The Berridges

ONE!!!

2011-02-24T20:06:00.008-06:00

"Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year!" ~ABBA

How can you measure a year full of beautiful blessings? February 25, 2010 God blessed our family with our sweet, little Julianne Avery Berridge. She was born at 8:01 am. She weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and was 20 inches long. She had a head full of dark hair, blue eyes and looked just like big brother, Jarrett.

Since I don't think I could list 525, 600 things about her, I'll stick with 12. One for each month of her 1st year of life!

1. She is a little diva! She knows what she wants and when she wants it! (And she usually gets it!)

2. She sucks her first two fingers when she's tired. The boys always had a pacifier....not Julianne!

3. She has 8 teeth! What a mouthful for a 1 year old!

4. She has NEVER had any formula. I'm really proud of this one. I was determined to nurse for the first year. Through a lot of prayer and patience we made it!

5. She never passes up a meal! I hope she can keep a girlish figure! :)

6. Her smile lights up a room. The best smile she gives is to Daddy when she hears him come through the door each night.

7. She's very friendly. She says, "Hi" to everyone at the store.

8. She also says, "Uh-oh, bye-bye, Mama, Dada, and nigh-nigh" (and whatever else the boys "think" they hear her say)!

9. When you pick her up she pats you on the back...super sweet!

10. She loves to laugh at her brothers. And they love making her laugh!

11. She's a Mama's girl and I LOVE it!

12. She's our miracle. I prayed (and so did a lot of other people) for God to move in Brett's heart to prepare him for a third baby. And now, we can't imagine life without her!

This has been an amazing, difficult, fun, exhausting, blessed year! In this year there has been laughter, tears (lots!), adventures, long car trips, doctor visits, adjusting to daycare, chronic ear infections, tubes in ears right before Christmas, learning to roll, SLEEP, sit, crawl, pull-up, cruise around things, talk, cutting teeth, fun diapers, and the list goes on. I wouldn't trade these moments for the world! Today is a bittersweet day. I'm so sad that my baby girl is no longer a little baby. But I'm also so glad to see all that she has learned and how much she's grown this year. I'm excited to think about what next year holds for her, and the next, and the next.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Brett and I have 3 of those gifts in our home. It is our privilege and honor to be their parents!

Happy Birthday, Julianne!

Growing Up!

2010-05-06T19:21:00.003-05:00

Jefferson is getting so big! Last night I asked him to help me make his lunch. Tonight he asked if he could do it all by himself! So, he put the goldfish in a baggie, got a juicebox from the pantry, got a cheesestick from the fridge and a go-gurt from the freezer. He got the bread and jelly out, too. I had to get the peanut butter since I buy the 6 pound can at Sams! He had to have a little help spreading the pb and j! He even cut the sandwich! He was so excited to use a knife!

I'm so proud of my sweet boy! He's growing up so fast! In a couple of weeks he has PONY Day (Preview of Next Year)! He'll check out what 1st grade looks like! Wow!

Crafty?

2010-05-03T09:37:00.008-05:00

I would never use this word to describe myself! I believe God has given me many other talents, but crafty-ness is not one of them. I am, however, pretty good at copying things! I love to look at blogs. Alot of the blogs I look at belong to people I don't know! For the most part these blogs give tips on how to be frugal! They share where the best deals are and how to use coupons. There are other blogs that share their crafty projects. So, I get sucked in and try to copy them. Mom and Dad bought me a sewing machine for my birthday. I've had fun trying it out. I have a lot to learn, but I figured I should just jump in and try it. Here are a few of my recent "projects."

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I found this idea here.

My friend, Jenny, loves to drink hot tea. I made this for her. (Don't look too close...my lines aren't straight!)

I made these keychains for Jefferson's teacher and student teacher. (Next time I'll use stiffer fabric and heavier interfacing. Again, my "straight" lines are horrible!)

Jefferson's teacher put together a basket of supplies for their student teacher as a thank you gift. She asked the parents to contribute things that she could use in her classroom. I gave her sharpies, post-it notes, red pens, the keychain and this clipboard. My SIL, Erin saw this idea in Canton last year. We made a lot of them for Christmas last year. I hope Ms. Matthews enjoys this one!

And, finally! Melissa and Jenny helped me make some burprags for myself and another friend. I found this pattern and decided to try it out. My sweet friend, Aubin, is about to have twins, so I decided to make her some burprags. This was my first project with the new sewing machine. This was probably not a wise choice. If you'll notice....no straight lines! Plus, I added ric-rac. I think Mom and I took one of these apart 2 or 3 times! I hope Aubin will enjoy them even though they're not perfect! They are just for spit-up, right! :)

Monkey Business

2010-04-27T13:21:00.007-05:00

Here are my 3 little monkeys all wearing "the monkey suit!" It's fun to see them next to each other. No doubt they are siblings!

Jefferson (4 days)

Jarrett (1 week)

Julianne (1 week, 1day)

2 months already?

2010-04-26T07:36:00.001-05:00

Wow! Where does the time go? Julianne Avery Berridge joined our sweet family 2 months ago! Thursday, February 25, 2010, 8:01 am. She weigh 7 lbs. 6 oz and was 20 inches long. Her entrance into the world was smooth and easy. Dr. Burkholder was great in the OR. I didn't even know he had started the surgery! Our first observation about her was the large amount of dark hair she had. The next thing Brett said was, "She looks just like Jarrett!" Our stay in the hospital was wonderful and my recovery was so easy. This was the best delivery and recovery of the 3! The boys came up to the hospital after school that day. Jefferson immediately wanted to hold her and love on her. Jarrett was a bit more reluctant, but quickly warmed up! My mom and dad and Brett's parents were there. We also had 2 sweet friends there bright and early to celebrate her Birth-day! We were so glad that Melissa and Aron came!

We came home Saturday around noon just in time to welcome the rest of the Berridge clan from Odessa. Uncle Jason, Aunt Erin, Grant, Hagan, Evyn, Uncle Todd, Aunt Jessica and Luke all came to spend the day with us! Cousin Natalie had play rehearsal and couldn't come. The kids were so sweet with her. Aunt Erin took some wonderful pictures of Julianne for her birth announcement. We're so lucky to have Aunt Erin!

The next 2 weeks my mom stayed with us. This was a huge reason my recovery was so quick! I sat on the couch and fed Julianne. My mom did EVERYTHING else! She cooked, cleaned, bathed the boys, did the laundry, took the boys to school, EVERYTHING! She also helped in the middle of the night when the little princess couldn't get her tummy to settle down.

The next week was Spring Break and Brett was home the whole week. Again, I was able to sit and rest while Brett took care of everything else. Brett's mom came the next week to help. She also cleaned, cooked, took the boys to school and helped in the night. We were so grateful for all the help.

