Venice or Bust!

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."  - Andre Gide

If you've ever thought "I wish I could start over/be someone else/ go somewhere new" then this blog is for you.

 I am in search of one thing: Adventure. I grew up all over the world, but my parent settled in a pretty southern California suburb, and I went to college in a sleepy seaside community. I have an awesome job,  beautiful friends, I live in a gated community, my life is happy and comfortable, and that scares me to death. Some people are content not to explore, or discover, or be challenged, and one of my greatest fears is becoming one of those people.

So here I am,  a suburban raised, cul de sac community bred, Pepperdine girl, moving to Venice Beach, one of the most crazy, artistic, vibrant little cities in the country. I'm moving from a 2 bedroom condo with a pool to a beach front studio the size of a shoebox in an 80-year old building.  I'm not sure there could be any bigger of a difference between the valley and this beach refuge that is home to artists, vagrants, peddlers and performers. I have no idea what to expect, and I'm so excited, if not a little terrified. This is the first time I will live alone, the first time I'll be completely independent, and the official beginning of my young adult life.

So the countdown begins: I'm moving in exactly 5 days. I'll face new challenges like a 20 minute commute, searching for a grocery stores, parking, and the perfect local bar spot, acquiring a beach cruiser (and preventing it's subsequent theft, no doubt) and making new friends while holding on to my old ones.

This is my story. It's one part diary, one part restaurant review, one part venting outlet and probably three parts psychobabble. I'll probably screw up and get into trouble, and get lost, and talk to strangers, and if I'm lucky, I just might learn something, and have a little fun along the way. It's more than just switching apartments; hopefully my Venice adventures will bring me a greater sense of self reliance, an openness to new people, food, and experiences, and maybe even love (maybe). And hopefully for you, Dear Reader, it's an entertaining journey.

Here's to losing sight of the shore.