Dreamy.

The most recent Berges Beach Family Reunion took place just this past week. We arrived in Salem, Oregon in waves. Kyle, the kids, my sister-in-law and I had arrived, eaten dinner downstairs at the restaurant and jumped quickly into our swimsuits... we were swimming in the indoor pool when everyone else began to arrive...

Uncle David, Aunt Lesley and baby Emma... Uncle Geoff (who was quickly greeted by his eager wife, Jennifer, who hadn't seen him in days)... Aunt Hannah and Grandpa and Grandma Berges peaked their faces through the window of the door leading out to the pool area. We hopped out of the pool, dripping wet and excitedly opened the door. The kids screamed and began frantically trying to explain ten things at once as everyone filed in... 'I swam on the lifesaver all by myself!' 'We ate dinner and then put on our swimsuits!' 'Auntie Jen rode here with us in our van!' 'Is Baby Emma coming swimming now?!' 'WE HAVE ONE MORE SLEEP UNTIL THE BEACH!' 'Hi Grandpa, Hi Grandma!'... and on and on. Everyone's eyes were as big as saucers while the kids rambled about this and that asking questions so hurriedly there was no time for an answer. Soon they all waved goodbye as they took off to fill their bellies with dinner. Kyle and I kept swimming with the kids in hopes of wearing them out just enough to sleep hard and get us one step closer to a pleasant final leg of our trip the following morning. Salem to Lincoln City, Oregon.

****

We arrived at the beautiful Oregon Coast Sunday afternoon, August 9th. We're always so anxious to see the beach house that we leave the cars packed up until we've investigated every crook and cranny of every room. We discuss the sleeping situation and hurriedly begin unpacking each family's items into their spaces... I often unpack EVERYTHING right off the bat so that I feel at home and under control as we begin what will be a week of sandy clothes, wonderful late night conversation, laughter, crab feasts, shopping and playing. Not to mention THIS YEAR would be the celebration of my Dad's 60th Birthday... and we had big plans.

Sunday and Monday were spent getting prepared for my Dad's celebration. We attached poster board onto each of 60 paint stir sticks. On each of those pieces of poster board we had written memories, characteristics that remind us of Dad, love notes, thank you notes, pictures that represented something... at 4pm the next day they were left on the beach for my Dad to retrieve on his late afternoon walk. He walked onto the beach with my Mom and noticed the first sign. As he looked up the beach ahead of him he saw an endless trail of signs and he began to walk...

All the while up at the beach house we were frantically decorating the outdoor patio, getting the BBQ meal prepared, dressing up into casual/dress attire and we made it out onto the patio just in time to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Dad as he and Mom walked down the road to the beach house. In his arms he held 60 signs that I'm sure will be saved for years to come. He was smiling from ear to ear as were the rest of us... the celebration had only just begun.












It was a week full of moments that were fun, thought-provoking, painful, restorative, joyful, tearful, momentous, unifying, passionate, selfless, encouraging, edifying, irritating, messy, sandy and wet, exhausting and above all, memorable.

Thank you everyone for this past week. Thank you Mom and Dad for continuing to prioritize this time with all of us... we love you and can't wait for next year!

GGDC Update

Safeway:

Total Bill: $49.03
Total Savings: $68.64
Percentage Savings: 60%


Albertsons:

Total Bill: $71.01
Total Savings: $75.55
Percentage Savings: 52%

*Granted, this week was significantly more 'junk food' than I normally EVER buy. We are off on our beach vacation starting Saturday so I'm loading up for the beach house. Trying to feed all the adults/children who will be snacking all... day... long... for a fraction of the cost.

SNOWCONES!

Photographer goings ons.

So much goings ons... how do you say that? I never know where the 's' belongs.

Its been a crazy ride. Its been a momentous time as of late. Preparing for my first 'public appearance' as a photographer - that's when you say to yourself, 'ok... here we go...' deep breath, head down, charge! (that's just the vision that comes to mind, don't know why exactly... maybe I ran that way as a small child)

It is amazing to see God open doors and give me vision for my career. I enjoy every element of what I do from the personal interaction with my subject to the editing to the delivering of the images. It leaves such a fresh sense of 'pure joy' on my heart when I know I've delivered something to a parent that truly touches their heart and exceeds expectation.

This last weekend went great as I publicly displayed my photos at the Cute as a Button event in Mill Creek, Washington. The turnout was fantastic and the prospects for future clients brought so much excitement. I photographed between 45 and 50 children and the shots turned out beautiful... maybe it has to do with the fact that there were 45-50 GORGEOUS children present and I just got to capture them being them!

In any case, thank you for your patience as I have stepped away from my usual routine to tend to the work that has demanded my attention o'er the past couple weeks... PRAISE THE LORD.

I'll be back soon...

Homemade Laundry Detergent...