I think we've now settled in to our new normal. Julianne eats every 2 1/2 - 3 hours and sleeps from 10:30-6:00 most nights. She's still has more gas then any child I know! While I was pregnant I prayed that I would be able to nurse her for a year without having to supplement formula! So far, we've been successful! We go to the doctor tomorrow for her official 2 month check-up, but I think she's around 11 pounds! God is so good!

Julianne is such a precious gift! I'm so glad I get to be her mommy! We love her so much and thank God daily for her.

T-minus 12 Hours and Counting...

2010-02-24T19:39:00.004-06:00

In less than 12 hours, we should be holding our new little girl! Here is a brief chronology of Beth's pregnancy ending with the last picture of our family as a family of four. Exciting days lie ahead for the Berridges!

Big Things Lately

2010-02-17T21:14:00.003-06:00

I figured this was a good time to get back on the blog. It's been awhile, so please forgive me!

As most (if not all) of you already know, we have a little girl on the way. We are scheduled for a C-Section next Thursday at 7:30.

Obviously, we will be posting pics, commentary about no sleep, and general observations about our new bundle of joy........ but for now, we are just happy to have functional plumbing!

Anyone who has ever spent any length of time at our house can appreciate the water pressure (or lack thereof) in our house since we moved in almost 3 years ago. That problem has since been alleviated, in addition to our various forms of other plumbing difficulties this week! After the replacement of our water line and sewer line, we ran a tub of water, washed clothes, and washed dishes... ALL AT THE SAME TIME... just because we could!!!!

Yes, I know that it is so very lame that I'm excited about having water pressure... but after having all of the problems we have had to deal with, it's going to be nice not to have to worry about these things anymore.

Jack in the Box

2009-08-29T12:45:00.003-05:00

By the title of the post, you may be thinking something that involves a famous fast-food chain. Unfortunately, we Lubbockites do not have a Jack in the Box to call our own. So, sadly, you would have been mistaken.

Oh the creativity of little kids and our leftover empty boxes...

First Pictures

2009-08-08T17:33:00.006-05:00

I apologize for this taking so long, but Baby Berridge's first pictures were taken this past Monday. As many of you know, early ultrasound pictures look like nothing more than a little alien. This ultrasound is so early that it hardly even looks like that!

There are a couple of pretty grainy pictures, and there is a 3 second video of his/her heart beating and you can see a little bit of movement in the extremities. The video is quick, so if possible, it's best to loop it.

Enjoy!

Good Friends

2009-07-17T14:43:00.003-05:00

As you know by now, I have had the recent misfortune to have bulged a disc (again) in my back last week. Though my recovery is progressing well, I am obviously limited in my movement.

As a result, two of my friends offered to finish hanging the doors on my shed for me. I was moved by their generous gesture, and I jumped at the offer!

Many thanks to Ryan Highley and David Dees for their fantastic work on the doors! I really couldn't have done it without you!

THANK YOU!!!

Show Stopper

2009-07-13T13:12:00.002-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that the shed wasn't completely finished yet. All that is left is putting the doors on the front. Initially, I was waiting to get a second set of hands to help me get the doors hung. However, my back had different plans.

For those of you who have known me for at least 4 years know that I have had a bulging disc in my back. To use an analogy - to have this affliction is a bit like being an alcoholic: you will forever be an alcoholic and can never be "cured," though you can control your symptoms by continuing the 12 steps... likewise, I will always have a bulging disc, and I always stand the risk of re-injury, but I can keep it under control by continuing my physical therapy exercises.

Friday afternoon it became VERY painfully obvious that I had not been keeping up with my exercises like I should have been. I was in my new shed sweeping... that's right, sweeping... when I bent over to pick up the dust pan and felt a pop in my lower back that stopped me in my tracks.

If you have ever had severe back pain, then you know that there is no way to adequately explain the amount of pain I was feeling. Not to mention the fact that your back is so integral in every other movement your body makes. I passed out in the backyard due to the extreme pain, and couldn't even get upright (whether on my knees or my feet) for almost an hour because I would begin feeling faint each time.

With a lot of help from my wife, I finally made it to the doctor's office. When asked what the problem was, I told her that I had a bulging disc, and she very flatly told me there was no way I could know that diagnosis if I hadn't had an MRI to tell me so. I wasn't so much a fan of her. She wanted an x-ray and since I couldn't even walk across the doctor's office to their x-ray machine, they ended up calling 911 to have an ambulance take me to the ER.

I spent the next 8 hours in the ER trying to explain that I had a bulging disc to anyone who asked what the problem was... but no one believed me there either since I hadn't ever had an MRI to diagnose it in the first place four years ago.

I finally got my MRI around 8:30, and guess what it said? I HAVE A BULGING DISC!!! I was very frustrated, but at least now I have confirmation that it really is a bulging disc... more specifically the disc between L5 and S1.

I have since been spending most of my time laid up on my back while trying to help out (although I'm hardly helping at all) with the kids, dishes, etc.... When you have restrictions from sitting or bending from the waist, that limits you more than you would think. I feel even worse since I'm only able to give limited help my pregnant wife!

The only solace I get from this is that it happened during the summer... I don't have anywhere that I need to be on a daily basis, and thankfully neither does Beth. Although the obvious downside is that it has now made the remainder of the summer a wash, but I don't have to miss any work for it. I am ready to be back on my feet, but if this goes anything like 2005, then it won't be until it's almost time for school to start when I'll be all better.

Bask In the Berridge Manliness!

2009-07-12T15:35:00.010-05:00

Last weekend, my brother Jason came up to help me build a shed. He was under the illusion that it was a pre-built kit where we would just assemble the parts... well he was half right. We did assemble the parts, but there was NOTHING that had been pre-fabricated. His face fell at the sight of all of the parts of the shed being loaded into the back of the trailer by forklift. All of the measuring and cutting had to be done by us!

If you know anything about Jason and me, then you know that we may be many things, but we've never been accused of being carpenters!

We knew very quickly that we were in over our heads, but fortunately for us, Jason's in-laws happened to be in Lubbock that day shopping. We could not have gotten started on the right foot if it were not for his father-in-law (Hat tip to Jerry Jacobs!) He helped us get the foundation built up correctly, and from there, it was just a matter of following directions.

Once we got going, I was very surprised at how far we got before they left on Sunday evening. All we had left to do was to put on the roof (which I did on Monday) and hang the door (which still isn't done, but I'll expain why in my next blog post!)

Overall, I was very impressed with us. For not being at all constructive, it looked great, and is extremely sturdy. Everything lined up, and it actually looks like we knew what we were doing! Who'da thunk it?!

Funny Things Jarrett Does

2009-06-11T13:55:00.006-05:00

I have been playing Mr. Mom since Monday while Beth teaches at her annual music teachers' workshop. So while I was making a pass through the living room (while dusting and vacuuming, I might add....) I spied a little boy curled in a ball and talking under his blankie. Click the "play" button to watch!

Uncharted Waters

2009-06-07T11:07:00.003-05:00

It's becoming a blog-fest around here.... we haven't posted since February, and now twice in one week! What's the world coming to?

