my brother, pt. 2

Remember awhile ago when I blogged about my brother? Well, I'm gonna write another one. Because I just rewatched the video of my brother performing 'Bergalicious' (think masculine version of 'Fergulicious') and laughed. A lot. For those of you who don't know my brother, the thing that makes the video hilarious is that he's about as straight-laced as they come (see the forest service pics below). But I should note that this does not mean he's boring. I dare say he's just a all-American boy -- but so much more.

So, without further ado... my brother, Griff Berg, performing Bergalicious. Video followed by some pics of him at his job in Medford, Oregon. (He's an engineer for the Forest Service.)

Gangsta Griff

Environmental/Civil Engineer Griff

And ladies... he's available! :)

i like soup...

This may be silly cause for a blog, but I'm writing one anyway. Someone has to recognize the amazingness (word?) that is soup. I love soup. I could eat it everyday, I think. My favorites usually come from Au Bon Pain.

On another random note, I was listening to a little bit of Scarlett Johannson's new album on iTunes, and she sounds a heck of a whole lot like Amy Whinehouse.

it's the bulls and blood, it's the dust and mud...

It seems that one minute I'm thinking, "Sweet! It's Friday," and the next minute I'm thinking, "Crap, it's Sunday night already."

This is not a fun way to live. There is so much busyness going on. Some of it is good. I think it means we're developing relationships and not just secluding ourselves to live somewhat selfish lives. But some of it is bad -- not knowing when to take a break.

We did go to one of my favorite annual events this weeend - the Hamel Rodeo. It's the biggest rodeo in Minnesota, and they give away quite a bit of money. We went with our friends Joe and Nancy.





All in all, it was a good weekend. Now back to work!

how much do I love my new condo?

A lot. So much that I want to stay home and never leave it. So much that when I do leave, I'm sad; when I come home, I'm happy. So much that I almost become a domestic goddess. Almost.

It's beautiful. It's bright. It's beginning to feel like home.

Sigh. Life will be okay.

treasures...

My Nana was the sweetest, most loving person I know. I've made an effort to keep her letters and notes that she's sent over the past several years. While saving them, I knew someday I would look back and be so glad that I had them; I never would have imagined or chosen that the day would come so soon.

I went through a lot of stuff last night trying to find all of the scattered pieces of communication. After I found about 70 of them, I sat down and started reading. It was as though I could feel her arms giving me a big hug as she relayed her feelings of love for me through these letters. I miss her every minute of every day, but these letters seemed to bring her closer. It was beautiful.

It was hard to tear myself away from reading them, but I know life goes on. She left a legacy of love with her children and grandchildren, and I want that legacy to live on through my actions and attitude to others. I plan to put the letters in a scrapbook to read and remember my special Nana.

wedding rings...

I'm going to take my time on the train to write a much-overdue blog. I'm going to try to make it a little less sad than my couple of posts.

I can't believe it's July 1 already. (Happy anniversary, Beth and Anthony!)

Speaking of marriage, I will use this blog to tell you of a little disease I consistently suffer from. It's called 'forget-your-wedding-ringitis'. This disease often occurs after doing household tasks, like doing the dishes or cleaning the bathroom; it's also common after polishing fingernails or lotioning hands. Like I said, this isn't a rare occurrence for me. I usually realize i've forgotten them just at the moment it would be impossible to go get them. All moments leading up to that impossible moment would have proved possible, however. Anyway, when I forget my ring, the men come out of the woodwork. I don't say that in arrogance; I believe it's simply some rule of the universe that when your're single, good men are hard to find. When you're married (ring or no ring), men abound. Blah.

Anyway, all this to say that I forgot my ring today. I know what Ryan will say when I tell him. "Does my ring hurt your finger when you go out at night?" (Itls an old Charley Pride song...)

trivial…

It all seems so trivial. After the family dispersed to their relative locations, coming back to work seems so trivial. It’s as though I’ve been given a new pair of glasses that put everything into perspective. Who cares how much money I make? Who cares what my job title is? What’s more important than having people in life who love you for who you are, and not for other fickle reasons? It seems that with the loss of someone who does love you truly, you suddenly take count of those who don’t. Or maybe take count of those who you don’t.

Really, the question is this: what can I do to care about those I truly love? How do I love them? What actions result as a result of my love for others?

Everything else outside of finding these answers seems trivial.

pieces...

i miss her

Olive "Nana" Irene Kratzer

Sept. 15, 1922 - June 15, 2008

pray for Nana

My grandma Nana had a stroke this week. She's not doing too well. Words can't describe the fear, comfort, pain and hope that I feel. I feel like I'm a big, endless pit of emotion.

