Pssst... It's me... the blog hog!

I've got the daddy went back to work blues! 

Well ok, I'm not blue, no time for that, but it stinks..... EVERY TIME. I am used to our life & love all of our free time together, but I dread goodbye every time & it sneaks up so fast on us! So we hit the Rangers game. Rangers are doing AMAZING this year so far & guess what..... we went to a losing game! O-well, it was still fun & gave me baseball season fever. Can't wait to get some of the Amarillo kids out here for a game. As I sat at the stadium I thought about this time when my mom came down & brought TJ (little brother) & Chase (nephew-Darin's son) & Dustin did one of his spur of the moment, "I'm taking all the boys to a game.... we leave in 10 minutes" things. And I met him in the bedroom & expressed my appreciation of alone time w/ my mom but did he REALLY want to take 4 boys to the ballpark alone?? "Of course!" he says, "I'll give em each $ to walk around & eat junk food, they will love it." Well they all came back decked out in new Rangers gear & thrilled at their experience. Dustin was glowing. He said he found out neither TJ or Chase had ever been to a major league game & were mesmerized the entire game taking it all in. :) I think that day added some magic back for Nick as well, seeing things through someone elses eyes. Anyways, I love to imagine I am seeing or experiencing things for the first time. I think life is full of privileges we take totally for granted & I gotta say.. Dustin keeps us SOO busy, I hear myself complaining about bizarre things. I think if I had someone who lived with me that could manage everyday life I would be a little less of a Debbie Downer when Dustin announces "our" latest plans. (don't get me started!) Anyways... what a rambling road I just took you down all from "we went to a Rangers game!" ha ha! So back to the game! Nick got himself into some trouble so we could not take the boys as Peyton doesn't see games as magical but more as $30 cotton candy/hot dog feasts, & Nick lost the privilege of going so we took Dustin's best friend & his wife with us. Come to find out they had not been since they were kids themselves so it was awesome. 

Myself (Tina), Amy, Jon & my love Dustin (aka Big Daddy) at the Rangers Game

A Picture Dustin just got to me of Brandi & I at the finish line of our recent race! I'm tellin ya, it's ROUGH! 

So Sunday we sped down to Oklahoma City. Just in time for Dustin & the boys to worm themselves into the meet & greet with Joe Bonamassa while I took a nap in the car! ha ha! They must of passed the camera off to a kid to get their picture because it did not turn out so well. 

 None the less, here is Nick, Joe Bonamassa, Dustin & Peyton. Joe said he remembered them from the Austin show because there are not too many kid fans Peyton's age. ha ha! Peyton thought that was pretty cool & later doubted he REALLY remembered them, but I don't doubt it. Dustin is the king of impressions when he wants to & he even worked them onto "the street team" handing out stuff for Joe Bonamassa's crew! ha ha! 

So after my nap & their meet & greet we made a stop we feel impressed to do every time we are in Oklahoma City, at he Oklahoma City National Memorial. It is a beautiful reminder to me of how quickly life can be snatched out from under your feet. 

Nick & Peyton at the bombing memorial. 

After that, we FINALLY made it to our hotel so I could shower & coffee up (ha ha). Then we went to Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner before the show. 

Me & the boys before the show. I swear that is not my bra showing, it is my tank top! Wish Dustin had arranged me before taking this! ha ha!

Joe Bonamassa 

Joe Bonamassa

Well folks, needless to say the concert was great! Peyton was given the set list again. When we saw them at Austin City Limits, he was handed it there as well. The pianist (Rick) must have a soft spot for a little kid at a blues show because he spotted him again & handed it to him. 

Well, I am exhausted & counting the minutes until I can get away with throwing these boys into bed so I can throw myself into bed! ha ha! Busy week ahead. I'll save that business for my NEXT post! Ohhhh, the anticipation! ha ha! 

Love Girl's Day!!

I just LOVE this family.. Had a great tiime with Arian and Cassidy today getting pedicures, shopping and lunch... Never forget I love you all... Maybe Tina one day we will get to hang out again more than a few hours.. Hopefully someday I can convince Rich to go and visit before you up and move far away on us.. MISS MISS YOU!!  Rich says the Chantix is working but he is having some wierd dreams.. No killing anyone yet so stay positive on that one.. haha.. SEE YOU SOON!!

How is everyone?

