Reminiscing

I just came across these film shots of us in Malibu circa 2005. Jeff and I packed a picnic and headed to the beach. I know I've mentioned a million times before that we lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years and today I'm feeling a little nostalgic, so please bear with me.

This past Sunday morning I was feeling like I never do what I want to do. It seems that there is always a family party, projects to be completed around the house, overtime to put in at work, committee meetings to attend, and there aren't enough hours in the day to focus on the things I enjoy. Jeff reminded me about the bubble we lived in Los Angeles and I realized how much I miss that. We didn't know many people and we didn't have many obligations (other than our jobs) - no mortgage, no dog, no family. Most weekends we would get in the car and go: Big Sur, Joshua Tree, Malibu, San Francisco, San Diego, Catalina. It's no wonder I feel at home when we are on a road trip.

When Jeff and I went back to visit LA in April 2010, it was a really weird experience. At the time, I was feeling a little down about life - like I hadn't grown that much personally or professionally during my time in Philadelphia. But once we got to L.A., the city proved me wrong. I actually did grow a lot - I am a married woman with a career and a house of my own and a dog and a community. I wouldn't have those things if i stayed in L.A. (house-of-my-own for sure). Someone once said, "it's not until you go back to a place that hasn't changed that you realize how much you have altered." Although there were more people, billboards, friends had babies and bought houses...the city was exactly as I remembered, unchanged for the most part, unlike myself.

Appropriately, I found this billboard series yesterday called "Adios LA" by Jon Jackson through The Jealous Curator. Jackson is leaving L.A. for New York and wanted to say goodbye properly. Having been through my own break up with Los Angeles, I found this so darn clever.