tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59735361486338279852024-03-05T10:11:35.801-05:00Life: As We Know Itthe bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-68561247011812264602012-04-12T22:22:00.000-04:002012-04-12T22:25:26.030-04:00Always be thankful...Well friends I thought this day would never take place. Back in the day when Steph started this Blog she told me <i>(the hubs)</i> that I could post if I ever wanted to and tonight it sounded like something I would consider. So here is my profound thought of the day....<br />
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Friends as you begin to settle in for the night take a few minutes to think of all the blessings God has blessed you with, here is the small list of things I am thankful for tonight. <br />
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1. A heavenly Father who will never abandon us<br />
2. Forgiveness from all the earthly sins I have committed<br />
3. The most amazing and beautiful wife<br />
4. A silly puppy that always keeps us on our toes<br />
5. A great internship where I have the blessing to step into one of the most intimate parts of a persons life.<br />
6. A job that helps pay the bills and provides for our many needs<br />
7. The ability to pursue a masters degree<br />
8. A house that keeps me warm and dry<br />
9. TV shows to watch on-line when the desire to complete homework has vanished<br />
10. A warm and comfy bed to rest in after a long day<br />
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I don't know about you but I take many things for granted, hopefully this note helps you stop for just a minute and think of the many things you have but do not deserve.<br />
<br />the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-48811898937128058952012-04-08T08:51:00.000-04:002012-04-08T08:51:24.924-04:00alive. alive!<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><i>After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. </i></span></span><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. </span></i><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” </span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. <span class="woj">“Greetings,”</span> he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, <span class="woj">“Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:1-10)<br /></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said,<span class="woj">“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.</span> <span class="woj">Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,</span><span class="woj"> and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="woj" style="font-size: large;"><b>Christ is risen from dead, trampling over death by death. </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="woj" style="font-size: large;"><b>Christ is risen from the dead. We are one with him again!</b></span></span></div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-23785127258782759692012-04-06T21:08:00.000-04:002012-04-06T21:08:40.894-04:00it's coming.Sunday is coming. Can you hear it? It sounds like crowds jesting and soldiers sneering. It sounds like a hammer pounding and wood splitting. It sounds like a loud cry and a last breath. Silence.<br />
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<i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">[Matthew 27] </i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.</span><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-24163" style="background-color: white; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;"> </sup><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, </span><span class="woj" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> (which means </span><span class="woj" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">).</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;"> When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” </span></i><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” </i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;"> At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">went into the holy city and appeared to many people.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;"> Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.</span></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. </i></div>
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Can you hear it? It sounds like thunder rolling and rocks shaking and curtains tearing in two. It sounds like people gasping, realizing, knowing. Truth. </div>
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Can you hear it? <b>Sunday is coming...</b><br />
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</div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-84076493935000642882012-03-15T21:04:00.000-04:002012-03-15T21:04:55.512-04:00homework night.It's been awhile. Life has been busy with tons of homework (taking two classes right now), work, school, internship and all sorts of other things. And let's not forget about spending a week in Florida. I'll make sure to recap that soon, too!<br />
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Tonight is homework night. Rob is at a MOSES Board meeting and I'm trying to stay on top of what feels like one million assignments. But, there is something that eases the homework pain a little bit.<br />
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Nothing like a cute, sleeping puppy at your feet to put a smile on your face.<br />
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Now, back to Introduction to Classroom Dynamics and Developmental Psychology.the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-50509023390595657212012-02-25T11:21:00.001-05:002012-02-25T11:21:33.422-05:00keys and paint.Our latest project was a long time and coming. When we first moved into our house, we had the uncanny ability to lay our keys down and forget where we put them. We don't have much counter space in the kitchen - and none that is close to the door - so we didn't have a prime location to consistently put our keys.<br />
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In our apartment, we had hung little hooks right inside the doorway to hang our keys on and it seemed to work out well for us. We hardly ever lost our keys or had to hunt them down when we were trying to leave for work or school. So, when we moved into our house, we did the simplest thing possible. We put two nails in the wall in our stairway which is just inside our main entry door in an attempt to recreate the hook situation we had in the apartment.<br />
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This worked for awhile...until the nails started falling out of our silly cement-board walls. Our keys would fall down the stairs, the nails would fall down the stairs, the dog would find the nails, we couldn't find our keys - you get the picture. So, to solve the problem, Rob asked if I would make my next craft project a key hanger. I had all sorts of creative ideas but couldn't find the right supplies to make the ideas work out. Then it happened.<br />
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I found these letters for 99 cents each at Hobby Lobby and had the perfect idea to add a little bit of color (and some much needed key hanging space) to our stairwell.<br />
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I decided to attempt the project while Rob was at work one day (I don't work on Thursdays) in order to surprise him when he got home. I don't typically use power tools by myself. Bet you'd never guess that! Right?<br />
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I had a leftover dowel laying around from when I made my mom's birthday present and I found an old piece of trim in our scrap wood box in the basement. I cut three pieces from the dowel to use as hooks. The best part was that I remembered what my handy boyfriend always tells me about pre-drilling with a smaller size bit so I don't crack the wood when using the larger bit. It's ok, you can be impressed. I don't mind.<br />
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In fact, I was so impressed with myself I had to take a picture. I've taken better pictures. Oh well, you get the idea.<br />
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After I had drilled the three holes, I used a hammer to pound the dowels into the trim. I was left with this:<br />
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The whole process took a little longer than expected but I at least had the general concept together before Rob got home from work. He was very impressed with my [lack of] power tool skills. In a spur of the moment decision, we decided to spend the evening painting the stairwell in preparation for hanging the new key hooks when they were finished. I set-up shop at the dining room table to paint the letters while Rob tackled the paint in the stairwell.<br />
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Before Rob started painting, we were convinced the stairwell ceiling was white. HA! Guess again.<br />
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I don't know what color it was before, but it definitely wasn't white. We have really poor lighting in the stairwell so the picture doesn't do the colors justice, but you get the general idea. The ceiling got a nice new coat of white paint and the walls were spruced up with a light gray - the same color we will eventually get around to painting the basement with.<br />
