The Drury Report

Florida!!!

2009-10-26T21:24:00.000-05:00

We had a blast when we went to Florida over MEA. We got to visit Disney Land, Universal Studios and the Beach! It was so fun!

Briggs!

2009-06-17T17:30:00.000-05:00

We thought the Drury blog needed something new. What could be newer than a newborn? Here are a few photos of our little guy. Bert likes to give him a shower, but if I'm not in the bathroom to grab Briggs when he's done, Bert wraps him in a towel and places him in the sink! Poor guy---he'll be too big for it before long!

Shirley Kate LOVES her new baby!

Briggs' 1st Sunday going to church. It was also Mother's Day---he was 5 days old.

Brotherly love.

New Layout

2009-03-22T12:34:00.002-05:00

What's this? White! And pink... on the family blog!
Why the new layout, may I ask?
And why the very PINK colors?! It rather reminds one of an Easter Bunny party.
Does everyone else like this new Barbie-approved theme?

Slumber Party at the Turners!

2009-03-11T17:02:00.000-05:00

We got to go to the Turner's house on Sat. for a slumber party! We had so much fun! Here are some pictures of our time with the Olivia, Ava and Lucia.

The last of the snow...maybe

2009-03-07T17:21:00.000-06:00

Last week we thought we would enjoy the snowmobiles for (maybe) the last time. We decided to skip naps on Sunday and play. Shirley Kate fell asleep while we were cruising around. (No, they don't have whisper-quiet engines---she was just tired!)

Mama, Papa and Bear drive their own, and Bronwen and Mac take turns on the "kitty-cat". (Otherwise they hitch a ride with one of us.)

Shirley was a bit disoriented when she woke up---not real happy to still be on the snowmobile!

Fun times...

Clay Daniel at 6 Months Old

2009-02-01T21:31:00.001-06:00

New Blog

2009-01-23T22:50:00.002-06:00

Hey, I am taking a class on weblogs and wikis this semester, and one of the course requirements is that I set up a blog. If anyone is interested in reading or commenting on it, they are welcome.

http://nightengale8.wordpress.com

A few pics from our New Year's Cruise

2009-01-12T13:46:00.006-06:00

Our cruise left from Port Canaveral, Florida and
we made stops at Nassau, Bahamas, St. Thomas,
and St. Maarten with a few days at sea inbetween.
We had a wonderful and relaxing time. Enjoy!

Panorama of St. Thomas

Andy ridin' the waterslide on the ship

Ham Family Christmas

2009-01-08T14:37:00.000-06:00

Goin' Green?

2009-01-07T00:56:00.000-06:00

Remember the Drury Reunion this summer? I thought we could all use a little reminder of warmer days...actually, I was cleaning out my files and found these pictures that I had meant to post this summer! There they are: the Fantastic Five in all their glory.

More Pics

2009-01-07T00:21:00.000-06:00

Christmas Pictures

2009-01-07T00:20:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all who made the Martin Christmas gathering possible...and to all who made it there! : ) We all had a great time!

Cancun photos..finally!

2009-01-06T15:51:00.000-06:00

Yes, here we are 1 month later, and we are FINALLY getting around to posting a few pictures. As you can see, we did a whole lotta nothin'! (So we did not have too many exciting things to photograph.) One day on the beach was pretty much the same as last and the next. (Except different swimsuits!) It was just marvelous to have nothing to do all week. Ahhhhhh...good times!

The Bixby's Christmas

2009-01-01T13:54:00.000-06:00

Christmas at Parkers Lake

2009-01-01T13:34:00.000-06:00

Church Discussion - Part 1

2008-11-24T10:36:00.000-06:00

As Stacy and I have been going through the church search process, a few issues have come forward as we seek to evaluate whether or not a particular church is “right” for us.

Issue #1: In all church ministries should the leader be a member of the church? Why? Are there any scriptural references to support your answer? Ministries being defined as Sunday School, VBS, youth group, small groups, nursery, hospitality, etc.

Issue #2: I think in our family circle it’s safe to assume that we would not support a church having a female pastor, but where do you draw the line for women having a leadership role in the church? Should a woman be allowed to teach an adult Sunday School class containing both men and women? How important is this to you; would you leave (or not join) a church that does this? Again, are there any scriptural references to support your answer?

I’ll stop there and let the discussion be on those two issues. I have more and, Lord willing, I will post them in the future. Let’s see how this goes first. Thank you for your thoughts.

Joel Ham

P.S. We were given a book (What is A Healthy Church by Mark Dever) as a gift from one of our elders at Eden Baptist before moving to Kentucky. This book has served as a good reminder of the essential marks and important marks of a healthy church and helped put us in the right mindset to assess each church. I highly recommend it.

Fall is finishin'

2008-11-06T17:41:00.004-06:00

...at least in Minnesota. But we've had fun, and I thought you'd enjoy some pictures the kids took the other day. It was all fun and games until Elise lost her head:

First Vote

2008-11-05T16:19:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was my first time to vote!!! Although it is tempting to think that my vote really didn't do much in the way of contributing to the cause I was voting for, I am still grateful for the opportunity to be involved with national politics and to have a voice, however small, in choosing my country's leaders.
Being on a very liberal campus has made me thoroughly sick of politics, and I must say I am glad that all the campaign ads and candidate endorsements by professors are (hopefully) ended. I can't help feeling melancholic about the results of the election though.
With a vague sense of despondency, I wonder, "What America will be like by the next time I vote?"

Ham Halloween

2008-11-02T16:02:00.000-06:00

My Surprise Party!

