Spoke too soon. But in a good way

After posting the last blog posting, I hopped on craigslist and searched for housing. I saw a posting that kinda jumped out at me because one of the cross streets it mentioned was Sawtelle Blvd which is the same street where the Church is located. Plus, everything else that was mentioned in the ad was very much within my pretty picky parameters. So, like so many times before, I decided to shoot off a message. After leaving the library, I decided I would go to the Church to sit in the parking lot as I have done many times before. On my way, my phone started ringing. In California it is illegal to use your cell phone while driving unless you have a head set or hands free option. I decided that I would answer anyways. It was the guy I had sent the message to. I asked him if I could call him back after I got off the freeway. So I finished making my way to the church parking lot, pulled in, turned off my car and called the guy back. All the information he gave in response to my grilling was to my liking. I finally asked him if i could go ahead and come over to look at it. He told me where it was located, and much to my surprise, it was only a block away from the church! The guy took me in, showed me the place, and it is great. The apartment building, including parking is completely gated so to even get into the complex you need a key. Next, in the middle of the complex is a very large outdoor courtyard complete with all sorts of trees and greenery and a pool. The complex had also just finished construction on a fitness center/gym and a sauna. Upon entering the apartment I found that the room I would be sharing was fairly large and had a very large walk in closet with ample room for all of my clothes. The three other guys living in the apartment are all students and are low key guys. There was no required deposit and there is no lease so living there is on a month by month basis. I was blown away by how nice it was for as low as the rent is. Rent is only $360 per month plus utilities. Utilities come to about $40 a month and that covers everything including wifi. So I told them I was in and it is now a done deal. When I left, I could not help but smile. After posting my last post, I was on cloud nine but little did I know the universe had much more in store for me today. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for this huge blessing. I am thrilled beyond measure.

Much needed

This is going to be a quick post because I do not have much time. I really wanted to post it so that I could share this experience as well as show my gratitude.
The past few days I have been listening to The Secret and The Power of Intention. Both of these books on tape are exceptional and really help me to stay positive and focused on creating good in my life. As I was driving today to the Santa Monica Public Library to use the internet I got a text from facebook notifying me of a recently received message in my inbox. I was able to read the message on my phone. It was from a random person with the last name of Swenson who sated they were just searching different Swensons on facebook. This person then proceeded to insult me based solely on my looks and profile. There were many swear words and derogatory terms used and all together the message was evil, mean and full of negative energy. The first feeling i felt was sadness. The things said were hurtful and I instinctively wanted to take it personally. "NO," I thought. "I am not going there." This small battle took all of 5 seconds. I then switched to focusing on good and sending out good energy. About 5 minutes after initially receiving the message, I pulled up to the Library. I got out, and started to feed the meter. "Excuse me," a voice behind me asked. I turned around to see a guy holding fliers in his hand. "There is a focus group being conducted tomorrow tonight and if you come we'll pay you $100." I took the flier and smiled thinking, wow, what a blessing. I was already impressed with what had happened. The man had started to walk away. I continued to feed the parking meter when he turned around again. "Are you by chance an actor?" he asked. "Yes," I replied. "Well, I work for a staffing company. If you come tomorrow, I can give you some information on working for Caterers. We staff for a lot of companies that cater for events around LA and we send you available shifts all the time and you work whichever ones you can." I looked at the guy and just said, wow, I really need something like this. I told him I had just moved here and was looking for work. He gave my his cell number, told me his name was Otis Brown and said to come tomorrow to the focus group or to give him a call. The experience blew my mind. I feel so grateful. This is exactly what I need. A job with flexible hours. I really believe that the negative message I received via Facebook was Satan trying to throw a wrench into the good energy I was sending out and the positive things I am currently attracting. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with this experience. I really needed this today.

