I have a wonderful, amazing husband. Not that I didn't know this already, but he really takes the cake this year for my birthday. I was all set to celebrate yet another annual milestone (birthday, anniversary, etc) with our youth group, once again because my birthday was yesterday (Wednesday). Sean picked me up from work, and with out saying where we were going, he hopped on the freeway and whisked me downtown. He had booked a suite at a hotel downtown for just the two of us for the night! He'd thought of everything... he packed a bag for me (well, 2 bags actually... he wanted to be sure he brought everything I'd want), brought the gifts that came in the mail from my 'rents, stuck in a bottle of champagne, and to top it all... he baked me a cookie cake from scratch! Now THAT is love, people.... You see, they don't have cookie cakes in California.... and I am always craving them. So he found a reciped online and baked one for me... it came out perfect. I think we may go into some kind of cookie cake business....

So it was great fun. We ate dinner at the hotel then just relaxed and watched a movie. As we were flipping through channels, I came across a song on a show that I absolutely fell in love with from the first line. It is called "Grey in LA" and absolutely described perfectly how I feel about this freaking "Sunshine State." I try to explain to Sean that all this sunshine makes me depressed, and he just doesn't get it... but for a homebody like me who loves to curl up with a book or just watch the rain fall from my front porch, I really miss it. (Side note... they really don't have front porches in California, though... I really miss that, too... Maybe they don't have a need for front porches because there's never any rainfall to watch from the front porch....) Anyways... so you can go listen to this song here.... and here's the lyrics:

"Grey In LA", Loudon Wainwright III

When it's grey in L.A. I sure like it that way
Cause there's way too much sunshine round here
I don't know about you I get so sick of blue skies
Whenever they always appear
And I sure love the sound of the rain pouring down
On my carport roof made out of tin
If there's a flood then there's gonna be mudslides
We all have to pay for our sin
And I suppose that they'll close canyon roads
And the freeways will all start to clog
And the waters will rise and you won't be surprised
When your whole house smells like your wet dog
When it's grey in L.A. it's much better that way
It reminds you that this town's so cruel
Yeah it might feel like fun when you're sportin' sunglasses
But really you're one more fool
And I'm just a chump
And this whole town's a dump
We came out here to dump all our dreams
Of making it big but we're stuck in a sig alert nightmare
That's just how it seems
And I suppose Laurie David sure knows
All those cars we drive heat up our earth
And sea temperatures rise and those constant blue skies
And brush fires can sure curb your mirth
Brad Grey's in L.A. yeah OK I should stay here
There's no place that's better i know
For a wannabe star stuck in a car
On a freeway with nowhere to go

When I was Googling around, trying to find the song, I learned I'm not the only one who feels this was about CA. Here's an 'exegetical blog', if you will, on this song. Kinda funny, kinda sad, mostly true though. Its on these 110+ degree days that I could sure use a rainstorm... or even a small cloud in the sky....