Rain, rain, go away. Actually...stay. We thank you today!

Hey, everyone!

Hope this finds you well and you're staying as cool as possible (no, I didn't say cool as a popsicle, but that wouldn't be terrible...) in this lovely summer weather.

I finally unpacked the computer - hooray!  Haha - just kidding...it's been out for a while.  But seriously - we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (kinda) as far as unpacking goes, so we're able to take time for other things, finally...like writing a blog post about our moving day/weekend!  ☺

I'll try to keep this a "nutshell" version - can explain more in person, if you'd like!  This is what memories are made of...or something like that:

The plan was to close the purchase of our new home the Thursday afternoon before Memorial Day weekend.  That all went as planned, but it had been raining most of the day and was expected to continue the rest of the afternoon, which wasn't ideal...nor was it the dry weather we'd been praying for.  

We had helpers (friends and family) lined up to come help move the piano and other large, heavy stuff that evening.  Bless their hearts, they all showed up, despite the rain and tornado warning!  I'd gone straight to the new house after closing to do some cleaning, so I wasn't there when they loaded the piano (there wasn't much "uncovered" ground to cover there, so the rain wasn't as much of an issue on that end).  They kept watching the radar and decided to take a half-loaded truck to the new house in hopes of catching a "dry" window to get the piano in (which was a much more extensive process on the other end - it was pretty amazing!  I'll show you the video sometime, if you'd like.  My husband is a piano-moving genius and knows some really strong, helpful people to assist in carrying out his plans!).  By the grace of God, they literally had just enough time to get it in while it was not raining.  We had some pizza, then, those saintly helpers offered to go get another load, despite the rain!  Truly can't thank them enough!

We'd planned to put the entertainment center, couch, and most of the extra boxes in the basement, but on Bryant's first trip down to do so, he stepped on the carpet and heard a "squish."  It was wet halfway into the basement - a lot of wet carpet.  We'd also gotten about 8 inches of rain in 36 hours, the front yard was completely saturated, and water was coming over/under/through the front wall of the house.  Luckily, my handy husband had already redirected some of the drainage on the sides of the house, so the two side rooms in the basement were not affected.  We had fans, wet shop vacs, etc. going in an effort to salvage the carpet in the main room, but alas, it was not in any shape to keep.  So, we (mostly my dad and some helpers - thank you!!) tore it up - pad, tack strips, and all - and found this underneath:

"Wow!" huh?  I'd say we'd keep it, since it's back in style after its debut in the '50's, but it's not really salvageable, either, after having carpet pad glued to it, then scraped off.

While this was very discouraging on our very first night in our new house, and staying up into the wee hours of the morning trying to prevent a completely flooded basement wasn't ideal after a full day of moving, this is the conclusion we came to:

The rain we were praying away all day was actually a blessing in disguise.  If we're going to live in this house, that was the best time to have water in the basement, because...

...we didn't have any of our things down there, yet (besides the piano, which was on the opposite wall and not affected, praise the Lord).
...we can ask the seller to pay for some of the necessary remedies, since these issues weren't disclosed to us (this is the short version of that...more details, upon request).

...upstairs is still comfortably livable with the downstairs things up there..
...our realtor is awesome and is still on board with us to keep taking care of the issues at hand - even post-sale.
...we had lots of help right away, so didn't feel totally on our own with this particular "joy" of homeownership.

In the days following, we continued to have several helpers show up in big ways.  From cleaning and unpacking to pulling up carpet and installing ceiling fans to building shelves and a sliding barn door!  All the projects were things we'd planned to do, at some point, and could've done on our own, but we were so very blessed to have lots of helpers to get so many of them knocked out right away.  What a blessing to feel so supported and what an encouragement after the discouragement of a wet basement!  We were nearly in tears most of the day as we realized in such a tangible way the time and effort people were willing to give us.  It was a beautiful day, and they got a TON done!  Huge thanks to those who were involved (or home watching kiddos!)!

Another big thank you for all the well-wishes, offers to help, and to those who have been so gracious to give us housewarming gifts!  From gutter guards to power tools and so many thoughtful things in between - we sure do appreciate it all!  Here are a few:

It's feeling more and more like home every day, and we're still very excited for the potential this new home holds for us.  Thanks for sharing the journey with us. ☺

Thankfully,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

generous friends who are willing to continue to allow their basement to serve as our storage unit till we can get our feet on the ground with the basement stuff

surprise flowers in the yard

pool time!