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Last night I put the finishing coats of paint on the letters and the hooks so that we could hang them today! I chose pretty bright colors - the blue is the same blue we are in process of painting our exterior doors, the orange is the same colored I used to paint the snowman's nose for my mom's birthday present and the green is "Grass Green" that I picked up from Hobby Lobby...on sale for 34 cents. Perfect!<br />
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This morning, Rob hung everything up for us. I decided it might be better to hand the power tools back over to him at this point. He pre-drilled holes so that we could use toggle bolts to hold the hook with. We didn't want to deal with any of that nails-slipping-out-of-the-wall-every-time-we-hang-our-keys-up business again.<br />
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Mr. Beacon often likes to watch Rob work. He's like a little kid. Rob will work on a project and Beacon will sit quietly next to him and watch every thing he's doing. We'll probably let Mr. B use the drill next time.<br />
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After Beacon gave his final approval on the placement for the letters, I hung them up and [drum roll please]...<br />
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A brand new, colorful, useful key and leash hanging space! We knew we wanted three hooks because we each have a set of keys and Mr. B's leash and harness are always just laying on the first step because we don't know what else to do with them. It conveniently works out that the letters spell our initials AND give Beacon a hook too! (I didn't even plan that!)<br />
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And so, I think we officially like it. The keys and leash have been hanging on it for about an hour now and I haven't heard anything come crashing to the ground so I think we're in business. Not to shabby for a $3.31 project, if I do say so myself.<br />
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What projects have you worked on lately?<br />
<br />the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-72868234705324235102012-02-21T15:48:00.001-05:002012-02-21T15:52:08.698-05:00lucky day.Looks like a certain [spoiled?] dog in the Bergman house hit the jackpot this week!<br />
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A 10 lb. box of Milk-bones and an almost empty peanut butter jar all in one day!<br />
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Hmm...I wish someone would bring me a 10 lb. box of M&Ms and an almost empty [er...full?] jar of ice cream. Beacon! Bring me M&Ms! You can't eat them anyways!<br />
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If you could have someone bring you a 10 lb. box of anything, what would it be?the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-78125921475048287272012-02-11T14:11:00.000-05:002012-02-11T14:11:50.863-05:00saturday.It's Saturday. If you visited our house today, here's what you would find:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">My good-looking husband painting our entry way.</span></b><br />
Here's to an entry way that is all one color instead of the five colors it's been for the past year!<br />
(Yes, I realize it's a really small space. And yes, there were five colors in that space.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Me working on a five-page study guide for Legal Issues and Ethics in Counseling.</span></b><br />
(What is transference and counter-transference? A gold star will be awarded if you know.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">And a puppy. Tuckered out from running around outside in the snow all morning.</span></b><br />
(He sure does love the snow.)</td></tr>
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Happy Weekend, from the Bergmans.<br />
Whether you're home-improving, studying, or napping - we hope you're enjoying your Saturday as much as we are enjoying ours.<br />
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<br />the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-8440921998720382122012-01-22T19:47:00.001-05:002012-01-22T19:51:16.325-05:00happy?<span style="font-size: large;"><b>hap-py</b> [<b>hap</b>-ee]<br /><i>adjective</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or <b>joy</b>.</span><br />
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<b>On Friday morning, I posed a question as my Facebook status: "What makes you happy today?" </b><br />
This question rose out of "one of those mornings." We all know what those are, right? For some of us it means we spilled our coffee down the front of our work clothes which means we have to change into a new outfit only to rush out of the house and realize we need to brush snow and ice off of our car. For others, it's that morning when the kids are bickering and they miss the bus so you need to drop them off at school and right when you're pulling into the parking lot one of them says: "I left my backpack at home." For me, it was simply that morning when my hair wouldn't seem to cooperate and every piece of clothing I put on seemed to say: "Nope, that looks terrible on you, too." The only thing that got me was a huge pile of clothes on the bedroom floor waiting to be picked up that night, no time to pack a lunch (thanks, husband, for packing it for me and hiding a little love note under my clementine), running late for work (thanks, Mom, for being my boss), and the anticipation of a two-block walk to work in the -8 degree windchill across ice laden sidewalks. <strike>Awesome</strike>.<br />
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After I finally made it into my car and onto the road to work, all I was feeling was frustration at the fact that I had to redo my makeup because I cried and it ran and thinking: "If anyone speaks to me within the first 5 minutes I'm at work or before I get a cup of coffee, I will probably ring their neck." Then, as I rounded through the S-Curve on 131 downtown Grand Rapids, I looked up into the sky and saw the most beautiful sunrise and right in the middle of my windshield, backed by the pink/purple/yellow/orange/red sky, was the outline of a steeple sitting high atop one of the downtown churches. (Cue the gentle smack across the face, thanks God.)<br />
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By the time I pulled my car into the parking lot, God had lovingly changed my attitude and outlook towards myself and my day and left me thankful for his grace that is new every morning despite my sinful nature that also seems to rear its ugly head every morning. Instead of tears and bitterness and inward struggles with my outward appearance, I seemed to hold my head a bit higher as I walked from the parking lot to work. I remember being thankful that I didn't see anyone else during my walk in, because I was singing (yes, out loud) the words to a song from <i>The Story </i>(the story of the Gospel in music) that is meant to portray Jesus singing to his people. The words go something like this<br />
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<i>I see your story,</i></div>
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<i>I see my name written on every beautiful page</i></div>
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<i>You see the struggle,</i></div>
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<i>You see the shame</i></div>
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<i>I see the reason I came.</i></div>
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<i>I came for your story,</i></div>
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<i>I came for your wounds,</i></div>
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<i>to show you what Love sees</i></div>
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<i>when Love sees you.</i></div>
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I was reminded that even when the morning starts out feelings like I have nothing to be happy about, no reason to be thankful, nothing to find joy in...there is always something - the fact that Jesus loves me - and that love and knowing that I'm beautiful because I'm in Christ is worth far more than any good hair day or perfect outfit.</div>
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But back to the question at hand: "What makes you happy today?" After I made it into work and got my cup of coffee (without ringing any necks), I thought: "If I have mornings like this, other people must have them, too. We should all recognize the things that make us happy and bring us joy today, even if it's the littlest of things." So, I asked. And the answers came pouring in. Some of them were big things, some were small. But it struck me that it was almost as if people are just waiting to recognize the good things in life...but something we get so caught up in the yucky stuff that we need someone to simply say: "Hey, what's good today?" Because when asked, we can all see that God's grace is redeeming us all and we all have things to be thankful for - day in and day out. Here's what people told me made them happy on Friday morning:</div>
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<b>A morning bagel and a weekend full of music</b></div>
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An iPhone app that allows a wife to keep track of her firefighter husband on the icky days</div>
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<i>4 day weekends (every weekend, all semester) and making desserts to celebrate</i></div>