Well, I told you Dustin keeps me busy! ha ha!
So, let's see what I can catch you all up on here in Berry-ville...
Dustin got home & we have had a wonderful productive time. He is working on cleaning up our security camera wiring, which has meant a few more holes in my house (hut-hummm) & lead to 2 more projects we now have going on around here... So he pulled EVERYTHING out of our Harry Potter closet set he could get access to the space between upstairs & downstairs which meant a HUGE mess.. You wouldn't believe how much I can fit into a closet under the stairs! ;) Found my long lost case of Styrofoam heads (craft time!!) 2 huge "gift" totes (things I picked up for "a gift" & lost in totes under the stairs! ha ha) about 50 photo boxes (yes, this kept me busy for 2 days) & lots of other crap. Realized that maybe 17 coats & 13 jackets could be over the top since I DO live in Dallas Texas. lol. So that brought on a much needed purge. Now we are transforming the Harry Potter closet into an organized pantry space & storage for my china, platters, rice cooker, waffle maker, ice cream machine, bread maker, food processor, dehydrator, juicer, spare blender, crab pot & crock pots! lol. Ahh, my kitchen though a mess seems liberated to not be trying to hide all that for me! I wish I had a before pic to show you, but I will post an after once I get it all done! The other project we also began was putting in some speakers around the downstairs. We operate our outdoor kitchen system on Sonos which is awesome because you can play ANY song you can want at anytime, all operated by our iPhones. (I don't understand it, but I love it!) So now once we finish up the inside speakers, we will have that same feature inside as well! Fun! Fun! We love music! A few snags though, yesterday Dustin fell off the ladder (he is ok, just sore, bruised & ticked off), accidentally had a cable tear which meant pulling it ALL out to re-run a new cable w/ all the others (huge bummer). And then his dental surgery was this morning as they had to reschedule it from last week after realizing his wisdom teeth would be a surgical pull. So he is all goofy & sleepy from pain meds today & getting much needed rest).
Boot camp is going great. Fringe lady turned out to be not so bad (hee hee). And I love having my workout done before I even get the kids up for school! My Warrior Dash was awesome as it always is! Dustin & Peyton cheered me on & I ran with a great friend Brandi. I couldn't stand the idea of not running in costume, so I made us last minute Warrior Princess skirts that had a few flaws in design (lol) One being that I left the strips on the war skirt too long so from time to time I found it looking more like a suede diaper from riding in between by legs! lol! Somehow we managed to both finish the race with the feather in our headbands too which we were sure we would loose immediately. Attaching a link to the "battleground" if your a runner you should check it out & see if one is going to be near you, it is so much fun!!Warrior Dash Course

 Brandi & I being silly after the race on the bus ride back to parking. (Dustin got pics of us before we were drug through the trenches, I'll have to steal those from him!)

My friend Candace & I after the run!

Big Daddy Cheering us on Warrior Style! ha ha!

Our friends wedding was gorgeous!

Dustin jumped in & played wedding coordinator, ha ha! He is so helpful! People didn't know who he was but they kept putting him in family pictures because he was so sweet! I love this guy!
Going away party we were supposed to host fell through, they ended up needing to move the majority of their stuff this weekend & Dustin leaves on Monday, so "O-well!" ha ha! We have tickets to go to Rangers game tomorrow night, guess we will just have to see how Dustin's mouth is feeling.
We will be in Oklahoma City Sunday night for the Joe Bonomassa concert with the boys & then back to work on Monday for Big Daddy. Boooo. Hope everyone is doing great! I get excited every time I get on here & see new posts & comments! xx Tina

A little update!!

Rich got his Chantix today!! Everyone keep your fingers crossed that this works because his health really depends on it!! Have a fantastic week everyone!! Can't wait to see everyone!!

Hola from the Valley of the Sun...

Well Hello,

It's Megan, the oldest of Richards crew. I have 2 younger brothers, John(16) & Kris(20). 

I work in a level one trauma hospital in Phoenix in the General OR as the Surgical coordinator. My job is intense, tough & stressful at times....other times it's a piece of cake & I LOVE what I do. I book all the cases that take place Sat, Sun & Monday, set up anesthesia, call  for & prepare the patient for surgery...(I'm the traffic control officer that makes sure the walls of the OR stay up for the 12 hours that I'm the right hand man) I try my hardest to keep everyone Happy, Healthy & ALIVE! 

