When in Rome...

Well, Chris and I just got back from Italy. The only reason that we can afford to go to Italy in the first place is the fact that we have flight benefits through my dad. So, as soon as Chris got out of grad school, we jumped on a plane and headed to Italia.

Our flight route was a very interesting one. Because we fly standby, we only get on the planes if there is enough room. So, we flew from DIA to Rapid City, to Chicago, to Rome. On the way back, we flew from Rome to Washington, to Las Vegas, to DIA; not the most direct route :)

Once in Italy, we spent 3 days in Rome; Rome is FANTASTIC. We both loved everything that this city had to offer. There is so much to see, and an ancient wonder waiting around every corner. We were also amazed out how big everything was. The Coliseum and St. Peter's were enormous.



After Rome, we rented a car and drove to Pompeii, where we saw Mt. Vesuvius and the ancient ruins of the volcanic explosion.




From there, we drove up to Venice (a long, yet scenic drive). Venice was beautiful with canals and waterways replacing streets. It is exactly how you would picture it. We also got to see the World Cup final in Venice which was exciting!



After 2 nights in Venice, we hopped in the car and drove the Vernazza, Cinque Terre. We didn't realize that the road to Vernazza was a windy, dangerous road. But, it was completely worth the drive. This is a place that everyone should visit in their lifetime. It is picturesque Italy with it's vineyards, pastel buildings, beautiful beach and more.



From Vernazza we then drove to Pisa. This was a quick and fun stop. It was fun to watch all of the people pose in front of the Leaning Tower, and of course, we had to participate :)



Our trip was adventure filled and it was a great vacation for us. We are so happy and humbled that we got to experience such a wonderful place together.

Ciao

A peep show...

Ahhh... we love summer! Chris is still working hard at grad school, but after today, he only has 3 days left. The 4th of July weekend will prove to be a busy one. We will head up to Craig to spend time with the Bergmann's and then back to Fort Collins to spend time with the Christners. Then, we hope to be off to Italy.

In the meantime, we are staying busy with little baby robins that were recently born in a nest in one of our trees! The nest is right outside of one of our guestrooms, so we can go look at them whenever we want! They are cute (in an ugly kind of way), and I must say they are also quite needy. It seems that the momma bird is always going to get worms for her young ones, and the show their appreciation by screaming at her whenever she leaves or returns. She is a great mama!

Here are some pics of the peep show:

Wrapping up June

Wow, does time fly! It's hard to believe that June is almost over, which sadly means that summer is almost over too!

June has been a busy month for us. There are a lot of birthdays this month including: Deb (Chris's mom), Chris and John (Ang's dad), and I'm sure I'm forgetting others. And there is also father's day. Wow, a lot happens in June.

A couple of weeks ago, the Bergmann clan came up to Fort Collins. Lauren, Deb and Pete (Chris's sis, mom and dad) all came up to Fort Collins to celebrate Chris's b-day as well as to buy Lauren a new car. The car shopping was successful and Lauren got a new Honda. We then all headed to Denver for the Rockies game and met up with more friends and family. Sadly, as we headed to Denver (which, by the way, took 2 1/2 hours because of traffic), so did the rain. It was a rainy and cold game, but we did what we could to enjoy it, even if that meant spending time under the overhang rather than in our seats.

Also sad is that the rest of the weekend was rainy. Not just sprinkling rain, but pouring rain! It was a bummer because Taste of Fort Collins was that weekend, but we didn't get to go. Oh well, I guess when it rains, it pours.

Patrick, Janie, Lauren and Joe avoiding the rain


Bummed that it was raining :(


It's raining...it's pouring


Well, after the rainy weekend, Chris started Grad School. He is very excited and somewhat nervous to be a student again. So far, it is going great and it is only 3 weeks of the summer. However, that 3 weeks is very full and busy!

Proud to be a CSU Ram... again!


Then, this weekend we went up to Glenwood Springs. Chris and Jeremy (Ang's Bro) were up for Friday, Saturday and left Sunday. I (Ang) was lucky enough to stay until Wednesday. It was fun to spend more time there and I got to go tubing, go to the pool, go to pilates, go on a lot of walks, ride motorcycles and much more. I was really excited to stay longer than just a couple of days. It was also the annual Strawberry Days Festival, so we all went to the parade and fair.

At the Strawberry Days festivities


Hanging out in Glenwood


Spending time in Gypsum


Now we are all back in Fort Collins and enjoying the heat!

Well, like I said, I will be better about updating our blog during the summer, and so far, I'm keeping that promise. I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as we are!

Summertime feelin' fine

Once again, our blog has been neglected. Let's just say, it's pretty much impossible to keep our blog updated during school. So, now that it is summer, it's time for an update! I don't even know if anyone reads this anymore, so sometimes I wonder if it is worth updating. But, one reason for updating it is so that in 5 years, we can look back and see what life was like now, because I think sometimes we forget the little things, so here it goes!