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<b>A day off work, kids at school, listening to good music and cooking good food</b></div>
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Not studying</div>
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<i>Going to JoAnn's Fabric</i></div>
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<b>Reading by the fire</b></div>
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A good group planning meeting for an upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic</div>
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<i>All the snow that is falling</i></div>
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<b>A warm couch and episodes of Friday Night Lights</b></div>
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Talking to a good friend and partner in ministry</div>
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<i>An extra sugar cookie from a good friend</i></div>
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Date night</div>
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Now we could go into all sorts of discussions and debates about happiness vs. joyfulness and which one means more and what the differences are and all sorts of other things. Sure, often times we relate happiness to an in-the-moment feeling and joyfulness to finding peace and contentment no matter the situation. But, when it all comes down to it, these are simply those little things that God, in his grace, puts into our lives to say: "Hey, you're worth it. Even when you don't feel like you're worth it, you are. Remember me and remember my grace when you think about all these little good things."</div>
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For me that little thing was a beautiful sunrise that caused a gentle smack in the face to remind me that God does care about me and love me and when he looks at me he sees his beautiful child. That's what made me happy on Friday morning...and every morning. </div>
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<i>Music and lyrics to "When Love Sees You"<br />(Take the 5 minutes to listen to it. It's worth it, I promise)</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Want to join the conversation? What makes YOU happy/thankful/joyful? Leave your answer in the comments!</b></span></div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-80262704172388226332012-01-14T14:58:00.001-05:002012-01-22T19:48:27.756-05:00puppy surgery.Well, it's official. Beacon is the last in his family line. Maybe he will end up with nieces and nephews someday; but offspring of his own? Sorry, buddy. He had surgery on Thursday and now he has to spend a week wearing the cone of shame, poor guy.<br />
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I dropped him off on Thursday morning and picked him up again Thursday afternoon. I think the vet thought I was a bit crazy when I went to pick him up because of the pathetic whimpering noise I made when I saw him laying in the cage. He just looked so sad. It took me a good while to get him out to the car because his medication still hadn't worn off and he was so out of it! He just stood and stared off into space and wouldn't look at me when I said his name or anything. It was cute in a sad and pathetic sort of way.</div>
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And so he spent the rest of the night sleeping and being super cuddly. I liked that part. But boy, did we feel so bad when he threw up three times because of the anesthetic and when we had to make him wear the cone to go to bed and now that we have to give him sedatives to keep him calm during the day so he doesn't run or jump or tear his incision. Thursday he gets his stitches out and that day can not come soon enough.</div>
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We did get a nice picture out of the deal though. Normally Mr. B doesn't sit still enough to stay in a picture with us, so we took advantage of him and his groggy state. </div>
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We're a little bit bummed that we got our first major snowfall on the day after his surgery, 1.) because he can't get wet when he's outside and that is not an easy task to make happen when the backyard is covered in snow and 2.) because he loves to play in the snow...and he can't. And even though it's cold and messy to drive in, we can't wait until next weekend when we can take the pup out to play. And you can't tell me that this view of the park down the street isn't beautiful...</div>
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But, since we're cooped up inside for the week, Beacon and I have been spending our spare time trying out new cookies recipes and working on some craft projects. (Well, I do the work, he lays around and sleeps.) Just for the record, these <a href="http://savorysweetlife.com/2009/10/alices-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe/" target="_blank">chocolate chip cookies</a> are awesome and you should definitely try them. And do like she says: use coarse sea salt. The cookies end up with this crispy edge and every couple of bites there will be a distinct crunchy salty taste. So good. In between eating cookies, I've been going to town with twine and a $0.34 Goodwill wreath. I think I've eaten more cookies than I have worked on the wreath though. </div>
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<i>In other news, we have a new follower on our blog! We'd love it if you would follow us too. All you have to do is click "Join this site" in the top right corner, just under our picture. </i></div>
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<br /></div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-32395609278068270362012-01-08T22:05:00.000-05:002012-01-08T22:10:58.497-05:00can we be friends?Today - in between eating, going on a walk, taking a bath, and playing outside - Beacon did some serious thinking:<br />
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We just wanted to share our excitement with Jared and Mary, our friends over at <a href="http://uglymuffinlibrary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ugly Muffin Library</a>, in the new puppy addition to their family! (I know they are excited because I saw a zillion pictures and videos over break and they have two blog posts up already...all while dealing with the first puppy days and being sick!) </div>
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Anyways, Rob and I love Jared and Mary dearly and are blessed to be able to call them friends. But, I think Mr. B might be jealous because now he keeps asking if he can be friends with Kobuk. Hopefully they can meet some day soon! Road trip, anyone?</div>
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<br />the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-37386231690631285122012-01-01T21:39:00.000-05:002012-01-01T22:13:14.211-05:00what we love the most.Rob and I started out the new year on just the right note - in my opinion at least. <strike>We</strike> I slept in, we were blessed to worship together with our church family, we enjoyed some awesome rolls with lunch, we visited my cousin, her fiance and their beautiful baby girl who are visiting from New Mexico, we made it home before the weather turned too snowy, I watched Criminal Minds, Rob finished a book, and Mr. B ate snow balls.<br />
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The best part of the night, though, was reading our "I love you" gifts that we wrote throughout December. In an effort to be intentional about recognizing the things we are most thankful for in one another, we decided to try out a little extra "gift" to celebrate Christmas this year. We were a bit late in opening it, but what's a day or two...or seven?<br />
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<b>It's really as simple as this: </b><br />
1. Cut some pieces of paper into strips (we chose red and green in the Christmas spirit);<br />
2. Label the paper with the dates of the month (we decided on December 1-25 with plans to read them on Christmas morning);<br />
3. Find a box or jar to hold the papers once you've written on them (see ours pictured above);<br />
4. Write down one thing you love about your spouse each day (sometimes we fell behind...);<br />
5. Enjoy reading them together and re-discovering what it is you love most about each other!<br />
6. After we read them, we sealed them up in an envelope to keep (along with future December notes) so that we can read them again years from now.<br />
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After we read each of the 25 "I love..." notes, we both realized that we weren't entirely surprised by what the other wrote down, but there were also some things that we didn't know were loved so much. We also seemed to notice a few themes running throughout the notes (i.e. commonly repeated topics).<br />
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<b>What Rob (repeatedly) loves about Stephanie: What Stephanie (repeatedly) loves about Rob:</b><br />
1. Her creativity 1. He loves to give hugs<br />
2. She loves to give hugs 2. His patient, listening ear<br />
3. She makes my lunch in the morning 3. He passionate, servant-heart for everyone he is around (family, clients, etc.)<br />
