An explanation

Michael, Templeton, and I are currently living in Charlestown with my parents. Michael's job didn't really work for us anymore. It got to a point where he was being asked to move every few weeks. In October and November he was moved from Crown Point to Iowa, Iowa to Minnesota, and the idea of him being sent to Haiti was even thrown around.

There were also a few instances where Michael was asked to (understatement of the year) stretch the truth. We didn't feel like we needed to be associated with this particular company.

We also came to realize that if Michael continued to work for this company odds were that we wouldn't be spending much time in the same state. Michael was also told he would have 1 day off for Christmas.

Bottom line: Michael left his job for our family. Typically we don't believe in leaving one job before having another, but we feel that this was the right decision. Please pray for Michael to find a job quickly, the right job, and if it is God's will for that job to be around here!

It's a ....

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait to meet Nick and Christy's daughter!

Sarah Palin

Anyone who really knows me knows that I am a die hard Republican. I've been interested in politics for what seems like forever. I think that voting is one of the most important things a person can do.

Anyway....

Michael and I have been in Iowa for his job for almost two weeks now. As soon as I joined him out here he was put on night shift, which has been super stressful because we are staying in one very small hotel room. They also had plans to work right up through Thanksgiving. Unfortunately we were unable to go home for the holiday or Luke's birthday :-(

My silver lining in all of this was a poster I had seen at Borders. Sarah Palin was signing copies of her new book yesterday. They had a HUGE turnout, and I knew that if I wanted to go I needed to be competitive. So, yesterday I went to Borders at 6AM and sat outside in line for 3 hours. Happily I was one of the first 100 people there which meant I got a gold wristband guaranteeing me a spot in the first line for that evening.

I went home and slept for awhile. Then got ready and headed back around 4PM. I was probably 25th in line to meet her. She was absolutely awesome! When she walked in she greeted everyone. Then her daughters Willow and Piper handed out bookmarks. When I met her I simply told her that it was a pleasure. She replied that the pleasure was hers entirely.

I went home on a "Sarah Palin high". I couldn't take photos, which is understandable. But Michael did take this one of me holding my signed book. This is a look of pure excitement!

This was such a blessing for me to get a chance to meet her! I don't really believe it was a coincidence that things happened the way they did. It is wonderful to serve a God that knows what little things will make me smile!

Three years old!

Luke is turning 3 on Sunday!! Even though I am not his mom, I would like to write a post especially for him!

Dear Luke,

Happy 3rd Birthday! I can't believe how big you are getting!

You have the best personality, everybody says so! It's like you never meet a stranger.

This year you have really begun to love dinosaurs. You have changed what you call me recently.

You used to call me "Aunt Rarah" now you call me "Aunt Weira".

Woody and Buzz from Toy story are your favorites.

You asked nana to read you a story once, and she picked up a book and made up a story. Little did she know that you would LOOOOVE that story and would ask her to read it again. She also didn't anticipate that you would remember exactly how the story went and that it would upset you if she deviated from the story.

You are changing every day, getting taller, eating more, and learning! You are now carrying on long drawn out conversations. I love talking with you!

You are very fond of Templeton. She, however, isn't your biggest fan. You can say her name perfectly. Recently I noticed you had a scratch on your nose. I asked what happened and you replied "Probably Templeton". (I later heard that Megan Birke had made this suggestion earlier in the day at church :-) )

You mean the world to me! I may have another nephew, but there is only one Luke Edward Hammond!

Love you,

Aunt Weira

Thankful!

I am thankful for a husband that I adore.
I am thankful for Godly parents and parents in law.
I am thankful for friends that would do anything for me.
I am thankful to have found a cat that allows me to carry her around like a baby.
I am thankful for my health.
I am thankful for Michael's job.
I am thankful for wonderful my wonderful brother and his wife.
I am thankful for Maria & Chris.
I am thankful for Luke :-)
I am thankful for Lincoln.
I am thankful for a wonderful extended family.
I am thankful for a wonderful church family at CIC.
Most of all I am thankful for Jesus Christ who died for my sins.

We've moved...

