Places I've been: Los Angeles, CA

I got laid off in the beginning of November. Probably the worst time of the year, but also the least surprising. It's the end of the year and budgets don't allow for freelancers and extra work, and the holidays roll around so no one even thinks about hiring until after the new year.

This left me in a strange position - one I have never been in before: unemployment. It was a bummer, but also a blessing in disguise. I realized that I was really unhappy where I was working anyway, so being laid off was kind of a good thing.




Anyway, because of this turn of events I was able to take a two week vacation to LA to visit one of my best and oldest friends (we've known each other since preschool). By some miracle, I got a ridiculously cheap roundtrip ticket, with insurance, for less than $300. The stars aligned and it was almost like I was supposed to go on this trip, so I went.

I was able to relax and reflect on my professional circumstances and to be honest, I basically did the exact same thing the entire time, but instead of being at home I was in LA with my friend. I looked for jobs and even got an interview while I was away!




It was the first time I hadn't been with my family for Thanksgiving, which is kind of crazy when I think about it. First time away from family on a major holiday in 26 years! We has a huge Friendsgiving - an enormous potluck with friends - a few days before the real holiday. It was so much fun! We cooked and drank wine all day and it was nice to have our own Thanksgiving - one that we created from scratch - for the first time.

I was in Las Vegas for the actual holiday, but more on that later ;)





Some of my LA highlights were the Griffith Observatory, hiking in Runyon Canyon and on my last day my aforementioned friend, Emily, and I drove up to Malibu to watch the sunset at Point Dume. I could not think of a better way to end my trip.