Read any good books lately?

Ok, so I am a nerd. I actually enjoy reading. Now I couldn't honestly say that until a few years ago. When you're "forced" to read it's much less enjoyable, but now that I can choose the books I want to read, it's much more fun!! I recently used my Christmas money to join booksfree.com, which is a website similar to Netflix only it's books you rent instead of movies. I am really enjoying this subscription as there are tons of books to choose from in all different genres and it is MUCH cheaper than buying these books. Now, you might be thinking, if she enjoys reading so much, why not go to the library where the books are free? Well, the truth is, I am lazy! :) And it is worth the $10 a month for me to have the books I want to read shipped to my house! I just finished reading my first two books: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (of course!). So my question to you is....have you read any good books lately??

Our dog, the sports star!

Ok, so he doesn't really look like a sports star...but he may have the injury of one. We took Logan to the vet today because recently he has been limping and not really using his back right leg. It's been probably about a month since we've noticed, but he doesn't whine or whimper when we touch his leg and he was still running around and playing on the leg. But, apparently the vet thinks he may have torn his ACL! So, poor Logan is on medicine for the next two weeks and if that doesn't help, then he may have to have surgery on his leg. The bad part about it is that because he is using his other leg to support himself on, a lot of times that leg tears too because of the added weight. So Logan has to be on a restricted diet and exercise so he doesn't injure himself more! :) I'll try to keep everyone updated on the process for the poor guy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you all are having a wonderful day and remembering all those who love you and those that you love. I received a wonderful surprise from my husband today at work!
And I hope you all got your gift from God this morning. Did you see the amazing sunrise? Blue, pink, orange, purple. Absolutely gorgeous!
I love you all. Thanks for stopping by to read my blog!

Family Time

Boy, oh boy have we had a few busy days lately. With grandpa's viewing and funeral we have been very busy and very tired. But, I did want to comment on what a nice time I had visiting with relatives. Kristina came home from NC and my cousin David came back from California for the funeral. Although it was not the circumstance any of us wanted, we did have a good time laughing, talking, and reminiscing.
I learned that grandpa had gotten into trouble for smoking behind his school as a 6th grader :) and that grandma loved to take pictures. Dad must've been quite the cut-up (at least that's what he was doing in ALL his pictures as a kid!) and his family used to spend almost every Sunday down at the lake. I learned that Grandpa used to brag about how all of his grandkids had graduated from college and how he was so proud of us. Grandpa taught his three sons the value of hard work and even taught Matt's grandpa how to farm!! :) And on a side note, I learned that my Aunt Maria was actually born with another name that no one ever told me about! (But I didn't feel too bad because mom said she didn't know either!)
Grandpa was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed, but he had a good long 93 years on this Earth and I'm sure his wife had been missing him dearly, since she passed away in 1977. Thank you Lord for family, close by and faraway.

Grandpa Berger

Not more than 2 hours ago, I had written a post about grandpa and how he was hanging on, fighting for life. I wrote about how dad and his brothers were having to make a decision about his care because he could no longer care for himself. But God had other plans for him and He has called him home. Grandpa was in a lot of ways like my dad, a quiet man at first until you got to know him and his funny sense of humor! :) I remember him reading to all the grandkids and being there to support us in whatever he did. He was a hardworking man and loved by everyone he came in contact with. We will all miss you grandpa. Say hi to grandma for us! :)

Testimony

Ok...so I like tv. It's probably not a surprise to anyone reading this, but it's true. And one of my favorite shows (though I am a little embarrassed to admit it :) ) is America's Next Top Model. I just think it is so interesting how they do the photo shoots, hair/make up, etc. and plus the reruns are on like three different channels. So you can pretty much catch it any time of day!
Anyway, my blog isn't really just about that show :) I actually heard one of the models say something really interesting. She said, "There is no testimony without a test." Now, being that she's a model, she probably didn't come up with that quote herself! HA! :) But I thought that it was really interesting. Because mainly peoples' stories, or testimonies, are usually about the difficult things they've encountered throughout their life and how by God's grace they have overcome. So as we struggle through the daily grind and face challenges, we can be comforted by the fact that God has put us through this challenge to strengthen our faith and to maybe help someone else overcome. Because, "There is no testimony without a test."

OVERWHELMED...by Game Night! :)

Still this morning, I'm trying to wrap my brain around the wonderful surprise Matt and I received last night. We were told that some friends of ours were getting together at our church to play games and just hang out. Ok, sounds fun! We realized this was not the case when we arrived at the church to see most of the side parking lot full and recognizing our parents' cars. Still we had no idea what was going on. As we walked into the church we see friends, family, coworkers, and church members with big smiles on their faces. And...still confused...we walk in and wonder what this could be. Little did we realize the truly amazing people God has blessed us with. For months now, a committee has been planning this surprise for us. That was a big surprise in itself (that nobody spilled the beans! :) ).
We received overwhelming gifts of support for our adoption, a beautifully handmade quilt, a scrapbook with encouraging words, and a gift of $4000. Yes, that is not a typo...$4,000! We were absolutely speechless! And as I write this blog, I still have tears in my eyes. We never imagined that anyone would go to all this trouble for us. I don't think you will ever know how truly touched we are and I don't think I have the words to express it. Our journey is one we never would have planned for ourselves, but one we are blessed to be on thanks to the people who love and support us. Thank you does not do it justice. We know we are loved and cannot wait to show our child how many wonderful people loved him or her before they even met! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

HAPPY 2008!

It's always exciting to look forward to a new beginning, new year, new experiences, and new memories to create. For more info about what we did at our New Year's Bash check out Jenn and Jess's blogs. They've got some great pictures...and luckily no videos yet! :) I wish everyone a very happy year with friends and loved ones. Keep God as the focus and although it won't be perfect, it will be much easier to travel through 2008. Love you all!

Just married...a year and a half ago!

We celebrated a wonderful joy in the family as my sister had her wedding last night. Everything was beautiful. I loved the deep red color with the black tuxes and Kristina's white dress. It looked absolutely gorgeous!! Kristina was a beautiful bride and we're so happy to have Steven as part of the family. Everything went off without a hitch. We had a great time at the reception and danced the night away (especially all the little girls who were dancing their hearts out!) :) Below are some pictures of the wonderful event:

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

It's over!
:( After all the preparations for Christmas, it's always a bit of a disappointment when everything is all over. Just looking around the living room and seeing the wrapping paper and bows all over and piles of presents here and there. And then of course I think that I should be so joyful for all the many gifts; I have a wonderful family who'll get together and eat as much as we can; we have the luxury of buying gifts for each other and seeing the joy on others faces when they open them; we have a nice warm place to celebrate in each year. There are so many "gifts" that can't be given, or taken back :), at Christmas time! Thank you Lord for each gift from you throughout the year. Following are some pictures from our family. It's the first year EVERYONE was here for the holidays! :) YEAH!!

The Hahns

Hahns/Bergers/and Clarks

The dads show off their new flashlights! :)