In short, Los Angeles has simply surprised me. I’ve met some of the most dear, sincere folks out here. People who want to help, and care, and guide. Want a few examples? Okay, okay, twist my arm. ; )

– > Meet Autumn. She lived in Nashville during the time I was there, but I really didn’t know her. My second day in town, she brought over homemade soup and pumpkin spice muffin cakes and helped me put together IKEA furniture. I barely knew her, but she knew moving was overwhelming, so she more than made herself available to me.

– > Meet Julie. She’s the casting agent I met in August, just to ask questions and learn more about this world I was hoping to dive into. She’s an incredibly busy individual, and I was hesitant to reach out to her, since I’m out here as an actress and she’s on a side of the business that could potentially be helpful. (I suppose that’s another blog post on how I feel about networking.) But I knew she had a dog, and I was desperate to find a place to board my pup while I was in New Orleans for a wedding. I texted her and, after reminding her who I was, asked for recommendations. Instead, she told me that she would love to watch Dutch for me, as she knows how overwhelmingly expensive LA can be. (She’s right…the average place to board your dog here is $60 a day. Woof. Literally.) But she accepted Dutch with open arms (and let me cry on her couch for an hour when I dropped the pup off).

– > Meet Ashley and Rick. Two individuals who have invited me out to meet people and have treated me like family. Ashley sent an email out to her group of friends asking them to welcome me to the family, and to keep an ear out for part-time jobs for me. Rick has been asking people he meets if they have any room for me on staff, AND he bought me sushi. Their kindness and hospitality astounds me.

So that’s the nutshell. I could go on. Every day there has been a situation or experience with kindness and truly lovely people.

And I’m happy.

Glad to be alive.

Excited about this time in life. And the future.

Seriously.