It's Good to Know You're on the Right Track!

So, since the Westward Ho! Adventure ended, I've been living in California for 22 days. Amazing things have already happened.


First, I managed to land an apartment and a roommate, who is actually a pretty sane, somewhat stable individual with whom I get along amazingly well. This happened while I was still in Georgia. As I began my apartment search via Craig's List, I started to run into problems. Most apartment management, naturally, wanted me to have a job before they would rent to me, or I at least needed one to put on the application. I had a job when I was trying to apply, but it was still in Atlanta, and with most landlords, I didn't think a job 3,000 or so miles away would count much. Then, I was running into issues with some places not even allowing me to fill out applications remotely. I was getting distressed.


Meanwhile, I had several friends back in the Atlanta area who were graciously hooking me up with whatever contacts they had in Los Angeles. One of these friends whose family I had performed with for years, told me about his nephew and niece who were active in the theatre scene out in Los Angeles. So, I began talking to his nephew on facebook. One night, as I was stressing over my apartment issues, I decided to ask him if he knew of any landlords in the area. I thought if I had a personal connection- at least a friend of a friend of a friend- I may stand better chance. I needed a place to live. Remember, I had my dad and the crew ready to caravan my stuff on an extended cross-country trip. We kind of needed somewhere to land when we got here.


What do you know? It just so happened that he and his wife, he said, were apartment managers! They rented two bedrooms in Northridge, in the San Fernando Valley. This sounded fine, but I was looking for a studio, and had not been planning on having a roommate. After all, I was taking my animals with me, and it is difficult to find a roommate you can trust around your animals. Plus, I didn't know of anyone with whom I could room.


One thing I have learned, however, when you turn a situation over to the Lord, is never to say never, and to keep whatever plans you make flexible, because they are likely to change. And this is certainly a process I have tried to give to God from before the decision to move was ever made. Thus, when this fellow said he knew someone who might be looking for a roommate, a friend of his, I listened to what he had to say. I talked to my potential roommate online and over the phone, and things fell into place from there. The rent is affordable, much more reasonable than what I had expected to pay out here. The building is secure- believe me- I have lived in scarier places! (At one apartment I lived in, I was up late one night, heard my cat growling low on the couch behind me, looked over at the window where the blinds were only open a little at the bottom, and saw a pair of legs standing there. I freaked out and called the police. Thankfully, the legs and whoever they belonged to went away.) At the new place, I have a private parking space with a security gate, and the main street entrance is also gated.


And as for the pets, this place does not accept dogs anymore, and if you will remember, my little dog died back in March, shortly before my finding this place. Though that was a sad aspect, it still goes to the fact that God truly does work all elements- the good ones and the tough ones-together for our good, and provides for everything we need. My dog was old, and for some reason God obviously wanted me where I am, and either way I have to trust His decision to take Rocco when He did. Thus, I have a nice place to live that fits well within my budget, and a nice person with whom to live. And I know Who to thank for it!


Second, I HAVE A JOB!!!!! I managed to land one interview, again through Craig's List, before I left Georgia, and that was the one that took! (I am not a whole-hearted proponent of Craig's List- you have to be careful when looking for opportunities on that list.) I arrived on the 1st of May, interviewed for the job on the 4th, and went to work on the 11th. I think I have mentioned before that, in order to eat, I am a licensed massage therapist by trade. It's pretty good work and offers a decent paycheck (most of the time) along with schedule flexibility, which is one of the reasons I entered into this field. I wanted to be able to take off for auditions and other artistic ventures. Plus, I just have never been much of a 9 to 5-er, and don't much care for desk work.


This job is awesome. I mean, I really thank God because it is such an amazing blessing. My bosses seem so far to be very nice. It is a family-owned business, and they have six locations around the Los Angeles area. We can work on a permanent basis or a pick-up basis, or a combination of the two. We can work at any of the locations. Thus, there is as much or as little work as we need or want. As a person who needs a flexible schedule in order to pursue her art, but who also needs a certain amount of work every week, it is the perfect set up. I think God planned it just for me. Maybe that's a little self-centric, but it just seems so perfect! Plus, there is so much more work than there was in Georgia! This was my theory before I left- that I would do better as a therapist here because of the general concern in this population over natural health and body care, and it has proven true. Wednesday, for example, I did eight hours of massage. I have not done that much massage in one day since, I believe, at least 2004. Plus, the tips are a lot better!


I wanted to share this all with you so that you can know how very thankful I am to have been provided for as I have been. I felt peaceful before I left that this move was God's will, but for such a big step and big change, it is so wonderful to have the path made so straight by the Lord as it has been in this case. I feel like I went through a lot of trial before I left, but all of it was based on fear and worry, and not on anything that was coming from God. God opened the doors for this trip before I left. Some doors were not opened until the end, but I still always had that peace that I was doing the right thing. When doubts did come, they were fear-based, and that is how I was able to determine what was right. For example, at one point, it looked like I may not have the money I needed to get started out here. I prayed to God for guidance, seeking out whether or not I was making a mistake or if I should go forward with my plans. The Scripture I received in answer was the one- please forgive the paraphrase- where Jesus sends out the disciples and tells them to take nothing with them when they go. It's been an amazing faith walk, and continues to be. I would love your prayers if you feel led to give them, that God would continue to provide for my needs, that whatever reason He sent me here would be fulfilled, and that most of all I would stay strong in Him and put Him first, not being led astray by the wrong friends or the wrong projects.


Thanks so much for following the progress of this journey, and I will try to keep the updates coming!