Summer is fantastic! There is nothing better than waking up and having no obligations. We spent the first part of our summer fixing up our backyard. This included covering the 8in thick, huge, pond and building garden bed over it. We also put in a small, cute, more manageable pond with some flowers. We laid rock, a walking path, planted lilacs, an azalea, roses, peonies and much more. We also have a fire pit, rock porch (built last summer) and we laid sod. So now, our yard is bigger and more useful! We are very excited to spend our summer nights out there.... if it EVER stops raining.





Our summer has also included hikes, reading, playing guitar, hanging out with friends and family, going to Rockies games, celebrating Chris's 28th birthday and much more... and it's not even half way over!

Oh, and kind of a big deal... Chris is starting grad school! He is going back to school for Educational Leadership and will walk away with his Principal's License. The program will last 1 year, which is great. I'm very proud of him for going back!

Our greatest hope is that this summer will include a trip to Rome. My dad works for an airline, and Chris and I get to reap the benefits of that, which means $150 round trip tickets to Rome. So, we kind of figure that for that price, we have to go to one of the greatest cities in the world. So far, the flights are looking wide open, but now we just have to figure out the details and hope that the flights don't fill up. So, maybe next time we write a blog is will be about Rome... we hope!

We want to be here...



Oh, and finally, I must mention that part of the reason this summer can be enjoyed so much is the fact that I got a job! In April, I found out that my position was being cut from 100% to 30%, which was very worrisome. But then, I applied for an opening at my same school and, out of 90 people that applied, I got it! I will be teaching 6th grade geography and I couldn't be happier. I am sooooo excited!

Well, those are the big updates. We will probably write again in a few months :)

Cheers,
ang

To Travel or Not to Travel

Just some quick updates:

Well, here we are at Spring Break.... thank goodness! Time has flown by since Christmas.

Work/school has been going well. We are both very busy with coaching and teaching! Chris finished coaching basketball in February and now Ang is coaching volleyball.

The last weekend of February, we went up to Mount Princeton Hot Springs for our friend Heather's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding in a beautiful location.

Now we are on Spring Break. We were going to go somewhere warm (Orlando, Vegas, Hawaii, etc) flying standby, but the planes are so full, so we decided to stay here in Fort Collins for spring break. Our plans include: movies, going to the museum, taking walks, going out to eat, cooking yummy dinners, working in our garden (which doesn't exist yet, maybe it will at the end of this break), finishing teacher induction and maybe painting the bathroom. Who knows what else will happen.

Our spring break also includes dreaming of summer travels. The benefit of not traveling over spring break means that we will save money for an adventure over the summer.

Well, we hope everyone is enjoying the first signs of life and welcoming spring!

Merry Christmas

Well, sadly, Christmas Break is coming to an end. Back to school, back to school...

We had a great Christmas. We headed up to Craig the Monday before Christmas. We spent a lot of time making (and eating) sugar cookies, building a puzzle, reading, playing guitar and relaxing.

A highlight of our trip was going to Steamboat where we watched the Olympic Trials. It was really fun to watch those amazing athletes. Then, we watched a free Big Head Todd and the Monsters concert in Gondola Square.

Watching the Olympic Trials. It was quite a hike up the ski hill to get here :)


Dinner in Steamboat


Christmas Eve included pizza and a car ride to look at all of the Christmas lights. The car ride was a little tight (6 people and 5 dogs) but totally worth while :) Then, we played Nertz and got some knitted socks from Deb.

Beautiful, comfy socks


Christmas was a great day. We had a great breakfast and opened presents. We spent the day relaxing and then had a wonderful prime rib dinner.

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas


It was also great to see Scott and Catherine who were in town from Texas, and Kristin who was in town from California. We had an Ugly Christmas sweater party, which was... well... ugly! We were also super excited when we learned that Scott and Catherine will have their first baby in July!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party


Well, that about sums up Christmas for the Bergmanns. We hope that you too had a wonderful holiday!

Welcome 2010!

Happy New Year

It is hard to believe that another year has already flown by. We rung in the new year by hanging out at the Benson's new house. We have spent the last few days helping them remodel their new home.

The list of improvements includes:
- painting: walls, floorboards, cabinets, etc
- scraping popcorn ceilings
- tearing down a wall
- inserting cabinets,
- tiling
- putting in laminate floors and carpet
- much more... phew that is a big remodel

It's sure to look great when it's all done. We're happy to be helping our new neighbors :)

Now you see it


Now you don't


With the beginning of the New Year, it's nice to look back and reflect about all of the blessings of the last one. Here are some highlights of our last year

Highlights of 2009

- New puppy Wrigley- we love him so much
- New, full-time job for Ang- very thankful to be employed
- Lot's of fun with friends and family
- Lauren and Joe got married
- Trip to Hawaii- which is where we celebrated our 3rd anniversary
- Thanksgiving in Gypsum and Glenwood
- Christmas in Craig
- Learning that Scott and Catherine are going to have a baby

All in all it was a great year!

Looking forward to in 2010

- Chris going back to school to get his Master's Degree
- Hopefully Ang will get her full-time job again for the next year (keep your fingers crossed)
- Another summer trip... hopefully
- Home improvements
- Many other fun things!

Here's to 2010 and all of the great things in store for us all!

Lots of Love