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As we move into a new year, one of our goals is being intentional about letting the people we love and care about know that we love and care about them...and that goes for letting each other know too. These daily notes are one simple way to do just that and it was definitely fun to sit and read them together tonight. It gave us something to look forward to at the end of the month, and was a Christmas present that was genuinely from the heart.</div>
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As you move into a new year, what are your goals for showing love to the people you care about?</div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-82820346716893590572011-12-31T22:01:00.001-05:002011-12-31T22:04:44.376-05:00happy new year.2011 was certainly a gift. God blessed us richly in many ways. He also taught us many new things as we faced trials and hardships and difficult questions. We are trying to love better and live in thankfulness.<br />
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<b>The Top Ten of 2011 (in no particular order):</b><br />
1. Celebrating our <a href="http://rsbergman.blogspot.com/2011/12/two-years.html" target="_blank">second wedding anniversary</a> with a day off work to spend together.<br />
2. Enjoying our first full year in our house...and loving all of the projects and work we've been able to do on it.<br />
3. <a href="http://rsbergman.blogspot.com/2011/07/big-announcement.html" target="_blank">Beacon</a> joining our little family. He's definitely a lively puppy, but we definitely love him!<br />
4. Rob starting his internship with Spectrum Hospice and getting confirmation that this work is his life passion.<br />
5. Volunteering as a middle school youth group leader again. <a href="http://rsbergman.blogspot.com/2011/09/middle-school.html" target="_blank">It sure is good to be back</a>.<br />
6. <a href="http://rsbergman.blogspot.com/2011/05/good-good-day.html" target="_blank">Starting in the Masters of Counseling program</a> at Spring Arbor University and achieving a 4.0 semester.<br />
7. Being proactive in learning about our finances and starting to practice being stewards with what we have.<br />
8. Starting a new job at Compass College of Cinematic Arts - so blessed to be able to love going to work.<br />
9. Celebrating with our friends: a <a href="http://rsbergman.blogspot.com/2011/04/mr-mrs-lang.html" target="_blank">wedding</a>, a baby, two babies on the way, new jobs, new houses, new dogs!<br />
10. Being intentional about spending more time with our families whenever possible.<br />
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<b>A Couple of Our Goals for 2012 (in no particular order):</b><br />
1. Send more cards to friends and family near and far - we think about them often and want them to know.<br />
2. Update the blog more often - so we can look back on the things we've done and stay in touch with friends.<br />
3. Continue to learn how to budget our finances and be stewards of the gifts God has blessed us with.<br />
4. Be intentional about spending time with people. It's easy to be busy and get caught up in hours at work and good grades in school and taking care of the house, but we want to work on building genuine relationships.<br />
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We hope that 2011 was a year of learning and growing for you just as it was for us and we pray that 2012 will be filled with hope and that our eyes will be opened to seeing the world the way Jesus sees it: with love.<br />
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So, Happy New Year from the Bergmans. We hope you're enjoying your celebrations - whatever they may be. At our house, we're thankful for a low key night: Bananagrams, popcorn, Root Beer, watching the Rockin' New Year's Eve party on TV, and being a-okay with going to bed by 12:05am! Cheers!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Merry Christmas!</span></div>
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With love,</div>
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Rob, Stephanie & Beacon</div>
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From our little family to yours, we pray that you have a Christmas that is filled with celebration, love, and all the joy that comes from giving and receiving while we spend time with those you love. We know that this kind of true joy can only come because of the hope we have in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But, we also recognize that this time of year is filled with pain, grief, and sadness for a lot of families as well. If this is true of your Christmas season, it is our prayer that amid your sadness you might be able to recognize that the hope of Christ can never be lost in darkness - in fact, Christmas causes us to remember the fact that Christ came and triumphed over the darkness!</div>
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If you're like us, you've already taken part in some Christmas celebrations with your families. But, before you continue on to all the various parties that you have planned for today and tomorrow, will you take a few minutes to listen to these two songs? They invite us to remember that <i>Christmas is most certainly about gifts</i> - but not the kind that come wrapped in red and green paper with sparkly ribbon and bows on top. Rather, let us remember the gift that came wrapped in humility, given not because our names were drawn out of a hat by a family member, but given because our names are written in the Book of Life and because God loves us so much.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/E6BvLKfYL1M?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<i>"Jesus Is Alive" - Josh Wilson</i></div>
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<i>"Alive" - Natalie Grant</i></div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-90021732605624434102011-12-19T08:00:00.000-05:002011-12-19T08:00:14.100-05:00two years.Today Rob and I celebrate two years of marriage. On December 19, 2009, I was fairly certain that I could never be more in love than I was standing in my wedding dress, saying "I do" to my best friend. Well, I'm here to testify that I was wrong. Today, December 19, 2011, I am more in love than I was on our wedding day. I think it's because I know just a little bit more about what love really means (and still have a lot to learn). Two years have flown by and I can only imagine that it just keeps getting better and better...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All photo credits to <a href="http://lvlphotography.com/" target="_blank">LVL Photography</a></i></td></tr>
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I'm am so thankful for the wonderful gift God gave me in Rob. We've accomplished a lot in two years: we both got new jobs that we love, we bought our first house, we got a dog, we've both started Masters programs, we've discovered lots of dreams and faced some tough stuff too, but we get more and more excited with every passing day for all that is to come in the years ahead. Every day there are more smiles and tears and laughter and areas to grow...but, I'm so blessed to have my best friend to share it all with. </div>
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<b>Here's to Year 3.</b></div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-4118311794621850552011-12-05T18:49:00.001-05:002011-12-05T19:03:41.959-05:00crazy life. puppy lovin'.Life has been super crazy lately! At least, that's how it feels. Rob and I have both been really busy with school and work (some big events going on this week!). All that to say, there hasn't been much time to give the blog any attention! But, here we are today: thankful that Rob just finished taking his final exam (confirmed via text 30 seconds ago! It's Christmas Break!) and I finished my class last week and have the next month off from school.<br />
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To celebrate, here's a ridiculous video of Beacon that I took while trying to eat supper tonight! He is teething so he has a sock with ice in it to chew on. Apparently, it was more fun used in a different manner. And clearly, you will see that he does not know how to sit still. (Also, please excuse the awkward camera handling.) The strange noises in the background are from <a href="http://youtu.be/rEoCHCUdhyU" target="_blank">this equally crazy video</a> made by some Kuyper students!<br />
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You'd think he'd give himself whiplash or something!<br />
We hope that even in your busiest moments you still find ways to laugh and enjoy the little things around you!the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-68660801994276426762011-11-15T10:13:00.001-05:002011-11-15T10:53:19.286-05:00baby brother.I've spent the past four days quietly reflecting on what life would be like if Kyle David lived longer than he did. Sometimes I'm not sure I could have handled two little brothers. Other times I've wondered if I would have the same friends I do now or if he would have been friends with them instead. I've wondered who he would be more like. Would he like golf? Play the piano? What would he be studying in college?<br />
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Then my attention turns and I remember that it's not up to me to decide all of that. God is the giver of life and what he gives, he also has power to take away. It's up to us to be thankful for it all no matter what the situation. So, today I'll be thankful for Kyle's short time on earth - for the smiles I'm sure he gave my two-year old self; I'll be thankful that he's worshiping Jesus even in this very moment; and I'll be thankful for the way he causes me to think about how small life is and how big God's sovereignty is - especially on these few days every year in mid-November.<br />
