The Move: 

Ahhhhh, it happened! I have successfully moved from the DC/Maryland/Virginia area to the Bay area! Specifically, I moved to Santa Rosa, California, which is north baby, about an hour north of San Francisco. If you still don't quite know where that is, let me break it down in two words: Wine. Country. Ya girl is living in the heart of wine country surrounded by rolling hills, mountains, vineyards,  wineries, and redwoods everywhere. If anyone were to tell me that I would be living the next 3 years of my life in wine country, I would call them a liar.




With the help of my parents and my little brother, we moved over Memorial Day weekend. For a while I debated between driving to California from Maryland or just flying, and we decided to fly. So on May 21st, I shipped my car out with the trunk packed with my kitchen and bathroom items to Santa Rosa. On May 25th with my 8 checked luggage filled with clothes and documents, we flew out to Oakland then drove up to Santa Rosa. My family was only there for help for really 2.5 days before they had to make it back home, but I really needed them there. My car arrived the night before they left, on May 27th. When they left, I will admit I got incredibly sad and really felt lonely. Luckily my best friend Lydia came from Maryland to spend a few days with me, which helped a ton! But after 3 weeks, I've been settling in well and building a community! In the interim, I've completed switched my residency status to California: new plates, new license, the whole shebang. 




My Home:
It's called  'granny-unit' or 'in-law unit' which is a thing I never quite heard of until I moved to California. It's essentially an apartment over the garage. Many homes are built with this design so they can rent it out. My granny unit was just absolutely perfect as you can see below.




I found a 1 bed/1 bed unit with my own in-unit laundry and under budget! It truly feels like a steal!  Below are some pics of my bedroom, with those of the rest of the house to follow soon! It's located close enough to downtown Santa Rosa with a wonderful mall and a beautiful square. I have 2 Targets within 5 minute drive of me (a weakness), a ton of food places nearby, and only a 10 minute drive to my hospital!

Furnishings and Decor:
I decorated my apartment with pieces from Ashley Furniture, Target, Marshalls, Ross, and Walmart! My best friend, Christiana, created a Pintrest board to help me design my apartment and we both kept adding to it. I was going for a mash up of mid-century modern, minimalism, and traditional. The brand, Project 62 at Target will literally make you drool, I promise. Below I have pictures of my bedroom with another post coming with the full deets of the furnishings and decor of my apartment!



Surrounding area:
Remember, I'm in Wine Country (sonoma county)! Napa valley is only 30 minutes east, the coast is 30 minutes west, and San Francisco and Oakland are only 1 hour south. So, what have been some things I've done?

     - Visited Castello Amorosa Vineyard in Calistoga, Napa Valley






     - Explored Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserves




     - Visited Russian River Brewing Company and taste some of their craft beers (I highly recommend the Pliney the Elder with an A.B.V of 8.0%.

     - Visited Bodega Bay to see the sunset over the Pacific Ocean

     - Ate at the best vegan restaurant in Oakland, Souley Vegan



I start residency on June 20th, but until then I'll just keep enjoying exploring and Netflixing!

With love,

Cherriese