Family Vacation

The Berry Family took our summer vacation together in Garden City this past week.


Ella- such a snuggler

My Love ....

Allie Elizabeth- 3 months old and too precious

Potty time


She's got a drinking problem.... with root beer :)

Coley Berry & Allie

Boone and Back Again...To Boone That Is!

We finally had an opportunity to head back to the mountains!

We headed up on Monday with a group of sixth graders that will be coming into the youth group during the summer. We wanted to get to know them better and help make their transition a little easier. We took them on some hikes at our favorite places- Elk River Falls & Hunt Fish Falls. They loved it and were such a wonderful group of students.

John and I really wanted time to go back and visit friends and youth and boy did we visit!

some 'ladies' who came to eat some dinner with us at Chick-Fil-A

Jenny, Kim & I

I really miss this lady:( ....Lisa is the best!

Fellas & Yancey!

Rock Band With Jenny & Adam

Justin & Tyler...pretty special fellas!

Luke & Amy! We hadn't seen them since we moved...it had been too long...an engagement & a new position in ministry!

Cafe Portofino...Ahh...I miss that place! (visit #1)

John playing with his old team for the night.

Portofino # 2 with Jenny & Adam

Sara & Peyton

LaShae & her sweet baby Bailey

Las Senoritas.....me amo mucho!

the boys and their girls....such good dogs!

We love Boone- the memories & the fun times. God has us in a new place now, but we do miss it!

John's adventures...

John has had his own adventures while I've been gone. John performed his very first wedding this weekend while I was with my family. While I hated being away and not being able to join the Berry family John sent me some little pics to show me all his fun he was having with our nieces.

The beautiful bride...Tiffany Alverson Nicholson

Ella with her two Johns- Papa John & Uncle John... I really think she's saying 'Pepu', her name for me, in this picture.

John & Allie...isn't she so little and sweet.

BEACH BUMming

My love for the beach has grown and grown as the years have gone by. Now that we are only a couple of hours from the beach I'm enjoying it even more. This week though marks a rare occasion in my life. I have only been on 2 other 'family' vacations in my life. This might be what drives me so hard towards the desire to set traditions with my family- pictures, traditional family trips.... other things that surely bother others because I am so adamant about it...but hey you don't know what it's like to not have it when you've had it your entire life. I truly value the experiences and the memories of it. No taking it for granted here.

Knowing it was a HuGe birthday for Nana, we wanted to celebrate in a special way. Wanda, my aunt, decided she would get us a condo at the beach and we could spend the week together soaking up the sun. Now I've been teased quite a bit about my inability to narrow down my clothing choices when packing for a vacation. But maybe after seeing this picture of the luggage for the 3 of us everyone will understand that I picked up this special attribute of packing from my family! I typically get teased at how much I "need" when i am going on a vacation. It reminds me of our trip to Israel...I'll post about that packing job later! Anyway....we had MORE than we might ever need to say the least!

We made our way to Pawley's Island, south of Garden City Beach in about 3 hours from Fayettnam and I was so excited.

We stayed at Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort and I totally could have lived in our condo. It was awesome.

We spent most of our week sleeping, reading, at the pool, at the beach and eating & shopping. Laid back and relaxed! It was a great time! I'm so glad we did it! We have made memories we will never forget.

HER blooming onion!

Her Birthday Icecream!

Hitting the beach!

Nana & her book on the beach.

Wanda sporting a hat I would NEVER let her buy!

Nana & I at the Original Benjamin's...YUMMO!

Nana with her plate from Abuelo's ...she reminded the waitress that she got the Senior plate..supposedly with smaller portions!

My new hat! I really like it.

SeVenTy.....

My Nana turned 70...SeVeN decades of being alive....She was born when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president, a stamp cost 3 cents, and World War II was beginning. She experienced the effects of the war when she had to move to her Grandma's house at the age of 2 with her youngest brother and her other 3 brothers, all older than her, went to stay with an Aunt so that her mom could go to Baltimore, Maryland to work in a factory for military products. She specifically remembers hearing that WWII was over on the family radio and everyone ran outside when they heard the planes flying overhead. She recalls ' everyone cheering and crying' because the end had come.

She's raised two daughters...3 if you add me into the equation. From the time that I was 8 until I moved away to college at 18, I was taken care of by my Nana.

She taught me to clean, bargain shop, cook, drive, & gosh so many more things that I don't have time to list. She's taught me so much in my life that I know I've really taken it for granted. She's given up so much in her life to be my care giver...I'm grateful. One thing she shared with me that I am most grateful for is her belief in an amazing SAVIOR. I remember her making me be at church ' every time the door was open'.

Nana & her 2 Babies

Here's to Nana. An amazing lady who has loved me very much!