A 3 Month Update

So, I'm not doing quite as well keeping up with my blog as I originally planned. But, the start of a new year is on the horizon, so maybe things will change. This fall brought us many exciting adventures! September came and went and another school year brought new faces to my classroom, new hearts for me to love, and new challenges to be reached. My parents, uncle and great aunt came to visit me for my birthday and we spent the day touring the beautiful sites of D.C. The White House tour was my favorite. Drew continued with rotations, learning so much at each one. The leaves changed and October came. Along with a new month, came a surprise visit for me. One of my best friends from college and her husband (Beth and Zach) worked behind my back with Drew and flew out to surprise me for a long weekend visit! It was amazing! Shopping, visiting wineries, making dinners, hiking, make-overs, and more, the four of us just truly enjoyed our time together! A few weeks after the Middleton's visit, Drew and I moved into a new house! God has given us a beautiful little home for a while. Everything happened so fast, but our brother and some of our best friends came to our rescue and quickly came to be our moving crew! Two months later we are mostly settled. We feel so blessed to have this home and pray God uses it to open it to others. In November Drew began to coach basketball with a good friend, Chris. Chris kindly allowed Drew to assist him with the 8th Grade boys basketball team. Although it created a lot of stress at time, it also was a stress reliever for Drew as he was able to help kids learn a game that he loves so much. At the end of the month, we took a fast trip home to celebrate Thanksgiving wtih the family. December came with so much planned. Besides painting the new home, decorating, and Christmas shopping, we were preparing for Drew's graduation at towards the middle of the month! Drew passed his Packrat test, our families flew out, he graduated & earned the Outstanding Graduate Award, we celebrated with a party, our family and friends got snowed in our home with 2 feet of snow, our car broke down, God sent us an amazing family that helped us get home, and then we finally got back to IL after a 15+ hour drive! It was crazy, to say the least, but we can say that God has truly blessed us in many ways.

Back to school!

Well, school has officially begun! Like every year, this year will provide new challenges in my classroom as I have a wide variety of students! However, even though it's only been 8 days, I have already fallen in love with them! Although there are crazy days and the long hours devoted to planning, I still feel blessed to have a job where I hopefully am making a difference in students lives each day. I know I may not ever see if I have an impact on them, but all I can do is pray that God will use me to bless their lives in someway.

Summer Nights

Summer is coming to a close. Before the all the craziness of school starts for me and a new rotation begins for Drew, we decided to take Sunday evening and spend some quality time together. One of our favorite things that we like to do in the summer is play tennis. Drew is much better than I am, but I have to say, last night I had at least shown some improvement since the previous time we had played! As the sun was setting we put on our game faces and headed out in the Jeep to play a couple matches of tennis. Of course, Porter came along. He enjoyed himself so much as he had ample opportunities to retrieve tennis balls! After our game we headed to do another of our favorite summer events: eat ice cream! We enjoyed a cool treat and enjoyed the remainder of the evening. As I will head back to work tomorrow, I will miss the freedom of the simple, wonderful summer nights!

POLO

For over a month, Drew has been talking about attending a Polo match in a nearby city. So, to celebrate his birthday, this past weekend we rounded up some great friends, some coolers full of food, and went for an evening outing! We weren't sure what to expect, as none of us had ever attended such an event, but we were quite satisfied by the end of the evening. What a neat atmosphere it was: picnic blankets, food, people dressed up both young and old. Polo surprised me at what an intense game it can be. If we got the opportunity, I know we'd love to go again!

