Introducing my New Blog Series – Adventures of a NY Gal in NorCal!

Written by Lisa Montanaro | August 23, 2013

welcome If you have been following my blog for awhile now, you know that last year in the summer of 2012, my husband and I sold our home in the Hudson Valley of NY (about an hour northwest of Manhattan), sold a bunch of possessions, said goodbye to family and friends, packed up our two dogs, and drove across country for 13 days, visiting 13 states and driving 3,600 miles. Why? To relocate to Northern California so that my husband could follow his dream of doing a prestigious 3-year residency in veterinary internal medicine at the University of California at Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Well, an entire year has passed since that relocation. And boy, am I loving California! And what’s interesting is that seems to surprise some people. They seem shocked to find out that a New Yorker could love California so much! But for those of you that know me better, you know that I thrive on change, and am a life-long learner with an adventurous spirit. Here in NorCal, I’m choosing to focus more on fun and recreation, and being there to support my husband through his very busy veterinary residency. I am enjoying biking, swimming, learning Italian, taking dance classes, doing community theater, and walking our dog (sadly, up until a month ago, that was “dogs,” plural, but we just lost our 15 year old Shepard mix…) in our new neighborhood. Yes, I am working a lot too (I love my business and the work I get to do, so it never feels like “work” for me thankfully), but am also enjoying many non-work activities.

live So I decided to start a new blog series called Adventures of a NY Gal in NorCal to share some of my experiences. I am an avid social media user and those of you that are connected with me via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest get an almost daily dose of my adventures out here in NorCal. But I want to take it even further and use this blog series as a place to expand on some of the adventures, big and small, good and not-so-good, that I’ve been experiencing as a newcomer to NorCal. Some may resonate with you if you have made your own relocation at some point in your life. Others of you may just enjoy reading about what it’s like to experience a new place for the first time.

So join me for this new, up-close-and-personal snapshot of what this NY girl’s adventures are like in NorCal. And please, post comments! Let me know if you have had a similar experience, whether a post gives you a reaction, makes you think, or reminds you of something. Adventures and experiences are a lot more fun when shared. I’d love to hear what you think of mine, and read about some of yours! 🙂

Meet the Author

Helping others be the best versions of themselves gets me jazzed!

I’ve worn many hats in my lifetime—often at the same time—while enjoying fulfilling careers. I’ve been a performer, teacher, sign language instructor, lawyer, career counselor, law professor, coach, consultant, mediator, entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, writer, and author.

I’m an eternal optimist and life-long learner, constantly researching ways to improve personal and professional effectiveness. And it brings me great joy to then pass on the results of that persistent curiosity to my clients and audiences.

Of all the career hats I’ve been privileged to wear, my favorite is owner of this business since 2002. Why? Because it provides me the opportunity to work with wonderful organizational and individual clients. On any given day, I get to connect deeply with audiences, work with dedicated teams, improve workplaces, watch clients have a-ha moments, and know I’ve made a difference in their lives and careers. And that is very satisfying.