We went to Odessa yesterday to visit my brothers and their families... but more specifically we went for my nephew Hagan's birthday party. We had a great time at the party, and then went to dinner afterward before we came home.

Aunt Erin asked us to stop by her house after dinner so she could give us some clothes for Jarrett, and while we were there, she asked JJ if he would like to stay at their house for a couple of days and play with his cousins. Without hesitation, he said, "Sure!" We thought he would change his mind in a few minutes (as "almost-5-year-olds" usually tend to do,) but he was very confident that it was something that he wanted. It didn't matter how many times we asked him if he was sure... he knew he wanted to stay there!

This brought back memories of when I used to do this with my cousin in Lubbock when I was growing up in Odessa. It happened much the same way the first time... our families met in Lamesa for dinner and very unexpectedly they asked if I wanted to spend a week with my cousin Jim. I had the clothes I was wearing, and that was it... much like Jefferson last night: He had his PJ's that we were going to change him into for the late night ride home, and the clothes on his back. He should be ok since his cousins are not that much older than him... he could probably share clothes with them. What a fun experience!

Beth asked if I was ready for this... I asked her right back if she was ready for this. Turns out, we should have asked Jarrett if HE was ready! He has never known life without JJ! He has been fairly melancholy this morning, continually asking about where his brother is, and being generally sad about his brother's absence! It's pretty sweet, but at the same time, kinda heart-wrenching. As I write this, he's asking for "JJ to play football with me!"

I imagine JJ is having a blast right now... it will be cool when Jarrett can do this, too.

Ahh... Summertime!

2009-06-05T14:59:00.015-05:00

It seems as if our only posts come as we get the chance to take a break from work. So, that must mean it is officially the start of the most magical time of year: Summertime!

After a killer last few weeks of school and a trip that started the day after graduation, I have finally returned home to now begin tackling that long list of honey-do's. The capstone of which will be the building of a shed in our backyard with the help of several family members (hint, hint) and some of my closest friends (whom I hope will remain close after the completion of this project.) :)

Beth and I have a whole laundry list of things that we are planning on doing to our house over the next several years... many of the things are dreaming, but some are just plain practical. For instance: replace ceiling fans throughout the house (practical), it would be nice to have windows that actually open (practical); it also would be nice to have an addition to our master bath, and a bathroom and closet added to our den/guest room/computer room/office/sun room (unfortunately, dreaming.)

However, we should most likely be able to knock down two of the biggest items on our list this summer! Not only the afore-mentioned shed, but we just had an A/C repairman come out to basically tell us that our A/C cannot be fixed. We are hoping that our Home Warranty will cover the costs of a new unit! It seems to look very promising from this end!

On a separate note, Jefferson has now begun playing T-Ball. It's so funny to watch those little kids play this game. I don't know where Jefferson got it, but he seems to have a pretty good knack for all things athletic. He's fast as all get out, and he seems to know (relatively) what he's doing. He's making some good decisions out on the field.

Jarrett is still as much of a handful as always... he definitely keeps us on our toes! Our last post dealt with his potty training. We are, unfortunately, still dealing with accidents and occasional messes! Jefferson had only a couple of accidents, and then he was all done. Jarrett is having a much more difficult time with this process than his older brother. It's very frustrating at times, but then we just get over it!

Both of the boys have really gotten into playing baseball. They love to go outside and play catch with each other or with dad...

It certainly is a magical time of year when I can drop everything and go have a catch with my boys.

Spring Break at the Berridge's

2009-03-19T12:41:00.003-05:00

Happy Spring Break to all!

I know that not everyone gets to spend the week of spring break taking it easy, but those of us in the teaching profession relish the chance to take a week to recharge the batteries and get some long-needed household projects finished (or maybe just a little more started than before...)

Amongst the much needed times of R&R, we have been harping on a little 2 year-old to begin using "the facilities." That's right... potty training!

Beginning on the second day of PT (because we aren't even going to talk about the dreadful first day) he pretty much got the hang of it and didn't have any accidents; thanks to the good folks at M&M's and Dum Dums for the bribery materials. Of course, there have been couple of days since with a few more accidents than others, but overall he's doing a great job. We're a little anxious about sending him to school in undies next week... but he ought to be doing great by then... right?

Wish us luck in the rest of this endeavor and have a spectacular rest of Spring Break!

Abundance

2009-02-06T15:13:00.004-06:00

So, today I got the boys home from school and Brett fixed them lunch. We went through our normal routine of not being silly at the table. I was complaining about not feeling well and irritated that Brett left me no lunch meat. I had to eat PB&J. Then the doorbell rang and my perspective changed. At the door was a man asking to rake our leaves. He told me he had been laid off from his job and that he and his wife were staying in a cheap motel. He wanted to rake the leaves so he could be tomorrow's hotel bill. I asked Brett and he said yes. Brett told the man that if he raked the front and back yard we would pay him enough to cover 2 nights at the hotel plus some money to eat on. This man was so grateful. I fixed him a sandwich (PB&J, of course) and gave him a banana and water. He told Brett, "You must have read my mind." I'm so teary just writing this. The man had such a positive attitude and was willing to rake my leaves and eat a peanut butter sandwich. God has blessed us tremendously and we often take it for granted. I have a wonderful husband, beautiful children, a great home, etc. This helped remind me that I need to embrace those blessing everyday. Thank you God for all you've given us!

A Post of Nothing!

2009-02-05T18:40:00.003-06:00

I've been so terrible about posting. Most of the time I feel like I don't have anything to blog about! We're pretty boring people. But, I though I'd try to update you on the past few months.

Christmas was wonderful. We enjoyed spending time at home and with family. It was really hard to start back to school in January. I think we're back in the swing of the things.

The boys continue to do well at school. Jefferson is really starting to write his name well. Jarrett decided he didn't need to take a nap at school for a whole week. He told Ms. Stacy, "I no have to!" Thankful, I was able to convince him that he did have to and he's done well since!

Brett is busy with school. They just had a String Fling concert which involved all of the orchestras in Lubbock. Now, he's in contest mode. UIL is at the end of April, ugh!

My teaching schedule is still busy. At Bozeman I have 3rd and 4th graders. I really enjoy this group, especially the 4th graders.

My brother, Clint and his wife, Kerry welcomed Britton Thomas into the world on January 15. We made a quick trip to Decatur on Jan 17-18 to see him. He is so precious and everyone is doing well.

Next week we make our annual trek to San Antonio for TMEA. My parents are meeting us down there to help with the kids. We love this time of year. It's a nice break between Christmas and Spring Break. My principal paid for my membership fee and convention registration. I'm so excited. Plus, my director at the Preschool approved some money for me to buy materials. I am so blessed to work for great people!

We found out last week that Jefferson got into Murfee Elementary for kindergarten next year. We are so excited and relieved. This school is wonderful and has a LONG waiting list. With a little help from our friends....

