Employed 🎉

Two months after graduation (61 days to be exact), it happened. After what seemed like a year of waiting in post-graduation, pre-adult limbo, I found a job! Yes, it was terrifying, exciting and every emotion in between. But, I did it.

Applications, Applications, Applications

A week after graduation, I was eager and ready for my chance to make it in the working world. I applied for any and every job I saw – regardless of the location, company and experience level needed. As you can probably expect, this method didn’t quite work out as well as I would have hoped. It didn’t take long for me to realize I needed to narrow down my applications to the areas in which I wanted to be, and then go from there. After a little soul-searching, and a whole lot of research, California and New York became my top 2 locations.

California Dreamin’

Fast forward about 3 weeks into my revamped job search, I finally narrowed my sights even further on the Los Angeles area. By the middle of June, I hopped off a plane at LAX for vacation. Not afraid to mix a little business with pleasure, I thought it wise to use some of my vacation to scout out the city, schedule a couple of interviews and really “research” if I could see myself living here.The weather, the attractions, and of course the food solidified my desire to move to LA.

After a week packed with new LA adventures, a studio taping of The Late Late Show, and plenty of Instagram-worthy treats, I headed back to Gainesville to await the outcome of my interviews. 

From Gainesville to Los Angeles

A week after my last interview, Tieks offered me a full-time position! And as fate would have it, Kevin also received a full-time offer not even 24hrs before (crazy, we know). We now had the daunting task of planning a cross-country move.

Luckily, Kevin planned for the possibility of a large-scale move for a few months leading up to these events and put together an epic Trello board we could put into action at a moment’s notice. With a plan preparing us for anything and everything, those two phone calls were the final catalyst we needed to set our plan into motion.

As part of our moving plan, we chose to pack up all of our belongings and make the drive out to the west coast, instead of flying. We planned to make the trip in about 3 days and 2 nights. And, to break up the drive we planned for a few fun pit stops along the way. With a final drive time of 3 days, 43 hours and 26 minutes, and a total of 2,524.5 miles, we made it across 8 states from Gainesville, FL to Los Angeles, CA.

Living Local

Just 3 days after our cross-country road trip, we found an apartment! Perfectly located and priced, we couldn’t be happier with our new home. We’re just around the corner from a few different shopping plazas, lots of restaurants and about 30 minutes from Downtown LA. Did I mention I have 5 (yes, 5) Targets in a 5-mile radius? Over the next few weeks, we’ll finish up unpacking the last few boxes, organizing and (my favorite part) decorating the apartment! Have any suggestions for Los Angeles living?