Mark Koberlein

Mobile Web Developer at Code Paint, LLC
Mark Koberlein
Mark Koberlein

Consulting with companies and working on web and mobile applications at Code Paint, LLC.

I am also the founder of the Lehigh Valley Tech which is a local group for startups, entrepreneurs, hackers, and technology enthusiasts in the Lehigh Valley to share and demo what they are working on.

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2011 (11)
2010 (57)
2009 (8)

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What I Want From Santa in 2009

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I really didn't want anything for my last birthday.  All I wanted was to go out for a nice dinner. That was the first time that I can remember where I didn't want anything for a birthday.  My mom even asked which store I wanted a gift card from and I told her not to get me anything. My wife was sweet by disregarding my wishes and got me a nice charger for my iPhone.  Maybe this comes with age because you don't want to think about your own age after 30. Or maybe this happens when you have kids and their birthdays and holiday gifts are all that matter. 

Melissa has been telling me that I need to figure out what I want for Christmas because her family is exchanging names this year on Thanksgiving. So I need to be ready to put what I want on a slip of paper next to my name. I started to think about it and I got the same feeling that I really don't want anything.

Then it came to me, an Amazon Kindle. Ever since Amazon released their Kindle app for the iPhone I found myself reading a lot of books on my phone.  Melissa is a professor and she always thought that every college student would eventually have a Kindle. When Amazon first released it I thought it was too expensive and people wouldn't want to carry around a device just for reading. I have to admit that I was wrong. There is something powerful about having 10+ books with you all the time in your pocket. From now on I will always look to purchase the digital version of books that I want to read. Also, the digital versions are usually 30% to 40% cheaper. Reading text only books on the iPhone is great but it would be nice to have a larger screen for books with diagrams and illustrations.

So we will have to see if Santa thinks I've been naughty or nice. Even though they lowered the price it's still too expensive for the gift exchange. Melissa said I should just ask for an Amazon gift card, but gift cards aren't that fun to open up on Christmas especially when you know that all you are getting is a plastic card. However, that plastic card is fun the day after Christmas.

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32 Years Old and Life is Good

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I woke up this morning thinking that I was turning 33 years old.  My wife then corrected me and told me that I was actually 32 years old today.  I thought, BONUS! I gained a year of my life on my birthday. That's probably the best present that I could have received.  Actually, this just shows that once you turn 30 you stop thinking about your age because you don't want to think about the fact that you are not young anymore and each year you are getting older. 

So instead of thinking about getting old I looked back on the past year.  The highlight of the past year was watching Sarah grow up into a 1 year old (her birthday was yesterday, another birthday present for me).  She is almost taking her first steps and is talking up a storm even though you can understand what she is saying yet.  It's been amazing to watch her grow and see how she has brought so much joy to our family over the past year.  Emma is also growing up into a "big girl".  She has learned how to swim on her own and is starting to learn how to read and write as kindergarten approaches next year.  Family is the most important thing in life.

There has also been some down times over the past year but I won't dwell on those and actually those negatives are turning into positives. The end of year 31 for me has also been a time of enlightenment and personal growth.  I see this continuing into the next year as I pursue professional and personal opportunities for myself and my family. I told Melissa that I think 32 is my lucky number because that was my high school basketball jersey number. I have a feeling it's going to be a good year. 

I would also like to thank my wife Melissa for sharing another year of her life with me.  She has been the love of my life and will always be my soul mate. Not because it was predestined but because she challenges my soul and makes me a better person. I couldn't imagine going through this journey with anyone else but her.
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