2008-10-18T19:02:00.000-05:00

My mom and church friends surprised me last Friday for my 14th birthday. I came home from school and they were all (15 girls total) at my house! I was so surprised I almost started crying. Almost all of them spent the night. We did some crazy things like going to McDonald's in this green facemask as you can see in one of the pictures. I think my mom went crazy but we had loads of fun!

Istanbul, Turkey

2008-10-14T19:44:00.002-05:00

I am back from Istanbul, and glad to be home with the family. I didn't get many pictures, but the trip went well.

Clay Daniel is 2 months old!

2008-09-24T19:44:00.001-05:00

I took Clay to his two month appointment. He is a healthy, growing boy! He is now 14 pounds 3 ounces and he is 23 1/2 inches long! That makes him at the 95th percentile for his weight and 75th percentile for his height....needless to say, I think he is eating enough and we may have another basketball player on our hands! :) Oh, and of course football player too!!! :)

We have puppies - only one left!

2008-09-21T19:25:00.001-05:00

Daisy's puppies - Isabelle needs one!

End of summer pictures

2008-09-21T19:12:00.004-05:00

Labor Day Weekend on Lake Michigan and kids first day of school.

Isa's haircut

2008-09-04T19:15:00.001-05:00

Andy's Surprise 30th Birthday Party!

2008-08-25T14:23:00.007-05:00

We had a great time surprising Andy for
his 30th birthday. Enjoy the photos!

Here's a little video of the surprise. We

had to drag him kicking and screaming to

the Antoine's house. (He was not happy

about coming over to move furniture on

a Saturday night!). Enjoy!

Shirley Kathryn & Shirley Kathryn!

2008-08-19T11:52:00.000-05:00

Multimedia message

2008-08-18T22:07:00.000-05:00

Bath time

Multimedia message

2008-08-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

Blogger Mobile Feature

2008-08-18T17:15:00.002-05:00

As you can see from the test post below, you can now post photos and videos to The Drury Report via your cell phone or e-mail.

Simply e-mail your photos or videos to joelandstacyham.druryreport@blogger.com

Unfortunately, I could not figure out how to set it up so you could each use your respective usernames. So your content will be posted under our username.

Give it a try when you have time. I know I'll be using it.

Joel

Blogger Mobile Test

2008-08-18T17:14:00.001-05:00

Test test Test test Test test Test test

This is only a test.

Bixby's Bass Lake Pics

2008-08-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

Here are our pictures of Bass Lake. I hope you enjoy them!

Bass Lake. Anyone? Anyone?

2008-08-12T16:24:00.003-05:00

I know that a few representatives from the "Shirley clan" went to Bass Lake this year, I've seen the proof (thank you Facebook)!

So, does anybody have some pictures? A story to tell? Maybe some video footage?

Please share with those of us who were unable to attend due to "extenuating" circumstances. ;-)

Thanks.

Joel

I Smell Houses. Ha ha ha ha.

2008-08-05T10:57:00.003-05:00

As you may notice, I added a link to our House Hunting Hams blog to the Blog List on the right side of the page. That’s because we may soon be selling our home in MN (Praise God!); which means house hunting season in KY is about to open. So, keep an eye out for updates and feel free to weigh in with your comments, questions, and/or suggestions.

Joel

Lennon's New Pics

2008-08-01T21:10:00.003-05:00

a little over a month ago Becky and I took Lennon to get her pictures taken. Here is the sneak peek we got today!

At the Beach

2008-08-01T20:31:00.001-05:00

New Feature

2008-07-14T00:42:00.002-05:00

Hello family. I've added a new "Page Element" that Blogger just released. It's called Blog List; you'll see it on the right hand side of the page. What it does is it receives an automatic feed from the blogs listed and displays the most recently updated blog at the top, along with the title of the most recent post. This may save you a little time, if you check in here first, you will be able to see if any of the other blogs you may visit have been updated and are worth looking at. Please let me know if you have any other blogs you'd like to see added to this section of the page. As always, let me know if you encounter any problems and/or have any questions. Thanks and have a great week.

Joel

Edith - Walkin' & Talkin'

2008-07-11T20:42:00.002-05:00

To see another video and a slideshow of photos, visit Ham Huddle.

Ham Baby Update

2008-07-10T16:09:00.004-05:00

Hello Family! The blog has been sitting unchanged for too long, so I figured I'd post some baby news.

Stacy, Edith, and I went to see the doctor yesterday for a routine appointment. At the previous visit, the doctor had us schedule an ultrasound, because Stacy was measuring larger than "normal." So, we had the ultrasound first and got to see Clay up close and personal. He looked a little squished in there and, if you've seen Stacy lately, you know why. After the ultrasound we met with Stacy's doctor and talked baby/delivery. Stacy is between 36 1/2 weeks and 37 weeks, but Clay is measuring at 40 weeks, so he's a big boy. We had already talked to the doctor about inducing Stacy earlier than her due date. He confirmed that that would be a wise thing to do; especially if we want to have Clay naturally vs. C section. So, we talked dates and settled on Sunday, July 20th. Yeah, I know, that's less than 2 weeks away! We will go into the hospital Sunday afternoon or evening and they will administer medication to "soften" Stacy's cervix. By Monday morning we should be rockin and rollin and having ourselves a baby! Needless to say, we're pretty excited that he'll be here a little early!

