Category Archives: Personal

We’re engaged!

August 24, 2015Personalaquarium, birthday proposal, Chet, engagement story, fiancee, hofbrauhaus, i said yes, Kentucky, Newport, Ohio River, personal, proposal, Purple People Bridge, shark tanksBeth Berger

Chet and I are so excited to share some amazing news — We are getting MARRIED! We got engaged a little over a month ago but I thought now was as good a time as any to let you all in on how it went down. Chet was a total sneak and had been hiding the ring for most of the summer in the apartment we shared in Lexington. He had nestled it amongst some computer parts in one of our closets. (“I KNEW you wouldn’t look through those.” Touche.) On his birthday, we headed up to Newport, KY for a day of celebrating…little did I know by mid-afternoon we would have even MORE to celebrate. After a lunch over-looking the river, Chet asked if I’d like to spend a little time walking around before we ventured to the aquarium (his special birthday excursion). I said “absolutely” and we walked along the river and then on to the purple pedestrian bridge that stretches across the Ohio River. He asked me to marry him as we stopped in a particularly sunny spot to look out over the railing. After I said YES (actually, I believe I said “Of course I will!!!”), and the ring was on my finger (I excitedly asked, “Can I put it on?!” LOL), we walked across the rest of the bridge into Ohio. I felt like I floated the whole way. The mixture of the adrenaline and the warm sunshine makes those minutes on the bridge, in retrospect, feel so surreal. I texted a picture of the ring to my family and spoke to my mom for a few minutes on the phone as we walked back across the bridge. After we made it back onto Kentucky soil, we headed to the Newport Aquarium for a giddy few hours where I spent equal parts looking at marine life and looking at my new ring! We then went for celebratory drinks and snacks at the Hofbrauhaus Beer Garden. I still can’t get over how perfect the proposal was. A year earlier, as we stood on that very same bridge, I fantasized about how it would be the perfect engagement location. And weirder still, YEARS earlier, in a convo with girlfriends, I confessed my feeling that being proposed to on a proposer’s birthday would be the most romantic gesture! Funny how these things work out!

I’m so excited about this chapter in our lives and wanted to share it all with you. Here are a few more pictures from our magical day, if you’d like to see…

A new feature at the Newport Aquarium is this suspended rope bridge which runs the entire length of the shark tanks! Talk about an adrenaline rush! Add to it the fact that my brand new ring needed to be sized down a few sizes and I had myself a pretty heart-pounding experience. One I will certainly NEVER forget!

Chet assured me that HAD I dropped the ring in the tank one of the aquarium staff would have GLADLY scuba’d in to find it. Still, happy I avoided such measures! Haha! I have to admit, I ogled this sparkly beauty the whole car ride home. Once we arrived, we posted our news on social media (that’s like a REAL step in the process these days, right?) and everyone was so wonderful and nice and kind. We’re so lucky to have such amazing folks consistently and happily in our corner.

I can’t wait to marry my best friend! ❤

We moved to Miami!

August 18, 2015Personal, Travelapartment life, cross country move, Florida, Kendall, Miami, new home, our big adventure, renters, we movedBeth Berger

Last Thursday, after an extended delay in Lexington (thanks for letting us crash, Mom!), Chet and I loaded up our two cars and set off South. We planned to take it easy on the long haul drive and split it up over three days, but then… after checking in to our motel at the end of the first leg of our trip, the movers called and said they would need to deliver our belongings early Saturday morning! I’m not a big fan of driving. And with a kitty on board I wasn’t so sure how a 12ish hour drive would go for us. But sometimes you just gotta zone in, cue up 7 million podcasts, and go the distance.

So! After a grueling final few hours through the hectic Florida highway system, we made it to our new home just as it started to rain. If the guards manning the gate at our complex hadn’t been so nice I may have finally lost my marbles at this point. One guard actually hopped in a golf cart to personally escort me to the front of our building! But the stress from the drive quickly melted away once I saw inside our new abode.

Our lovely rental apartment is a 2 bedroom/2 bath in the Kendall area of Miami. To me it’s exactly what one might imagine when asked to describe quintessential Florida housing–all tile floors and huge sliding doors. The creature comforts of a dishwasher and walk-in closet are fantastic but the piece de resistance is a HUGE screened in balcony that runs the length of the unit. Wink is as happy as a clam that he gets to roll around out there in the sunbeams. The complex itself has pools, a clubhouse straight out of the 70’s, and you can’t spit without hitting a palm tree. We are just 4 blocks from a grocery store and other shops and restaurants. Just under 5 miles from the university where Chet is working.

