Andi in L.A. L.A. Land

I packed all of my belongings in the trunk of my compact car, said goodbye to my home town in Texas, and headed out to the west coast in order to pursue the life I was called to live in Los Angeles! I have created this blog in order to keep my concerned family and friends back home informed about my life. I plan to elaborate about my experiences to the ones I love back home by sharing about all of the opportunities, adventures, struggles, and joys I encounter here in "The City of Angels!"

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Official first Post

    So I actually made this blog a while ago, and I'm just now sitting down at my computer to write a Post. This can be an example of how things are going out here: I am moving a mile a minute, still adjusting to the hustle and bustle of the city, but enjoying every second of it. I have lived here for a little over two months and already I have changed immensely. Before I came to California, I was at a place in my life where I had to get away from everything I was used to. This can be interpreted as running away, but the truth is I felt called to leave. Honestly the details aren't important, I just knew I was supposed to be here, in Los Angeles. The "for what" wasn't necessarily specified for me, and I just kind of filled that part in. When I pitched the idea to all of the people I loved and respected, I had done a lot of research on the kind of trouble I could get myself into out here and opted that acting must be what I needed to do since I had been doing it pretty much my whole life. The more I have been out here though, the more I realized that I have a lot of desires on my heart, and maybe my direction is going to change, maybe I am going to discover that I am really passionate about something else, who knows. All I know is that I am excited to see what God has in store for me.

    I got plugged in to an amazing church out here, RealityLA, and through it I have made so many friends! You could definitely say that I have formed my own family out here, and I seriously consider many of them to be very dear brothers and sisters in Christ. It's so helpful to have a group of people to keep you accountable and centered on what is most important, Jesus. I have been a regular at a small group in Toluca Lake, where most of my friends go, but I think I am also going to start attending the Pasadena small group because it is closer and I just love community group.. so sue me. I have signed up to serve as an usher at RealityLA, and started last week. I can already tell I am going to love serving for this church body, and I really look forward to becoming more invested in the congregation. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am exponentially growing and maturing in my faith, and that in itself is a good enough reason to pick up and move across the country.

   My God Mother has so graciously allowed me to stay with her until I get a job and can support myself. I have been working three to four babysitting jobs in order to make some chum change, but recently I was hired on a permanent position. I will be a nanny on the weekdays, and hopefully get some other babysitting in on the weekends with the families that I have already established relationships with. God has completely blessed me by providing these opportunities, and now that I will have a steady income, I plan to move out as soon as I find roommates and a place to live. My budget will be tight, and I will pretty much be living on rice and beans, and despite the all of the hard times ahead, I am super excited. There is something thrilling about struggling to make it on your own. This might sound like the dumbest thing you have ever heard, but I have always been into the idea of living the "starving artist" lifestyle. Not only that, but I know living like this will also make me appreciate all the little things I take for granted so often, like eating out, going to see movies in the theater, shopping, etc. I look forward to being more cognizant of my blessings and constantly relying and depending on God to get me by.

  In my free time, I plan to do a lot. There is so much to do in this City, and I am going to do my best to experience it all (except for the sketchy/raunchy stuff!). I have been writing a lot of music lately, and I am also putting together an album with a friend here, which I am super excited about. We are well on our way, and hopefully after a few more weeks of tuesday night practices, we'll have something to show for it. After I come back from Christmas break, I have a musical genius friend who asked me to join him on a little project, for which I am also extremely pumped about. Since I have been here, I have gone on a few acting auditions, and have thoroughly enjoyed the experiences. If more of those come my way, by all means I will go for it, and if they don't, it's whatever. I am basically just going where the wind blows me, and I have a real peace about the uncertainty. Amongst making music, doing church things, hanging out with all my buds, I am also taking college courses online. I am majoring in business and communications. I don't know where that degree will take me, but I definitely see some possibilities in the future of perhaps starting my own business, or with my aggressive nature and competitive spirit, taking on the corporate world. Even though I have a lot of thoughts about what I might do in the future, none of it is really solid yet. I am just living right here right now, and that is perfectly fine with me.

  A few things that I might be looking to do in the near future are:
- Getting a Bike (to ride to work and save gas!).
- Scavenging for free concerts.
- Knitting a blanket.
- Buying furniture.
- Moving into a new place.
- Grocery shopping with a budget of $36 a month (I am really looking forward to the challenge).
- Finding a charity or organization to volunteer through.
- Writing more music/auditioning/any other creative outlets I can squeeze in.

Those are just a few interests. I am excited to see what will change on this list. I am sure things will be deleted and new things will be added, but I am really looking forward to the progress of life.

For future reference, I am going to end each post with a bible verse or passage, a photo or image I like, and a song title/artist that you should most definitely check out. Thanks for reading, have a blessed day!

2 Corinthians 5:17-19
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."






Awake My Soul - Mumford and Sons

5 comments:

  1. Hey Andi! Things seem so exciting for you right now. I know what you mean about living the starving artist life. If I was talanted like you are I would have loved to do the same thing. Don't be like me a forget to post for weeks at a time. :) Love you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hahaha aw thank you Al! I will try my best to keep up with mine, so glad I can catch up with you and read yours as well! Love you too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. 1) You better not leave Toluca Lake!
    2) Please don't kill yourself eating only $36 a month...
    3) Raunchy's an interesting word....be missionary in your culture, pilgrim!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my little Red, my precious ann-ann, my charismatic andikins...your words are like love to my ears! I'm going to enjoy living vicariously via your LA adventures. Keep writing and be sure to include how you're managing the grocery budget - but be sure to ask honestly assess - is it because you eat Linda's goods? HA! Tell that Godmother of yours that I love her.
    I am about to embark on a new path as an educator and I've never been more excited. Once I learn enough to explain it, I'll keep you updated. I've also been blessed to be surrounded by incredible people over the last couple of weeks - including a man I met at a conference in Austin named Roy Green. I'm going to partner with him to write a biographical story about his very wise, cotton-pick'n moma! I'll keep you posted.
    I had a nightmare this week :( You've been heavy on my heart so appease me with a nightly text to know that all is ok - I love you more than words can say.
    Read Psalm 118. You will recognize many of the verses that have been used as song lyrics and ritualistic readings for traditional Methodist church services. I think you could be inspired to find your own song hiding among these soul-calming lines.
    XXOO!
    Mom

    ReplyDelete
  5. Andi Dandy it is time for another chapter in your L.A. adventure. We enjoy hearing about where you are emotionally and spiritually oh yeah and physically too. It makes your being so far away not so far away- Papa Jack and I loved your being in Austin sooooo much and taking you to lunch from time to time-we are not happy with the starving part of that artist thing-You know where you can always get lunch money. Happy Birthday is coming up next week - watch for the mail. Love Nana & Papa Jack

    ReplyDelete