25:29!

this past weekend, while up at berry for mountain day, nathan and i, along with our whole crew of buddies, ran in a 5k. it was a blast running berry's campus like i did as a student, plus it was fun to get active with my friends! (most of our hangouts involve lots of food and most of it on the not so healthy side:) ). to top it all off, i had an awesome time that i was quite proud of- 25:29! 

far up in the hills of georgia stands old berry tried and true...

so this weekend, we loaded up the edge and headed up to sweet sweet berry. i loved by days at berry. they were full of learning, friends, outside, memories, coffee, and growth. 

each october, we return for mountain day- an age old tradition to pay homage to miss martha berry, the found of the college. its hard to believe that my first mountain day was 6 years ago....

christina, erin, and i our freshman year.

so how mountain day works  is that it is really a whole weekend. on friday, the dorms compete in an annual olympics. each dorm has a secret theme with tshirts and its just a blast. friendship (my dorm) always went way beyond just tshirts and did whole themes. freshman year, as can be seen above, we were girl scouts, complete with cookies that we gave out.

sophomore year, we were a baseball team, complete with jerseys and bags of popcorn.

me & erin

erin & lyd

our class :)

junior year, we were a naval fleet, aka the "friend ship" kind of lame, but we had fun.

and finally, senior year, we had some green recycling theme going on. kind of crazy.

 then, on saturday, everyone goes up to the mountain for a picnic and the grand march. a strange old tradition, we basically line up and march down a hill, giving our age in pennies to the president in a basket as a gift. we march down, then come down in pairs, then come down in fours, then eights, and finally 16 across. its a big deal to be a senior, because typically, there are only enough boys to hold hands with the senior girls, and everyone else ends up holding hands with girls. its a fun tradition, and once we get down to the bottom in 16, we sing the alma mater and the class president gives the president the pennies. and that's the grand march! its a lot of fun, as crazy as it sounds. oh, and one other thing you will see below, there's a dress code. well, more of a color code. underclassman women wear pink, underclassmen guys wear blue, senior girls wear blue, and senior guys wear white. here's some pics throughout the years:

sophomore year

me, christina, and our friend amory

one of our first pics together :)

me and christina- marching!

me and erin

junior year!

getting ready to march- me, lyd, christina, and erin

trying to keep up!

finally seniors!

check it out...boys!

the beginnings of the march

not sure if you can tell but i'm giving my pennies

we got to hold hands with  boy!

lydia never would march- but she took lots of pics!

lydia capturing the commotion

needless to say, it was always a good time. this year, we met up again to watch the march and enjoy remembering the glory days.

this year, me, christina, eli, nathan, and graham

christina, lydia, erin, and me

nathan and his friend adam

and here's our alma mater:

far up in the hills of georgia stands old berry tried and true
the shrine of many a memory of the silver and the blue
our loyalty and love we pledge
God keep thee without fail
behold the light
that shines for right
alma mater hail all hail!

pictures & memories

so in spite of the last few days being incredibly (and sweetly) busy, i have found myself spending a good deal of time reminiscing. yesterday, mom and i met with my wedding photographer to FINALLY order some wedding prints. i know, just two years late right?! as we poured back over hundreds of images, a flood of memories rushed back. while i know that i have previously blogged about our wedding here and here , i mention it just to say that it brought back a lot of memories. and, i cant wait to get these new prints. in addition to that occasion, my friend erin posted 103 images that showed why her life was great. i made it in a few of them, but it made me realize and think back over the last few years of all the sweet moments i've had. finally, tonight, i joined nathan for a going away party for his old youth pastor, and got to meet a lot of his old friends from high school.

so, it has left me in a nostalgic mood. funny how when these moods hit you remember the oddest things. as we drove home, i was asking him when he knew i was "the one" and other questions about when we dated. it was so sweet to hear his side- and cool because some of the things he was telling me i hadn't heard before.

now we're home and i'm looking over old pictures. i thought i would share just a few glimpses of what makes my life great. i'm wanting to come up with a way to incorporate things i'm thankful for into this blog. not silly things like pumpkin pie, but meaningful things. be watching for a new feature on here- i'll be blogging more about that later this week.

but without further ado, here are some pictures (some quite entertaining) for your viewing pleasure. little moments that have had some sort of impact- and friends, family, and my true love, all of whom have helped make me who i am today.



my days at berry in friendship hall were so sweet. this was sophomore year (the sophomore girls) before the mountain day olympics. how fun those days were.



