The Buerglers

When I retired from youth ministry seventeen months ago, I had no idea what my life would look like. At the suggestion of my spiritual director, I took a full year to just enjoy my retirement and motherhood. It took a full year to really unwind and relax. After nine years of working nights, weekends, and holidays, I was long over due for some R&R. During this time I discovered the aspect of youth ministry that I really missed was teaching. This lead me to working for The Natural Baby where I teach monthly cloth diaper classes and workshops. I love my Saturday morning time working with families on something I am so passionate about. I've also spent a great deal of time growing my photography "business" - taking workshops both in person and online, as well as joining a forum where we share constructive criticism.  I am pleased to say that I am booked through the end of 2015 with Christmas card, maternity, and newborn sessions. In August and September of this year...

We have loved going once or twice a year to visit Eric's great aunt Jo in Beaufort, SC.  Since her husband passed she has decided to move back up north to be near her children. We're sad that she's moving but glad she'll be closer to family.  Grandma and G.Daddy rented a house for the family for the weekend. Seriously, VRBO is my new favorite way to travel with kids. I love that we have a kitchen and can make our own breakfast since we're a bacon and eggs kind of family. Our first morning started with with quite an adventure. I am used to cooking with cooper core stainless pans and found myself cooking on a paper thin pan that burned everything to a crisp in seconds. Well, I set off the smoke alarm. It was some fancy computerized system and the home owners didn't leave us the password to override the smoke alarm. The first department showed up.  Oooops!  The weekend was kind of pooky as it rained off and on.  We still managed to go downtown to p...

I can usually only bring myself to go to the zoo once a year, but the girls love it. And even though I don't have an affinity towards animals, I do remember the excitement of seeing the majestic creatures in real life. We had already taken our trip to Zoo Atlanta at the beginning of the summer, but Leeann invited us to go to the zoo with her and Luke for the Fulton County residents free day.  Sure. Why not?  Eric was excited to go with us. Because it was a weekend and free we knew we had to be there the moment the gates opened if we wanted to be the heat and the crowds. First stop, as you know, the FLAMINGOOOOOOOOOS.  Evie is OBSESSED.  We also had to stop to see my favorites - the giant  tortoises. Legend has it that I asked my parents for a turtle when I was 4 or 5 expecting to get one of these and was (rightfully) disappointment when I received a little box turtle. And then to go see Eric's favorite, the red panda.  It looks like a racc...

This summer started with a blur. Another bout of depression and anxiety hit my like a fright train.  The hardest part of the illness is that people who have never experienced it think you can "snap out of it" or "just stop worrying" - but it's more powerful than a bad day or being nervous. It's all consuming and debilitating and there is NOTHING that will make it better. Now that I have been through this three times, I know that there is a trifecta of things that trigger it for me: significant hormone change like post partum or post weaning  significant life changes like in my career or family Eric being gone and/or emotionally unavailable due to travel or work This summer I stopped nursing Maggie, Eric was stuck working looooong hours at work, the overwhelmingness of summer was upon me, and I was finally grieving the loss of my job (yes, even though *I* quit it an entire year before).  Eric and I had also made the decision not to open a small bus...

Salad: ¾ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced (regular cucumber is fine) 2 carrots, peeled and grated (finely chopped works too!) 1 can sliced water chestnuts, chopped (optional) 12 cups chopped romaine lettuce  Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake chicken 25 to 30 minutes or until done; let cool and shred. Combine chicken, cucumber, carrots, and lettuce in a large bowl; set aside.  Almond topping: ½ cup sliced raw almonds While chicken is in oven, spread almonds on a foil lined cookie sheet and place in oven until toasted, about 5 minutes. Stir once. Dressing: 1 clove garlic, minced 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 1 Tbsp honey ⅓ cup olive oil Whisk together garlic, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, honey and oil; pour dressing over salad, and toss to combine.  "Fried" Wontons: 1 Tbsp dark sesame oil  (if you don't have it just double up on o...