My Initiation to Become a North Carolinian

In an effort to embrace my new home state and impress my husband and his crazy brother, I agreed to camp out in the sub 30 degree, windy Boone weather. Ok ok, camping was my idea, but that was before I knew there was snow in the forecast! The decision was made and there was no turning back. With my new cold weather head gear and fierce determination, I set out to prove my stuff. Once the fire was going and the promise of a very high tech sleeping bag was only a few steps away, I was content in my foreign surroundings. We stood around the fire and told stories and Jason shared some of his experiences from when he through-hiked the Appalachian Trail. SO MUCH FUN!

About 10:30 the snow was coming down in a flurry, but we couldn't really see if it was sticking...

Jason has some mad skills with night time camping photo taking!

Love these two pictures!

In the morning we awoke to a magical winter wonderland! That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was beautiful to me. I unzipped our wonderful Mountain Hardware tent (Thank you Ma, Papa, Mom, and Dad!) to discover a little dusting of snow around the perimeter. Jason quickly handed me a snowball and started taking pictures. Patrick was not so eager to wake up and unwrap himself from his cozy sleeping bag.

So, I survived! It's official - I am a North Carolinian (since my NC driver's license clearly was not sufficient)! Next up - hiking to the top of Table Rock and camping up there... Apparently that takes the cake when it comes to snow camping around here.

p.s. I can't wait for everyone to come up here for Christmas, New Year's, and Judah's birthday!!!! We've ordered SNOW, so unless it turns out like my bridesmaid dress for Lindsey's wedding, we should be Golden!

Four Months

Today marks the four month mark since our wedding. This morning before I was even out of bed Patrick had driven to the gas station to fill up my tank before he headed out to work. Those little guestures of love and care make me thank God for him. He is the champion of my heart!Even with all the business of the weekends and trips here and there, we still are able to stop and take time to appreciate and serve one another. I am beginning to realize that every decision I make now can either make me closer to him or pull me away from him. The benefit of making the correct decision is priceless. Marriage is such a great earthly example of how our relationship with God works.

We have been riding bikes more often with the beautiful weather, and football season means Appalachian State games. Upcoming we have a trip to Raleigh to see U2 in concert with Jason and Edyth, Patrick's 10 year high school reunion, ASU homecoming, and Lindsey's wedding in D.C. Funny how I thought things would slow down after the summer ended - not the case. But was are happy and looking forward to the possibilities ahead. I have started volunteering with the Hickory Museum of Art (an impressive institution for a town the size of Hickory) which I really hope will plug me in a little more to the community here.

We are still hoping to find a church where we can serve and worship, but since we are very rarely home on the weekends the quest has been slow-going. Stay tuned...

August Adventures

August has been a busy but fun month. Saturday night we went out for a nice dinner to celebrate 3 months of being married. We found this great new little place downtown called "Josh's". It's awesome! Best creme brule I've had in a long time! We reflected on the summer and all of the discoveries, surprises, changes, and adjustments. Yes- We are still loving married life!

A few weeks ago we joined the Lieths for a little adventure in Lake Lure, which - for those of you who have seen the movie - is where "Dirty Dancing" was filmed. We were so disappointed to find that the old resort burned down and new stuff has been built in its place. But it was still fun to see the beach and the golf course. That happens to be a favorite movie of all the Lieth ladies, so it was a fun little touristy thing to do. Chimney Rock was right there on the way so we spent the rest of the rainy afternoon shopping around and seeing the sights.

FYI: It costs $14 per person to go up to Chimney Rock now! We passed on the expense and just observed from a distance. We were glad about our decision when a huge lightning storm started lighting up the sky.

Morgan, Samantha, and Beckie

Big Smiles

Hickory, NC, has a baseball team called the Crawdads. For fun we joined Jackson and Jen to go see a game the other night. Once again weather was a bit of a downer. I swear that I felt hail on the run back to the car before the 2nd inning was even over. As you can see, this was no quick summer shower...

Yesterday we celebrated Silas' first Price Park picnic, a Berry family tradition on summer Sundays. He was all set to wander around, check out the creek, and eat whatever anyone would feed him - the kid has a large appetite! He's so much fun and I am proud to have another nefew. Patrick has decided that he want to be called Uncle POTUS, so we tried to teach Silas. His response was to blow his lips making that Phbltt! sound. It was so funny!