Stacy's parents, Gordon and Ruth Leeman, will be coming down that weekend, so they have the grueling task of taking care of Edith. ;) We get their help for the whole week and following weekend. Then Grandma Ham (and maybe Grandpa) will be coming down and staying with us to help until we kick them out. ;) I'll take a little bit of time off from work, here and there, when Gordon and Ruth and Mom and Dad are here. Then, when the grandparents have left, I'll take a few days off so we can spend time together on our own. I can't wait!

So, that's the news so far. I'll try to keep you posted on any further developments. I'm sure I've left out some vital information, so please feel free to ask any questions you may have. I'll do my best to answer them or make something up. :P

As they say in Kentucky, "We love y'all."

Joel

Drury Family Reunion 2008

2008-06-27T14:51:00.003-05:00

To view a larger version of this slideshow, go to Ham Huddle.

Click on the link to be taken to an album containing all of these photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/joelandstacyham/DruryFamilyReunion2008

Another Test!

2008-06-24T11:16:00.003-05:00

I'm testing out my new blogging capabilities - wow - I'm actually posting a picture! I don't have my pictures from the Drury reunion on the computer yet - so I'm posting an older picture from Feb. when I took the boys to Disney World. I feel really high tech now!

This is a test!

2008-06-24T10:46:00.001-05:00

Thanks, Daniel for the tutorial! I hope I FINALLY have this figured out! It was so good to see all of the Drury clan!

Elise is Back from Colorado!

2008-06-23T19:17:00.002-05:00

We are so glad to have Elise back from Colorado.

I'm not going to type too much, since I'm using this to train, but it is sooooooo good to have our daughter back with us!

Yumm....

2008-06-19T11:08:00.001-05:00

Yes. I ate two.

Not that bad, really.

Bambi visits the Bouwman's!

2008-06-17T22:54:00.000-05:00

You just never know what might happen at our house! I mean, it's a zoo around our place, but usually the animals only have 2 legs! The other day , Papa surprised us by bringing home a baby deer! (Whatever happened to a puppy or a kitten...or even a pony?) The kids enjoyed "playing" with the poor thing, but could not convince Mama to keep it. Too bad. (We think the mother was the dead doe on the highway, but you never know...) It would not take a bottle, much to the kids disappointment, but it did manage to pee and poop all over Papa's shirt, that's why he's shirtless. ;) Never a dull moment around our home!

P.S. Can we say "pee" and "poop"?

Kristyn Getty - When Trials Come (Irish Hymn)

2008-06-09T10:43:00.001-05:00

Keith & Kristyn Getty - My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness

2008-06-09T10:33:00.001-05:00

Keith & Kristyn Getty - The Power of the Cross

2008-06-09T10:29:00.001-05:00

Keith & Kristyn Getty - Come, People of the Risen King

2008-06-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Keith & Kristyn Getty - Hear the Call of the Kingdom

2008-06-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

Keith & Kristyn Getty - Ribbon Roads

2008-06-09T10:22:00.000-05:00

Edie's 1st Birthday

2008-06-07T15:42:00.002-05:00

We celebrated last night with a cake, which Edith loved. She thought it was pretty great to dig into her own piece. :) Today we went to the pool. She is getting pretty comfortable with it. She let us let go while she was in her tube. And this afternoon, we are going to the store to pick out her gift from Mommy and Daddy and get some ice cream. We have had a great time celebrating with her! She has been such a blessing to us this past year and we look forward to the years ahead.

Vote for Lennon

2008-05-29T18:58:00.003-05:00

We have entered Lennon Adele into a Cover Model Search for Parents Magazine!!! If you want to help her out go to THIS link and RATE AND RECOMMEND her photo!!! Thanks so much! We hope everyone is doing well!!!!!

Fun @ G&G Ham's

2008-05-26T19:11:00.002-05:00

On our move down to Bowling Green, KY we took advantage of stopping halfway at Grandma & Grandpa Ham's. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with everybody and can't wait for the Lord to bring us together again.

Joel

2008-05-14T14:28:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day 2008

I was SPOILED ROTTEN!

Wacky Hair Day

2008-05-14T14:15:00.003-05:00

Today at school it was Wacky Hair Day....Isa got into it!!! :-) Sorry, couldn't figure out how to delete the 2nd picture!!!

Have ya'll "gone country"?

2008-05-04T17:30:00.002-05:00

Okay, we are not afraid to admit we enjoy a bit of country twang every once in awhile. Not too long ago, we were listening to Joe Soucheray, and he was sharing a list of funny country music song titles. We got such a kick out of it, we thought you might enjoy it, too! ( We "edited" out a few. They were hysterical, but we thought this is a family blog, so it must maintain at least a "PG" rating... )

"Her teeth was stained, but her heart was pure"
"How can I miss you if you won't go away?"
"I changed her oil, she changed my life"
"I fell in a pile of love and got you all over me"
"I liked you better before I knew you so well"
"I still miss you baby, but my aims gettin' better"
"If I can't be #1 in your life, than #2 on you!"
"If you can't live without me, why aren't you dead?"
"I'm so miserable without you, it's like havin' you here"
"My wife ran off with my best friend and I sure do miss him"
"Thank God and Greyhound she's gone"
"I would'nt take you to a dog fight (even if I thought you could win!)"

So... have we converted any of you to country? :) Believe it or not these are real songs!

Lennon's Day Out!

2008-04-26T20:56:00.002-05:00

Its hard to believe that our lil' Lennon Adele is now a few days short of being 20 months old! Here are some pics of her first trip to the park of the year!!!!!!!!

Lori's 40th

2008-04-22T21:51:00.004-05:00

The pictures say it all!

Happy Birthday Brenda Lou!