Basically, I’d say we did pretty well for renting the place SIGHT UNSEEN (other than a few cell phone pics). We’re settling in quite easily and I’m having fun slowly setting up, organizing, and decorating all the little nooks and crannies of our new home. WE ARE PUMPED about this place!

Anyways, I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated so thanks so much for reading! Do you know Miami (or the Kendall area) at all? I would SO appreciate any recommendations of fun things to do, good restaurants, etc. We’ve had a blast exploring and can’t wait to do more. It’s a whole new world down here!

P.S. I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of this blogging thing now that all the craziness of moving across the country, etc. has calmed down. I think I owe y’all a post about a certain question Chet popped about a month ago! I’d also love to share what podcasts got me through that monster drive, a new book I can’t put down, and much MUCH more! xoxo

Happy Memorial Day!

May 25, 2015PersonalDoctor Chet, graduation, life update, summer activities, ULLBeth Berger

Happy Memorial Day, friends! I hope everyone is having a fantastic long weekend and that you’re able to fire up the grill and have a relaxing break from work! I apologize for the recent radio silence around these parts. The blogging sabbatical has not been without good reason! Most notably, SOMEONE got to add PhD at the end of his name…

I was lucky enough to fly down to Louisiana for Chet’s graduation and then we loaded up all his stuff and made the big move back to Kentucky. And of course we made a stop along the way to visit our friends in Bowling Green! Since then, we’ve just been happily settling in to the end of long distance (!!!) and enjoying the beginning of what promises to be a spectacular summer.

So, that’s what I’ve been up to…what about you?

xoxo

My Reverse Bucket List

April 30, 2015Personalapril linkup, experience, family, grateful, in its time blog, love, reverse bucket list, the circle linkup, things i've done, travelBeth Berger

I love a good Bucket List as much as the next guy or gal. It’s incredibly enlightening to jot down the things you want to accomplish, the places you want to travel, the experiences you long to take part in. But as my mom used to tell me as a child, whenever I looked longingly down the road towards 13 or 16 or totally grown up, “you shouldn’t wish your life away.”

And she’s right. If we’re always focusing on the future, we miss out on the NOW and totally lose sight of the past. Now I’m not saying to throw your Bucket List out the window! It’s fantastic to have wild aspirations; it’s wonderful to set your sights on far off lands. I just hope that, once accomplished, the bullet points of your list get stuck with star stickers and big, fat check marks instead of crossed through or deleted.

Why not take a few moments today to craft a REVERSE Bucket List? Instead of creating a list of all the things you want to do, why not make a list of things you already HAVE?!

I’ll go first…

My Reverse Bucket List

1. Read over 12 books a year for as long as I can remember.

2. Snorkeled in the Florida Keys, caught crabs on the coastline of Louisiana, and took a boat ride down the Danube.

3. Ended a successful 11 year Speech and Debate career with State, National and International accolades under my belt along with a familiarity with more college campuses than you’ve probably been to in your life.

4. Cooked food grown by farmers whose names I know. Grown plants. Learned to love the act of making simple meals to nourish my body.

5. Cultivated relationships with friends who make me a smarter, more passionate, better human.

6. Watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

7. Trained in classical ballet for 17 years and have the feet, knees, and turn-out to prove it.

8. Hiked through rain and hail, lighting and thunder in the Rocky and Wicklow Mountains.

9. Explored, by foot, the streets of Buenos Aires and Bowling Green and everywhere in between.

10. Paid off all my debt.

11. Helped fix-up houses for under-privileged families in Chicago and South Carolina.

12. Learned how to write a grant and a blog post and a speech and a cover letter like a badass.

13. Knitted a scarf.

14. Moved in and out of a gajillion apartments and navigated the wild rental world of slumlords, mice, theft, illegal eviction, and general property negligence.