I see small 5 minute hand cases all the way up to the worst of the worst Trauma you have ever seen, as in they come through the doors & straight to the OR. I learn new things everyday I'm at work but the number one lesson is to LIVE LIFE & Be Happy, you never know when your life will be effected in result of a mistake made by you or another human. PS, Never Drink & Drive, there are plenty of other ways to get to your destination without it being your Final destination...Now Moving on!   :)

I'm 26, my journey in life has placed me in Phx & I wouldn't change it. I live with my boyfriend Nicholas, we have been dating for 8 years. He is my great friend, knows my good side, crazy side & fun side. He brings out the best in me & loves me like crazy, nothing better I could ask for.

He just graduated the Art Institute of Phoenix with his Bach in Digital Media & Video production. 

I love dogs & hold a deep passion in my heart for the Pitbull breed. I think they are so misunderstood & have such a ugly & negative book cover. Nick & I have 3 of our own: Smokey, Marley & Hazy. 

I LOVE being with friends & family, laughing, crafting, doing new things & meeting new people.

Listening to music is a MUST, I love all kinds of music & have a wide collection that I admire. 

We all dance to our own drum beat, make sure you know the lyrics & can shake a boogie!!

Up coming is my trip to TEXAS, in 2 Weeks...Ohhh Baaaaaby it's very Soon!! (Suppper excited to see everyone) :)  My Brother Kris' *21* birthday...Maaaan I feel old &  our Summer time with John.

Hope to stay connected with everyone & more family joins, this will be very Fun!

Wishing everyone a GREAT week, Good heath & God Bless!

Smiles,

MEG 

                                                                     Me, John & Kris

                                                                This would be ME :)

                                                                         Nick & I

                                                                            John Rex

                                                                          Kristopher      

                                                             Summa Summa Fuuuun

Howdy Howdy

Hey y'all! Cassidy here, I'm Darin's oldest (and bestest!) daughter. My mom is Arian, she's pretty amazing. I have a 13 year old brother, Chase, and a 9 year old sister, Kamaryn. I'm 19 (and three quarters!), and a sophomore in college (community college for now, Go Badgers!). I'm pretty all over the place. I love to bake, cook, read, play scrabble,learn, and tend to buy way too many lotto scratch offs (fyi, I NEVER win). I currently don't have a college major, on account of the fact I'm so darn indecisive, and am interested in way too many different things. Library science, History, or maybe...Quantum Mechanics? Haha. I love being spontaneous, my hair color and style changes constantly. I'm not very good at keeping up with people, so hopefully this will help me keep in touch better. :)

Props on the Posting & More Rambles by Tina

Oh the joys it brought me to get 2 of you posting today! Yahooo!
For those of you who do not know Starla, she is my niece. Carol's grand daughter. Her dad is Danny's son Kenny. This is why this is so fun. Such a big extended family. I hope everyone invites their family members to join as well!
Kathy, I am so proud of your hard work in losing weight! Thanks for sharing! Can't wait to see you both in May at Christina's wedding!
So I said I would fill you in on how boot camp went this morning. ;) (I know it's been a nail biting experience waiting to hear.. ha ha) Had to arrive at 5am, thank God that it's literally a block from my house! Let me just say I am active. So you would THINK a 60 minute boot camp would be doable for me. You would THINK I would break a sweat & not break into a cold trembly I might puke sweat! I was told by my overly bubbly trainer that it doesn't matter your fitness level, the program is designed to shock your body so you can get past your plateau. Well... my body was SHOCKED! Then there was a die hard who APPARENTLY is not a newbie who got all kinds of manly laughs at my moaning & screams to the heavens. I found myself shocked at the things I wanted to spit back at her as she ran in front of me with her fringed shirt flapping in the winds as she kept looking back yelling, "You got this! Come on!" I was all like, "LADY! I didn't write YOU a check this morning to tournament me w/ your motivational chants. Bubbly Kristi is all I can bear at 5am!" (not really, it was just one of my mind screams) Oh! That swingy fringed shirt was just ticking me off! It's making me mad all over & she better just find someone new to focus on Wednesday morning because Dustin flies in at midnight tomorrow night. Do you know what that means? All joking aside about fringe lady, that means by the time I get home & into bed it will at best be 12:45-1am.... then I gotta get up & do boot camp at 5? Oye!
I have a mud run this weekend though, super excited about that! This one is called The Warrior Dash & I was exhausted with my life when I signed up so I kinda screwed myself on inviting my crew of friends to run with me as this race fills up quick. O-well, I have been too busy to make costumes & such and at some point in life I have to figure out doing things because I chose to & not because I've cornered or over committed myself into them, right? ha ha! Well if your tired of my rambles, have no fear... I fall off the planet usually when Dustin gets home! We have his wisdom teeth thing, my race, then a wedding. We are supposed to host a friends going away party as they have bought a home in Austin & will be leaving our neighborhood family. Throw in a Rangers vs Yankees game, a Joe Bonomassa concert in OK City, 6 more sessions of boot camp, a day in court, a friends B-day party & it brings you right up to when Big Daddy loads up on a plane & heads off to Alaska again. Crazy, right? It makes me tired to just tell ya! ;) Goodnight all! xx

mystery language

i made up a language chica means=hi blah blah=your the best grandma what do you think i am going to use it.