September is looking pretty busy with a trip to TN for Labor Day, where we will hang out with Jake, Amber, and Emma. Then we have a bunch of stuff at AppState, and Judah and Kim's wedding... Can't wait to see everyone!

Saying Goodbye to a Dear Friend - Bev

This morning Patrick learned that his dear friend Beverly passed away after a long valiant battle against Cancer. She was a very special lady with a zeal for life that few ever find. We called her Patrick's "BMW Girlfriend" since it was their mutual love for the car that brought their paths together. She brought laughter into every conversation and made each moment of her life count. Below is the email Patrick wrote to a few after he found out. Please pray for the family and for Patrick. She will be Greatly missed by all who had the privilage of knowing her.

Sad Morning to you all, I just received this email concerning my close friend Bev. She has passed away and her services are to be held next week. I sit here, just waking up and not being able to see through my tears. Bev was a woman that defined reality, lived life, and brought peace to all of those around her. It sounds cheesy, but we met because of a car. She overcame her first stint with her cancer and got herself a reward, a beautiful red BMW z3. She has now lost her fight, but has won the war! I know she was a believer and now IS a witness to the mighty hand of God! Oh, how I envy her being able to sit beside her Father and praise him. You may remember Bev from your meeting her at the Asheville celebration for Chesed and I. She sat in the rockers and reveled in the bluegrass music.

I met Bev at BMW Homecoming in 2006 on Labor Day weekend. It is now 3 years later and it is amazing the loss I feel. She was a great lady. I find it one of my life's greatest blessings for her to have met my wife, Chesed Berry, during her last public outing before she went into assisted care. Many of you hear me discuss greatness, leadership, and changing the world. I find my inspiration in God and people like Bev Bruce. She rocked the world out. As this life was trying to put her down, she brought life into others. There is no greater joy than to have finished well. Bev finished WELL! Please pray for her family, her friends, and if you feel so inclined to attend a portion of the celebration, please let me know.

Finally, there are so many times like this in life where we can ask "why?" and God calls us to celebrate and change lives. I ask you to find a person, people, group, or something; and serve them, love them, and hold them. Do this weekly! God does it daily! I love each of you very dearly and thank you for your influence in my life and the future life with my wife!

-Patrick

So Berry Happy!

I've been working on printing off some photos from our wedding for the guests at our Asheville reception. Even now, 4 1/2 weeks later, I get tears in my eyes. Everyone told me it would be like a dream and go by so quickly -they were right! It's amazing to see pictures from the day I dreamed of all my life. It really happened and it really was perfect. I want to thank each and every one of you for all the help to make it happen.

The honeymoon was equally as great. Thank God the air conditioner was working again in our Henderson Inn room :)! When we arrived after the reception, it took us some time to unwind, eat, and cool off. We stood out on the balcony for a bit and talked through our thoughts and feelings about the day. We didn't want to miss a thing or rush through the evening after the hectic - but really fun - reception. Amelia Island was amazing, and I recommend that everyone take a vacation there. Our time in Charleston was packed with moments that we will remember forever.

Can I tell you how amazing my husband is and how much I LOVE being married to him?! Seriously, no one told me how great it would be! Not only are we still soaking up the fact that we get to see one another on a regular basis (no more long-distance! Yea!), we learn more about eachother every day. I've never been so happy and content in my whole life. Yes, I miss family and friends, but at this unique time in our relationship, I am focusing on learning to love Patrick and becoming a family with him. I am a little more emotional than usual lately, crying at the thought of how blessed I feel. God has given me this gift, this amazing man who loves me back, and I am so grateful! He is everything I desired and more than I expected. I've realized that as a single person I really had no concept of what it's like to belong to someone and know that someone belongs to me. I had no way of knowing what it really meant to "be one" with another human being. It's comforting, safe, exciting, and adventurous.

We are looking forward to Deep Creek and are sad that not everyone will make it. Boo!

The Big Move

It's Friday in North Carolina. The sun is shining after a little mizzle rain. It's warm. It was not warm on Monday & Tuesday! It was cold! Summer was here, so she can vouch for that fact. I jokingly told Patrick, "I want to go back to Florida! It's cold here!"

