If I am being completely honest, I never pictured myself ever living in California. I grew up on Long Island, went to college in Pennsylvania, moved back to Long Island for a teaching job, and moved to Queens, NY when Jerry and I got married. Three years into our marriage, we moved to Manhattan, NY where shortly thereafter, I gave birth to Sean. I loved everything about Manhattan – our friends, the energy, the walkability to everything. I loved living in a high rise building with my neighbors being only steps away and a doorman who was always so happy to see me. I also loved being so close to my family. The fall of 2011 was when I first entertained moving to California. My husband, Jerry, talked to me about a job opportunity he might have that would be in Los Angeles. My immediate thought was that there was that no way I would ever leave NY. I loved everything about NY! We continued to have conversations about making the move; Jerry was very excited about the job opportunity he had. He told me to think of it as an adventure for our family – Sean was only 6 and was in Kindergarten and Abigail was 4 in Pre-K. Jerry said that if we did not like it, we could always move back. We decided to take a trip to Los Angeles in January 2012 to see if we could see ourselves living there. It happened to be one of those rare and amazing 80 degree weekends in the middle of winter that sealed the deal for us. We visited Pasadena, Manhattan Beach, and Pacific Palisades. We fell in love with the community feel of the Palisades and the beautiful weather. Jerry and I flew back in April and found the perfect house to rent in the Alphabet streets. Our “adventure” in Los Angeles officially began in July 2012.
Let’s Share Your Story
Tell us a little about yourself. Where did your story begin, and what led you to the Palisades?
If I am being completely honest, I never pictured myself ever living in California. I grew up on Long Island, went to college in Pennsylvania, moved back to Long Island for a teaching job, and moved to Queens, NY when Jerry and I got married. Three years into our marriage, we moved to Manhattan, NY where shortly thereafter, I gave birth to Sean. I loved everything about Manhattan – our friends, the energy, the walkability to everything. I loved living in a high rise building with my neighbors being only steps away and a doorman who was always so happy to see me. I also loved being so close to my family. The fall of 2011 was when I first entertained moving to California. My husband, Jerry, talked to me about a job opportunity he might have that would be in Los Angeles. My immediate thought was that there was that no way I would ever leave NY. I loved everything about NY! We continued to have conversations about making the move; Jerry was very excited about the job opportunity he had. He told me to think of it as an adventure for our family – Sean was only 6 and was in Kindergarten and Abigail was 4 in Pre-K. Jerry said that if we did not like it, we could always move back. We decided to take a trip to Los Angeles in January 2012 to see if we could see ourselves living there. It happened to be one of those rare and amazing 80 degree weekends in the middle of winter that sealed the deal for us. We visited Pasadena, Manhattan Beach, and Pacific Palisades. We fell in love with the community feel of the Palisades and the beautiful weather. Jerry and I flew back in April and found the perfect house to rent in the Alphabet streets. Our “adventure” in Los Angeles officially began in July 2012.
How long have you lived or worked here — and what do you love most about it?
We have lived in the Palisades for almost 13 years now. I LOVE the community! I loved it from day one – the school community, the church community, the village community. Everyone knows each other or at least recognizes each other and gives you that familiar smile. As I type this, I get teary eyed thinking about how much I took our very special community for granted.
Tell us about your work or your passion — past, present, or future. What lights you up?
Before having children, I was a teacher back on Long Island. I taught high school social studies for 3 years and then middle school social studies for 4 years. I was also a cross country and track and field coach. Since having kids and retiring from the working world, I give my time to my kids’ schools and to our community in various volunteer positions. Currently I am on the PA Board at Calvary Christian School, the Area 6 Representative for the Pacific Palisades Community Council, part of the Mothers Guild at Notre Dame High School, and on the UNC Parent Council. I LOVE being involved and helping out.
Tell us a little about your family, community or what “home” means to you.
We are a very happy family of 5 – Jerry, me, Sean age 19, Abigail age 17, and Emily age 11. Emily is our California baby born a year after we moved here. We are immersed in the Calvary Christian School community and the Calvary Church community. We also LOVE the Pali rec community where all three of our kids have enjoyed playing sports and we have LOVED watching them. Since the fires, I realize that to me “home” is not a place, but rather a gathering of my favorite people. We used to host a lot of small get-togethers with our family friends on the weekends. The BEST part of those get-togethers was being with our friends. I realize that we could have been anywhere as long as we were together.
What’s something unique or special about the Palisades that you’ve experienced firsthand?
Something very special about the Palisades in the community feel. It is definitely something I took for granted; I did not realize just how special it was until I didn’t have it anymore. I had a relationship with so many employees at the shops in the village – Ralph’s, Gelson’s, Beech Street, Juice Crafters, the Yogurt Shoppe, CVS, etc…I miss walking into places and knowing the people who work there by name and them knowing me.
Community Favorites
Is/Was there a local business that makes you feel nostalgic or rooted here?
