Top 10 Moments of 2024 (and, as always, honorable mentions)

It's wild that every year I start out remembering I need to do this post but overwhelmed with the idea of putting it all back together YET... EVERY. TIME. I am absolutely thankful to relive so many memories and moments. Candidly, I even forget some of these that were so important yet time and life just moves forward. Thus, I guess if others are seeing this and appreciating it or not, I'm blessed beyond measure and need this time of reflection often to remember. Thank you, God!! 

So let's get into it...

Honorable Mentions:

*) Dallas Cowboys (I believe the Cowboys have made the list every year since I started this tradition of making a top 10 list... Why you ask, because I have been a fan my entire life and EVERY time I get the opportunity to go to a game... ESPECIALLY with my Dad AND MY SON, I'm reminded that all of it is so much more than a silly game, it's tradition, it's legacy. I don't know how much longer Dad is going to have season tickets but every year, I am reminded how special these times are... even if they (Dem Boyz) continue to hurt my heart - HA!).

*) Jock (Honestly, if you know me, this is a pretty strange one... Don't get me wrong, I do like dogs a lot and have even shed a tear or two over the years for my pets BUT I think this is the first time I have felt like one was part of our family. This stinkin' dog is just not normal! From how excited he gets to go on walks with me, to always needing to cuddle with whoever is near the couch, to only eating dinner when we do... it's truly weird and funny at the same time. I've never seen a dog have such a specific personality).

*) Weddings (Not sure why that is plural... Only officiated one wedding this year and it was so fun and special. Also had a range of emotions when I saw this picture, as I had accidentally grabbed my son's button-up shirt and didn't know until we were 30 minutes from ceremony time and a suit jacket that I hadn't worn since college. So ridiculous but still a blast to not only get to be invited to a wedding but the blessing of being in the best seat "in the house" as the minister for your little sister. So good.)!

Top 10 Moments of 2024:

10) Work (It's always nice when work makes it to the list, however, it's making the list this year not because everything is amazing but because it's been such an impactful item in the year of 2024. My first trip to Canada happened this year because of one of our clients, lots of transition has happened this year for all the folks I work with AND my oldest daughter even got to go with me on a super fun work trip which lead us to the Museum of Play in Rochester, NY! **Way more work news happening but will probably land on the 2025 calendar!).

9) Senior Pics... AGAIN!! (It's wild that last year, we were doing senior pics for our first child and I think at some point I forgot that the next kiddo was RIGHT BEHIND him. How did she get this old... I can't believe it and am so thrown back by the fact that I see so much of Courtney in her... she's so beautiful in countless ways!!).

8) Teenage Employment (Both big kids are now officially employed. The middle found a great job at Chick-fil-A and is really enjoying it. I have loved hearing her talk about their values and the reasons they do what they do. So many great things for teens to learn from getting a job, even if they're a straight 'A' student that plays HOURS of volleyball. Of course, the oldest has been mowing for years and even worked at two other businesses in the past but I believe his newest job will become an incredible career and love the fact that there's a photo that popped up in my wheelhouse of him working at Walmart!).

7) Kid's Sports (There were so many pictures to pick from to add here as both girls have school ball and club ball now in two different sports. The youngest has got back into soccer this year and not only made a great club team but also the freshmen team at BWHS. The middle has also decided to play her final season of club volleyball but also just wrapped her senior season at BWHS. However, the most exciting moment was her signing day, as she's been given a scholarship to play at MidAmerica Nazarene in Kansas!)

6) 1st Dances (Though the older two have been to several and even the youngest has been to the middle school dances... This year was the first HS Homecoming dance for the freshmen and she was BEAUTIFUL!! Yet, also a first, both bigs had High School Prom and though they went with others, we were able to snag this amazing pic of them both AND Papa John came over with his Rolls Royce SilverCloud III to take them... WHAT!!)

5) Board Games (Board games continues to make the list year after year and I hope it is something my kids pass on to theirs... We have had friends join us, grandparents and even dates but this core continues to crush games and as always: no matter what, the winner puts their name in the box!!)

4) Dates & Man Time (SO MANY to choose from and for that I am forever grateful! From jumping in the car last minute and going to a Battlehawks game with my son, to breakfast buffet with my oldest daughter and even visiting "Stars Hollow" with my youngest... we crushed some dates and man time this year. But SmashLab was a pretty epic fun night for all of us on Mom's birthday... You should see the video!!).

3) Family Roadtrips (With the most epic trip this summer, we have officially crossed off 49 or the 50 states. We were able to take a cruise in and around Alaska, docking to take some epic hikes and amazing crab. We road-tripped from the needle in Seattle, to the rose garden in Portland. Then from the Crater of the Moon, Inspiration Point and Old Faithful in Yellowstone... It was a trip of a lifetime for sure!! **And if you're wondering our 2025 is booked up all year for at least one of our crew, so we're making plans to finish out in Hawaii in 2026.) 

