Allred/Berry Family Pictures

My awesome friend

-Andrea Wanlass-

took our Family Pictures this weekend

and here is a sneak at what she did.

(p.s. - last time we took Family Pics Hannah was a newborn

...8 years ago!

About time?

I'd say so!)

I love my family.

More to come.

Thanks Andrea!

Here is her info if you are interested...

...and you SHOULD be!

Facebook

Email

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Contact her.

You won't regret it!

One Year Later

One year has come and gone...

...and nobody can believe it.

April 29, 2009

You might be asking what happened on this day.

No, we did not get engaged on this day.

No, we did not get married this day.

No, we did not start dating this day...(well sort of).

And no, I am not crazy for celebrating all the little things.

This day was the day Nik returned home from serving an honorable

and

full time mission in Tokyo Japan.

This day was the day all of us, family and friends, had one huge smile

plastered on our faces.

This day was the day that a son, brother, boyfriend, and friend

returned home after 749 LONG days away.

This day was the day I felt I was living in a dream.

(as I'm sure many others felt too)
This day was the day I had been waiting 3.5 years for.

Let me show you this day...

...the few pictures I have on this laptop.

Okay, well I had a few more pictures to put up
but my computer wouldn't load them.
I will update this post if I can get them up here.

Thank you, Nik, for doing such a great job

over in the lands of Japan.

Thank you for being such a great example.

This day was a special one for so many.

We all love you.

p.s. I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend.

Arizona...Here We Come!!!

Nik and I have made the decision that it is time for us to come HOME! We have enjoyed this adventure of being newlyweds in Utah...but our journey up here has come to an end. 

Maybe it is more me than him....but we want to be home with friends and family. We want to be home with the desert. We want to be home to the place we have lived our whole lives. 

But there is one little pit stop on the way...San Diego!

Next month we will be heading to San Diego for a summer job. Nik will be selling Pest Control and I will be working in the office taking care of the appointments and paperwork for that company. I am excited for a change but to still be working in an office. I love the office job. I am excited to be working with Nik. Nik's best friend Josh got him an interview with the company and luckily we were hired on. Now we get to spend the summer with friends! Josh and Kylee did this same thing last year and enjoyed it. We look forward to the great opportunities it can bring. Living in San Diego in the summer is going to be AWESOME!

Then in August we will leave San Diego and head back to ARIZONA! I couldn't be happier. Sometimes you just have to go with what feels right...and this totally does!

There is one thing Nik and I will not agree on.....being sad about leaving our jobs up here. Yes, he has been so blessed to have a Full Time job but it was just one of "those" J.O.B.s. = Just Over Broke. He is happy to get out of there and do something he WANTS to do. As for me...I am going to miss my boss and his awesome family. They really took us in under their wings. I felt immediately like family. They had us over for their family Independence Day party, an Office Christmas Party (which was only Nik and I and their kids all playing RockBand 2. It was so FUN!), and then they had us over for The Superbowl. It was so fun to be around little kids. Their 2 youngest are the same ages as my 2 youngest sisters. They are so cute. Paul also helped Nik and I move into our 2nd apartment, helped us after the deer accident with towing, and picking me up at home for work when Nik was at school with the car. I am going to miss Paul (my boss) and Mary (his wife). They were so nice. It helps when you love your job to have a great boss. Thank you Paul and Mary.

Well....now the word is out. Hopefully you are all as excited as we are! We can't wait to COME HOME!!!! 

Let's have a party when we get there! K? K!

The In-Laws

I married into a wonderful family.

 I am so happy that my Mother-In-Law is not the "typical" MIL in most jokes.

 She is so nice and sweet and I can tell she genuinely cares about me.

As a late Christmas present/Vday gift, my Mother and Father-In-Law

 sent Nik and I a gift card to Carrabba's.

 We love that place!

Randee (my Mother-In-Law)

 always talks about how much she loves this specific dish...

and I believe it is the Pollo Rosa Maria. I think that is it.

 I decided to take her word on it and ordered it....

AND IT WAS AMAZING!

 I thought I wouldn't like it when I saw there was no red sauce in the dish...

but it was so delicious.

 It is a chicken breast stuffed with cheese and then a mushroom sauce over it.

Whether that is the dish she loves or not, it was so good!

You all should try it the next time you are there.

Then...Nik's Grandma - Nanu - is so sweet and makes me smile and laugh all the time.

 I am so blessed to have another awesome grandma in my family.

Every...and I mean EVERY holiday

she sends out a holiday card with some little goodie inside.

For Vday she sent a cute card with a gift card to the theatres so Nik and I could have a night out.