Gosh – there are quite a few place that make me feel rooted to the Palisades. My top four – lol – are Beech Street, Ralph’s, Garden Cafe, and the Yogurt Shoppe. I remember doing so many dinners with friends at Beech Street. Ralph’s was my go-to for more than just groceries; I loved talking with Doris and Deborah; James and his crew at Garden Cafe always knew it was me when I placed my order and always had a nice smile that made me feel so good; and I could not leave out the Yogurt Shoppe where we would go so many times after dinner or after school. My kids always loved the taster cups.
Who’s the most interesting or inspiring person you’ve met here in the Palisades?
The most inspiring person I have met since moving to the Palisades is Vicky Collison Grinsfelder. We met when our boys were in 2nd grade at Calvary, and now they have both finished their freshman year in college. What I find so inspiring about Vicky is her energy, her love for life, and her devotion to her family. Vicky is 61 years old and still skiing, surfing, running, hiking, and sailing. Vicky is committed to her community in the countless ways she volunteers; she has been President of the Calvary Christian School Board, President of NLYM, has held various positions on her sorority board, and has done so much more that I cannot remember. Always at the center of everything Vicky does is her family. She has been an incredible role model to me when it comes to putting your family first. She is always there for her 3 boys however they need her. She and her husband, Dean, make a great team in parenting and being present and staying connected with their sons. Vicky has also been an incredible friend to me. She has taught me so much about how to approach hard situations that come our way – with hope and optimism instead of fear and doubt. She is my “go-to” whenever I have good news to share or when I have a tough situation for which I need help. Vicky is also my forever running partner – even with the fires and living 45 minutes apart now, we still find time to run together once a week. Vicky is the big sister I never had and I am blessed to know her.
Fire Reflection
What stands out most from your experience?
It is hard to think of one thing that stands out most about our experience with the fires. In many ways, I am still in shock that it happened. I remember leaving our house that day – I told Emily to only take things that we couldn’t replace because I didn’t want to have to put everything back into the house when we returned from evacuating. She packed the best – took everything that mattered to her like all her dance costumes, a lot of pictures, medals and rings from tournaments. I think the feeling of being so sure something would NOT happen and then IT DID is what stands out. The feeling of realizing that nothing is ever permanent. And the sadness of something so magical ending not by your own choice is something that really stands out for me. I always had a feeling we would leave the Palisades someday to go live wherever our kids end up, but that time was supposed to come when we decided when we were ready. I never thought we would be forced to leave the community we loved so very much.
Was there someone — a neighbor, local hero, or group — that really made a difference for you during or after the fires?
YES! The Snyder Family! We are at Calvary Christian School with them. I remember getting a text from Aimee at 12:13pm on January 7th shortly after we started packing up to leave. Her text said – “Invitation open for you all to come here and I’ll feed everyone dinner!” A few hours later, we were at the Synder’s house and did not leave until 10 days later. As I sit here typing this, it is hard to find the right words to express our gratitude to them for all they did for us. They took us in and were there for us however we needed. They cried with us, processed with us, fed us many delicious meals, took us to their church, helped keep Emily having fun, set up a meal train for us through their church, and so much more. Blane and Aimee even offered for us to live in their home for as long as we needed while they moved in with Aimee’s parents. They showed us a love and kindness that brought us to tears. We will forever be thankful for the way the Snyder family welcomed us with open arms and took care of us. Even when we had moved into our rental, we continued to see them almost daily for the next few weeks. We love the Snyders and are so happy to be doing life with them.
What did the experience teach you about the Palisades or about yourself?
This is a tough one – I feel like the fires have taught me so much. There are things like make sure you have “the box” of valuables in the specific spot ready to take in a moment’s notice. lol! Boy, do I wish I “the box” ready on the day of the fires. It is still hard for me to think about all the photos we lost that were from the “pre-digital” age. Thanks so friends and family, I have been able to recover some. I guess a big thing for me that has become clear is that I do not want to take relationships for granted. I absolutely LOVED hosting our backyard bbqs and back to school parties; they brought me so much joy. We live so far away now that those get-togethers are not so easy anymore. Gosh – I would love to get those times back. Some of our closest friends that we used to see almost weekly, we have seen only once or twice since the fires. I think I am rambling a bit with this question, but like I said, it’s a tough one for me. I guess the fires have emphasized for me to cherish every moment because you never know when you might not have it anymore. On a completely different note, I have learned that I LOVE being involved in our community through the Pacific Palisades Community Council. I am the Area 6 Representative, and since the fires we have been very busy with the recovery and rebuild efforts. I truly love serving my community in this way.
A Few Fun Ones
What advice would you give to others — in life, work, or being a good neighbor?
Perhaps the best advice I can give someone is to smile and be kind to others. You never know what the other person might be going through and a smile and a simple “hello” from you could make the difference in his/her day.
What’s something about you that would surprise most people?
Oh wow! I guess the most surprising thing would be that I won an amateur bodybuilding competition back in 1995 as a sophomore in college!
Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
If all goes according to plan, I see myself living back in the Palisades with Jerry and our kids! In five years, Emily will be starting her junior year in high school, so she could still enjoy living in the Palisades for a couple of years before going to college. If Sean and Abigail are starting their careers in a different places, I am hoping they come back to visit often. We will have new rooms for them!