Last Saturday Michael and I moved all of our belongings from the Crown Point Apartment to a storage unit and to my parents house. Michael will be in Iowa for a period of time that has yet to be determined. We both hope that he will be able to find a job in the Louisville area soon!!!!! Until then we are discussing several options for where we will live, as well as what I need to do about school. Please pray for us in our decision making process!

Iowa

Michael was sent to Iowa for work. He will be there for the next two weeks. As for me, I am at home in Charlestown with Templeton! We figured that as opposed to me sitting bored in a hotel room for two weeks that it would be a nice opportunity to spend time with friends and family.

I miss him lots, but the good news is that we can SKYPE every day. We both have webcams so we still "see" each other every day. It makes it a lot easier than when he was away last time!

Pumpkin Carving!

Michael and I didn't have time to go to a pumpkin patch this year with his crazy work schedule. We went to a farm market and picked out our pumpkins on Friday night. I gutted/Michael carved them today. Here are our 2010 Pumpkins!

My GOP elephant :)

Michael's Cyclops pumpkin

Together

We couldn't forget Templeton!

A fun oppurtunity!

A few weeks ago, while I was in Charlestown Michael's sister Maria called to ask a favor. She asked if I would be willing to fly to Denver (using their frequent flyer miles) to help babysit Lincoln (whom I had yet to meet) while they were packing up their house to move back to Louisville! WOULD I?! I was initially thrilled but soon I realized I would have to face one of my least favorite things...flying. Not only flying, but flying alone!!

I had nothing going on last weekend, so I agreed to go. I put on a brave face, but inwardly I was terrified. I realize this sounds silly, because I know who ultimately had control of the situation, but still I was a nervous wreck. I flew out of Chicago Midway Airport on Friday, 10/15 with my MP3 player loaded with the Christian Comedian, Chonda Pierce & Casting Crowns. The flight left at 6AM, and could not have been any smoother! Also, Frontier Airlines has tvs on the head rest of the seats so I watched Saved by the Bell from take-off to landing :-)

Once I arrived we headed straight to Maria & Chris'. I met Lincoln who was not my biggest fan...yet! Over the course of the weekend we bonded. I took him to the park every day, and we played with toys etc. by the end of the weekend I would venture that I moved up in the ranks by leaps and bounds!

I headed home early Monday morning. It was hard to say goodbye to such a sweet little boy! But, it was comforting to know they were moving back to Louisville!

The flight back wasn't nearly as smooth as the one to Denver but I put the Casting Crowns song Who Am I on repeat! I also kept thinking of what my mom told me before I left "the God of land is the God of the air too". (Isn't having faithful Christian parents the best?!)

Here are a view pictures of Lincoln (by the way he is 7 months old right now)

Luke's visit to Crown Point

Mom and Dad had scheduled a trip up to see Michael and me last weekend. Dad's work has been crazy busy lately so unfortunately he wasn't able to come. To sub for Dad, Christy, Luke, and Mom came instead!

Friday night we made homemade calzones. We spent most of the rest of the evening searching for dinosaurs on the playground near our apartment. It's a good thing that I had made Boston Cream pie, otherwise I don't think we could have convinced Luke to leave the playground.We found a dinesaur! Herbert!

Saturday was a long day of outlet mall shopping by Lake Michigan. We had a nice dinner at a mexican restaraunt that night.

Storage...finally!!!

When Michael took the job with Ceres Environmental (where he works now) we had little to no time for apartment hunting. We made one visit up here together in May, and then I had to come back tour them and choose on my own. We are overall pretty happy with the space and the location. The real issue for me has been storage.

We have a total of 5 closets here. You'd think that would be enough, right??? Not at all! We haven't totally unpacked things since we will only be here through December at the latest. There are lots of boxes in closets. 1 closet houses the furnace and litter pan. One houses medicine, paper goods, towels, tools, and boxes. Two are bedroom closets that house clothes, shoes purses, bed linens, and more boxes. The other is a coat closet with, you guessed it, coats.

So, where in all of this does one put pantry items? Since all of the closets are basically on the other end of the apartment from the kitchen, it has been difficult! We had been using a few of our cabinets, but couldn't fit extra two-liters, coke cans, gatorade, and bottled water. So, their place had become a corner of the floor behind the table.

Yesterday Michael and I made a trip to IKEA and here's the solution that we found...

What will it be?

