On January 4th, this extremely diverse group of women set out to drive 24 hours, due literally to stopping every two hours, to New Orleans. We were on a mission trip hoping to restore the faith, homes, and community of victims of hurricane Katrina. We all used our gifts to grow and learn about ourselves and bond incredibly as a group. While the stories and experiences are far too many to note, I've included a few of my favorites in the pictures below.
This is my mom after walking through the house she "mucked" (or, cleaned out completely and busted down the walls of) 2 years ago. She was hoping it would be completely restored and be lived in by now, but sadly no further work . The workers in her group saved important/meaningful papers and pictures for the 80 year old woman that had lived in the house and kept it in a small shed. Unfortunately, everything was still there in the shed when we came back.
We definitely had some authentic New Orleans-style fun! We ate lots of delicious food (Jambalaya, red beans and rice, and creole cookin') and drank plenty of wine! Here we are in the French Quarter, ready to listen to some jazz music and soak up the experiences of Bourbon Street!
This is a vacant hospital where a guard stands by 24 hours a day. It has not been touched since Katrina, and it is presumably filled with supplies that could be helping a lot of people.
Right after Katrina each house had to be searched for bodies. While some were scrubbed off, many houses still contained the spray paint noting the date of inspection, the initials of the inspector, how many people were found, and how many dead bodies were found. NE means "No Entry," meaning they could not get in during the first try. Another house said "NE 9/4" and "E 9/29 with 1 dead." This meant that they couldn't get on September 4, and they didn't look again until September 29, when they found a body.
An AMAZING church that we helped in by doing some staining and refinishing. This had 10 feet of water in it for FIVE WEEKS (a water line can be seen in real life right under the colorful windows). It is being restored slowly (but surely!) by volunteers. Prior to Katrina, this church had an entirely black congregation in an entirely white suburb, and not far away was an entirely white congregation in an entirely black suburb. The two did not mix. The "white" church was not destroyed in Katrina, but the pastor left New Orleans permanently. The "black" church was destroyed completely (and is only now being restored), but the pastor stayed. What happened? The black pastor went to the the predominantly white church and now both are completely mixed. God works in mysterious ways!
My group painted all of the walls of Brenda's 4 bedroom home, which was gutted due to water damage and damage caused by firemen. The house next to hers was on fire and they thought it was hers, so they busted down the walls looking for it. Here are Chel and I scraping away paint from the windows!
Notice the mirrored sides? This is a BEAUTIFUL, huge building for the school administration, and it has not been touched since Katrina. We peeked in the windows and saw kids' artwork on the walls, sticky note reminders still stuck to the computers, desk drawers opened revealing hot chocolate packets, prescription drugs, perfume, make-up, calenders open to August 2005, sweaters hanging off of chairs, a gift wrapped bag underneath a desk, etc. etc. etc.
Here is a prime example of New Orleans: Nicely redone houses with random ones that have yet to be touched. 50% of the city has yet to be restored, and many buildings still contain broken windows and all the original belongings inside. In some areas, like the 9th Ward, a huge majority of the houses are not restored. It's unbelievable.
This is an apartment building next door to Camp Restore (where we stayed). This building is just starting to get gutted now, 3 1/2 years later. When my mom was at Camp Restore 2 years ago she walked through this apartment building, and it had been untouched since Katrina, meaning there were dishes in the sinks, laundry on the floors, and so on. After Katrina hit, people were desperate for food and had been stealing from Camp Restore for lack of any other option. Camp Restore decided to put can openers on the fence (shown in this picture) so people could borrow it and go into the apartment building to eat the canned food left behind. This solved the problem of people stealing food from Camp Restore. The furniture used inside Camp Restore was actually from the abandoned apartment building next door!
The people from New Orleans were
so appreciative! At one point while loading up the van, Chel and I were stopped by a random woman walking her dog who thanked us for our hard work. She had nothing to do with the church we were working on but appreciated our efforts nonetheless. I had an amazing, spirtually awakening, eye-opening experience in New Orleans. I have been blessed to have spent time there and have become a better woman because of it.
