NOTE: These are the original photos from the MLS listing just to give you an idea of the look and layout of the house before I moved in (which was about four weeks ago).
Happy Monday Lovecats!
I honestly can’t believe I’m actually here… in a new house, in a new town, in a completely new life.
For months I searched, thinking it might not happen, for months I cried about leaving it all behind (which you’d know if you are with me over on Subtack) and now, here I find myself.
I haven’t talked about it much here (mostly because I’ve been blabbing on Subtack and a little on Instagram as well), but last March I shared that I was leaving Lake Arrowhead (and my business, Dogwood Tavern) behind and had begun the house hunt in a new land, far, far away from the mountain I have lived on for the past 12+ years – pst! It’s not that far actually, 😅.
I still can’t even believe that it’s been 12 years since I left LA and moved to Lake Arrowhead, because even though I’ve been through what has felt like 3 lifetimes in these last 12 years, it also feels like yesterday when my now ex-husband and I took a drive at the beginning of October 2012 and returned home 3 days later with an offer on a house, waiting to see if we had been accepted and excited to start our new life adventure.
The idea of moving to Lake Arrowhead to start a new life, which I thought would include children and a family, ended in 2016-2017 when my husband and I divorced. I then dove head first into renovating a building (2016) and opening a business (2018), fell in love with one of my business partners (2017), got engaged in 2019 and got to experience what it might feel like to have a family with two beautiful stepdaughters (who I adore).
With the stress of the business and the relationship taking a toll on my mental health, I moved out on my own in October 2022, hoping to heal and grow and get back to my own creative work with high hopes that I’d move back towards the relationship the following year. Instead, I survived the 2023 blizzard on my own, experienced so much PTSD and more relational trauma in the months that followed, I chose to move into my parent’s house (Le Dome) last year on November 1st.
Even though last winter paled in comparison to the previous one, I came close to full mental breakdowns with each winter snowfall and along with other reasons (which I won’t bore you with here), I decided to step away from my business in February and then move off the mountain entirely by March.
After about 5 months of house hunting and no less than 7 OFFERS ON HOUSES, on June 30th I walked into this house and by July 2nd, they had accepted the offer.
After an inspection found that the house needed a new roof, possible plumbing and various other fix-its (it’s an old house), another offer was sent and another week of anxiously waiting, they finally accepted the offer I exhaled a sigh of relief as escrow started. After losing so many houses in a market that rivaled what was going on in Lake Arrowhead during the pandemic just two years prior (when I was also searching for a house – before moving into the rented townhouse), I was truly starting to lose hope and then lucky 7 was the one.
If you are a paid subscriber on my Substack, you got to see all of this happen in real time, along with the insane emotional roller coaster that accompanied it. I think I also shared these pics and talked about the house in Episode 25 🤔
Finally, after about a month of house renovation (which actually went quicker than I thought it would) I moved at the end of August and through the first week of September. In fact, just this weekend I was up on the mountain landing my car with the final bits and pieces that get left behind at the end of a move. Thankfully it’s my parent’s house, so I had a bit of leeway to get everything out.
So… without further ado, this is my new little house down in the flatlands of Redlands, which truly reminds me of LA and the Valley, where I grew up, in the most wonderful ways. The old foliage and tall palms and the old houses have me feeling like I’m home away from home. I’m still settling in, and believe me, the last four weeks have been very challenging, but I’m really starting to feel settled and find myself smiling and gulping back happy tears instead of sad and fearful ones. Hopefully I’ll be able to share more soon as I finish each space as much as I can for now… I’m able to breathe again and sleep, which is a wonderful feeling.
It’s a little house with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and an added on space you’ll see below. The second bedroom will be my closet, because duh, what else would I use it for? 😆
You can see a bit of it here in my last Instagram post
I LOVE this old Hollywood bathroom with black and white flooring and yellow tile counter with archway over the tub shower. It’s very old and surprisingly large and reminds me of old houses in LA I grew up in and around.
This little added on space (which will be my office) spans the dining room and the second bedroom (which will be my closet). The two steps down from each doorway created a nice flow of energy in the house so I can walk in a a circle, basically, which I love.
The details and cute little quirks and nooks remind me of Old Hollywood and Valley houses I grew up in or around… but as I think about what I want to name this (for my blog’s category mostly) I am not sure what to call it. Maybe Redlands is the best option, but it seems boring, although Old Hollywood doesn’t seem quite right either… 🤔
Happy Monday Lovecats!
* Find all my Home and Decor posts here
* Find all my Redlands posts here – this is the first one 😊
* Find all my Sunday House Crush posts here
* Find all my House Hunting posts here – I wish I would have shared all the houses I looked at and put offers on… maybe I will now, is it too late? I swear I’ve been in a mental fog for MONTHS NOW… if not years 😔