2008-04-22T20:30:00.004-05:00

Happiest of birthday wishes to you! Hope you're feeling better. :( Enjoy your birthday!

Joel, Stacy, and Edith

T4G '08 Conference

2008-04-19T11:51:00.004-05:00

I had the opportunity to go the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville this week. It was great. For someone who loves congregational singing it was a little bit of heaven! I was just really disappointed we didn't sing more, but I guess that wasn't the purpose of the conference. You can visit the site to hear the sermons if you want.

Warning: Not for the faint of heart (or Arminians either, for that matter)!

Seriously, if you want to hear some good teaching, it is great. It was also a blessing to see how God is using Al Mohler to help bring the Southern Baptist Convention back to solid biblical theology.

Bob Kauflin, who led the singing, has a list of the songs we sang on his blog.

Saturday Afternoon

2008-04-12T19:39:00.001-05:00

Some photos of Edith & Stacy on a relaxing Saturday afternoon.

Shirley Kathryn is 1 today!

2008-04-11T10:32:00.000-05:00

As the kids say:"Life is great...with Shirley Kate!" We can't believe it has been a year already!

Italian Holiday

2008-04-06T16:23:00.002-05:00

Over spring break, I went to Italy with the entire senior class of Cottey College. We arrived in Rome on March 10, and travelled to Florence by bus. While in Firenze (Florence's real name), I saw Santa Croce, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo, the Accademia Gallery (and of course, the David), the Il Bargello Museum, the San Lorenzo Basilica, some markets, cafes, and the Uffizzi Gallery. Our hotel was close to the historical center of the town, so I got to walk everywhere - I think I walked over 40 miles in Florence alone! I liked everything, but my favorites were the Palazzo Vecchio, the Dome of the Duomo (I climbed all 450+ steps to its top!), the Uffizzi, and Santa Croce. The Palazzo Vecchio was originally a fortress that eventually the Medici family used as one of their residences. When they took it over, they commissioned a lot of spectacular art in almost every part of the interior. Each room's ceiling was elaborately decorated with paintings and detailed gold trim. The Duomo was amazing because of the spectacular exterior (it is completely covered with pink, green, and white marble) and the view its dome offers. I liked Santa Croce because it also has an elaborate marble facade, but I actually enjoyed seeing its interior more. Galileo, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli and buried there. Its many beautiful frescoes make it spectacular!On March 13, we left for Roma. I have to admit it, I liked Roma best. I can't even really explain why. : ) My absolute favorite site there was the Trevi Fountain - I actually visited it each day that I was in Rome. I also saw the Colosseum, the Forum, Palentine Hill, Circus Maximus, the Pantheon, San Ignazio's basilica, the Vatican city, St. Peter's basilica, the Sistine chapel, and some Vatican museums. They were all equally amazing! I rode the Metro for the first time (and discovered that my balance is awful!), tasted my first gelato(a form of ice cream resembling frozen custard), and just tried to take it all in. : ) I'm sure you will all want to know if I saw the Pope. lol He actually did not make an appearance - his visiting hours are only on Wednesdays. : )I flew back to Nevada on March 16, and have since been very busy with studies. I loved Italy, and I would love to go back to Europe to visit England and France someday. Until "someday" comes, I will be wishing I were back in Europe! : )My pictures are a bit mixed up, sorry. The first 2 are of the Palazzo Vecchio, the next is a typical street in Florence and the back of Santa Croce. Then one of the Vatican, then a square in Rome where I ate dinner. The next 4 are of historical Roman ruins (I'm sure you'll all know them), then it jumps back to Florence for the next 6 pictures. All the pictures are placed I've mentioned except for that of the Pucci store. The rest are all of Rome. I am not sure how to explain all the pictures any better, so I guess you can all use your imaginations to figure them out. : ) Otherwise, Google is a very helpful tool. : )

Update - Bowling Green Move

2008-04-04T08:10:00.005-05:00

I just want to take a moment to update everyone on our progress towards moving to Bowling Green, KY.

I have a start date for my new position. I will take over as Loss Prevention Manager on May 19th. One unfortunate thing, the supervisor (her name is Melanie) that will work for me has National Guard training from May 12th until July 15th. So, it may be more challenging to get acclimated and make changes while my supervisor is away. I will be in Bowling Green the week of May 5th to spend time with Melanie before she leaves. Hopefully, this will allow us enough time to get prepared for the upcoming transition. I’ll be back in MN Friday night, and the following week, as we prepare to move to BG.

With the start date being so soon, we will not have much time to get our house sold before the move. The house was listed yesterday, so we are now on the market. I’ve included a link to the listing at the bottom of this post. I haven’t had a chance to take my own pictures yet, but the realtor’s photos are on the listing. You will see from the photos that we were able to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. This is due, in no small part, to the help of our friends, family, and a contractor. We were happy to have Mom & Dad Ham come up from IL to help with a good part of the work. Mom & Dad Leeman were integral in organizing, prepping, and applying paint to many walls and ceilings throughout our home. We had a Saturday, two weeks ago, where a couple of men from church (John & Rich) came and helped paint the basement. Finally, our contractor, Arric, a guy I had met while painting with Uncle Ken, did a fantastic job transforming various parts of our home. He was able to finish all of the projects Stacy and I had started, and then some. We are really happy with how everything has turned out and look forward to enjoying our “new” home for a little while longer. Thank you, again, to all who helped us along the way and to those who will help us in the very near future.

