Friday Night (My poem :)

Mary Kate had told us the first day of the trip that last year she had a poem done by a man outside a bar. We all assumed that it was a silly poem written by a squater trying to make a little cash. We were completely wrong. She told us that the poem was so amazing that it was read to the entire Crossroads group at the end of the trip. I'm not great at poetry, I can't write it but I'm beginning to appreciate it more and more. So I was hoping to see him out this year and have the opportunity to have a poem written for me.

The last night of the trip three writers were sitting outside of d.b.a.'s. Mary Kate pointed out the man that has written a poem for her last year and he remembered her. At the end of the night I sat down next to him and he asked for me to just tell him some things about myself. He assumed I was there to party since I had Mardi Gras beads on and had a drink in my hand. I told him it wasn't the case. The Mardi Gras beads were given to me by a New Orleans native and I was in nola for the Crossroads trip. He asked me what made me want to go on the trip and I said I've always wanted to make the trip to Nola since Katrina and help in anyway I could. I told him that I was part of the photo team, taking pictures of families that lost everything. I also told him since my father passed away I've wanted to do more to give back, to recognize that life is short and that it felt good to be a part of something way bigger than myself. He told me he was excited to write my poem and that he had a great idea for it.


Here is the poem he wrote me; if you read between the lines, it's deep...

"So many things to be seen in the sights of a camera

You might think you have captured it all, but you certainly know that one square frame really reveals so little

Eyes like new lenses and memory like a kind of indelible film;

these understand the small betrayal that one frozen frame represents

It's just not possible to capture it all.

But it will be equally impossible to ignore the tiny truths recorded like fleeting heartbeats."

Friday Picnic

All of us were really excited to get to the picnic. We were finished with our work week and it was time to celebrate everything that had happened on the trip. Stevie, Andre, Nick and I sat on the back of the bus and played "It's time for the perculator" over and over. Lol, that was also a running joke on the trip and I'm not quite sure how it got started!

Andre playing the song on his phone for us.

Stevie and I

The picnic was one of my favorite parts of the trip. First we started off with service at FABC. This time service was Crossroads style. They also did baptisms which was cool to see. I've only seen the Catholic baptism, where they baby's head has holy water poured over it. Here an adult chooses to get baptised. The baptiser can be anyone who has already made the choice to follow God. So the baptiser and person being baptised stand in a pool of water and is dunked backwards into the pool to clense themselves. It was actually really cool to see.

This was during service, the window in the back is where people were baptised.

After service a woman from FABC pulled the photo team aside and gave us all gift bags! They had chips, red beans and rice, seasoning, mardi gras beads, and pralines in them.


After service Moose told me to hurry up and get outside to the picnic for a surprise. Right away I knew what it was. The Roots of Music came to the picnic to play for us! I was so excited because it was such a great program and awesome experience to see it. I wanted all my habitat friends to be able to see them too. We even talked about how cool it would be if we could get them to come perform for us.

It was really great to see people that I had met throughout the week, talk to some new locals and play with the kids. I found Ms. Nicole and bought a copy of her book, which I've actually since read and I really liked it. Great story line and she included hurricane Katrina in it which was very cool. I had a picture of me and her but it's on someone else's camera I'll need to get that :)

Another one of my favorite people (Ms. Patricia) was there and she brought me a candy apple! That's what I loved so much about the people we met in New Orleans. We were there to help them. To give them something that may have been taken away from them in the storm. These people also came baring gifts for us. They weren't selfish people that thought the world owed them something for how they were treated during Kartina. They genuinely appreciated that people came from Cincinnati, OH by bus to do anything they could to help them, five years later. It really felt good to be a part of.

Ms. Patricia, Stevie, and I

There was so much to do at the picnic. They had food which was great as usual and I'm not a tea drinker but the sweet tea, damn it was good!

These wonderful people brought us all the good food.

We had Bengals cornhole!!

Snow Cones!

if you were willing to wait in line...

Face painting by the lovely Shannon

Also a boy by the name of Jeremiah would do your hair for free, then he'd say "You've been Jeremiahed" and run off. He did mine. I had my hair up because it was so hot out, he took my hair down and said you're more of a down, natural type lady. lol.

Some of his models...

Hoopin'

The Drums!

Photo Crew!

more pics to come....

Thursday Night

Thursday night dinner was at the hotel. We had spaghetti, good, but not quite the New Orleans cuisine I was growing to love! We had a small service as we did every morning and then it was time for some more go group time. I really liked the way they had it this meeting set up.



