today i am...

...Little Miss Bossy. If any of you have anything you need to be bossed around on, let me know. I'm happy to oblige.

I wish there were a Little Miss Motivated. I think just having that up would help motivate me. Almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I'll end my post with one of my favorite quotes. It seems so very true.

Get correct views of life, and learn to see the world in its true light. It
will enable you to live pleasantly, to do good, and, when summoned away, to
leave without regret. ~Robert E. Lee

dreams

I had a dream last night that I was at a Dallas Cowboys football game sitting next to Tom Landry. In my dream, I was thinking that I needed to make sure to get his autograph for my mom, but I didn't want to seem like one of 'those people' who clamored to get his attention. So, we just sat and talked about football. It was very exciting. Then, my dream continued on and I was standing on the sidelines with Joe Namath, who was holding a baby. The ball (which, now that I think about it, was a soccer ball, not a football) came flying towards us, and I said, "Don't worry, Joe. I'll get the ball; you hold the baby." Then, after kicking the soccerball back into the football game, I walked back over to Joe. I was laughing a lot and said, "Boy, that's one sentence I never thought I'd say." And I remember thinking I was clever. Isn't that strange? What could this dream possible mean?

On another note, remember these books? Little Miss Naughty, Mr. Messy, Mr. Happy, Little Miss Splendid.... There were tons of them. Anyway, I picked up a magnetic 'Mr. Men and Little Miss' mood identifier at Target. Today I am Little Miss Fickle. And believe me... I am fickle.

wishing it was rainy... or friday.

I'm at work. I don't want to be at work. Why can't the weekends last longer? If it was raining, I'd feel motivated. I'd feel determined to get stuff done to enjoy the next sunny day. But it's not raining.

If it was Friday, I'd work really, really, really hard to get everything that needs to be done in teh office done, and then would go work from home for the rest of the day (no meetings on Fridays) in front of my beautiful floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows.

But it's not raining, and it's not Friday. It's sunny and Monday.

The weekend was spectacular (and relaxing). I stretched my cooking skills on a couple of evenings. (On the menu: Barbecue-baked chicken, corn of the cob and biscuits; barbecue salmon, garlic potatoes and fruit; a delicious shredded chicken taco-type thing. Very good.) Saturday was spent at a farmer's market, and then a nice walk over the Stone Arch Bridge and through St. Anthony Main. Perhaps pictures will be updated soon. :)

All in all, it was a good weekend (love it) that has turned into a Monday (hate it).

it was a good night...

Well, I'm a horrible photographer using my camera phone, but I'll post these pictures anyway. I had a marvelous ride on Pippy and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful sunset. It was a evening that dreams are made of...

why is a rainy day more inspiring than a sunny day?

Rainy days:

• are cold.
• are wet.
• are not fun to be out in.
• inspire me to work hard.
• bring out the nostalgic person in me.
• remind me of Seattle.

Sunny days:

• are warm.
• are bright.
• are fun to be out in.
• inspire me to play.
• bring out the mischievous person in me.
• remind me of the Bahamas.

This is a relatively new discovery for me. Rainy days have suddenly made me very productive. I feel like I don't want to do anything except work and get things done. Maybe in anticipation and hope for upcoming sunny days when I'll want to be outside? Not really sure.

Anyway, I got so much done yesterday -- a rainy day. I love days like that. Today, however, may be a bit of a different story. I keep looking outside thinking that I want to go lay out by a pool somewhere. BUT, I'm going to inspire myself with thoughts of riding tonight. We're going to trailer the horses to a new area. I'm sure it will be a beautiful evening. Thus, I must get back to work so I can ride with a clear conscience.

happy/sad

My Dad's side of the family got together this past weekend in Montana for my Papa's 80th birthday party. I got this picture of the event, and it made me miss home so badly! I remember going out to my aunt and uncle's ranch for birthday parties. Sometimes they'd all come to our house. We always had so much fun. Everyone would be there. We'd eat cake, snack on appetizers, get the annual birthday spanking, open presents and play, play, play! I wish I could accurately describe how wonderful these birthday parties were. There was never a theme, never a time to leave, never a frown. Everyone was always smiling, laughing, teasing, and playing. We'd play 500 outside, hide and seek in the dark, chasing calves, holding kittens, ice skating in a flooded hayfield, freeze tag and football.