We were able, with the help of Stacy’s mom, Ruth, to find a new home for Boomer. A woman from Ruth’s work talked to her about looking for a dog. She mentioned an ad for Lab puppies, but “complained” that they weren’t hairy enough. :) Ruth showed her some photos of Boomer and told her that we were looking for a new home for him. She was very excited and called me to make arrangements to get him. We delivered him last Saturday to her home. She has a big, fenced-in backyard and a park across the street. She has had many dogs, so we are confident she will be able to care for Boomer quite well. Stacy and I are happy we were able to find a good family for Boomer to go to. It was a little sad to see him go, but not too much. ;)

So, as you can tell, the Lord has been at work. We ask for your continued prayers as we experience the many ups and downs that will come our way through this process. It’ll be time to move before we know it and we have a lot to do before we get there. We are thankful the Lord is on our side. Praise God!

Joel

Click the following URL to see the listing:
http://matrix.northstarmls.com/Matrix/Public/Email.aspx?ID=4524696932

Also, if you’d like to see what our house looked like when we moved in a little over a year ago, click the following URL to see our House Hunting Hams blog: http://househuntinghams.blogspot.com/

The REAL God's Country

2008-04-03T18:50:00.003-05:00

We are having a phenomenal time in the Rockies. It is beautiful. It's been snowing up at the cabin most of the day. We drove over the Continental Divide. It was fun to go up that high in the mountains. Andy and Sara went skiing today. We are having a blast.

Easter Sunday 2008/ Ava's Birthday

2008-03-26T22:06:00.000-05:00

Easter at the Turner's

2008-03-24T22:58:00.008-05:00

We had such a great time at the Turner's

on Easter Sunday! Many thanks to Wendy

for such a wonderful brunch! I thought
everyone might enjoy a few pics...

The Birthday girl...

Twinkles Toes...

Couldn't help but post this. Hope you don't

mind Turners - it's pretty cute...

Ka-Boynk!

It's A Boy!

2008-03-24T10:14:00.003-05:00

Stacy had her ultrasound on Friday afternoon. After our twins scare at a previous doctor’s appointment, we were able to clear up that question right off the bat. There is only one baby in there. The technician was a little mean and made us wait until the end of the ultrasound to find out the gender. There was no doubt about it; it is clearly a boy! We’re very excited! His name will be Clay Daniel Ham. Our due date is still August 2nd. Thank you for your continued prayers for Stacy and Clay.

The Hams Are Moving

2008-03-18T09:49:00.008-05:00

Joel, Stacy, and Edith...not any of the other Hams. ;)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! On March 5th I was offered the position of Loss Prevention Manager at my company’s (ShopNBC) Bowling Green, KY distribution center. This promotion is a big step in my career and brings with it many more opportunities than I have currently. I do not have a start date as of yet and it appears as though my boss will be patient and give us a good opportunity to sell our home before requiring me to go to work in KY.

Since accepting the position, Stacy and I have been working on getting our home ready to sell. We want to get it listed as soon as possible. We hired a contractor to come in and finish a lot of the projects around the house that we had started, but haven’t had time to finish. When the work is completed we will have a newly renovated bathroom with new flooring, wainscoting, tiled shower, new sink, new light fixtures, fresh wall/ceiling paint, and enameled woodwork. Our kitchen is also getting some major work done. It will have new flooring, new countertops, new hardware on freshly enameled cupboards, new light fixtures, and fresh wall/ceiling paint. Finally, besides a few smaller repairs around the rest of the house, the last thing we will do is add new carpet to our living room. Work has already begun and we still have a lot of work ahead of us.

We are very thankful for those helping us. Gordon, Stacy’s dad, has been out the last two days working on getting the cupboards enameled and walls primed. Last week we took the cupboard doors & drawers to him and they are all done. My mom is flying in tomorrow to stay with us for a week and a half. No doubt she will be a huge help in getting us organized, cleaned, and giving Stacy better feedback on colors & design ideas than I could ever hope to do. This Saturday we have a contingent from our church coming to help paint the basement and maybe put some flooring down. Then dad is coming on the 26th to help until he and mom leave on Sunday the 30th.

Unfortunately, as part of getting ready to sell our house and move down to BG, we have to find a new home for our dog, Boomer. If you know of anyone who has a distinct liking for big dogs, send them our way. Here’s Boomer’s info: Breed-Great Pyrenees, Gender-Male, Born-12/21/2006, Color-White, Registered-AKC, pure bred, not fixed, Size-BIG. Click on Boomer to be taken to a slideshow of photos of him. He’s a great family dog; Edith loves him and he’s great with her. He very rarely barks when he shouldn’t. We need to find his new home very soon (within a week or two), because we will be finishing the work on the house and, Lord willing, showing it to prospective buyers very soon. Thanks for any help you can provide.

We are excited to see where God will lead us and we seek His guidance as we strive to know what to do. Many important decisions will need to be made, our house will need to sell (faster than on average), and we are moving, which is a huge ordeal in itself. Please pray for us. Pray that we will be able to get the work done that needs to be done in order to get our house listed. Pray that we will honor God during the process of selling our home. Pray that we find a good home, in a good area. Pray that we find a Christ-centered, Bible teaching/preaching church that is traveling the narrow way as a congregation. Pray that Stacy’s pregnancy continues to go well.

We are excited about what is happening and our opportunity to trust God through it. We will keep you updated on our progress as time permits. Thank you for your prayers.

Joel, Stacy, Edith, & Baby

Ben's Game

2008-03-13T17:44:00.001-05:00

For larger photos, just click on the slideshow to be taken to our web album.

Happy Birthday Tom!

2008-03-11T08:10:00.008-05:00

Happy Birthday Tom!