I know Jesus is in control. I think that says it all.

But please pray for her. She is one of the dearest people in the world to me.

pop saga

So, I feel I can victoriously say that I've conquered pop. It's been a generous three months, and I don't really even crave a Diet Coke anymore. It's amazing. I've also tried to give up anything with artificial sweetners. If it's not real sugar, it's not for me.

The purpose of the previous paragraph was to let you know that I have a new addiction. I don't really know if it's a true addiction -- I'm sure I could give it up in a moment's notice if I needed to. But, my new love is...

It's delicious. I could drink it all day long. Till the cows come home. Mmmm... mmm.... good.

whew!!!

We're all moved in. We're signed out of the old place. We're really here. Finally.

I love our new place. I love taking the train. I love looking out the windows. I love the deep soaker tub. I love two BIG bathrooms. I love doors to lock the cat out so she won't scratch up the carpet. I love the granite countertops. I love the new appliances. I love a washer and dryer IN our unit. I love being 10 floors up.

One unfortunate problem: the people with the parking spot next to us park over the line. In our spot. Booooo... I don't like this. Anyway, it's a small con for all the pros.

In other news, I had a couple of cavities filled tonight. It wasn't fun. FLOSS YOUR TEETH!!! ALL THE TIME!!! BRUSHING ISN'T ENOUGH!!! That's what the dentist kept saying. I kept saying, "DON'T JUDGE ME! I DIDN'T KNOW!!! IT HURTS WHEN I FLOSS!!!

And then when I got home from the dentist judging me (and filling my cavities), the people next to me were parked over their line.

to run or not to run?

I should be fired from blogging. I have my excuses yet gain, and I think they're good. They consist of internet issues at the new condo (we finally got our wireless router set up, so that should be taken care of), moving (stuff's getting close to unpacked - we just have lots and lots of laundry to put away and we have to clean/paint the old place), coming back from vacation; the list really could go on, but I won't bore you.

Anyway, one purpose of this blog today is to let you all know that 'good seats' and 'bad seats' exist on the Minneapolis light rail. Usually I sit towards the back of the car in the elevated seats. Today I sat by the expandy-thingy that helps the train turn. (At least I'm assuming that's its purpose. If I'm incorrect, would someone please tell me?) It's very squeaky/creaky/noisy. It's making it difficult to listen to and enjoy Keith Urban on my iPod.

Next time I shall use more discretion when choosing my seat now that I have the new knowledge. Keith can not be ruined.

In other train notes, I’m working out my ‘train mojo’. Is a correct use of the word mojo? Not sure; but I can’t think of a better one, so I’m using it. Anyway, I’m discovering that it’s hard to make it to the train at just the right time. I’ve only been riding for three day, and I’ve had many awkward moments of deciding whether I should awkwardly run in heels (giving myself blisters and risking a nose-dive) to catch the train or if I should nonchalantly stroll along as if I haven’t a care in the world and can just as well take the next train (which isn’t true at all). This is all fueled by the people on the train looking at me (which they’re probably not actually doing). I will say, though, that when I see people running to catch the train, I feel very, very sorry for them. I don’t know why, but I do.

I may have to ditch my heels altogether and wear tennis shoes. But I’m not ready to commit to that quite yet.

my couz...

I love my cousins. All of them. for some reason we've always gotten along really well. Here's a picture of my cousin Rachael and I. She lives much too far away.

today may not be my day...

I'm a little worried. I woke up with a kink in my neck, lost one of my new shoes (I'm sure it will turn up somewhere), wore jeans thinking it was a casual day (only to find out that it's not), and finally, I opened my bottle of sparkling water to have it explode all over me and my computer.

I need another vacation. And soon.

In other news, we moved Rory the Kitty-Cat over to her new place of residence (our 10th floor condo) last night. I think it's going to take awhile to for her to adjust. She kept bristling her tail and growling -- yes, growling -- at various things, including cars and airplanes. Poor kitty. I halfway expect to come home tonight to find the place torn apart. Fingers crossed that it won't end up that way... though with the way the day is going, it very well could.

the fastest ten days of my life...

We’re back from Montana. It’s substantially cooler here in Minnesota. It was a nice 85 to 90 degrees in Montana on Saturday and Sunday.

The trip went by so fast. It’s hard to believe that only two Berg children remain (Griff and Candra) – the other two are now Brieses and Campers…. Laine Camper. I can hardly fathom it. The wedding was nice, though it was also stressful. Family dynamics are an interesting thing, and they proved to be ever entertaining over this trip. We’re certainly not the same four Berglets we once were.