15. Started my very own blog!! (And kept up with it for over a year.)

16. Fell in love with the smartest, cutest, most supportive boy in the world.

17. Spent my childhood flexing my imagination, exploring the world, and voraciously reading.

18. Enjoyed 17 years with the most wonderful father a girl could ask for.

There’s so much I still want to do but I’m so thankful and happy to have already done so much. xoxo

What are you waiting for? Go write your own Reverse Bucket List! And tell me one item from your list in the comments below.

Restaurants are not Food Culture.

April 20, 2015Food, Personalagriculture, chefs, cuisine, food culture, kentucky foodways, local food movement, locavore, what we eat and whyBeth Berger

In the hours after attending an event sponsored by the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center, “From Plows to Plates: A Journey Through Kentucky Foodways,” I did a lot of pondering. Not just about the local food movement and what we, in Kentucky, eat and why. These things are, of course, of interest to me professionally. I work in retail marketing and promote food for a living. But I also pondered the women speaking on the panel. How each seemed to have an overwhelming and innate need to feed others. Both literally and figuratively-through their teaching. This inclusion of women at the table, as it were, as farmer and chef and businesswoman, struck me as an inspiring shift from the men who’ve run the conversation about food, from plow to plate, for so long. An important re-framing of the conversation in my eyes, and perhaps an obvious one. And finally, I pondered Chef Ouita Michel’s words when she noted, “Restaurants are not Food Culture.” A strong assertion from someone who has built her career in that particular world. But it’s true. Food Culture HAS to be more than a burgeoning row of restaurants in Downtown, U.S.A. It HAS to be more if we plan on creating and maintaining sustainable agricultural landscapes and foodways. If we plan on cleaning up our act both in terms of lifestyle and environmentally.

So, if casual family dining is NOT Food Culture, I decided to reflect on what, for me, it IS…

It’s teaching your children how to crack eggs and roll out dough as they stand, tip-toe, on a step-stool.

It’s putting seeds in the ground and having faith that they will grow.

It’s hefting a bag, busting at the seams with ingredients, over your shoulder and wandering home, cooking the next week’s meals in your head the whole way.

It’s Farmer’s Market Saturdays and biting into a piece of fruit so juicy you idiotically attempt to lick your elbow.

It’s sitting down to share a table with the man you will marry, the grandmother you will someday lose, the unsung hero of your day-to-day.

It’s the parent who wonders how they’ll feed the family this month, the sacrifices they make to do so.

It’s the meals that got you through the day you got the job, the day you moved away, the day your heart was broken.

It’s the familiar handwriting in the long forgotten cookbook.

It’s chickens in your backyard and herbs on your windowsill.

It’s the struggle of the first year farmer.

It’s spaghetti once a week and oatmeal every morning because you spent your paycheck on textbooks and dreams.

It’s the kid at the grocery store who your sons know by name, arguing over who gets first fist-bump.

It’s the casserole dish dropped off for bleary-eyed parents and black-clad mourners.

It’s the baker who, chocolate and flour covered at days end, sings “Happy Birthday” while putting the finishing touches on each cake, hoping you can taste her well-intentioned off-key notes in that coveted corner piece.

It’s the line cook from a small town in the mountain’s no one’s heard of who speaks perfect Spanish.

It’s the farmer’s son, who everyone said “grew like a bean pole” and was the “spitting image of his daddy,” bringing in the harvest on his own.

It’s the chefs who come home to cook the meals they spent a lifetime trying to stop tasting, turns out their palate never was quite cleansed.

It’s eating what makes YOU feel good.

It’s policies that help put an end to food deserts and monoculture agriculture.

It’s a Wendell Berry poem.

It’s history and past and nostalgia — every food you ever ate that’s tied to a memory you love.

It’s knowing that eating is one of our most basic needs as humans. How things are grown and cooked, the community that comes from breaking bread with others, THAT is all just a beautiful extra.

Now I’d love to turn the tables and find out – What does Food Culture mean in the context of YOUR life? If you’d like to read more about the local food movement and sustainable foodways–Barbara Kingsolver, Michael Pollan, and Wendell Berry are great places to start.

(Photo: Grandmother by kitchen cabinet; table with dishes in foreground.)

What I got for Valentine’s Day.

February 16, 2015Every day life, Personalbento box, Chet, gift, Japanology, packed lunch swag, valentines dayBeth Berger

This Valentine’s Day, Chet surprised me by having a package sent to my doorstep. We waited until the night of the 14th to open our gifts to each other, as my Louisiana-love had a Mardi Gras parade to attend (of which he sent me lots of videos and pictures so I could feel like I was there, too). I sent him a little care package complete with loose tea, Sharpie pens and other bits and bobs. While I was the recipient of this adorable bento box!