It was fun to spend time with my family this weekend! My maternal grandparents and aunts and uncles all live in Hartford, so I really don't get to see them very often.
I'm not a big cake-lover, but this one was to die for! Have you ever had a banana cake?! A M A Z I N G. 
Random news: I am currently job-less, although not for lack of trying! I'm filling out applications, but there isn't a whole lot out there. Luckily I've been able to pick up about 30 hours/week at Lutheran Social Services for the time being because they are short staffed. I know something will come up, so I just keep prayin' that God will let me know when he's ready for me to take something on. I'm also still working on my application to the University of Minnesota's Master of Occupational Therapy program, which is taking much longer than it should due to my amazing procrastination skills. Other than that, we're both happy and healthy. Wedding planning is in full swing and we are loving it! We haven't been too overwhelmed and it's just been really fun so far.
On January 4th, this extremely diverse group of women set out to drive 24 hours, due literally to stopping every two hours, to New Orleans. We were on a mission trip hoping to restore the faith, homes, and community of victims of hurricane Katrina. We all used our gifts to grow and learn about ourselves and bond incredibly as a group. While the stories and experiences are far too many to note, I've included a few of my favorites in the pictures below. 
This is my mom after walking through the house she "mucked" (or, cleaned out completely and busted down the walls of) 2 years ago. She was hoping it would be completely restored and be lived in by now, but sadly no further work . The workers in her group saved important/meaningful papers and pictures for the 80 year old woman that had lived in the house and kept it in a small shed. Unfortunately, everything was still there in the shed when we came back.
This is a vacant hospital where a guard stands by 24 hours a day. It has not been touched since Katrina, and it is presumably filled with supplies that could be helping a lot of people.
Right after Katrina each house had to be searched for bodies. While some were scrubbed off, many houses still contained the spray paint noting the date of inspection, the initials of the inspector, how many people were found, and how many dead bodies were found. NE means "No Entry," meaning they could not get in during the first try. Another house said "NE 9/4" and "E 9/29 with 1 dead." This meant that they couldn't get on September 4, and they didn't look again until September 29, when they found a body.
An AMAZING church that we helped in by doing some staining and refinishing. This had 10 feet of water in it for FIVE WEEKS (a water line can be seen in real life right under the colorful windows). It is being restored slowly (but surely!) by volunteers. Prior to Katrina, this church had an entirely black congregation in an entirely white suburb, and not far away was an entirely white congregation in an entirely black suburb. The two did not mix. The "white" church was not destroyed in Katrina, but the pastor left New Orleans permanently. The "black" church was destroyed completely (and is only now being restored), but the pastor stayed. What happened? The black pastor went to the the predominantly white church and now both are completely mixed. God works in mysterious ways!
Notice the mirrored sides? This is a BEAUTIFUL, huge building for the school administration, and it has not been touched since Katrina. We peeked in the windows and saw kids' artwork on the walls, sticky note reminders still stuck to the computers, desk drawers opened revealing hot chocolate packets, prescription drugs, perfume, make-up, calenders open to August 2005, sweaters hanging off of chairs, a gift wrapped bag underneath a desk, etc. etc. etc.
Here is a prime example of New Orleans: Nicely redone houses with random ones that have yet to be touched. 50% of the city has yet to be restored, and many buildings still contain broken windows and all the original belongings inside. In some areas, like the 9th Ward, a huge majority of the houses are not restored. It's unbelievable.
This is an apartment building next door to Camp Restore (where we stayed). This building is just starting to get gutted now, 3 1/2 years later. When my mom was at Camp Restore 2 years ago she walked through this apartment building, and it had been untouched since Katrina, meaning there were dishes in the sinks, laundry on the floors, and so on. After Katrina hit, people were desperate for food and had been stealing from Camp Restore for lack of any other option. Camp Restore decided to put can openers on the fence (shown in this picture) so people could borrow it and go into the apartment building to eat the canned food left behind. This solved the problem of people stealing food from Camp Restore. The furniture used inside Camp Restore was actually from the abandoned apartment building next door!
