Cleaning off the camera

For some unknown reason, my camera had random pictures on it that were never deleted. We just downloaded them all and several were definitely worth posting here. So enjoy a look back at some great moments in the Hammer clan from the last few months.Maddie and her Grandfather. The toe will definitely fit in the mouth.

Aunt Amy and Maddie.

Anna and Guilia Martini at her sister Rachel's wedding. Guilia was born just two weeks after Maddie so Patty and I have granddaughter's the same age. I've been having a lot of fun making hand appliqued dish towels. Although they are made to be used, mostly they make great decorative additions to the kitchen. This first one I made as a set for Rachel and Mark Villalon as a wedding gift. They are both musicians. The next two I made for Christmas gifts; the flowered one for Amy and the tea cups for Patty's birthday. Pretty cool, huh!

These next pictures were taken at Christmas.

David and Maddie looking too cute for words.

Maddie and grandpa having a short conversation. I'm not sure who is giving advice to whom.

Hmmm...that pacifier looks good. Maybe Maddie will share.

June 2009

After the busyness of May, June began with lots of naps and getting life back to a normal routine. Like that is ever going to happen.

On Tuesday June 2, I met with the surgeon who had been recommended to me by the doctor in the emergency room at St. Jude. My doctor had urged me to have the gallbladder surgery as soon as possible. The emergency room doctor had recommended doing it soon and now the surgeon made the same recommendation. There can be serious complications with a gallbladder attack and they didn't want that to happen. So, surgery was scheduled for Wednesday, June 10.

About 4:00 a.m. on Saturday June 6, Caleb calls to say they are at the hospital and Heidi is in labor. June 6th is her due date but she was so sure she would deliver late that she had not even packed her bags. The nursery was ready. She and I had spent a day earlier in the week finishing with some of the organizing that needed to be done. Caleb's mom, Pam, had made curtains and pads for the rocking chair. Caleb and Heidi with some help had done an outstanding job of painting the nursery. Everything looked great and ready for little Josephine Lois.

Doug and I went out to breakfast and then over to the hospital around noon. Heidi was doing okay but not progressing very fast at all. Around 1:30 Caleb called to say that the baby was in distress and they were doing a C-section. Doug was on his way to Foothills to set up a photo show. I waited for Amy to arrive and then she and I went to the hospital. Before we even arrived, Josie was safely delivered. She arrived at 2:00 p.m., June 6, weighing 6 lbs. 10 oz. and 19 1/2 inched long. Since it would a couple of hours before we could see her, Amy and I went to lunch and then did some necessary baby shopping at Babies R Us. Doug wanted to be sure that Josie had a Dodger shirt so she wouldn't be confused by all the Angel's paraphernalia the Weston's had given her. It was early evening when Doug, Amy and I were able to see Josie, Heidi and Caleb. What a BEAUTIFUL baby she is. Heidi was doing well, lots of pain med's and a beautiful baby make for a happy mother. Both she and Caleb looked tired and were tired but very happy. Heidi came home from the hospital on Tuesday the 9th. I was able to be at the house waiting for them. It was fun to welcome them home. Doug came over after work, I made dinner and we spent time with the new parents and our newest granddaughter. It is just amazing. The next day, June 10 was my surgery. It was an outpatient procedure. The surgery was scheduled for 1:30 and I was home by 8:30 or so. Very drugged and still in pain but happy to be laying on my own couch. The next few days are a blur. Doug stayed home on Thursday and I could not have made it through that day without help. I was on lots of pain medication which makes me incredibly sleepy and a bit loopy. By Monday, I felt good enough go to Heidi's and help with Josephine. Pam had stayed with them for the first few days. My dad drove me since I wasn't sure I could handle driving yet. I spent the week helping Heidi but not really feeling well. In fact, I kept feeling worse and weaker all week. Thursday morning my doctor's visit revealed that I was suffering from an infection. They began me on some heavy duty antibiotics which really affected me. I was weak and sleepy all the time. After a week on the antibiotics, the infection seems to be gone, my strength is returning but I'm still tired most of the time.

Now it is time to begin getting ready for vacation. Somehow I manage to do what has to be done but not much else. We leave on Friday morning, July 3 for a two week vacation. June is mostly a blur of pain and baby. Even though I was not up to par, I was able to spend my days at Heidi's. Mostly I held Josie so Heidi could take a nap or shower. It was hard not to be able to do all my mother's heart wanted to do for Heidi but at least I was there. Holding Josephine was a joy.

June is truly a blur. July has arrived, we are on vacation, I'm getting back to normal and maybe now life will return to a normal routine. You never know, it could happen.

May 2009

Before I can write about our current vacation in Washington with David and Rachel, it is necessary for me to go backwards and catch up on the events of the past two months. So I begin with May.