It's hard to believe that Jefferson will be 5 in June and will start kindergarten in the fall. The time has passed so quickly. I know he's ready and will do well! He continues to improve on his violin. He's such a good, little musician. If I were better about our practice times he would be even better.

Jarrett is anxious to play the violin, too. So, I ordered him a foam violin with a bow that has no hair. I'm going to give it to him for Valentine's Day. He's going to love being able to play with Jefferson.

Well, I've taken up enough of your time with my rambling!

His Grace is Enough

2008-12-03T08:42:00.002-06:00

Jefferson's favorite song on KLOVE is Your Grace is Enough. During this Thanksgiving time the words of this song have been flooding my spirit. I'm really trying to cling to the fact God is all I need. I am so guilty of relying on Him only when I need something instead of a daily friendship with a God who always has my best interest in mind. Since we moved a year and a half ago I've really struggled with lonliness. I know this sounds silly because I could make a huge list of friends that I have. For some reason it's different. For those of you who have known me for any length of time know that I'm a people pleaser. I want people to like me. I love doing things for people. I love for people to need me. The problem is I try too hard. That's when I get hurt. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that some friends are only in your life for a season. When we moved relationships changed and I don't like that. But me being me tries to hold on and keep things the same and just get hurt over and over. So I come back to the lyrics of that song, "God I see your grace is enough, I'm covered in your love, Your grace is enough for me." I have to learn to let go. I'm not in control, but I'm covered in His love and that's enough.

Is it really the middle of November?.....

2008-11-16T14:40:00.012-06:00

....what happened to all that we did in October??!

How time flies. I can't believe Thanksgiving is less that 2 weeks away. I haven't even finished processing all that we did in October! The fall is always busy for us. Brett's weekends are filled with symphony rehearsals, All-Region and All-State auditions and All-Region Clinics and Concerts. In between all that we celebrated Jarrett's 2nd birthday twice and had a fun Halloween.

It is hard to believe that Jarrett turned 2 on October 25. He is such a charmer and truly a blessing to our family. We first celebrated his birthday with a family party in Odessa. Aunt Erin ordered a Thomas the Train cake. Jarrett got a lot of fun Thomas toys. He loves playing with his trains. It was fun to have all of Brett's family together. Pretty crazy with all 7 grandkids. We also took that weeked to have Erin take our pictures for our Christmas cards. She also took pictures of all the grandkids. On that particular day they were ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7! How fun is that!

On Friday, October 24 we drove to my parents house in Plano. On the way there we stopped in Denton to have dinner with Clint and Kerry and Cooper. On Saturday (Jarrett's actual birthday), we drove to Rusk, Texas to ride Thomas the Train. We had a blast. It was the most beautiful fall day. The kids played games, jumped in the jump house, stamped pictures. The train was so fun. It moved extremely slow, but the kids loved it. They made a "train" of kids to walk and sing up and down the aisles. Jarrett jumped right in the line with the big kids. When all the other kids sat down, Jarrett continued to entertain everyone by walking and dancing up the aisles. It was a wonderful time to celebrate another year of our sweet boy's life.

The next week was filled with Halloween festivities. First, Brett had his annual Hauntcert with his feeder middle schools. It was a huge success. The turnout was great and all the kids played wonderfully. Brett's students played the Overture to Barber of Seville. Brett adapted the arrangement so that it became the "Rabbit of Seville". The students played while the Bugs Bunny cartoon played on the big screen. Before the kids could put their instruments down after the final cut-off, the audience was on their feet. One of Brett's students looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Mr. Berridge, no one has ever done that for us before!" Brett has made such an impact on that program in such a short time. I am so proud of him and the students. The students are proud to be in orchestra. The administration is proud of the orchestra and enjoy coming to the concerts. Brett's parents were able to come up for the concert. I think they enjoyed seeing the boys in their costumes as much (if not more :)) than seeing Brett's concert!

On Friday, we went to our church's Fall Festival. The boys had a great time playing games and collecting candy. Because of Brett's concert, Brett and I had costumes this year. We were Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. The boys were Spiderman and Superman.

Well, I guess our novel of October is long enough. I'll be back soon with the beginning of November!

Painting Pumpkins

2008-10-11T22:18:00.006-05:00

Jason, Erin, Grant, Hagan and Evyn came to visit today! Jason was given 2 tickets to the Tech game, so he called the biggest Texas Tech fan around...Brett! They had great seats on the 50 yard line, 6 rows from the field. Jason said you could almost read Coach Leach's playbook from their seats!
After lunch the guys split for the game, leaving Erin and I with our 5 children! Needless to say, it was LOUD!! Erin had the great idea (as always) to paint craft pumpkins. After spending at least an hour at Michael's, we got home, stripped the kids down, and let them paint. They had a great time.
After the kids finished, we sent them outside to play and we started our own pumpkins. Erin is so creative. I really hate her for it, but, secretly, I'm glad so she can help me!! :) I even made one for my friend, Aubin, who turns 30 tomorrow! (Happy Birthday, Aubin!)
It was a great day with (some of) our cousins. We're looking forward to going to Odessa next weekend to be with the rest of the Berridge clan to celebrate Jarrett's 2nd birthday! I'm sure I'll have more to say about my baby being 2 in a later post!

Evyn Joy

Grant Man!

"Bubba" (Hagan)

Jefferson

Jarrett (He only ate a little paint!)

Erin helping Grant with his finishing touches.

Jarrett and Evyn (I wonder what they are plotting?)

Mine! Aren't you proud of me? Okay, Erin painted the zebra stripes and made the bow!

Erin's! See, don't you just hate her?! :)

Race for the Cure 2008

2008-10-04T18:37:00.010-05:00

On September 20, 1988 my grandmother, Janice Walker Wrotenbery,
lost her battle with breast cancer. She was an amazing woman.
Unfortunately, I will never know her the way my mom knew her.
They were best friends.

As a way to celebrate her life as well as to raise awareness about
this disease my mom and I walked the Race for the Cure today.
We had a great time. We flew to Lubbock on Friday after being
together in Plano for my grandpa's funeral (my dad's dad) this week.
This morning the boys dropped us off and went to the finish line to
meet us. After we finished the walk we went out to breakfast! Yummy!

This was a great way for us to remember Grandmother.
I think we have started a tradition. I think even the boys
want to walk with us next year!

To all of you ladies whom I love: Please do a monthly self-exam
and have a mammogram every year. I'm going to talk to my doctor
about having my baseline film done this year! I know it's earlier than
what they recommend, but I think my family history justifies it.
I turned 30 this year, so it's something I want to do for myself!

That's My Boy!

2008-09-12T17:17:00.004-05:00

Apparently, Jarrett thinks he's ready for potty-training..... we're not so sure!

He pulled the undies out of Tracen's drawer when he was at Melissa's last week. He pulled them on about half-way and then Melissa helped him with the rest. He was very disappointed to have to take them off!

What a Week!

