Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Monday




I spent the day Monday at one site, while Dan was at another site, Jamie was at the camp/Christian Life Center, and Abs was there as well.

My job site was for a woman who had suffered from cancer just after the hurricane hit, and who had gone into remission, but now her cancer was back (and spread into the brain). She had done a lot of the work on her home by herself - clean-up, dry wall, hardwood floors, and painting. John and I were tasked with insulating her attic crawl space, while "Rico"/John (our team lead) was working on a sliding glass door, and Debra was painting two rooms. The attic was small, but at least it didn't get too hot up there. I'll put some pictures up later tonight when I can get to them.

Jamie was tasked with the job of roofing a small shed/lean-to for the outside tools, shovels, etc. After lunch he went with the pastor of the Center's church to the Bayou to pick up some furniture to sell at the Thrift Store. To hear Jamie describe the Bayou was rather interesting, as it brought to mind a scene or two from the movie Deliverance! I don't think they've gotten much, if any, assistance with clean-up and rebuilding in the Bayou.

Dan and Phil went to a job site where they are building a garage/carport for a woman. Dan spent pretty much all day, before and after lunch, working on framing the structure. They got a good start on it, but have a few more days left of hanging the rafters, siding it, and roofing it. I think they spent the later part of the day swatting away the bugs!

Abs spent the morning at the Center, helping to clean-up the bathrooms and bedrooms (sorry Abs!). She and Katherine spent the afternoon cleaning up a spare trailer on-site, that was left rather dirty from the previous occupant who had just left a note and was gone one day. She had been the cook at the Center, but left unexpectedly. According to Abs, there was a lot of mouse "stuff" everywhere - fun!!

After an amazing dinner, Jamie, Dan, Abs, and I hopped into our rental and took a drive into nearby Bay St. Louis. It had the feel of a ghost town as most buildings and shops have not been re-opened and were in different stages of disarray. We drove by an amazing above-ground cemetery that the south is famous for - creepy! We went back into Waveland and found a restaurant to sit outside at, where we had some cheese-fries and sweet tea. We ended the night with another rousing game of spades, which I suck at!

I will post some pictures of Monday's events later tonight, as the computer I'm sitting at won't accept my camera download. Be sure to checks back often, to see and hear what we are doing!



Monday, February 25, 2008

Sunday Night











We made it to the Biloxi, Mississippi airport last night (Sunday), and we got our rental car and headed towards Gulfport/Biloxi. We found a beach and wandered around enjoying the warmth (upper 60's) and the water! We drove up and down the coast of Gulfport, and saw some of the destruction caused by the hurricane. After several years now, most of the clean-up is done, but the rebuilding is just beginning. We were then getting rather hungry, and there weren't too many options, so we found a great Mexican restaurant and stuffed ourselves! We then headed to Waveland, and the Christian Life Center.

We finally found the Center (after asking for directions and receiving them from 3 people at once)! What few street signs that were up were hard to read, while others haven't been replaced after the hurricane. We began to meet some of the other volunteers and staff, we got acclimated, and we settled in for a rousing game of Spades.

After an amazing breakfast on Monday morning (thanks to Abs' assistance), we got our orientation and our tasks for the day. Check back for an update later with plenty more photos!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Waveland, Mississippi



Jamie, Dan, Abby, and I leave on Sunday morning for a week spent in Waveland, MS, helping to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina almost 2 1/2 years ago. They have had some success in rebuilding, but have years to go before things are back to "normal."

Check out the links below to see before/after pictures of Waveland, and the organization that we will be assisting with home rebuilds. Please be in prayer for the people of Waveland, and us as we venture out next week.

Waveland before/after pictures
Christian Life Center

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Hair/Tattoo

As promised earlier, here are a couple of pictures of my highlighted hair and my new tattoo (located on my right wrist).



Thursday, February 14, 2008

Signs of Spring


"That's the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on a ball."
-- Bill Veeck

Even though it's only Valentine's Day, and there is still plenty of snow on the ground, it's time to get ready for some baseball! Spring Training workouts are beginning today!

"I see great things in baseball. It's our game - the American game. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us."
-- Walt Whitman

Every team starts out each Spring with the dream of competing for the championship. Rookies everywhere are nervous and excited, while veterans slowly round their games into shape.

"They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball and they tell you to hit it square."
-- Willie Stargell

The glimmer of hope in my own dream to be a major league player may have faded decades ago, but this time of year still gets my juices flowing and my heart beating a little bit faster!

"People all say that I've had a bad break. But today - today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."
-- Lou Gehrig

Play ball (once the snow finally melts)!

Monday, February 11, 2008

What's Happening?!

To update you on the last few weeks of my life:

- I celebrated my 36th birthday on Groundhogs Day (2/2), and I got my hair highlighted once again and a new tattoo on my right wrist (pictures forthcoming)! My friends and I went to Claddaghs Irish Pub for an awesome dinner, and some of us finished the evening back at my place watching Elizabethtown while enjoying cigars and a fire - an awesome movie and an awesome birthday!

- I am on a much-needed break from school, with my next class starting on Thursday, February 21st.

- My cousin Monty is still not doing very well. He starts chemo again today, and he has lost 50 pounds from the first round. He is taking a different neusea medication, so hopefully the weight loss won't be as dramatic this time. I still have not been able to see him yet, but I hope to spend some time with him soon.

- I will be going on a missions trip with my church to Waveland, Mississippi the end of this month. We will be working with a ministry to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. My dad recently paid the cost of the remaining balance for my trip - an answer to prayer! Now, I will just have to figure out how to pay my bills when I will be missing work for that week!

Monday, February 4, 2008

I've Been Tagged!

My friend Gretchen was recently tagged on her blog, and then she tagged some other people, including me. See my answers to the questions below, with the names of people that I have now tagged.

8 things I'm passionate about:
1. My friends
2. Cigars
3. Kids
4. Baseball/golf/sports
5. Tattoos
6. Claddaghs/all things Irish
7. Antiques
8. Food

8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Get married/have kids
2. Remodel my house
3. Adopt
4. Visit as many baseball stadiums as possible
5. Travel abroad (Ireland, Italy, Finland)
6. Learn to cook
7. Climb another mountain
8. Own an antique sports car (Porsche)/or an antique pickup truck

8 things I say often:
1. Sweet mercy
2. What's shaking
3. I need a snacky snack
4. I've got a paper to write
5. Stogies/smoke/cigar
6. Yo, yo
7. Wow
8. Buddy

8 TV shows you recently watched:
1. The Super Bowl
2. Seinfeld
3. Everybody Loves Raymond
4. Two and a Half Men
5. King of Queens
6. The Office
7. The Dan Ho Show
8. Antiques Roadshow

8 artists I never tire of listening to:
1. James Taylor
2. Matchbox Twenty
3. David Crowder
4. Mat Kearney
5. Diana Krall
6. Bruce Springsteen
7. Colbie Caillat
8. Anything Celtic

8 things that attract me to my friends:
1. Honesty
2. Silliness
3. Caring for others
4. Sincerity
5. Hilariously funny
6. Adventurous
7. Similar interests
8. Gentleness

8 things I learned in 2007:
1. I know what I want and what I don't want in my life
2. I value community
3. I enjoy psychology
4. I want to help others
5. I like sharing a good conversation, a good meal, or a good cigar with friends
6. I am at peace at the North Shore
7. I enjoy Minnesota's changing seasons
8. I like tattoos

Who am I gonna tag?
1. Dan S.
2. Eric
3. Heidi
4. Dan H.
5. Nicole