Before we got started on the compliments we had a chance to go around the room and kinda wind down on how we felt about what happened that week in New Orleans. Did we have an 'aha' moment or a revelation, were we changed and how? I most definitely was and I completely spoke from my heart and brought my full self to the conversation. I can become very passionate. I know what I love about life and it's not working at US Bank 40 hours a week, it's not being single and living alone (well I do like that sometimes,) but it's helping, listening and providing something for others and photography, those are my two favorites and I got to do both all week and see some really amazing things come from it. So talking about my experiences with people I knew truly cared and were happy for me just felt so good. To see tears in my group's eyes as I talked about how I felt was comforting to know I wasn't just talking and people who were just waiting for their turn to talk. They wanted to know, wanted to listen, wanted to feel my experience. I too truly cared to know how this trip went for everyone in my group. I wanted to see how they've grown and what this experience had taught them so maybe I could learn even more.



After we had a chance to share our "aha" moments we were to go around in a circle and give our group members compliments. Things we noticed about them throughout the week that we admired or wanted to congratulate them on. It's weird. I have very many close friends. Ones that I admire for countless different reasons. Some that I've had for 10 plus years, and I may compliment them on looking pretty or having a new cute top or whatever it may be, but it's never as deep as we got during this meeting. It's something I want to make an effort to do with my friends back home. We were given stickers and with each compliment given a sticker was handed out. It made me feel really good to give and recieve these kind words. It was nice to hear things like, you're brave, you're strong, you're a good listener, you have great energy, you're a good friend, you're truly a good woman. I wish I could remember them all now but I can't. Some of them were especailly good to hear because I know they were things that I wanted to do. Things I wanted to become better at as a friend and to hear people notice them, I felt like I had improved some things about myself that I set out to do.

Thursday (Roots of Music)

The Roots of Music (http://www.therootsofmusic.com/ ) was also very much at the top of my favorites on this trip. It is a totally free program that was started by Derrick Tabb after hurricane Katrina to keep music alive in the city. Before hurricane Katrina marching bands in middle schools were just as popular, if not more popular, than sports. After the hurricane it has been difficult enough for schools to provide a proper education and most music programs have been cut out of the curriculum. Not only did Derrick want to keep music alive but he also wanted to have a continued outlet for children. He wanted to give the kids musical instruments before guns landed in their hands. The children of the Roots of Music also have academic tutoring, as the children's grades are of utmost importance. Currently 100 kids are in the program with 400 on the waiting list! It was such an honor to be involved in their group, even if it was only for a day.

A few of us were able to leave FABC early on Thursday and head over to the United States Mint building where the Roots were holding their practice that day. Our project set up with Derrick was to photograph each student with their instrument. A group had gone Wednesday at well so Thursday we were just finishing up the job. When we arrived Shannon and I were informed that we were going to be the lead photographers at one station. We were both excited to be able to do some of the shoots with these kids! The girls were allowed to smile while the boys were told to be completely serious in their photographs. The school is set up military style, it's not as rigorous of course but the kids always use sir and ma'am, always use please and thank you and are genuinely good kids. Here are some of the pics:

The Roots of Music phenom is a boy by the name of Lawrence or Tota. Lawrence's parents are decease and he has been taken in by his uncle and aunt who help run the program. I was told that since he could crawl/walk he's been sneaking off into the corner to play a drum. He is amazing on the drums. He's such a cute kid and you can tell he's going to only continue to get better. Shannon and I had the privilege of taking his shots. He was so adorable! It was hard to get him to stop playing long enough to actually take a picture. I would pose him for a pic and he would hold it for a couple seconds and then he would start playing. As soon as he stopped Shannon or I would run over and pose him again. We'd have another couple seconds to get another shot in before he kept right on playing. I learned later that he was playing an actual song. The only reason why he stopped is because normally, during practice, the trumpets would come in! He was playing a whole song in his head the entire time we did his shoot. He really was amazing. Here are some of his shots:


These kids are so talented and Derrick truly is a modern day hero. This program is free so Derrick is not doing this for a profit, he is trying to save the future of his city. I think he is doing an absoltely incredible job. He has been nominated for The 2010 Energizer Keep Going® Hall of Fame and is now one of the finalists. Here is what they've said about Derrick:

"Derrick Tabb is the founder of Roots of Music, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the New Orleans music culture while keeping kids engaged in arts and academics and off the streets. Five days a week, Roots of Music provides tuition-free music education and academic tutoring to 125 New Orleans youths between the ages of 9-14. More than 85 percent of Roots of Music students have raised their academic scores by at least one letter grade in language arts and mathematics. Tabb refuses to give up in the face of difficulty, and he is truly making a difference in the lives of New Orleans' young people"

PLEASE vote for him!

http://www.energizerkeepgoinghalloffame.com/2010Finalists.aspx?finalists=DerrickTabb&t=%2FDeskTopModules%2Fsf2010Finalists%2Fimages%2Ffinalists%2Fsm_derrickTabb.jpg&fn=Derrick&ln=Tabb&r=634140171883468784

you can vote once a day until 8/20!

