It's only 3 days after the new year and we're back. That is significantly better than last year's post which was 8 MONTHS late! All in all, this might be the only tradition I'm keeping up with these days. That's not to say cool things aren't happening, I'm just saying 2022 was a big year of introspection, re-evaluating everything in my life and then trust Him with one step at a time (versus my usual 5-10 year plan :)).
It's funny how looking through pictures brings back so many memories you forget about, even if it's only been a few months. Our day-to-day lives are so powerful in building and shaping our attitude yet we often only remember the mountain tops or valleys.
I'm excited about this years top 10 moments and as a reminder, these aren't just the highlights, these are the moments that shaped the year!
P.S. And as always... the previous years of these are linked at the bottom.
Honorable Mentions:*) Trash Creamery (Yes, that's right... An ice-cream shop has officially made the list. If you understood the sheer number of photos, and thus dollars, that have been spent here you'd understand ;))!
*) Professional Wrestling (Our good friend and colleague, Terrence, is also a ring announcer by night and he invited us out to a local wrestling match and let me tell you, it did not disappoint... Look at that face!).
*) #JeepLife w/ JoJo (Making the honorable mentions for the THIRD year in a row... It's not worthy of bumping out my kids in the top ten, but man, there's not a lot I enjoy more personally than taking the top off, woman by my side, kids in the back and looking for some dirt roads or Jeeps to duck!)!
10) Hot Tub (I hate putting a "liability" on the list BUT if you only knew the smiles it brings, the conversations it starts and the therapy it produces you'd understand. Many years from now, feel free to tell my teenagers that they actually didn't trick me into letting them stay up late because of the hot tub but that I knew they would talk about every aspect of their day while in the tub ;)).
9) Dallas Cowboys (12 years of Dad having season tickets and I still love every minute of it... I'm hoping by this time next year I will get to show you pictures of a Super Bowl win and thus, a much higher on the list Dallas Cowboys representation! #WeDemBoyz).
8) Kanakuk (Another year and another top ten mention for Kamp. Though this is and continues to be a HUGE financial commitment, it is something I knew I wanted to give my kids since I first stepped foot through the K-Kountry gate 24 years ago. This year everyone went for two weeks: Bigs to K2 and the youngest to K-West... Additionally they received the Spike, Heart & I'm Third Awards!).
7) Working Out (It's been a rough year emotionally and physically, thus the weight has been a struggle all year. At times this year, I was nurturing a couple solid injuries, work was very stressful or I just flat out couldn't get my daily disciplines together as a result of depression and anxiety. Miles of rucking, hours of Workouts and endless Hot Tub/Cold Plunges later... we're back on track)
**Side-note: 286lbs was reached this year, NEVER again!
6) Kids' Sports (This has again made the top ten list and rightfully so... So much of our time is spent coaching practices, watching practices, cheering them on at games, working out in the off-season and discussing the highs and lows of competition. We wouldn't want it any other way... Football, Volleyball & Soccer still rule (Club Volleyball has begun for both girls this year))
5) Teen Dating (Now this is one I knew was coming but was still not ready to post about... I struggled deciding what picture to use as there's a few choice ones, some of them are not my story to tell and others are not what it's all about. The below picture shares a win but I promise it hasn't been all butter-flys and rainbows. God is good and faithful!)
4) Driver's License #2 (That's right, teen driver #2 and vehicle #4 in the house. Though this has been a great addition and we found a perfect cute little SUV, it's still surreal that I'm old enough to have that many cars in my driveway. P.S. her name is Betty White).
3) Date Nights, Man Time & Berg Family Fun Days (So I was told by many that date nights with the kids and family nights would end as they got older... please don't tell them that!! Most days we are still able to pull off dinner at the table, most weeks we still have Family Fun DAYS (had to move it to Sunday afternoons, as open evening have become difficult), and most months we're still finding time for one-on-one dates with each of the kids... I will cherish these memories FOREVER!)
2) Family Roadtrips (So at the close of 2022 we have now been to 37 states as a family and essentially have it nailed down to four trips remaining (NE this summer, NW next spring break and then Hawaii and Alaska as senior trips for the bigs). This year's trip ended up being the longest roadtrip yet: Packer Nation in Wisconsin, U'ppers in Michigan, Mall of America & a family friend's lake house in Minnesota, "the wood chipper" in Fargo, ND, the Corn Palace in SD, Lake Okoboji in Iowa and Creighton Univ & the Zoo in Nebraska).
1) The Journey (As mentioned in #7, it's been a very up and down year for so many reasons but mainly because I have been re-evaluating and re-discovering every aspect of my life. One step I took this year, was finally joining a Journey group through Influencers (and our church). Though there is no real magic formula and I didn't love some of the material, the process is to lead us into an abiding relationship with Christ and for that I am forever appreciated.)!
*Scripture Read, Thought Conveyed, Application & Response)
Big picture and to summarize the year... Keep being the SPARK the world needs (your world) and remember to take 3 seconds to TAKE THE PICTURE (then put the phone away :))!!
