Hello friends and family,

We have had quite a year! After Sara graduated from Iowa State in December 1998, we moved her into an apartment in Elgin, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago. We (well, Sara) spent the next six months planning and stressing about our July 17th wedding. Luckily, we had nothing to worry about. The weather was beautifu--even for a summer day in Iowa, the ceremony went great and the cake was delicious. So, we were off to a good start ...

We went to a resort near Philadelphia for the honeymoon. We had a relaxing time water skiing, mini-golfing and eating tons of great food (read cheesecake ... mmm ... cheesecake). We moved Matt into the apartment from Rockford on the hottest day of the year, but it was well worth it. It is great having a roommate again! Once we finally finished unpacking all his things, we decided to move ... again. We moved to an apartment in Crystal Lake, a suburb even further northwest than Elgin, in mid-December, finally settling into a place we can call "ours." We pray to find a church home near our apartment soon, and hope for fellowship with new friends and neighbors.

We are surviving Chicagoland so far, getting used to toll roads, long commutes and the big city attitude. We take advantage of events at the United Center (Bulls? home stadium), although not as often as we should, and enjoy the gugaplex (30-plex) stadium-seating theater nearby, not to mention lots of shopping. We had a Bjorke reunion this summer with Sara's sisters Gina and Lora--and her family?and their parents. We spent an extended weekend in downtown Chicago; it was quite an adventure! If you are ever going to be in the Chicago area, please let us know. We would love to see you!

Matt is keeping busy with several projects as a design engineer for Bergstrom, Inc. in Rockford, which manufactures heating and ventilation equipment for commercial vehicles, such as Mack Truck and Caterpillar. He now has quite a drive along interstate 90 in the mornings! Sara is working as assistant editor for a salon and spa industry trade magazine and a consumer magazine being launched in the spring. Allured Publishing is located in Carol Stream, IL, so she too is braving a long drive to work, which has resulted in three rear enders. Luckily, each experience caused minor damage and no injuries. Unfortunately, one incident took place on October 29, and Sara was dressed for her company's halloween pot luck. It was pretty humbling, dressed in totally awesome 80's clothing with hair frizzed, watching rush hour traffic pass by.

Have a great holiday! We hope you all are enjoying the holiday with your friends and family. May God bless you throughout the new year as He has for us in 1999! With love,

Matt & Sara

P.S. Go Vikings!