And she always personalizes the cards.

L.O.V.E

THEN....we get another card last week and so I thought

 She must have forgotten she already sent us a card

 becuase it was in a red envelope.

 I open it up...and it is a card for the Chinese New Year with her wishing us a

Happy Chinese New Year.

SO CUTE!

And I guess it is good luck to give people a dollar...

so she sent both Nik and I one.

How stinkin adorable is that?!?!

 I love getting random cards.

 They let Nik and I know that people are thinking about us and they love us.

There are many more examples

 but these are a few that really brightened our days recently.

Thank you, my wonderful family I married into!

Thank You, Mamma.

"I see my mother kneeling with our family each day.

I hear the words she whispers as she bows her head to pray.

Her plea to the Father quiets all my fears,

And I am thankful love is spoken here.

Mine is a home where ev’ry hour is blessed by the strength of priesthood pow’r,

With father and mother leading the way,

Teaching me how to trust and obey;

And the things they teach are crystal clear,

For love is spoken here."

My Mother is such a wonderful woman. The past 8 months of being married and starting the new chapter of my life in a totally different state has really opened my eyes to the lady my Mom has molded me into.

For 18 years I lived with her (and my whole family of course) and in those 18 years when I would need her, I would have to search the house to find her. Countless times her bedroom door would be shut so I would knock. It would be silent and I would knock again. Thinking she couldn’t hear me because she was in the back of the room or in the bathroom, I would quietly let myself in…and there she would be kneeling on her side of the bed with her hands clasped together, her eyes closed, and her head down. Sometimes she would softly turn to me and ask what I needed or she would say “just a minute” and at that time I would quietly back out of the room. She would finish her prayer and come out of the room to find me a few minutes later.

There were also many times on Saturday and Sunday mornings I would wake up later than usual and find her at the kitchen table eating breakfast while reading her scriptures. I wouldn’t really see this on the weekdays as I was always to school super early…but I imagine she would follow the same routine through out the whole week.

Now I am married. I moved out of AZ. I have my own habits to form and I see how she has influenced my life. I find myself doing things without even thinking about it and then when I’m done I realized my mom would do that same thing.

Thank you, Mom, for doing the right things…because I follow your footsteps without even thinking about it. I am so blessed to have a wonderful example in you.

I was never good at reading the scriptures on my own growing up. I just couldn’t find the time/make the time to sit down and read. When I would try to read, randomly, I wouldn’t understand it very well. I have always had a problem reading and understanding that language of the ancient prophets…but things are changing.

Nik and I wake up EARLY for him to get to school on time and I am left with a few hours until I have to get to work. I watch The Today Show every morning and use to sit and watch it until I had to leave…but I wanted to start habits to better me, my family, and my future. I decided to read my scriptures while eating my breakfast every morning just as my Mom would do. It is so wonderful. I don’t fall asleep like I would when reading them in my bed. I understand what they are saying and I can actually follow the stories. I get so excited when I learn something new. And I am so happy to have found the time to dedicate.

Thank you, Mom, for teaching me. Even though I might not have done everything you taught me when I was young, it’s catching up with me now and I want you to know you are a special woman in my life. You are my best friend, my example, and my Mother.

“Today you have been the Mom I needed you to be.” (From Michael McLean’s song “Lullaby For Me”) I love you, Mom.

Look Back at 2009. April - July

Nik is home after serving an honorable & faithful 2 year LDS Mission in Tokyo Japan. April 29, 2009.

Our first hug in over 2 years.

Melissa and James got married May 30, 2009 and Nik and I were able to be there for them!

We were sealed (married) in the Mesa, AZ Temple for Time and All Eternity June 10, 2009.

Over at Paul and Mary's Family Party for Independence Day.

Out to Fireworks with Josh and Kylee.

Nik found Waldo!

Waiting for the Midnight Showing of HP6. Kinda bored?? Yep.

The Homecoming of Nik's Mission President...President Hill...

And his Mission Mom...Sister Hill.

Look Back at 2009. August-December

Out to Sushi with part of the Fam. We had a FEAST!

Our campsite...in our own little Living Room!

Hobo Dinners

Making S'Mores.

Out at Tucano's with Melissa and James. Great food. Awesome friends.

My first Homemade Apple Pie!!!

We began coupon clipping. We get 5 of the same Newspapers every Sunday. Crazy, yes.

First Haircut. Before.

After

Out to see New Moon on Thanksgiving Day with Amy and Sam.

Decorating Christmas Cookies with Christa and Camron.

In front of the Bellagio in Vegas!

Nik and I on the pier in Oceanside, CA.