I flew the coop!

Hello, hello, hello, dear friends and readers!

Welcome to the freshly updated "Scoop from the Coop!"

As many of you know, my life underwent a few not-so-minor changes in the recent past, so I thought this blog should reflect accordingly...on a more minor level, perhaps.

Though I'm no longer living at the coop, I'd like to retain the blog title, because...well, I don't think that really requires explanation.  ☺

So, take a deep breath with me, and get excited for more new things to come!

Subjects of upcoming posts to look forward to:
Wedding
Honeymoon
Unpacking/settling in
Charlie & Pepper
Music/Kiddos/Jobs

In the meantime, I really just wanted to drop you all a line and thank you for your patience as I've begun to settle into married life.  Many of you have asked about my blog, new life, and generally how things are going.  I so appreciate your interest, concern, and generosity, and will do my best to keep you posted on the happenings, big and small, in OUR life.

Also, I wanted to share this:
Since fall was so busy with wedding/moving/work/etc., I kind-of missed the all-thing-pumpkin boat.  Terribly sad news, right?  Fear not, though!  Thanks to a recent trip to Oklahoma and my mother-in-law's genius (and our kitchen being unpacked, organized, and in working order (which no small feat)), I have pumpkin aplenty and am making up for lost time this week.  I'm (finally) trying recipes I pinned on Pinterest boards long ago, and have made the following this week:
Whipped Cinnamon Pumpkin Honey Butter
Pumpkin Poppers
Overnight Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (These are in the fridge getting ready to be baked tomorrow!)

This one's on deck:
Pumpkin Bread with Salted Caramel Drizzled Pumpkin Buttercream

Yum.

That's all, for now.  As usual, thanks for reading, and I'll look forward to filling you in more soon!

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and warm wishes to you and yours!

Wife-ly,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

my HUSBAND!!!

having a well-stocked kitchen

this gal and guy:

Squeaky clean!

That's me - squeaky clean, because I've had so many showers, lately!

My uncle asked my cousin if she took soap to one of my showers.

A different cousin brought a shower curtain as a gift to another.

Ha. Ha.

☺

I won't be offended if you didn't laugh at any of the puns.  And for those of you who missed it - I've been fortunate enough to be the "guest of honor" at a few wedding/bridal showers in the last couple of weeks.  I realize I've posted about these on Facebook, but I'd like to include them in this blog, as well, because it seems to have become a sort of "life book" for me, and these are an important entry in that book...and memories I want to keep fresh for a long time to come.

The first of the showers was in Lincoln and thrown by a couple dear friends from college and one of my aunts.  The theme was "All You Need Is Love," and it was such a cute, lovely, well-put-together event!  Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures of my own of this one, but here's a taste:

No pictured: delicious snacks, cute table decorations, "date night" popsicle sticks, "Favorite Kensy Memories" cards, and a fun (and funny) "Who Said It?" game!

I got to keep the Scrabble tile sign!  My former coopmate (the creator of the sign and one of the hostesses) and I used to play Scrabble together all the time. ☺

The second shower was a pizza party couple's shower hosted by Bryant's family in Oklahoma.  We had so much fun spending time with family and friends, sampling pizza, and sharing recipes!  The decor, favors, food, etc. was all amazing.  Check it all out here!

The third was a dream come true, for me: a Pampered Chef bridal shower!  My mom has been hosting/attending Pampered Chef parties for most of my life, and I've grown up using and loving the tools.  So, it was very exciting for me when my matron of honor asked if she could throw me a Pampered Chef shower.  Again - not a lot of pictures, but be assured we had a wonderful time!

After we had some snacks and played a fun game, I got to be the demonstrator!

I'm just overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of love, creativity, and generosity of the host/hostesses and guests of these showers.  It all definitely filled my bucket and made me/us even more excited for our big day!

In other news, I moved almost all of my belongings to Kansas City this weekend, so...I guess that's a pretty big deal.  ; )  Big thanks to my family for helping us start to get settled!

Here we go!
P.S. The guest bed is up and ready for visitors!

I think this will be my last post as Miss Berggren.  Still working on the tie-in for bringing "The Scoop from the Coop" to you from a home that has never housed chickens, but fear not - I will continue posting as often as married life allows.

