Yes, that is my real name. Author. DIY-maniac. Mom. Wife. Generally overwhelmed by things I've created.
The problem with realizing that you spent your college degree on a hobby is that you have to figure out what to do with the rest of your life. Vocational success not important? Okay, then, what to do? Life doesn’t exactly stop at 22. After graduating from college, I tookContinue Reading
My college roommate Gloria used to sing the above title to the tune of “What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor?” It was not encouraging. Especially considering the point of college is that you prepare for the rest of your life, and here I’d gotten one of the leastContinue Reading
Senior Year – 2003-2004. Ah, the homestretch. By now I’d had enough of living on Cornerstone’s campus, and this final roommate hunting experience turned out to be the more wonderful turn of events of my entire social life. Gloria, roommate from my Junior year, had two friends from the HonorsContinue Reading
Junior Year – 2002-2003. My roommate situation Junior Year at Cornerstone proved to be a phenomenal turning point. Mita (from the year before, you remember, who made excellent dumplings) and I needed a place to live now that Elise had decided to brave the life of a commuter. So inContinue Reading
Sophomore Year — 2001-2002. 8-8-2001 So I think I’ve figured out that I have no happiness in my life. I was listening to the song that says, “I don’t know where my soul is. I don’t know where my home is. I’m like a bird, I wanna fly away.” BecauseContinue Reading
It’s safe to say that I knew I was a mess when I entered college. I hadn’t sorted it all out yet, but I at least knew that making other people happy could not be my focus anymore. So, I basically entered Cornerstone University with the single goal to goContinue Reading
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It will forever be – knock on wood – as close to hell as I’ll ever come. But it was really only the white, middle-class, angst-y poetry, Fiona Apple kind of hell, which I guess proves it wasn’tContinue Reading
My life really hasn’t been interesting enough to fill a whole novel. Or even a novella. Maybe a sonnet. Probably a limerick. The most interesting time period was spent in Algoma Christian School, for a variety of reasons. I’ve explained earlier how small the school was – I ended up graduating inContinue Reading
Another part of growing up on the Haymarsh was that many of our neighbors were Amish. I don’t know the history of how they came to settle in the area, but they definitely added a unique flavor to the community. I respect their devotion to their way of life andContinue Reading
I have no idea who did this originally, but a friend wanted me to do a copy and I ended up kinda liking it.Continue Reading
“What was once captured through epic voyage, war, quest, in modern days is found through sport, hunting. Preparing for battle in blazing orange armor, man’s ancient blood channels Odysseus, Hector, Arthur. Sirens pose as pheasants; long-suffering Penelopes wait at home. Something primal comes off the field in a faithful beastContinue Reading
Once upon a time, a man and his two friends decided to go for a fishing trip off the coast of Northern England. They got caught in the Trade Winds, drifted across the Atlantic, and ended up in America. If you ask me, that is the perfect story for howContinue Reading
My family is very good at self-mockery – both sides, but today I’ll focus on my dad’s side. “Bad gene thing” is a long-running joke, but all our quirks (genetic and otherwise) are loved, as they unite our little branch of the Somerville clan. The Somerville family has instilled inContinue Reading
Kathleen Norris wrote a book called Dakota about how the land where she grew up and the land where she lived had affected her spiritually – not necessarily religiously, but in her spirit. This got me thinking about the oddity of my own spiritual geography. The question I hate moreContinue Reading
The one constant my whole life has been my name. Wow, that was deep, huh? But, seriously, my name has had a huge impact on my life. Sunshine Marie Somerville. My first name was chosen by my mother because Susan Someone-Famous named her daughter Sunshine around the time my momContinue Reading