2008-08-29T13:39:00.002-05:00

Like most of you Brett started back to school this week. His 2nd year at Monterey looks very promising. His orchestra grew 100%! We are very excited about that. The boys start PDO and preschool next week. Last night we met their teachers. We are very fortunate again this year to have great teachers. Jefferson will be in Pre-K 4 with Mrs. Cude (like Dude)! He's growing up so fast and I can't wait to see all that he learns this year! Jarrett is in the big boy class this year! He gets to sleep on a napmat and sit at a table for lunch! Hard to believe he'll be 2 in October.

As for me, well, I'm crazy! I am teaching 5 different places this year! On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday I am helping with the Hutch MS Choir. My friend, Daniel, is the choir director and he was desperate for some help this year. On Monday and Thursday I will be teaching music at Jefferson's preschool. On Tuesday and Thursday afternoon I will teach K-4 music at Bozeman Elementary. This school has not had music in several years, so the 4 hours a week I'm there is exciting for them. On Tuesday evenings I work with the West Texas Children's Chorus. Last year the performed at TMEA. This spring we're looking to take them to NYC to perform at Carnegie Hall. And finally, on Wednesday morning and Thursday evening I teach Mommy and Me music classes for birth-5 years.
Check out www.freewebs.com/firststepsinmusiclubbock for more info on that!

Luckily, the boys are at school Tuesday and Thursday 9:00-2:45 and Friday 9:00-12:00 when I do the majority of my teaching. Monday they will be with Melissa (thank you friend!) and Wednesday they can be with me! I think it will be a good year. The boys and I are ready to be out of the house more. They both love school.

Brett will continue to play with the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Jefferson is still taking violin lessons!

Tonight we will support the Monterey Plainsmen in their 1st football game of the year. Tomorrow we will wear our Red and Black and cheer for our #12 Red Raiders! GO TECH!!

We speak Spanish?

2008-08-10T21:02:00.002-05:00

Apparently, Brett and I have been taking Spanish lessons in all of our spare time! The other day I decided that we were getting a little stir crazy and needed to get out of the house. So, we all load up in the Berridge Limousine (as my dad calls it) and Brett and I begin to discuss where we can go. I told Brett, "Well, we could go to T-A-R-G-E-T, but then we'd have to buy P-O-P-C-O-R-N." (They have a cheap popcorn/drink deal if you don't know!) Jefferson then asks, "Daddy, Why are you and Mommy talking Spanish!" Of course, Brett and I cracked up! Jefferson asked what was so funny? I said, "You are!"

I love the funny things kids say!

Six Flags

2008-07-21T10:24:00.007-05:00

On Saturday we took Jefferson and Jarrett to Six Flags. I know what you're thinking and yes, we are crazy! It was so hot, but we had a great time! There were plenty of things for Jefferson and Jarrett to ride. Jefferson liked the rides that made his tummy feel funny! I think he'll love the roller coasters when he gets tall enough. We rode the Mini Mine Train twice. He thought it was great.

The Carousel

Jefferson's 1st ride

Jefferson Driving!

Riding the Antique Cars

The Boot-Scootin Ride with Daddy

Jarrett even slept for and hour in that heat!

Jefferson and Mommy on the Mini Mine Train - Take 2!

Jefferson Riding the Tea Cups

Last Day in Paris

2008-07-20T22:10:00.003-05:00

{Sorry it's taken so long to post the last full day of our European trip... we are yet again out of town!}

July 13

Today was our last day in Paris, so we made the most of it! Our first stop was the Louvre where we saw untold millions of dollars (euros) worth of paintings and sculptures. At this point in our vacation, we were so tired that we ended up just doing the touristy stuff at the Louvre - Mona Lisa, Venus di Milo, Napoleon's Coronation painting, the crown jewels of one of the Louis's... you know, the usual. The only other art that we got to see was the art between Point A and Point B. I almost felt bad that of all of the other priceless pieces of art at this museum, only a handful of pieces get the most attention.

I found interesting (possibly even more so than the art) was the museum building itself. It was the former palace to King Louis XIV before he moved everything and everyone in it to Versailles. The buildings that housed these precious works of art was, in my estimation, the overlooked crown jewel of the entire museum. I was unable to find very much history on it, but it was fantastic!

One thing that you always hear about the Louvre is the sheer size of it... I will tell you that it is so large that there is no way you would be able to see everything there is to see in several days' time, much less one day... or as in our case, a couple of hours. Our "tour guide" Rick Steves (http://www.ricksteves.com/) said in his book on Paris that you could spend all day every day for several weeks and still not see everything there is to see at the Louvre. After spending a few hours there, we barely scratched the surface!

We then headed over to St. Chappelle Chapel. This chapel is famous for the unbelievable stained glass. As most stained glass does in any church, this stained glass depicts biblical stories. What makes this most interesting is that this little chapel (it is quite a bit smaller than the cathedrals we have been seeing) chronicles some 1,000 Bible stories. We were unable to shoot any good pictures of the inside of this chapel, but it was absolutely breathtaking. It's worth making a little detour to see.

Our original plan from this point was to head over to the Orsay Museum, but Beth and I had agreed that we were pretty much museum-ed out... we were totally exhausted. The last thing we needed was some soothing Impressionistic Art.... I'm sure we would have fallen asleep standing up! We instead decided to go over to a little lesser known attraction - one of the original Statues of Liberty. A rough draft, if you will, to ours in the US. We got the idea to go by watching National Treasure II in the airplane on the way over. This statue is significantly smaller than our Statue of Liberty that sits in New York Harbor. This instead sits on an island in the Seine River facing east, and BTW - it is nowhere near as busy as it is depicted in the movie. In fact, we and only one other American family were the only people even there. Still, it was good to see.

From that point, we hopped back on the train to Dustin and Amanda's house in The Netherlands, as we fly home tomorrow from Amsterdam. We are indebted to them for their gracious hospitality and opening their home to us. They not only made our trip less expensive by giving us free room and board for several nights, but they were superb tour guides while taking us on our daily excursions to Belgium, Germany, and touring The Netherlands... sights that they have seen many times over! We thank them dearly from the bottom of our hearts, and hope that someday soon we can return the favor!

We hope you have enjoyed reading about our journeys as much as we have enjoyed chronicling them for you! Keep checking back to see what we are up to!

Brett and Beth

The entrance to the Louvre

Good ol' Mona

St. Chappelle's Chapel

The "Impostor" Statue of Liberty :)

Our phenominal hosts: (L-R) Dustin, Amanda, Jacob with us in a picture before we left for the airport

Back to Paris

2008-07-16T15:48:00.006-05:00

July 12

This morning, we headed to the train station at around 8:30 bound for Versailles. Having only heard about how big and opulent it is, I was excited about seeing this palace for Kings Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. The only thing I knew about it was the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.... and even at that, I didn't know any of the details!

