um, october?

*tap tap* is this thing on?

oh hi there. i have a blog! i should maybe write some things about what's going on in my life as a somewhat-settled LA resident these days. let me catch you up:

i turned 30. this is my first picture as a 30 year old. looking good.

i got two new tattoos in honor of my new decade. here's one.

i traveled to san francisco, dc, and made my first trip back to nyc as a non-resident (but not a tourist, i swear!) where i got to catch up with friends.

i've become obsessed with stand-up paddle board yoga. i know, so LA.

i'm on day 6 of a whole 30 challenge and feel fabulous. this was breakfast yesterday (with two eggs on top).

we saw the sound of music singalong at the hollywood bowl and it was the best night of my life.

we hiked runyon canyon in the 100 degree heat and were rewarded with these views.

i could do with a bit less dramatic heat, especially because we are lacking an air conditioner, and i am counting down the days until we get our own place and i can sleep in our own bed again, but other than that, not too much to complain about. i might try and write a few more things on this here ol' website every now and again, if that's ok with you.

anyways, what's new in your neck of the woods?

five on friday: boyhood, good reads, and sweaters

i know everyone is asking this, but seriously though, no one has answered it yet: how the heck is it labor day already? it feels like just yesterday we were packing up boxes in nyc and getting on a plane to europe, and yet here we are, already two weeks into our new life in la. it's pretty insane! a few random thoughts on this friday before the long weekend...

a view of downtown la from silver lake

i'm feeling really left out of all this talk about sweaters, pumpkin spice, and boots, and it's kind of bumming me out! the grass is always greener, i suppose. last fall and winter, all i wanted was sunshine and 80 degrees every day, and now that we have it, it's kind of surreal! i'm not sure what kind of fall shopping to do other than more shorts and sundresses. i know, pity party for one over here.

when my mom was here last weekend, after a long day of walking around in the sun, we parked ourselves in a movie theater to see 'boyhood' and i can't stop thinking about it! such an amazing film, especially because the main actor who plays mason looks JUST like my little brother (er, younger brother, as he's 12 and taller than me), so it was like watching him grow up again. if you haven't seen it, carve three hours out of your weekend and thank me later.

my latest staying-up-way-past-my-bedtime-and-burning-through-my-kindle-battery read was the emotional roller coaster otherwise known as 'the husband's secret'. i seriously had whiplash from all the plot twists (hey-o!), but couldn't put it down and can't wait to read her next book. i think i read that it's going to be turned into a movie, which yes please. highly, highly recommend this book.

we're going on our first la beach trip this weekend! we're going to take off super early to beat traffic and explore malibu, which i've never visited before. fingers crossed for some celeb sightings, which for some reason are far more exciting here than they were in nyc. there is literally nothing better than a nap on the beach, so i'm really excited.

alright, this is me "working" this afternoon. i'm thinking i'm gonna call it an early day. hooray long weekends! hope you have a great one!

thoughts on thursday: meet frankie!

um, look who arrived yesterday!

a VERY happy early birthday to me! meet frankie, my new prized possession. frankie and i are already BFFs and are going to explore all of LA together. i can tell that this is the start of a long and happy relationship. she just needs a bell, a basket, and a rider with a less dorky helmet, and we'll be all set.

this whole turning 30 thing is pretty swell!

today's the day!

image via

it's a day that's been marked on our calendars since january of this year... and tonight, we will fall asleep in our new city! i cannot wait to wake up tomorrow and start exploring. i keep checking the weather to see what it's going to be like, forgetting that it's going to be 85 and sunny every day forever. old habits die hard...

hope your weekend is just as momentous and exciting as ours (but requires less time in a car driving down I-5). happy friday!

look where we are!

yes, blake is actually excited. he just chooses not to show it, apparently.

we made it! well, almost. we are officially in california! we're staying in sacramento with my dad for the next few days, and then finally (FINALLY!) heading to la on friday afternoon. it was so exciting to cross that state line, and totally surreal after our summer of bopping all around the planet.

all packed and ready to hit the road! 

my view for much of the day. 

mt. shasta in northern california

selfie payback for blake not smiling in our state line picture.

our weekend was jam-packed, with an arcade fire concert at the gorge friday night (more to come on that), a 14 hour drive from eastern washington on saturday, and then on sunday *drum roll please* we got a car!!

cr-v, i love you.

yes that's right, we officially have a set of wheels to call our own, and it's the very first time in my life that i've had one. i'm not gonna lie, it feels awesome. i can just hop in and go anywhere i want, anytime i want! pure luxury.

ah yes, it's all coming together. los angeles: are you ready for us?

the big 3-0!

just 67 days until i come to the end of my twenties. i'm pretty much the last person in my group of friends to make it to that milestone birthday, and i can't say i have much anxiety about it. bring it on, new decade! my twenties certainly saw a LOT of action, and if i told 20 year old meghan what the decade in front of her held, i doubt she would have believed me. but being older and wiser is never a bad thing, and i'm so excited about what i'll look back on in another ten years.

to celebrate, blake and i just booked a weekend getaway in my favorite vacation spot, palm springs. yes, i am actually a ninety year old woman masquerading as an almost-30 year old. we've been twice before and when we first decided to move to la, being closer to palm springs was definitely high up on the list of 'pros'.

top five things i'm excited about in la

in just over a month, we will be rolling into la with just a few suitcases, ready to take on the world. that makes it eight months from the original idea percolating to actually making it happen... and during those eight months, i've had a lot to get excited about. here's what i'm most looking forward to about living in los angeles.

1. weather. duh.

this could probably be numbers 1 through 10, i am that excited about the sunshine. i truly thought i was in it for the long haul with new york city, and never really pictured living anywhere else, until this winter and the phrase "polar vortex" entered my vocabulary. as i'm typing this wearing shorts in july with freckled arms, it's almost a distant memory. but those long dark days of february made it really easy to say goodbye to nyc and hello to year-round 70 degree days.

nope. nope. nope. no more.