Walk-About in Haiti

7/18/11
Bon Swa! (Good day)

Today, Troy, took us around and oriented us to Heartline Ministries' houses that held their ministries. They have 3: Harbor House, Maternity Center, and the Sewing Center . And, he also took us to their new property they just purchased so they can move all of their ministries to one site, and not have to rent houses anymore.

The first one we went to was the
Sewing Center.
John and Beth used to have an orphanage they ran, and many mothers came to them with their babies because they couldn't afford to feed them or themselves. When they noticed the trend, they decided to find a way to give the women an income so they can keep their kids. They opened a Sewing Class, and taught the women how to sew. They can have 36 people in the class for a year (9 months), but they have 102 applicants right now. One class was created upon another need to make 3 classes available in one sewing center. When they found out that some were illiterate and couldn't take the entry test, they started a Literacy Class to bring their literacy skills up to take the tests. Then, they later saw that some still didn't have the skills to sew, so they started a Beading class. They sell these crafts at the gift shops at the center and in the guesthouse, and online called HaitianCreations.com. A couple in California decided to help Heartline by creating this website for them, and selling the purses there. Check it out!

*sorry if this next one is too gross for you guys*
We later went to the Maternity Center, where they taught Pre-natal classes, and breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has been thought as a bad practice among Haitians, and it would kill their babies than nourishing them. They would feed their babies water at birth, and then rice and beans at 4 months. It took a lot of work to teach the mothers that it was the best thing to give their babies. They have 2 healthy babies right now that are prime examples that breastmilk is best for their babies, and other women are sharing this news with other mothers. Hopefully, they'll see more healthy babies than malnourished. They also taught them how to care for themselves while pregnant so they can have a more healthy, uncomplicated birthing experience. It's been 2 years, and they've been seeing wonderful results. However, they wish they can do more for them.

Next door to the Maternity Center is Harbor House.
It's a house for pregnant teens, and teen moms that were thrown out of their families' homes when they were pregnant, because the family couldn't feed an extra person. So, they came to Harbor House for shelter, learn to be good parents, and learn how to provide for themselves and their child.

Lastly, they took us to their new property. They're hoping to move all of these ministries to one property, and no longer rent the houses. Troy also shared that they're hoping to start another ministry for the Haitian men. They can't touch the lives of every man in Haiti, but they can invest their time, and disciple 12 men and give them a job in their future bakery.

Please pray for their ministries:
* that they are able to do more for their pregnant patients, and can feed than more than once a week, and have a healthier pregnancy.

* for the teenage girls. The ministry can not only raise them to be great parents to their kids and provide for themselves, but also to disciple them and raise them to be Godly women.

* for their men's ministry. Teaching them to be responsible fathers, and godly men that can turn around and disciple other Haitian men.

Haiti can not change because non-profit organizations are coming to Haiti. Change needs to take place in the Haitians. To teach them the skills they never learned, and bring them out of their poverty. But, also to bring them out of their Relational Poverty with others, spiritual poverty with God, and Being Poverty with themselves. That may sound "weird" to you, but we read a book called "When Helping Hurts". It shares how STMs (Short Term Ministries) have done more damage than good by focusing on the material poverty (food, finances, and homes), but neglected on helping them heal their relationship with God, themselves, others, and with creation. How can they bring themselves out of material poverty, if they don't believe in themselves, in others, and especially in God. There's a saying the missionaries say: in Haiti there's 80% Catholics, 20% Protestants, and 100% Voodoo. Their relationship with Christ is distorted, and God wants to bring them back to Him.

And, we ended our day with more Nertz!! Awesome ending.

Nurse Leona in Haiti...

7/21/11

OH MY! Ok, next mission trip I lead, everyone is signing a contract that says they will do their utmost best to not get hurt! No wonder I was starting to get nervous and Mother Hen-y at the end! So far on this trip, my "patients" have had mysterious bug bites, hand laceration, splinter in a finger (didn't have to deal much with that), and a cut while shaving. And now, mod-severe heat exhaustion...had to start an IV, give 4L of IV fluids, lots of meds for nausea and pain, and giving a lot of Gatorade...on one person. He's now sleeping, IV is out, and we're heading to the airport in 6 hours. Best time to get sick, just as we're heading home.