I was totally astonished by the level of luxury exhibited that I could not help but to gawk at all of it. We were told on our tour that this palace was so big and so exorbitant that entire industries were created just to build and furnish it. All of the floors and pillars, etc. were marble. The lavish art work that adorned the walls and ceilings (and sometimes actually were the walls and ceilings) was astounding. It was a profound example of human-worship.

King Louis XIV built Versailles on many thousands of acres - only a fraction of the original parcel is still used today (almost 2,000 acres) for this palace and grounds - as a getaway from the stresses of palace life in Paris. It eventually became the only palace for the King and all of his ministers. He moved his entire governing cabinet here and held them captive with luxury. That allowed him to run the government the way he wanted to with all of the other ministers distracted by anything and everything they could ever desire. Interestingly enough, as I understand it, Louis XIV began a serious art collection at his old palace. This old palace kept the art as a start to a new museum - The Louvre!

As crazy-big and luxurious the palace is, the palace gardens are probably what Versailles is most famous for. Louis XIV harnessed the power of the Seine River to power some 1200 fountains (only 300 are still around today) across the length and breadth of the grounds. It was something like holding your finger over a water hose to make the water come shooting out. The water would come out of the fountains by using steadily shrinking pipe, thus increasing pressure... at least that's how I understood it. He was also very well known for keeping a grove of orange trees in chilly France... he did this just to show off mostly, but it was to also prove that he was the "Sun King." He is the only one who could have done this. He was extremely full of himself, but he had the charisma and that "it" factor that truly endeared him to the people. He was also known for being available to the masses.

Also on these grounds, Marie Antoinette built her little getaway from the getaway many years later... a working village so she could experience "common life." Of course, her village had all the trappings of a real village, but she didn't have to do any of the work... she could just delegate. I guess it made her feel a little more at home since she was from a small Austrian village before she married Louis XVI.

After Versailles, we toured the Military Museum which is attached to Napoleon's tomb. We went through the newly opened WWI and WWII portions of the museum. It was a bit insulting from an American's standpoint to hear the French version of WWII. It was almost as if there was some big, huge war going on, and, oh yeah, the Americans helped out. When it was all said and done and the Allied troops liberated Paris, they called Charles Degaulle the great liberator! Arrgh!

From the Military Museum we went over to Napoleon's tomb. Can you say, "Little-Man Syndrome?" The tomb itself was HUGE! The hall in which it is housed was gilded with 24 pounds of solid gold directly above the gargantuan sarcophagus housing several coffins in which lie Napoleon Bonaparte. It was surreal! Surrounding his gloriously dead body were all of his gloriously dead military big-wigs. It was a little much... but it was interesting.

From there we trekked on over to the Arc du Triomph via the legendary Champs Elysees (See yesterday's blog about driving the rent car). I assure you, it was much more enjoyable to walk this than to drive it. The Champs Elysees houses many different very expensive shops, as well as car dealers displaying the best of what they have to offer - including concept cars on display. I even saw a Tour de France store... turns out, the Tour de France ends on the Champs Elysees.

We finally get to the Arc, and we get ready to take the stairs to the top. Bear in mind our legs are pretty much jello from all of the stairs we have been climbing over the last week, not to mention all of the walking we have been doing. It took some convincing, but we finally decided to just do it. I mean, how many times are we going to have the opportunity to climb to the top of the Arc du Triomph?!

Tomorrow finishes our time in Paris. We still have several things to do, and time is dwindling, so I'm sure we'll get yet another early start for another big day!

Brett and Beth

The organ in King Louis XIV's personal cathedral. This cathedral was the ONLY example of any kind of worship of God and not of man.

The stunning Hall of Mirrors

Marie Antionette's village estate on the premises of Versailles

A look across a miniscule portion of the grounds to the back side of the palace

The man-made canal inspired by Venice, Italy. King Louis XIV thought, "Why go to Venice? Let's bring Venice here."

Napoleon's tomb. It's hard to see just how big it really is... to give you an idea, those white statues surrounding it are about 10 feet tall.

Napoleon's frock coat and his famous hat

By taking my life into my own hands, I stood in the middle of the Champs Elysees to get this picture!

Beth in front of the Arc du Triomph

France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WWI under the Arc du Triomph.

The Longest Day

2008-07-16T08:32:00.008-05:00

(Again, please remember that this is being "posted" on July 11th) :)

The title of this blog is not necessarily a reflection on this portion of our trip... it is instead a bit of a tribute to this excursion by using the title of one of the more famous movies made about the D-Day landings at Normandy.

Last night Beth and I rented a car so that we would be able to make the day trip to the beaches of Normandy. I was most nervous about driving in Paris. We planned on leaving our hotel so early this morning so we picked up our car late last night. That meant that I had to drive it back to our hotel in the heart of Paris... YIKES! If we hadn't had some GPS support, we would probably still be driving around trying to find our way back to our hotel. Those GPS machines are amazing.... I really don't know how we would have found our way around without the one that Dustin and Amanda let us borrow.

The only problem with them is that they don't always pick the best route... Sarah (as ours has been named) led us to our hotel by taking us down the Champs Elysees (the busiest and most famous street in Paris) and around the Arc du Triomph where twelve streets converge into one ginormous traffic circle. To make it even a little more fun, it was dark and Paris drivers don't believe in obeying traffic laws. If you are in their way, then they just go around you, whether it is their turn to go or not. I was in the right turn lane and someone from behind me (on several occasions) whipped around me to get in front of me.

After we got back to the hotel, we really wished that we had filmed the trip through town as it would have made for some good laughs later. The only problem was that I needed Beth to watch "Sarah" and navagate for me so we wouldn't make a wrong turn.

We left the hotel at 7:00 am this morning for Normandy. We arrived at the Visitors' Center and Cemetary at around 10:00. It is a very well put together visitors' center (it's more of a museum, really) and we spent probably 3 hours in it before we exited into the cemetery. The visitors' center had three main themes - Competence, Courage, and Sacrifice and each was given a substantial amount information with which to unfold.

After touring the visitors' center, we walked out to the cemetary. The cemetery is the permanent resting place for 9,387 of our military heroes, most of whom died during the landings on the beach on June 6, 1944. Click here for a great intro to give you a taste of what we saw: http://media.oaktreesys.com/abmc/video/normandy_promo.wmv

It was a virtual sea of white crosses. On the cemetary grounds is a chapel and several other symbolic monuments. It is nestled adjacent to Omaha beach where most of the American casualties came on the morning of the D-Day landings. I was particularly moved by General Mark W. Clark's statement, "If ever proof were needed that we fought for a cause and not for conquest, it would be found in these cemeteries. Here was our only conquest: all we asked... was enough soil in which to bury our gallant dead."

When we went down to Omaha Beach and walked where so many young men died for their country, it was hard to imagine the brutal fighting that went on there as now it is a very beautiful, peaceful, and serene place. Fortunately we caught the beach at low tide, so it gave us a very realistic view of what the soldiers would have seen since they landed at low tide to avoid the traps set by the Germans. There was so much beach to cover in order to get to any kind of safety from the enemy fire. There was nowhere to hide.

