This mom is taking her family off the beaten path.
Laura La Rue, a 32-year-old retired model from Los Angeles, California, traded the high life for the trail less traveled when she retreated from the highlight several years ago.
Now, she lives in a renovated school bus along with her baby daughter, growing their very own produce and living off the land as much as they will.
“Most individuals get married, buy a house and have a child. That is what I wanted — a refuge where I can have people over and revel in the bare necessities. Luckily, how I live doesn’t require numerous money,” she told the LA Times in a recent interview.
La Rue had previously worked with the likes of iconic photographer David LaChappelle and was spotted on the arm of Hollywood’s most notorious hunks including Leonardo DiCaprio.
But after quitting school at 16 to pursue her dreams, the aging model found herself eager for nature — as she had when she was a young girl growing up in Thousand Oaks.
“I used to be over town life,” La Rue said. “I believed, ‘I don’t like this in any respect.’ I could feel my cortisol levels shoot through the roof. I had health issues brought on by stress.”
“I had been on a ridiculous model eating regimen, and I desired to turn myself around,” she continued. “I began going to therapy and hung out alone to work on myself.”
By 2016, La Rue had had enough of toxic workplaces and relationships and retreated to a one-by-12-foot cabin on her mother’s 72-acre ranch in Santa Paula — though the beginning of her latest life can be upended a 12 months later: Her humble latest home was destroyed by the fires in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in 2017.
Amid her healing journey, La Rue fell in love with a person who worked on her mom’s ranch, and the pair soon set out for a lifetime of adventure on the road, living out of a 1981 Silver Streak trailer.
La Rue’s relationship began to crumble as she became pregnant after which realized that off-the-grid living wasn’t conducive to raising a family.
That’s when she decided to decide on a chunk of land in Ojai — and construct her makeshift mobile home inside an old bus.
“It was already built out,” she told newspaper, which included a composting toilet, a shower, a stovetop and an oven. It’s also got a “perfect [sleeping] nook for a baby.”
Other than her DIY home, La Rue also managed to carve out a latest profession as a tie-dye artist, launching her brand Ride or Dye Ojai throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, her YouTube channel has over 26,000 subscribers as she spends her days creating tutorials, teaching workshops and selling her own unique tie-dye pieces.
“My goal is to encourage people to make changes to higher their lives and never be afraid to take risks,” the mother of 16-month-old Lasca said.
Despite her suped-up shelter, La Rue said she and her daughter “do all the things outside.”
“That’s the easiest way for a child to grow up.”
This mom is taking her family off the beaten path.
Laura La Rue, a 32-year-old retired model from Los Angeles, California, traded the high life for the trail less traveled when she retreated from the highlight several years ago.
Now, she lives in a renovated school bus along with her baby daughter, growing their very own produce and living off the land as much as they will.
“Most individuals get married, buy a house and have a child. That is what I wanted — a refuge where I can have people over and revel in the bare necessities. Luckily, how I live doesn’t require numerous money,” she told the LA Times in a recent interview.
La Rue had previously worked with the likes of iconic photographer David LaChappelle and was spotted on the arm of Hollywood’s most notorious hunks including Leonardo DiCaprio.
But after quitting school at 16 to pursue her dreams, the aging model found herself eager for nature — as she had when she was a young girl growing up in Thousand Oaks.
“I used to be over town life,” La Rue said. “I believed, ‘I don’t like this in any respect.’ I could feel my cortisol levels shoot through the roof. I had health issues brought on by stress.”
“I had been on a ridiculous model eating regimen, and I desired to turn myself around,” she continued. “I began going to therapy and hung out alone to work on myself.”
By 2016, La Rue had had enough of toxic workplaces and relationships and retreated to a one-by-12-foot cabin on her mother’s 72-acre ranch in Santa Paula — though the beginning of her latest life can be upended a 12 months later: Her humble latest home was destroyed by the fires in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in 2017.
Amid her healing journey, La Rue fell in love with a person who worked on her mom’s ranch, and the pair soon set out for a lifetime of adventure on the road, living out of a 1981 Silver Streak trailer.
La Rue’s relationship began to crumble as she became pregnant after which realized that off-the-grid living wasn’t conducive to raising a family.
That’s when she decided to decide on a chunk of land in Ojai — and construct her makeshift mobile home inside an old bus.
“It was already built out,” she told newspaper, which included a composting toilet, a shower, a stovetop and an oven. It’s also got a “perfect [sleeping] nook for a baby.”
Other than her DIY home, La Rue also managed to carve out a latest profession as a tie-dye artist, launching her brand Ride or Dye Ojai throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, her YouTube channel has over 26,000 subscribers as she spends her days creating tutorials, teaching workshops and selling her own unique tie-dye pieces.
“My goal is to encourage people to make changes to higher their lives and never be afraid to take risks,” the mother of 16-month-old Lasca said.
Despite her suped-up shelter, La Rue said she and her daughter “do all the things outside.”
“That’s the easiest way for a child to grow up.”