Congratulations on turning ?? years old.

May the Lord grant you many more.

Love,

Your Family

Happy Birthday Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma!

2008-03-03T13:21:00.002-06:00

Happy Belated Birthday!

Shirley gracefully turned 74 on Sunday, March 2nd. We hope you had a fun-filled celebration. We're extremely grateful for your love for each of us and for your love for your Savior. You have been, and continue to be, an example of Christ's love and servant spirit that we may follow. We look forward to, Lord willing, many more years of fun and laughter.

Love,

Your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren

Edith & Ham Baby #2 Update

2008-03-03T13:01:00.003-06:00

Hello Family!

I just wanted to fill everyone in on the latest with Edith & Ham Baby #2.

Edith went to see the doctor last week. She is healthy in all regards and the doctor is happy with her growth. Her stats are; height - 28 5/8", weight - 19# 8oz, head circumference - 17 1/4". Edith is crawling around quite easily now and has started to pull herself up to a standing position. She jabbers a lot and still has a ready smile. The front, top two & front, bottom two teeth are still where she is at for teeth. We continue to introduce her to more and more "adult" foods at lunch & dinner and she seems to like everything we give her. She's a lot of fun and we thank God for her.

The same doctor appointment for Edith was for Stacy & baby #2. Stacy has been healthy and sickness-free for this pregnancy, as she was with Edith. Praise God! Baby #2 appears to be healthy and growing well. The doctor, when trying to listen for the heartbeat, was having a hard time keeping it in one spot. When checking Stacy's uterus, she said that it seemed a little high. These two things may end up meaning nothing, but she said there is a possibility that we may have twins. We're not getting too worked up just yet. We will have another appointment in 3-4 weeks, with an ultrasound shortly thereafter. So, we'll wait and see what that reveals. ;) Needless to say, we're eager to get to that ultrasound! :)

We're so thankful that God has blessed us with a healthy, happy family! Without His love and guideance, we would be lost and unhappy. We are amazed at how He continues to work in us and through us and pray that He will continue to look favorably on our family and give us peace. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Love,

Joel, Stacy, Edith, and Baby #2

Happy Birthday Chrissy!

2008-02-28T07:40:00.003-06:00

Happy Belated Birthday Chrissy!

Chrissy turned 28? yesterday. I hope I'm not too far off on your age. ;)

We're so happy to have you as part of our family. We're thankful for the loving wife you are to Jeremy and the caring mother you are to Lennon.

We hope you had a wonderful birthday and the Lord will bless you with many more.

Love,

Carl, Becky, Eric, Nancie, Joel, Stacy, & all the kids

Happy Birthday, Bert!

2008-02-25T21:27:00.000-06:00

Bert turns 39 on February 25...he's such an old man, but we love him!;)

Trip to AZ - Saturday, In The Park...

2008-02-25T12:38:00.001-06:00

To see a larger image slideshow, visit our Ham Huddle blog.

Trip to AZ - Canyon Lake & Tortilla Flat

2008-02-19T10:01:00.000-06:00

Stacy, Edith, and I flew down to Phoenix, AZ to visit Stacy’s brother, Rollie, and sister-in-law, Megan. We left Feb. 7th and returned on the 12th. This was Edith’s 1st trip to Uncle Rollie and Aunt Megan’s house.

The flight down was uneventful; we had a layover in Denver. Edith did pretty good on the airplane for the 1st flight, but was a handful on the 2nd flight. We left temperatures in the teens and falling snow and arrived to 70+ degrees and sunny.

Megan picked us up from the airport and drove us to their home in Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix. Megan and Rollie had gone for an ultrasound, for their baby, that day and found out that they are having a girl. So, there was plenty to talk about on the drive. We’re very excited for them and are happy that Edith will have a girl cousin to play with.

We all sat down to dinner that evening and had a great meal, with great discussion. Megan is a wonderful cook and hostess. We were definitely never left wanting.

On Friday, Rollie took part of the day off from work and we all went to Canyon Lake. It was a short, and beautiful, drive from Rollie and Megan’s home. We had a picnic lunch at the lake, enjoying the views. After lunch, we continued our drive. We stopped at a small widening of the road called Tortilla Flat; many trinkets, much history. Once again, on the road; eventually, our road turned from asphalt to gravel and two lanes to one. We drove down the side of a mountain, with sections of the road being only one lane. Once at the bottom, we got out and briefly enjoyed the scenery. Then we piled back into the car and headed for home. We had a lot of fun seeing the sights and Rollie and Megan, as always, were excellent tour guides.

I’ll fill you in on more of our trip with the next post. Thanks for tuning in.

Joel

2008-02-12T17:49:00.000-06:00

HAPPY 55th BIRTHDAY, GRANDMA!!! We are only a day late, that's not so bad! We hope Grandpa was especially good to you on your special day! We love you! You don't look old enough to be a Granny to such a brood!!! Love, the "yiddo chiwdwin":)

Kenny's 3rd Birthday

2008-01-27T15:31:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Kenny!

Time for the main course!

As usual, Andy
captivates his audience
with thrilling tales
(probably of Gopher
basketball or the latest
gossip in politics)!

Harry's Two Cents:

Happy Birthday David!

2008-01-24T16:38:00.000-06:00

David John Drury turned 43 years old yesterday, January 23rd.

Happy Belated Birthday David!

P.S. Does anybody know how old David is?

Update 1/25: Thanks Mom for providing that high #. ;)

LEO Field Trip

2008-01-23T15:10:00.000-06:00

And I ask myself..."Is it really worth it?"