my best friend growing up, kk & i have shared many secrets, stories, and years together. while in college, we took a shopping trip with our moms up to the mall of america. kk was in my wedding, and a year later i was in hers. it was cool to think that the days we had dreamed about 16 years prior were actually happening- and we were next to each other just like we thought we would be

dorothy is the wife of garland, the director of the winshape college program which i was a part of while at berry. she was such a huge influence & encouragement to me while i was under their watch. because of our affection & appreciation for both garland & dorothy, we did our premarital counseling with them, and had garland officiate our wedding. dorothy is someone i will always look up to, value, and love. we miss the time we get to spend with them since we are not in rome any more, but are grateful for the impact they have made, and any chance we get to see them.



this was my sweet papa (dad's dad) when we went to the beach one year. papa passed away right before i got married from a long battle with Alzheimer's. what i wouldnt give for one more back porch chat, one more visit to the beach, one more chance to get to be with this man. i am grateful that i was old enough to know papa and remember him. he was a great guy who raised a great son (my dad). pictures like this remind me of how thankful i am to have known him.




i love traditions.  i mean, really. i'm not much for change & new, but i love old & meaningful. this picture was snapped at my senior mountain day while participating in the grand march with two friends from freshman year (christina & ty). if you dont know about the march, you are missing out. i loved that one of the ways i celebrated my senior year was a way that seniors at berry had been celebrating for almost 100 years. and i love that i had friends that stayed with me all along the way.




sweet han! my little sister is awesome. while i haven't blogged about her yet (her birthday isnt until january), she is one super incredible girl. this is us one year out in breckenridge skiing (maybe 4 years ago?). she is so cool. she is brave, generous, thoughtful, and a blast to be with (except early in the morning- but whos fun then anyways?). i love being a big sister, and i love having a little sister. so much so that i made her my maid of honor. shes the best.




crazy critter! my other brother (whom i also havent blogged about because his birthday isnt until february) is one of the funniest people i know. clearly, by this picture. critter is only a few years younger than me, and while we fought when we were little, i'm loving that we are turning into friends as we become adults. critter always has a story and a way to make you smile. he is also the most dependable person i know. i can always count on critter to help me with anything. even if its just a good laugh :)



this little girl (and the little guy in the background) are two of my favorite kids. sophie & calvin are dorothy & garlands kids, and my senior year i babysat (ok, it was more like play time than any sort of work). my last night babysitting with them, i brought stuff to make funfetti cupcakes and some craft stuff to make frames. we took lots of pictures, ate lots of cupcakes, and i cried when i left. i love these kids. sadly, i dont get to see them much, and they dont remember me too well because they were so young, but i will always remember them. i mean, look at that chocolately smile framed with cute curls- could you forget that?! :)

this was a sweet moment while i was getting ready for my wedding. while i had gotten my toes done the day before, i, being the klutz that i am, stubbed a toe and chipped some paint. my grammie was there with white polish in tow to fix it up- and it gave me a few minutes to spend with her in the middle of the hustle and bustle. grammie is awesome. she is a strong woman and i look to her often. shes pretty cool.

yes, the big D. how cute is he?!



my college friends. what great girls these are. our senior year, we went on a retreat to the beach and enjoyed some pictures in the sand. and yes, i can get some major ups. erin, christina, lydia, and i had many great moments together, and continue to enjoy each others company.



and last but definitely not least is my best friend ash. this girl is incredible. she is there for me even when i have no words. our senior year, we passed on the new york senior trip and instead went to disney with my family. we had a blast- she had never been before. i love that we have grown from high school crazies to college girls to now married women and have stayed friends and allowed our friendship to evolve in each stage. i love that we can do things just the two of us (like our girls get away to ft lauderdale a few months ago) and with our husbands. and i love that our husbands have become friends. ash is pregnant now (yay!!!!) and so i am excited to see this new transition in our friendship- from married women with no kids, to best friends that are moms (well, at least one of us). i am so excited for ash. i want the world for her, and i truly thank God every day for the amazing friend He has provided in her.

so there you have it. a mish mash of good times and good people. not everyone was covered here (including mom, dad, mimi, grandaddy, my cousins, my husband, my work friends, and many more) nor were all my favorite places for memories (albania, lebanon, curtain bluff, my honeymoon, and many more) but this is just a start.

what are some of your favorite memories?

if you know me, what are some of your favorite memories with me? i'd love to hear!