Week 1

I arrived to LA a week ago tonight. Its crazy to me that it has only been a week because it does seem like longer and it makes me feel better that I have yet to find housing or a job and that I still feel so uncomfortable here. A week is not very long at all. I have made great progress though in the past week. I have had the chance to sign up with a casting agency that basically can get you work as an extra on movies. Obviously this is not the end goal, but its a great way to make some money and to get experience being on set and what not. Yesterday, I set out with my aunt Mimi to take some headshots. It was a blast and we got some incredible shots. After the day was over, Mimi asked me, "so how many shots do you think we took?" I thought we did about 400 but when we got back and uploaded everything to her computer, it turns out we shot 1400 pictures. Wow! I am sooo grateful to my aunt for doing this for me. Getting headshots is expensive so to have her do that is a real blessing. Mimi uploaded a handful of the shots on her facebook, so if you go look at my tagged photos you should be able to see them. They are not final products but just a sample of what we did. Right now I am really focusing on finding housing. The reason it has been difficult is that there are a lot of shady places around here that I would really rather not live in. I know that I cannot be too picky with the price range I am searching, but I also feel like I need to feel good about a place to move in. I have been praying for something to open up with people from church. I am currently working on two leads of possible rooms. One being in the Santa Monica ward which I am really hoping works out, the other being in down town LA which pertains to the LA singles ward. I would be fine with either because they are both affordable and with guys I know I can trust.

I gotta mention how beautiful it is down here. Man, I love the weather. I also love being near the ocean, seeing palm trees and bird of paradise flowers everywhere. Its really awesome being here.

I am so grateful for the church. Not only the organization but the physical building. There have been a couple days where I have had nothing to do, no leads to follow up on for housing or jobs, and because where I am staying is a half hour drive south I would rather stay in Santa Monica in case I was called back by housing people. On those days, I go and park in the church parking lot. I feel safe there and it comforts me when I am feeling the frustration that typically acompanies those days. As for the organization of the church, it gives me so much comfort to attend church. I am dying to go tomorrow.

Today, I have started listening to The Secret again. I have come to the conclusion that I just need to put that on repeat in my car. Its so great to listen to it because It reminds me to be positive and you cannot help but feel empowered while listening. Thoughts really do become things, and I am in need of things right now, so through positive thinking, I will manifest that which I need.

On a somewhat funny and maybe to my mother a scary note, I have almost lost my life three times driving around this place. Rush hour is ridiculous and highly stressful. The only thing I can compare driving during rush hour to is a fight to the death. You really do have to be an agressive driver to make it down here. Every move you make must be calculated and swiftly executed. Otherwise, you will be desroyed and your remains scattered around for the wild beasts to feed upon.

Lastly, I miss my family like the dickens. They are my best friends. They are the people I confide in and feel the most comfortable around. There have been a bajillion times over the past week where I have thought I should just go home. It would be so easy. But I cannot. I have worked too hard for this and it is something I do want. I know myself and know that I am all about being in my comfort zone. Fortunately my family knows this as well and they have been such a huge support. I am grateful that I can call them and talk with them when I do need a pep talk. I am grateful for the texts I receive from my mom telling me that she loves me. I am here to create a life for myself and to face my fears head on. My mission president, President Steimle, said that when we are comfortable, we are not growing. I want to grow. I need to grow. I am growing. I really believe that the Lord has something great in store for me. I just need to push forward so that whatever that something is will become more and more apparent.

Allies

I am writing this real quick because I am exhuasted. I currently do not have internet access and am writing this blog originally onto "notepad" as I do not have microsoft word loaded on my laptop. Once I have internet I'll cut and paste this onto my blog. Today, I was able to spend time with my aunt mimi. She spent the day with me, feeding me, showing me around LA, and giving me great advice. I had not seen Mimi in a very long time so it was nice to spend time with her. As the day was going on, I could feel myself getting more and more overwhelmed. I could not help but think to myself, "what have I done?!" After getting some hot chocolate with Mimi, she brought me back to the chapel in Santa Monica where my car had been parked all day. I went to the ward's Family Home Evening which I'll be honest wasnt super exciting but I think a lot of that has to do with my current state of being overwhelmed. FHE was great though because it gave me a chance to get to know more people in the ward and to talk briefly with Brother Stone, the second counselor in the bishopric. That is basically a chronology of the days events
but now I would like to mention a few specific things that I feel so grateful for.

