Happy Easter, a day late

Yesterday after we got back from church we planted petunias, see...

Then, we decided to decorate a few eggs, we're kids at heart, really. I was unsuccessful at creating any photo worthy eggs, plus we pretty much ate them as soon as we were done.

And, since we only boiled six eggs, 3 a piece, I got bored (in typical me fashion) and decided to tie dye my washcloth that I was using to wipe up any spills.

That was my Easter. It was a beautiful day outside and I regret that I didn't have the forethought to take any pictures, but take my word for it, it was gorgeous.



Today, was not so gorgeous, a bit overcast and humid and I had to take Sasha in for some shots...boy was she pissed! She spent 8 hours after I brought her home hiding under my bed. Now the poor girl is super sore and keeps rubbing her shoulders on our not quite finished floors. She's super miserable, poor baby.

Back From NOLA

The days since we got back from our trip to New Orleans have been super busy so I haven't had a chance to do a post about the trip. I finally have some free time so here's a little bit about our trip.

We left at an ungodly time of 4:50 am on Saturday to get to the airport by 5:45 where we sat and waited for our flight to board. When we got to N.O. we hit the ground running. We dropped our bags off at the hotel then got some fast food then went on to the church we would be working at all week. We did some decorating and setting up for the week of summer day camp that we would be teaching. Then back to the hotel.

Then next five days were basically all the same. Basically. Get to the church, prepare for the day, meet the kids and go go go. The children were on a rotation that consisted of recreation (games and activities), crafts, Bible study (they were taught different stories from the Bible) and Lagniappe (which I think means "a little something different", in our case it was music), lunch then pretty much the same four with different activities, crafts, etc. If there were outside projects that needed to be done we would send off four or five of our team members to do them. Those projects were yard work two days some promotional stuff for the upcoming arena football league championship and some swag bag stuffing for a PGA tourney. Those last couple things are a long story on how we got involved with them so I won't bore you with it. Then Friday night we got to go out and eat and go down to the French Quarter and do a little bit of touristy stuff.

It was a great trip overall. But heartbreaking. It rained 3 or 4 days in the middle of the week and everytime it would start a lot of the older kids would hide under a table or desk because they still so traumatized over Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that happened. We heard so many stories about being rescued from roofs and that kind of thing. It just broke my heart. We also drove around some of the hardest hit areas of the city and there are still only about 40 - 50% of the houses that have been reinhabited, if that. Most of them are still standing there abandoned and gutted. The occupants who knows where. We came across quite a few people that are now homeless who weren't before the storm. Here a couple pictures of some of the homes we saw.

If you can see the paint on the front of the house, there's some on most of the houses we saw. The only ones that didn't have it were the ones that people had moved back in and repainted. The TFW stands for Toxic Flood Water so basically all the houses near any source of water (basically 80% of the city) had this painted on them. They also spray painted whether they found any dead inside whether it be human or canine. We saw a few of those and it really did break my heart. I had a hard time keeping the tears at bay, which basically means I didn't keep them at bay. The help this city still needs is overwhelming, not to mention it makes me incredibly angry at the lack of progress.

I could go on for days about this but I won't. I'll leave it at that. Here are some happier pics of some of the kids that we worked with so that I don't leave this post on a sour note.

Three days to go!

I mentioned a while back that I was going on a trip with my church but haven't said much about it since then. Partly because I've been busy but also because there really wasn't much else to say. Well now that there are only three days to go I find there are somethings I want to say. Weird, I know, it must have been building and building and now it just wants to come out.

First is that I think I might die in New Orleans. I signed up for this trip without much thought other than it's going to be a good trip because we're doing good things we're not just going for vacation or to go sight seeing. We're actually going and working. We're doing what the Bible asks Christians to do...go out, spread the word, etc. Of course it's going to be a good trip. However, I did not take into account my severe dislike for heat and humidity. I'm going to one of the most humid areas of our country in the middle of summer...huh? Maybe I'll learn to like sweating.
Second, this is a mission trip with my church and I'm not generally the mission trip type person, mostly because I tend to be very introverted. And while I realize that just like any team of people a mission team needs all types, I tend to shy away from trips like this because of, well, being shy (and a little anti-social).
Third, I am looking forward to this trip with a bit of trepidation. Mostly because I know that a lot of the area that was hit by Hurricane Katrina still looks a lot like it did two years ago. I'm preparing myself for an emotional overload. I'm a cryer by nature so I know this is going to be an emotional rollercoaster for me.

In the grand scheme of things these issues are nothing compared to the problems of the people I've signed on to help. I do realize this and that's why I've tried very hard not to mention any of my misgivings prior to now. But with the trip on the horizon I needed to get it out so that I can take a breath and (hopefully) get past it.
So, if you've read all the way to this point, thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

I'm Home!!

Yay!! I'm home. Dog and Human are happy!

Day 4 y cinco

Day 4

Today we did some more exploring of Colonial Williamsburg. I don't really remember most of it because of the foggy brain but I know we spent about the first half of the day there then we decided to do some driving around the area....do not do this if any of you are planning on coming here. We drove and drove and found nothing. The areas surrounding the historical triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown is just super small town nothingness, no offense to anyone who might be reading this that lives here. After the drive we came back and I conked out. Here are some pics from today's activities...

