SLO LIFE Dec/Jan 2017

furniture there. I love quirky, different pieces. I think there’s a lot
of inspiration in San Luis, too, and I think that’s when I’m most
happy. I can just absorb it all and apply it to my home and to my
bags. It’s a lot of inspiration for the brand that I’m building, as
funny as that sounds. Yes, this is an expensive place to live and as
much as I would love to own a home instead of renting, I do think
that you get what you pay for. I mean, literally, behind my house
is the Irish Hills. I can run my dogs every day. I can take them
to the dog park there. I don’t have to worry about anything. The
Central Valley is a hundred and ten degrees, and my dogs would fry.
The cost of living is very high, but you’re paying for an awesome
lifestyle here. The beach is right around the corner. But, the flip
side is that most of the jobs here do not pay well. That’s why I
moved into sales. I had to. I would have gotten a little salary raise,
you know, every two years or whatever, but being on commission
allows me to put more money into my bags.
What does the future hold? It would be my dream to have a ranch in
Edna Valley, but how much is that going to cost me? And it’s a bummer
that money gets in the way, but, you know, you’ve just got to keep busting
your butt and figure out where it’s going to take you. I would love to be
out there driving around on a quad with six dogs running behind me. And
it would be awesome to have a crop where I could actually feed my family,
but also big enough to make a profit. Yeah, there’s a side of me that likes
the more quiet, tranquil life that’s about the simple things. My grandma,
growing up, she always said, “A simple life is a good life.” And now that
I’m older, I have an appreciation for dirt, and being able to grow your own
product, and that simple life my grandma always talks about. She’s been a
huge role model for me, always reminding me, “You’re not responsible for
anyone’s happiness except your own.” I try to take that to heart, and try to
be the most successful version of myself every single day, which is a good
thing because it pushes me to want to learn and grow. And if you can get
to that spot in life, I really do think that’s where magic happens. SLO LIFE
40 | SLO LIFE Magazine | Dec/jan 2017