Henry and Glasses

Henry--lookin' so cool in his glasses! :-D 

Actually, they belonged to a stuffed turtle that Colby owns.

I think they look cuter on Henry, though! 

He has been such a joy to our family, bringing lots of smiles and happiness.

My 18th Birthday

My 18th birthday was on January 21st! It was on a Tuesday, but our main celebration was on the Friday after that. My family and I went bowling with my special friend Mitchell and his family. Afterwards, we all had cake and ice cream at my family's house. The whole evening was a lot of fun! We got a few pictures, and I wished I would have gotten a "nice" one of me with the cake, or something. I did get one of me blowing out my candles, so I'll at least post that one. :-D

Here are some of the bowling pictures that my mom got of us.

::Riley:: 

::Abby, Colby, and Riley:: 

::Abby:: 

Me :-)  

::Mitchell::

::Mitch and I, waiting our turn again:: 

::Brady and Henry::

Cute li'l brother! The one in yellow, that is. :o) It was a really fun evening, and I was so glad to be able to celebrate it with wonderful friends and family!

I was so blessed this year by emails, cards, and Facebook messages from my friends and family. God has truly blessed me! I have seen His work in my life so much in this past year. Some things I am thankful for:

~My family, including my new baby brother that is so sweet!

~A boyfriend that encourages me, teases me, prays for me,

and draws me closer to the Lord

~Living in good ol' Nebraska!

~The many beautiful sunsets here :-)

~Our pastor, his wife, and our wonderful church

~The Lord's faithfulness, blessings, grace, and guidance

Hope you all have a great week! My apologies for not updating this blog before this...I have no excuse except that I didn't get around to it. :-D 

Once Upon a Time

I am only beginning to realize the extent of God's blessings to me in the forms of my brothers and sisters. As this new year begins, I hope that I will truly be able to recognize the true blessing that each of my six siblings are. I never cease to be amazed at their creativity and [some of their] musical talent. 

Sure, there are the typical sibling squabbles. 

No, we don't always get along. 

Yes, there are times when their necks are in danger of being wrung. 

I have struggled with patience, like everyone does at times. But the Lord has been good, and he always gives the exact amount of strength that is needed...plus a little more.

I'd like to list the ways I am appreciative of my siblings.

Katie: We've always been more than sisters...we've been good friends, and we've grown especially close in the last few years. Your constant whistling ministers to my heart, and I love joining you in a lively (if somewhat off-key) whistling match of Jingle Bells or the Man From Snowy River theme song. I love how you just spring up from bed each morning, ready to tackle the new day. You never steal the covers at night when we are unlucky enough to have to share the same bed. You always drool on your stuffed horse and not mine. I really appreciate the fact that you don't snore, and I am terribly sorry for the times I've kept you up at night with my own snoring. I love your drawings, and especially enjoyed the cartoon you drew for [and of] me. Life is wonderful. You just make it all the sweeter.

Brady: I enjoy the tight bond that you, me, and Katie have had ever since we were young. You never slam your school books down on the table when you're upset at the math problem that won't solve itself. Despite my complaints, I was laughing to myself when you were so full of caffeine that you jumped down the isles of TJ Maxx like a kangaroo on sugar high. I really do appreciate the hard work you do every day, and the fun we have with all of your hobbies, such as flying RC airplanes, driving RC cars in the sandbox, riding unicycles in the parade, climbing trees, and riding dirt bikes.

Abby: Your creativity continues to astound me. Your beautiful paper snowflakes, cute cards, and drawings are evident of your desire to help and please others with your abilities. You are wonderful with little children, and I like having you along with me when I babysit. You are coming along well with violin, and I know you love playing...if I didn't know better, I would think you couldn't get enough of it!

Riley: You, too, are progressing well in violin. You actually will pay a whole dollar sometimes for the privilege of receiving help from me. Your Lego creations are so cool! You admire your older brother so much that you are trying to learn unicycle so that you can be like him. You help take out the trash every Thursday, which is a mammoth job, considering that you have to do all of the shop trash, too. It's always a dirty job, but you come back with glowing, smudged cheeks and full, greasy smiles. Your yodeling and whistling and laughter and singing fills our days with sound.

Colby: What can I say, but that you are the exemplary little brother? We learn things from you every day. I like how you go around the room and pass out the Vitamin C to everybody, just like it's candy. I can't help but take a piece. Your big blue eyes can convince almost anyone of almost anything. Your Lego creations are awesome, too!

And of course there's Henry. The changes in our household that came from having a new little one in the house are all completely worth it! We are all loving your smiles that are becoming more and more regular. We've even heard you laugh a few times, already! I am looking forward to watching you grow up and become a young man. Though that seems far away.

I love you all, and can't imagine life without any of you!

But before I go, there is one more thing. I should probably explain the title for you..."Once Upon a Time." You're probably wondering what on earth that has to do with wonderful brothers and sisters [and pictures of apples]. I think I can explain that in just a few sentences...

Once Upon a Time, Brittany's blog was hacked by her younger sister who thought she didn't share enough about how much she loved and cherished her wonderful siblings.:-) And if you want to find out the things that I -- the unnamed younger sister, not Brittany -- cherish about Brittany, head right on over here. That's to make up for this blog post. :-) 

{Photo Credits: The unnamed younger sister}

Happy New Year!

Happy 2014! My family and I were in Kansas over the New Year, and enjoyed a lot of activities with the extended family. I had a lot of fun watching my cousin Ashley as she worked on training her horse, Dixie. And I enjoyed walking out in the trees and the pasture around Grandma's place, taking in the warm sun and the smell of fresh cut hay. It was so beautiful that I took my Bible and notebook out to the pasture one morning and had my quiet time all alone with God out there by the hay bales. I don't know about you, but spending time out in God's creation is one of my favorite things to do! A lot of us older cousins and uncles went laser tagging one night, which was a blast. I also enjoyed meeting some of the new little ones that have joined the Bergen clan! And it was very entertaining to watch the boys with all of their bright ideas and experiments over the 6 days that we were there. One of their favorite pastimes was breaking up the ice on the pond...

...and jumping from chunk to chunk, seeing how far they could get. They all fell in at least 15 times apiece.
They had also gotten Frisbees for Christmas, and put those to use quite a bit. Riding four wheelers and dirt bikes was another favorite activity. And on midnight on New Year's Eve, they shook the house to its very foundation with the explosives they were setting off outdoors. Life would not be the same without all of these crazy guys! It would be pretty dull, to put it mildly.

And in between all of the fun times, we worked together as a family. We split wood for a whole day, working, joking, laughing, having fun. Many hands make light work!

I am so blessed to have the family and extended family that I have. Sometimes it's so easy to take them all for granted, but I know that I have been blessed far beyond what I deserve. To have such a godly heritage passed down from generation to generation, preserved by the hand of the Lord, is so amazing! I am so thankful to Him for His bountiful blessings!
He has helped me to grow so much this past year in my walk with Him, through family, friends, and one very special boyfriend. They have encouraged me, prayed for me, and pointed me towards Christ through their examples. I am so grateful to each of them!

And now it's 2014. I have decided to choose a new life verse each year, and this year my verse is Joshua 1:9 ~ "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Quite honestly, 2014 doesn't feel a whole lot different than 2013. Routines are the same, there is still school, although I am graduating this year, and violin lessons will be starting up again. But I'm excited to see what God has planned for this year, for "All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose!"