I am so excited about Nick & Christy's new addition! I cannot wait to find out whether they are having a boy or a girl! I was out shopping the other day and bought an outfit for each sex! Although, I am praying that whatever they have is healthy, I really want a niece to spoil!

Go Cubs Go 2009 Edition with Lyrics the song

Go Cubs Go!!!

That's right, our fun plan for Monday was a Cubs game! For those who don't know Chicago has two MLB teams The Cubs and the White Sox. The Cubs have a cuter mascot and are the underdog so that is the team that I have decided to root for. Anyway, the Sox are good and win all the time. The Cubs rarely ever win!

The cool thing is that IF the Cubs do win the ENTIRE stadium sings the Go Cubs song, which is super cool to see!
The Cubs actually pulled out a Win over the Astros for my birthday!

Here are the lyrics!

Baseball season’s underway

Well you better get ready for a brand new day

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today.

They’re singing …

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today.

They got the power, they got the speed

To be the best in the National League

Well this is the year and the Cubs are real

So come on down to Wrigley Field.

We’re singing now …

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today.

Baseball time is here again

You can catch it all on WGN

So stamp your feet and clap your hands

Chicago Cubs got the greatest fans.

You’re singing now …

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today.

Happy Birthday to me!

Let me start out by mentioning that birthdays in our family have always been kind of a big deal. Not so much in Michael's family. So, as wonderful as having a nice quiet birthday at home with just Michael and me is GREAT, I was super excited to see that my birthday fell on Saturday of Labor Day weekend!

Michael's job requires long hours, sometimes 12-13hr days. He also has to work Saturdays, thus leaving me bored out of my mind! Well, last week he was asked if he would drive to Indy to see how this one part of their project was being done. He thought he would have to go early in the week, but managed to hold them off long enough for us to go on Friday on our way home! Which meant a whole extra day with Michael!

Friday after our stop in Indy we ran by the outlet mall in Edinburgh :-) We headed to the Caruso's for an hour and then had dinner with two of our good friends at Richo's in New Albany, my fave! It was great to see Julie, my oldest friend, and Forrest one of Michael and my college buddies. (I should just mention that the two of them are not dating, we just wanted to see both of them)
Saturday morning I woke up at Debbie and Joe's house. For breakfast Debbie had made my favorite, Almond paste coffee cake. Normally she only makes it once a year at Christmas in the shape of a Christmas tree. She made mine in the shape of a cat! YUM! They got me an ice cream maker. The new-fangled kinds that doesn't need rock salt and does most of the work for you! I can't wait to have some homemade ice cream!
Mom and I did a little shopping on Saturday. Then we had birthday dinner with Nick, Christy, and Luke, Mom & Dad at Rocky's. When I got there N, C, and L were already seated. I started to slide in next to them and Luke stood up to give me a hug. Christy seemed especially interested that I look at his shirt which said "Big Brother #1" I think I screamed and hugged them both! What a wonderful birthday gift! I can't wait to be an aunt again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We spent the rest of the evening together at Mom & Dad's opening b-day gifts, and sitting on the back porch listening to Nick play guitar. My 24th may have been my best birthday yet!

Sunday we went to CIC, (YAY!!!!). After church the entire Hammond clan came over, along with Debbie and Joe, and some of the Smith family for Labor day dinner. Again, it was just a laid back relaxing time!

We headed home on Sunday night because we had yet another exciting day planned for Monday.

This is the entrance to the old railroad bridge in Louisville, that Michael
did layout for!

My new "do"

I got my hair cut in Crown Point, because I couldn't get an appointment with my usual girl. She cut a little more off than what I had hoped for. It is really close to the same, but seems so different to me!

Templeton's loss

Meanwhile Templeton suffered a loss of her own. That's right, call me inhumane, but we had her declawed. It was getting to the point where all I was doing was yelling at her and spraying her with a squirt bottle. We made the decision that we thought was best for all three of us, and our furniture!

Here are a few new pictures of her:We hardly ever use that frying pan, ironically we were going to use it that night
needless to say we washed it thoroughly first!

We thought she'd hate her carrier, not the case here!

