Grandma's party and Charleston, SC (otherwise known as the longest blog ever)

It's a bit overwhelming to think about having to sit down and blog about my Grandma's 90th birthday party! There is so much to talk about and so few words to describe how incredible she is to me, but it's a rainy day...and it's now or never!

On January 9th over 150 friends, family, and admirers gathered at Chandler Place in Rock Hill, SC to celebrate 90 years of a beautiful life that is my Grandmother's! It only takes a few minutes of being around Helen Ryan to know why so many people care about her and love her! She is kind and patient, but not completely innocent! She has sponk and personality....and can surprise you. She is independent and stubborn, and at 90, still driven. She is smart and the true definition of a strong woman. A woman, who, aside from my own mother, has taught me more about pride and self-worth than any other woman. Although these exact words/phrases may have never come out of my grandma's mouth, I think she believes that we are accountable for ourselves. We make up our minds about situations and then we must live with these decisions. WE are the only ones who can change our lives. She does as she wishes and she stands beside her decisions (whether she be right or wrong)....and I respect that.

So, although I was happy to see so many people gather to say Happy Birthday on January 9th, I was not surprised! I did not get as many pictures as I would have liked...but please enjoy some of the ones I did capture!

One of two gorgeous cakes


Aunt Cathy, my Dad, and Aunt ReeRee


The spread of food


The cake didn't look that big, until we started cutting it! My Mom is doing a great job!


After Grandma's amazing party, Aunt Cathy had the entire family over to her house to celebrate another special day, my cousin Jenni's birthday! Cathy had a delicious spread of food and we all had some time to gather and visit and enjoy each others company.

Happy Birthday Jenni!


This makes me laugh! No one loves their fur babies more than my cousin Jenni! Cathy picked the perfect present!!


After a wonderful breakfast at the Holiday Inn Sunday morning with Heather, Ellen, and Jenni, my mom, dad, and I got on the road and headed to the Isle of Palms in Charleston, SC. We would later reunite with my Aunt ReeRee and Grandma!! Although I only stayed in IOP until Wednesday, we enjoyed a relaxing retreat in a fancy condo directly on the beach. The best part about the trip was just getting to do whatever we wanted. If I wanted to put on my pj's at 7:30PM...I did it! But my favorite parts included watching the sunrise every morning, witnessing my Grandma's expressions as she read my blog, the seafood (of course), a few days with my aunt, gma and folks....all to myself (this is rare), the desserted beaches, running every morning, and a day in Charleston with my mom and ReeRee. Wow...I had a lot of favorites! Here are only a few pictures from that time....

The always gorgeous beaches










Sunrise on Monday:








Mom, Dad, and ReeRee walking on the beach...it was cold!


Why I love Isle of Palms.....




Sunrise on Tuesday:








And finally our day in Charleston
So perfect...Still beautiful...


One of my favorite shots from the entire weekend


Reminded us of the streets in Italy


I really liked this picture


Rainbow Row


Along the battery


The Pineapple Fountain


S.N.O.B.


My snobs reading the S.N.O.B. menu...haha!


Ummm...yum


A gorgeous graveyard...




My favorite prisoners...


All in all it was a great weekend with my incredible family....you truly couldn't ask for much more than that!

*I will put more pictures on my facebook page...but will try not to duplicate!