8 months (and 10 days)

Eight months and ten days ago, I took my one way flight to Los Angeles. As long as that seems written out, it has flown by. These past eight months have been a mix of just about every emotion possible. It has been a mix of testing myself and challenging myself to be the person I've always wanted to be. You see, these past eight months, I've become more myself than I've ever been. In these past eight months, I have slowly begun my adult life. 

When this year started, my New Year's Resolution was to become a functioning adult (and not sleep in so much). I believe I am becoming a functioning adult. I definitely have ways to go, but for once, I'm headed in the right direction. Was I ever headed in the wrong direction? Is that possible? I don't know. Yes, I still sleep in. In my defense, I work until midnight a few nights a week. I do wake up early at least once a week because I work at 7am once a week (it's a start). No, I haven't found a job in my field yet, but I'm making it work. I still enjoy my job and have fun. Most importantly, I'm happy. That's part of becoming a functioning adult, being happy and learning that your happiness is important and how to keep it. Working on yourself is important. I've finally figured out a balance in my mind. Now I'm working on balancing the rest of myself and my life. That includes cooking daily and being aware of what I'm putting into my body. I've been experimenting in the kitchen lately. Zucchini has become one of my staples. This week, I've been focusing on incorporating more meat into my meals instead of just the go to of pasta and vegetables. Steak is easy to cook and cheaper than I realized (i'm not going for fancy here). It's all about balance. Tonight, I made steak with zucchini (boiled) and roast potatoes (baked). The other night, I baked the zucchini. It's fun. I'm learning new ways to cook things. The easiest thing to make is a salad with some fresh lettuce and carrots (and a boiled egg). The nice thing about being in California is how fresh (and cheap) produce is out here. It makes eating healthy easy. I realized, why not take advantage of what I didn't always have back east? I remember being in Connecticut and not being able to find good produce at all. 

Although, not going to lie, I could really go for a trip to Wright's Bakery or Bert's or Acrop. I still have yet to find a good bakery, good breakfast place, or a good 24 hour diner out here. I guess I have some more exploring to do. 

I like having all these options in front of me though. Being able to go to the beach pretty much any day is my favorite thing. You can always count on it being cool enough for a nice walk or run along the water in the morning just to warm up at the end of the workout. The beach is still and always will be a happy place of mine (even if I get stung by a bee there). 

I guess, the main point of this post is simple: Life is good. I'm happy. I'm doing my best to make it work.

And, yes, I am looking forward to my first trip back to Massachusetts in May (6 weeks away).