from raleighwood to hollywood

welcome to my backyard.

no seriously..this is my new backyard. i know all of you have been wondering if i actually found somewhere other than a cardboard box to live, and the truth is that an incredible place fell right into my lap...the second day i was in california. my ideal living situation was one that was furnished, short-term (incase i wasn't crazy about the area), and near hollywood. my first night in california, i spread my blankets, pillows, and two very important stuffed bears onto the bed of my hotel room. as i enjoyed my room service and waited for my sister to arrive, i did one last search on craigslist. after typing in "furnished, hollywood" a place popped up on the top of the page that i had never seen before. not only was it furnished and in hollywood, it was a two month sublease. the next day, we walked into apartment #14 on beachwood drive and i knew this was it. now i know that this place is only temporarily "it", but it couldn't be a more perfect starting point. my entire life i've dreamed of sitting inside the second O of the famous hollywood sign. hell, i'd bring a sleeping bag and pay rent there if they would let me. as i turned onto beachwood drive, my mouth dropped open as i looked up into the hollywood hills and realized that my new backyard was my dream come true. not only is the apartment unbelievably cute and decorated in a way that i LOVE, it turns out that the girl letting me sublease her place is also extremely well-known in the dance world. after reading through keltie colleen's blog i realized that this girl has done some incredible things and truly made a name for herself in the dance world. anybody watch the special on MTV they did recently called VMA's revealed? skip ahead to 3:45 in this video about the taylor swift/kanye west controversy from last year. keltie also mentioned to me that her best friend christina perri used to live downstairs and just recently signed a record deal. if you haven't already heard it, download her song "jar of hearts", it's pretty amazing. not only does this little apartment complex feel like melrose place--with dancers here, singers downstairs, musicians next door--but keltie told me that the place itself has been kind of a good luck charm to everyone that's lived here. there are a few empty apartments so i'm hoping that once my two months are up, i may be able to stay in the same area. for now, enjoy these pictures of my new home! i move in september 22nd (the same day i fly back to california with my mom who will be helping me get settled for a few days) and i'll send more updated pictures :)

bedroom

bathroom (and my sister!)

big comfy couch in the living room that pulls out to an extra bed (sadly the cute puppy does not come with the apartment)

front door (i LOVE the hardwood floors); the index cards on the big blue wall are keltie's manifest wall where she writes down things she wants to accomplish--i am SO going to keep that up and create one of my own :)

kitchen (my sister told me to get in and pretend i was cooking something..)

mini dining room; the table pulls out (how cute is the wallpaper!)

desk area and entrance into the bedroom

the area i'm living in is walking distance from an AWESOME shopping center called franklin village. some of the restaurants a few steps away from me are: 101 coffeeshop and diner, borgeois pig coffeehouse, birds, la poubelle, real raw live...there's also a few cute shops, gelson's grocery store, and a gourmet foods market. i definitely lucked out! here's some more information on franklin village. thanks for stopping by!