When it rains, it hails.

A desert thunderstorm caught me Friday afternoon on my birthday. Instead of getting the clue from the sudden high winds and cloudy sky, I opted to wait 10 minutes to finish up some grading. Big mistake. The rain out here is chilly, but when the weather is so hot, it's a comfort even when it stings. By the time I had reached the car with my garbage bag full of student papers, my umbrella was bent backwards and in half, I was soaked completely through and laughing as much as I was shivering.

Mr. 4 had given blood that afternoon. He's a universal donor, so he gets the "blood bank booty call" as he puts it. They told him Thursday, "We're using your blood currently to keep someone alive, and we need more of it. What time can you come in tomorrow?" How do you say no to that?

I met him for coffee afterwards, and we got home to find our energy had gone out. I went to pick up the kids and got stuck in highway traffic. 2 miles away from the last exit, L says she has to go potty "really bad." I relented and taught her to squat in the bushes.

The lights came back on just as I got home. L sang to me. Some friends came over. We ate cheesecake and went to bed happy.

An unexpectedly good day.