Far up in the hills of Georgia stands old Berry tried and true (something, something...the silver and the blue)

Last weekend, I got to head up to my alma mater in Rome, Georgia to celebrate 15 years of graduated bliss. Since Evan had a birthday party to attend Saturday afternoon, the boys stayed behind and the girls had a road trip. Pressley dutifully fell asleep in the car on the way up and got her nap in (a very good thing). We arrived just a few minutes late for registration, but in plenty of time for the pitiful class of 1994 reunion photo.

There were a few fun friends that I was excited to see, but two of them are in my regular Berry girls group that I see several times a year, and two I had just had dinner with about 3 months ago. But there were at least 2 others that I hadn't seen in several years. All in all, it was worth the trip. We had a good time catching up, but I'm hoping that we see many more friends at the 20 year. After we're all 40. Yikes. Let's not talk about that.

Here are P and I at the dinner.

After dinner, we were on our way to my friend Jan's house to have a little more girl time. P asked me if that was my college. Since the reunion was held across the street at Oak Hill (the Martha Berry museum), I told her no. So, we went across the street to campus so I could show her where mommy went to college. Then she said she wanted to see "the castle where I lived." So, we drove out to the mountain campus to see Friendship Hall (a.k.a., my castle). I don't know if she has seen pictures of Berry and that is where she is getting the castle association (because there are definitely some beautiful old stone buildings that are castle-like) or if she is just thinking that because mommy is such a princess, I must have lived in a castle...? :-)

Despite the fact that Friendship Hall doesn't look like much of a castle, she was not disappointed. She said, "OH, oh! Can we sleep there? Can I sleep there....with YOU?!" I explained that some other girls sleep there now, but that I hoped that she could sleep there someday if she wants to. So cute.

As a bonus, we saw scads of Berry deer, it being near dusk and all. We saw litterally hundreds of geese and even a swan and several ducks on Swan Lake. Ahhh, Berry in the fall. Nothing like it.

We did eventually make it to Jan's house and we had a great time catching up and having girl time while the two husbands who were present watched football and the kids played together. Well, Pressley played with Jan's kids and Ajae (April's daughter) entertained us just being so darn cute until she got so sleepy she couldn't stand herself. In fairness, she had told April "Go" a number of times, and at some point, even the paci doesn't help.

Here is one of the kids when Will and Katie were entertaining Pressley and Ajae had just plain had enough.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Corin was taking Evan camping. And when I say camping, I mean they had pitched a tent in the backyard after stopping at the Chick-Fil-A on the way home from the birthday party. They apparently played cards and backgammon until dark and then, when Evan fell asleep Corin came in to watch football until it was time for him to go back out and climb into his sleeping bag for the night. Roughing it. I tell you.

The tent was a big hit, both with Evan and with Pressley. P woke up from a dead sleep when we got home from Rome and immediately walked with purpose through the house announcing that she had to see the "tunnel." The tent, you mean? Yes, the tent. When she peeked in and Corin showed her where Evan was sleeping and where he would be sleeping later on, she inquired, "And where am I sleeping?" How about your bed? I suggested. At that, she turned on her heel and went upstairs to bed.

The next day, Evan and P had a grand time in and out of the tent until the rains threatened and Corin took it down.

More photos under the October 09 link.