The dividers inside each box can be moved around to create a number of different configurations or completely removed, so it’s quite customizable, and the whole kit and caboodle packs up in to this matching drawstring bag. Wouldn’t it make even a simple packed lunch feel fancy?

If you’d like to learn more about bento, watch the BEGIN Japanology episode on the subject here. Then, search “bento box lunches” in Pinterest and say goodbye to the next 30 minutes or so!

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine’s Day! How did you celebrate the day? Did you exchange gifts with your sweetheart?

Girl Crush: Amy Poehler

February 6, 2015Books, PersonalAmy Poehler, book, books by actresses, comedian, girl crush, improv, memoir, Parks and Recreation, SNL, UCB, Yes PleaseBeth Berger

It seems everyone and their mom has picked up Amy Poehler’s new book Yes Please as their kick off read of 2015. With a load of books ahead of this one in my personal queue, I still couldn’t help myself…I cracked it open to check out the first few pages and then couldn’t put it down. Now I’m even more in love with Amy Poehler than I was after watching Parks and Rec. While Amy is clearly hilarious and there are laugh out loud moments of honesty, I actually found myself tearing up during several passages. Her descriptions of friendships and creating things together just take me to a place. Plus, it’s a great behind the scenes look at Upright Citizens Brigade, SNL, Parks and Recreation and all those awards show bits orchestrated by Poehler.

If you haven’t yet, definitely give this book a read. But you’ve been warned, you might get a little bummed that you’re not BFF’s with Amy Poehler…yet.

Plus, isn’t this so wonderfully true? Such a good reminder–

“Great people do things before they’re ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you’re afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that- that’s what life is. You might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that’s really special and if you’re not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself.”

(Photo via here.)

P.S. Girl Crush: Sarah Koenig

My Holiday Season: a look back in photos.

January 12, 2015Personal2015, Chet, christmas, family, holiday season, New Years, personal, photo dump, traditionsBeth Berger

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season full of family, food, friends and fun. I hope you all made many beautiful memories. I know I did! This past weekend Chet returned to Louisiana to start his spring semester so now it feels like the holiday season has officially come to a close. I was super lucky to have him here for an entire month (!!!) and we spent the days eating wonderful home-cooked meals, Christmas shopping, braving the cold to scamper around the city, and spending quiet nights at home with blankets, TV and Wink in tow. We had our own little Christmas on Christmas Eve and opened our presents to each other under own tree and Christmas Day we went to my Mom’s house for more presents and food with my fantastic family (my brother got super sick right after we opened our presents which was a bummer and we all felt terrible for him). New Years Eve we cooked a fancy dinner and watched the ball drop in our comfies. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas/NYE/winter break! Here are a few photos I wanted to share, if you’d like to take a peek…

Our tree topper for our adorable little tree was made by Chet circa the first grade. We decorated our tree with old ornaments from our childhoods and it was so fun to merge them into one place. I was sort of obsessed with all the Disney movie McDonalds ornaments he still had in his collection. Sebastian from The Little Mermaid may have taken the cake for me as top ornament this year. Although I still have a soft spot for my “Feliz Navidad 1992” ornament featuring a mouse wearing a sombrero. OLE!

I love this dude so much! We had so much fun decorating for Christmas as soon as he got into town. As you can see above, his grandparents sent us adorable stocking ornaments with our names on them and his parents sent two presents to be opened specifically when we were decorating. One was a beautiful 2014 frame ornament for us to pop a picture of ourselves in and hang in a place of prominence on the tree. The other was…

A Godiva hot chocolate set for some fancy, festive sipping. Mini marshmallows FTW!

And speaking of trees… one night, for work, I went to a lighting at a local fire station. The carols, sung by a local high school choir, definitely put me in the Christmas spirit that night.

Chet and I also did a lot of camera experimenting since my camera is still fairly new (he got it for me for my birthday in October). One evening we walked up to Ashland Estate to get some shots, even braving the crazy cold. I had fun with some texture shots of the old buildings (and selfies, always selfies) because THEIR Christmas tree was nothing to write home about and by that I mean not all that fun to photograph.