Things I’ll remember from the trip:

• Montana will always feel like home, and the Deer Lodge valley will always be the most beautiful valley in the world.
• Driving in the rain through South Dakota after dark is not fun. I think deer are kamikazes… the antelope, not so much.
• I’ll always be a cowgirl at heart. Rodeos rock.
• My extended family is awesome. They’re all so different, but all so much fun. I will make sure that my children are close to their cousins – they’re relationships worth keeping.
• There are lots of bugs in Montana. True story: I’m at Starbucks right now, and there are two birds looking at the front of my car like it’s a smorgasbord. They’re performing a weird maneuver to try and peck the splattered bugs of the front of it. Those poor Minnesota birds should take a vacation to Montana… they’d eat well!

I’m sure there are more things I’ll remember later, but for right now I need to get back to the 400 emails in my inbox from last week. This week is going to fly by!

montana, montana... glory of the west...

... of all the states from coast to coast,
you're easily the best.

Montana, Montana,
where skies are always blue.

M-O-N-T-A-N-A

Montana, I love you.

In less than 24 hours, I'll be in Montana. And I can't wait.

wow... what a weekend

Is it really Tuesday afternoon already? How is this even possible? I think I've invented future time travel. Somehow this doesn't all seem possible!

Some random thoughts:

- The weekend was full of emotion, from the joy of celebrating a friend's upcoming marriage to the sadness of Eight Belles tragic end at the Kentucky Derby. We spent lots of time painting and getting our kitchen moved over to the new place.

- Now I'm trying to wrap up things at work so that I can go on a 'worry-free vacation' to Montana for my sister's wedding. Unfortunately, wrapping things up at work is turning into much bigger projects and expanding what we're already doing. I shouldn't complain -- I guess it's just job security.

- I should also note that it's been 2.5 months since I gave up pop, and I haven't broken down once. This wagon ride is pretty smooth!

- I've been mulling over the issue of rest, and think I'll get much further on that issue when I'm actually resting. It just boggs my mind down now.

Here's a picture of our new kitchen!

the most exciting two minutes in sports

Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby. I love the Kentucky Derby. Well, I love the Triple Crown, actually. My picks for the Derby are Cowboy Cal (because of the name, and because I want to see if Todd Pletcher can do anything) and Visionare. My favorite is Visionare because of Michael Matz, the trainer (also Barbaro's trainer), is an amazing horseman who's not just in racing for the money -- he's in it because he's a horseman.

I keep thinking back to the 2006 Kentucky Derby and Barbaro's incredible win. It was heartbreaking to see such a talented, athletic horse suffer such a tragic end at the Preakness, but it's worth looking back on and remembering his talent. Noteably, he has two brothers, one of which is Nicanor. I'm excited to see how they run. Next year... :)

we'll have the awesome blossom. extra awesome.

Tomorrow is Wednesday. I have high expectations for an awesome day. Getting to work early has its advantages, and I intend to make full use of them tomorrow.

My goal? To get three things done by 8 a.m. We'll see how it goes. Update to come tomorrow afternoon.

Also, only seven work days remain until we leave for Montana. That's not a lot of time; I have quite a bit to accomplish. I am excited to get to Montana, however. It's been far too long, and I have lots of people to see. Something about Montana will always make it home for me.

One more update: it looks as though a bomb has gone off in our apartment. I'm packing in an orderly fashion, which involves taking everything out of boxes to make sure it's organized correctly. Poor Ryan. I don't know how he puts up with me. Good thing we're both excited to move to our new place.

callie/miley... miley/callie

I've been putting off this post for awhile now, mainly because I wanted a current picture to post of myself. Sounds vain, doesn't it? I just wanted it to see if you guys agree with the comparison that has been made in the past couple of weeks.

Several weeks ago, my friend Beth and l exchanged text messages that read like this:

Beth's phone: ok... So has anyone ever told u that u sorta look like Miley Cyrus? :-)
Callie's phone: You, my dear, are the first. I did want to marry billy ray when I was younger... :o)

I chuckled, relayed the comparison to Ryan, and went on my merry way.

Fast forward two weeks. I walked into the gift shop at work and this gal working behind the counter just stared at me. It was a little awkward. Finally, she spoke, and our conversation when like this:

Girl behind the counter: Oh my gosh, has anyone ever told you that you look like that Hannah Montana person?
Me: (laughing) It's funny that you say that because no one ever had until a couple of weeks ago when one my friends said that I looked like her.
Girl behind the counter: It's crazy! You look just like her. You could make some extra money going around and impersonating her.
Me: (still laughing, and also getting concerned because it appears the girl behind the counter still thinks I may be Miley Cyrus)
Girl behind the counter: What's your name (inquisitively, because again, I think she still thinks I may be Miley)?
Me: Callie
Girl behind the counter: Oh, weird. Her name is Mi-ley (she emphasized the 'ley' aspect of her name) and yours is Cal-lie. Very similar.
Me: Yup, sure is. Well, thanks!