Other than that, we went to Canaan, Haiti. It's one of the Tent Cities where some of the displaced Haitians live outside of PAP. Another ministry called AwakenHaiti is helping out Pastor Nathan that decided to move closer to his congregation that were displaced by the earthquake, and his congregation grew as he continued to minister to his members and the neighbors. Right now, AwakenHaiti's goal is to work along side the Haitians in the building process, not building it for them. Today, they're setting down the foundation for their new church. They've been meeting under a tent, which is already falling apart. The boys on our team came to Canaan to help with the foundation laying. They also asked the nurses (nurse and nursing student) on the team if we can come as well for the Medical Clinic they have there every 2 weeks.

During this trip, I've seen how sheltered I've been in the hospital, with the supplies I need at hand, and doctors that are a phone call away or even on the unit. This Clinic and the Cholera House do not have Doctors that are available. It's just the nurses doing the best they can to care for these patients. Some Doctors have come to visit and given advice and even taught them a few extra skills like suturing wounds and such so they can continue their care for the communities. I came to this Clinic definitely out of my comfort zone, but learned that a lot of the issues can be taken cared for with Health Education, and occasionally meds. They've learned to give meds when absolutely necessary, but its not the primary solution.

I learned a lot here about healthcare with limited resources, and also had to use that nursing judgement and LOTS of prayer when we returned to the Guesthouse. One of the guys worked so hard today that he had heat exhaustion. After I noticed that having him drinking fluids were not enough, and he was getting worse, I had to make a judgement call and start an IV. Thank God for the Maternity Center and their supplies. Now, like I said earlier, he's resting and feeling much better. Now that's cutting it close. In less than 6 hours, we're heading to the airport to go home, and I'd love all of us to get there HEALTHY! At least we're not sick from infections, just have silly self-inflicted injuries...

Thanks for your prayers. Putting the miscellaneous physical injuries aside, God has worked in us in many ways. Please read www.haititrip2011.wordpress.com when you have a chance. A few of us wrote our experiences on that blogsite, and pretty much mirrors everyone's thoughts on what we're returning with. God met us here, and did more in us, than we can ever do in Haiti.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cholera House

7/20/11

Today, we went to visit Real Hope For Haiti. They've been around in Haiti for 17 years, and is in the mountain region, in the village Cazale, Haiti.

They've been around during multiple hurricanes, the earthquake, and now Cholera. They are open for clinical assistance, dressing treatment, and Rescue Center for Malnourished children, but lately it's been on what one of the

founders call "survival mode" since the Cholera Epidemic. They explained that when they started seeing Cholera patients they needed to separate them from the rest of the patients, and away from the water supply. A Haitian was building a house on top of a hill, and told RHFH that they could use their unfinished home, since they were not ready to move in yet. I don't think they were prepared for it to be this long. Haiti has never had to deal with Cholera before. They later found out that the water supply was already contaminated by...well, let's just use initials for identity protection ...UN. Guess the identity protection didn't work. They'll deny it anyways.

Anyways, half of our team stayed at the RHFH building and helped separate supplies, the other half went to the Cholera House to help out. It was a dirty job, but we did it wholeheartedly and for Christ. I went to the Cholera House with the 2nd half of the team, but no nursing duties for me there. I would've loved to help, but they had a system down to a science! This house has no running water, no electricity, full to more than capacity, and yet they've seen 3000 patients and only 6 deaths since the outbreak. These Haitian Nurses and volunteers are awesome and very resourceful. I've been in my sheltered hospital setting, and complained about not having certain supplies. NEVER AGAIN will I complain!

Before we left the house, we had our soles of our shoes cleaned with bleach, washed our hands with soap and water, and then sprayed from head to toe with a bleach mist.

