NY or LA

I came home from cruise ships on my 27th birthday October 11, 1999. It was a great way to celebrate with my friends and family in Miami - So now what? I decided it was either New York or LA and NY was too cold, so I put everything I owned into my '91 Turquoise Ford Escort, picked up my good friend in Orlando, and we took a road trip across the country. We first stopped in Houston, TX to sleep, then to my good friend from ships in Clovis, New Mexico. Took a hot air balloon ride not far from there, I have a fascination with everything in the air. So far I have been in a helicopter, sea plane, and bungee jumped, and one day I really want to be in a blimp, go hang gliding, and eventually visit space.  June 1, 2000 we arrived from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, where I met my first best girlfriend, that I have known since I was 7 years old when our families immigrated from the Soviet union to Denver, Colorado.  

So yes most people moving to LA want to do some kind of acting, modeling, be a star, be famous, etc.  I am a why not go for it kind of gal, it was never my passion - I did a small play in Miami, and hosted many programs on cruise ships, so I decided why not take a shot.  This  picture was a modeling gig, and if you notice it is the same dress I wore recently at 8 months pregnant - love stretchy material that hugs my curves :)  I also did some extra work, lol, in some videos and movies, but my funnest gig of all was performing at the hottest night club in LA with a wild cast of characters.  You will see some of those pictures below, it was so fun to transform, have people enjoy it, and then I would go home and have a good sleep, and it was great to work there and get paid for having fun.

Besides being a party girl, I was told that I would be good in sales because of my personality, and I decided to get a job were I believed in what I sold.  A month after I moved here I was working at 24 Hour Fitness, I am still there over 10 years, now as a Yoga Instructor. I feel grateful to the company for letting me try many different positions and find where I fit. I did not like sales, because convincing people to want to be healthy was not for me, so I decided to work Front Desk for minimum wage while I looked for what I wanted to do with my life. I got certified to be a Group Exercise Instructor, and was teaching one of the best workouts ever, Bodypump. Low weight, high repetition, great music, and I got to lead it, people had fun and enjoyed having a guide, this was a really fun stage (double entendre) for me :) Below you will see pics from my performing and party days, and I was the leanest I have ever been, around 30 years old, and having a great time.  Here are a  few goodies of me as wonder woman and a blond bombshell.

It's at 24 Hour Fitness that I took Yoga with Raghavan, and knew I had found my path.  Next week I will delve into how it really helped me balance and inspire.  He literally changed my life, and when I moved to LA, I just followed my gut, and that is where I found fun, Yoga, and my husband.  Let life lead, but you have the ultimate choice.

Let's turn off from this insane world we live in, I know I need to,
Shabbat Shalom,
Yulia