30 November 2006

the Hammer family picture, '06

This is the Hammer family picture, taken at McKinley Grove up at Shaver Lake. It was 32 degrees. For those of you who lost your chemistry notes from high school, 32 degrees is freezing. Yep, we can honestly say it was freezing. But we still braved the cold for the annual Hammer Family Holiday Picture. I wish I had the myriad photos we took, in the freezing cold, in order to get this one fantastic photo, where even David is smiling. I could show you the several we took before this one, where people are obviously freezing, yelling at Dad for taking so long, yelling at Jon for taking the picture from HIS camera on a tripod moments before Dad's clicked (where do we look?!). But Dad's kind of stingy with his less-than-perfect photos. It was definitely a memorable experience. For those of you still shady on who's who in the Hammer family, from left to right we have my brother Jon and his wife Julie, my husband Caleb and myself, my other brother David and his fiance Rachel (getting married in July), my sister Amy, and Mom and Dad (aka Judi and Doug). Aren't we fabulous?

For more Thanksgiving fun, you can see pictures from our whole weekend in Shaver Lake by clicking on the picture above, or here.

Posted by hjw at 3:08 PM | | Comments

29 November 2006

anatomy of a family picture

One of the best things about the holidays is how families come together. People come together at Christmas like no other time of the year, and I love it. I get to see cousins I haven't seen since their wedding, aunts and uncles I only hear about through Mom, and I get to have my WHOLE family together at once. They come from San Diego, Long Beach, Riverside, Thousand Oaks, Fullerton ... to be together.

And of course, along with family gatherings come the essential family pictures. If it weren't for holiday pictures in front of the tree, who would really know about those bad hair years? How one brother finally shot up taller than the other? Which years the family started to grow as they added spouses and children? I love the tradition of the family picture during Christmas. We always act like its a chore, but deep down, we love it.

Of course, GETTING that family picture is always a trick. How do you get all those people to stand still at the same time, smile at the camera, NOT close their eyes at the flash? Its hard, and usually takes an afternoon of trying. Below you'll see one side of my family and their attempt at the holiday picture. As is usually the case, we did finally get one that works. But getting there is always fun to watch:


We're obviously not ready yet ... and how's my hair? And ... where's Grandma?


Brent, you can pet the dog later. And Grandma's still missing.


Wait! I wasn't looking at the camera! And Brent's still petting the dog.


Well, I guess the remote works.


Yep, still works.


I thought we were getting closer. If we could just get those babies to stop being so cute. And where did Caleb go?


And here we are ... Weston family picture 2006! The babies are crying, but they're at that age where even that is cute. Another page for the Weston history books. The memory of taking the picture is as fun as the final picture itself.

Posted by hjw at 9:43 PM | | Comments

28 November 2006

Thanksgiving at Shaver

Over Thanksgiving weekend, the Hammer family went up to a cabin in Shaver Lake. Though the temperature never got above 40, we had a GREAT time sitting by the fire, eating too much food, playing pool, watching movies, spending time in a nearby Sequoia grove, and just generally hanging out. For the rest of the pictures, you can go to our photos website, here.

And now its Christmas!!! I love Christmas. We've hung lights, and a wreath on the front door. The Charlie Brown Christmas special is on TV, and we've started buying Christmas presents. Its just such a fabulous time of year. Yay for Christmas!

Posted by hjw at 8:16 PM | | Comments

27 November 2006

all I want for Christmas is ....

Slippers. I want slippers. Its winter time, and I have hard wood floors ... Besides, I owned these particular slippers when I lived in China (they can be found at L.L. Bean). So there's a sentimental value there too.
 Have you ever read Simple magazine? Its a great magazine for everything from recipes to decorating to shopping. I'd love a subscription.
 A new showerhead would be glorious.
 Renoir has a painting called "Dance in the City," and the girl's dress looks a lot like my wedding dress. I thought it would be fun to have the painting. (My dad discovered this painting when he was in Paris.)
 I could really use a new black purse. I LOVE this one ... found at Target.

Earrings. I LOVE EARRINGS! The danglier, the better.

Baskets for storing yarn ... they'd need to be lined. But I LOVE these.
 This is my dream chair ... its found at Cost Plus. Its outside the realm of reality for a Christmas list, but hey ... you never know.
 Red heels. I've been looking everywhere for red heels, and just haven't found the perfect pair. I'm a 7.
 This is the fabulous iPod nano. I want one.
 LOVE this cardigan ... any similar style and fab color would do.
 Just one movie I'd love to own. Other movies I'd love: Pirates II, The Lake House, King Kong, Lilo & Stitch, Chariots of Fire.
 I love candles ... all shapes and sizes. Best colors are rich ones (Brown, Red, Deep Purple, Gold). I also love candlesticks ... but tall ones of different sizes and colors (not like the low ones shown here). These particular candles are found at Cost Plus.