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Kyle David Vander Heide | November 11-14, 1989</div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-20268762120147094732011-11-10T16:28:00.001-05:002011-11-10T16:48:18.422-05:00mr. b's first snow.Well, friends, despite the fact that the sunshine is currently reflecting off the pretty yellow leaves on the tree in the front yard, it happened. It S-N-O-W-E-D today. As much as I dislike snow, even I have to wear a smile when I see the first big flakes fall from the sky (especially because I knew it wouldn't stick to the ground for long and would be melted by tomorrow!). The first snow of the season reminds me of the happy times that are ahead: celebrating Christmas, sitting in our warm house sipping coffee in the morning while we watch the snow fall, wearing sweatshirts and sweatpants, and all sorts of other good things.<br />
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But this year the snow meant something else: Mr. Beacon Puppy's first snowfall!<br />
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He loved it.<br />
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<i>Here he is trying to bite the snowflakes. It's like it was playing a game or something.</i></div>
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<i>And here he is being the cutest puppy ever catching snowflakes on his tongue! </i></div>
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Rob and I are currently reading the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Tangerines-Celebrating-Extraordinary-Everyday/dp/0310273609/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320961138&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Cold Tangerines</a>, by Shauna Niequist. It is an awesome book. If you've never read it, you should. The tag line for the book is: "Celebrating the extraordinary nature of everyday life." I feel like we did that today by celebrating Mr. B's first snow - celebrating the little things that would be overlooked by so many...but make us stop and smile and say: "Thanks, God, for this awesome life and all the good things you've given us."</div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-64172112367868827102011-10-20T10:38:00.000-04:002011-10-20T10:38:33.858-04:0024.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />Today, I am thankful for...</span></b><br />
<b>1. My Husband</b><br />
Who sang to me to wake me up this morning and let me open birthday presents in my robe and slippers.<br />
<b>2. Mr. Beacon Puppy</b><br />
Because he loves to snuggle on my lap in the morning and play Frisbee with me at night. <br />
<b>3. Seattle's Best Coffee</b><br />
Speaking of which, I'm going to go brew a fresh pot now.<br />
<b>4. My Parents</b><br />
Who celebrate me every day and who have loved me since before my birthdays even began.<br />
<b>5. My Siblings</b><br />
Because they know how to play "catch with a wettie" and make me laugh until I cry.<br />
<b>6. My In-Laws</b><br />
Father, Mother, Brother, Sisters - because they make me feel like I've always belonged.<br />
<b>7. Our Warm House</b><br />
A roof over my head is a gift on a cold, windy day like today. I can't believe we've been here for a year.<br />
<b>8. M&M Cookies </b><br />
...for breakfast. Yup, I just did that.<br />
<b>9. Friends</b><br />
<b> </b>Because whether they are old or new, near or far, they have made the last 24 years worth celebrating. <b> </b><br />
<b>10. Blogs</b><br />
<b> </b>Let's be honest, I just love reading about other people's lives...speaking of which, <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/">YoungHouseLove</a> probably has a new post up by now.<br />
<b>11. Middle School Youth Group</b><br />
<b> </b>Small Group Night last night = 5 awesome girls, painting pumpkins, and a dance party. Win.<br />
<b>12. Intentional Communities</b><br />
<b> </b>...and Rockford Reformed Church, in general. Thankful to be a part of a small group and a caring church family.<br />
<b>13. My Jobs</b><br />
<b> </b>So many people go without and yet I have two.<br />
<b>14. The Bible</b><br />
<b> </b>Which teaches me that even though the rain may fall, God will never use it to destroy the earth again.<br />
<b>15. Dog Training</b><br />
<b> </b>Because without it, I don't know if we would have ever taught Beacon to sit.<br />
<b>16. School (and Homework?)</b><br />
<b> </b>Even though it keeps us busy, I'm thankful for the opportunity Rob and I both have to get an education in fields we are passionate about.<br />
<b>17. Free Things</b><br />
<b> </b>Like a free birthday dinner at Ruby Tuesday and buy one, get one free birthday coupons for Cold Stone!<br />
<b>18. My Car</b><br />
<b> </b>Because Brett had to bike a mile across campus in the rain yesterday to get to class. Yuck.<br />
<b>19. Laughter</b><br />
<b> </b>There's nothing like laughing until the tears run down your face. Thankful that it happens to me often.<br />
<b>20. Electricity</b><br />
<b> </b>...and the fact that we still have power, even though 5 Consumer's Energy trucks just drove down our road.<br />
<b>21. A Cold Coca-Cola</b><br />
<b> </b>Yum. Already know that's what's going to get me through writing a paper this afternoon.<br />
<b>22. Singing Along to the Radio</b><br />
<b> </b>We can meet God anywhere and worship in any way (even if people look at me strange as they drive by).<br />
<b>23. Date Night</b><br />
<b> </b>One night a week, just me and my boyfriend (and that my birthday fell on date night this week!).<br />
<b>24. The Reality of Life Everlasting</b><br />
<b> </b>Death, crime, pain, tears, and sickness seem more prevalent then ever recently. Thankful that this is not my forever home.<br />
<b><br />...and to God, who has - for now - blessed me with all these things...and another year to enjoy them.<br /></b><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So thankful that He has already <b>WON</b>.</div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-71974874491257662352011-09-29T20:49:00.000-04:002011-09-29T20:49:23.052-04:00middle school.Last night was Chaos Day with the middle school youth group at Rockford Reformed Church! I had never experienced Chaos Day before but boy, am I glad I experienced it last night. What an awesome and fun relational way to allow for a safe place for students to be themselves! <i>(If you saw how the leaders were dressed...let's just say that no one could feel out of place!)</i><br />
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As small groups we competed in a bunch of crazy games. Just imagine a 2-hour long combination of Trix yogurt, a hoola-hoop, saltine crackers, a sardine, string cheese, a pair of pantyhose, Cheetos and a bottle of Mountain Dew. AWESOME.<br />
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It is inspiring to watch leaders interact with students, exciting to watch students encourage and cheer for one another, and so refreshing to laugh and laugh and laugh. I'm so glad to be back with youth group this year.<br />
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Here's a picture of (most) my small group from last night in our chaos gear. We're missing one person but she left before I had a chance to grab my camera. Can't wait to spend the year investing in these awesome girls!<br />
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And here is a more accurate depiction of our night...and hopefully a perfect foreshadow to the year ahead!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtOb9FYoVBdqYfMi-IKZoTj41ASk-skFztHksuzNqcID_FIHq4kU_7yca60wOnxYf2gm4Y4yDWmiCjJm-uUezWroc9mWcuzQvR6-c12oHhtXXxl8uywa-12rtsNx3NgE9IGsV0UiD1AYF/s1600/yg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtOb9FYoVBdqYfMi-IKZoTj41ASk-skFztHksuzNqcID_FIHq4kU_7yca60wOnxYf2gm4Y4yDWmiCjJm-uUezWroc9mWcuzQvR6-c12oHhtXXxl8uywa-12rtsNx3NgE9IGsV0UiD1AYF/s640/yg2.jpg" width="626" /></a></div><br />
I know there are people out there who think we're crazy for loving to spend time with middle schoolers. To that I will say: "How do you look at those faces and <i>not</i> want to spend time with middle schoolers?"<br />
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The last two weeks as I drove home after youth group, the song below came on the radio. There is no better feeling than to have seen God actively at work in the lives of students and then jump in your car, roll the windows down, and drive down the highway with these words blaring through your speakers...<b>Christ is risen from the dead, that's what this really comes down to anyways, right?</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/-mXeA0G_xKc/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-mXeA0G_xKc&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-mXeA0G_xKc&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-63813915606077437122011-09-27T11:36:00.000-04:002011-09-27T11:36:21.364-04:00catch up.I think it is time to play a little game of catch up. Unfortunately, we don't have much exciting to share. Now, that's not to say that life isn't <u>so</u> <u>good</u>. We are blessed abundantly with a warm house and good food and dear friends and family and a cute puppy and the season for hot caramel apple cider and the fact that we only have one little tree in our yard to rake leaves from. Life is <u>good</u>. It's just really busy which means we don't have a lot of exciting stuff to share. Boo.<br />
<br />
<b>Here's a look into our typical week:</b><br />
