For those of you who do not already know this it might come as a big surprise to you but, Living in Los Angeles was something I had NEVER planned to do. It was just not on the list of things I wanted to do in my life time. But since many years ago I learned you never say never about anything, I would always answer people who asked me if I would ever move out of the Desert by saying "The only way I would every move out of the Coachella Valley is if I met a guy I could not live without and he could not handle living in the Desert, then I would move." Well that held true for many years, but then when I was least expecting it, Patrick walked into my life, and guess what?, he could not handle the heat in the Valley. I figured it would be much easier for me to learn to live in LA than it would for me to learn to live without Patrick in my life, so I moved. Much to the total shock of many of my friends in the Desert, many who still can not believe I have last this long!
Now let me tell you, adjusting to living in LA was not at all easy for me. Actually it was really hard. For one thing, I had never lived in a big city. Of course I had been to LA many times to party and shop and attend the theater, but that usually meant some else driving us in and out of the city. I can totally remember the first time I drove myself into LA. I was 1988, my bestest buddy,Robbie and his partner lived in Fullerton and he talked me into driving into the City for the weekend.
It as a Friday afternoon, I left Palm Springs around 4 o'clock and you know what that means?, yea you do, I hit LA right at RUSH HOUR!! I had never seen so many cars on the freeway in my life, and it seems the all wanted to hit ME! Now you have to remember back then we did not have Mapquest or a GPS system, no, I had a piece of paper in my had with notes from Robbie of what exits I was suppose to take, and everyone of them was on the opposite side of the freeway I was on when I realized they were coming up. Robbie will be the first to tell you I was a total mess when I got to the restruant we were suppose to met up at. Honey I was wrecked!! So much so that his partner had to drive my truck (yes I said truck, 1972 International Scout, which I named Ernie) to their house after we ate. When I got to their house Robbe had me laying on the sofa with a cold wrag on my forehead. They say time changes everything and I guess they are right. Now that I have lived here for almost 6 years I can cut you off and flip you off like the best of them!!
Over the few years I have lived here, my view about living in LA has changed, alot.
When I first moved here everything in my life had changed, new city, new job, starting a new live in relationship, new family to adjust to, leaving everything and everyone I had know for the past 16 years of my life behind. I will not lie and say it was easy, it really wasn't. But there has not been one time I have ever regreted making the move to LA, not even once. Over the last year or so I have started venturing out into the city more and more. One thing about me is I LOVE history and I always like to learn as much about the history of where I live as I can.(Just ask Kristen,the first time they came to Palm Springs I could tell them the history of just about everywhere we went,and I did not even realize it) So I started taking what I like to call "little adventures" on the weekend and exploring LA on a more personal level. Well just not LA but LA and our surrounding area. I have come upon some really cool things in my adventures and I will be sharing those discoveries with you here.
Patrick has been a very big encouragement to me in my adjustments to living here. When I first moved here he rarely left me alone anytime we were not working.
He and his cousin Mandy enjoy running off shopping and hanging out on the weekend but he stopped doing that for awhile after I moved because he did not want me to be alone. I finally told him to go and hang with her like he usually did. He encouraged me to get out and explore the city and find where things are. And he has graciously gotten me back home when I have had to call him and tell him I had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there!
I have had some really BIG adventures in my lifetime. Moving to LA is just one of them.
But like I said before, I have never regreted making the move to be with the
man I love. After all, I waited a hell of long time for him to come along, and I
couldn't miss having him in my life.
later.......
question for those who live in or around LA: Do you know where "Ata-Boy" was located?
answer coming up!
