When I first moved to LA, I was excited about the nice weather all the time. When it's always between 60 to 75 degrees, the weather becomes a non-issue in daily life. It's kind of like when I got my eyes fixed with Lasik. All of a sudden, wearing contacts or glasses or having to worry about that for activities or travel just becomes a non-issue and something I don't have to think about anymore. That's how the weather is in LA. I don't wake up and wonder what I'm going to wear or look at the weekend forecast to determine what activity I can plan, I just do whatever because the weather is always semi-warm and perfect.

After a while of living here, I started to miss the seasons. I realized that the other thing weather in Idaho was doing for me was a subtle reminder of what month it was which equates to holidays and birthdays. I knew when it started to get cold, that it was Labor Day, my mother-in-law's and Dad's birthday, Halloween, and then the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas). In LA, September through December is some of the warmest weather we have which completely throws me off. 

In Idaho, when it started to warm up after the winter months, I knew Mother's Day was around the corner. BUT in LA, May and June are typically fairly cloudy and actually slightly cooler than other months in general. They even have a specific term, "June Gloom" to describe the BIZARRE event that occurs in the month of June in LA when the sun is blocked by clouds for a good portion of every day. Usually, it comes out in the afternoon but typically it is a bit cooler -- sort of like Fall weather.

I have been doing a LOT of trail running with my friends over the last few months during this portion of cooler weather and I realized this weekend (while running 12 miles) that summer was officially here! It was 75 degrees, sunny, and I'm pretty sure I got a mild dose of heat stroke. This was a long build-up and way of saying, that after living here for about 2 1/2 years, I'm finally attuned to small changes in weather. I'm officially one of those people who complains that it's too hot when the temperature goes from 65 to 75 degrees and the sun is shining. I've realized there are actually seasons in LA, I just have to be more attuned to small changes in temperature because  I won't get the huge swings like I did in Idaho! AND, I have to be careful when going on long trail runs -- I hate to say this but we might have to change our running schedule to be earlier in order to avoid the sun and afternoon heat...

Between my heat stroke and preparation to go home to Idaho for a week over the 4th of July (where I'm told the temperatures are going to be over 100 degrees which means I'll probably spend a large majority of time indoors or in the water), I didn't have time to do a lot of cooking this week. So, I decided I'd share a guilty pleasure and my latest favorite quick breakfast. The reasons I love this:
1. It's easy and quick
2. It's delicious
3. It fills me up until lunch time

PB&N Toast
1 piece Wheat bread
2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter (I prefer chunky)
2 Tbsp. Nutella

Toast bread. Spread with Peanut Butter and Nutella -- enjoy!

Disclaimer: this is a serious guilty pleasure, please don't judge until you've tried it!