Photo Time!

Back in March I was in Seattle for a week. My dad was having surgery, so I was doing lots of chauffeuring and meal cooking, and my little sister was up looking at various wedding venues for next year (I still can't believe she's engaged!), but in the midst of the crazy week of busy family love, I got to spend a small bit of time with my dear friends Patye & Minh, and my favorite little "niece", Amelie.

Originally, Patye and I had talked about maybe doing a "maternity" shoot... but in the end, it ended up being a bit of an impromptu, laid-back family shoot (down to Minh in his outdoor-work sweat pants). I hadn't spent much time "preparing" for the shoot given the circumstances around my visit (i.e. my dad being in the hospital)... but it was pretty exciting to get out there for what was my first (unofficial) "official" shoot in a long time (about 4 years).

In some ways it ended up being really different than I'd envisioned, but it was still so much fun! I had such a great time (it's hard not to hanging out with their family), and I learned a lot. While I may not have gotten all the shots I'd hoped for, I think there are a bunch that truly portray their family and what they're all about: fun laughter, deep caring, intense respect, and unending love.

If you have Facebook, you can view the full album of their photos online: facebook.com/HannahSnyderChen

If not, I've posted a few of them below. You can also find some on my 365 Project blog (Photos 45-55 and Photo 102). I'd love to know what you think!

Even though you may not believe it, Patye was only 29 weeks along when these photos were taken. Today, May 21, is Lucy's due date, but she's been quite content to just delay her entrance into the world. I guess it's cozy in there. Maybe posting this will encourage her that it's pretty exciting out here, too. =)  Congratulations, you guys!

Week in Review

So, what's happened this week? Well...

February 4 - A field trip to The Franklin Institute. Lots of gizmos and gadgets to explore.

February 5 - The Wheaton Promise event at the Union League. We ate delicious food right as the snowstorm settled in.

February 6 - Day 1 of the great Blizzard of 2010! (We got about 2 feet of snow that day...)

February 7 - Snow church at our house! That's what you do when everything else gets canceled, right?

February 8 - A day of being snowed in...

February 9 - A story of being locked out...

February 10 - Still to be determined - check it out later. Though, we're getting pummeled with snow again - we've gotten about 8" so far, and it's still snowing... so it may very well be more documentation of Blizzard 2010!

In other words... I'm posting every day at my 365 Project, and if you're interested in daily happenings, you should check it out! =) 

Joy in the City

Last January, our church started a project to build a new adult ministry center across from the church building. Well, let me rephrase that. Last January, our church started a project to totally renovate an old, abandoned, dilapidated factory warehouse into a new ministry center called Joy in the City.

It was a pretty major undertaking, and despite a number of setbacks, we held a pseudo dedication for it last weekend. There are still a number of things to be finished, but the windows are in, the drywall is up, and it's actually being used this weekend!

This center has long been a dream for our church, and it will be a new, expanded, consistent home to a counseling center, legal clinic, adult education classes, offices, and Biblical Seminary's urban M.Div. track, to name a few. Although I was definitely participating in the dedication, I managed to snap a few pictures...

 

 

 

 

 

Community: Birthday Party Style

This post is a bit of a connection to to my earlier post about thoughts on our home and community.... at least it is for me! I'm sure you'll see the relevance between the two, although this one is just a bit more fun and lighthearted. It's an opportunity to see a little bit more of what goes on in our lives on a fairly regular basis.

This past weekend, our friends and neighbors, Ted & Katharine, had a birthday bash at their house to celebrate Ted’s golden birthday. I posted a picture over at my 365 Project, but I wanted to post a few more photos here. Here's a bit of what we found after walking a whole 5 houses down the street...


People: Blurry style. (Sorry... still trying to figure out indoor lighting when it's not fantastic and I don't want to get up in people's business. I'm thinking an external flash would be a great birthday present this year...)

Silliness: Ted style. Also, blurry style. I was focusing on something else, but there was a momentary, thoroughly Ted expression, so I tried to catch it. The goal was partially achieved.

Food: Indian style. Katharine made some amazing butter chicken curry... and promised to share the recipe with us...

Rice: Asian family style, compliments of Cecily (she's got a 10 cup rice maker... fancy, right?)

Announcing: Newlywed style. Ted & Katharine know how it's done.

Presents: Haitian style. Ted will be going down to Haiti in a few weeks with his law school, and taking the donations he asked for in lieu of gifts to the organization they'll be working with.

