Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts

Sunday, December 5, 2010

two years

Back when I was still coordinating Children's Institutes in Taiwan, I used to ask random people random questions, such as "If you could marry any movie character, who would it be and why?"

I asked Luke this question, completely oblivious to the fact that he was interested in me at the time. He responded, "Sally the Porsche from Cars."

That is one reason why, for our second anniversary, we stopped by The Rock Cafe on Route 66, the owner of which was the basis for the character "Sally." We didn't get to meet her, but we enjoyed a couple of cheap burgers at the modest diner to kick off our two-year anniversary celebration.



We like exploring bed and breakfasts, so we chose the Cedar Rock Inn in Tulsa for its beautiful lodge-like accomodations.





We went on a little hike with our buy one get one free holiday drinks (decaf, of course, for Baby Berg)...


...before settling down in their library to peruse their books and (limited) DVD selection.


In the morning, we feasted on a scrumptious breakfast...


...before meeting up with Damon and Christina for church and lunch...


So here we are... two years of marriage and a baby on the way. Year #2 held a number of challenges for us, but God has been good.


Year #3, here we come!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

*deep breath*

When we were courting, Luke's family took me to the hot springs in Thermopolis, which had a ten-foot diving board. We watched a kid climb the steps up to the board, walk to the edge, and chicken out at least a dozen times, despite the fact that everyone in the pool was cheering him on.

Sometimes I feel like that kid. I walk to the edge, but before I leap, I think through all the reasons why I shouldn't. I wonder how it'll look to everyone else, what they might say.

On Tuesday, March 16, 2010, my husband came home without a job. Over the last couple days, God has pushed us over the edge-- and we don't know how far down we're going to fall.

Some people might think it's tacky to blog about something that's still so raw. But this is reality for millions of people-- and Luke encouraged me to blog about it, if only to help me process this new chapter in our family history.

So for the brave souls who want a glimpse into the gritty details of life after employment as it plays out in our household, you can read about it in my new blog here. We will definitely appreciate your prayers.

So ready or not... *deep breath*... it's time to take the plunge.

Monday, October 19, 2009

This Was My Home...


I never dreamt that my first year would be spent in a hotel room. It wasn't much, but we didn't have much. We ate in our bedroom and washed dishes in our bathroom. I learned to shop for a dorm-sized fridge, to cook with one burner, to make pasta in our rice cooker.

There is something sacred about the simplicity of that first year of marriage.

Within these walls, we built our home-- a home not made with brick or stone, furniture or appliances, but with decisions, discussions, and dreams. We made memories. We fleshed out our vows with laughter and tears. We began learning what it means to love someone for the rest of our lives.

Perhaps that is why-- though I now live in a house with five or six times the space of that hotel suite-- I am still mesmerized by the beauty of my first home.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Chinese New Year Greetings

Hello and many blessings to you, family and friends!

2008 has been an amazing, challenging, and…very new kind of year for Karen and I. Marrying each other has been a big change, but actually the many other changes that come along with it have been much more significant than marriage itself. I have been amazed at how normal it feels to be married – I’m still me, Karen is still herself; we’re just together a lot more. It really hasn’t felt like a big adjustment.

What has taken some adjustment has been Karen moving from Taiwan to Oklahoma City, and my moving here from Chicago to take a new job. Being apart from our families for the most extended time so far, and trying to do full-time college online so that I can be more prepared for potentially moving to Asia in the future. New friends, churches, culture – adjusting to all of these has given us the chance to learn new things together and develop our life together from a solid starting point. I really believe it was a good decision to relocate here in preparation for our marriage – just the right balance between slow pace and active travel and social life.

Do we choose to love, or does Love choose us? I’m learning more and more that perhaps the two are not really all that different from each other. Sometimes I am overcome by an involuntary feeling, and sometimes I must willfully choose to act in a loving way. And whenever one of those happens, the other seems to be at the root of it. Experiencing it in such a close and personal way is giving me many new thoughts about God’s relationship with me, with us as people.

Things are going well for us in Oklahoma City, and if any of you are in the area, look us up! May the blessings of Christ be yours this new year!