Stores I L-O-V-E love:
Crate and Barrel
Macy's
Target
The Limited
Cost Plus (World Market)

Posted by hjw at 4:19 PM | | Comments

17 November 2006

the importance of girlfriends


I am a firm believer in the absolute necessity of friendship. We weren't meant to be islands in the stream, or islands in ANY body of water for that matter. We were created for companionship, connection. And it seems the more friends I meet and kindred spirits I come across, the more I can't live without them.

I have been truly blessed in my life with some great friends (some of whom are family, for which I feel overly blessed), women who know me inside and out. True girlfriends are the ones who know my thoughts without my having to speak them; they know when to encourage me and when they're being called on for accountability; they can put me in my place without damaging our relationship, because there is so much love and trust; they're the ones who appreciate how we're different, and remain true just the same; they have shoulders I can cry on, love and understanding I can count on; they have had the guts to tell me the truth about my shortcomings, and then continue to stand beside me as I tried to grow.

Without girlfriends, who would we shop with for hours on end? Who would we watch girlie movies with? Who would we talk with until the wee hours of the morning? Who would help us eat an entire carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream after a bad day, or tell us the too-short haircut is still cute? Who would tell us to take off the black socks, to dump the overalls that went out of style a LONG time ago, not to eat the extra piece of cake, and that "of COURSE you could win American Idol!"? Who else understands the need for a new purse every couple weeks, the obsession with jewelry and flowers, the romance in every Sandra Bullock movie (except maybe Murder By Numbers), and the need to be thought pretty even on our worst days?

We may be vastly different in personality, style and hair color, but within every woman is knit a fabric of commonality, and a need to connect.

I've had the opportunity to know some amazing women in my lifetime. Without them I wouldn't have survived high school (Wendy, Kathy, Rachel); college (Darcy, Donna, Juanita, Melanie); China (Chrissy, Kimberly, Elaine, Carlynne, Tanya); or coming home from China (Mom, Amy). And in this new stage of life, the stage where I live in one place for longer than a year, I see new friendships developing, new friendships that will help carry me into the future (Emily, Gabbie, Darcy, Dori, Alicia, Cori). I know that we will develop our own history, probably sooner than we realize. We may not have what we had with old friends, but we'll have new experiences, things we don't have with those old friends. And pretty soon we'll be the ones talking into the night, laughing and eating too much chocolate together. I can't wait.

Posted by hjw at 1:14 PM | | Comments

08 November 2006

a few of my favorite things

The last couple weeks have been pretty up and down for me ... Last week was full of emotional drama, this week I've been sick. And I've found myself being pulled down into wallowing in my own melodrama, forgetting just how much I have to be thankful for. I once heard a talk on the importance of thankfulness, and how it really is the most central aspect to living a full and content life. The Bible exhorts us to be thankful in ALL things, even our trials. Without gratitude, we become complainers, nothing is ever good enough, and we wallow in misery. What good is that to anyone? None, I tell you. None. So, today I'm going to do an exercise in thankfulness. I hope it will inspire you to think about all the things you are thankful for. I guarantee it will lift your spirits and nourish your soul. OK, let's see ....

I am immensely thankful for my husband. He is the most patient and caring man I know, and has weathered this last couple weeks of my ups and downs with grace and love, as he tends to weather all things.

I am thankful for Fall. Its my favorite time of year, and I LOVE watching the trees turn colors, the weather finally cool down, and people wearing corduroy.

I am thankful for my short commute to work. No more freeway traffic!

On that note, I am also thankful for my job, my great boss and coworkers. It has been a blessed respite from what had been a stressful situation.

I am thankful for my home. Its a wonderful home, cozy and comfortable, with working appliances, lots of candles and a wonderfully soft couch I could sit on all day.

I am thankful for the approaching holidays. Its my other favorite thing about Fall. Stores are already full of Christmas paraphernelia, welcoming the season of twinkle lights, shiny wrapping paper, pumpkin pie and good cheer. Its a time to be with family, to eat too much, sing Christmas carols and get away with wearing as much red and all the sparkle you can.