Dessert: Chocolate cupcake style. Mmm, indeed.

Celebration: Birthday and singing style. Hooray for Ted being born!

Candles: Trick style. Notice Ted's expressions.

"Blowing" candles out: In the sink style.

The End: Hannah style, meaning that's it for today, friends. But, one last comment:

Happy Birthday, Ted!

Home and Community

The past few months have contained a lot of realizations for me about where Josh and I are in life, and what I view as “home”. (You can see some previous thoughts here and here.) Now, there is a part of me that will always, always, always consider Washington home. We moved there the summer I was 12, and those next 6 years before heading off to Wheaton were pretty formative. Some of my most cherished friendships were forged, I discovered many different aspects of myself as I learned, grew, and created in various groups and communities, and, most importantly, it’s where my family was and still is. I’m uncertain I’ll ever be able to fully relinquish Washington as a big part of my definition of home.

That said, it’s funny what happens when you get married. In our house, we now talk of three homes. There’s my “home back in WA”, there’s Josh’s “home back in NY”, and then, there’s home… our home. And that’s really all there is to it. I’m home when I’m with Josh. Sappy, sure, but true, nonetheless. Now, that doesn’t change the deep, deep love I have for my family, nor Josh’s love for his (or our growing love for each other’s), but it does mean we’re in a different place now. The “end all” of home is simply where the other is.

Now, to add to that… location wise, we think of Philadelphia as home. Neither of us was expecting it, and I certainly didn’t even want it. But that’s what’s happened. We’ve both been in Philly 3 ½ years (and married for 1 ½ of those) and will be here at least another 3 more since we just bought our new house. And I’m actually ok with that. I still have a pretty big pang in my heart whenever we have to leave Seattle, but I’ve realized that, were I closer to my family, I would actually be really, really happy where we are. (And by closer to my family, I mean close enough that I could affordably get there and back in a weekend… like a 2-hour drive. Of course, I’d totally also love it if they were 15 minutes away.)

So, why do I like living in Philly so much now, given that: a) when I first moved here I hated it, b) my family lives 3000 miles away, and c) I live in the inner-city in a high-crime, low-income neighborhood?

Well, in one word: community.

The community here is absolutely amazing. I really mean that. There are 3 other church families on our block. Within about a 5 block radius of our house, there are… well… at least 30 other families from our church – that we know and talk to/hang out with on a regular basis. Sometimes it blows my mind a little bit to actually stop and think about that: 30 families/friends within walking distance. And that’s a low estimate. Think about it… once you hit your teenage years and stop “playing outside” regularly… how many of your neighbors do you actually know? And we’re not talking about being in college, either. We’re talking your permanent home.

It seems like the norm these days is to know a couple of your neighbors – particularly the ones who are the same age as you or have kids the same age – and to have no clue about the rest aside from what they might look like and maybe their name. That’s what I largely grew up with, and that’s what I experienced for the first couple of years after I graduated from college until Josh and I got married and I moved into Hunting Park. Then it changed.

Now, that’s not to say I know everyone on our block… because that’s definitely not the case. In fact, we’ve only met a few people so far, since we moved in in the middle of winter and it’s so cold that nobody stays outside a second longer than they need to. But we did know a number of people on our old block (2 blocks down), and had a lot more that we regularly waved and said hello to whenever we saw them. When it gets warmer, people will always be outside, talking, visiting, hanging out on the porch and you’ll get to know them – good and bad included. You see, there’s very little privacy in row houses since everything is so close by… if a baby is crying next door, you can hear it. If kids are screaming as they play in the street, you can here it. If neighbors are fighting a few doors down, you can hear it. There’s an interesting transparency here that’s very different from anywhere else I’ve lived, and it can often be pretty uncomfortable and even painful. But it’s pretty good for giving you a good kick in the rear and helping you realize your own criticisms and hypocrisy, and forcing you to confront and work to change those things. (I’m still in the process of that.)