This is the Williamsburg Capitol Building.

This is the bookbinder's house. I want a little stream running by my house!!

There were these players putting on a play in honor of women's history month. They were very pleasing to behold...uh, I mean they rocked...sorry, a little bit of the colonial-ness got the better of me.

This was a Yankee Candle store...the whole building...all of it. It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!

DAY 5

Today we went down to Yorktown. They have a historical part that we walked and drove through but none of the shops or buildings were open yet. Then we went down to the riverfront area and did some more shopping (sorry, can't help myself). Then we went to the Victory Center where they have a museum and a living museum with an army encampment and a working farm. Finally we ended the day with, I'm ashamed to say, more shopping at this HUGE outlet mall. (be proud of me, I didn't buy a single thing.) Here are today's pics...

They call this the Great Valley...not so "great" but very picturesque.

These are some of the shops down at the riverfront...now can you see why I couldn't stop myself?

These are the "army field doctor" and a garden on the working farm.

That's all folks. Tomorrow we're stopping off at a spa for a quick massage then heading to the airport. Next you hear from me, it'll be from the comfort of my own home...yay!

I'm coming home bub!!! I miss my dog more than I can say!!

Ugh!

Day four was spent trying to find the nearest bench to wait for my sister to finish seeing everything. My eyes are swollen and drippy, my nose is runny, my head is foggy and I just want to go to bed so that's what i'm gonna do. I'll let you know tomorrow what we saw today.

Day trois

Today we stuck to Colonial Williamsburg like white on rice, like flies on poo, like...you get the picture. It's a very interesting place. People dressed in period costume, horse-and-carriages clop clop clopping down the street. It seems a little surreal to me to be in a place that had housed so many of our founding fathers. Anyway, we toured the Governor's Palace (don't let Arnold hear about this Governor's Palace thing, he might find new ways to spend my tax dollars) which was large compared to all the rest of the buildings but not as large as I had pictured in my head. But it has a really cool hedge maze. And of course I geeked out for a minute and pretended to be Harry Potter but, I digress. From there we just wandered on our own til we met up with friends who live in the area for lunch, then more wandering, then a nap in the car, then the Legends, Myths and Mysteries tour...ooooooooh...sorry, no pictures were taken but take my word for it, it was a little spooky and a lot of fun.

So, without more blah blah blah from me here are today's pics...

This is actually the rear of the palace, I don't think we got a single shot of the front, we'll have to do that tomorrow.

April in the gardens, I think this thing is called an arbor but I really couldn't tell ya.

The boxwood maze...don't ya feel like pretending to be Harry Potter too?

One of the many carriages that roam the streets (and leave poo).

The "townspeople" in period dress making a flag. If you look closely at the guy on the far right, I think they got the guy who played Napolean from Bill and Ted's Big Adventure.

So that was our day today. Lots of walking and standing = sore feet!!! I did spy with my little eye a spa not too far...hmmmm....

Day Zwei

Today we visited the Jamestown and Yorktown historical areas. First was Jamestown. The Jamestown Settlement was interesting. They have this huge modern building that houses a gallery and theater and museum then you leave the building and walk a little ways to the actual settlement. They have ship replicas on the river too, that was pretty cool. Then it was on to Yorktown...we didn't really stop at the historical area cuz by this time I was plum tuckered so we drove (slowly) past the battlefield but then we went down to the river where they have a little shopping area (closed, cuz of Easter) and a few historical type buildings. This is where we had dinner. Then after we left Yorktown we went shopping cuz what's a vacation without shopping?!?! Here are some pics from today's excursion...

This is the entrance to the Jamestown Settlement. There's a flag for each state.

This is the actual settlement.

This is the drive to Yorktown...beautiful isn't it?

Also on the way to Yorktown, right behind the College of William and Mary, there are all these bridges that make the drive even more picturesque.

I'm not sure where this is but I really liked the sparkly water....ooh, pretty.

The "beach" on the river at Yorktown. Isn't it a gorgeous day?

Anyway, that was today, more tomorrow.

Getting there and day one

I'm writing this post on Sunday morning because I had neither the time nor the energy to write it yesterday...you'll see why...

Oh, and sorry about it being so wordy but sometimes i just can't help it.

GETTING THERE

I woke up on friday with a sore throat but I thought it was just my normal sinus related sore throat. Nope. I officially have a cold. The day I'm scheduled to leave I get sick...God really does have a sense of humor doesn't he? Anyway, our flight on Friday wasn't until 11:25 so all day Friday we putzed around with errands and such and dropping of the dog, etc. We got to airport fine, we get on our flight and take off fine, no prob. Now, for those of you out there that stumbled on this blog by accident or divine intervention, whatever, and don't know me, I'm not by any stretch of the word a "petite" woman. I have a rather wide and expansive butt. When I sit down it covers a good 20 or 22 inches from hip to hip. Airline seats are 17" wide. this makes for a very uncomfortable 5 hour flight. Put that together with sitting in an emergency exit aisle where the armrests don't go up (but bonus, lots of leg room) and a redeye flight and, my friends, you have a recipe for, ok not disaster really more like pain and agony and lots of it. I also have a very sensitive tail bone so by the time we fly into Dulles in DC I can no longer sit.