2) The Last Marble (How do you even start to write something about this as it has brought so many tears this past year. For over 15 years we have had three jars full of marbles in our entryway... each week we move one marble from each jar into the big vase. This year, we moved the final "blue" marble, our oldest's, into the vase. No, he's not dead!! But it has been a great reminder daily to cherish our moments before graduation. Of course, the last marble brought on graduation and now "move-in" day at college. Man, that big vase is beautiful and forever cherished!! **Recently been thinking of adding a marble BACK every time he comes home... what do you all think of that!?).

1) This Woman (I'm sure to many, this will seem cliche or even sappy but the truth is... 23+ years later I am literally MORE infatuated with this woman than the first day I met her. She is my rock in hard times, my excitement on most days, the person I think about anytime I have something to share and I can't wait to spend, God willing, our "older years" together. **Love doesn't feel like a strong enough word when I think of you baby.)!

The craziest part of this list is the fact that lately, I have been pretty down, yet when I can take a step back and see all the smiles, memories, and moments... I remember what all of this is really about. **God is good... ALL THE TIME!!**

**Past years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023!!

Top 10 Moments of 2023 (and, as always, honorable mentions)

Having not really thought about what all took place over the past 12-months until now, it's clear this year wasn't full of "DDWs" but learning to live and simply enjoy the life we've made. I spent a lot of time this year thinking about what all of this life is about and I'm so thankful we didn't miss any of these "mundane" moments... because [here's the secret] that's what it is in fact all about!!

With it being 1:09am on Monday, Jan. 1st... My prayer is that I'll spend this next year giving God praise for answering so many prayers and focusing on the daily discipline of not taking any of it for granted!

Without any further ado... here's my year in review's top ten moments!!

Honorable Mentions:

*) Dallas Cowboys (This has been a fun season... As of TODAY, it looks like the Boys will be not only going to the playoffs but have home-field for the first round or two! I've been to a lot of games and even got to see Jimmy Johnson FINALLY inducted into the Ring of Honor this week... But the best game in a long time, was being present for this home game against the Eagles. So stinkin' fun!).

*) Bible Studies (I'm sure if I was more involved in these it would make the top 10 but even though I didn't do anything, it still deserves to make the honorable list as both big kids stepped up this year to lead bible studies... Jackson with the Football guys and Creighton for Charleigh's volleyball team. #GodIsGood).

*) Journey Graduation (So Journey was my #1 last year, so it's fitting that the graduation, where I completed the process should make the list. I'm thankful for the time spent and though I don't think it is necessary for every believer nor the only tool out their to push deeper connection... I am forever grateful to have pushed through and finished with this group.)!

Top 10 Moments of 2023:

10) Unplanned Moments (I have no clue where to start with this note but as I reflected above... so much of this year was unplanned and simply trying to figure out if this was the life we always wanted. As mentioned, though minimal "big moments" took place, the daily unplanned miracles in the mundane abound. God is so good!).

9) Small Group (Going into last year, we knew it was time to get involved or bust. I'm so thankful for this group and to see them rally behind one another to dig a little deeper and do life together. Though so much as happened this year, the relationships have been made the investment of time and energy has been spent... Life with others matters!).

8) Kanakuk (Yes, Kamp is a regular here on the top ten list but this summer was a little different... probably the last time all three will attend as kampers! As I write this Charleigh just found out her big Christmas gift was going back but Creighton has a big Choir trip (Austria) and Jackson has officially applied and accepted to be a CIT at K-Kauai this next summer.).

7) Club Ball (Though both girls made teams this year, Charleigh's was one I wanted to highlight. Not only did she make the team on her own... she worked so hard all year to upgrade her game so she'd be ready for the 8th grade school team AND SHE MADE IT! Another cool note was that Courtney was able to coach this team and honestly, was the best group of girls and parents that I've ever seen... not one time was drama an issue, and let me tell you, that's not the norm!)

6) The Injury (Not sure what to say about this one... Creighton ended up going down at the end of this year's club season and it was so hard and sad. HOWEVER, as mentioned, it was essentially the end of the season so we didn't miss a ton and was able to jump into school ball. The sad news here, was it happened AGAIN at the end of the school ball season. Thankfully club allowed her to send a "tape" in for try-outs and she made the 17-2s... so proud of her!)

5) Board Games (Without planning, we have ended up with a bunch of family traditions... I'm not sure I love any of them more than the reality that boardgames, card games and basic hangout happens more nights than not. I love that this crew chooses to hang out together over and over again!! P.S. Yes, the victor still gets to sign their name and date the box lid after each win.)

4) Men of West (Though this is more about WINsday and Friday Morning Motivation... Men of West was also taken up a notch this year! Every Wednesday, I led the guys in different team competitions from tug-o-war to Pop the Balloon. Then every Friday I was able to come in and do a pep talk around our core values and how they can be applied for life: FAST = Fundamentals, Attitude, Selflessness, Toughness and Core, Committed, Community & Crowd. On Thursdays we did our traditional MoW and I was able to arrange a Walmart buyer to bring power tools one week, ties & dress shirts another and even meats from Hall of Famer: Earl Campbell).

