OPTIMUS

our family is growing! beau and i keep adding rescue dogs and vicious cats to our number...the newest addition: optimus. he is a 75 lb. beast of a guy - half pitbull half lab. he looks pitbull in the body and head but has huge feet, webbed toes, and a very chill disposition. he and izzy get along very well and are figuring out their relationship to each other and their beds, toys, and food. izzy is loving having someone to play with...that makes me happy. and this guy...he is more lovey than izzy (if that were possible)...
heres to a growing family and to hoping that when we decide to start having babies we don't get this carried away!

BUTTER MELTS OUT OF HABIT

i have walked through the valley of the shadow of death for much of the year. i cannot think of a time when someone was not dead or dying in the last 9 months. it is just now that the smoke is beginning to clear and i am left to grapple with this overdose of mortality.
yesterday, for example, we went to the birthday party of our friend david's daughter, alaina. she is four. beau has been with her for every birthday (even her first unofficial birthday of the day she was born) and i have been with her since her 1st birthday. her birthday was largely the same as it always is. it was in the same backyard that it always is...it was hot just like it always is smack in the center of july...there were drinks and snacks and sugary cake just like there always is...but something was not quite right - david was conspicuously absent. his absence felt more profound than his precence would have if he were there...
but if i closed my eyes i could imagine him behind me, holding baby tia, and talking to beau about going to see the new batman movie...i kept thinking, just a year ago he was right here...in that picture we have on our fridge he was here...
death is a strange, strange thief.

WELCOME FLUFFY!

I survived the weekend - thank God. Both funerals were beautiful celebrations...I was more than thankful.
In addition to TWO funerals this weekend, we also added to the family. Fluffy...a little boy kitty named by my niece, Else. He terrorizes Izzy...but she mostly likes him. ;) Here are some pictures of him and of a hike we took the other day....
peace!

OFF THE CHARTS WHITENESS

apparently i have a high whiteness factor....my friend giordi shared this with me today. it is an entire website dedicated to "stuff white people like"...be sure to check out the full list...funny stuff.

i need it this week - i am officiating two funerals on saturday (more on that after i've lived through it).

OH IZZY...

if you know beau and i, you know we love this dog...i was actually very reluctant to get a dog, but when beau and i saw this little black pitbull at the skagit valley humane society (www.skagithumane.com), my heart was hers...
here are some pics from our youth group supper club night and izzy cuddling with daniel & kathryn.

PROUD NAZBO

if you are nazarene (or grew up nazarene...or had nazarene friends growing up), check this out.
you all know i'm a proud nazbo.

READ IT

i was intrigued by a number of friends talking about this amazing book - the shack by william p. young - so i decided to read it.
i am so glad i did....it expanded my heart in beautiful ways.
now...you....stop reading this and read the shack.
find out more at: www.theshackbook.com

BODY COUNT: 2

izzy and i have been busy...
yesterday morning beau let izzy out and she went back to the same place in the side hill that she had been obsessed with for about 24 hours. after a few minutes she was "playing" with a new friend. after izzy sent her new friend to mole heaven (she is sugar all over again - our old mole killing dog) i found a mouse (!) in the garage. my throat literally hurt from screaming so loud and it sent izzy under the bed. i set a trap and the rest is cold blooded history....
if you need an extermination, just call the somers girls.

YEAH...SO IF YOU COULD JUST....THANKS

for anyone who has ever had a roommate or worked at a church (or anywhere else), you will love this: www.passiveaggressivenotes.com
when i came to our church about a year ago there were passive aggressive notes taped all over the kitchen. i threw them away and they were quickly replaced...so funny.
enjoy.

HOME!!!! WELCOME

i had a wonderful time in nashville - it was right on time in so many ways....physically, spiritually, and mentally.
the only thing better than an awesome weekend full of anointed female clergy was coming home to my awesome husband and sweet dog. beau had a sign and flowers waiting for me (notice the switch of the words - he didn't realize it until well after he had put the sign up).
home!!!! welcome to me....