Of course, after we got back to the Guest House, and I took a REALLY GOOD shower, one of our team members got a splinter in his finger, and then another cut herself (too silly of an accident to explain), and I had to care for the cut while someone else took care of the splinter.

The pictures below are for the RHFH clinic. No pics from the Cholera House.

The girls pulling apart Paper Towels for the Clinics and the Cholera House.

Roberta and Alice mixing Protein Packets to feed the malnourished kids.

Jenn and Tahlie at the Rescue Center

Roberta is holding Dada, 5 years old and 18lbs. Working hard on separating gloves

Just a tranquil site on our way back to the Guesthouse.

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Birthday Cleaning

7/19/11

I've made an executive decision: i'm 39, not 41. Since I already hit 40, and everyone say I never act or look my age, it's time to go back a year from now on. It's not time to go over-the-hill yet.

In celebration, Haiti-Style, our teamworked hard on a couple apartments for the teachers moving down to Haiti. It's a dirty job, but someone had to do it. We left with that apt looking beautiful. I'd be willing to live there myself!We got home hot, sweaty, and exhausted. And, HUNGRY. We have a Haitian dish called, Legume. (a beef and veggie stew). It tasted so good I had to stop, or be completely stuffed! We had our devotional, and at the end the team surprised me with chocolate cake. Thank you, Roberta for baking it in their Haitian oven! I was surprised I still had room for it.

Thanks TeamHaiti for a wonderful birthday, and thank you, and Thank you, Jesus, for blessing me with this amazing team!

TeamHaiti working hard

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Haiti bound!!

*I blogged and saved these posts until I got home to post them. Enjoy*

7/16/11

We are in Haiti! We got to the airport at 4:20a for a 6:10a flight, and it hasn't been bad at all. Even at the Haiti airport. You can still see the earthquake damage to the international terminal, with large cracks on the outside walls and shattered windows.

Haiti is the most impoverished country, and you can really see it. People are lining the streets to either sell something (for a high price), beg for food, or waiting for a Tap-Tap (Haiti's version of a Jeepney). Barry, the man that picked us up from the airport, shared that their Central market just recently re-opened after the earthquake, so there's not as many venders out on the street.

But, not everyone is too impoverished. We're staying at The Village, a gated community, that have doctors, politicians, and other ministries, and such. The dirt roads are a little smoother, but still have potholes in The Village, it's just the gates and large houses that really separate that poverty look.

Last night ended with perfection. We ate, had our quiet time, I had a COLD shower (no hot water), devotional with the team, and then NERTZ! I think we should end every night that way.



This is the ladies quarters.



This is my mosquito "tent".

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Haiti

Next Birthday Destination?...

A few weeks back, a friend of mine and I were talking about birthdays and how we celebrated them in the past, and then it dawned on me....ever since I left San Diego I never celebrated my birthday in the same place twice. I’ve celebrated my birthdays in different states, and recently in another country. Even over the Atlantic Ocean!! I left San Diego for Christ to be a Travel Nurse, and God blessed me by sending me to Seattle, St Louis, Austin, North Africa for my birthdays, and now????.....Haiti!!

I’m finally going to Haiti! I have been trying to go to Haiti for over a year now since the earthquake, and now when I least expected it, God finally opens the door to let me go! The crazy part is that I’m leading a group this time. Not 5 or 10, but 20 PEEPS are coming with me, and only one of them is a nurse (me). In San Diego, that wouldn’t have been me. I was happy following in a Mission Trip, not leading one. I don’t know what God has in stored for this Trip or this Team, but I am totally excited. A couple years back when I was getting ready for North Africa I’ve heard and learned about: “Don’t be flexible, be like liquid,” and “we’re going ‘sailing’, and see where the Spirit leads us.” This trip isn’t any different in that sense. Different people, different cultures, and different needs, but the same God is leading it, and the same God is working. Please pray for us as we get ready for this trip, and raise the money to go. If you’d like to help us out, you can email me your address, and I’ll send a support letter to you.

