GO New Orleans

There have been countless things that I have wanted to do for so long. Things that I either made excuses as to why they weren't feasible, I was too busy, I had school, etc. I'm no longer locked into school and am no longer making excuses. I feel really good about things that I have been involving myself in lately so I've also been doing a lot of research on how I can do more, be more, and be apart of something bigger than myself.

I've signed up with Crossroads Church to go to New Orleans in July. During our week stay some of us will be rebuilding homes, some will be helping children in their bible studies, and myself a few others will be photographing children and their families who had lost all of their family pictures in the hurricane.

It's hard to imagine that 5 years later so many families are still trying to rebuild their lives. I feel very lucky to be able to be a part of it and cannot wait to get there! We will be taking a tour of the 9th ward and have been informed that much of it looks exactly as it did 5 years ago; minus the water. More to come....

National Mentor Month

I was very happy to hear that this month has been named National Mentor Month by President Obama. I have been anxiously awaiting my first meeting with my mentee as I had met her a couple weeks ago at her school. I finally was able to take my mentee out for the first time a couple weekends ago, and I had a really great time!

Kelly and I met downtown and picked our girls up at their home. The girls have 6 women in their home, ranging from 2-16 plus their mother. When we knocked on the door all the little ones poked their head out of the second story window to say hello. The family is so cute! The 2 year old kept yelling "Hi! Hello! Hi!"

We had first agreed to go ice skating on the square but it was about 2 below zero out and Kelly and I convinced the girls that it would be more fun to go to the levee, lol. We ended up taking our girls to Johnny Rockets for burgers and shakes, then we saw The Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. I had a great time getting to know her. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. Either that or she's good at acting, lol. We convinced the girls that we had a GPS tracker on them so we knew where they at all times. My mentee Deacesa was very curious as to where on their bodies they were implanted.

I was very relieved to find that her favorite singers include Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, etc. She's never kissed a boy, but she has however, had boyfriends in the past. I can't remember if I liked boys at 12 yet or not. I think I waited until highschool to really worry about what boys were doing. We're taking them out again this Sunday to either the museum or rollerskating. Their choice. I have a feeling it will be skating although I'm going to try and convince her to do the museum. I don't want her to get the idea that everytime her and I hang out it's going to be fun and games. I want her to learn and grown through the things we do. I want her to know that I'm here to guide her and not just take her to the movies or rollerskating.

I only hope that she gets as much out of this as I am :o)

Broken Levees

I just finished reading this book last week, although Leblanc repeats herself several times on issues the book was really good. I remember when Katrina hit, I was working full time and in school full time and desperately wanted to drop everything and go down there and help somehow. So quickly, those unaffected, forget what happened in New Orleans in August of 2005. I had been so busy with work and school back then that I didn't have time to really see what happened. Of course we all knew what happened but I didn't take the time to research like I usually like to do. I came across this book in the bargain section at Barnes and Noble and was immediately excited to read it. I read it in a day. I'm currently searching for the actual documentary at local libraries; I can't wait to see her story on film. Leblanc tells it like it is and she doesn't bite her tongue. Some of the events she describes leave me baffled. Why did it take our leaders 5 whole days to send help?? Why were the people of New Orleans treated like dogs? After they had lost EVERYTHING. Not just homes, posessions and memories that can never be recaptured but people. Husbands, wives, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. I wish more than ever that I would have dropped everything and helped in some way. My school would always be there. My family would be safely waiting for my return in the cool cozy homes. This book is a great read and even after everything Leblanc has been through she still provides a story of love and hope. I highly recommend it.