The move went well, and Dad and I survived the horrific drive up. It was the perfect storm for me: It was pouring, dark, I was in a big truck on an unfamiliar route. Needless to say, I was relieved to pull into the hotel where we stayed in Columbus on Friday night. We were able to get into Hickory around lunch time on Saturday. The Berry's met us at a hole in the wall eatery for some BBQ. Dad was such a good sport about the whole thing. I know he was exhausted but he powered through, eventually falling asleep on the Berry's sofa during a chat.

Sunday we decided to take dad up the mountain to show him Blowing Rock, Footsloggers, and the Parkway. It was raining a bit and cold, but we had fun looking around and Dad got to meet Jason, Patrick's brother. Sunday afternoon Mike Lieth, one of the groomsmen, and his wife threw a fabulous shower! I got to meet more of the family, and we were so blessed by all the generous gifts! Becky is a wonderful hostess, and her daughters helped out, making it really special.

Summer came up on Sunday night. I honestly do not know how I would have done it all without her help! Summer is good at pretty much everything, but in the wedding shower/moving department she is exceptionally great! We went from boxes and furniture piled HIGH to everything having a place, a shelf, a drawer, a home. Patrick was really amazed, and his parent were even more amazed, I think! It really feels like a home, and with all the gifts, we are all set to enjoy life together! I'm especially well-outfitted to be a masterful cook! :) Have tu pull those skills back off the shelf from my old days at the Tea Room. Patrick enjoyed having Summer here, not only because of all her help but also because that meant he could sleep at his house instead of his parents. So, he got to enjoy my old bed in the guest room. We are both REALLY looking forward to sharing his big wonderful king-size bed in our married life :) But I'm sure ya'll don't all care to hear about that. HA ha!

On Wednesday the team at Transportation Insight (Patrick's workplace), led my Jennifer Maltba, held yet another awesome shower for us. Guess What!!!! We got a coffee maker! I think I did a little leap of joy when I realized what was in the box. They all got a kick out of how happy it made me.

Tomorrow we head back down to Destin in the Z3 - should be fun! :) Patrick bought a rack for the back so that we can have enough room to pack everything we will need for the week of the wedding and the honeymoon. We are so Happy. It's all very real, and we feel incredibly blessed. Every day we thank God for what he has done in our lives to bring us to this place.

4 Months Later...

I feel terrible for neglecting my blog, but - well - I've been a little busy. Wedding planning is an amazing process and for the most part, I've loved it! Here's a little timeline leading up to the wedding:

December 27 - Patrick asked me to marry him, and I said "yes".
December 31 - Spent New Year's Eve with Jason & Edyth
January 1 - We went skiing in Boone - So fun!
January 4 - I flew back to Florida
January 17 - Went to a Bridal Expo and won a free Engagement photo session
January 23-25 - Patrick came down for Esther's wedding and for our Engagement photos
February 6-8 - Mom Berry came down to check the place out and get ideas for Rehearsal Dinner
February 8 - Another Bridal Expo - I won some flowers, a dinner for two on the Solaris, and the girl next to me who goes to Shoreline won a wedding dress, which was awesome because she wasn't sure how she would be able to afford something like what she wanted. If it goes with her dress, she's going to be using my veil for her October wedding.
February 13-15 - Trip to ATL to meet in the middle and spend Valentine's Day with Summer and Josh. We also managed to register that weekend at Target, Dillards, and Crate & Barrel.
February 16 - March 26 - This was the 6 weeks of misery that we had to endure when we could not work out a weekend to see eachother. We learned that Skyping is pretty cool, but we don't like being apart!
Feburary 28 - Summer & Charis threw and awesome shower. Some old friends came who we haven't seen in years and it was just really fun. We are so blessed!
March 7 - Jake and Amber came down and we threw a shower for them
March 13-15 - Amber's Bachelorette weekend in New Orleans
March 26-29 - My trip to NC... Finally! We had a great time, but it was so busy with Banff Mountain Film Festival, A trip to Charlotte for a presentation, & a wedding shower that Edyth & Jason had for us! Again - we are so blessed!
April 9-12 - Patrick was in town. We had to make up for the 6 weeks :) He was here for Easter. We really just wanted to have some time together when things weren't so busy.
April 25 - Shara threw us a shower! It just keeps getting better and better!
April 30-May 3 - Trip to Jamaica for Jake & Amber's wedding!