eight-nine-ten

It has been two years today-two years of wedded bliss that is-and I couldn't be happier to be married to Mr. Kent Merrill Sommer. He is such a good man: always constant, kind, deep, loving, forgiving, hilarious, intelligent, adventurous, insightful and of course, good-looking (blue eyes don't get much bluer, trust me). He rarely complains, does the dishes on a regular basis and joins me in watching Project Runway and So You Think You Can Dance. He's almost too good to be true.

The first year, I think we celebrated by doing something fancy, but I can't remember what. Maybe a nice dinner? This year, we're not doing anything too extravagant and my anniversary offering for Kent is under $5, BUT we did spend the morning together at a doctor's office listening to a little something that will make big changes in our lives (and no, it wasn't Kent's other lung collapsing-thank goodness!).

We aren't the best at making announcements, but we're happy to report that there's a Baby Sommer on the way, scheduled to arrive January 31, 2011. It's still unreal to us, but we're 15 weeks in and we heard a healthy heartbeat today so I think we better start believing. I've had some morning sickness, heartburn and other less than desirable pregnancy symptoms, but until my clothes don't fit and my waistline starts bulging more, it's hard to comprehend that we're actually having baby. Maybe a Kent, Jr.? Aww. We shall see.

We may not do the fancy dinner thing this year, but I WILL remember what we did on 8.9.10. Here's to things to come in 2011!

violent victorians

Dave and friends are INTERNETionally known now. I hope this trailer becomes a real film. I know Kent and I would go see it.

being two

This is my niece, Malia. She's two and says "no" to almost everything, but she is adorable. She loved spending time at Grandma's house just as much as I did. More summer shots coming soon.

summer reading

I need a good book to read. Something I can lose myself in (that just reminded me of Eminem). It can be a classic, something modern, a biography...anything that keeps me engaged. Any suggestions? I am completely open.

If YOU happen to be looking for some great summer reading, I suggest the books below:

I recently finished Catching Fire, the second book in the Hunger Games series, and I honestly read it in about 24-48 hours. I think I read the first one in about a day as well. I just couldn't put them down. They have me almost intrigued as the Harry Potter series, but that's tough to top. The third book comes out this summer, but...

I know there's time to squeeze something else in (as long as it's not Les Miserables or something).

Hope you're enjoying the summer weather. June gloom should disappear as of today, right? We'll see.

and we're in...

Almost. I have to remove the shower head in the old house (I can't part with it...it's such a great shower head - hand-held is the way to go!), replace it with a plastic one I found at Target and pick up our silverware holder that was left in a drawer in the kitchen. The new owners move in tomorrow so today is the last day.

The Seal Beach apartment is coming along. We managed to get most of the boxes in the front room to the back room, which means I'm literally boxed in my office everyday, but it's so much better than having piles of boxes in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, there are still boxes in the front, but we can at least maneuver around them now. The apartment also had a stench to it, but I went crazy with some carpet powder and it smells a bit better now. I think the scent is coming from something else, but I can't put my finger on the culprit. Maybe the wood, the paint? I just don't know.

I think Seal Beach is going to be a fun place to live. Things I want to do:

1. Take Yoga classes at the local studio.
2. Go to the Fish Fry in July.
3. Get my library card so I can get books from the library down the street.
4. Attend the summer concerts near the pier.
5. Swim to the pier and back for exercise.
6. See a movie at the old theatre downtown.
7. Try all the restaurants on Main Street.

(The best thing about this list is that we can walk to all of the places on it. Ideal.)

The list will probably grow, but I'm going to start with those goals.

on our way

The little olive house on Gardenia has sold so our stay in the LBC is quickly drawing to a close. When we first moved here I didn't know how much I would like Long Beach, but now, I don't want to leave. We've made some great friends and I can't even begin to express how much I'll miss the young women I work with. I'll miss Grandma Helmi's house too; it's the only house Kent and I have known in our married life and it feels like home.









We were lucky to live here for the almost two years we have, but we're spoiled now. Going from a house to an apartment will be an adjustment. I'm not quite sure where we're going to fit everything that we've acquired. At least we'll only be a couple of blocks from the beach at our new place. That has to count for something, but I'll miss having a garage and a garden. Not necessities, but definitely niceties that I have appreciated.

Thanks to Mom and Dad Sommer for letting us live here; we've loved and appreciated it.

Next destination: Seal Beach.

the cup

When Kent has a spare moment (or a bored moment at work) he keeps people informed of the happenings in the soccer world on a blog called Fastbreak Futbol. Now, I have to be honest, I don't read every post like a good wife should, but this last post he and his brother did in preparation for the World Cup is pretty entertaining. I know they both put a lot of time into it so I read it and wasn't disappointed.

Kent and Matt compare each team playing in the World Cup to a band/singer. It's such a smart way to teach people (i.e. me) about soccer teams and their unique histories and characteristics. For instance, I now know that South Africa is like Janet Jackson and Brazil is like the Beatles. And because I know much more about the music world, I now understand the soccer world better. I'm even excited to watch the games now.

Find out which team goes with each band here. Soccer and music fans alike will enjoy the post.

Why Kent and Matt should feel famous: Hot clicks picked up the post and so did an Internet site in the Netherlands (they liked being compared to Radiohead). Fastbreak has had about 20,000 hits in the last two days-it's a record! Disclaimer: Please excuse the racy photos (esp. the Netherlands one) in the links above. I don't know why sports and scantily-clad women always have to go together.

Anyway, well done, Sommer boys, on an awesome post!