Goodbye Faithful Friend

A little over a month ago we said goodbye to Berman, our faithful friend of 12 years. Since that time we've shared lots of memories with friends and family about our quirky little dog and the love that everyone had for her. I think she had more friends than we do! We miss her a lot.

Just yesterday we got a letter in the mail from Chris Berman from ESPN. We had written to him back in the spring, sending him a picture of Berman & letting him know that she was named after him. He signed her picture "Berman, you were made for TV. Your friend (& namesake) Chris Berman." And he wrote a note to us, too, telling us how thrilled he was to find out that we named our dog after him, & letting us know that he was a dog owner, too. Even though we sent the letter to him when Berman was alive & well, there was something special about getting his message & her picture in the mail now that she's gone. What a great way to remember her all over again. She was a really special dog!

You Know It's Springtime When. . .

We celebrated the coming of spring today with our first Pittsburgh Pirates game of the season!  It was a gorgeous day, and the sun was shining (and burning us!) as we soaked in the atmosphere of PNC Park.  What a great place to watch a game.  And we landed great seats from a guy who couldn't get rid of 2 of his season tickets for the day.  No complaints here!  It's great that things are starting to color up and brighten up as we get closer to summer.  Lots of opportunities to enjoy it - hope you're taking advantage of some sunny weather, too!

Celebrating Friendships

We had a fabulous time in Michigan on our annual "Ski Weekend" this year - but it's funny how fewer and fewer of us actually ski each year!  This was a strange trip for us, because our arrival was a bit of a "reunion" - we hadn't seen our "Peeps" in about 6 months - and we were used to seeing them every week!  We had a great time reconnecting, and were reminded that dear friendships are timeless and span any distance.  What a blessing!

Steelers Mania!

Yes, it's true. . . we've gotten a little caught up in the Pittsburgh Steelers hipe around these parts - we have t-shirts and everything!  Rick was a fan all season, but when it came to the Super Bowl against his Arizona Cardinals, he had to draw the line.  I mean, he's been a very faithful Cardinals fan for over 17 years!  So the Super Bowl was exciting to watch, and for the Steeler fans in the crowd (basically everyone but Rick!) it was a thrilling victory.  Poor Rick.  Better luck next year!

Winter Wonderland

The area schools are closed for the 2nd straight day today - there's 5 inches of snow on the ground and it's 12 degrees fahrenheit outside.  We don't have the heart to tell people around here that, compared to Michigan winters, this is nothin'!  Michelle walked to work the other day and no one could believe it.  Three different coworkers asked her if they could give her a ride home, and we live 4 blocks away!  They say this is the worst winter they've had since 2000.  Meanwhile our friends in Grand Rapids are getting 12 inches of snow in one storm!  I guess it's all a matter of perspective. . .