the arrival

I think I've arrived. Arrived at what you might ask? Well, when you start spending hours on a project that includes bows, candy and Personal Progress, you've entered the realm of Young Women. It's a fun place to be, but wow, I'm on the outside looking in now. When I refer to my high school days in class, I'm talking about days that happened over 12 years ago. Junior high was 18 years ago! I don't even think junior high schools exist anymore (it's middle school or bust these days).

That being said, and although I'm practically ancient, I'd like to think I somewhat understand the teenage mind. I think to myself: Oh yeah, I remember being 13 like it was yesterday. I get it, Josh Eagen likes you, but you don't like him more than a friend, and that Ricky Ramos fellow is a heartthrob, but you can't date for another 3 years. And in student government, you just got put in as Intramural Sports Commissioner when all you really wanted to be was Pep Commissioner. Such a bummer. Life is rough!

And it is. That place between childhood and adulthood is difficult, but now, my thirty year old self gets to look in on teenage lives and make things like this to keep the girls going in the right direction.

Will it help? Hopefully.

I use bribes. That's okay, right?

Anyway, I love working with teenage girls. They are fascinating, fun and keep me feeling young.

not all chocolate is created equal

I think I might be a chocolate chip snob. Last night, we made some banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and I was so grateful to have some Guittard chocolate chip morsels on hand (sale item at Ralphs-couldn't resist). Would any type of chocolate chip have done? Probably. Chances are I would have still eaten somewhere between 4 to 6 cookies in a two hour period (I lost count after 3), but those Guittard people really know how to make fantastically-rich chocolate.

Their chips leave all generic and brand name competitors in the dust (so sorry, Nestle). Any time they go on sale, they are guaranteed a spot in my shopping cart. No buyer's remorse, not even a smidgen, with these chocolate chips. (Well, at least when they're on sale, but I might start buying them at full price, they're that good.)

Anyway, I don't really know the science behind creating quality chocolate (less wax or something?), but I know a good chocolate chip when I taste it. Thank you for delighting my taste buds, Guittard.

one hot harvest

We planted a garden way back in April, which did pretty well (tons of zucchini-thanks for the recipe ideas everyone!), but we had a few duds, late bloomers if you will. Now that October is here, the late bloomers have decided to grow and bear all sorts of fruit-spicy, hot fruit-that I don't know what to do with. Our chili peppers are out of control. They're almost as plentiful as our zucchinis were, but not quite. We didn't think the plants would grow, but here they are, 7 months later, offering up chilies galore.

Little red ones....

Long green ones....

It's a chili jungle out there.

Anyway, if you have any good recipes (salsa included) that call for chili peppers, please feel free to share them. I don't want these vegetables to go to waste, I just don't know what to do with 20 chilies.

Muchas Gracias.

brrrroston

We came, we saw, we went, in one short day, but what a great, chilly day it was. Kent and I happened to have two vouchers with Delta, so we thought it would be fun to take a quick trip back east to see the fall foliage. I had been to Boston a couple of times and love the mini city with a scholarly feel, but Kent hadn't so our decision was made. Here it is in a nutshell (a rather large nutshell).

After surviving the red eye flight, we met up with Kent's friend, Crisette. She and Kent were friends during the law school days, but she currently lives in Boston with her husband. She oriented us with parts of the city then took us to Regina's Pizza (so delicious) and Mike's Pastries (not so delicious). I thought I'd like the cannolis at Mike's, but they were a bit overloaded with cream and chocolate. I know, I didn't think that was possible either.

We then found our way back to the Government Center and passed this lovely place -->

Durty Nelly's. That's right, dUrty nellY's. My friend, Katie, who lived in Boston for a while, told me this place reminded her of me when she would drive by. (I promise I'm not a hussy.)

We then began walking the Freedom Trail. Cruising around town by foot was great, but freezing. It was maybe 45 degrees. Maybe less. I don't know, but I do know that our Southern California faces were freezing.

One of the many brick and gold-domed buildings in the city. This is where the Boston Massacre took place.

