My birthday surprise!

Remember when I said someone gave me a really big huge surprise on my birthday?

Well, THIS was it!

That's right, folks. I got invited to go to a Morrissey concert in Pasadena, California. And somehow, by God's grace, some hard work and a bit of sheer luck, I managed to get there. :) My friends R & C loved on my children for a couple of days. They also hosted all of us two nights earlier than expected due to a snowstorm that was expected to close the mountain pass between TN & NC.

My weekend was wonderful. I conquered several fears, the biggest one being my fear of flying. In 2000, I had a panic attack aboard a plane to Florida and I hadn't flown since. I even chose to drive the 9 hour return trip rather than fly back to SC. This time around, I determined that I would face my fear. I also determined I was not facing my fear without medication! Xanax is a wonderful creation. :)

It's been so long since I've been in an actual, big city that seeing the lights of Los Angeles on our descent was amazing to me. As far as I could see, from either side of the plane, were lights! I got to see more of LA the next day when I and a friend drove around in search of the beach. The valley is massive. The mountains are so brown and boxy - completely different than the Blue Ridge Mountains I see all the time.

I can now say I have stood on both shores of the US. I grew up just about 15 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. And now I have stood on Santa Monica Beach and looked out at the Pacific. That in itself was surreal because Santa Monica pier is pretty famous and there I was, just about maybe 1 mile or so from it (you really can't miss the Ferris wheel). Sadly, I did not put foot in the water but that's MAINLY because it was cold. How anyone swims in the Pacific is beyond me.

Morrissey is hands-down the best show I've been to. A lot of people say that his lyrics are very personal to them, and I've never identified with that until Saturday night. I cried five times! Some of that may have been because I was sleepy but I don't know if I'll ever listen to Life Is a Pigsty (link goes to some homemade doctor who youtube video), I've Changed My Plea to Guilty, Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want, or Let Me Kiss You without remembering. Morrissey fans are also a lot of fun, judging by the crowd I interacted with at Friday night's after-party. I still don't know why people just randomly came up and hugged me!

But really, the best part of the weekend wasn't seeing California or even seeing Morrissey. It's the memories of friendship and closeness I cherish. There's something to be said for driving around listening to rock music (and complaining about Nickelback) and getting lost. And for watching SNL skits and laughing at things that probably weren't even that funny but I was so tired. And for eating pancakes, and skipping rocks and generally me acting like an idiot on the beach. I know, when do I -not- act like an idiot? ;) Also, I seek to entertain by singing poorly. One day people may hear me actually sing and figure out that I was once a voice major. Ha!

So in the end, this was the best birthday ever.