Down at Eagle Rock

It's official...we're moving! In a month! After spending the past two months checking Craigslist and Westside Rentals for new listings pretty much every hour, we finally found a place. We both had to come to terms with the fact that we really can't afford a decent two-bedroom apartment in Los Feliz (where we live now) or Silver Lake (the next neighborhood over), so we've settled for Eagle Rock, which is about five miles east. It's a hip, up and coming section of Los Angeles. There are cute cafes and shops that are within walking distance, which was very important to us, and a Trader Joes just a short drive away. The property is also very private and secluded - a rare combination. It's the entire first floor of a house (there's a small studio upstairs where a guy lives, but he travels often - score). It has two bedrooms, a little office area, a nice kitchen (with a dishwasher!), a big family room, and lots of space outside to entertain and grow plants. It was quite a find.

It will be a change, but I think it will be good. We'll definitely miss living in Los Feliz. We like being so close to Griffith Park and I love being only a couple miles from work. It's so convenient to be able to walk to the grocery store and the video store and Brandon can walk to the gym. But space and quiet are going to be key for us very soon. Babies are small, but house guests are not. When my mom and in-laws come out here to meet Sunny I want them to stay with us, not in a hotel and not on our couch. As for the noise, I'm tired of being able to hear the guy in the building next door whistling and singing along to his stereo. And ever since they moved in, our upstairs neighbors have been the bane of my existence. I don't think they quite understand how much noise they produce. It's quiet now. I wonder if they went out of town.

Change is hard for me. It always has been, so moving to a new place in a new neighborhood is a big deal. This apartment also has special meaning to me. It was Brandon and my first place together and it was the last place Fuji lived before he died. We have lots of memories here. We have a routine. It's safe and familiar and predictable. I got thinking about it, though (with the help from my confidante, Laura, my mom and my sister-in-law, Deb) and I know this will be for the best. It's scary, but sometimes doing what I'm scared of yields the best results. And I'll have things around me that will keep me centered - my cats, my bed, my television (let's be honest, it helps), photos of my family and friends, and - most of importantly - my amazing husband and daughter. I could go anywhere and feel safe with those two around.