3) Family Roadtrips (In 2023, we finished the NorthEast: We flew into Buffalo, saw Niagra Falls, Canada and ate the original buffalo wings. Then after our flights were canceled we decided to drive to Maine through Vermont and New Hampshire. We had lobster on the shore in Bar Harbor, saw Acadia National Park and so much incredible countryside. In Boston, we walked the Freedom Trail, visited Harvard and had the best Chinese of our lives in Chinatown. In Connected we visited Yale and had Frank Pepe's Pizza and in Rhode Island we saw the mansions and a few more pit stops on the beach!) 

*As I write this, we are putting the finishing touches on our June 2024 trip where we will hit 6 of the remaining 7 states!

2) The end of Football (I'm still not sure what to write here... It's been almost two months since the season ended and I still feel I missed so much. Time will tell if he will look back on it with no regrets and decide if all the time, energy and hurt was worth it. It's the one sport you don't really ever get to do again...and I can't believe it's already over).

1) 20th Anniversary (No better decision have I ever made then asking this woman to be my wife. She makes me better in every way and more importantly, has continued to be exactly what I have needed in every season. God truly made her with me in mind and I couldn't be prouder to have celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary this year... We even got to go to the same hotel AND ROOM from both our first honeymoon night and our 10th anniversary.)!

Bottom line... God is good and oh so faithful, may I never forget this NOR take it for granted!!

**Past years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022!!

Top 10 Moments of 2022 (and, as always, honorable mentions)

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!)!

Top 10 Moments of 2022: 

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 :))!!

*Want to follow me more regular: FB, IG, LinkedIn & TikTok (@TheSurgeBerg)

**Past years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021!!

Top 10 Moments of 2021 (and, as always, honorable mentions)

Today is June 18th, 2022 and given that it took me til September to do last years, I'm doing better!! :) 
As always, this is to document key events and moments of the previous year... Not all great or life changing, but moments in time that are important to remember. The one thing I continue to be reminded of when making these is how good life truly is, like the fact, that it's hard to narrow down a top ten is something to hang my hat on. The statement is so true: "the days are long but the years are quick!" No matter how bad or sad I feel in the moment, may I keep moving forward and making the most of it as tomorrow and next year I will look back with fond memories!

P.S. As always... the previous TEN years of these are linked at the bottom.

Honorable Mentions:

*) Influencer Life (In no way gets to make the top 10 but so worth the honorable mention as it's been pretty interesting and exciting when they come in: Coldest, Nou, Bombas, ShadyRays, ZOA, etc.)!

Top 10 Moments of 2020 (and, as always, honorable mentions)

Today is Sept. 5th 2021, but I am going to back date this post to Jan. 1st... That pretty much sums up the past 18 months, huh!! 2020 was a whirlwind of crazy, crazier and massive life change... As always, we keep moving forward and looking for ways to be the Spark for ourselves, our family and the world!

P.S. This marks the 10th entry into my 'Top 10 moments of the year,' absolutely insane, by the literal definition to look back at everything that has happened in ten years. If you want to see those previous years, scroll all the way to the bottom for the links.

Honorable Mentions:

*) JoJo #JeepLife (With everything that happened this year, I cannot put JoJo into the top 10 but taking her naked on backroad rides is probably the thing I do more than anything else)!

The DDW List

I feel like I've posted this before but I cannot find it, so here it is... The Master DDW List, Updated to January 2020.

DDW (Don't Die Wondering):
- *Happily Married (Be a Great Dad) *So far so good :)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom 
- Drive Route 66 (Chicago to LA)
- Become an honorary Spartan 
- Own a bald eagle
- Meet a president
- Save a life
- Ride a Bull
- Sky Diving
- Hot Air Balloon ride

Top 10 Moments of 2019 (and, as always, honorable mentions)

I'm a little late getting my annual top ten list posted but better late than never... I just love being able to look at the year in what has become a digital scrapbook each year. Had A LOT of ups and downs this year but as always... We keep moving forward!! I am thankful for 2019 but so ready for some 2020 vision!! Enjoy.

Honorable Mentions:*) SpartanX Leadership and Spartan Race (As I closed 2018, I sold Spartan Code, LLC to Spartan Race, LLC which led to a lot of crazy like SpartanX Leadership and watching a dozen Walmartians run the Spartan)!!

Top 10 Moments of 2018 (and, as always, honorable mentions)

WOWZERS... 2018 was nuts!! I had actually taken the entire month of December off because of the crazy I am now reminded of happening while making this list. Good news, with 30-days off I am chomping at the bit to tear into 2019.

However, before I get into this coming year and everything I have in store... Let's take a moment for my annual look back through the top 10 moments of 2018. **Also, if you are curious about the previous years, all the links are at the bottom!

Honorable Mentions:
*) Shareholders (My first real trip to see Walmart at that next level... It was so fun and ultimately set the tone for what all was going to take place the rest of the year)!!