We've Moved!

We had determined to be punctual with our first Berg family Christmas letter, but as life’s waves seem to push us farther out to sea in the ocean of intentions, we’ve opted for the New Years letter instead. By the time February rolled around, it was determined that a blogspot might be the best way to keep our friends and family abreast of what’s going on with us.

Since one of the main reasons we send these things out is to ensure at the very least that you have our current address, we at least waited until we finished our January move from Newburyport to Reading to get cracking on this webpage. Now, if you decide to stop by and cash in on free lodging, you’ll at least know where to go.

Drop us a line for our street address here in
Reading, MA 01867

Due to the fact that Shelby was slowly going insane with her 45 min one-way commute to work, it became apparent that we needed to find a happy medium closer to Boston so she could work at InterGen for at least 20 more years and save for our retirement. So we found a lovely house in Reading, which ends up being 10 min from Shelby’s job and Shelby is very happy about that. Jonathan’s commute isn’t bad by Boston’s standards – a 30 min reverse commute – but he still notes that since getting married, his commute went from 30 seconds to 8 minutes to 30 minutes. But he’s not complaining.

Highlights of 2006...

Preparing for the move to Reading in the midst of the Christmas season was just topping off a year of activity for the Bergs. We have probably set what will be a household record for trips taken in one calendar year (nine, not counting the weekend trips to Maine and Connecticut).

NYC

Shelby celebrated both her 36^th and 37^th birthday in NYC in January and November respectively and we both got thoroughly over-stimulated. She enjoys visiting her favorite tearooms (Alice’s Tea Cup & Tea and Sympathy) and people-watching as well as catching a half-price theatre show from time to time.

Moab

Jonathan had his long-time dream of mountain biking in Moab, Utah come true in May. No kid could go to Disneyland and be as excited as Jonathan was to go to Moab. He was so excited when he got there that even though he had hardly slept the night before (traveling by plane and car) he immediately put his bike together and went for a ride.

Shelby commented that it takes a lot for an Alaskan to be impressed and she was mighty impressed with the scenery. This is one place that we recommend everyone visit at least once in your lifetime. We’re both looking forward to going back again. You can see more pictures we took here.

Alaska

We went to Alaska in July where we celebrated our first wedding anniversary in Denali National Park. Jonathan enjoyed catching his first Halibut and Silver Salmon and his first small plane ride in his father-in-law's Cessna (and had a terrifying but fun chance to fly the thing). You can see more pictures here.

We were also able to spend some time with Shelby’s 100 yr. old grandfather before he passed away in September.

Washington

For Christmas, we rented a house in Leavenworth, Washington with Shelby’s parents and brother Dave & family, where it snowed several times and made for some great outdoor fun.

Shelby was thrilled to see over two feet of snow fall and Jonathan was happy to travel TO the snow, with the knowledge that it wouldn’t

be waiting for us back in Boston. After almost 50 years of Alaskan winters, Shelby's dad couldn't figure out why anyone would choose the Cascades over the beach.

And the rest...
Other trips included Atlanta & Montreal in March & Newport, RI for Jonathan’s 48^th birthday in September. We toured the Breaker’s mansion (keyword "Vanderbilt") while in Newport, which was quite impressive.

We took our annual Columbus Day trip to Acadia with Shelby’s cousins in Maine and had great weather and another fantastic fall getaway.

Nashville
Lastly, we will mention the Labor Day trip to Nashville in which Shelby was reunited with her Christ Community Church friends.

She had a great time reminiscing and laughing with her posse and Jonathan enjoyed expanding his circle of friends even wider. It was great for Jonathan to finally attend the church that he has heard so much about and hear Scotty Smith preach.

Shelby saw her life flashing before her eyes as high schoolers Camden & McCall Sarrett (who she first babysat at ages 4& 3, respectively) were towering over her acting all grown up. A lot of life has gone by in 13 years!

Babies Happen...

And the biggest news of the year is that we found out a couple of weeks after our trip to Nashville that Shelby was 5 weeks pregnant with our first child. Our son Riley is due on May 24^th and we couldn’t be happier. Ever the planner, Shelby has been devouring books and magazines about pregnancy, childbirth, childcare so she will be as well-informed as a first-time mom can be.

The first trimester was very tiring for her, but other than dealing with food aversions, she has been able

to eat and avoid the worst of morning sickness.

The second trimester has been better and she’s even been able to do a “preggo shuffle” a few times a week in lieu of her normal trail-running. Jonathan has been giving her daily chiropractic adjustments and foot massages as she deals with her swelling belly and aches and pains. Shelby comments that everything just comes undone a few minutes later due to her loose joints, but she’s not complaining with such excellent in-home care available.

We were able to get a few nice shots of Riley at 18 weeks from the side & front plus a foot. We think he’s pretty darn cute and appears to have his father's nose.

Here’s a picture of Shelby at 27 weeks as she enters her final trimester. She’s getting Riley’s room ready for his arrival. We’re also taking Bradley classes as Shelby hopes to have a water birth, if possible. Our nightly routine includes Jonathan (as doula/birth coach) leading her in exercises and stretches to get her ready for the big day.