A new tradition!

Over the summer Mom, Dad, Nick, Christy, Luke, Layla, Michael, & I went to Spring Mill State park. Spring Mill is where my parents went on their honeymoon and has been a part of our family outings for as long as I can remember. Here are a few pictures of our trip:

So, you're asking what is the new tradition I speak of? We got to thinking while we were there about how cool the Inn at Spring Mill was.

We had been talking about how big the Hammond family has gotten and how difficult it is to accomodate everyone at a family house for Christmas dinner. We also have so many other places to go that it has gotten hectic. Especially when you factor in Christmas being on a Sunday this year!

Nick and I got together and found out infoabout Clifty Inn in Madison. We put together a brochure (I'm such a nerd) and presented it to the entire Hammond family as an option for Christmas dinner. We also mentioned that we'd want to do it before Christmas so that we will get to spend lots of time there.

Everyone LOVED the idea, and we will be spending a stress free evening at Clifty Inn in December. Our dinner will be buffets from the hotel restaraunt! There is a pool, hot tub, game room, fire pit (outside), and all sorts of gorgeous scenery. Some have opted to stay the night while others won't. I am more excited about Christmas dinner with the Hammonds than I have been in years!

LifeGroups

Michael and I decided to go to the Family Matters Lifegroup Valentine's Day party. We had a great time and decided to give getting up early on Sunday a chance. We are so glad we did! We love our LG class! It has become such a part of our lives since then that we feel like we have missed out on something big if we happen to miss a Sunday!

We feel like this class has really helped both of us to grow in the Lord. Also, for me it has been a nice experience to attend this class with my brother. It has been such a positive impact on our brother/sister relationship.

Adam & Jess do a great job both teaching, as well as coordinating events outside of the class.

I know that a year ago I would have said "Lifegroups? I don't want to get up that early!" Now it doesn't feel like a chore, but a priviledge! I strongly encourage anyone who is in their 20's & 30's newly married or with kids to check out this group!

To my faithful readers...

I apologize for my lack of blogging. I'm going to attempt to make a go of it...again.

Let's start with some of the important things to know.

This past Spring Michael's mom, Debbie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her spring and summer were all about chemo. She had an MRI taken yesterday and actually got some pretty good news. The tumor is gone. She will still require surgery and radiation therapy, but no tumor=good tumor.

Michael has a full time salaried position in Louisville witht the company that he interned with before we were married. We will not be going anywhere anytime soon.

We had started to look at houses when we suffered a significant setback, which we cannot discuss. It is still ongoing and we would love any prayers! As a result of this setback we are now looking into moving into an apartment in January.

My parents have been wonderful hosts but we REALLY need to move out! Please pray that all members of the household will maintain their sanity until we are able to move out, when I am sure that we will be sad and lonely b/c my parents won't be there.

I started back to school at IUS. I am currently 46 credit hours away from my Bachelor's in communication!!!!

In May Layla came into our lives! What a joy that little girl is!!!

Specific posts to follow!

I guess I should blog?

Sometimes I feel like no one really reads these things, which I guess is why I really haven't posted much lately! Anyway, here are a few things you might like to know about.

I am working at Jay C in Sellersburg (again). The floral lady that I used to work for needed help, so alas I am helping.

Dad's shopcat had kittens. The kittens are all old enough that we have sent them to their homes. Also my dad has decided to keep the mama cat!

Layla Hammond will be born in like 13 days.

My other nephew, Lincoln is 1 now.

Michael is working...when it isn't raining.

We are saving to buy a house around here.

I will try to post pictures of specific events shortly!

Quirky

So, Michael and I have pretty much known since day 1 that Templeton was...different.

She has developed some rather loveable, cute, and often obnoxious habits. Here's what she has been up to:

~Her food bowls are kept in the kitchen. She will push them all around the room until she gets them in the right spot (this changes daily) and only then will she proceed to eat out of them.

~When the whole family is watching TV she will jump onto the tv stand and lay on it. Can we say attention seeker?

~She licks the walls. I don't know why...weirdo.

~Her litter box is located in our bedroom. (Yeah, gross, I know. When we have an apartment again it won't be there. Yes, we clean it out daily too) Templeton will not go #2 unless we are in the room. She particularly enjoys doing so to wake us up in the morning.

~When she gets sick, she does hack like normal cats, instead she makes an otherworldly yowl. The plus side is that I can normally get her off of the carpet in time.

~Nowadays when she sleeps with us she prefers to sleep on one of us.

~She responds to "TURKEY" like Smokey did.

~Her nicknames include: Tempy, Tempster,Temple-rock, and Simpleton.

One sick bunch

About a week ago Michael's sister Maria called and asked for help. She had been down all week with a stomach bug. It had gotten so bad that she wasn't able to take care of her son, Lincoln. (Her husband was in meetings that he couldn't get out of) I went, because it was the right thing to do.

Unfortunately, Michael woke up with the same symptoms and stomach bug that she had. I spent the week lysoling, cleaning, washing, and sanitizing things. Thankfully, I have yet to see any of the stomach symptoms, Hallelujah!

Yesterday was Michael's first day back on solid foods. We were going to head over to his sisters, until I started feeling dizzy. Yep, I had a fever and wasn't feeling well. I think I am on the mend now, but I am praying that no one else will have either of our sicknesses!

Date night!

In mid January Michael and I went to see his parents play a Louisville Orchestra concert! We heard Beethoven's 5th symphony live. (the one that goes dun dun dun daaaaa)

It was delightful to have a free event to go to. Thanks Debbie & Joe!!!!!!!

New Jersey!

Me in front of a pretty church.

The view from the back of Astrid & Roger's house, yup those are Turkies! :-)

We took at trip to Riverton, NJ with Michael's parents! We figured we ought to seize the opportunity since we don't know where Michael and I will be next year, nor do we know whether he will have the time off. We enjoyed lots of family dinners, collaborative solitaire, shopping, and even a special dinner in downtown Philly!

I really loved getting to see everyone, and I even found the purse that was sold out everywhere around here and online! All and all, a successful trip!

Christmas Day 2010

Michael and I woke up TOGETHER on Christmas morning! (If you think that sounds silly, remember that last Christmas Michael was on an internship in Louisiana.)

We had a beautiful morning opening gifts, having a big breakfast, and spending time with loved ones.

Michael surprised me with a Kindle wi-fi! I looooove it!

At 2PM we went to Aunt Becky's house for the Hammond family dinner. Don't take my word for it, as I eat next to nothing, but I hear it was delicious!

Me holding up a gift

Michael holding up a gift

Marlena, Me, and Marissa

Dad. Elizabeth, and Luke

Christmas Eve 2010

Sorry this has taken so long!

Michael's family has several Christmas Eve traditions.

Traditon 1- A seafood Christmas eve dinner. Including fish, crab imperial, and Shrimp. (I had Richo's pizza.)

Tradition 2- Christmas Eve church service at St. Francis of the Fields Church in Louisville. This service however was unique and will resonate in my mind for a long time I'm sure. Let me set it up for you:

If you recall it began to snow on Christmas Eve late in the evening. We arrived at 10:30PM with a light dusting of snow on the ground. The service ends at 12:00AM on Christmas morning. Naturally they ring the church bells on Christmas morning. So...try to envision what the scene looked like as we walked out of the church!

Michael and I walked hand in hand down the steps of a beautiful old church set in a field in the outskirts of town. Snow was cascading down from the sky like confetti at a birthday party. As we walked the church bells sounded, as if to tell the world "It's Christmas morning!" "Unto you a child is born!!!"

See, doesn't that sound magical?! It was a beautiful night, to celebrate a beautiful child!

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.