Since I have been here, I have really seen the hand of the Lord in my day to day life. As i mentioned in my previous blog, I have seen my path prepared before me. Today not only showed me further preparation of my path but also the fact that I have more allies than I could have imagined. With news of my move being posted on facebook and my most recent blog I have been contacted by multiple people offering a place to stay while I look for a permanant residence. One of those was a friend of mine named Kirsten who I know through my Cousins Tanner and Megan. She lives in LA and sent me a message letting me know that I could set up in her living room and sleep on her couch until I found a place. After hearing this, not only was i hugely grateful, I felt some relief knowing that I would not need to pay for a motel if i was in a bad spot. Next, I got a call today from my friend Janae. She told me that I was welcome to stay with her parents who live in Glendora. Janae's mom even called me on my cell phone later tonight to let me know that I am welcome to stay with them and to join them for meals. I was again so appreciative of this offer. Next, My aunt Mimi let me know that the people she is staying with while her apartment is getting set up offered to let me stay in their extra bedroom. This is a couple that I don't even know, allowing me to come into their home so that I have a place to sleep.

I feel blessed. I feel loved. I feel so much gratitude. All I can say is forgive me mine unbelief. I need to repent for being such a stress case and worrying that I won't find a place to live. I know that everything will fall into place. I am doing all I can and I see the Lord blessing me. I cannot help but be touched by the kindness of people.

The Path Prepared

In my preparations to come to LA I prayed a lot that my path might be prepared before me. And now that I am here, I am seeing that prepared path. When I first arrived to Santa Monica, I was completely lost. I needed to find a motel but had no idea where I was. I called my brother Cooper and asked him to look up the address for the nearest Motel 6. Now with an address, I needed to figure out how to get there. So after driving around the city of Santa Monica for about 20 minutes, I finally found a gas station. I thought If I bought a map, i'd be able to figure out where i needed to go. I asked the guy at the counter if they had maps, he showed me where they were and then asked, "where are you trying to go?" I told him the city and that I was trying to get to a motel. "Motel 6? he asked." He then gave me step by step instructions on how to get there. The nearest Motel 6 was in Inglewood so he told me which freeways to take, the exits and everything. I was so appreciative. Because of that man, I went from feeling hopeless and frustrated to pulling into the motel and finally being able to lay down and get some sleep.

Today, at church, I went in and tried to track down someone from the bishopric so that I could tell them who I was and my situation (not having housing or a job). As I was standing there alone, I was approached by a guy who introduced himself. He asked me who I was and it turned out he was the second counselor in the bishipric. He took me and introduced me to the Bishop. They then got me set up with the employment and housing specialists who are now helping me to find housing and a job. I am very excited. Plus, the ward was incredible. I was so impressed by how I felt there and the Bishop was amazing. I am very excited about this ward. People seemed very friendly as I had multple people come up and introduce themselves.

I am grateful for these small things that I believe are preparations made by my Heavenly Father. I know he knows me and knows what I am going through and that is a great comfort.

Tomorrow I am going to focus on finding somewhere to live. I really need to find something asap.

A Much Needed Omen

Lately, I have felt somewhat discouraged and impatient. I feel exhausted with my current situation yada yada yada. I have been thinking to myself a lot lately that I could really use what I call an omen (The Alchemist reference) which is basically some sort of sign that will give me the energy to push forward. A couple days ago I got that much needed omen. One of the predicaments that I had been really worried about is what I would do about my medicine (happy pills) when I move to California. I was worried because I am uninsured and unable to afford to buy the medicine I need. While I was at BYU I was able to get my meds for free through this special program they had which was oh so nice but ever since I graduated from BYU I have just been mooching from my dad's meds. Well, a couple days ago I got a call from "Joan" the BYU Health Center lady informing me that she has 4 months worth of my Cymbalta waiting in her office for me. I was like, "saaaaay whaaaaaaaaat?" So I called her and told her that I had graduated and that when I had tried to make an appointment back in April to submit another request for more medicine I was told by the front desk that I was not allowed to since I had just graduated. She just said, "oh, that's ok, you can still come pick it up." So today, I went and picked up the medicine. I have four months worth of Cymbalta which I can actually get away with taking a pill every other day if need be, meaning that I can make this last for 8 months. It's not a permanant fix to my med situation but it will cover me till maybe I can afford to get insurance. I feel really blessed and grateful for this omen. FOLLOW THE OMENS!!!

I do

It's starting to get really cold and I don't like it. It also is getting dark at around 5:00 and I don't like that either.

This I like.