My name is Cortney Lyon and I am an IKEA-holic. I am also a wife and a teacher...and some times a "wanna be" writer. So, as a first time blogger, I will start with something I know very well- myself. The following is a brief history of how "Living & Loving in California" came to be.

I grew up in Meredith, NH and at 16 I moved to Charlotte, NC with my mom. After high school I attended Central Piedmont Community College on a Business Scholarship, which I lost a year later when I failed Spanish 101. At 19, I was going to college and waitressing at a little Italian Restaurant called La Pizza Cafe (which was later re-named Pomodoro's). It was there that I met Carl, my husband. Carl wanted to be a Special FX Make-Up Artist and I had decided that I wanted to be a teacher...but at that time he was a dishwasher and painter and I was a college student and waitress. In December 2002, after only a few months of dating we found ourselves snuggled up on a futon mattress on the floor of his apartment, in the dark during an Ice Storm, talking for hours into the night...like young lovers do. It was then that Carl asked me, "If I had to move to California to work, would you come with me?". Of course I said, "yes!". Finally, on December 28, 2009- after years of hard work, planning, and dedication to our dreams, Carl and I packed the trunk of our car and headed West for California. We arrived on January 1, 2010 and we are now LIVING & LOVING IN CALIFORNIA!

Pictures: (R) Carl and I celebrating our 1 year anniversary (L) Carl and I on our wedding day and 7 year anniversary.