Looking at this picture takes me back to those days -- makes me long for those days. What a happy childhood I had. I would love to go back. Not that life isn't great now, but there's just something about the carefree days of youth.

a really good weekend...

After weeks and months of constant activity, I can happily say that I spent almost the entire weekend completely relaxed. I can't believe it's Sunday evening already, but it is. So, what did I do this weekend to relax? I:

• slept in until 9 on Saturday, and then took a three hour nap on Saturday afternoon.
• made fruit pizza.
• did a little laundry.
• took an impromptu trip to the theater to see 'The Dark Knight'. Best. Movie. All. Year.
• went to church this morning.
• had lunch today with my mom- and dad-in-law.
• watched Into the Wild this afternoon.
• polished my fingernails.

The rest of my evening plans include boneless buffalo wings from Applebee's and the Olympics, with a little Family Guy thrown in.

On a side note, I've been fighting a headache since Tuesday. I'm wondering if it's allergies? Do allergies strike this time of year? None the less, I purchased Claritin from WalMart today. We'll see how that works out.

the pressure is on...

...for a really good post. I'm feeling scattered, so am choosing to post in bullet points. :) This will be nothing more than an update on my life -- probably not the 'really good post' you all are looking for.

• First things first. On June 10, Ryan and I celebrated two years of marriage. We were apart for it, and it was during Nana's stroke; needless to say, it wasn't very romantic. Or happy. It just sort of was. But, that doesn't reflect how much I love my husband. It's amazing to me how there can be someone so absolutely perfect for me. I feel blessed to have him in my life. On top of that, it was so nice to have him during the time of loss with Nana. He stepped into a role that wasn't fun to fill, but was comforting to my family. I think I can pretty much sum it up with two words -- he's wonderful.
  
• Okay. Next thing. Work has been insanely busy. But, I feel like I'm growing in my job and learning new things. It can be tiring, but all in all, it's a great job with a good company.
  
• We've been spending lots of time out at Canterbury Park. I love that place. It's so nice to go sit out on the deck, take a book and read, do some people watching, listen to live music and just r-e-l-a-x. Sigh. I wish I were there right now. I highly recommend it to you all.
  
• Church has been busy. Ryan has been teaching the Wednesday night Bible study, and also Sunday School on Sunday morning. He's doing a good job -- his points are always thought-provoking and challenging. Reevaluating what life should look like through the lense of faith is never easy, but makes us grow.
  
• Birthday season has arrived for the Briese clan, so I feel like we've been celebrating up a storm. I love spending time with Ry's family and the kids.
  
• Finally, happy birthday to my Papa. He'll be 80! Wow! And, Papa and Grandma Bonnie are celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary this weekend. Very impressive. I love them so much!

i know it's time to post something...

... but I don't want to depress you all. I can seem to sit down to write something without it becoming sad... :(,

yay. boo. yay.

Have I introduced you all to the 'yay... boo... yay' game yet? It's a little game invented by the Berg fam, and I think its overall purpose it to keep us focused on the yays in life and not the boos. Or the booze. Take your pick. Ha.

We seem to play this game on Fridays. It's quite fun, actually, to hear what my family members are excited about and a little bit about what they're upset about. So, here's my 'yay... boo... yay' for today:

Yay! It's Friday and I have two days off, with only ONE thing scheduled all weekend!
Boo... I have a ton of stuff to do before I can get to the weekend.
Yay! It's a dreary day which is, for some odd reason, motivating me to be really productive.

On another note, I learned how to give horses a shot the other day. A sad situation to learn in, but overall, I feel like I've accomplished something, and learned something new. Let me just say this -- I hope I never need to have a shot from one of those needles they use on a horse. Ouch

blueberries, anyone?

I don't know what got into me, but I decided to make my first attempt at a blueberry pie last night. And let me tell you -- it is delicious. Wish anyone who wanted to could come over for a piece. Yum.

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... :)