(cue the news anchor voice) We interrupt the regularly scheduled #100daysofpractice catchup posts to bring you some big news!

This was a big summer at Active Violinist. This blog (and business/performer/teacher/owner) packed up and relocated to Los Angeles. Yes, you read that correctly, I finally vacated Oklahoma.

This move is an exciting change! I am switching paths in life entirely and am now a starving actress working towards my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame...just kidding!

I am excited to see what adventures lay ahead of us. I've been here for about a month and am enjoying the change of pace. I have so many ideas and plans, and now I finally have the time to pursue them, and I'm on a mission to do as much work as I can before I get swept away with the fame and fortune, that inevitably strikes everyone who moves to L.A., right?

I've been dedicating some serious time and effort to developing corpßonoré - sound // body // wellness, (which you should sign up for by the way, because it is going to be fantastic AND beautiful) with my partner Madeline Shaefer, and am excited to make this happen, finally. We are developing an online publication AND podcast committed to musicians health and wellness so stay tuned for more updates about that coming soon.

I've also been drafting many AV goodies that will start appearing on this site. One of which is a monthly newsletter SEPARATE from the blog with a collection of music, mindfulness, and health-related info plus whatever else is kicking around in my head (mostly music-related, of course). If you want to join that party, add yourself to the pop up that now appears on this website when you visit (or leave a comment/message me, and I will add you to the VIP list). I've been doing tons of reading, and research and the AV Newsletter will unleash this brilliance on your inbox - worth it, I promise!

Sadly, since moving out here, I have not seen a single celebrity - what is up with that!? I thought they would be everywhere; that this place would be crawling with famous people, and I'd barely be able to walk down the street without being confronted by some generic A-lister. But so far, its just ordinary people everywhere.

In all seriousness, I was a little nervous about this move. I never saw myself living in this city, and thought I would be overwhelmed by the size and grandeur of it all, but so far I love it! I've been to the Hollywood Bowl twice to see two of my favorite violinists (Hello, Ray Chen and Itzhak Perlman), and have reconnected with so many friends from my childhood, high school years, AND the music industry. We've gone on hikes almost every weekend, eaten amazing food, hung out at the beach, endured the epic DMV line (OMG! bring a book), experienced a wine safari in Malibu, and snuck off to Palm Springs for a weekend in the desert. I'm working hard to make the most of my free time.

The Saguaro in Palm Springs before the raging Pool Party Started.

Ray Chen played Tchaikovsky in July, and Itzhak played Mendelssohn in August.

Even the move out here was awesome. My mom was kind enough to accompany Blanche and me on an epic road trip through the Southwest on our quest for the west. Neither of us had ever been to Santa Fe or the Grand Canyon (how unamerican), so we turned this move into a little adventure. You can see a few highlights below.

falling in the Grand Canyon. Blanche took this picture right before she pulled us back to safety.

We arrived in L.A. during rush hour traffic...might as well jump in the deep end, I guess. I miss my Tulsa friends, colleagues, horses, and students, but I'll be back so often I'm sure it will feel like I never left.

If you're reading this from Oklahoma, and want to receive my OK Newsletter to stay up to date on when I'll be back, and what I'll be doing, shoot me a message or sign up here, and I'll add you to the list.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more interesting posts (and the rest of the #100daysofpractice challenge).

Happy Practicing!

We've Moved!

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