<b>Sunday</b> - <i>Enjoy a restful morning then attend church at RRC (on a rotating basis we set-up for the service or run sound) and soon we will be starting to participate in the small group ministry that is starting up. We are calling them Intentional Communities and we are both really excited to get to know some new people.</i><br />
<b>Monday </b>- <i>Steph works at Kuyper, Rob works at Spectrum Community Services. Rob goes straight from work to class at WMU. Alyssa and Hannah come over to watching Dancing With The Stars while we all do homework. Oh, and the puppy goes crazy multiple times throughout the evening.</i><br />
<b>Tuesday </b>- <i>Steph works at Kuyper, Rob works at Spectrum. Steph goes straight from work to class at SAU (until 10pm!). Rob sometimes works at night (either from home or on the road) because he has to make up hours that he's using for his internship. We collapse into bed by 10:30pm.</i><br />
<b>Wednesday </b>- <i>Steph is to work at Compass College of Cinematic Arts by 7:50am to make a million pots of coffee to help the students make it through the day. Rob spends the morning working at his internship with Hospice and then spends the afternoon working at Spectrum. He heads straight to class after work. Steph has dinner at church and then hangs out with awesome middle schoolers at Youth Group. (Then we watch an episode of Criminal Minds.) </i><br />
<b>Thursday </b>- <i>Steph works at Kuyper and Rob works at Spectrum. We FINALLY have a night when we are both at home. Usually we're too tired to do anything. We get to make supper together and catch up on the week's episode of Biggest Loser that we missed on Tuesday.</i><br />
<b>Friday </b>- <i>Steph works at Compass and Rob puts in a full day with Hospice. At night we try to do something fun - last week we went to ArtPrize! (If you haven't gone, DO IT.) This week we're celebrating Alyssa's birthday.</i><br />
<b>Saturday </b>- <i>We spend the morning trying to clean the house up from the craziness of the week and do laundry so we have clothes to wear again. In the afternoon we have puppy training so that we can learn to control the crazy ball of fur that lives with us now. *Insert mental image of the crazy ball of fur sleeping peacefully by the back door right now...* At night we usually have to do homework and maybe get to work on some projects around the house. (And then we watch more Criminal Minds.)</i><br />
<b>And then we do it all over again...<i>whew.</i></b><br />
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</i></b><br />
As we were getting ready for bed last night I said to Rob, "When people ask how things are going, I don't like to respond because I always just feel like I'm complaining that we're so busy...but really, I'm not complaining." We have both come to realize that God has created this season of life for us and we're so grateful for the things we are learning and the ways we are growing. And we're thankful for a puppy to cuddle with at night, Mountain Dew and Diet Coke, and our bed that catches us when we collapse at the end of the day.<br />
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Here are a few pictures of some things we've been doing to try and relax and do things we enjoy.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIB_tA4jKEtAtP8Ywo8sWexLRFYbpLg5_RGklNoDvf7B7tkfvTL3j8OV7f6sW9txswJcUjaxDiC_EqWtJ_wQqb96p6uecMEyoLK3P6cqE6p7bUvzMYAsxbqtxlYndhT_g_4owFIeB0XjyH/s1600/catch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIB_tA4jKEtAtP8Ywo8sWexLRFYbpLg5_RGklNoDvf7B7tkfvTL3j8OV7f6sW9txswJcUjaxDiC_EqWtJ_wQqb96p6uecMEyoLK3P6cqE6p7bUvzMYAsxbqtxlYndhT_g_4owFIeB0XjyH/s640/catch1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was definitely time to replace that yucky old light that was falling apart outside our front door. We had been on a hunt for quite some time for a light set that we could put on the garage and on the porch but everything we found was so gosh-darn expensive. And then it happened. One Saturday morning Rob was looking at the Menard's ad and found a 2-pack of lights for $14.99 - SCORE! So, we picked up 2 packs (4 lights total) and we put one on the front porch, two will go on either side of the garage and the 4th one will go on the back patio. Behold the goodness of a new light below.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeePk6Io4spPYAxaXU_wzxrjPfj9Y9egdDlBEGHNWH7FpZ2NCnxnC3PV60Hl-_1rhQxX9zMmWJHPjjOLJ6LOZcIhbQ_AXIXdJFN3msKAq2kqxzLGL_Ag3B7Kl_h6_cbGXvhsUyIaVGBBfY/s1600/catch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeePk6Io4spPYAxaXU_wzxrjPfj9Y9egdDlBEGHNWH7FpZ2NCnxnC3PV60Hl-_1rhQxX9zMmWJHPjjOLJ6LOZcIhbQ_AXIXdJFN3msKAq2kqxzLGL_Ag3B7Kl_h6_cbGXvhsUyIaVGBBfY/s640/catch2.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">And Oh! what a beautiful light it is. The glass is textured. And I love it.<br />
(I also just realized that these two pictures could be one of those "What's Different?" games. <br />
Feel free to play if you'd like. Consider it our gift to you.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoZv7s-oYozZLs0s8X458V1FHg_BG8Iadh1Z9FYOYQQc00psGV4okn_W3h1R1lXU1D2idqvvOOZswOz-ko4r9bGK2D9LYvwUQW1K4krDzMjhpv0tXrUWWiXfOP2jI40v66kx2E16kvDI5/s1600/catch3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoZv7s-oYozZLs0s8X458V1FHg_BG8Iadh1Z9FYOYQQc00psGV4okn_W3h1R1lXU1D2idqvvOOZswOz-ko4r9bGK2D9LYvwUQW1K4krDzMjhpv0tXrUWWiXfOP2jI40v66kx2E16kvDI5/s640/catch3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We also wanted to find a cheap solution to our nasty old garage door that is completely miscolored. It actually sort of looked white when the old tan siding was on the garage, but now that we've replaced the old siding for this shiny white vinyl stuff, the garage door stuck out like a sore thumb. So, I went for it with the industrial strength, flat white spray paint and primer. This is obviously an in-progress picture and it's a bit more completed now but it still needs another coat (weather got in the way, then life did). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrpQElIAjR9gtXol9OzyDOrEQR14aeeVhPusnfXhMKgRsd1b_WaNFqO29peXqJ48PNycamJI5EuzzOewfRxYlAt8iW7Hy6QoCsia1dhRyLe7IQkv-0YLrmxuzJvEV4QNMTtWBKORbg7vr/s1600/catch6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrpQElIAjR9gtXol9OzyDOrEQR14aeeVhPusnfXhMKgRsd1b_WaNFqO29peXqJ48PNycamJI5EuzzOewfRxYlAt8iW7Hy6QoCsia1dhRyLe7IQkv-0YLrmxuzJvEV4QNMTtWBKORbg7vr/s640/catch6.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Like I said, we're also in the process of puppy training. We're going to a class on Saturday afternoons in Allendale where we learn how to train Beacon and then we come home and practice. The picture above is one of the few times he's actually sitting still (the puppy, not Rob). Right now he only sits when we have a treat in our hand and are pushing his nose up so he has to sit down. We're also supposed to be teaching him "down" and "heel" this week too...but something makes me think that we're not going to be the star pupils in class on Saturday. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. He's cute though, huh? (This time I'm talking about both Rob and the puppy.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And there you have it. Life as the Bergman's currently know it. Crazy...and great.</div><br />
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</div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-35407941275577129702011-09-04T20:41:00.000-04:002011-09-04T20:41:15.656-04:00beacon. day 2.Well, we're coming to the end of our second full day with Beacon at home with us. Boy, is he cute. He's cute, that is, when he's not peeing on the carpet or biting our hands or barking 427 times per night while we try to sleep. Ok, fine, he's still cute then, too.<br />
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Remember when he looked like this?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCNLBtiV-807lwqTnKbmRPqxrAY4FUfTR7xr-0AZyZ7renfUTs1vYUKNIxOY9J7yd9PO4A7Ga4dzNNR7AI_VD-DRR_AYsLI2ofybtB041HXidJSeerbN6qXSRdWvb0w44kmNCXq48xi5Y/s1600/Puppy+update%2521+3+weeks+old%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCNLBtiV-807lwqTnKbmRPqxrAY4FUfTR7xr-0AZyZ7renfUTs1vYUKNIxOY9J7yd9PO4A7Ga4dzNNR7AI_VD-DRR_AYsLI2ofybtB041HXidJSeerbN6qXSRdWvb0w44kmNCXq48xi5Y/s400/Puppy+update%2521+3+weeks+old%2521.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beacon, 3 weeks old.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Or when he looked like this?<div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOZ3DrNal5K_WySub2WWkha97kJwHg9zLduk_VJkmDMt0tRJBxT3wPWD1wVIv_tRPn8qTeF5g5wlF-V9nI_CgVuKIN3qyN1MtAA3sjm0WKLo2vZetfKLOoYWkr4XVunMW_lMzbv8yMqcm/s1600/beacon4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOZ3DrNal5K_WySub2WWkha97kJwHg9zLduk_VJkmDMt0tRJBxT3wPWD1wVIv_tRPn8qTeF5g5wlF-V9nI_CgVuKIN3qyN1MtAA3sjm0WKLo2vZetfKLOoYWkr4XVunMW_lMzbv8yMqcm/s400/beacon4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beacon, 4 weeks old.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Or what about when he suddenly shot up like a weed and looked like this at our third visit?<div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXDBxEgUDr4q5JvwLmXEgf7Omg3haARezIL0ifrwjBu3axQHHAbP24v_-M8p0UkvOjnqeKa3sE8L-RM-CY469XkSBK5XAZGqq4p2Mbq9PJNu0GoQMbSRSKM-zwCmjogTGwHG2aIymDW2b/s1600/alyssabeacon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXDBxEgUDr4q5JvwLmXEgf7Omg3haARezIL0ifrwjBu3axQHHAbP24v_-M8p0UkvOjnqeKa3sE8L-RM-CY469XkSBK5XAZGqq4p2Mbq9PJNu0GoQMbSRSKM-zwCmjogTGwHG2aIymDW2b/s400/alyssabeacon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beacon, 6 weeks old. Alyssa, 1086 weeks old.