Finally

Southern California is showing its true colors, and I'm finally getting the weather I've been waiting for.

Over the past 4 years it's seemed sometimes like bad weather followed me. Not to sound too horrible, but whenever I came out here I wanted it to be miserable in NYC. That never seemed to be the case. Either I'd leave NY just before an unseasonably warm streak, or the bad weather would follow me out here. When I came out last April it rained the whole week I was here. It only rains about 20 days a year here, and I got 7 in a row! Paul called me on Easter to tell me what a perfect day it was, and I was watching big chunky flakes of snow fall in the street. Unlucky seems like an understatement.

The weather in the fall was nice, and the "winter" here hasn't been too harsh, but it has been raining a lot lately. There have also been lots of gray days. Now I know my sister is reading this and thinking, "Cry me a river, it snows like 2 ft a week back here!" but if I'm going to relocate my life to the other side of the country I should at least get the benefits!

Finally, they've arrived. Last week I sat outside for about 30 minutes reading one day, and my chest and arms turned a little pink. Saturday there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and we finally got to walk through the San Elijo lagoon, something we've been wanting to do since we moved here in November, but most of the time it's been flooded. (The "nature walk" turned into a 7 mile death march, but if we had brought water it would have been fine; luckily I had thought to put on sunblock). Sunday we played frisbee and read on the beach. Yesterday was perfect - 76 and sunny - and made all the sweeter by the fact that it was freezing and chucking down snow back east. Oh, and the fact that it's the middle of February.

Today is slightly overcast and gray, but that's okay since it's going to be back to 72 on Sunday, and we've got a picnic planned in a nearby park.