We then travelled a couple of miles along the coastline to Pointe du Hoc. This was the point that allowed German fighters to rain fire down on both Utah and Omaha Beaches since it overlooked both beaches, so it was a priority to take out the defenses here. The US Army Rangers were equipped to scale the sheer 100 ft. cliffs, but as you can imagine were slaughtered in the process while trying to gain the higher ground. They eventually scaled the cliffes and fought the Germans for 2 1/2 days before relief arrived. By this time the Rangers were only left with 90 combat-effective men out of the original 225.

Pointe du Hoc looks today as it did on D-Day with impact craters and bunkers. It has not been restored in any way. Some of the bunkers were the recipients of direct his from Allied Battleships, so they have been totally destroyed. There is now a monument in the shape of the Rangers' dagger having been plunged deep into the ground to commemorate this achievement.

This was by far the most moving experience for the both of us on this trip. I wouldn't say we had a "good time," but this experience is a MUST for any patriot. This day alone would have been worth the trip overseas.

On our way out, we stopped at a German WWII Cemetery. It is much more subdued with two soldiers to each headstone and 5 black crosses in periodic groups around the cemetery. It is definitely lacking the hope and purpose of the US Cemetery. It was actually pretty depressing.

"Tomorrow," we will head to Versailles, Napoleon's tomb, and the Arc du Triomph.

Brett and Beth

Our rent car - a Renault Twingo.... it felt more like a Tonka Toy, but it got around 50 miles per gallon!

One of the memorials in the Visitors' Center

The seemingly endless fields of crosses

Marker for an unknown soldier

The view from the enemy vantage point

The view from the US soldiers' vantage point

The monument at Pointe du Hoc. We could get no closer as there are sheer cliffs beyond the marker.

The bunkers - both destoyed (in the foreground) and intact (in the background)

The German Military Cemetery. Notice the crosses.

A German grave marker. Notice the two names per marker. BTW - Dates in Europe are in dd.mm.yy format.

Americans in Paris

2008-07-15T16:45:00.007-05:00

(Please indulge us and imagine this was posted on July 10) :)

Today we took a train into Paris to spend the next few days. Our hotel is only a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower, and we can actually see the top of it from our hotel room window!

We are exhausted from our adventures earlier in the week, but we shall persevere! Our first stop was to go to Notre Dame. We wanted to see this phenomenal cathedral. It is dedicated to, and named for, the virgin Mary... Our Lady = Notre Dame.

We discovered very quickly that when you look at the map of an unfamiliar town, you need to carefully look at the scale. It is very easy to let your eyes get you into trouble... from our hotel, it was only three inches to Notre Dame Cathedral. That's nothing for a pair of spry young adults, right? Let's just say that we were wrong. Very wrong. It was about two miles to walk. But even for as far as we had to go, it was worth it to walk along the Seine River and to walk alongside such famous sights as The Louvre Museum, The Orsay Museum, seeing the amazing architecture of the buildings along its banks, and trying desperately to avoid the scams of passing gypsies.

We finally got to the cathedral and it was stunning. Massive in its size, it is an imposing (and impressive) figure on and island in the river. It's Gothic structure matches most of the cathedrals built in Europe in the Medieval times, but it's facade was quite different opting out of the more traditional spires in front. Instead it took until sometime in the 19th century for its lone spire to be added over the center of the church.

We decided to catch the metro back to our hotel so that Beth could change back into more comfortable walking shoes, and then we headed back out again for the Eiffel Tower. We waited in line for about 45 minutes to get through the line. We finally got to go up the elevator and the view was tremendous! We decided to stay and eat in the cafeteria that is housed on the 2nd deck.

An interesting tidbit: we learned that the Mr. Eiffel's design won out the competition for the crown jewel of the World's Fair in 1889 over some other interesting designs that included a huge guillotine. I think Paris made the right choice!

The Eiffel Tower is currently bathed in blue light every evening at dark to commemorate the French President serving his six month term as the head of the European Union. Also in conjunction with that occasion, there are the 12 stars of the EU flag mounted on the northwest face of the tower. At night for the first ten minutes past the top of each hour the tower "sparkles" from literally thousands of strobe lights placed on the tower. It is an amazing sight!

More to come "tomorrow!"

Brett and Beth

Notre Dame Cathedral

One of the gazillions of bridges spanning the Seine River

The view from the underside of the Eiffel

The Eiffel Tower at dusk... no, this is not a professional picture. It really is my camera-work!

The Tower bathed in blue

The Eiffel Tower's nightly light show

Day 4 in Europe!

2008-07-09T16:27:00.005-05:00

Hello, everyone! It is currently 11:28 and we just got back to Dustin and Amanda's about an hour ago from yet another very busy day of travelling. We have figured up that by the time we make the round trip home, we will have travelled more than 12,000 miles!! Somewhere around 2,000 miles of that will be on the ground with all of the day trips we have done (and will do.)

Today we left at 7:15 to head to Cologne, Germany to go to the cathedral there. This cathedral was absolutely magnificent... it is more than 500 steps to the tops of the twin spires! I was totally surprised how small I felt in such a ginormous and fantastic structure. It was awe-inspiring, and quite humbling, and it dates back more than 750 years! It was perhaps the only building in Cologne that survived WWII relatively unscathed... the church removed its priceless stained glass that dated back to the Medieval times to preserve it during the relentless bombing campaigns. Miraculously, the rest of the building was unharmed at war's end! I bougth a cool post card documenting this... so if you're a nerd like me, just let me know and I'll let you see it!

After a brief lunch, we got back in the car to go to the castle Berg Eltz. This was a phenomenal castle, but I would have liked to get to go into more of the rooms! It dated back to the 15th century, so it was intriguing to catch a glimpse into the lives of very rich people of that time!

We completed our whirlwind tour through Western Germany with a stop in Aachen to view the Aachen Cathedral where the remains of Charlemagne are enshrined, as well as relics from Mary (her clothes,) Jesus (his loincloth from the cross,) and John the Baptist (decapitation cloth.... I know---gross.) The relics, unfortunately, were not on display. We missed them by one year. They are only on display every seven years, so I guess we will have to head back in 2014!

This will probably be our last blog until our return to the US as we will head to Paris tomorrow and will definitely lose our ability to post pictures, and will most likely not be able to post any new narrative since we would have to pay a bundle for use of a computer in an internet cafe. We'll see how things go.... Check back often as when we do get back, we will post new pics of our time in Paris as well as the day trip we will take to Omaha Beach and the US Cemetery and Military Museum at Normandy on Friday.

We hope you are enjoying the pics and our trip as much as we are! We can't wait to get home to the US... but we are enjoying this wonderful time with all the colorful people and experiences we have seen!

See you all soon!