Wonderful Families

This past holiday season...or rather the last 6 months has really filled my heart with gratitude. I am thankful for many things...but to list a few:

The family I was born into.
They helped make me the woman I am today.
I am sealed to them forever and ever and I couldn't be happier.
My dad has always been a strong father to lean on and he has my best interest in mind at all times.
My mom is my best friend. She is someone who will just listen to me and not give advice to "help" because at times I don't want it...I just want ears to talk to.
Caren is my little sister who has been there for me through everything. We have a lot of common intersts...i.e. a nice truck with a beautiful sound system. ;)
Baylee makes me smarter everytime I see her. She always has some piece of random trivia to share with everyone. She is so smart!
Hannah keeps me on my toes. She is always making me laugh and says the most random clever things.
I love them all.

The family I married into.
They stood by me the whole 2 years Nik was gone.
They accept me for who I am.
I can feel their love for me.
Brian has made me feel like family as his second daughter since Nik and I started dating.
Randee is so fun to talk to. She is a great mother to Nik and everyone that comes into her home. I love not having to fear my Mother-in-Law. :) She is great!
Jake is such a big brother figure. He has always been so kind to me.
Amy is another sister that I love. She is so fun to talk to and I am so happy to have another sister so close to my age.
Sam is a crazy fun little boy that keeps everyone moving. I have never had a brother so it has been fun to watch him grow up these last 4+ years.

The family Nik and I created.
It has been so fun to live with and be married to my best friend.
We have had so many laughs together as we try to get this married thing down.
Nik is a wonderful husband (as cliche as that sounds). He makes me laugh so hard and he watches out for me. He holds me when I'm sick. He drives me around in the snow. He opens the doors for me. He is amazing and treats me the way that every girl dreams.

I was talking to Nik about this on our long drives this last week...and I find it amazing how our families are so awesome! Nik has always felt like a part of my family and every member of my family shows it. I was telling him how blessed I am to marry into a family that takes me under their wings like their own. I haven't had to worry about any In-Law problems. I love them so much. I know that Nik and I were meant to be together and because of our choices to get married and sealed in the Temple we have been blessed in so many ways.

I love my life!

If You Can Laugh Through It, You Can Live Through It.

This is an oldie but a goodie.

I was about 6 years old, making Carrot (my sis Caren) 3 years old. It was a summer day so my dad was at work and my mom was stuck with us kids all day. She had to get ready for the evening or something like that so she picked up McDonald’s to keep us occupied and fed while she took a shower and got ready. Would you like to know what I had in my Happy Meal?? My family could tell you because this is what the whole story revolves around. I had Chicken McNuggets. YUM!

My mom headed into her bedroom to get ready and Carrot and I sat in the kitchen at the table eating our Happy Meals. I was a little bored and decided it would be fun to take a piece of Chicken McNugget and stick it up Carrot’s nose just to try to get it out later. She didn’t fuss, didn’t push away, didn’t fight at all…she LET me do it! She might have been 3 but I was only 6…so heck, we didn’t know any better. Haha.

I shoved a piece up here nose, just in the front part of the nostril, and then the part I was looking forward to the most was suppose to happen next – getting the nugget out. Hello! Operation was a game I was VERY good at. So as she sat there in the chair I ran around the kitchen getting forks, butter knives, toothpicks, and even tweezers from the bathroom. I tried and tried for a long time. I was using all those tools to try to get it out, I even made her blow out her nose while I pushed the unclogged nostril shut. That didn’t help either! I was beginning to panic because I knew my mom would not be happy with this.

After enough time went by and Carrot just sitting there patiently, I decided to knock on my mom’s door for help. She yelled through the door to find out what the matter was and I yelled back through “Caren stuck a chicken nugget up her nose and now it’s stuck!”

My mom came rushing out of her room and went straight for Carrot. She tried everything too and all it did was push the nugget up even further. She decided it would be best to rush her to the Cigna Healthcare for help. We got there and from what I remember, Carrot was just fine…other than the fact she had a clogged nugget-nostril. The nurse stuck a suction hose up to her nose and it pulled that nugget right out!!! WHEW!!!

Now, I did not confess to my mom that I was the one that actually put it up her nose until about 3 years ago. All this time she thought it was Carrot and it was so funny. Now whenever Chicken McNuggets are brought up, the family always gives me crap about it. Hahaha but it brings up good laughs.

As my subject lines says “If you can laugh through it, you can live through it” I am laughing and living…and I sure hope Carrot is now. Hahaha Poor girl. Word to the wise, never leave kids alone with chicken nuggets. :)