There were a few cemeteries along the path which made my day. I have a strange obsession with them. I love the gravestones, the names of the deceased, the dates from so long ago-who were these people and what were their lives like? Old, old cemeteries are the best. I suppose if you locked me up in one at night, I wouldn't love it, I'd probably cry, but they're fascinating otherwise. If you're a graveyard connoisseur, the Hong Kong cemetery is probably the best, followed by one on the way to Coney Island.

Kent, frozen in a graveyard, wondering why on earth I'm taking multiple pictures there.

The Massachusetts State House, last place on the southern end of the Freedom Trail.

We made our way back up the trail and found this statue of Paul Revere. You know, the man who shouted, "The Redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming!" (or "the British are coming", not really sure.) We tried to get into his house, but we were too late. Next time.

This is inside of the church where they hung the lanterns to warn the Colonists of the approaching Brits. It was a beautiful, quaint church. I love the staircase and window, but this is the best photo I could get.

Master Kent in the Sommer pew box.

Not really. It was reserved "for strangers and wardens". That works though.

Lovely Nameless Bridge. Okay, I just looked it up, it's called the Zakim Bridge. Interesting. I would thought it would be something like Hamilton or Westley.

I love the sun's rays creeping through that one spot, highlighting the leaves. A sublime sunset.

If you didn't get enough of the Zakim Bridge, here it is again, this time with the two of us in front of it.

We made it to the USS Constitution, but unfortunately, we were too late to tour the ship. We will do that, and hike Bunker Hill, next time. We completed our Boston sojourn at a theater where we watched Stomp. I wanted to see it back in 1990-something, but it was too expensive for my high school/college self. It was definitely creative, but I did nod off a couple of times-I just couldn't keep my eyes open! That's what the red eye does to people.

The next day, we drove to Connecticut to visit my brother's family. They live on a tiny island near Mystic and it is fabulous. It's everything you imagine when you think of the New England coast and more.

Here we are on the dock at their house. And yes, that is the Atlantic Ocean at their doorstep.

This is the view from the back porch. How lovely is that?!

And this is their daughter, Maddie. Such a cutie, even with the blood-shot Halloween eyes.

I had to throw this house in because I love it. It is on the island as well. I told Kent we might have to build something like it someday. I wouldn't mind the ocean view either.

On the way back to the airport, admiring the fall colors through the rain-covered windows. (We heard it was supposed to be 65 degrees and clear the day after we left-so sad.)

We had a wonderful time and we're grateful we got to take a quick trip to Boston and Connecticut. It was tiring, but so worth it to see one of my favorite cities and to visit with family. We will go back one of these days.

welcome fall

These guys (shoes) made it out of the closet today and that makes me happy. Their appearance signals the weather is changing and some great holidays are on the way. I know Ugg boots aren't the most attractive boots out there (there's a reason they're called Uggs), but they are comfortable and oh, so warm. Plus, I get to wear my trusty jean skirt with them, with tights even. I think Kent wants me to burn the jean skirt, I wear it way too often, but I can't get myself to get rid of it-my skirt and I have a bond. I think I found a replacement for it at the mall the other day though, but the current one has become a habit. It's so easy to put on in the morning.

Anyway, happy fall and enjoy those cold-weather clothes!

birthday boy

Happy Birthday to Kent Merrill Sommer, my husband.

He is simply the best.

I love talking with him,

and I especially love laughing with him.
Life is just better with him.

Plus, who else can appreciate random Spice Girls videos as much I do?

Spice Girls - Viva Forever

No one, I'm sure, except for Kent.

I'm so blessed to have Kent as my husband and best friend for life. I still wonder how on earth I got so lucky. At 16, when I made my 'future husband' checklist, I didn't realize I'd actually find someone to fit it. I doubted the list even more as I got older. I thought I'd just have to settle here and there. That was before I met Kent though. He has it all--good-looking, fun, funny, smart, spiritual, ambitious, athletic, hard-worker, thoughtful, likes music, interesting, patient, does the dishes and dresses cool--who knew I would actually find someone that spectacular?!