Thank you all for your shared excitement, love, and support!  It sure means a lot.

Until next time...

With much anticipation,
Miss Kensy Berggren

Favorites of the day:

Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup

wedding details & excitement

This going away/thank you gift from a family I teach:

I often reference the song "Scales & Arpeggios" from this movie, but rarely does a student actually know what I'm referring to.  There's one 3rd grade boy who was/is obsessed with this movie, though, so he picked up on the reference right away...and thought we needed a copy of our own in KC. ☺

The hard part...

Hi all,

Happy fall!  Hope this finds you all well!

My engagement post quickly climbed to the top of the page view leaderboard.  Thanks for sharing in our excitement and joy!  There are days that I think it's kinda crazy (had you told my single self a year ago that in less than twelve months I'd be nearing the end of planning my wedding, I probably wouldn't have believed it)...but more often than not, it feels totally normal and right and sensible to think about getting married in a few weeks.  Pretty sure that's how it's supposed to be.  ☺

So...with that super exciting life event comes a fairly sad and very bittersweet one: I'll be moving to Kansas City after we're married.

I can count on one hand (actually, one finger) the number of times I've relocated in my lifetime.  Yes, there was some back-and-forth from home and school and various residences during college, but nothing outside of Lincoln or Topeka.

Change, in general, is (and always has been) very hard for me.  Good change, bad change; big change, small change - it all comes with quite a bit of questioning, evaluating, and adjustment in my head and heart, no matter what.

Needless to say, the fact that I'm leaving Lincoln (and Nebraska) doesn't come without quite a bit of heartache...

God has done a big work in my heart in the months leading up to this change.  If you don't mind, I'd like to walk you through the various stages of thought I went through:

1. (digging in my heels)  No.  I'm not leaving Lincoln.  No way, no how.
2. (sad face) What if I do need to leave...?
3. Nope - not going to leave.  There are plenty of jobs for him here.
3-1/2. That's selfish of me...I shouldn't expect him to move here just because I don't want to leave.
4. We made a pro's and con's list for each place (Lincoln and KC).
5. The pro's and con's were similar, but when we put numerical values to each based on the weight they bore for each of us, we were fairly equally split.
6. Is this something we should even be considering?  How are we ever going to come to a decision?
7. KC might not be so bad...
8. No. Lincoln is better.
9. But in KC, it would be easier to put "being a wife" at the top of my list of priorities (rather than the relationships and jobs I've made a priority for the last 5 or so years post-college).
10. Nah - I could easily switch my priorities here if he moved here.  No need to leave.
11. I REALLY love this guy...nothing should and nothing will trump that.
12. Kansas City, here I come! ☺

My very wise brother told me, once, that if the people I'm saddest to leave feel the same way about me as I do them, they'll be sad for me to leave, too, but will also be supportive of and happy for me.  This is a thought I've clung to, and it has rung true as I've broken the news to the various circles I'm part of.  I can't tell you how thankful I am to have that love and support.  Even though it doesn't alleviate the sadness, it truly makes the transition much more bearable.

Cliché as it may be, Lincoln will always hold a very, very special place in my heart.  The relationships I've built, connections I've made, and opportunities I've taken advantage of while living here are invaluable.  Not to mention being able to say I've lived in a chicken coop!  ☺

(By the way - Charlie hasn't fully digested the move, yet, but I'm sure in good time he'll feel as good about it as I do (though you should know we'll be gaining two roommates - a boy and his dog!).)

Don't worry - I plan to visit a whole lot!  Who knows - maybe life will bring us back to "the good life" at some point.  ☺  (That's Nebraska slogan, by the way - "the good life.")

In the meantime, it's time to get ready to see what life in Kansas City will bring (after we take part in a wedding and head to Cancun for a week, of course).  Suggestions of things to do/see/hear/eat in KC, advice, and prayers are welcomed and appreciated!  I'm so very excited to be there...with my husband(!!!!)...starting a new chapter in life.  Wohoo!

As usual, thanks for reading.  ☺

Until next time,
Kensy

P.S. I'd also welcome suggestions/ideas as to how to tie in the "coop" part of this blog in a non-coop location.  Unfortunately, we won't be airlifting the coop to KC (ha), so I can seamlessly keep the blog title, though it's been suggested by some.  ; )

Favorites of the day:

fall

tapioca fluff pudding

my fiancé