Three steps to becoming an Angeleno....

After college in LA, I moved back to Laguna Beach and had no intention of ever being an Angeleno (an inhabitant of LA) again. So I'm not going to lie, while many would think the idea exciting, I hated the idea of moving from Newport to LA (not to mention Downtown). Parking tickets, crime, parking structures, traffic, no beach... these were just a few of my worries. However, nearly four months after packing up our bay front apartment (with my very own walk in closet) and moving into our open plan loft (sans closets), I'm feeling right at home.  I've developed a routine and have even come to appreciate all that DTLA has to offer. I think it took to really adhering to the LA way of life... we've made these three dramatic changes:

1. We rescued a dog. Meet Patrick. We almost bought a Goldendoodle from Russo's pet store in Fashion Island (very OC). But instead we saved the life of this adorable pooch (very LA). We could not be more in love with this little guy. He has truly changed my life... I'll be doing an entire post on him soon enough!

"Patrick"
Can you believe he was in the shelter!?

Click here to find a pet in your area who needs a home.

2. We have started eating a vegan diet. I know... whoa! There were a series of events that got us to dramatically change our diet, but the nail in the coffin (or should I say the dressing on the salad) was after we watched Forks over Knives, followed by Food Inc. (both are available on Netflix). These two movies gave us the kick we needed to throw out the meat and dairy. 

Although we cut out all meats and dairy products at home, we've started to integrate some wild salmon, and organic grass-fed meat (once a week max). And of course, sometimes we will splurge for some frozen yogurt or a bit of cheese! 

3. We bought a gas efficient vehicle. One of the hardest parts of starting our lives together was money. I never thought it would be an issue but sure enough Chad was so upset that we were "spending a disproportionate amount of money" on my Lexus. I shopped for weeks going back and forth from BMW to Audi and so on until I decided that was the car I wanted... there was no way I was getting rid of that baby. I moved for him, I change jobs and now he wants me to get rid of my car? No way! Long story short (the things you do for love)... we traded in my car in for our Hyundai. And guess what? With nearly all of the accessories (navigation, xm radio, back-up camera) as the Lexus and only $35 a tank with up to 40mpg ...I'm thrilled!

December to Remember in OC

MPG in DTLA!

I think anyone who knows anything about LA would agree with me when I say these are the three most stereotypical things that come to mind when describing an Angeleno. Well, here I am, a true convert from OC to DTLA.