Wednesday Night (Natchez Cruise)

I was definitely excited about tonight. I absolutely love riverboat cruises and I wonder why I don't do it back home. Of course I also heard from people that went last year that the food is amazing. I definitely believed them, I was getting hooked on Naw'lins cookin'!

Again we started our night out at the hotel bar, had a few drinks and then headed out to the river walk to make our way down to our boat! The evening promised to be a great one as I'd heard wonderful things about the cruise from years past. Food, a brass band, drinks, and everyone from the trip on one boat, as well as some of our FABC friends, cruising the Mississippi.

The river walk was actually a pretty cool place to walk through. They had a lot of shops and things to do. I loved the art shops and wished I had time to walk around in them see if there was anything that looked authentic. I very much wanted a piece of artwork to hang in my living room; anything to bring me back to how I felt on this trip was a must. I was hoping to have enough time on our last day here to come back and look for longer.

Adria and I

We found our Natchez river boat and made our way on board; I fell in love some more! Right away I saw Ms. Sonya and some other's that I photographed at FABC and I was greeted with warm smiles and hugs. Go group 24 found a seat on the side of the boat where chairs lined the railing so we could relax and enjoy the Mississippi river breeze. We talked, laughed and enjoyed drinks while waiting to be seated for dinner. As the boat left the dock our Captain told us a lot of the city's history and explained different landmarks as we passed them.

Soon after we took off it was dinner time so we raced to the dining room to make it to the buffet line. We had to split up our group since we couldn't all fit at one table. Half our group got to eat first while the other's watched. The picture below is Jessica showing off her food while we starved. Maria is upset about it, lol.

Mmmm I got my food. Chicken, Pork, rice, corn, pasta, salad, bread pudding and a brownie!!

Look ma I ate all of it!

After dinner we walked around on the boat some more and looked around on the lower decks to see how everything ran. Pretty cool stuff.

Most of the group went off to a couple bars after the cruise but Stevie and I walked around on the river walk. We saw Anderson Cooper filming live news so we sat down to see what he was talking about. We sat down next to a guy who was sitting on the grass all by himself watching Anderson. I asked him what he was reporting. He told me that he reports on the riverwalk on the oil spill in the gulf. His name was Deandra (pronounced like Deandre) and he LOVED Anderson Cooper. He found out that we were in New Orleans on a mission trip with a church and he had to admit to me that he was gay. I said "sweetheart, why else would you come to the riverwalk everyday to watch Anderson Cooper? I do not judge." We kept getting in trouble for talking even though Anderson was rarely taping, it was like every 5 minutes he would say a few words, maybe during a commercial break or something.

Stevie, Deandra, and I

I had a really fun night just kinda hanging out and talking, walking around the city with a new good friend.

Tonight I remembered how important it is to just stop and listen. Sometimes people just need a shoulder and I'm good at being just that.

More Wednesday (Photos and Books!)

Luckily I was able to do a couple of shoots today. Of course it was my favorite part. The first family I got to photograph was a mother (Nicole) and her daughter. They were adorable. They had the kind of relationship that reminded me of my mother and I's. Just fun and silly. While waiting for Nicole's daughter to come in from Vocation Bible School we got the chance to talk to mom a little and get to know her. She graduated from the Southern University with a Bachelor's in English after she graduated she returned to New Orleans (displaced by Katrina.) Shortly after she wrote her first book and is now a Novelist. The book is called Giving my All to You...

Check out her website http://nicolethenovelist.com/

I love to read so I promised to buy one from her at the BBQ on Friday. I took a few fun shots of mom, I told her she needed her head shots for her books! After her daughter entered the room we got started and they were so silly! Giving bunny ears, chokin each other (playfully of course.) I asked her daughter what she likes to do in her free time and found out she is a black belt in karate. Unfortunately I only have one picture but it's a great one! Hopefully I'll have access to the rest of them shorty...

Wednesday (Photos)

Today was a busy day. We had a steady flow of families coming through which was great, but it left less time for me to go out and speak to families. Luckily one of the most amazing people on the prayer team filled me in on some stories for the day.

