Yes, I am still finding more workcamp photos! This one was my whole crew on the first day. See the particle board behind us? They told us to SCRAPE it first before painting it…NOT a good idea! It all comes off! 

Proof that I actually DID work at workcamp!! 

This was just soooo cute. In Adventure Theater today, we were talking about David & Goliath. Zack volunteered to be David and this is him in “King Saul’s” misfitting “armor”. I could nto stop laughing! You’ll see Esteban behind him – he was holding Zack’s pants up! I wish I’d had my real camera with me. 

My dear friend Nan left a message yesterday (happy anniversary, by the way, Nan!)that her son was off to his first day of kindergarten – happy as could be and not looking back. I’m so glad to hear that he was excited to go and I hope so much that he has a wonderful experience with school. I know I did.

Me & Dwayne on our first day of kindergarten… 

This is me on my first day of kindergarten…in fact, that is the day I met Nancy! It always makes me smile to think that she and I have been friends all these years. What a blessing! Anyway, I always loved school…couldn’t wait for summer to end so I could get back to seeing friends and learning lots of cool stuff. Weird, I know, but that’s just me!

…meet the Urinator! 

This is Norman, the love of my life. He is the sweetest, most loving of all my kitties. And yet he is the most troublesome! He is always getting into stuff, attacking Nellie, running around like a man on fire. And lately, peeing on the floor! I’ve had him to the vet for all kinds of tests. I’ve had the carpets steam cleaned. I put plastic down on the floor. I even bought one of those stupid automatic litterboxes (DON’T waste your money! Luckily, they took it back.) The only thing that might be having any effect – and I can’t tell for sure – is this stuff called Comfort Zone by Feliway. It’s a plug-in like those air fresheners but it releases a cat hormone that makes them relax and feel comfortable. I had one in the room where he frequently did this and he stopped for several weeks.

But I am a bad mom and the plug in ran out and I didn’t get another one. That was probably a week or even two ago. And here he goes again! Saturday and then again tonight. So I was back in the car, trekking to the only pet store around that seems to sell this. I got the refill and an entirely new plug-in for the living room. We’ll see if this is the answer! I sure hope something is!

I’ve been thinking about what to blog about but I feel like in light of everything going on in the Gulf coast, what I have to say to the world is so minor.

One thing I will say is happy birthday to my mamacita. She is computer-challenged, so she probably won’t see this, but I wanted to say it anyway. Yesterday was her birthday and, as she teased her best friend when she turned the same age, she’s the speed limit now. (I told her that, in most places, it went up so she’s got another 10 years until she can make that joke again.) I have to honestly say I don’t know what I would do without her. Yes, sometimes she drives me bats and I often tell her what a challenge she is (and I’m sure she feels the same about me at times) but when it comes down to it, she is and always has been there for me in any and every circumstance. I talk to her almost every day about something or another. Sometimes we even watch tv together long distance. We debate the news of the day, share our views on what’s going on in the world and even when we don’t agree, I know she is listening. So, I love you, mom! Happy birthday!

I am still glued to news of the Gulf coast. I check in on the major news outlets all day online and all evening on television. It breaks my heart to see the conditions that people have been in, that some are still awaiting rescue, that some are still awaiting food and water in New Orleans. I hear all the terrible things that are going on there, the crimes being committed in the convention center and I think – I was there. I was there when it was just a city filled with doctors for a large convention. And now it is unrecognizable.

I keep hearing people say over and over things like “they should have evacuated when they were told to”. But how do you evacuate when you have no money, no transportation, no means to get anywhere other than where you are? Or are too sick to go? Or disabled? So many factors played into what has happened. That’s not to say that no one stayed out of sheer stubbornness – I’m sure there is a great deal of that mixed in as well.

I pray that order is restored soon so that they can continue the evacuations without fear of rescuers being shot at. I pray that they receive the necessary supplies and help they need soon to help these people who are tired and hungry and thirsty…and dying before their eyes. I pray that people who were blessed to not live in this area and face this devastation personally would remember to be thankful for what they have and to give to those who no longer have anything. There are so many reputable organizations to give to: the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Blessing, the list goes on and on. They were reporting on the news to beware of charity scam artists – if you receive an email from the Red Cross or another organization like that, it is not real. The Red Cross doesn’t have time to be sending out email solicitations right now or doing telemarketing – so bear this in mind.

I truly wish I could be down there. I have a heart for those in need and it breaks every time I hear another person’s story or see another shot of what used to be a beautiful area. I wish there was something more I could do…in the meantime, I’ll donate and pray.

…there are still miracles at work in this world.

I went to Jacob’s site this morning, worried about what I would find. He had been doing better the last few days and was even off the oxygen. But I was still concerned. Well, my friends, it seems a miraculous work is afoot. Since Jacob was doing so well, they decided they might want to do another round of chemotherapy on him but first wanted to run a tumor marker test. This test generally will show if the treatment is working or not. And this time – it’s working! The numbers have dropped significantly and are showing that the tumor is dying! They’ve decided to go with another round of chemo for now and see what happens.

Please keep praying for Jacob and his family! It is amazing to me the strength and faith the Duckworth family has through it all. They are a real inspiration to me and so many others.

I can’t begin to express my feelings about the tragedy on the Gulf coast. I am a news junkie and spent most of Sunday afternoon and evening lying on my bed flipping between CNN, FoxNews and the Weather Channel. I became very attached to one reporter on Fox who was in the French Quarter and who was becoming increasingly concerned about his own safety and that of the people he had met as the day wore on. I watched in disbelief as they packed thousands of folks who had no where to go and no means to go into the Superdome.

I am in awe of the power of that which we have no control over – weather disasters, fire, etc. It is unbelievable to me how much devastation can be wrought in a few hours – lives lost and homes destroyed. I think it will be a few days until we truly know the depth of this tragedy but I already feel the grief for all that is lost.

I wish that I could pick up and go down there to help in any way. I wish I could even just help one person. It troubles me to not be able to do that when things like this happen…

Wow, it has been quite a week.

Monday, I had p/t right after work. Tuesday, I had an appointment and then led home group. Wednesday, three of us travelled to and from the Poconos for a funeral. Thursday, I had a youth group leaders meeting and Friday afternoon I left for an overnight leadership retreat for 10, 11 and 12 year olds. I ended up sleeping in a cabin in the woods with ten girls and another female leader. No bathroom – you had to walk through the camp to the bathhouse. Oh, how lovely it was.

But the icing on the cake was when we were cleaning up the cabin yesterday, getting ready to leave. I had one of the girls sweeping and the others cleaning and packing up – when a snake crawled out from under someone’s mattress. Suffice it to say, there were ten screaming, freaking out girls in my cabin. Finally one of them shoved it out and off the porch with a broom. As far as we can tell, the boys put it in there in retribution for being sprayed with a supersoaker……LOVELY. But I have to say, after my initial SHOCK, I handled it fairly well. I had about eight ideas running through my head while the girls were screaming but the one with the broom acted faster!

So, I am home, exhausted and not at all ready to return to the workforce tomorrow. I think I need a vacation! Anyone have a rental on an island, far, far away from civilization (but no snakes or spiders, either, please!)