Last night, Kyle and I whipped up a batch of homemade laundry detergent. All of these ingredients cost less than $15 (including the reusable 5 gallon bucket w/ lid). With each batch - which makes 3-4 gallons of detergent - only 1 cup of my A&H washing soda and 1/2 cup of my Borax is used... this'll last us awhile. The Fels Naptha soap is found in the laundry aisle alongside these other ingredients - and although you could use a bar soap that is .50 as opposed to this $1.95 bar, its not worth having my entire family break out in hives! Oi... such sensitive skin in this household. Not to mention, I only use 1/2 of this bar as opposed to using an entire bar if I were to use Ivory, Dove or the like.

Now I'm waiting patiently to see how it works! I have to let it sit for an entire 24 hours... I'll let you know the results soon!

Sunday Scripture: Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-3 "It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom." What a phenomenal teaser to get us more excited about WHO Daniel is and WHAT his history with the king must look like! (Kyle read some great stuff out loud from Chapter 5 at this point)

Daniel 6:4 "At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent." At this moment I thought of the way we may act when another is being used by God in ways that are extraordinary. So extraordinary that we may find it tempting to wish less than God's blessing on them simply out of selfishness and insecurity. A dear friend of mine is being so incredibly blessed in what she is doing with her new business. She has been obedient to the Lord and His work is being furthered - hence the amazing experiences that she's having! If I, for a moment, were less than excited for what she's going through because I also am in the beginning stages of building my business I would neglect all that God is doing with ME and MY obedience! Oh what I would miss out on if I didn't jump with her in her joy! These men must have missed out on such joy while conceiving a plan to kill Daniel! Oi... hindsight was 20/20 -- you'll see...

Daniel 6:5-9 speaks to the detail with which the plan to kill Daniel was carried out. It was so deceitful and wicked. A decree was put into place that anyone praying to anyone other the the king himself must be put to death. Unbeknownst to the king, he had just signed Daniel's death certificate and would soon realize the wickedness of his satraps and administrators.

Daniel 6:10 "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." Daniel's response to the decree was to go to God FIRST. Not only did he go to God first, he did what he'd always done - just as he had done before - and prayed in front of the windows to his God. He didn't see the decree or the death threat as a 'sign' from God that he should refrain from prayer! No! He saw that in his God's presence was the best place to be regardless of the consequence! How often do you and I try to find a 'sign' from the Lord as to why we shouldn't serve Him in a certain way? How often does it somehow correlate to our 'comfort'? Why would God take into account our 'comfort' when we've so twisted and tweaked the idea of comfort to fit our human way of life? Not only that, but wouldn't it be easy to consider our affect on those who don't know Christ as more important than our time with Christ?! I feel like this is so much of what the 'church' does now... oh, if we don't meet the masses where they're at then they won't hear the gospel... if we put a halt on all that we've done thus far to just seek the Lord what about the lost?... I do the same thing at times! Don't you?! Shouldn't Daniel have thought about the lost in his absence? What if he died... then wouldn't he be less effective?!

GOD DOESN'T NEED YOU. GOD DOESN'T NEED ME.

Daniel 6:11 "Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help." Daniel was requesting of the Lord to help him. I automatically assumed that he would ask God for help such as 'save me from death' as opposed to 'give me strength to stand up under the ridicule and give me peace as I meet my death'. Who knows what Daniel was praying in the moment that 'these men' found him. My assumptions of how those closest to the Lord respond in worship to Him somehow always shock me into humility and a new way of thinking.

Daniel 6:16 "So the king gave the order (and oh his heart was so downcast as he was TRICKED into signing this decree), and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, who you serve continually, rescue you!" Kyle brought up how awesome it was that the king did not assume any power to be credited to Daniel but only to the God Daniel serves daily! Do we worship God in such a way that others know that its Him who has the power, not us?! When other [Christians] pat us on the back for our obedience to the Lord, how do we respond? Do we do a good job of 'deflecting' the praise and offering our gratitude to the Lord in that moment for the work He's done through us? What does it look like to worship God in this way?

Daniel 6:17 "A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed." Can you imagine the sorrow at the moment for the king? The remorse? The guilt that he was so unaware of the deceit going on? He had to commit himself to what he chose whether the outcome was comfortable or not. Wow... I hadn't thought about this yesterday when I read it. He was the KING! But his commitment to his word was trustworthy and he could not go back. (read Daniel 6:18-19)

Daniel 6:20-22 "When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, 'Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?'
Daniel answered, 'O king, live forever! My God sent his angels, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have no hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king." Can you imagine (think in our day and age and NOT in your bible mentality) what it must be like to see God rescue in this way? I wondered while I read this if the king walked to the den the next morning assuming that Daniel was alive but apprehensive in the case that his faith might make him a fool... or did he come in anguish that he had sent a young man so innocent to his death... what was his state? And what must it have been like for him to hear Daniel's lively voice shout from the den?! Oh HOW AWESOME! And oh how much more amazing than if Daniel would have prayed in quiet and continued to live his life in the king's courts hoping to shine the light of God into the king's life?! Do you understand what I'm saying? Daniel's desire to be in God's presence in spite of the death threat was what allowed God to use Daniel to SEAL the king's love for God! AWESOME AND AMAZING AND WONDERFUL AND OH SO CONVICTING.

