, eggs, and dairy, but unlike a vegetarian diet also includes fish and shellfish.

i asked him why he follows this lifestyle.

he said it was better for his diet and because of how inhumane animals are treated.  i told him i grew up on a farm in iowa and steak is one of my favorite foods.

8. food is expensive. bought a sandwich today and it was $12. probably because it was humanely raised in a grass pasture with no cage... (it was my only option)

9. church music is so much better. it is a concert. (probably because so many of them are in the entertainment industry)

10. driving is scarrrrrry. people honk. cut you off. and drive realllllllly fast.

that's all for now.  stay tuned as i continue this adventure.

it will be hard before it gets easy.

Well, I have arrived in los angeles.

My friend from college picked me up at the airport and took me to her apartment where I will be staying until I find an apartment.

I literally think I am crazy. My life is a chaotic mess.

My car was shipped out here and will be arriving around 4 PM which probably means 8 PM because traffic is always bad here… so I am just assuming it will be a delayed delivery.

Yesterday I went apartment searching with my future roommate.  After our first appointment I almost died.

An accident took place right in front of me.

I don't know exactly what happened because at that moment, I saw my life flash before my eyes.

We were stopped at a red light, I think a car ran a red light and the man to the left of us was turning.

The man who ran the red light hit the car turning.

It must have been just the right angle, speed and timing because his car went flying and did two circles in the air. I'm not joking.

The car was coming right at Melissa and I.

I literally thought ... okay ... I am about to die because this car is going to land on me and crush me.

The car landed one foot in front of us.

I didn't know what to do because I knew the man would be dead and I didn't think I could compose myself.

Luckily, someone else was nearby and rushed to his aid.  Pulled him out and he was alive.  With blood over his face of course.

I must have had every guardian angel with me. 

--

I start work tomorrow.

I am apartment searching again today. Please pray that I find something. Please.

The hardest part of it all is not having my mom or dad here with me.

Or my sisters.

I just love my family so much and miss them terribly already.

I told my mom not to cry when she said good-bye to me at the airport.  Tears swelled up in both of our eyes.  (tears are in my eyes as I type this now)  

I walked up to security with tears rolling down my face grateful for my parents who have given more than I could ever imagine but so heartbroken because I am living so far away from them.

I know this is a transition stage and that things will get better, but right now it is hard.

Prayers please. 

hello los ángeles.

today, i leave for los angeles, california.

right now, i have so many emotions running through me.

excitement. nervousness. anxiety. gratitude. shock.

four years ago, i had these exact same feelings.

four years ago i left for northwest missouri state university.

i remember my mom coming into my room at home and sitting on my bed with me as i cried.

all of my doubts started to kick in.  i thought i was making a mistake.

--

looking back now, i know i did not make a mistake.

the unknown is scary, but it shapes you into the person you are intended to be.

i can't imagine how my life would be if i didn't attend northwest.

i bet in four years, i will say "i can't imagine how my life would be if i didn't move to california and work for toms."

at least i hope so.

cheers to a new chapter.

california, i will see you soon.

little beauty.

just some photos from California last summer.

i miss my old camera.

it took lovely photos.