The Side view of the Cathedral in Cologne

The Organ in the Catheral in Cologne. It was given in 1998 as a gift to the church on the 750th anniversary of the church. It is suspended from the ceiling so as to not compromise the structural integrity of the building by hanging it from the wall.

The front view of the Cathedral in Cologne. It was so big, I could not get the entire thing into view!

Beth and I infront of the Castle Berg Eltz

The Castle Berg Eltz

More Netherland Adventures

2008-07-08T14:06:00.003-05:00

Today's travels led us a little deeper into The Netherlands. We travelled a few minutes south of Voorburg (specifically where Dustin and Amanda's house is) to Delft where they are most famous for the Royal Delft Ceramics Factory and the church that houses the crypts of the entire royal family of The Netherlands as well as the mausoleum of William of Orange who freed the Dutch from the Spaniards back in the day. :)

The New Church holds the remains of hundreds of important members of Dutch society in the floor of the chancel, but most notably the remains of William of Orange and all of the past Dutch royal family in the crypt that can only be accessed through a huge, sealed stone door in the floor at the front of the chancel.

The Royal Delft Ceramics Factory creates very nice (and VERY expensive) ceramic plates, bowls, vases, etc. Included in the tour were some of the old pieces on display as well as some of the artisans displaying their talents. Our guide was wonderful and gave us a great look at all the ins and outs of making these ceramic masterpieces.

Following a brief lunch at McDonald's (it actually served us fountain drinks with more than two cubes of ice!) we made the trip Northeast to the Westerbork Kamp. This was a concentration camp that was the temporary home (only a week for most) to some 110,000 Jews, Gypsies, and Resistance Fighters. This camp's primary purpose was propaganda for the Nazi party. It was the only facility to be filmed during operation, so they put their best face forward showing outdoor games being played, wood working, variety shows, and schooling for youngsters. They even boasted a wonderful hospital facility for its "residents." Turns out, it was more of a clearing house for incoming - and then outgoing - prisoners. All but 300 of the prisoners were sent to Auschwitz never to return. Those remaining 300 were left to destroy the camp after the last train-load of prisoners left for Auschwitz... Westerbork was liberated shortly thereafter.

Westerbork is not what you would typically think of having been mostly demolished in the 1970's. The only remnants of the old camp were the raised foundations of the former buildings, a latrine, some partial building structures and a portion of the railroad leading into and out of the camp - which has since been made into a national monument. There were some giant radio telescopes erected on site before the decision was made to make this into a historical site.

Today was a little sobering, but nonetheless we are having a blast! Come back tomorrow and check to see where we go next!

Brett and Beth

The Mausoleum of William of Orange

Artisans at Royal Delft

Latrines at Westerbork

Remaining rails at Westerbork

Beth standing in front of one of Holland's most famous icons

Day 2 - Brugge, Belgium

2008-07-07T14:33:00.005-05:00

Today we drove to the small town of Brugge in Belgium. It's about 2 1/2 hours from Dustin and Amanda's house. We got there just in time for lunch...waffles! Brett and I both had a waffle with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Very tasty! We went the Church of Our Lady where Michaelangelo's Madonna and Child is housed. We climbed all 366 steps to the top of the bell tower located in the town square. We got to the top just in time to hear the Carillon play and the hour chime at 3:00. After recovering from the burn in our legs we made our way down. Basillica of the Precious Blood holds a vile of Christ's blood. Supposedly, Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood at the feet of Jesus at the cross. Who knows if it's true, but it's a cool story. We also did some shopping. We bought some lace and chocolate. The town was very beautiful. As we headed out of town we got a snack of fritters (french fries) with mayonnaise. We had a great day after a great nights sleep (12 hours)!

Michaelangelo's Madonna and Child

Belgian Waffle
Giant Music Box (Carillon Mechanism)
View from the Bell Tower

The Bell Tower

Greetings from Amsterdam

2008-07-06T11:07:00.003-05:00

We finally made it! We landed at midnight Texas time (7:00 AM local time) and hit the road. Dustin and Amanda took us into Amsterdam for the day. We took an eye opening look at the Red Light District. We also went to the Van Gogh Museum. For lunch we had Dutch pancakes. Brett had savory (bacon and cheese) and I had sweet (chocolate sauce and ice cream). Yummy! We ended the day with a tour of the Anne Frank House. It was very cool. Brett and I both took a nap in the car on the drive home. We've been up for 36 hours now! We are at Dustin and Amanda's house. Their home is beautiful. It is in a quaint, Dutch neighborhood. We'll head to bed early so we'll be ready for another adventure tomorrow!

The Royal Palace
The Rijksmuseum
The Van Gogh Museum
Aren't we cute?!
The Canal

Proud Big Sister

2008-06-30T16:13:00.003-05:00

Today my brother, Clint, did one of the hardest things in his ministry. He is the youth minister at First Baptist New Home. Thursday, one of their youth and his father were killed in a motorcycle accident. Today, Clint sang at the funeral and did a beautiful job. Now they are leaving to take the youth to Glorieta, NM for youth camp. Please pray for Clint and Kerry and the youth. My prayer is that they will encounter God this week and that they will find comfort in Him. This will be the last trip Clint and Kerry take with this group. Next Sunday is Clint's first Sunday as youth pastor in Decatur. Please pray that the New Home group will continue to grow together and closer to God. Pray that someone will come in and pick up where Clint and Kerry left off.

I am very proud of Clint and his ministry. Clint, if you read this please know that I love you!

Superhero Cousins

2008-06-23T14:39:00.004-05:00

Last week Cooper came to play while Kerry had class. The boys love to have blankets tucked in the back of their shirts as capes. Here are some pictures of Jefferson, Jarrett and Cooper in their Superhero capes. Pretty funny!

Jefferson's 4th Birthday Party

2008-06-23T10:10:00.004-05:00

Saturday we had Jefferson's 4th birthday party. It was a painting, pizza and pool party. The kids "painted" cookies with their aprons on, ate pizza and swam...a lot! We had a great time with our friends and family. Thanks to our family who travelled to be with Jefferson on his special day. It means a lot to us.

The apron and cookie to paint.
The tablescape!
"Little Bit" aka Jarrett
MawMaw and cousin Evyn
Money, Money, Money, Money!

Birthday Cake

Jefferson turns 4!!

2008-06-23T09:33:00.007-05:00

It's hard to believe that our sweet boy is 4. I don't know how time has passed so quickly.

Here he is in his first days of life.

And here he is at his party.

Our First Blog

2008-06-23T09:27:00.000-05:00

So, I decided to follow the lead of many of you and create a blog. I'm totally addicted to FaceBook, so hopefully I will enjoy this as well. The main reason I created this site now is because Brett and I leave in less than 2 weeks for a trip to Europe (with NO children). We haven't has a real vacation since our honeymoon 6 years ago! A lot has happend in 6 years. Thanks to both of our parents we will leave July 5 and return July 14 while our children play at home. Hopefully, I will be able to upload pictures and videos while we are gone, so check periodically to see where we are on our adventure.