Daniel 6:26-27 "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.
He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." Yeah... I just want to be in the presence of the Lord. He does good things when I am obedient and focused on Him. Holy moly! And entire kingdom decreed to follow the God of Daniel! God is good. His design is flawless even when it looks so messy.

... not to mention all the other men and their wives and children were thrown into the lions' den as a result. In Daniel 6:24 it says "and before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones."

I will trust in you oh God and find my rest in You alone. You are my comfort and You meet every need.

Ooooh... that's SOUR!

See the lime in the foreground of the shot...








This was the 3rd time he'd tasted that lime wedge. Typical Ben. Freakin' persistent.

Prepping the table on Sunday.

Its been a few weeks since our family sat down together and read scripture over a Sunday meal - see my post here from a couple Sundays ago. I was out of town and then we had a day at the Mariners game for Father's Day. I'm SO EXCITED to sit down this afternoon, read scripture, revel in the character of God and begin soaking up what He wants to teach me and our family. Not to mention some brats with sauerkraut and cream cheese helps bring clarity to the brain... ;)

You can bet there'll be some wonderful thoughts to blog about this evening... stay posted.

To discipline or not to discipline, that is the question.

Discipline is (v) to correct; to teach what is right; (n) training that corrects, molds or perfects moral character.

I understand that discipline takes on all forms. Kyle and I have felt quite clearly that the 'rod' has literally meant the physical discipline in the form of a spoon on the bum or a bare hand on the bare rump. Not only have I interpreted scripture to command this type of discipline when a heart change is in order, I also have noticed that this is what is takes to "correct, mold, and perfect moral character" in my children. If I see the definition of discipline above (which I don't think any of us would refute), I realize that its between the parent and God to find the correct means of action to harvest a heart that is honoring to the Lord... and for Kyle and I (and our kids, God bless them) it has literally meant a physical form of discipline when any disobedience is at hand.

The handful of issues that have resulted in 4 disciplines, aka spoons on the rump: Katie chose to 'frolic' in the living room half-dressed after I had informed her to get her pjs on; Katie picked Ben up whilst looking me square in the face after telling her not to; Katie sitting on the stairs because she wanted Mom to put her to bed - not Dad; William deciding to take the ball from his younger brother after I informed him not to touch it... and on and on.

(the next takes place in a private room)

Mom: "William, you are going to receive 3 disciplines on your bum. Why are you going to receive discipline?"
Will: "Because I was disobedient..."
Mom: "What did you do that was disobedient?"
Will: "I touched the ball that Ben was holding."
Mom: "Did I ask you not to touch the ball?"
Will: "Yes."
Mom: "Did you touch it anyway?"
Will: "Yes."
Mom: "Was that disobedient?"
Will: "Yes" (crying)
Mom: "Will, God says that it is 'wise to receive your discipline' (Proverbs 13:1) so please come over here and get your disciplines."

(after the disciplines have been given)

Mom: "William, I love you so much." (rocking him and cuddling with him) I give you discipline because God has told you that you need to obey your Mom and Dad (Exodus 20:12) and if you do not you need to receive discipline. If you are not obedient to the Lord than you are unsafe. God has put me in charge of keeping you safe!"
Will: "Oh..." (usually with a heavy lower lip)
Mom: "I need you to say you're sorry and ask for forgiveness."
Will: "I'm sorry Mom for [whatever]... will you please forgive me?"
Mom: "Yes, William, I forgive you."

What a rewarding time!

... I'm writing this post than for no other reason than to vent and express that the question so often for me is, 'to discipline or not to discipline?' I find that though the exhaustion is overwhelming, God always gives me grace to overcome the battles. Because in the end, when He calls me to obedience, unless I'm obedient, His will is not accomplished.

Amen. To all Moms out there, keep on keeping on.

Early morning lens fun...

Thanks for humoring me.

Now I will vaccuum, disinfect, scrub and prepare my house for the day ahead... Grandpa and Grandma Schei will be over and we'll be cookin' up some mean ribs... oh, I should take a shot of them! Just a moment.



If ever you want to entertain the thought of spending oodles of money on a lens... go down to Glazers in Seattle and try out a few. They're customer service is impeccable and what a wonderful excuse to go into the city.

Tantrum de Ben

These photos were shot within the span of less than 5 minutes. Benjamin has become accustomed to throwing tantrums about petty things like not eating what he wants when he wants or taking naps or, in this case, not getting to climb on the roof with the big kids.

It went from pleasant to ugly and back to pleasant pleasantly fast... it was a photographic opportunity. If only he didn't look so cute when he was oh so mad.