four days until...

... my mom arrives! I'm so very excited. On Saturday I did a little bargain shopping at T.J. Maxx for a new bedspread for the spare bedroom. I found a great one on sale for $30! It's black and white, which actually inspired me to hang up lots of black and white pictures as well. Love the new look.

And, I'll now make a quick confession to this brief little blog post: I really like Taylor Swift's new song. I'm not a big Taylor Swift fan... but I LOVE her song Love Story.

time for an update...

I've been spending all of my time with the new love of my live, Barron. Yes, Ryan is aware of him. My new love is a beautiful 6-year-old quarter horse gelding. I've been working with him quite a bit, and he's definitely turning into quite the horse. And I'm going to blame my lack of blogging on him... though that's probably not really fair.

Here's a lovely pic...

In other news, my mom arrives for a long weekend a week from today. I'm so very excited!

My three main projects at work finished up around the same time. There's still lots to do, but it's nice to have a small break. I'm sure it will ramp back up again before I know it.

i drink when i think...

... and vice versa. But not what you're thinking. At least not usually.



What I'm trying to say is -- I can't think unless I've got a drink in my hands. Preferably water or a decaf coffee substance. I realized this yesterday as I was getting ready to tackle a big, thinking project at work and suddenly had to run get a latte before I could continue. This is strange, isn't it?



Nonetheless, it's still something that I'm recognizing as a pattern. And really, of all the habits to have, this isn't a bad one, is it? At least I didn't blog and say, "In order to think a project/issue through, I need a shot of tequila and a beer chaser."



That would explain a lot, though.

in response...

... to a comment from my dear friend Beth on my previous post: What is the point of spending nearly $4 for coffee if all you get is decaf?

This question also came from my husband when I ordered a 'decaf triple sugar-free vanilla non-fat latte' at Starbucks. "Why did you get an extra shot if you ordered decaf?" he asked as we shelled out the extra fifty cents for my seemingly ridiculous -- and worthless -- extra shot of coffee.

Well, my friends -- this is the answer. Unlike many people in the world today who consume coffee and shots of espresso to keep their eyelids open, I drink coffee because I like the way it tastes. And even if there is no decaf in it, it still tastes marvelously, wonderously delicious. I get the extra shot of decaf coffee because I love the added coffee flavor. Yummy.

I've been off caffeine for several months now. I got tired of those caffeine headaches if I couldn't get a bit of caffeine in my system. Plus, if I'm not drinking pop, it's a good excuse to give up caffeine too.

And that, my friends, is the answer to why I spend lots of money just to buy decaf lattes.

dangling my feet off the edge of the wagon...

... looking longingly at pop. It's true. After a solid six months of being pop-free, I've found myself thirsting for its crisp, fizzy, sweet goodness. I'll be honest and say that I've even succombed to the pressure to drink a can recently. Sad, but true. In fact, at this moment right now, I will openly admit that I am enjoying a 20 oz. bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper. For me, Diet Dr. Pepper is the perfect pop, with the exception of a can of Mountain Dew after a day of horseback riding. For some reason, that combination is unbeatable. But, if no horses are present, I'll take me a Diet Dr. Pepper, please.

I'm not ready to say that I've fallen off the wagon for good yet, but I will say that I'm dangling my feet of the wagon. I did jump off the wagon and am walking beside it right now as I drink my Diet Dr. Pepper. I'll jump back up on the wagon as soon as I finished it. Ah, self-discipline. You've escaped me yet again.

On another note, I realized something depressing today as I was paying for my lunch. I paid $3.92 the morning for a medium decaf, sugar free vanilla, skim latte this morning from Caribou. I paid $3.76 for a delicious lunch of a huge ham and cheese omelette, hashbrowns and a big bowl of fruit. I'm right to be disturbed at the price of the coffee, right? Especially in comparison to the price of my lunch. I feel kinda sheepish for actually buying lattes.

Drip coffee it is. I'll hop on that wagon, too.

five minutes...

I'm waiting to begin a meeting and have five minutes before it starts. That gives me five minutes to blog. Which means my blog won't be about anything of importance.

I think I'll just blog about how quickly the week is going... and how quickly time is going. September 15 would have been Nana's 86th birthday. It also will be three months from the day she went home. I can't believe it's been that long. I feel like it's been forever since I've talked to her, but it still hurts so much to think about losing her. At least I know I'll see her again, and that thought is so very comforting.