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And here he is during his first night at home with us.<div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-HePhv6El0LKaBvi_jXOWE9OS9dyUymUqMQLMsMzqbMWwgSEC5EVekoc3qUIgxog-Uc4nH4MseTNabanQVTu5C8G199aAEo36rMX1ESOzDo5wMCG72GRCVop1bKFKR9JCoWxPog8yKJG/s1600/beaconday1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-HePhv6El0LKaBvi_jXOWE9OS9dyUymUqMQLMsMzqbMWwgSEC5EVekoc3qUIgxog-Uc4nH4MseTNabanQVTu5C8G199aAEo36rMX1ESOzDo5wMCG72GRCVop1bKFKR9JCoWxPog8yKJG/s400/beaconday1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beacon, 8 weeks old. Stephanie's hair, 2 days old. (Please, forgive it. It knows not what it's doing.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Hard to believe he was so small and unpuppy like when we first met him 5 short weeks ago. We're already thankful for the fun he's brought us and we know that he will end up being an important part of our family in the days and years to come. So far he seems to have a great personality and makes us want to snuggle his soft fur all the time. I never had pets growing up, so this is a new experience for me...and I think I like it. <i>*Insert silent cheering and high fives here! (Don't want to wake him up, you know.)* Beacon has now gone to his crate by himself and fallen asleep twice tonight! We must be doing something right with this crate training thing after all. </i><div><i><br />
</i></div><div>Some of our friends from church asked us today how things were going with him. When we were talking with Beth I mentioned that I think it's a good thing we don't have kids yet - I don't think I can handle this getting up every 2 hours throughout the night thing for too much longer. She just laughed and said, "Puppies are harder than kids. If you can make it through training Beacon, you'll be just fine when you have kids. We did the puppy thing after we had kids and I will NEVER have a puppy again." Glad to know all the rumors of "puppies prepare you for kids" are actually true! <i>(Here's a treat, Beacon. Our future kiddos thank you.)</i></div><div><br />
</div><div>And, just because he's cute, here's one last picture for the day. All tuckered out and ready for bed (I hope)!</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNh8UPjNDkXBJVfFTXsaRqjVt8vXwHfBic5c1_2GAt4XmI-8IeEpe-gmmBErk6VJJeJQey0DCaksipUJLQQKEqZKoUw_38-TUBJ9SI39i09C97Xur2TBIspYyuFl9jM2cVNjv1yvGhSCv/s1600/beacon+day2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNh8UPjNDkXBJVfFTXsaRqjVt8vXwHfBic5c1_2GAt4XmI-8IeEpe-gmmBErk6VJJeJQey0DCaksipUJLQQKEqZKoUw_38-TUBJ9SI39i09C97Xur2TBIspYyuFl9jM2cVNjv1yvGhSCv/s400/beacon+day2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pardon the poor lighting. I didn't want to wake him up with the flash. It's easier to do homework when he's sleeping.</td></tr>
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</div></div></div></div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-22881814614737305712011-08-28T16:09:00.000-04:002011-08-28T16:09:11.469-04:00bland to BAM.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's almost been a year since we moved into our house. Hard to believe, huh? I thought so too. But then at other times it doesn't feel like a very long time. Like sometimes when I walk into the house, I can still smell Nancy, the previous owner. Ok, maybe that was weird. I shouldn't have told you that. But, nonetheless, it still doesn't always smell like home to me. Except for last Saturday when we were cleaning the house, Rob was going to vacuum and we have this Febreze vacuum stuff that you sprinkle on the carpet before you vacuum to help make it smell better. I didn't realize he was going to use it and when I came upstairs, it smelled like home! I had an instant flashback to the apartment because we always used the product there. Weird how smell can do that to you, isn't it? Anyways...this post isn't about Nancy or how she smells or how our house smells, it's about our front door. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Just so you don't think I'm completely crazy, Nancy did have something to do with the original post topic before I got distracted by the smell of home. Nancy is a very nice lady, but boy, did she make some boring (and/or terrible) paint color choices (if you saw our bedroom before we painted it, you would know what I mean. My mom described the color as: "Baby poop after they eat squash." Trying going to bed in that every night). The front door was one of the boring choices, in my opinion. There was nothing about it that said, "Hey! Look at me!" or "I want to welcome you to our house! Come in!" So, Rob and I started thinking and decided that bright blue was going to be our answer. </div><div><br />
</div><div>After searching at a couple of different stores (no need to pay full price, right?) and scrounging through the "Oops Paint" sections, we finally found it - a gallon of bright blue paint - and for only $5!</div><div><br />
</div><div>And so, my friends, here you have it. Our front door went from bland to BAM! in a matter of 2 hours.</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmRL_aKLyIb_jAC_GlfUV6up-en8a7_B1z3sY3Q5nUXlJbxoUtMrfFM09UiOr9WLUi7ECh47mvIBCtPgsSCeIj4cHiQk5oTfYCZSsL1AanaSSERWoIA8vvxW8WExV85qnwwriGYNSJJ2F/s1600/bland1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmRL_aKLyIb_jAC_GlfUV6up-en8a7_B1z3sY3Q5nUXlJbxoUtMrfFM09UiOr9WLUi7ECh47mvIBCtPgsSCeIj4cHiQk5oTfYCZSsL1AanaSSERWoIA8vvxW8WExV85qnwwriGYNSJJ2F/s640/bland1.jpg" width="481" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bland.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoU5YiqboHj9LZzlx9ho29fdp8EWTX_cjft6agEYCj6Np6E1G4ArGIWTcqcunLLvDyM1b54jXf1u29B_WQc5K3A2KfHhBgQR5ePQkG_53MuIruojzFhceAx8-UdD3aSS5u7J8cgVzEN9D/s1600/bland2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoU5YiqboHj9LZzlx9ho29fdp8EWTX_cjft6agEYCj6Np6E1G4ArGIWTcqcunLLvDyM1b54jXf1u29B_WQc5K3A2KfHhBgQR5ePQkG_53MuIruojzFhceAx8-UdD3aSS5u7J8cgVzEN9D/s640/bland2.jpg" width="481" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmw8IWGu2iKWwQUkky1xo4R2mhjnmArKz0vsBL-CIF4kDN5uDwb74ycOyy0XhFsqUveLgmbmBROpKC0g4W99uVt572yo8yFj0lKFYYGEpgsjSNUjvpx7r-CC3XKXtYKs4wWb0OFa_V9iD/s1600/bland3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmw8IWGu2iKWwQUkky1xo4R2mhjnmArKz0vsBL-CIF4kDN5uDwb74ycOyy0XhFsqUveLgmbmBROpKC0g4W99uVt572yo8yFj0lKFYYGEpgsjSNUjvpx7r-CC3XKXtYKs4wWb0OFa_V9iD/s640/bland3.jpg" width="481" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BAM!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our front door is so bright that you can't even tell that the painter's tape is still on it around the window and the door handle - it blends right in. And actually, the picture doesn't even do the actual color justice. It's brighter. But, I like it. I can't believe what a difference it makes from the outside. Something about driving up and seeing the bright blue door says: "Now it looks like Rob and Stephanie live here." I'd show you a picture from the outside, but the door only has one coat of paint on it currently and it needs at least one more. So...we'll do the final reveal after that happens. <div><br />
</div><div>Or, you could just stop by and see it. Unlike the boring green door, it will welcome you right up on to the front porch.<br />
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</div></div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-71047521332323128422011-08-21T09:38:00.000-04:002011-08-21T09:38:29.355-04:00butcher block.In order to create some more counter space in our kitchen, we had been on the look out for an old dresser that we could paint and top with a butcher block. After doing some research, I realized just how expensive butcher block tops actually are! So, I left that DIY dream behind and moved on to this beauty instead. (Please excuse our messy garage. It looks much better now.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWUDKEeHMDWdD4jP5h-MIc-1zvEYqmL4mVE9j-EGvxes3mmEbckJBL48Dkk3OoNnnf6Tx1mO8h7DbbLdNXzKDvEOxVuLfPMABpDExgy3bUzTgJOA7hSngwN821nKZcmql96busgLM4mqr/s1600/bb4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWUDKEeHMDWdD4jP5h-MIc-1zvEYqmL4mVE9j-EGvxes3mmEbckJBL48Dkk3OoNnnf6Tx1mO8h7DbbLdNXzKDvEOxVuLfPMABpDExgy3bUzTgJOA7hSngwN821nKZcmql96busgLM4mqr/s400/bb4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I found this pre-made butcher block/kitchen island on Craigslist. Yes, we do love Craigslist. And, you should too, if you don't already. The best part is that we bought it from a guy named Rick and Rob and I both had created a picture in our minds of what he looked like. Let's just say his crazy, curly blonde hair that stuck out in 500 different directions was not what we pictured a "Rick" to look like!<br />
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The island was dirty as all get out and needed a good coat of paint in order to better match our current kitchen. So, a few coats of paint and poly and 3 weeks later, here she is now:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_C0f3h9Dc0v1h9hNZVttEjAd4KFFRYFn1O4Co7iiSYh6kmVIrWKX8G9bJM3r8_BeN1B464ikVr8lCchjykTD1qwIdjQ4_NThCG96qlRskYP_AZob-9QoyuxiCtiCtNvMUqwtZBRpaHDbH/s1600/bb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_C0f3h9Dc0v1h9hNZVttEjAd4KFFRYFn1O4Co7iiSYh6kmVIrWKX8G9bJM3r8_BeN1B464ikVr8lCchjykTD1qwIdjQ4_NThCG96qlRskYP_AZob-9QoyuxiCtiCtNvMUqwtZBRpaHDbH/s400/bb1.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><br />