IRONMAN

I have always admired my husband’s strong will, determination, and vast amount of strength that he puts into almost everything he does. Well, last weekend, I was able to observe that in a physical setting, and to watch it was amazing.
Last weekend Drew and I traveled to Benton Harbor, MI so that he could participate in his first triathlon event: and Ironman 70.3. When we first arrived in Michigan, we met up with Jake and Deb. Drew and Jake attended Taylor University together, which made training for marathons, including the Boston Marathon, much more convenient and enjoyable. Now however, these two friends can only use phone calls to encourage one another and hold one another accountable to their training schedules. So how though, they did it.
The Ironman took place on Saturday morning. I tell you, my husband is not a morning person, but he sure was out of bed quick that morning! I don’t believe any of us slept due to how nervous and excited we were. Jake finally got Drew out of the door by 5:00 a.m. and they were off. The fan crew, Vic, Vicki, Jakes two brothers, Mr. and Mrs. Gates, Deb and I all met up with them a few hours later as we waited on the shore of Lake Michigan for them to complete the first leg of their race. It’s awesome to see how they challenge and encourage one another. The anticipation grew as they grew closer to the finish line and we could finally pick out which swimming cap they were (it wasn’t too hard, for they were one of the few ones that we not wearing wet suits). They ran out of the water and up to the transition station with smiles on their faces. As they prepared for the biking portion, we were able to catch a few words with them and could tell they were still nervous, but excited and also glad that first part was finished.
During the biking and running events, we drove our car around to encourage them and cheer them on. Shaking our cow bells, blowing our horns, making human tunnels and shouting with loud voices definitely made us the most enthusiastic cheering squad! Amazingly, 6 hours and 33 seconds later, they crossed the finish line! We were so proud of them!
Throughout the entire event, I was amazed at Drew’s strength and determination. As we processed the experience when we drove home the next day, he stated how it was hard, but he was so happy that he did it and that he didn’t quit, even at the moments that he really wanted to. He also commented how he couldn’t have completed the race without Jake and how it wouldn’t have been as much fun without him. With these conclusions, it led us to praising God for giving Drew the abilities to do something so challenging and for giving him the friend to experience it with.
Some might wonder… What’s up next for Drew? Well, I asked him that very question. His reply: “I want to now do a full Ironman, and I want to qualify for the event in Hawaii.” There is no doubt in my mind, that if God continues to bless him with a strong will and great determination, and a friend that challenges him, that someday he will do just that.

A Summer Trip

At one point this summer, I was blessed to travel back to Southern Illinois for a few days. I had such an amazing trip spending time with family and seeing friends. My time there is always short and jammed packed, but so much fun! One of my favorite ways to spend time at home is taking care of my baby nephew Logan. He's crawling now and is getting so big! I love him more and more each time I'm with him and it's always so hard to leave when I have to say good-bye. I soak up time with him, getting every possible chance that I can. While at home I also enjoyed good talks with dad, and I enjoyed time with mom as we got pedicures and went out to lunch. My sister and I even snagged some one-on-one time to just get to sit and talk. We can't remember the last time we had done that so for us, it was time well spent and much needed! She's such a beautiful woman and I admire her simplicity about life. She and Joe just finished building a new home and I was able to enjoy experiencing it. I love my family so much, and no matter what we do, I love spending time with them. I can't wait for mom and dad to come visit for my birthday!

During my trip I was also able to see, Steph, who is a wonderful old friend. This girl and I have been friends since we were kids, and we don't keep in touch like we wish we could, but we always pick up where we left off! I was able to have dinner with her and her husband and see how they go together so well. I enjoyed getting to know Dave, as he seemed to fit right into my family, even though he had really never met them! We had great laughs, good talks, and a lot of fun just being together. She even willingly tagged along for my hair cut, b/c I always need her stylish ideas and loving support! Since being back it makes me miss hanging out with Steph so much, but like we said, "someday".....

Wedding planning is in the air for one of my best friends, Renee. Living in VA has made my Matron of Honor duties a little more challenging, but that's why I'm happy we both have Verizon and can talk as many hours as needed...for free! I was able to see her try on beautiful wedding dresses, and I was able to try on bridesmaid dresses. The wedding is 10 months away...so let the fun begin! My trip also led me to a few short visits with college friends too. Although these visits were brief, I cherish them so much for I miss having these girls in my life every day. Dana and Steve were able to stop by for a wonderful late night visit and Beth graciously met me at the airport to dry my tears from leaving and hang out with me for the few hours I had before heading back to VA. I was blessed to see both of those friends and cherish every moment I get with them.

My heart is just filled at home in ways that it can't be here in VA. I mean, it's the place you grew up with everyone around that you know...it just does something good for my soul and there's no place like it; however, as much as I love being home there is one person that it was missing, which is the reason I was able to get on a plane and come back to VA. I'm sure you can guess who that one person was=Drew.

Go Cards!