Due to the temperatures we made a LOT of soups from scratch. I love this picture because the reflection in the pot totally gives it away that we’re both wearing flannel pj pants to cook dinner. YOLO.

Another evening of braving the cold, we ventured to The Kentucky Horse Park for their annual Southern Lights. The drive-thru Christmas light display was pretty as always but this alpaca family totally upstaged everything ever.

We brought a lot of class to the Southern Lights establishment, IMHO. Even thought we’re definitely freezing our butts off in this picture. ; )

Hot beverages (chai for him, hot chocolate for me) and a wander through a winter wonderland makes for a magical night in my book.

Have I mentioned that this boy CAN. COOK.? Check out those knife skills! I’d say his specialties are Asian dishes (think: Japanese curry and spicy bowls of piping hot noodles) and of course Cajun (think: huge servings of Gumbo and buttery crawfish etoufee).

Have you ever been down the terrifying yet strangely intriguing rabbit hole that is The Lexington Peddler’s Mall? We have! Sometimes you really do find that needle in a gigantic haystack. Note: the sunglasses Chet’s sporting are not one of those needles.

Remember those crawfish potatoes I was seeing in my dreams for weeks after Festivals Acadiens? We successfully created our own version and I’d say it was down right, to the T, SPOT ON. Food hack success!

I did a spot of holiday baking after gaining inspiration from Lily Pebble’s Vlogmas videos on YouTube. These are her Internet-famous “Brookies” –a cross between a cookie and a brownie.

As I mentioned above, Chet and I opened our presents to each other on Christmas eve at the apartment. I was absolutely stunned and elated to receive this GORGEOUS computer!!! Talk about spoiled. Chet built it himself AND painted it that lovely Tiffany Box blue/retro shade. I don’t think anyone has ever made me such a customized gift. It works so well and is cute to boot, not an eyesore like a typical desktop tower. I’m already obsessed with using it!

Later that evening, we enjoyed some drinks and appetizers at my Mom’s house. My sister Katie was in from St. Pete and my brother and his fiancee, Dawn, were in from Savannah. A happy little clan. Christmas morning was spent opening presents, bein’ a bum (pj’s for as long as humanly possible!!!) and seeing Into the Woods. I don’t really have any photo documentation of these endeavors on Christmas day because I was too busy being me, BUT…

…here’s one of Wink opening his presents! I received some lovely presents from my family that I am so thankful for. Hiking poles, a lamp, a lovely bowl for noodles, lots of books about crime and (too) much more. They know me so well. One thing I’ve gotten better about in the last few years is putting my Christmas presents to use pretty much immediately. In the past, I would want to “save” them but where is the fun in that? That’s a quick way to end up with too much STUFF ie) leaving that nice lotion in your bathroom cupboard for months. Why not crack it open right away!?

One thing I treated myself to in the post-Christmas sales was this organic blanket from Target. I can’t get enough of it and neither can my cat. I also scored a wicked cheap set of knives and a pair of jeans in my Boxing Day mad dash.

Bummed the holiday season is over…

yet so glad I got to spend so much time with these two!!!

Hope everyone had an equally rad time this past month. My goal is to start cranking out some more regular content on Finding Delight in the coming weeks so stay tuned and check back often! I’m so happy to have you along for the ride.

Let’s catch up! Tell me about your holiday season. What was your favorite Christmas present? Who did you kiss on New Years? Did you brave the cold for any fun outdoor excursions? Don’t be shy, share in the comments!

Gratitude Journal.

November 27, 2014Every day life, Personalblessed, grateful, gratitude, thankful, thankful for Thursday, thanksgivingBeth Berger

I keep meaning to start a gratitude journal. I’m generally bad at sticking to that sort of thing so I never even start. But today, on Thanksgiving, no excuses. I have so very much to be thankful for…

Happiness and health. A family of superbly special individuals who are creative and caring. An amazing boyfriend who loves, supports and challenges me. A fantastic job with fantastic people at a place that feels like a second home. A home. An insatiable appetite for knowledge. Dreams for the future. Memories of the past. Friends to laugh with. Friends who are doing the most wonderful, awe-inspiring things. The fuzzball cat sitting next to me. Yoga poses. Local food. This blog. All of my mistakes. And the times I got it right. This life.

I am grateful.