The month of May included a wedding shower, two book club meetings, a baby shower, two birthday celebrations, two weddings, Mother's Day, on emergency room trip, visiting relatives and a college graduation. Our weekends were full.

The first Saturday of the month started with the FCC book club meeting and then I picked up Amy and she and I headed to a wedding shower for Rachel Purcell. It was fun to see Rachel, her sisters and their children, and Patty. The following weekend was the wedding. Dad and Marilyn went with Doug and I. Rachel was radiant and so very happy and Mark seems like a great man. The reception was in Dana Point at a beautiful restaurant and the party was fun and celebratory. Sunday was Mother's Day. It was the first Mother's Day without mom and I found myself really sad. But at the same time it was Heidi's first Mother's day. She and Caleb came for lunch, the guys went to Rubio's and bought us exactly what we wanted to eat. All my other children called and it turned into a nice day.

The third Saturday of May found us in San Diego for Amber's college graduation from Point Loma. We then went back to the Kaisers for dinner and presents and some good family time. The following Saturday, May 23 was Julie's 30th birthday. Jon and a friend threw Julie a great party at a park by the water in San Diego. The day was filled with more celebration (May held lots of celebrations), and great food; hamburgers, potato salad, chips, cookies and watermelon. Caleb and Heidi came with us and on the way home we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick and cheap dinner then to their house to watch the last few innings of the game. Early the next morning, Sunday the 24th, I woke with bad stomach pains. In the past year or so, I had experienced similar stomach pains but they were milder and lasted for much shorter periods of time. I thought it was just bad reflux/heartburn, took a number of Tums and we went to church. It was hard to sit through service and I just wanted to get home and lay on the couch. By evening I was ready for some real help and had Doug take me to the emergency room. It turned out I was having a gallbladder attack. Evidently all the high fat food from the day before had brought on the attack. Pain medication never felt so wonderful. I would have been glad if they had just taken the thing out right then and there. I spent two days on pain med's before the attack subsided. Then a couple of days getting some strength back. I also found myself avoiding eating any fat since I was willing to do whatever was necessary to never have this happen again.

By this point it's time to get my house and yard ready for the next wedding which was happening in our backyard on Saturday the 30th. My dad was getting married to Marilyn McNichols. David and Rachel were flying down on Friday, Jon, Julie and Maddie were coning up to stay for the weekend. There were 50 people expected at the house for the wedding and I was WAY behind in all I had planned to do. Of course, everything did not get done but the wedding was perfect none the less.

God's timing is perfect but interesting. I certainly don't understand what He is doing at times like this. However, the wedding, the way the house and yard looked were out of my control. God took control and I need to learn to lean more on Him and less on me.

Dad's wedding was so very nice. Just family. Both sets of children and spouses, many of the grandchildren and some of the great-grand children attended. Marilyn's son Ken and granddaughter Emily did the music. Bob and Jack presided over the ceremony. Jon did the photography. Brianna catered the meal. Marilyn's daughter's did the flowers. My sisters helped me get the house ready and looking festive. It was a family affair. It is good to see Dad happy. He and Marilyn make a good match and bring joy to each other.

The next day we celebrated Rachel's birthday with brunch. I then headed to an elder's meeting. From there, it was straight to Darcy's for a baby shower for Molly. Somehow, we managed to get everything done while the family was in town. What a busy but joyous weekend.

Monday David and Rachel left for home. Jon and Julie also headed home. The house was quiet and clean and I crashed. The illness and then the busy weekend left me exhausted.

May 2009 was one of the busiest months I can remember. Ahh, but then there is June. Read on!!

Liberia

Life skips from one event to the next so quickly that some events never get chronicled. It has been almost two months since we returned from Liberia and still no details of the trip on this site. So here goes.

Liberia was an amazing experience. No place I have ever been compares to being in Yekepa. Although there are more remote places, this one is right up there on my scale of remoteness. Hours of flying and layovers and then a 7 hour jeep trip to get to the University. There is almost nothing left in this part of the country except lots of ruins and evidence of the war. People live here and eck out a living somehow. The school is here and rising restored out of the jungle. It is amazing to see God at work in this broken and battered place. What a blessing to be a small part of what God is doing at ABC University.

Here are a few of my pictures from the trip. I didn't take very many so there are gaps in the story but here goes.









This was a lunch stop on the way to Yekepa. Doug and Brad are conversing with a group of children walking home from school.
On the right is a 'gas station'. Just pick your bottle of gas and they pour it in your tank.

Caleb spent most of his time cloistered in this room setting up the computer lab. It was exciting to see students using these computers on our last day there after many long hot hours of getting it ready for them. A satellite dish and generator make computer use possible in this outpost of Liberia.







Dad and Doug discussing where all the books should go. It seems logical to place them on the shelves.

It took hours of work and lots of help from students to move all the books from the temporary library to this new space.


It was exciting to see the library take shape, be filled with books, desks, computers and eventually students. We all felt priviledged to be a small part of getting this accomplished.