The one I remember most is the story of a young woman that came in wearing next to nothing. The type of woman that people would judge if they saw her on the streets. I have to admit I kind of judged. Then I remembered my situation, where I was and that she too undoubtedly had a story. To give you a better picture: She was absolutely gorgeous. She wore a small white top that exposed her bra straps, short white shorts that you could see through, and a pair of high platform heels. She was with her daughter that looked to be about 4 or 5. Her daughter's was a very pretty little girl who wore a dress much bigger than her. It wasn't hard to see that the mother was uncomfortable, she really looked self-conscious. Both of them were extremely polite and overly thankful for their pictures. I felt bad for initially judging her appearance.

I learned later that the woman was about 25 years old. She had her daughter in her early 20s and has been working her butt of to raise her child without assistance. She never goes out because she can't afford to buy new clothes; she wears the clothes she did when she was young and naive. She also is tormented by young men who perceive her as 'easy' because she already has a child and has not been able to update her wardrobe. She became emotional when speaking about her situation because she wants to be respected but essentially can't 'afford' to be. She is working to make a better life for her daughter, not herself. She truly is an unselfish person putting her daughter before herself. You could see by the way the mother and daughter interacted that they had a very strong relationship. You got the sense that mom really put daughter above all; the way it should be. I'm not a prayer, but I prayed for her. I felt for her. The beautiful Ashley and her lovely daughter are pictured below:

Tuesday Night (Free Night)

Tonight was our only completely free night on the trip. We were back to the hotel from our work sites by about 5 pm. We had time to wash up and hit the town to do whatever we wanted. Many of the people in our go group had made the trip to New Orleans at least once in the past so they knew the hot spots to hit. When I say hot spot I don't mean the coolest bar on Bourbon St., I mean the best authentic place to have a good meal and then hear a great band.

So our go group started off by taking full advantage of the free happy hour again and we headed out in the streets with our adult beverages!! I get excited when I can walk outside with vodka and not run the risk of getting into trouble. We headed toward the trolley among a sea of Lutherans with green backpacks. This was the running joke for Crossroads for the trip. We were sharing the hotel with Lutheran kids who seemed to range in age 12-17 or so. ALL of them were carrying green backpacks and we wondered what they were doing there. It seemed as if they were just walking around aimlessly the entire week. Where were they going??? Anyway we headed toward the trolley to make our way to the garden district.

I LOVED the trolley! I guess you can say I love everything about the city, I know you're starting to see a theme. I just love the authenticity of everything. You don't get history in the U.S. but I think New Orleans gets you as close as you might come in the states. Anyway the trolley ride was about 20 mins or so, so I enjoyed staring out the window at the Garden District sneaking a peak inside people's gorgeous homes.

When we finally made it to our stop we made our way to Oak street to have dinner at a place called Jaques-Imo's. The food was SO GOOD. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. I loved how small and intimate the place was. It had orginial art work hanging on the walls. The bathroom was off the kitchen so you had to actually walk into part of the kitchen to use the restroom. It was tight but it was cozy. Apparently we weren't the only Crossroads group that had heard about this gem because about 50 people from our group took up most of their dining room. The atmosphere was so great and the food was probably the best I've ever had. Here's what we had:

Jessica and her skinny french fries

Alligator Cheesecake (that's right I had alligator and it was goooo-od)

Fried Green Tomatoes (why I've never tried these before I have no idea)

I tried some of Daniel's Flounder (I know I don't eat fish but it didn't even taste fishy!) I also ate a fried oyster! I was determined to be open to new things on this trip! Plus I think anything fried is pretty good, lol.

My main dish was Short Ribs and grits, with Greens and Sweet Potatoes. So good!

After our yummy meal the owner and chef of Jaques-Imo's came out to say to hello to everyone and make sure the food was good. It was easy to see he had a good amount to drink! He carried with him a bottle of vodka with hot peppers in it, lol. We asked him for a picture and he took us out to his Mardi Gras truck, we all piled on and snapped a few photos :)

( Unfortunately one wasn’t take with my camera so it’ll be posted as soon as I get them :)

Before heading home we stopped by a bar next door to listen to a band for a bit. Sat outside until each of us had been bitten by enough mosquitos, then headed back to the Embassy Suites on the trolly. Night time was prime time to sneak more peeks inside the lovely homes as it was dark outside and the lights were on in the houses. I've never seen so many libraries in houses before! Jessica and I made a goal to live in one of the houses one day, lol.