Q&A With Lauren Curry: The Beauty Of Moving

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Hey friends! We are so excited with be chatting with our dear friend, Lauren Curry, today on LSK. Lauren manages our Pinterest page & you can read this post to get to know her a bit more. Read the Q&A below to hear about her move to LA and what the big life transition has shown her about the goodness and greatness of God. She shares extremely inspiring words about trusting the Lord to lead you in your life in His perfect time, how important it is to find a Church community that you love, and how Jesus comforts and provides in the sweetest ways. Regardless of if you are moving soon, have moved, or never moved, this is a must-read![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/2"][vc_column_text]

What inspired you to move to LA?

I had been visiting California 4-5x a year since my uncle and brother had both moved from California to Washington State around 4 years ago. Since they left, I had really been finding reasons to visit since they moved. When I was in college, I interned in California 3 summers in a row and literally every time I came to LA, I felt like my heart was exploding because I loved it so much. It sounds so dramatic, but it’s true! It was this past September when my dad had finally sat me down and said, “God told me that this isn’t your place anymore and that you need to move to LA. So I think you need to move as soon as you can, like in the next 2 weeks”. So literally, I think I moved 2 1/2 weeks after my dad had sat me down without any full time job or any idea what I was going to do in LA, but I knew that it was the right timing. 

What was the biggest challenge in moving to a new city and how did the Lord help you with the adjustment?

The biggest challenge for me was feeling lonely for the people that I had left in Washington. Whenever I would talk to my family who was celebrating a birthday party all together or see my friends back home on social media hanging out and having fun, I would, to be honest, ask myself why I did the hard thing. Through this, the Lord really has really surrounded me with such amazing people, but He has also been teaching me how to do things alone. When I got to LA, I realized a lot of what I had to learn was that sometimes there’s areas of your life and things you need to grow in and do alone so that God has space to lead you to new places.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/2"][vc_column_text]

What are 3 of your favorite things about the city?

1. I LOVE the restaurants and coffee shops in LA. One of my favorite things in the world is finding new coffee shops and discovering new eats and LA literally has a never ending list of amazing places to go for food or coffee. Living here makes me wish I was a professional food critic. 2.  I really admire how the mindset in LA is to dream big. Everyone you meet here is here to really chase and pursue a dream. It's really inspiring to live in a city that doesn’t put rules on what you can accomplish- I think it’s helped me really to start thinking outside my comfort zone. 3. I really just love my Church. I’ve been going to Mosaic in Hollywood since I moved and it’s literally been a lifeline for me. I've met some of my closest friends from LA through Mosaic and it’s really just allowed me to grow more and make my faith my own. As a follower of Jesus, it’s so important to surround yourself with a Church community who can be alongside you when life feels hard.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

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What has been the biggest gift about transitioning to LA?

God’s timing, 100%. Before I moved, I kept making excuses for why maybe I shouldn't. I was scared that I was going to relocate myself and then end up with no job or no community, or realize that maybe this isn’t the place that I was supposed to be. But literally the day I moved to LA, I could feel God’s favor on my life. Doors kept opening for me and God’s timing was so perfect in every detail. So much has happened for me in the past 6 months and it was all stuff that, before I moved, I was desperately trying to organize on my own rather than allowing God to bring it to me when I was ready for it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/2"][vc_column_text]

Biggest piece of advice you would give someone who is considering a relocation?

Have a tangible, genuine faith in where God can take you.When you know and believe that the Lord has called you to greater places, you must also understand that He will truly protect you and guide you to where you’re supposed to go, while giving you what you need along the way. It’s not always going to make sense and it’s not always going to be on your timeline, but He truly has the perfect place for you at the perfect time and when He calls you to that, take action with the thought that He WILL provide for you and give you exactly what you need, when you need it. Before I knew I was moving, I prayed for MONTHS that God would give me 3 things: My place, my purpose, and my people. Months later, I’m truly reaping the seeds of those prayers, so I would challenge anyone who is confused or scared to pray for those 3 things and I promise, you WILL see that prayer come to pass.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

growing roots in LA.

Have any of you moved from the comfort of your home town to a brand new city? It's hard and exciting, scary and exhilarating all at the same time, right? A melting pot of emotions in full effect. The unknown creates such drive and adventure, but at the same time, bursts of homesickness creep in. Before my move two years ago to beautiful Los Angeles, I had only experienced short term city swaps from Dallas to the Big Apple. Knowing I would be there for a few months created this ambition to experience all I could before I would arrive back home. Now, I am in for a new situation - coming to grips with the reality that Los Angeles might be home for life.So how do you begin?PRIORITY #1: FRIENDSHIPSCorrect me if I am wrong, but the people that closely surround you develops the comfort of home. Yes, the local coffee shop or the running trail adds to the familiarity, but community at large is what settles you in. I must brag for a minute on my sweet man; Jason has been the most patient and grace-filled husband who has pushed me to grow in comfort with his already created California community (12 years and counting), and has been the one I run to to be reminded of how to make new friends. But, seriously! {enter laughing emoji}.Side note: as you know, it takes intention and vulnerability to develop new close relationships! If we are honest, it can be utterly intimidating and exhausting. My piece of advice: stop expecting friendships to immediately be the same as your life-long ones at home, don't lose hope, and enjoy the process! Allow yourself to be vulnerable + allow yourself to go outside of your comfort zone. That's what builds the depth and fights against loneliness.I was talking to a friend today who moved to LA at the same time I did about two years ago, and we were confirming that it takes TIME to feel at home in a new city. The two of us have walked this journey together, of one day despising the traffic-filled canyons to the next day obsessing over the beach towns and stunning hiking trails in the neighborhood. The conclusion: we have learned to be patient with ourselves, realize the beauty around us and great progress we are making (even if it feels slower than we expected). PRIORITY #2: FIND YOUR SPACESLet's be honest. It takes time to create a new home - to find and decorate a living space, to discover a new Pilates studio and juice shop, or your go-to breakfast cafe. Although they take research and test-tries, when you connect with a place, it's such a victory!Moving can be such a hard, yet beautiful thing. Focus on the positives of the accelerated growth it brings and keep yourself open to change. Be grateful for the opportunity that takes you outside of your familiarity and adds more depth and strength to your life. P.S. It's okay to still have those missing home blues, too! The streets you grew up on will be home forever.

OUTFIT DETAILS //

splendid dress (c/o)| tom's sunnies (similar) (c/o) | superga sneaks (non-platforms, here)