Our neighborhood is far from perfect. It’s not what most people consider safe or desirable. I live literally 3,000 miles away from my family. But I also am part of an incredible community. In the midst of poverty, crime, brokenness, and so many other kinds of pain and painful issues, there’s a real sense of hope. Many people are originally from the neighborhood, many are not. But nobody’s looking for it to gentrify – we’re just looking for it to improve for the people here. And I think it will. My neighbors are people who really care about helping their friends out, bringing justice, and making Hunting Park a better place. They are people who want to see the kids succeed in school, youth be given the exciting opportunities they deserve, and adults fulfill their dreams and goals. And they are people who will work on your new house for hours, help you move in the middle of a massive snowstorm, watch your cats for two weeks without expecting a dime, and come over last minute for lots of board game and movie nights (that’s one of the best parts about living so close by – you don’t even have to look for a parking spot!). They are people who are ready to live life with you day by day, sharing in the good and the bad with you, encouraging you when you’re down, laughing and celebrating with you when things are great. I’d say that’s something pretty incredible, something I haven't really seen anywhere else, and the reason I’m pretty excited to stick around for at least a few more years.

I just have to figure out how to create a little more time and find a few more funds to get out to Seattle more frequently… then it'll all be perfect. =)

Hats & Scarves for Haiti

My little brother is doing the coolest project to help with Haiti relief efforts.... and I really want you to check it out!!! I am seriously so proud of him. If you haven't already, head over to The 365 Project to check it out! Here's a sneak peek:

P.S. You can read a little of my own Haiti story while you're there...

Single Digits!!!

So, for the first time in a few weeks, I'm writing a non-house entry! And, it's for good reason: it's only 9 days until Christmas!!!

Christmas truly is one of my favorite times of the year. Even though some people "grow out of it", I still get almost as excited as I did as a child. I remember how excitement simply permeated our house growing up. As soon as Thanksgiving was over, we officially started making our lists for St. Nick. SO MUCH thought went into these lists, though, trust me, it was not the first we'd been thinking of them. It was simply the first opportunity to actually write it all down. And write we did, because our lists had to be ready by December 5th!

In case you aren't familiar with it, December 6th is also known as St. Nicholas Day, and tradition is that you leave your shoes and your Christmas wish list out on the eve of the 5th for St. Nick. That night, he comes to the house, takes your list, and - if you've been good - leaves you gifts in your shoes such as an apple and orange, some nuts, and maybe some small chocolate pieces. If you've been bad, you'll get a lump of coal. And trust me, NOBODY wants a lump of coal!

So, December 5th was a pretty big day for us. We had to make sure our lists were ready and that our biggest pair of shoes were by the door before we went to bed (not going to deny it - I'd definitely search for my shoes that could hold the most). And then, December 6th! Well! It was almost as exciting as Christmas Day itself! Almost. =)

For the next few weeks, we would hardly sleep. Or at least I hardly slept. Maybe my siblings did, but I certainly didn’t. I would stay up late thinking about the perfect present for each of my family members, making lists, and reading passages in the Bible about Jesus' birth over and over (yes, I was a nerd even as a child).

Now, I don’t want you to think that Christmas was all about getting gifts – because it definitely wasn’t. I used to spend hours in front of our nativity set, reenacting the Christmas story... from Mary and Joseph’s perspective, from the shepherds’ perspective, from the angels’ perspective, from the Wise Men’s perspective, and yes, even from the animals’ perspective. And to be honest, while I was really excited to receive presents (in our family, your birthday and Christmas were really the only times you got new toys, books, clothes... new anything), I was just as excited – if not more – to GIVE presents.

To this day, giving presents to my family at Christmas remains one of my most favorite things to do. I absolutely LOVE spending months, and yes, I DO mean months, brainstorming and looking for things each person will like. And in my family, it’s not at all about “going big”. These presents are pretty much always on a budget, but also always intentionally for that person.

This year, I started brainstorming and shopping early – as always. I get SO EXCITED about Christmas! Really, I do! Just ask anyone in my family... it’s a pretty major thing. I managed to hold off on buying presents until about... October. After that, I hit the ground running! And trust me, I’ve had a number of pretty good finds this year. Unfortunately, my family reads this, so I can’t share any of them! But oh, some of them are goooood.

This year my love of Christmas and my inability to be patient and wait until at least November to buy gifts actually turned out to be a very good thing. Since every waking moment Josh and I have is spent working on the house, neither of us have had any time to do... well... anything else. That includes Christmas shopping. So, even though everything else is CRAZY!, I can at least feel semi-prepared in regards to giving gifts! And for the few gifts I haven't already purchased, I've got them on my list. And does it say I'm way too much of an organizational freak if I have lists of what I need to purchase, what I need to take with me to Seattle, and what I need to wrap when I get to Seattle already ready?

