catch 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 so good. 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 good. It's just really busy which means we don't have a lot of exciting stuff to share. Boo.

Here's a look into our typical week:
Sunday - 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.
Monday - 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.
Tuesday - 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.
Wednesday - 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.) 
Thursday - 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.
Friday - 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.
Saturday - 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.)
And then we do it all over again...whew.


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.

Here are a few pictures of some things we've been doing to try and relax and do things we enjoy.

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.

And Oh! what a beautiful light it is. The glass is textured. And I love it.
(I also just realized that these two pictures could be one of those "What's Different?" games.
Feel free to play if you'd like. Consider it our gift to you.)

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). 

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.)

And there you have it. Life as the Bergman's currently know it. Crazy...and great.

beacon. 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.

Remember when he looked like this?

Beacon, 3 weeks old.

Or when he looked like this?

Beacon, 4 weeks old.

Or what about when he suddenly shot up like a weed and looked like this at our third visit?

Beacon, 6 weeks old. Alyssa, 1086 weeks old.

And here he is during his first night at home with us.

Beacon, 8 weeks old. Stephanie's hair, 2 days old. (Please, forgive it. It knows not what it's doing.)

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. *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. 

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! (Here's a treat, Beacon. Our future kiddos thank you.)

And, just because he's cute, here's one last picture for the day. All tuckered out and ready for bed (I hope)!

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.

bland to BAM.

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. 

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. 

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!

And so, my friends, here you have it. Our front door went from bland to BAM! in a matter of 2 hours.

Bland.

BAM!

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. 

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.

butcher 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.)

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!

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:

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.

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!

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.

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?

weekend 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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). 

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. 

But, I will tell you this. It involved 26 miles and some sweet sunburn...and a perfect day with my best friend.

big announcement.

Everyone, we have an announcement to make!
The Bergman family is about to get a bit bigger. Yes, we are making an addition to our little family and no, we're not having a baby. 

Feast your eyes upon this little guy.

It's ok. A collective "Awww" is allowed!

Our new puppy turned 2 weeks old on Wednesday and will be coming home with us on September 3! We can't wait. He's a Goldendoodle (both of his parents are Goldendoodles, and his "grandparents" are a Golden Retriever and a Poodle). We went to see them last night and put a deposit down on him. He's the cutest little puppy you'll ever see. He's barely big enough to cuddle up in one arm and he's just starting to walk. 

Here's a picture of his mom and all 8 puppies. The dad is a black Goldendoodle and apparently his genes ruled this litter. I really wanted a golden puppy so I'm so thankful that we found this guy! He'll end up weighing about 50 pounds full grown and will look just like his mom - soft, wavy coat and all! 

We can't wait to bring him home! (What we can wait for is the waking up in the middle of the night to take him outside.) We think that we've settled on a name, but we'll leave that for a later announcement. We're hoping to go back and see them again in a couple of weeks, so we'll take more pictures then! 

summer deals around the house.

Well, now that it's been a month since my last post, I figured it was time to provide an update on life around the Bergman house. Rob and I were just sitting on the couch tonight after coming inside from watering our garden and our flowers, and I looked at him and said: "I really do have the best life." And I mean that. Things are just really good for us right now. We are so thankful for our love, our home, our flower garden, our veggie garden, our air conditioning, our jobs, the chance that we both get to be in school this year, and our God who has given us all of these things and so much more.

We're also really thankful for all the awesome deals that we've gotten lately!

Something that we've really wanted to do since we bought our house 9 months ago (wow!) is re-side our garage. When we bought the house the garage had nasty brown colored, aluminum siding that needed to go. But, as we started to get quotes on the cost for residing the garage, we were blown away by how expensive it was going to be. And then it happened. One Saturday morning Rob was browsing Craigslist (a favorite pastime of ours) and he found 650 sq. ft. of white vinyl siding - exactly what we wanted for the garage - for $200! If we had bought that much siding from LOWE'S it would have cost us close to $1,000. To top it off, while I was in Chicago last week, Rob took all of the old aluminum siding off the garage and brought it to the scrap metal yard and got $158 for it! We basically equaled out our costs. Can you say AWESOME?!

Rob's mom and dad came down this past weekend to help Rob put the new siding on (while I recovered from a week-long mission trip in Chicago with our middle school youth group - post to come later on that).

Underneath the nasty brown aluminum siding was even nastier green wood siding.

Doesn't it look great?! It gives the house a much cleaner look. It's amazing what a difference it made. Now, the only funny thing is that when the garage door is down, the garage door looks really dirty and old next to the new white siding. I'm still trying to figure out a creative (cheap) way to fix that small problem!

Rob and I were planning to finish the siding last night - Rob and his parents finished everything but the backside of the garage and the front peak above the porch - but, due to the crazy heat wave we've been having in West Michigan (a low of 78 degrees tonight!), we decided that maybe physical labor outside wasn't the best idea. So, we went to Meijer instead. I don't even remember why. Oh, to get allergy pills for me. But, we walked away with so much more than allergy pills. Oh yes, so much more...for so little cost.

1st Meijer Deal of the Night:

Katie Brown is one of my favorite designers that sells products at Meijer. She creates such cool, rustic looking stuff for around the house - inside and out. The first Katie Brown deal we found was a candle holder that we are planning to hang on our front porch. Can you see it in the picture? Isn't it cool?!

Original Price: $20.00 - Save 75% - Sale Price: $5.00

2nd Meijer Deal of the Night:

This year I planted some gladiolus bulbs around our house. They've just start to bloom and they are beautiful! I'll post pictures soon. I only planted 20 bulbs in various locations this year and I knew as soon as they started to bloom that I wanted to plant more for next year. Enter the second deal of the night - 70 gladiolus bulbs! 

Original Price: $9.99 - Save 60% - Sale Price: $3.99

And finally, the 3rd Meijer Deal of the Night:

Another Katie Brown deal! I've had my eye on this blanket/throw for a long time but it cost $25.00 and I couldn't justify it because I don't need it for anything. But then, there we were, walking down the center aisle past all the clearance items and I saw it. The blanket that I had been eyeing for so long was on the clearance rack! And you won't believe what we paid for it...

Original Price: $24.99 - Save 90% - Sale Price: $2.49 (yes, you read that right!)

Usually when Rob and I leave Meijer, our favorite thing to do is look at our receipt to see how much we saved. It's like a game we play when we do our grocery shopping, trying to find sale items so that we save as much as possible. Well, when we walked out of Meijer last night, Rob looked at me and said: "Babe, we just robbed that store." 

So there you have it. A brief update on our life and a look at the crazy deals we've found lately - from vinyl siding for our garage to beautiful flowers for our yard and a blanket that I've been wanting forever. What fun!

Later this week I'll be posting an update on my mission trip from last week. I spent the week in Chicago with 18 middle school students and 7 other leaders and saw God work in big ways that I can't wait to share with you!