We're told to go to gate c27 for our connecting flight to Richmond so we hoof it on over and while I stay with the bags my sister goes to check the monitor to see if our flight is on time...nope. Cancelled. huh? how? what the?? Okaaaaay we go to customer service and find out that the next flight isn't until 12:30 and it's 7:30 (4:30 my time...shouldn't I be asleep right now?). As we're standing in line we find out from the guy in front of us that he's been trying to get to Richmond for the last 28 hours. He slept in the airport overnight cuz twice they cancelled his flight, this was his third. So we all decide to rent a car and just drive because it's only a two hour drive from DC to Richmond. So after much phone calling and haggling Al (our new friend) finds a car for $103 and it's being put on his corporate account so none of us actually has to pay any dough out of our own pockets...thank God for corporate accounts! We convince the nice lady at the desk, Renee, to get someone to get our bags from the pile waiting to go to Richmond and off we go. Luckily, Al lives in the area so he knows all the short cuts and such so we make good time and get to Richmond before the plane in DC is scheduled to take off. AWESOME!! Take that you stupid United Airlines (except for Renee)!

There's Al and April. They're smiling cuz this pic was taken in Richmond, not DC...no smiles then, that's for sure.

DAY ONE

So we say good bye to Al and we go off to drive around the city. Here're a few pics of that adventure...

This is Virginia's capital building. Very pretty!

This statue has a bunch of important historical figures on it. I don't really feel like elaborating...fading fast, must take nap and dayquil.

I don't know what this is but it's cool looking.

After we left the big city we went and visited a couple planations (there's about 12 billion here). The first one is called Shirley and has been owned by the same family since it was built in the 1700's they're on their 13th generation...I find that amazing. There's a connection to Robert E. Lee in the family also. The second one is called Berkeley and it was owned by the Harrisons, as in Signer-of-the-Declaration Benjamin Harrison and President William Henry Harrison. Both have a whole butt load of history behind them and the tours were very interesting but the best thing about them was actually the grounds themselves - absolutely beautiful. Check 'em out...

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Then it started to rain...

so we headed off to our campground where we're staying in a cabin...

and I conked out for the night. And that was day one. More later.

4 hours to go!

I leave for the airport in 1 hour and our plane takes off in 4. I'm so excited and ready to go that I can't seem to sit still.

I took the bubbers to my mom and dad's house this afternoon and well lets just say it was very difficult for me to do. Then my mom has to go and call me up and be all..."He's still sitting on the chair near the door (where I last saw him when we dropped him off). He won't come down and he won't stop looking at the door. He's just waiting for you to come get him." Thanks Mom! That makes me feel all warm and sunshiney inside...geez!


Here he is trying to get away from my mom...*sigh*

Other than that little bump, though, I'm ready to go. I've got the world's biggest suitcase (it comes up to my waist and I'm 5'9) with lots of extra room for souveniers and such. Well, gotta go, more to come during the week.

Why I need a vacation...

I must tell you, I'm not a big fan of putting pictures of myself in my posts. I think there's only one or two of me so far. However, to illustrate the point of today's post, I felt I needed a visual aid. So, here I am...

Do you see those dark circles around my eyes? I'm in desperate need of this vacation! My pale and pasty skin is desperate for some outdoor fun. Granted, there's a huge storm on the east coast right now but at least I won't be under these horrific flourescent bulbs all day long with that tree messing up the whole feng shui thing, not to mention Tut back there looking down his nose at me, judging me, mocking me...oh yeah, I need a break.

I will, of course, be taking my little bag of crafty goodness with me so if there's too much rain, I'll still get some projects finished.

1 and 1/2 days left!!! YAY!!!!

4 Days and Counting!!!

In four days I'll officially be on vacation! Yay! I'm really stoked about going, mostly because we're doing it for so cheap. Our plane tickets were free tickets we got from the airline for volunteering to be bumped on a trip last year. We're staying at a KOA Kampground so that's super cheap ($148 for a week) and the rental car turned out to be super cheap also ($106 for the week). So between the two of us (my sister, and I) after buying admission tickets to some sites ahead of time have spent about $175 each on a one week vacation. That's AWESOME!! (especially since I owe the IRS a butt-load of money)

So now, I'm just counting down the days. We're going to Colonial Williamsburg and that area to visit all the historical sites (shut up Chris, stop snickering). I loves me an educational vacation. Besides, they have a Busch Gardens Amusement park there, too. And, it'll be one more state / capitol (we fly into Richmond) to cross off my list. I think it'll be something like 9 down, 41 to go. No prob, I'm young-ish. I'll be loading up some, hopefully, interesting pics as the week goes by. Until then I'm busy busy busy doing laundry, packing, etc. Oh, yeah, and making more little flowers and such, you know, idle hands and all that.