We fly back to Seattle on the 22nd, and I plan on sleeping the entire way back. And maybe the entire rest of the day once we get there. We are so exhausted from all this house work, we could probably just sleep for a week straight. But! When Christmas is only 9 days away, you can't give up a full week! So, come December 23rd, I plan on grabbing Josh and any of my siblings that are available, and getting that last bit of shopping down! Because, quite honestly, I have to admit it, I do love at least one trip to the mall when it's all crazy and there are no parking spots and you can totally buy a chai and maybe even some fudge because you know you'll walk off all the extra calories, and it's so much fun to see what deals stores have, and to maybe pick up just one or two extra things. Of course, I think part of the reason I don't get very stressed in that environment is because of the aforementioned obsessive list-making. Since I already know what I need, I can enjoy just wandering around a bit, finding even more ideas (which yes, I actually put down on a list for the next year's ideas), and doing lots of people-watching. It really is a wonderful time.

Oh! And then there's Christmas Eve. Aside from going to church (I absolutely love the candlelight services), I also really love being one of St. Nick's helpers on Christmas Eve. And by that, I mean I get to spend hours wrapping presents from St. Nick that haven't yet been wrapped. Or helping my mom wrap presents for everyone else. It's been something that's been done for as long as I can remember, and I truly cherish that time.

When I was much younger, the locked door of my parents' bedroom was the sign that someone was wrapping presents. And you could knock, they'd ask who was there, you'd tell them, and see if they'd let you come in. If they didn't, you'd wait 10 minutes, then try to pass off as someone else ("Mom" was usually the best bet, though I rarely got the voice right). But, oh! The suspense! If you weren't allowed in, then your curiosity as to why just went through the roof! Because you knew that right then, they were either wrapping something for you, or had something in the room you couldn't see. And TRUST ME, I am a VERY curious person! So it was purely blissful torture. =)

So, as we enter into the single digits of the days left until Christmas, I hope you take some time to think about what you really enjoy about this time. While many celebrations and traditions might seem fairly disconnected to Christ (and the whole purpose of "Christmas"), I hope that you can still find joy in being able to pass on gifts because of the greatest gift we've been given, to treasure the time you have with family and friends, and to look around for the many blessings you've received this year, this month, this week, and this day. And you better be good, too! You don't want to find a lump of coal in your stocking come Christmas morning!

Thinking Pink

Some members of our school/work "team" who walked to support my coworker, during the Susan G. Komen 5K walk in Philadelphia last month.

I know October is over, and thus Breast Cancer Awareness month has "officially" ended, but I seem to have been slapped in the face this year with dear women in my life facing breast cancer and the threat of it, and I see no reason to lock discussion of it away to just one month during the year.

In the past 6 months, my boss/coworker was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer and is still being treated and fighting it, my aunt (on my mom's side) had a double mastectomy in August, my high school youth pastor was diagnosed in September and is going through chemo (while her husband and sons are in Azerbaijan, teaching and doing ministry), and my mom had a surgery last week to remove what turned out to be a benign lump.

So, let's talk. (And, as a disclaimer, I am NOT an expert on this. This is just gathered from my personal experiences, conversations, and a small bit of research on the matter.)

It's estimated that about 10% of breast cancer cases are inherited through the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. On my mom's side, my great-grandmother died of breast cancer, and my grandma and two aunts (including the one who just had a double mastectomy) have survived it. My mom has to get mammograms every 6 months because of her risk. Also, my grandmother on my dad's side died of ovarian cancer. The odds don't necessarily look that great for me and my sisters.

However, there is something that could help. Although it's still controversial for some people, there is genetic testing available if it seems that breast cancer (or ovarian cancer) run in your family. I am actually not sure if my mom has had the testing done, but if she has and she is negative for either of the abnormal genes, then my sisters and I may be ok. However, I personally am considering having it done anyway. The presence of an abnormal gene doesn't mean that someone will absolutely get breast cancer - it just means there's a higher risk and that you need to be much more aware and responsible with care and check-ups. For instance, instead of starting your yearly mammograms at 40, you should talk to your doctor about when to start (which could be much younger, and/or more frequently - and you should also have your doctor give you an examination every year during your physical check-up).

Going back to the other 90% of cases that are not inherited, there are a few key points to take note of (and what I really want you women reading this to take into consideration). Most of the factors that cause you to be more at risk for breast cancer are out of your control -- if you're female, have a family history of breast cancer, and getting older (men can get breast cancer, too, but only account for about 1% of all breast cancer cases). HOWEVER, there is one thing you can control: exercise.

