Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Day 6- Growing up in Oregon aka "Rain"

Today was a pitiful day for this former Oregonian. El Nino has been hitting Southern California hard this week, and today I had to stop at the grocery store in the middle of a monsoon. Oregonians are used to rain. It shouldn't have phased me. But I sat in my car for 20 minutes waiting for the rain to get lighter. I was actually hiding from the rain. I hang my head in shame.
Growing up in Oregon, I never even thought about the rain. It just was. Yeah sure, we would take vacations to warm sunny places, and to me, that was vacation-- Not real life! People didn't actually LIVE in these places. Except they did. And they do. And I had major rain blinders on.
I moved to LA in December 2008... it happened to be the rainiest December on record. To me, it was a completely normal Christmas! But Californians were incensed. I couldn't understand what all of the fuss was about! In Oregon, we had beautiful summers. From about June-August, it is all sunshine and lush green and birds chirping. The rest of the year it is gray. Gray, gray, gray. With lots of rain. In fact, there are WEEKS when it doesn't stop raining. And it isn't the fun monsoon rain... it is just drizzle. Depressing, horrible drizzle.
You get used to living in the rain. Or if you know nothing else, you have a routine that is normal to you. No open toed shoes, no bare ankles, no painted vintage clothing, no paper umbrellas, no curly hair, no outdoor events. You invest in a good raincoat and lots of socks. Do you invest in umbrellas? Of course not! Seeing an Oregonian carrying an umbrella in the rain is like seeing a jackalope.
My first full year in LA was like an awakening. Sun year round?? Sign me up! When it rains, it goes away after a few hours?? What witchery was this? People actually got to LIVE here? My first Christmas that it was 70 degrees, I lost my mind. GUYS! I'M WEARING A TANK TOP, GUYS! ON CHRISTMAS! I sent pictures to everyone I knew in the Northwest.
Here I am, 7 years later, and I have still not gotten sick of the sunshine. I bask in it. I still send my Northwest friends pictures of me basking in it weekly in the winter. Sometimes I even send videos of me driving with my windows down. It just seems like the right thing to do.
I love when Californians find out I am from Portland and they gush... "Ooh I just LOVE Portland! I LOVE the rain!" I always laugh to myself. One week of rain a year is romantic. It's fun and new and exciting. Spend a year up there and tell me how you feel about the rain.
Not saying that I don't love Oregon... I do. For so many reasons. But gosh darn it, I don't miss the rain.

8 comments:

  1. This isn't normal rain as you know! Been hiding inside when normally would still go for my walks as I told my fans on my FB page it was raining sideways! I lived outside of Houston for three years you just dealt with rain all year long..100 degrees and raining...20 degrees and raining...but yeah us California girls, born or transports like our sun!

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  2. I'm from the north east of Scotland i know all about rain coming at you side on lol now live in Perth Australia! miss snow though love your blog Cherry wish i had found all this pin up stuff years ago would've had such fun x

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    1. I met so many girls in Perth from the UK!! I love Perth. But honestly-- I love Scotland more. Planning my return to Edinburgh in August. :)

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  3. Cherry I can totally relate to this because I myself am a Northwesterner. I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. It's funny for me when I'm driving and I see all these people driving around like its SNOWING and they need to go super slow. I mean it's RAIN..... it's not ice it's not sleet .... it's big fat water drops.... Stop being a California baby and get out and dance in that mess. I love the rain..... but I love the sunshine and ocean more. I do still go out without my raincoat and galoshes and just stand there in the rain when it's falling and letting it hit my face and get my hair and clothes soaked. I have to stop and enjoy it or I forget my roots, being a Washingtonian means being wet MOST of the year. I love it. But I love rubbing my friends faces in the beautiful sunny winters we have with me out on the beach and enjoying the awesome, huge waves that just put me at ease. :D I totally relate to you on this matter!

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  4. Funny, I'm a native Californian and I moved to Washington to get away from the sun and warmth. The grey days and rain are like heaven to me although the beaches are nothing like a good ole California beach. I don't miss the sun at all and it been nearly a decade since I've moved ;)

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  5. Hahah see I am the opposite!! I can't get enough sun!!

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    1. I lived in San Diego for 16 years and now back on the east coast. I miss that sunshine year round but loved it when it rained for a day. That was enough :)

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