It's really exciting to think about the upcoming year! It will be jam packed with wonderful things like planning weddings, applying for/maybe starting OT school, applying for and starting a "real job," beginning our marriage, a mission trip to New Orleans, going on a honeymoon, making a home with my husband (!), moving out of my mom's house, not to mention many unanticipated events! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!!
1. The first was on Christmas Eve, when Ceej and I went out for dinner at Red Lobster with my mom's immediate side of the family (my stepdad, brother, and step-brothers). It has been a tradition for many years and for good reason! Our dinner was delicous, and afterwards we all went to church. When it ended, we came back to our house for a game of "Christmas Bingo," entailing (surprisingly) delightful prizes like $10 gift certificates to Pier 1 Imports, Blockbuster, Subway, etc., as well as an assortment of Burts Bees products and yummy candy. Instead of typical gifts this year our family bought an ice shack to go ice fishing as a "family (boy) present," and my mom and I are going on a Mission Trip to New Orleans next week as our gift. We ended the night with a good old fashioned watching of Home Alone 2. 
2. The next morning, Ceej and I drove to Stillwater, MN to visit my dad's immediate side (my sisters, brother-in-law, dad's girlfriend, and neice and nephews). We had a classic breakfast of his famous cheesy scrambled eggs, pancakes and bacon, which used to be a typical Sunday occurance when I was going there more regularily. After breakfast we opened gifts and played with the kiddos. I couldn't help but look around and smile at how big and busy our family has gotten! I remember when it was just the three of us girls and my dad, and now it's a houseful! It was Rylan's first Christmas "out of the womb" (Mickeegan, his 5 year old brother, graciously reminded me that he WAS actually with us last Christmas), and Elliana has grown so much since last year as well. The kids are so fun and I love being their "auntie Em."
3. Christmas night we drove back to Eau Claire for the Thurner immediate family Christmas, which included lobster dinner at their house. Ceej and I refrained from ordering lobster at the restaurant the night before, knowing Charlie's would be better (And it was! It was also 3x larger than the one Ben ordered at Red Lobster). We enjoyed dinner and then opened gifts. We laughed a lot, especially as John modeled his clothes that were many sizes too big! Ceej and I got some very thoughtful gifts, one being a recipe box that was owned by his grandma filled with recipes that he enjoys. One of the recipes was handwritten by Ceej years ago!
5. That night I returned to Eau Claire for the Thurner extended family Christmas. Ceej played pheffer with his uncles and dad, and we all had a relaxing evening chatting for a long time. I had gotten there after the meal and gifts, but it was very nice to just casually enjoy the company of family.
Well, it's official: I am an Alumna of UW-Madison. What a journey these past 3 1/2 years have been! As I reflect on my undergraduate studies, I am amazed at how unbelievably blessed I am! I have met the most wonderful women who have become my best friends, I have been challenged spiritually, psychologically, and academically. I have felt disappointment, enlightenment, confusion, joy, dismay, excitement, pride, hopelessness, and success. I have felt that I would fail at least once per semester. I have failed exams, and I have gotten "Best in Class" on several papers. I have lived in apartments infested with bats and mice. I have pulled plenty of almost-all-nighters, only to realize that I only function optimally on 8 hours of sleep. I have found a church that I adore to the extend of downloading the services and listening to them on my ipod. I have laughed so much that I cried or peed a little.
2. We spent a night taking "Ugly Christmas Sweater" pictures. We had a blast! Below is one entitle, "awkward smile." It makes me laugh!
4. Ceej and I have a new niece!! Little Miss. Scarlett Rose was born on December 6 at 8 pounds and 1 ounce, and she is beautiful!! Mommy and baby are both happy and healthy. I can't wait to see this little punkin again! I am so happy that she lives in Madison right now so I could be there shortly after the birth, but I will be sad to leave them in a month! 
Anyway, off to study! I'll update you when I have my Bachelors degree!
