{did I find gluten-free heaven?}

A grocery store that sells only gluten-free food?

With all the brands I love?

& rare finds like...donuts?

Yes, I think I found it.

If you're in LA, go visit Pam MacD's Gluten Free Market. 

{The only downside? The prices. But the peace of mind that everything is safe to eat is...priceless. Not to mention, I can actually grocery shop & NOT READ ANY LABELS! It's a miracle!} 

{settling into LA}

So I've been here a little over two weeks. In some ways it feels like I got here yesterday, but in other ways.... In other ways it feels like I've been here for months.

First & foremost...I love the weather. It was a bit chilly last week, but the temp has risen & it's been glorious!  Sunny, warm weather makes me a happier person, so I'm basically smiling 24/7 here.  {And it surely beats the negative temps back East!}

Like I mentioned last week, I LOVE my job. I seriously can't wait to go to work each morning.  The women in my little department are so nice & hilarious & just plain old entertaining to be around. {They're also very patient with me while I learn the ropes of this job.} Working on a television set is more exciting than I anticipated {& my bar was pretty high}. The air is always buzzing, people are constantly on the move, & I've even learned a lot from Dr. Phil by just watching each episode :)  & I've seen a few celebs!

For those wondering... I am the Stage/Talent intern. Basically my department takes care of all the guests who appear on the show. I get them from their car, bring them up to the dressing room, put them through hair/makeup/wardrobe, get them from the stage, etc. It's all fun, important work.

I'm also finally getting used to my new routine. Since my day starts so early, the night before I set out my clothes, make my lunch, & pack my bag. I don't want to wake up my roommate/be loud, so I like everything to be ready in the morning.

Here's my day Monday--Wednesday:

5:10am: Alarm goes off.
5:15am: Shower & get dressed.
5:25am: Breakfast/Check email.
5:45am: Clean my dishes.
5:50am: Put on makeup.
6:00am: Out the door!
6:15am: Arrive at Paramount.

6:30pm--3:00pm-ish: Work! We tape two shows a day so I'm busy busy busy all morning!  We eat lunch when the second show is taping.
3:15pm: Arrive at home. Change out of my work clothes.
3:30pm--6:20pm: Errands/Catch up on tv/homework.
6:20pm: Leave for class.
7:00pm-10:45pm: Class. {Tuesday/Wednesday}
11:00pm: Home, make tea, pajamas, bed.

Tuesdays & Wednesdays are gonna be rough. It's a long day. But the GREAT news is that my job rocks & my classes are awesome. So it's all good.

There's so many things on my to-do list while I'm here I fear I will run out of time!

Any readers out there have any suggestions? Any LA places I must see? {Besides Disney, obvs, because that's clearly #1.}  Tell me!!

{florida recap}

I'm going back a few weeks, but I promised a Florida recap. So here it is...

After Christmas, my mom, stepdad, Dylan, & I all flew to Florida. We needed to chill after the craziness of the holidays & I needed to spend some quality time with everyone before I headed off to Cali. {The nerves kicked in around day 2 of this trip.}  I was sick for the first half of the vacation, but the second half was fun!

The fact that people live in this weather all year round brings out the green monster of envy in me. At least I'm getting a taste of it here in LA! :)

If you're ever in Florida, you must go to Kilwins. It has the BEST ice cream. Oh my god. 

We drove to Palm Beach for the day & I saw this water fountain for dogs. I wish these were everywhere. Not for pups, but for me to photograph. Isn't the tile beautiful? {& I'm hoping you'll forgive me, Dylan, for putting a picture of you in a bikini on here. Because, well, I'm also in one above & the one of you  below is pretty.}

The week went by way too fast...but it was just what I needed before my cross country journey!
----

For my gluten-free peeps, here are a few restaurants in the Delray Beach/Palm Beach area that are celiac friendly:

Prime {steakhouse, sushi, & seafood}
Mellow Mushroom {really great gf pizza}
The Nutrition Cottage {health food store/cafe}

Happy Monday!

{an ultimate cali day}

Before I write...I saw him Thursday night. Can you say starstruck?

My roommate & I had off yesterday, so we decided to get out of Burbank & head out on an adventure! We first went to Paramount {I had to drop off some paperwork} & walked around for a bit.  Even though I work there every day...it's still so cool.

Oh. We also spotted Steak Me Home Tonight. If you watch Happy Endings, you'll understand why we were so freaking excited to see it.