And I exited the store.

So, it's now up to you, dear readers. Am I Miley Cyrus? Should I make some extra cash on the weekends parading around 'tween girls' birthday parties, singing Hannah Montana songs? Should I start calling Ryan "Billy Ray"? The possibilities really are endless.... Watch for a 'comparison' picture of me, hopefully to arrive shortly.

what I said to Ryan in my sleep...

(Apparently) these are the words I muttered, clear as day, in my sleep last night.

"Shhh.... We need to have a meeting about the salad bar. We have to discuss the state of the cous cous."

I do not remember this. I do not understand this.

Thoughts? Explanations?

spring.

I’ve been lax in my postings again. Ah, imperfections. What can I say?

I have several topics to blog about, but just can’t seem to get them written. I’ve had several long weeks at work, and when I get home after those long days of communicating, the last thing I want to do is communicate more… thus the long periods in between my last post and this one.

I’m going to limit this blog to the loveliness that is spring. I went riding again last night, and saw the evidence of spring everywhere. My favorite confirmations that spring is here are the new babies! The mares are birthing foals quite often, and there was one newbie yesterday. This little guy can’t be more than 24 hours old. He was so wobbly and cute!



A new batch of kittens has also made its way into my heart. These little ones are so sweet! They’re just tiny, but very friendly. It was fun to watch them play, even though they too are very wobbly. Too bad they grow up to be full-grown cats. If they didn’t, I’d bring them all home.







Hope you enjoy the pictures. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about fame, Miley Cyrus and me.

efficiency is overrated.

My plan to get a lot done last Friday didn't work. Blocking off time didn't work. Too many things required immediate attention, or else things took much longer than expected. I may work on refining my methods of scheduling, but we'll see. Efficiency is overrated, right? :)

In other news... it snowed this weekend. But today is bright and sunny. I got in to work at 7 this morning, and am looking forward to a productive day. I've been successful at being productive so far. Three things are checked off my list. Count the other three things I checked off the list by working on Saturday, and I'm well on my way to completing my whole list.Maybe not well on my way -- but definitely on my way. I'm excited to go riding tonight, especially since the weather is looking beautiful!

Off to get more completed...

new tactic = increased productivity?

I’m trying something new at work today. I’ve got a few meetings scheduled, but outside of that, I’m going to actually schedule time to work on projects. (I’m usually in more of a reactionary mode because there’s so much going on.) And I’m going to follow that schedule quite rigidly. I think the first thing on my schedule (beside a brief five minute window for blogging) will be a half an hour to clean my desk. It’s a mess; it’s a royal mess. Post-it Notes are helpful, but they’ve left my desk looking like a desk at 3M hit by a tornado. Not good. I’m actually going to try and take before and after pictures. I’ll post them.





Side note: It’s only 8:30 in the morning and I’ve already had a grande coffee and could use another three or four.

grr....

I am frustrated. And I did not see this frustration coming when I woke up this morning.

I went to work as I always do. I have a lot of big projects going on right now that require some of my undivided attention. I worked for about three hours and realized that I was getting consistently interrupted; since I (miraculously) didn’t have any meetings, I decided to pack it in and work from home. This also worked out well since the weather is getting bad and it’s supposed to snow today. (BIG BLAH!!!)

When I got home, I walked into the hallway of the apartment complex to find my old dishwasher sitting there to greet me. “Hmm,” I thought. The manager had mentioned something about replacing our old dishwasher (finally – it hasn’t been getting dishes clean in over two years), but they hadn’t called to let us know they’d be coming. I walked inside and saw another dishwasher sitting in the living room.

“Knock, knock,” said I.

“Hello,” said a muffled voice.

“Great,” I thought.

"We’re just installing the dishwasher; it should be another 10 to 15 minutes,” said the man under the sink.

That was an hour and a half ago. I can hear my cat Rory meowing. He originally locked her in our bedroom, where she promptly tore up the carpet. I took her out and put her in her cage.

This is ridiculous.

it happened...

I can't remember if I blogged about this or not, but I know I've commented about it on my friend Beth's blog. (check it out here; also note my comment to her post.)