I love the fall -- I just remember telling Nana the last time she was here (in Feb, when it was REALLY cold) that she'd have to come out in the fall when the leaves start to change because it's so beautiful. She thought that sounded like a wonderful idea... and now here I am. Fall without Nana. It's kinda sad.

But I suppose that's life. If there wasn't heartache there wouldn't be joy. And if their wasn't pain we wouldn't have to hope for the future.

Wow... those are deep thoughts for a three minute post. My meeting is about to start.

a night i didn't expect...

So, the evening began a little different. I had two tickets to go to a reception at the Science Museum with Congressional elected leaders. Figured it was a once-(or maybe twice-)in-a-lifetime opportunity, so Ry and I braved the traffic and go to our parking spot around 4:15 p.m. (By the way, we had to pay $25 to park -- but we did it, because we didn't feel like driving through the police lockdown known as St. Paul.

We tried to get through into the convention area, but weren't able to because we didn't have credentials. SO, we walked. A long way. As in, a VERY long way. I was in 4-inch heels; but I survived. Anyway, when we finally got close, we saw Rudy Giuliani being interviewed by Chris Matthews. It was pretty sweet.

We finally made it through the crowd to the Science Museum and were walked to the front doors by the secret service. We were hanging out, having free drinks and food, and basically just enjoying ourselves. The Star Wars exhibit was open for us, so we went down to check it out. It was alright. I'm sure for real Star Wars fans it would have been amazing. But I'm not a real Star Wars fan, so it was lost on me.

Anyway, we went back upstairs and were standing at a table when two guys came over to chat with us. One of them was from Germany, and the other lives in D.C. BUT, he's from Belgrade, Montana. Small world, huh? He asked if we were going over to the convention later, and I said that we didn't have tickets. He said he had two extra for his suite. At that point, I wanted to do a happy dance, but I just maintained my cool.

So, we went through the serious security and made our way into the suite. Which just happened to be right next to Tom Brokaw. I could see him on air; he was on the air with someone else, but I don't remember who. We also saw Joe Gibbs (love him), Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Shephard Smith, Mike Huckabee, Bill Frist, Tom Ridge, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin, and of course, John McCain. We also saw two Code Pink women get arrested.

It was neat to be there to hear McCain's nomination acceptance speech. I still don't know who I'm voting for, but being there was an experience I won't forget, and it was also one I found valuable.

The moral of this story is always -- I repeat, ALWAYS -- wear a nice suit if you're in doubt about what to wear. Always. You'll never be sorry.

i found this funny...

It's RNC time in the land of the lakes, and because we live in Bloomington, we've seen a lot of action!

But this billboard takes the cake for sure!

happy birthday!!!!

Today is my lovely husband's 26th birthday. Yes, I am older than Ryan. Yes, Ryan is younger than me. Yes, I look younger than Ryan. Yes, Ryan looks older than me.

From Sept. 3 - Oct. 14, though, we're the same age. That's refreshing. :)

Anyway, just wanted to say publicly say 'Happy Birthday' to the love of my life. Hope you have a good year, Ryan!

i've been too busy to blog...

It's true. I have been too busy to blog. Too busy at work... to busy at home... just too busy!

I'm putting that out there so you all don't judge me and call me an 'inconsistent blogger'. Curses. :)

So, anyway. All I'm going to say about today is that I'm eating my favorite soup for lunch. Or at least it's one of my favorites. Vegetarian Black Bean.

Yummy. Healthy. Delicious.

love this song...

Love is Never-ending
Brad Paisley

Seasons come and seasons go;
One day sun, the next day snow.
Flowers die and flowers grow,
But love is never-ending.

You can't kill it with goodbye.
It always finds a place to hide.
Inside your heart for your whole life,
Love is never-ending.

When the lights have all gone down
It'll still be hangin' 'round.
Even when you think it's lost, it can still be found.
When every memory has been made,
And the pages start to fade,
And every prayer you ever prayed is heaven bound,
When you think the ride is over,
You're back at the beginning,
Love is never-ending.

When a man and woman start growin' old
The fire of passion may grow cold.
But what they got still warms their soul -
Love is never-ending.

It keeps goin' on and on,
Long after we're all gone away.

Time may change what you believe,
But one day the truth will set you free.
Just have faith and you will see -
Love is never-ending.

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...