RIP Cole

My cousin Cole Ryan Harl died on Monday August 16th. He was a husband and father of 5 children under 5 years old. Please continue to keep the Hammond family in your prayers as it is never easy to get over a tragic loss!

Yet another visit with Debbie & Joe

I'm playing catchup for the last month(ish).

Michael's parents came up for a visit the weekend of August 13th & 14th. We love having people up to our new apartment, especially now that we have two bedrooms!!

We spent the day Saturday at the beach, and Sunday was split between church, relaxing, and searching for good artisan style breads!

I do have a funny story of sorts. Templeton doesn't seem to like having visitors. The last two times we have had someone over she has thrown up! She makes this bone rattling yowl and then makes the motions. Luckily I have caught her quickly enough and we have been able to toss her out onto our balcony. She hasn't had any other incidents since then. We'll see I guess!

Our week

Monday was our anniversary! Michael told me that he couldn't get my gift just yet, but he took off early from work and brought me home some flowers!
We got a ton of rain early on in the week that caused Michael's job site to flood and basically be unworkable. I was able to eat lunch with him and even do a bit of shopping with him. He was also able to come home REALLY early every day! That was a great anniversary present in itself!

Friday Michael had planned to take off early because we had to be in Connersville, IN for a rehearsal dinner for our friends Samantha & Josiah. I was a bridesmaid (although I think the term is actually matron). We always have a blast with them, especially considering that the four of us share the same political views!
The wedding was pretty and things went well!
After the reception Michael and I headed to Indianapolis for our anniversary celebration. We had a free night at the Holiday Inn North at the Pyramids. If you don't know what this is, it is the holiday inn with an indoor water park. Our free stay also included water park passes!

We went to Keystone mall, aka the Fashion mall where Michael got my anniversary gift! I got a Tiffany ring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have always loved their sterling silver jewelry! Of course he made me wait until later that night to open it.

We then went back to the hotel, got situated and went to Dave & Buster's for dinner. Michael & I had never been before but it is like a Chuck E Cheese for adults. They also serve steak and other things rather than just pizza!
We won 833 tickets in total, but we only had enough to win...

Homer Simpson!

Finally, when we got back to the hotel Michael let me open the pretty box!

The cool thing about the ring is that it is a ring inside a ring, called an interlocking circles ring. I love it!

Sunday morning we got up, had breakfast, and played for hours at the water park before heading home!

Our Second Anniversary!

Woohoo! Michael & I have been married for two years today! As with last year, I will share some of the knowledge that I gained in year 2 of marriage:

*We are so close it is insane. I mean we seriously have the same thoughts, in the same words, at the same time.

*I realize daily that I am lucky. How many wives can say that their husband willingly takes out the garbage every night, does dishes without being asked, and encourages them to take week long vacations with her family?

*On vacation I went "out" with some friends. As much fun as it was hanging out with the girls, nothing is as much fun as sitting on the couch watching HGTV with Michael.

*Just to put it out there, my mom was right about everything in regards to housework.

*Cooking for Michael is very rewarding for both of us. He appreciates that I worked hard to prepare a meal that I would never dream of eating, and I like to see him enjoying a dinner that I made.

*I cannot cook without making a mess. The other day when I made stuffed peppers, I wish I had a picture of the kitchen. Then again, I would have never let anyone see it! Hat's off to TV cooks like Martha Stewart for keeping a clean cooking area!

*There is no such thing as a clean house. Seriously, it is an urban legend or something!

*In our house there is a coffee fairy & a water fairy! Somehow every night coffee is put in the coffee maker for Michael, and water is delivered to my nightstand in a cat-proof glass.




In our marriage I have made several goals for myself. They can sound a bit superficial, but bear with me as I think they are important, and after all it is my blog.

Goal 1: I want to look my best for Michael. Men are visual people, and no man wants his colleague to look up and say who is that slob in sweatpants, and have to answer, Oh, that's my wife. I am no beauty queen, but when we go out with friends, or I stop by his job-site I want him to be proud to be my husband. Note, there is a difference between looking nice and looking trashy.

Goal 2: I never want Michael to feel like he can't invite a friend or colleague over because he is afraid the house will be a mess. I do the best to keep the house in decent order or at least have it that way by the time Michael comes home. Besides, I'm a stay at home cat mom that doesn't have a whole lot to do.

