I know it’s been a while since my last update… I also realize that I tend to start off a lot of these posts this way but be patient with me… Sometimes it’s procrastination, and sometimes I really just don’t have anything interesting to talk about.
Anyways, I’ve made it to my 5th Month here on the West Coast, and I’m still waiting to fall in love with Los Angeles.
I can’t say that I’m still homesick, at least not CONSISTENTLY, but L.A. has not made itself easy to love. Honestly, I’m no stranger to throwing myself the occasional “Woe is me and my problems” Pity Parties (I’ve gotten better) but it’s never been as easy to find myself feeling down about my current circumstances.
Every day I have to remind myself that even though things are not as I’d like to them to be, they’re 1.) not getting worse and 2.) are only temporary. I can’t allow myself to entertain thoughts of ” Well I’d LIKE to do “XYZ” but I can’t see HOW that’s going to happen” when 6 months ago I honestly could not tell you HOW I was planning to move to California in July… These obstacles and problems are only temporary, and I have to keep that in mind as I maneuver through whatever is going on or pops up along the way.
That being said, when I’m not giving myself pep talks or getting pep talks from friends and family, I’ve been trying my hardest to have a REALLY Good time.
This has been the first holiday season that I haven’t been able to spend with any of my family, which hasn’t been easy, but I’ve been blessed enough to have that experience be turned into something positive.
I had “Friendsgiving“(Aka Potluck Dinner with the Homies) this past Thanksgiving and I was most thankful that nobody else that was there seems to have the same lack of cooking abilities that I lack. The food was GREAT!
Not one thing from my usual Thanksgiving spread was missing (except for my Mom’s fie Mac n Cheese and my Aunt’s equally fie pecan dish but hey you can’t fault the chef’s at hand) and I had a really good time that evening. Even did some Black Friday Window shopping (Broke Phi Broke!) the next day.
After that, the temperature dropped and my body’s immune system decided it no longer wanted to fight the good fight which led to me catching the most severe cold I think I’ve ever had… I was unaware that the human body (mine specifically) could produce such massive amounts of mucus.. You know when you blow your nose and you’re pretty sure you’ve gotten everything, but you blow one more time just to be sure?? Yeahhh there was something in my Kleenex, every. Single. Time.
Despite all of that, I still got a chance to live life as a tourist. I went out to Universal City Walk, got to bar hop in Downtown Hollywood, and got a chance to visit Big Bear.
It would be nice if I had some amazing back story that was told to me about Big Bear, and why it was a “Must See” in California, and to the location’s credit, there probably is. Honestly, the minute I heard that it had recently snowed over there, that was all I really need to hear in order for me to start planning to go.
In my 26 years of Life, I’d never seen snow in any shape or form. It’s to the point that a portion of my bucket list is exclusively focused on Snow based activities. I drove 2 hours, half the trip being spent driving up a mountain side, JUST to see snow, and it was Worth it.
Just getting a chance to really enjoy Nature and take everything in (Despite it being colder than I’ve ever experienced in my life) was amazing. It even went a bit deeper because while, at some point in life, I probably could’ve made a journey from Miami to an area where snow is happening, it felt really good that it was my Dream chasing that brought me to a place where snow was only hours away, where an entire lifestyle I’d never experienced in my hometown was only hours away, where everything in my life could change due to a series of my own choices… Man, What A Time To Be Alive.