I find it to be a wonderful thing that even after 2 years of marriage, I am still learning new things about Drew each and every day! Well, I've always known my husband was a sports fan, but last week I learned how big of a fan that he really is! The Cardinals came to D.C. to play the Nationals. The game was on a Thursday night but we decided to get tickets to go. A little ways into the game, rain came and a rain delayed was called. Many fans cleared out, but there was no way the Hamers were leaving! So, we waited out the rain and were we glad we did. Because there weren't many fans remaining, we ended up snagging some open seats down by the Cardinals dugout! It was such a exciting experience to be sitting so close to the field and to the players! Rain came again and the game was called, but the Cardinals still came out with a WIN!

Garden Goodness

So, I'm a few days behind on my posting! I'll try to get caught up. One of mine and Drew's favorite things about summer is having a garden. You might question how we have a garden living in the middle of a city like Winchester, but somehow we make it happen! My husband is the amazing mastermind at it all. He plans it out, tills up the land, plants each vegetable, waters them consistently, and checks on it every day. My main job is to cook with the wonderful fresh ingredients. It's amazing to see how the food that you eat can come from just a little seed in the ground! Our garden has grown from last year. This year the Hamers are growing the following: 7 different kinds of lettuce, many types of beans and tomatoes, three kinds of squash, zucchini, peppers, and cucumbers. I hope I’m not forgetting anything! We love to share, so if you are in the neighborhood, stop by and pick some of the goodness yourself!

A Great Visit

Yesterday, my Aunt Diane and Uncle Brian came to visit! It was so wonderful to see family! This week, Uncle Brian and Aunt Diane are attending a conference in D.C., but they graciously decided to take one of their free moments and drive to visit us! We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of looking at pictures, hearing about their tour of George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, and just catching up. They were also able to meet Porter. To cap off their visit, we went to Old Town and enjoyed the beautiful evening with a delicious dinner! What a blessing their visit was to us!

Sunday Drive

This past weekend was my first weekend in Winchester for over a month! Needless to say...I enjoyed it tremendously! I love traveling and seeing friends and family, but it was nice to just be at home without an agenda. Sunday Drew preached for the first time at church! He gave a wonderful message and we are so thankful that God presented him with that opportunity to share. After a terrific lunch with friends and a long Sunday afternoon nap, we decided to resort back to the "good ol' days" and go for a Sunday drive in the Jeep! When Drew and I first moved here we often would take drives in the mountains, but lately, life has gotten busy and we haven't for quite a while. So, with the top off the Jeep and the country music blaring, we packed up Porter and took off to enjoy the evening. Porter enjoyed sticking his head out of the side of the Jeep, and we got a good laugh as his big ears were flying in the wind reminding us of Dumbo! Overall, we were thankful that Sunday was finally the way it should be....it was a wonderful day of rest!

Newest addition to the Fam

A little over a month ago, Drew came home and said "Danielle, there is a dog at the SPCA that I think you would love!" We had plans to be gone for the weekend, so I wouldn't be able to see the dog until Tuesday when we got back. This would also be the first day that this dog would be up for adoption. As Drew and I were away over the weekend, we talked about this dog that Drew knew I would love. Since we had been discussing getting a dog for quite sometime, I was surprised at my hesitation; however, Drew was confident that this was the one and that we should get it when we returned to Winchester on Tuesday. So, Tuesday rolled around and we went to visit him at the SPCA and Drew was right, I instantly fell in love! We didn't return home that night without him! We named him Porter, for that is one of the mountains we hiked in the ADK when Drew proposed to me! He has become such this little blessing in our life and we can't imagine what we did without him!

2 Year Anniversary

Drew and I recently celebrated our 2 year anniversary. He surprsied me with a trip to Charleston, S.C. We had such a wonderful time! The first evening we spent walking around the historic city looking at the beautiful houses and architecture. Day two led us to a day at the beach! Even though we were on vacation, Drew still continued to train for his Ironman and swam in the ocean. My favorite part of the day was riding our bikes along the shore! That night we got dressed up and went out for a wonderful dinner at "High Cotton". Afterward, we strolled along the dock and shore. Before we made the 9 hour car ride home, we visited Boone Hall, the most photographed plantation in Charleston. You might recognize the picture of it, for parts of "The Notebook" were filmed there. We could have spent many more hours there, but we did enjoy touring the home, walking the grounds and the gardens, and even learning about the history of the slave trade there. We enjoyed the outdoors, we relaxed, and we enjoyed time together! If you ask me, those things make for a wonderful trip!