After spending hours on three attempts to successfully blog my pictures, I finally figured Picasa out! : )

Anyhow, these are the pictures of my September trip to Kansas City. I went with about fifty other Cottey students. We went through LEO (Leadership Experience Opportunities), an on-campus organization that I work for.
First, we volunteered at a women's shelter for a few hours, then attended a "bio-ethics" conference. Best of all, we went to the Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery! There was so much to see - it all was AMAZING! Although we only spent about an hour there, I managed to see most of the gallery and snap a few pictures. To wrap it all up, we went to a Japanese steak house for dinner. The girls in the pictures are my friends and co-workers at LEO.

Third Time's The Charm

2008-01-23T14:50:00.000-06:00

For all interested parties, this is what Cottey College looks like in the summer...and most of the year. The campus has a library, academic center, work-out facility, dorms, chapel, art center, and me. : ) It also has a performing arts center and Main Hall (neither of which do I have pictures of). Regrettably, the cat is no longer a part of campus life.

These pictures were taken during the family visit to Missouri this last July.

Video: Lennon

2008-01-22T07:28:00.000-06:00

I have to say that she is one cute girl. It's been too long since I've last seen her; she has grown so much. Thanks, Jeremy & Chrissy, for the video.

I'm posting this with Jeremy & Chrissy's blessing.

Joel

Ham Huddle Updated

2008-01-16T09:23:00.000-06:00

Fam,

The Ham Huddle has a new look, new photos, new videos, a poll...if it's happenin', it's happenin' at the Ham Huddle. Be sure to stop by as often as you can.

Joel

Reality Resumes

2008-01-15T12:20:00.000-06:00

Now that Joel has used the guilt trip to pressure, I felt obligated to post something! (JK, Joel) : )
Yesterday morning at eight, classes resumed and my life concern again became school.
I am still not ready for my three-week holiday to be finished though!
On December 19th, I was able to fly home and enjoy the Minnesota winter weather. I LOVED all the snow and frost and coldness!! I worked a lot on my break, hung out with friends, and spent a good portion of time with "the fam". It was a very enjoyable break! : )
But, alas! I came back to browned grass, sunny days, (average temperature of about 58) and excited professors who expect their students to love classes. This semester, I am taking Intro to Logic, Elem. French 2, English Composition 2, English Lit. 2, Performance of Lit., Wind Ensemble, Voice Lessons, and Flute Lessons. I think my classes will be fun, I just don't want to be back in school!
Well, that's all from M.O.

-Sarah

Ben's first game

2008-01-14T22:04:00.000-06:00

I thought you would enjoy pictures of Ben's first basketball game. That's #24 at the free-throw line. [Don't ask]

Did they win? [Don't ask that either!]

I think it is going to be a good experience.

Oh.. Is the blurry photography on purpose? [Don't ask that either!]

Birthdays & Anniversaries

2008-01-14T16:03:00.000-06:00

I would like to do a better job of staying on top of recognizing our families' birthdays and anniversaries. To help me do this, would each family please e-mail me their birthdays and anniversary? After getting everyone's, I'll e-mail the complete list to everyone that wants it (so let me know in your e-mail that you'd like the complete list). If I don't hear from you, I'll probably pester you until I do; so be forewarned. ;) Thanks.

Joel

Other Blogs of Note?

2008-01-14T12:26:00.000-06:00

I was looking through the profiles of our contributors (you guys, the family) and saw that a few of you either have been or are blog savvy and created your own blog(s). I am curious if anyone would mind if I add those blogs (listed below) to our "Family Blogs" section, so everyone will remember to check them out once and a while? Personally, I didn't even know they existed. I had heard rumor once that the Briggs kids had one, but never thought to look for it. So, if I don't hear from any of you (let's say...by the end of the week), I'll assume it's okay to link them to the blog. We can remove it later, if somebody doesn't want theirs on there. Thanks and good luck.

Joel

Blogs of Note?
Bookworm's Bibliotheque
thebriggskids

P.S. If you know of or own other blogs (family or other) that you believe the family would benefit from, please let me know of them and I will include them here at The Drury Report. Thanks.

P.S.S. Also, if there are websites that you visit regularly that you believe the family would enjoy/benefit from, please let me know and I'll add them to the "Links" section of our blog.

A Recipe to Share

2008-01-12T15:19:00.000-06:00

Joel loves this meal and wanted me to share it with all of you. (One of his ideas for the blog...to share recipes :) I got it from Rachael Ray (my favorite place to find new recipes). The recipe is called

Supper-sized Egg Rolls

Ingredients:
2 Tbl olive oil
1/2 lb ground pork
2 ribs celery cut up
handful of mushrooms cut up
1/2 head napa cabbage
2 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger root, peeled & grated
2 Tbl tamari
1 egg beaten
16 sheets 13x17inch phyllo, defrosted
3-4 Tbl butter, melted to brush on phyllo dough

In pan brown pork with olive oil. Add celery and mushrooms, stir-fry for one minute. Add cabbage, garlic, and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in Tamari and set aside in bowl to cool. Let it cool enough to handle, then mix in egg to help it keep it's shape on the dough.

Roll out one sheet of dough and brush with butter, then put another piece on top of that one and butter that, then fold in half width wise.

Pile 1/8 of your mixture in the middle, leaving 2 inches on each side. Tuck the bottom up, fold in the sides and roll it up. Butter the edge to help it stick on the seam.

Put the egg rolls on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 400 Degrees.

