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!