Ignore the dirty windshield. I need to get my car washed.

Then we drove to Santa Monica. I was just there in August, but I was excited just the same.

Jamba, I love you.

Also...meet Emily! She's my roommate & she's awesome.

Helloooo Pacific!

The one on the right licked my face. LICKED MY FACE.

We were in one of the red ones.

I touched the sand, but not the water. Next time!

Palm trees are always a constant subject for me :)

Emily said this was a Cali outfit, so I took a pic. {Ignore my serious face.}

We hit up In-N-Out on the way home to keep with the theme of the day :)

I'm obviously loving it here. Wouldn't you?

Click to see it larger.

{internship update!}

I'm gonna make this quick because I'm EXHAUSTED & if I write a long post it won't make sense. {I have to head to class soon.} Waking up at 5AM then working all day then going to class until 11PM is even more tiring than it sounds.

BUT...

I. Love. My. Internship.

Even with the early wake-up call, I look forward to going to work. I love the team I work with, I love working on the Paramount lot, I love the excitement, & I love...the commute :)

This is my view from the parking garage in the morning:

So beautiful!

& look! I even have my own headset!

I'll write more soon!

{my LA internship!}

I am excited to share that I'll be interning at the Dr. Phil Show! I'll be the Stage/Talent Intern :)

I signed quite a long confidentiality agreement, so I'm going to stay mum on episodes/backstage/behind-the-scenes details for legal reasons...but I'll be sure to update on how it's going throughout the semester!

Wish me luck! More tomorrow...

{the best & worst day so far}

On Friday, Dylan & I had just a few hours together before I drove her to the airport, so we planned quite the morning.

First, we decided to head back to Bea Bea's for a farewell breakfast. It was delicious & even better than the first time. Then, we headed over to Paramount Pictures, where I had an interview for another position. The interview went great-- I was offered the job on the spot!--& walking around the studios was amazing.  {I passed The New Normal set & saw Glee being filmed...pretty cool!}  I was informed that the dress code is all black on filming days. So my two suitcases of wonderful clothes that I brought?  Not really gonna see the light of day.  But at least I can shop for some new black outfits! :)

Famous water tower!

Interview outfit

After that, we decided to go to a cupcake place to try a gluten-free cupcake...but we never quite got to the cupcakery. Because of this stupid thing:

Yup. We hit a pothole. & blew not one, not two, but THREE tires. It was a nightmare, to say the least, because not only is it not my car, but it's an expensive car. Dylan also had a flight to catch, so we were already running on a time crunch. Many tears, two tow trucks, four hours, & lots of $$$ later...I had three new tires.  The good news? The towing company said the city should reimburse me my parents for everything, so I took pictures & saved the receipts. But still...it was the most annoying thing ever.

Quite the way to start my semester, right? :)

After that fiasco was over, I carefully drove home & hung out with my roommate. I'm still stuck in the EST timezone, so I'm exhausted by 9:30pm. I've been waking up every morning at 7:35 on the dot...which will help me out tomorrow morning. I have to be at the stage at 6:30am. Goodbye sleeping in & hellooooo coffee!

{favorite spots in LA...so far!}

1. Bea Bea's
It's five minutes from my apartment & has gluten-free pancakes & waffles. Oh. My. Gosh.

{visit}

2. The Grove

Typical LA "hotspot". It has all the best stores & great restaurants. We hit up Dylan's Candy Bar...obviously :)  {I also asked if "Dylan's" gets discounts & the cashier looked at me like I was crazy. I think they should start that, no?? ;) }

We bought them & they were delicious. 

3. EVO Kitchen

One of the best gluten-free pizzas we've ever had. So good.

{visit}

4. Melrose Ave

Simply because, I'll be working....HERE!

I'll give more details soon!

5. Westlake Village

Our friends have a house here & the views are breathtaking! I'll gladly camp out on their lawn just so I wake up to this...

Caught our reflection! :)

View from their driveway!

We've had such a fun three days!  I was so sad to say goodbye to Dylan this morning, but she'll be back in a few weeks for spring break! 

I'm so excited for this semester. My apartment is in the best spot in LA, my roommate is awesome, & my internship is going to be an incredible experience. Let the fun begin!

Happy Weekend!

{hi from CA}

hello hollywood.

I've been here two days & I'm already loving it!

I'll have some time this weekend to write about what went on these past few days, but for now...

hi from CA!

palms & sunshine...two of my favorite things!