The Country Alexander's :)

For those of you who don't know me, I'm married to Richard! This year will be our 9th wedding anniversary! The road hasn't been easy being Step parents but we did a dang good job!! I brag all the time on what a great guy he Is and what great kids we have! Now about me of course lol, In The past year I've been working myself to death and lost 40 pounds I'm happy and ashamed to say I had so much to lose!! Oh well I feel absolutely wonderful! We have 4 kids, 3 of mine are over 20 and Rich's son Is 16!! They were both welcome additions to our family and I'm very proud Rich picked me to help raise him!! Its a Crazy life but we are happy and wouldn't want to be anywhere else!! Thank you Tina for inviting us to The Family Gathering!! I Love your family!! And I'm glad to be a part of it!

Introductions

hey guys, Its Starla.
Currently, I am a nursing major at Amarillo College. I have applied for the RN program and won't find out if i am accepted until June 8. I want to be a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit someday.
In December, i moved out of my parents humble abode and am now living with my boyfriend of three years, Matthew smith. He is a Criminal Justice major at AC and just got a job at the Clements unit in amarillo.
Hopefully here soon, he will pop the question and we will be married, but i think he still believes that we are too young, and thats ok.
I have one pet fish named asylum and his favorite thing to do is get stuck to his filter-_-
Hobbies of mine are reading, zumba, shopping, and listening to music.

Thats all i have about me right now. Here is one of the most current pictures of matt and I.

Go Ahead.... Post away!

Now I KNOW you guys don't want me to just do all the rambling......
Introduce yourself, tell us your hobbies, or about your family, job, pets, whatever! I have all kinds of rambles I could bore you with & WILL, but I don't want the over-eager Berrys to be the only posters on here! ;)
Send me a message if you need help on how to post.
Ok, so this is what's up for ME!
(For those who don't know) My hubby works in Alaska & is gone for 16 days, home for 12 on an ongoing rotation. His time away this "rotation" a girlfriend & I have started buying furniture (cheap & used) & refinishing it. I admit some of the items scream "experiment", but we had fun & so far very little money into it! We've done an antique mirror, a couple lamps, a candelabra, a wicker trunk & a coffee table. We also purchased an antique iron baby crib that we felt needed nothing other than the right buyer. I am blogging about that stuff if anyone wants to check it out.
http://theoddolive.blogspot.com/
So that has been fun!
Tomorrow I start a boot camp at 5am! Let's just say..... I am NOT a morning person, but I have done this before & know how to trick myself into getting there before I wake up enough to know whats happening! ;) I'll try to remember & tell you guys how great my 1st morning was tomorrow!
Dustin gets home on Wednesday. I feel like I've cheated the normal "bang of the gun" that starts our 12 day race of kayos & fun because unfortunately he is in great pain over wisdom teeth & that brings us right up to Thursday... 2 wisdom teeth being removed. I don't think he is reading this blog so maybe I can get a funny video of him doped up on dental meds like the Nina video! Speaking of... if anyone needs a good laugh & has not seen it, check it out "Wisdom Teeth #2 Nina" on YouTube. It makes me laugh every time.
So what else.... the kids are ready for summer to be here & no more school. Peyton is finishing up 3rd & Nick his sophomore year! (crazy!)
Ok, well speaking of kids, gotta go get Peyton into bed for school tomorrow! Someone post on here geesh! I feel like I've corralled a private audience for my rambles!
xx

hola

i am a monkey i have a park across my street i am weird. who am i?

Meet The Berrys

Hear Yee! Hear Yee!

This blog is for family stories, updates, pictures, ect! We have such a big & extended family all over the place & 1/2 of them I barely even know! What a shame! So this can be like our own private family facebook! Ya? Ya? Do we like??? Of course we DO! I thought it would be fun and trust me... I know FUN, so this is IT! 

I don't have everyone's email addresses, but I think the more authors we have the better! After we get going I can direct on adding authors if you can't figure it out, I assume everyone will have control of the settings, but we will see. :) 

Wohoooo! Let's get this started!