Coronado Pt. 1

The origins of the fateful trip that inspired my move

The first photos I ever took in San Diego! Left, outside the airport (which I unironically love so much) and right, waiting in line to get Starbucks to avoid jet lag. I can literally feel the bliss that I’m feeling, just looking at these photos.

The story of why I moved to San Diego, starts with a trip to Coronado.

I could jump right in and tell you about the magic of the Coronado Bridge, the cute inn I stayed at, the bookstore I spent hours in, or the shop where I bought a vintage Chanel ring on my last day there.

I could jump to the middle and tell you about my magical visit to the Cabrillo National Monument.

I could try to untangle the symbolism of the fact that it rained every time I tried to go to the beach.

But first, I need to tell the story of why I went and what happened on that trip.

And before we get to the details of what happened, I should probably tell you a little more about who I was at that exact moment in time.

So, Part 1 of this story will be about the ‘why’ and the ‘who.’

Parts 2 and 3 will be about the ‘what’; what happened, what I felt, what I discovered, and what I decided on my last day in Coronado.

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Like so many things in my life, it all started with Idina Menzel. I’m continuing to realize that she has been somewhat of a North Star in my life.

Back to Oz

In January 2023, I was on the way back from the hair salon when I read an announcement about Idina Menzel’s new musical, Redwood, debuting in early 2024.

Tickets weren’t on sale to the public yet, and wouldn’t be for several months. At this point, they were only available to season subscribers at La Jolla Playhouse, in San Diego, where the musical was set to premiere.

Did becoming a season subscriber for a theater 3,000 miles away from where I currently lived make sense? Not really.

Is that exactly what I did? Absolutely.

With no plane booked, no hotel reserved, and no idea what would be going on in my life a year from now, I called the theater, became a subscriber, and got the tickets to Redwood (and multiple other shows.)

I knew nothing about the show except that Idina Menzel was starring in it, and that the Redwood trees were probably involved somehow. All I knew was that I was going.

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Fast forward to Fall 2024 —

I still haven’t learned anything about Redwood, I’m finishing up my life coaching certification, and starting my business. I’m a few months into my blogging journey and loving

Wild Cozy Free

. I’ve just started working with my own incredible coach, who lives in San Diego, but is heading to Mexico for a year with her fianceé (now husband!) Life is calm, yet exciting. I feel like nothing can go wrong.

And then, an eerie series of events happens.