There was both sadness to leave and eagerness to head home when our two weeks came to a close. We made friends at the school which were hard to leave but we also were eager to get back to our loved ones here.


James asleep in the airport in Brussels. It was a long time getting back to the US. We all took naps on these couches.
In case you ever wondered what Doug and I look like after almost three days of travel, well here you go. Pretty huh!!


Before leaving for Liberia I really wondered what I had allowed myself to be talked into doing. There were things that I was unsure if I could handle well. How would I do in the heat and humidity without the aid of a good shower? What about snakes? Would I ever be able to relax? Would I be able to interact with the students and staff at the school and be an encouragement? What would God teach me through this experience? There were lessons to learn. God can take a city woman and use her in the jungles. I never stopped looking for snakes as I walked across the campus but I did walk across the campus, alone. It was hot and the showers were cold. It was very humid. I slept great and managed to function regardless of heat and humidity. There were some great times with the students and faculty. The times with Del and Becky were precious. They are great friends and it was good to be with them where they are serving God. God taught me, once again, that He is faithful and I can trust Him. It is good to go where God leads.

Getting Older

When one is young it feels like you can do anything and do it whenever you want. Playing or working all day and then staying up all night, no problem. The body responds well to more abuse than it should. Eat those nachos and finish off with a big bowl of ice cream with hot fudge sauce and no heartburn. Work in the yard or play a game of tennis and the sore muscles are back to normal in a day.

But then one begins to age and slowly it dawns on you that you can't do anything and surely not at anytime you want. What you eat and what is in that food becomes much more important. After all, we now need to watch saturated fat, sodium, fiber and sugar content. Work in the yard for very long and we're in need of a massage and at least a three hour nap. The thought of staying up all night, well, it isn't even a thought. We begin to think of how to finish life well. Retirement creeps into the conversation often and how will we live on a what was once a flourishing 401K but now has tanked with the economy.

Life has changed and I'm not always sure I like the changes. But just when I'm feeling the most frustrated with getting older God gives me the most amazing gift -- Madeleine and soon-to-arrive, Josephine. Grandchildren are God's gift that comes only to those who have lived past youth. The perspective of age brings new insight to the miracle of babies. There is great joy in watching Jon be a father to Maddie. Julie is a wonderful and loving mother. Experiencing Heidi's pregnancy and the joy of her anticipation of Josie's arrival is amazing. There is great joy in seeing my children as parents.

I look forward to sitting on the floor and playing with Maddie and Josie even if my muscles do complain. Playing games, eating pizza and staying up all night sound good if it means I'm enjoying my grandchildren. Praise God for grandchildren!!

We're Here

Some time yesterday late afternoon we arrived in Yekepa. The seven hour drive here was the bouncyest ride of my life. Del drives quite fast for roads liberally speckled with deep potholes and then the dirt roads were even worse. We made it safely here in a timely manner and I guess that is what counts.



It is hot and muggy, really hot and really really muggy. The idea of showering, in cold water, every couple of hours sounds appealing. However, there is work to do and everyone is busy doing what they can. Doug and I spent most of the day trying to figure out the computer system for cataloging the library. We're still working on that. Everyone else was actually working in the library; James was hanging lights, Caleb was wiring for the computers, Brad was helping both as needed, Dad was supervising.



It is about 8:00p.m. and we had some hard rain early this evening. There is actually some cool air coming in. Heavenly!!



Being on the campus of ABC University is exciting. Seeing the library coming together is also exciting. This is a great tribute to mom and her love of ABC and the teaching of the Word. It is also a needed addition to the school. The students and teachers are eagerly looking forward to it's completion. I am grateful to be here and be part of this project.

Liberia

Early tomorrow morning, really early, we leave for Liberia. I'll be up at 2:00 a.m. to shower and do my hair. It is a good thing to begin a long trip clean. We will arrive in Monrovia Liberia Sunday evening, spend the night and then the next day begin the 7 hour jeep trek to Yekepa. We have about 10 full days in Yekepa to accomplish what God is sending us to do. Although I understand the trip is more about people than work, I would like to see the actual compleletion of the library.

There have been moments, some of them long moments, when I've wondered how I was talked into going on this trip. But God has been at work on my heart. I find I'm excited about the trip. The long travel time and the hot humid weather don't excite me. Being with Del and Becky, seeing ABC University, interacting with the Liberians, these things excite me.

God has good plans for us and ABCU through this trip. With God's help we will be able to finish the library and have it usable by the time we leave. We will have time with Del and Becky and I pray we are an encouragement to them. Then, we will also be working with many Liberians on this project and there will be students to interact with. My pray is for God to use me in a special way in at least one person's life. I also pray that I will be open to what God wants to teach me through this journey.

Pray with me for God's plan to unfold in our lives and the lives of those with whom we interact.