Also, with the holidays approaching, coffee creamers are coming out in flavors of pumpkin spice and peppermint mocha. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

I am thankful for enough money to eat three meals a day, for living in California where the "middle of nowhere" isn't really that far away (I love the "middle of nowhere"), for chocolate, for Josh Groban finally releasing a new album, for Kraft macaroni and cheese spirals, for all my family, old and new, for email and blogs to easily communicate with friends worldwide, for "Heroes" and "Lost" and "24" (coming soon!), for classic literature, for blue skies, for my dad's photography, and of course, for vacation. I get a whole 10 days off at Christmas, and I can't wait! I will then enjoy some of my favorite activities: spending a whole day reading a good book, spending the day with my husband doing whatever we want, hanging out in a cafe, shopping, mid-day movies, staying up late and sleeping in late ... its going to be fabulous.

What are you thankful for today? Might I encourage you to write it down? And choose to think on those things this day, and see if your day doesn't look brighter.

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Posted by hjw at 9:14 AM | | Comments

04 November 2006

a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Last weekend Caleb and I had a chance to explore the great outdoors on a beautiful Fall day. Originally we'd planned this hike for San Jacinto, but someone lit it on fire a few days before we went. So we decided to go on a hike at Mt. Wilson ... but when we got there it turned out to get to the trailhead for this hike, we had to hike five miles. So we took another random trailhead and did a total of about five miles. It turned out to be a beautiful hike through a small canyon. The best part of it were the periodic bright yellow trees dotting the trail.



Our view from the parking lot at the trailhead.



One of those beautiful yellow trees.



Caleb, on the trail.



The trees. The trees were beautiful. The hike was a beautiful one and we ended up having a great time, even though our plans were changed several times.

Posted by hjw at 1:48 PM | | Comments

03 November 2006

ah, discipline

Discipline has become such a buzz word in my life. I find myself attempting discipline in so many areas of my life, I'm wondering where the discipline of relaxation fits in! I am working toward financial discipline; the getting up early and exercising discipline, and the discipline of eating well so as not to ruin what I've accomplished through the exercise discipline; spiritual discipline; the discipline of being on time for work; the discipline of not watching too much TV and being proactive about communicating with my husband; relational discipline, making sure that time spent with people is quality time; the discipline of getting to bed on time so I can get up the next day and be disciplined about finishing all my daily tasks, right down to the laundry and the dusting and the dishes .... and the list goes on.

Life just takes a lot of energy sometimes. But, the more I think about how much there is to do, the more I realize how important discipline is in my life. Without financial discipline, we might not be able to eat at the end of the month. Without exercise discipline, I'm wheezing at the top of our one flight of stairs. Without daily task discipline, the dishes pile up until I'm the subject of a Shel Silverstein poem. Without relational discipline I am relationally exhausted and yet still disconnected from others. But the important thing I'm learning these days is that without spiritual discipline, these other disciplines are just a routine, a daily in-and-out living. Sure, I'm getting things done, but am I at peace? Is there rest in my heart in the midst of a busy day?

I am a productive person. I love tasks and value productivity above most things. And so some of these disciplines are easy for me ... because they're tangible. Doing the dishes results in clean dishes, and a clean kitchen. Doing the laundry empties the dirty laundry basket, and fills my drawers with clean socks (I have a lot of socks). Cleaning my house results in a happy Heidi, because she loves a clean house. But some disciplines are less tangible, like the relational and spiritual disciplines. Success in these areas isn't quantifiable. It doesn't fit on a chart. The growth in these areas is often seen more clearly over long periods of time. In these cases, hindsight is 20/20. And so it tends to be more difficult (at least for me) to accomplish discipline in these areas.

And yet these are the areas that are infinitely more key to personal growth and maturity than doing the dishes or skipping the extra taco. And so I find this the most pressing discipline to work toward. My whole world could be in place, in order, on a schedule ... but if my heart is disconnected from God; my thoughts wandering from what is right, true, honorable, noble, of good repute; my focus on things other than Christ ... then my schedule is for naught, my accomplished tasks like the dirty plates clanging against each other ... they're just noise.

Do you ever wonder how many times in your life you'll have to learn this lesson? I feel like I have to learn it over again and again and again. I suppose its human nature to rest on what we can do ourselves, and can quantify. We like audible answers to things, time frames, check marks, gold stars when a thing has been accomplished. We're smart beings, gifted with brains that think, plan, and solve. But I must remember that I have experienced extreme joy in waiting on the Lord, in letting his timing be played out in my life, even if he hasn't consulted my own day planner; in letting his peace wash over me so as to calm my restless soul, and give over to him all that troubles me. Being in communion with the Living God is the discipline which manages all other disciplines. It is the "head discipline," if you will. "Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you." The verse I've known from childhood takes on new meaning once again. Perhaps if we trust God, and seek him first, all other disciplines will start to fall into place. And then we might find comfort in that word, discipline. I know its a stretch! But maybe, just maybe, it could happen.

Posted by hjw at 3:08 PM | | Comments

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