I moved to LA a little over 2 years ago which was one of the biggest and toughest decision I ever made...but also the best! It's hard to evaluate something like that, and at the time, I used what I had: pro/con list and a financial analysis model. As with any good analysis, the most critical portion is forecasting which I can honestly say I did a terrible job of. OK, terrible might be a strong word -- but I was definitely way too conservative in my modeling and I put too much emphasis on things that weren't that important.

What I've since found is that as hard as I've tried to resist, I REALLY LOVE LA! And here are my 6 reasons why (in stack rank order, of course). I'm going to stick with 6 -- I know it's a weird number but that pretty much covers everything I'm really passionate about:

1. "City Where the Future Comes to Happen" -- this was a recent quote from a Good Food podcast I listen to which I had to write down because it's sooo perfect! This is the #1 thing I love about living in LA -- it's everything from the job opportunities I've personally experienced to the general culture in LA that is fast-paced and filled with young, motivated, entrepreneurial people a.k.a. Silicon Beach
2. Speaking of beach, this brings me to my #2 reason -- WEATHER. I thought initially, sure it's nice to live somewhere warm but I had no idea how great it would be to literally be able to go outside every weekend and NEVER have to worry about if the weather is going to be nice. The worst weather days here are some of the best in Idaho, seriously.
 3. FOOD -- Terrible that this is a food blog and it's all the way at #3 on my list. Nonetheless, the food is incredibly delicious and it is so varied. You can get any type of Ethnic cuisine, it's always yummy (once you know where to go), and it's truly a foodie's dream.
4. Never a dull moment -- you can hike, go to the beach, attend a concert, go shopping, fly to anywhere in the world, and it's all available RIGHT HERE ALL THE TIME. For someone who's #1 love language is quality time/activities done together, this is a great place to be!
5. REAL relationships -- one of the things I was MOST concerned with when moving was leaving my family and friends. Don't get my wrong, that's still true and I do miss being closer to those I love BUT (and this is a big BUT) I can honestly say I've never spent more quality time with my family and friends than in the past 2 years from having visitors at our house, or meeting for vacations somewhere, or going home and having everyone make time to spend with us while we're there!
 6. CULTURE -- I know I already said this above but this was one of those surprising things I had no idea would be so important to me until I moved here. So, I'm going to mention it again and this time I'm talking about the diversity, the liberal mindset, the attitude that women and men are equal at home, work, etc. I love everything about the culture in LA and honestly, I feel like we fit in more here and that's nice.

So, I thought it would be fun to mix it up this week. I'm pretty lucky when it comes to having a true partner. My husband cooks, cleans, goes grocery shopping, and pretty much anything else that I do. We have a solid system in place where I usually cook while he does the dishes, he does laundry while I grocery shop, and we have a great housekeeper who does the cleaning! However, every once in a while -- we mix it up and you'll find Jason in the kitchen. What I find is that he tends to make different things than I do since he's started to branch out with his cooking skills over the last few years and it's always nice to have a variety. Once of his favorite go-to's is a smoothie. He throws a variety of stuff in -- depending on what's currently in our fridge or sitting around but below is a pretty standard assortment that's delicious and makes for a quick dinner -- especially on the weekend where we tend to have a late breakfast, late lunch, and then need a little something more before we go to bed.

Jason's Favorite Smoothie
Time: 10 min.  Makes: 2 servings
1 banana     1 orange     2-3 large carrots     1 avocado     1 large spoonful peanut butter
4-6 large scoops yogurt (~3/4 c.)     fill blender half way up with milk (~2 c.)
Add all ingredients to Vitamix or similar blender and blend for a couple minutes until smooth. Serve in a glass with a couple ice cubes and a straw. ENOJY -- MMMM :)