LA to SD - Sivan
11.01.21

LA to SD

It’s been about a month since we moved down to San Diego from The Valley (LA) and I wanted to wait a few weeks before giving any sort of update. To be honest, leading up to the move I started getting pretty emotional about leaving our house, but knew mentally that I would give SD a solid 2 years before making any type of decision on liking / disliking. It might be premature to say, but I absolutely love it! I can’t decide if it’s the excitement of something new, the new lifestyle change, the house, San Diego in general, or what, but it feels right. 

As I mentioned, the couple days leading up to the move I was an emotional wreck. I was getting very sentimental about leaving a house we put so much into (and of course family and friends). It was the first house we actually remodeled, the house we launched both businesses in, and the house we brought both our babies home to. A LOT happened there, and we have such great memories in that house. Despite making the choice to move, it was still tough. As I was driving down to SD for good, I started feeling a lot lighter. To put it into perspective, I feel like my old house was almost like a relationship that I was in for a little too long. It felt like the boyfriend you’re with because things are comfortable, but prevents you from trying new things and change. Not to portray my old house as toxic by any means, but I was kind of trapped there. I worked there, lived there, filmed there, took care of the kids there, and truly hardly ever left.

Moving to San Diego felt like I broke up with The Valley and now that I’m here I look back thinking ‘what took you so long?!’ I feel so much lighter and happier here.

Maybe it’s because we have such easy access to being outside without even getting in the car? Daily (sometimes twice a day) walks have been SO incredibly nice. Putting the kids in the stroller after their baths to catch the sunset while we drink a spiked seltzer to-go is something we never did in our old neighborhood. The ease of nice parks, sidewalks (!!), the beach, trails, restaurants, new shopping, farmer’s markets, etc. is just what we needed to get out of the house. Obviously we do have all of this in The Valley / LA, but honestly everything just felt so hectic and SUCH a production to get anywhere. Summers have been rough in The Valley due to the extreme heat, which brings poor air quality, so we were spending way too much time inside. This change was necessary for us all.

Capri has been adjusting to school really well, which is a huge relief, too. I was worried the big change would be hard on her but she is loving school! Walker is living his best 9-month-old life on the go with us. Somehow things feel easier here so we don’t feel overwhelmed at the thought of bringing Walker everywhere.

Living in the guest house has been pleasantly okay! Sure, I don’t love not having a kitchen, but the ease of not cooking or grocery shopping really is a welcomed vacation for me. I think this will make me appreciate my kitchen ever more now. I am slowly making the guest house feel like a home for when our family and friends come down to visit and stay. It’s like a mini hotel suite in there, so it’s actually pretty nice. Not to mention, a smaller space means less cleaning, picking up, maintenance.

Overall I’m getting a very laid back, relaxed vibe down here. We have met some really nice young families in our neighborhood so I am hopeful the kids will all kind of grow up together and be able to play easily like I did as a kid. Ultimately this move was for the kids – good schools, safe, more nature, etc., but it has 100% also been a good change for me, too. I have truly enjoyed doing activities just the 4 of us and not feeling pulled in a million different directions. Yes, this has forced me to take a step back on social events (& even some work events), but I have reached the point in life where spending time with my kids is exponentially more important to me than being out.

I am definitely looking forward to the main house being done so we can finally settle in and make it our own, but in the meantime I’m also enjoying the simplicity of the guest house and exploring our new city!