Why LA?

Hello!

So this next story jumps back in time, once again, to share a bit more about my crazy decision to move to LA.

Have you ever been at a crossroads in life, knowing you need to make a big change?

As much as I loved Kelowna and the area I grew up, I knew it was time for another adventure. I’d never lived in a city and had always wanted to experience the fast paced culture and opportunity that these hubs offer.

At this point in life, I wanted to learn as much as possible from a growing business that aligned with my values AND I wanted to find my person. I was 29 and I was ready to fall in love (ha).

With this in mind, naturally, I looked at the cities that had the following qualifications:

• It was by the ocean (I literally thought LA was on the ocean - but it’s definitely not)

• It was a city that had a lot of opportunity

• It was close enough to home (I had already lived in Australia and knew I wanted to be a quick flight away)

• It didn’t rain 70% of the time (sorry Vancouver and Victoria)

I should also note that I also had recently visited LA to stay with a close friend and really did love my time there.

This led to booking a one way ticket to California. I’d always had a secret dream of living there and Los Angeles and San Diego ticked all the boxes above for me.

I've had this since I was 9

LA was first on the docket and I’d saved up enough to AirBNB for about 2 weeks... so worst case, if no doors opened up, I’d fly home once my money ran out (clearly I was a very responsible 29 year old).

You may have picked up from my recent posts that I really do believe in God and I wholeheartedly know that He has good plans for me (future story). I have to give it up to Him because the next part of the story is just too good to be true.

My brother had a close friend that he met during his time living in Hawaii who lived in LA and who HAPPENED to text him right around the time my money was running out. He immediately mentioned that I was in LA and she kindly welcomed me to come stay for a night.

I showed up on her door around 11pm after the Gonzaga elite eight March Madness Game (it was incredible, even tho they lost). Her fiancé had just moved in a few days ago so there was a lot going on in this house to say the least.

The original offer to stay one night grew to 3 nights and eventually to a month... the “Taylors” (Yes, Girl Taylor was engaged to Boy Taylor) knew that they might need a roommate for a season so we agreed to test it out to see if our little makeshift family could work.

Crazy enough, we worked extremely well together and grew to become real family. I ended up living with the Taylor’s for 3 years. I was apart of their wedding, I was there when they found out they were pregnant and when their brought their sweet son, Curren, home. Being apart of their family was truly one of God’s greatest gifts to me - Their entire family welcomed me and to this day, have become my family away from my family.

Another part of this story that’s missing is my visa journey. Receiving a working visa in America is NOT EASY to say the least. This was another miracle that made building a life in LA possible. Since moving here, I’ve been on 3 different visas (a training visa, a student visa and a marriage visa) and they all came with their own set of challenges and set backs. If you ever want to hear more about this specific process, feel free to reach out :) I have a great immigration lawyer who has helped me and many friends.

To summarize, my life in LA was a combination of many miracles, both big and small. The biggest miracle of it was finding my husband which is a story for another time. But LA has become my home away from home in Canada and I’m forever thankful.

Even tho change is scary and hard, I really do think it’s worth it, so hopefully my story can give you a little encouragement towards the dreams in your heart.

Thanks for listening, once again.

Madison