I love that there is a full size drawer and an enclosed cupboard. My baking cupboards are currently packed full and not nearly big enough, so I plan to move that stuff into the cupboard of the island. It even has a slide out drawer in the cupboard for easy access! We also don't plan on storing our empty coffee cans and our flashlight on the shelf, but hey, whatever. Eventually there will be a second shelf that Rob made for me (it still needs another coat of poly) and then we will store some of our more frequently used pots and pans there since their current cupboard is not an awesome situation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgece8dfjagHC2TBvd5bH3trvJ9fBsYiUvW16c15xd9WvslLWkw-oXuebI6sz6YbucVEvG-PIQnGUQ5imOIWWrfZ-zzEcx04vB-5l58-0v8D__0Idl9cmuKNYJOfiPLRp23F-j8m5M_AWLS/s1600/bb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgece8dfjagHC2TBvd5bH3trvJ9fBsYiUvW16c15xd9WvslLWkw-oXuebI6sz6YbucVEvG-PIQnGUQ5imOIWWrfZ-zzEcx04vB-5l58-0v8D__0Idl9cmuKNYJOfiPLRp23F-j8m5M_AWLS/s400/bb2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
You will notice that Beacon has already invaded our kitchen and he hasn't even moved in yet! I figured we should get used to the bowls being there before they have food and water in them for us to make a mess with if we trip over them...which, with me, could possibly still happen. I'd like you to take note of the fact that these bowls are usually $10.99 EACH at PetSmart and we scored them for $1.87 EACH instead!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtymtVznOdNCwvKOLZDRc-HzCzaTkEAnIfwRDxx-0zrC8KWYCA43CbueO_ocWTFYOKgV2cHp871F4y9ACNbzCqMcc9t1eewiyu5HloLMoZJm-10lZHgniOXB-3lW1hXHB8wnRp20DhFxzo/s1600/bb3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtymtVznOdNCwvKOLZDRc-HzCzaTkEAnIfwRDxx-0zrC8KWYCA43CbueO_ocWTFYOKgV2cHp871F4y9ACNbzCqMcc9t1eewiyu5HloLMoZJm-10lZHgniOXB-3lW1hXHB8wnRp20DhFxzo/s400/bb3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It adds so much space! I love it! And the top of the island matches almost exactly to our current cupboards. I don't know how that worked out so well, but I'm so glad it did! And the black accent works out nice with our other black accents - coffee pot, canisters, etc.<br />
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You will also notice the announcement of the next project in the foreground of the last picture. We'll have to see how it turns out before I show it to anyone. But, for $5 at Goodwill, anything is worth a try, right?the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973536148633827985.post-71831408451301702092011-08-05T22:36:00.000-04:002011-08-05T22:36:32.062-04:00weekend away, part 1.Last week Rob and I decided that we need to get away, even if it was just for one night. We've been quite busy lately and our lives are only going to get busier in the next few weeks as both Compass and Kuyper have Orientation and as Rob finishes up his summer class and starts a new semester and as I begin classes at Spring Arbor. So, we spontaneously (as spontaneous as we get, at least) planned an overnight trip to Cadillac. Perfect.<br />
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We've been wanting to go kayaking for quite some time now and after a little bit of research, I discovered a neat little place on the Manistee River up in Manton, just north of Cadillac. So, last Friday night after I got home from work, we loaded up the car and headed north. The drive is just under 2 hours so it's a perfect distance for an over night trip.<br />
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Cadillac is apparently a hoppin' place during the summer because we had a hard time finding a hotel room on such short notice. But, the day before we left, I was able to book this little room at the Rodeway Inn. Definitely not a 5-star hotel, but it was clean and provided breakfast so it worked for me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDZ0aDmkF0iQ5T-8-rl_3yTdFx7s5i6gCUhKyMYJXfSpVp1m_0d-_RwWgWSxPttKpLxNsDJb5eZMEV1F1coUn2rup3Bxv7l6emENZO-moWOYKFMNQKZj0aTvwE-CerUM3e4eG9YYWmbUR/s1600/kayak9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDZ0aDmkF0iQ5T-8-rl_3yTdFx7s5i6gCUhKyMYJXfSpVp1m_0d-_RwWgWSxPttKpLxNsDJb5eZMEV1F1coUn2rup3Bxv7l6emENZO-moWOYKFMNQKZj0aTvwE-CerUM3e4eG9YYWmbUR/s640/kayak9.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
After we checked in at the hotel, we decided to explore Cadillac a bit and find some pizza for supper. It has been quite some time since I had been to Cadillac and Rob was just a kid the last time he was there. After we drove around for a bit, we found a Hungry Howie's, ordered some pizza and found a beautiful park to eat at. We couldn't have asked for better weather. The sun was shining, there was a nice breeze and the temperature was in the mid-70s. AWESOME. There was even a band playing music at the park while we were there.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAW9ioB2RFARriNv8j_r0rl227NyoFlE86JB4YxiFvZG3LJzLXqJP-yzCO9t9xMA7X6TrdpOptWs_KQ64n7i-BrBalEqf9Je1Iamr2MQBxs_BhujpJRa97-E22SZjq_jQzRW8KirMRh-g/s1600/kayak2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAW9ioB2RFARriNv8j_r0rl227NyoFlE86JB4YxiFvZG3LJzLXqJP-yzCO9t9xMA7X6TrdpOptWs_KQ64n7i-BrBalEqf9Je1Iamr2MQBxs_BhujpJRa97-E22SZjq_jQzRW8KirMRh-g/s640/kayak2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03WzfYeWUS6yY61sv1QzbYEKpFd9DffiwqpVb4GB_tUljWDe-D_FUlMKDnmxYWoXAxNjmnohJ7pBUY2s2cNz_nIbhGwC9Vd18_6rt9_a9GONfiJwh9tZ2EkmcTupzfAYIQAe5XZC3vaFI/s1600/kayak3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03WzfYeWUS6yY61sv1QzbYEKpFd9DffiwqpVb4GB_tUljWDe-D_FUlMKDnmxYWoXAxNjmnohJ7pBUY2s2cNz_nIbhGwC9Vd18_6rt9_a9GONfiJwh9tZ2EkmcTupzfAYIQAe5XZC3vaFI/s640/kayak3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After we ate dinner, we spent a long time walking around Lake Cadillac. It isn't a big lake, but it's definitely beautiful and provided a perfectly relaxing evening for us as we wandered the sidewalk around the lake and found a nice little bench to sit on and watch the sun start to set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsp8_5qkUtNctcbla8lN7kCBH0-l1glEk-5hmu5MlfxuYa2Gi-po1-UKSK8CdMU2JUKGEbJI-z0LitNSBFSghyTp0_uapiIkvgH8OI9PvKGln9JGVn9gn51Rkiup4MUloxM3itmE2WvX7/s1600/kayak4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsp8_5qkUtNctcbla8lN7kCBH0-l1glEk-5hmu5MlfxuYa2Gi-po1-UKSK8CdMU2JUKGEbJI-z0LitNSBFSghyTp0_uapiIkvgH8OI9PvKGln9JGVn9gn51Rkiup4MUloxM3itmE2WvX7/s640/kayak4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The thing that I love most about Cadillac is all the memories I made there as a kid. My very first best friend, Rachel, moved to Cadillac the summer after we finished 4th grade. It was probably the worst experience of my young life at the time. I remember laying in bed multiple nights in a row, crying myself to sleep after they moved. So thankful to have had such a wonderful friend during my childhood. After Rachel moved to Cadillac, I spent many weekends and a couple of weeks throughout the summer at their house with their family. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made Rob go on an adventure with me after we walked around at the lake to see if I could find my way back to their house (Rachel is now married, has a beautiful baby boy, and the rest of their family has moved to Washington State after taking a call at another church). Surprisingly, I knew exactly where to go to get back to their house. It looked a bit different then I remember, but only in color. We sat in the car in front of the house and I told Rob story after story of the time I spent there (the house is for sale and no one is living there currently so we weren't being too creepy or anything). I even found the path that led to a small wooded area near their house where Rachel and I built a tree fort one summer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VJn1-4xWSQFQtUhr53yuWhEJSwhoE2fqZLnVjvGLaU6pTFT3EOnDL5V5lHPvvVdMdGlWxDU2PHPnNczlXm1Eq6fgVrQIORUVZRpjb8aFCNhy0v-s1ZSwh2fbixv7zUyE0ohRR_qGOPXm/s1600/kayak5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VJn1-4xWSQFQtUhr53yuWhEJSwhoE2fqZLnVjvGLaU6pTFT3EOnDL5V5lHPvvVdMdGlWxDU2PHPnNczlXm1Eq6fgVrQIORUVZRpjb8aFCNhy0v-s1ZSwh2fbixv7zUyE0ohRR_qGOPXm/s640/kayak5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After our little trip down my memory lane, we headed back to the hotel to play Phase 10 and eat Skittles. We watched a show about logging and fell asleep early. It's a good thing, too, because we had a BIG day ahead of us on Saturday. We got up early on Saturday and packed up, had some breakfast and headed about 20 minutes north to Manton to find Chippewa Landing Canoe and Kayak Livery. It was back in the middle of nowhere and we only found it thanks to signs posted occasionally on the side of the many, many dirt roads we were driving on (I admit I was slightly paranoid that we were driving ourselves into a terrible situation - but that's just because I watch too many episodes of Criminal Minds). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And that is Part 1 of our weekend away. I'll post Part 2 soon but I wanted to keep you in suspense about what happens next so that you have to come back and read our blog again. Actually, the real reason you have to wait for Part 2 is because Rob wants a back scratch and I can't find the camera right now so I can't load the rest of the pictures from Saturday so therefore I cannot post about the rest of our adventure. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But, I will tell you this. It involved 26 miles and some sweet sunburn...and a perfect day with my best friend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>the bergmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365111456641252104noreply@blogger.com1