Goal 3: I make it my priority to get us out of the house for fun at least once a week. As fun as watching HGTV can be every couple needs to get out and have a little fun. It can be something as simple as going for a walk downtown (which is free) or taking in movie. It is important to keep life interesting.

Goal 4: We are two people with very different ideas of fun. I shop for fun, he builds/fixes/works on things for fun. While we value our together time, we both enjoy spending time on our hobbies. We do cross over and occasionally I "help" him work on things. He sometimes goes shopping with me. For the most part we do those activities on our own and schedule a "meet back here time". It keeps things even.

Goal 5: We do not go to bed mad. I might get upset about something and not talk about it all night, but before the nightstand lamp goes out we talk through the issue and do our best to resolve it.

Goal 6: Arguing, issue resolving, griping, and whining are not spectator sports. If one of us has a beef with the other we do our best not to discuss it in front of others. When outside opinions get brought in things tend to head south quickly. Besides, who wants to cause an awkward scene?

Goal 7: (by the way these aren't in order) We try to read the bible and pray together every night. This has gotten harder with Michael's early work schedule but that isn't an excuse! We both believe that the moment you take your eyes away from God, is when things tend to go awry.

These are a few things that have been working for us. I know that our marriage is just a baby right now, but these goals seem to make a lot of sense to us!

Again, everyone said to us on our wedding day "you think you're close now, wait til' you've been married awhile." We are closer than I could have even imagined last year! He is the salt to my pepper. We work together so well, and I couldn't picture life without him. He is my best friend! I don't think that I ever understood the word "soul mate" until recently. He is mine. He makes me a better, Christian, person, and woman. I am so thankful that God saw fit to unite us!

I have the city of Chicago, in my living room!

Here are some pictures of our new living room. We got this HUGE picture of Chicago yesterday. I had seen it a few months ago, and we just couldn't get it in the car. We were able to get it in borrowed truck yesterday!

Panama City 2010 part deux

Last week I headed to Panama City Beach with my parents, grandparents, Aunt Deina, Aunt Deb & Uncle Mike. Also, Aunt Becky & Uncle Mike were there in a different condo with Aunt Becky's cousin Paula & husband Eddie. By coincidence a few of my high school buddies, Kim & Katie were there too.


Mom and I spent most of our time "beached". However, we did hit up Pier Park where we found some GREAT deals! Dad had LOTS of golf buddies and got to spend some time doing what he loves, as well as catering to our PLEASE COME TO THE BEACH DADDY! requests.


Aunt Deina had never seen the ocean, so this was quite a trip for her. She saw the bay and went nuts! She didn't believe us when we told her that wasn't even the pretty water. Once, we settled in the condo Mom, Deina, Deb & I took a walk on the beach. On the way back to the condo Aunt Deina stopped and was looking at a shell. About that time two guys were playing football and1 went long for the catch. Unfortunately going long meant running into Aunt Deina and knocking her down HARD in the sand. She didn't see it coming and neither did he see her. We helped her up and made the young handsome guys take a picture with her. They apologized over & over again. She got quite a raspberry on her knee! She was a good sport and it was a joy to see someone so excited!

Deb & Mike spend a lot of time together, I think they were enjoying a bit of a getaway for themselves. As always, Deb was a good time!

Grandma & Grandpa initiated the idea of this trip. Grandpa wanted to go to see the ocean "one more time", who could deny that request?


We were able to hook up with Aunt Becky & co for dinner twice, and we visited each others condos as well.

It was also very exciting to be able to go out with Kim & Katie and catch up! It had been years since I had last been able to sit and chat with them!

All in all is was a nice trip!

I bought us matching PJ's! We're so cool!

Grandma & Aunt Deb on the Pier @ St. Andrew's

*This is actually a funny one. While everyone was on the pier
Aunt Deina & I walked down to the beach to look for shells.
When we came back my flip flops had been taken.
They were just cheapo's so it was no big deal,
but in this pic everyone was looking down flipping out over the shoes
and I took that as a photo op.

Sunset on the pier

Hammond family @Willy's

Observe my genius- this pic was taken with the self timer
from our chairs. We are standing on the beach but it looks
like we are up higher!

We actually got dad to get in the pool!