75 and Sunny

...You just don't understand.

So I've decided to write about this because it is currently Sunday mid-morning and I'm stuck in my apartment due to... wait for it... RAIN!!!!

Today (1/31/16 in case when I post this in a week you all check the weather and call me out on my lie) has been a lovely day for a Midwesterner in LA.  To start this Sunday off I was legitimately cold on my way to spin class (I managed to get my Houston native friend to bike with me in the rain!).  I got home took a hot shower, made a fresh cup of coffee, put on my finest pairs of sweatpants and wool socks then snuggled up in my blanket and fell in and out of a nap as I listened to the rain out my window.  I was so happy to have a day down in the 50's!  It was the same euphoric feeling I remember getting in Minnesota when the sun would come out and the temp would get above 60 with no wind for the first time each spring... you remember what that feels like right?  Don't worry it's just a month or so away!

That weather induced euphoria has been missed greatly in my life and sadly been replaced with a constant state of warm and sunny contentment... absolutely terrible!  If I am to be completely sincere there is something to the whole changing of the seasons thing.  It helps us all identify with ups and downs in our life and time stamp moments that we want/need to know based on the craziness of our weather.  As we can see below the MN person deals with some impressive extremes of temperatures throughout the year and likely has an easy time identifying life events with a particular season.  This is the excuse I use when I forget peoples birthdays and have to take about 5 minutes to recall how long I've lived out here.

Average Minneapolis temperature range:

Over the past year I've had an exciting revelation in my thoughts about weather and seasons and my happy seasonal days when I lived in the Midwest: I can vacation to these feelings!  Planning vacations has been a struggle for me because I feel like I'm on a permanent one out here.  Knowing and understanding my desire for varied climates I feel I can definitely be more intentional about the vacations I choose in order to maximize my vacation specific happiness... Vermont/MN in October, Mammoth or CO in Jan/Feb, and the cabin in the summer.  As a side note it's worth mentioning that SoCal does have access to weather when we want it.  Big Bear Lake is only 100 miles away and some of the best skiing in the US, Mammoth Lakes, is only 300 miles as is snowy Yosemite... that's basically Minnepolis to Lutsen dontcha know.

I get the question often from MN lifers, "does 75 and sunny ever get old?" Ummmmmm... NO!  Or I will get the statement, "I wouldn't like having it be sunny year 'round, I need the cold/snow." HAHAHA... okay.  I feel that I am the heartiest of Minnesotans and have the badges to prove it: with growing up on outdoor rinks (including one in my back yard), being a cross country skier and performing in 0 degree Fahrenheit 15-30 mile races on the reg, as well as being a year 'round cyclist and I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that the sun and ability to walk to Sunday brunch in shorts all year more than makes up for the the lack of beauty of a snow fall.  I get it, a warm cup of coffee on a beautiful crisp fall day is pretty amazing, but so is the feeling of an iced soy mocha ("1/2 the chocolate please, yes I'll still have the whip") on sunny 70 degree January morning :)  Anyone that ever tells you otherwise is either a complete liar or they are just trying to make you feel good because you live in a terrible place (weather-wise).

I think by now you've figured it out, and I've come to terms with the fact that I'm just plain soft.  I'll try not to become too Californian in this sense but you know what they say about nature vs. nurture... so please accept my apologies for the parka wearing (in 50 degrees) person I'm likely to become.

Great news!  As I returned to post this topic one week later I am a whole lot warmer!  Out here in SoCal we just returned to a bit of the norm with highs of 75-80 on the beach and all the sunshine you could ever desire.  I spent 2 days riding my bike and sitting shirtless on the beach over the weekend... in case you were worried about me during this whole El Nino pattern I just wanted you all to know that I made it through the worst and I'm okay.

Until next time.