Recent studies have shown that regular exercise is linked to preventing breast cancer, and then also improving your chances of survival if you are diagnosed with breast cancer -- especially in women over 50. Take a look at some statistics, reported on breastcancer.org:

• Women who exercise regularly throughout their lifetimes are 20% less likely to develop breast cancer compared to women who don't regularly exercise.
• Women in their 50s who regularly exercise more after age 50 than they did before age 50 are 34%-41% less likely to develop breast cancer compared to women who don't exercise more after age 50.
• Regular, moderate intensity exercise helps lower breast cancer risk no matter a woman's weight, family history of breast cancer, or menopausal status. In short, just about every woman can lower her breast cancer risk by regularly exercising at moderate intensity.
  

So, in short, exercise always helps... and it's never too late to start. I don't know about you, but those statistics are pretty powerful, especially since we're just talking about prevention here (it's also very important if you are diagnosed with breast cancer - improving your survival rate by almost 50%).

What is it that makes exercise so important? Well, from what I can gather, for the 90% of people with non-inherited breast cancer, it's got a lot to do with hormones. Many breast tumors are fed by estrogen... and, as one site explains, the more fat you have on your body, the more estrogen you produce because fat cells contain enzymes that increase estrogen production. Also consider that physical activity affects the circulation of your hormones, and may lower your estrogen levels if you are more active.

Exercising may not be the end-all magic answer, but it definitely is a huge factor. Add in eating well, maintaining a healthy weight (which exercise obviously helps with), getting yearly check-ups and/or mammograms, and perhaps even getting genetic testing, and you're in a much better place than doing nothing. While you may not be able to have a foolproof prevention method, you'll have a much better chance of catching things early on if you are diagnosed, and being able to successfully get treatment and survive. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good to for me, and one I want for my mom, sisters, and other women in my life.

If you would like to learn more about breast cancer, you can follow the numerous links, and if you'd like to make a donation to breast cancer research, you can visit the well-known Susan G Komen Foundation's website. They also have a LOT of information about breast cancer, as well as links to various support groups, places to share your story, and ways to get involved.

This is important. Make sure you and especially the women in your life are thinking pink. Please don't ignore this... make sure you, your mom, your sisters, your wife, your aunt, your coworkers... whomever! Make sure they're working to take care of themselves and that they are DEFINITELY getting checked yearly. Trust me - it can make all the difference in the world.

Real Friends

I think this is great... it's just what real friends do, right?

The Brazilians come to Philly

This past weekend, we had some Philly visitors. Lydia and Joao came down for the weekend, and since Lydia's sister, Danielle, had won tickets to a private Harry Connick Jr. concert in NY and had flown in from Houston that week, she came to visit, too!

It was pretty fantabulous to get to see them and have them hang out with us for the weekend. Thankfully, they all survived the trip down Friday night (on the Chinatown bus, sitting next to the bathrooms - ew), and we were able to curb Lydia's cat allergies with an 11pm run to Walgreens so she could actually sleep at our house (always a good thing).

On Saturday we packed the sightseeing in, going to a Wheaton alumni brunch in Old City, then heading to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the site of Benjamin Franklin's old house, and Elfreth's Alley, amongst other things. It's always fun to have people come visit Philly, because Josh and I get a chance to realize just how much incredible history there is in our city...

After traipsing around downtown, we headed home, cooked up a delicious dinner, and played Fury of Dracula - this time we beat Josh (aka Dracula), and I think it's Lydia's new favorite board game!

Sunday they managed to get out of bed for our 8:30am church service (it was an impressive feat after such a late night), and I'm glad they did! I love having people visit our church. We then watched National Treasure (a fitting thing to do when you have just visited all the major historical sites in Philly), had a late lunch, and drove them back to the Chinatown bus.

It was a quick, but wonderful weekend. We love having people come visit us in Philly... so if you're thinking about it, our door is always open! =)

At the entrance to Ben Franklin's "house"...

We're going to go tour Independence Hall!

Reading up on some AMERICAN history beforehand (Joao is Brazilian/British and needed a little info on how things really went down...)

Grabbing some Independence Hall photos...

Visiting the old Senate/Congress building...

Visiting the Liberty Bell. A must-do in Philly.

Elfreth's Alley - the oldest, continuously lived in neighborhood/street in the US:

The newlyweds catching a quick smooch... shh, don't tell!

The whole group - since it's the only picture of all of us!

Lydia & Joao, we love you guys! Come back soon! (And Danielle, if you're in from Houston, please come, too!)