( A couple side notes. I didn't have pork so I chopped up 2 pork chops and it worked out great. You could also use chicken, or shrimp. Also, I used the whole head of cabbage and I used regular cabbage instead of napa and it was still good. I didn't have Tamari so I just used regular soy sauce. I am sure that all those things put together....it would be better the way that the recipe says :) but it still turns out well improvising.)

If you decide to try it, let me know what you think....enjoy....I just cooked up some rice and that was supper...nice and easy!

Are you as smart as most kindergartener's?

2008-01-10T23:01:00.000-06:00

O.K. folks, here is a riddle for you. When asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten kids got the answer, compared to only 17% of Stanford University seniors. (This comes to us courtesy of Paul Harvey.)

What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich need it, and If you eat it, you'll die?

Hmmm... did anyone get it? I got it pretty quick (which made me feel good) but Bert could not get it without a hint (which made me feel even better!) See if you can get it without a hint...

Happy 32nd Birthday Eric!

2008-01-08T15:34:00.000-06:00

Eric Thomas Ham turned 32 yesterday, Monday, January 7th. Happy Belated Birthday Big Brother! Love you lots.

Joel

2007 Tally

2008-01-07T10:09:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year Drury family and friends!

As we blog our way into 2008, I'd like to take a moment to look back on our blog in 2007. We've had some new contributors this year and we've seen a little less from some of our past contributors. In an effort to thank those that contributed often and motivate those who we'd like to see contribute more, I ranked each family by their number of posts.

1st Place with 22 posts...Joel & Stacy Ham (Be rest assured that I am humbled by this honor.)
2nd Place with 15 posts...Daniel & Brenda Bixby (Elise contributed with her 1st post this year.)
3rd Place with 11 posts...Carl & Becky Ham
4th Place with 8 posts...Bert & Molly Bouwman
5th Place with 4 posts...Jeremy & Chrissy Ham
6th Place with 3 posts...Eric & Nancie Ham (You snuck them in at the end of Dec, but they count.)
7th Place with 2 posts...Andy & Sara Briggs
Tied for 8th Place with 1 post each...Captain Tom & Shirl and Sarah Drury a.k.a. The Bookworm

Please join me in cajoling, motivating, harassing, or doing whatever it takes to get the rest of our family involved in this blog. Here are your targets for 2008: Ken & Sue, Tom & Leesa, David & Lori, and Eric & Wendy. Feel free to go after the children as well (at least those that are capable of operating a computer). In all seriousness, we are happy to hear from any and everyone who contributes to the blog. Blogging is not for everyone, so we will look forward to the other ways that God chooses to bring us together as a family.

Our family praises the Lord for where He took us in 2007 and look forward to where He will lead us in 2008. Join us in praising our Savior.

Joel

Lennon's Day in the Snow!

2008-01-01T17:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Lennon had her first time of playing in the snow! At first she was unsure, but eventually started to enjoy the falling snowflakes!!

Oops!

2007-12-29T11:19:00.001-06:00

Didn't think about the second part showing up on top! Maybe we just shouldn't do this!! =)

Cont'd

2007-12-29T11:15:00.000-06:00

And now for the Lemon sauce........the best part!

Christmas Fun!!

2007-12-29T11:08:00.000-06:00

We need blogging lessons! Why does Picassa only let me post 4 pictures at a time? Do they offer classes on this? =) How do you all do those fancy collages?

I decided to try making Virginia Martin's Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce recipe from the Martin cookbook, and I had a little help! Mmmmmm! It was thoroughly enjoyed by all (as you can see) even before it hit the oven. That sticky molasses ,especially, cries out to be licked!!

We're FINALLY bloggers!

2007-12-28T22:17:00.000-06:00

Yes, Hamfam 5 is FINALLY making a debut and posting something for the very first time ever!! And it only took us 2 1/2 hours to figure out! (Joel, PLEASE answer the phone next time you get our 911 call! =) Hope this really works...............we really still have no idea what we're doing! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!

Ham Family Christmas in Minnesota

2007-12-27T16:03:00.001-06:00

Christmas day began with a wonderful breakfast (biscuits & gravy) prepared by Stacy. We played with Edith for a little while, but since she was still sick we put her down for a nap early. It was snowing when we got her up, so we bundled up and went outside to try out her new sled (compliments of G&G Leeman). She had a lot of fun and it was beautiful outside. We came in and opened presents. Edith received a lot of gifts (thanks everybody) and is still getting acquainted with them a few days later. After playing for a while, Edith went down for another nap and Stacy and I relaxed watching a movie. We had snack (junk) food for dinner and went to bed happy, thankful, blessed, and grateful for all that our Heavenly Father provides. Not just the tangible, basic "necessities", but peace, humility, wisdom, courage, and love (to name a few). We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and we look forward to when the Lord brings us together to spend time with each other. Happy New Year too!

Love,

Joel, Stacy, Edith, and Baby #2

Christmas Eve at The Ham's (1 of 2)

2007-12-27T15:25:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve was a lot of fun for our family this year. We (being the country bumkins we are) came into the cities and went to the Macy's Storybook display in downtown Minneapolis. This year's theme was The Nutcracker Suite. Sorry, but we forgot the camera at home, so we don't have any pictures from that.

We didn't stay too long, because Edith was sick and had a fever. So when we arrived home we opened our stockings and one present. Edith received a bunch of fun toys, a Beverly Hillbillies DVD set, and a few root beer barrel candies from Dad. ;)

Edith went to bed early and Stacy and I had a delicious ham dinner, thanks to Stacy. We relaxed on the couch and watched a movie.