Yesterday, my friend Rebecca and I were enjoying our almost-daily jaunt through the skyways. We've passed Larry the singing man so often that I've started to expect him, and thus don't pay as much attention to him. (Though his lyrics still sometimes catch my attention.) Anyway, we were just past him, and I heard him stop his song and start singing, "Power walk, power walk; Ladies on a power walk," which is what we were doing -- power walking.

I turned around and looked at him, and he was smiling at us! Hooray! We're nearly famous! :)

I should also take this time to explain what we look like while on a powerwalk. Picture two professionally-dressed women, walking as fast as they can, dodging in and around other slow-moving people, wearing tennis shoes with their skirts and suits, and glistening. (We try not to induce a full-out sweat; that would be gross.) If you want to know what we sound like, it's usually a rant of some sort, broken up by gasps for air. Talking and speed walking isn't easy.

So, yep. Inspiring a song... Looking like a fool... these are all things that happen in a day in the life of me.

busyness…

I’ve been in an argument with myself lately about how much “busy” is the right amount of “busy”. I’ve always been someone who likes to have things going on. The past couple of years, I’ve gotten to be less of scheduled and more spontaneous. But sometimes there are still things that need to be scheduled!

So, I’m nearing the end of a couple of months that have been a dead sprint. Actually, it seems like the time from Christmas forward has been a dead sprint. It’s been work trips on weekends, changes with churches, volunteering with a non-profit, starting to ride horses again after the winter break, preparing to move in May, going to Montana for my sister’s wedding in May, making exercise a priority (which really takes a lot of time!), and having family visitors (which we LOVE!!!). Not only that, but there has been lots of new stuff going on at work – which brings great opportunities, but also a lot of work.

I’m feeling exhausted. I feel like I’m drawing the line with my work/life balance, but sometimes I feel guilty for actually drawing that line! (That’s a pressure I put on myself, I know.) When I feel guilty, it ruins my good night’s sleep. It makes me cranky with Ryan. It makes me lazy.

It’s all very confusing…. How much busy is too busy? How much busy is excitement, and how much busy is stress? What’s the right balance? Anybody have some good advice?

In other news – we’ve switched churches again. I know, I know. Please don’t lecture. But, we’re very happy about our new church. It’s called Grace Nazarene, and is in Inver Grove Heights. We learned about it through my mom-in-law and dad-in-law – it’s where they attend. The church is pretty small, which I think both Ry and I are ready for. The pastor and his family are young and vibrant, which is also good. And it feels like home. You can’t beat that. We’ve enjoyed the Bible study on Wed. nights and Sunday School and the service on Sunday mornings.

stuff to look forward to...

Yesterday was a crazy day at work. Lots of meetings, lots to do, and when I left work, I got stuck in the parking garage for a good 15 minutes without moving. All in all, it was very frustrating.

The good news is that today is starting out to be a fantastically wonderful day. Ryan and I got up early, ran to Starbucks and then headed on our separate ways to work. The weather looks decent, and I'm going out for a long-awaited horseback ride. It's been a couple of weeks, and I'm going through withdrawls.

I'm wearing a vest that I haven't been able to fit into for a good two years.

I've got a long list of things to do today, and I think I have enough free time to get most of it done.

It's Thursday; tomorrow's Friday -- jeans day. Sweet.

Hope you all have a good Thursday!

virginia is for lovers...

...but ryan had to stay home with rory.

(Note -- this was written while I was in VA -- I just didn't get it posted until today. :)

I arrived to Richmond on Friday morning, and met a colleague to drive down to Williamsburg. We arrived and checked into the hotel, and then set out to explore the town. I must admit, it was pretty neat. However, in order to go into any of the buildings, you have to pay a minimum of $45. And that's a lot of money. Needless to say, we just walked around outside and peaked in windows.

The rest of the conference went well. I went home on Saturday evening with Mom and Dad. We spent Sunday relaxing. My dad and I went for a walk by my parents' house. Apparently, when they were building the home sites, they found an old confederate burial ground. They died of dysentry and other diseases during the winter. It was forgotten because the soldiers who buried them then went into battle and died. It was very sad and very intriguing to think that all of that happened in my parents' backyard. We also walked to an old cemetery with people buried from the mid-1800's. I love history, and am glad that I got to see the site of the Battle of Bristoe Station, which took place on my birthday - though it was a few years earlier.

We went and saw the cherry blossoms today, and my little sister gave us a tour of the capitol. She's an intern for rep. Denny rehberg from Montana. It was neat to see her all grown up and in-charge of a capitol tour group. Now my mom and I are on the virginia railway express heading home.

My flight leaves at 6:00 tomorrow morning, so I hope I get out. Ryan said there's a horrible storm in Minnesota.

Until then...