Oh, how I love Kent, and I hope he has a great birthday.

Happy Birthday, Lover!

(And yes, I still love our wedding photos as you can see. Thank you, Rachel.)

pull my heart away

Thanks to my friend, Heather, I have a new favorite song called "Pull My Heart Away". It is so good. I don't know how many times I've listened to it since discovering it on my "recently added" playlist yesterday, but it has been played well over 10 times. I'm stuck on it and I can't seem to move onto the other songs from the Heather playlist. If they're as good as this one, my music library is set for the next week or two.

Try turning it up really loud, your neighbors will appreciate it. Kent turned it down last night in fear that the neighbors would be disturbed, but I think they would have run over to ask who it was. Okay, probably not, but you'll want to blast it and move your body. You'll see what I mean.



By the way, I love that this guy is running around Petra. What a cool place to film a music video. Jack Penate, I need to get to know you and your music better.

the humbling helmet

I got to ride this bad boy to school this morning.

While I loved riding my bike to piano class, I didn't love wearing a helmet. I debated even wearing one because the bike is a beach cruiser, i.e. there are no gears to change and you simply have to push back on the peddles to stop. You just don't wear helmets on beach cruisers. I don't remember seeing anyone with one when I lived in Huntington Beach, but I guess we're not in Huntington anymore, we're in the LBC. We're also not by the beach.

Another reason not to wear a helmet though: The ride to school is pretty short. Maybe 2 miles round trip? Maybe more, but it's close. The city college is practically down the street. Is a helmet even necessary for that type of trip?

Well, according to Kent (and good sense), yes.

I casually asked Kent if he thought I should wear a helmet and he replied, "Isn't it the law?"

To which I thought, "Dang, he's right, but I don't want him or the law to be right." I felt like a little kid. A 30 year old kid who didn't want to do the safe, law-abiding thing because I didn't think it was necessary and I didn't like how it looked. Helmets just aren't attractive. Children can get away with them, but adults can't. If you think otherwise, please let me know.

Anyway, I wore the helmet. I felt safe, but I kind of felt like this, too.

Helmet and all, it was a great being out and about on a bike, going to a college class. It felt so liberating and youthful.

I was happy to be able to enjoy the cooler Fall weather, soft sunshine, blue sky and luminous clouds.

And, I'm happy I wore the helmet, too.

I guess I needed some humbling.

becoming a fan

Somehow, through luck and generous yellow page advertising reps, Kent and I get to experience some awesome/rare events for free (e.g. Michael Jackson Memorial and Spice Girls Reunion Tour). This time, we were lucky to get our hands on these -->

and were able to witness the Angels beat the Rangers 11-0 to become the 2009 American League West Champions. I had no idea this was such a big game, I'm clueless when it comes to following professional sports, but I'm glad we happened to be at Angels Stadium that night.

The team was pretty excited and I was, too. I felt like a legit fan even though I rarely watch baseball. Kent loves all sports and follows them religiously, but I do not have the patience to watch them, especially baseball, on TV. The only games I view on a regular basis include the BYU Cougars. And even those are tough to watch sometimes.

Anyway, it was great to be a part of the celebration.

Sidenote: I was kind of disappointed in myself for taking pictures of the Angels celebrating instead of just enjoying the moment. Happy to capture it, but sometimes I feel like I miss out on the feeling of it all when I try to take too many photos. Oh, well. I didn't lose sleep over it or anything.

Here's the game crew: Kent, me, Zach and Lance -->

I have to say, watching baseball in person is much more enjoyable than sitting in our living room watching it on a screen. The hot dogs, the occasional beach ball, the 'wave' and cheering fans-it's amazing what the surrounding atmosphere can do for an experience. Our seats helped, too. -->

The zoom on my camera isn't the greatest, but that's Vladimir below. I love that he wears the old school baseball uniform with the knickers and high socks. Not a huge fan of the full-length pants.

All-in-all, a very fun night.

I think I am becoming an Angels fan.

Kent would be so proud.