The best part of this trip for me, AND for my blog readers, is that I can share more about this Haiti trip than I was able to during my N Africa trips. Maybe you’ll actually see more posts from me than my usual annual posting saying “hey! I’m still alive.”

Still in N. Africa

7/25? Sunday

Well, it's 4:22am, and we're still in N Africa. We were pretty good getting to the airport on time, and 40 min before the flight was suppose to depart. Alas, we didn't leave. Our flight was delayed for an hour, and then another hour until they decided to cancel the Flight completely. The next Flight is at 5:30p today (Sunday).

It's 4:44am, and we're still at the Airport, waiting for a bus to take us to our Hotel...

5:31am: we finally made it to the hotel room...good room...going to bed...good night.

Pray for us that we get home soon.

Spaghetti Night!!

7/21 Wednesday


We made Spaghetti last night for a church! "Mediterranean-style". ;). There's a church here that's celebrating a 5-year anniversary, and we were invited to come celebrate with them. Our Local Team Leader decided that we should make them some dinner to eat after the Service. Not to make this long with details, let's just say the talented cooks made dinner.

I think this trip is turning into a theme. In our last Post, we shared a passage that Lynn read a couple days back with a group of widows:

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!".
Rev 7:9-10

It wasn't an extravagant (did I spell that right?) celebration, but to hear Christ being praised in another language made my heart melt. (Sorry if I sound unusually mushy, but the Spirit has been moving) We came in as they were singing Arabic Worship music, and then they started singing "Above All" by Michael W Smith...in ARABIC! As soon as we recognized it we sang along with them in English. Later, before Sarah and Louisa shared their testimony, we led them in Worship. One of the songs was the chorus of "How Great is Our God" (Azeem Ya Allah). When we started singing it in Arabic, the Congregation joined us, and the men started to stand with arms held high, and singing loudly in Arabic. Incredible! So far, this trip brought that passage alive in N Africa. This is what it's going to look like in Heaven, around the Lord's throne!

This is just Day 3. What's in stored for us for the next 3 days? We will eagerly wait to see.

Grace and Blessings,
Leona

Late N Africa Update

Sorry for the late updates on the blog. We hoped to keep everyone updated on our trip last week, but we didn't have a secure enough internet access..(or we were just too tired to type even one letter on the keyboard). At least we had the desire to write you at heart, but not enough to act upon it. ;) I did log some of our interesting adventures on my iPhone to share for later, so here's "later".

Thank you for your prayers and support. It was an incredible trip that I can truly say that God used to change OUR hearts as well as the N African friends we met.

Leona

It's EE-lona Day in N Africa!

**This was written on 7/19**

Last year, I spent my birthday over the Atlantic Ocean, and lost 16 hours of my birthday. Kind of hard to celebrate my birthday then when I was exhausted from travelling.

This year I wasn't prepared that I was going back to N Africa the same time as last year, and actually celebrate it IN N Africa! It has been wonderful day. I woke up to balloons all over my bed, and a banner hanging from the kitchen Counter. Thank God for the Team I'm a part of. And, for my birthday present, I gave a couple shots of Vitamin B6 to one of girls on our Team. It's not a complete trip without someone getting sick. One of the girls woke up feeling nauseous and throwing up this morning. We gave her what meds we had to help her, but nothing worked. So, we spoke to our Local Team Leader, and he suggested I give her a shot of Vitamin B6. Even in N Africa, God is using my nursing skills..

Better Late Than Than, um, Ever.

Greetings from North Africa! We must be getting used to the N African culture because I (Sarah) am writing this blog at 12:20 am WHILE WAITING FOR DINNER TO BE SERVED. Yes, dinner is an after-midnight affair, and bedtime is usually 2 or 3 am. We are told it's because N Africans like to be outside when the sun is down and the weather is cooler, so they shift their "daytime" to include most of the night, and wow is it a huge change for us! How we Texans are managing is simply God's grace because we are all operating on about 5 hours' sleep, and a couple of us have battled nausea. But the short sleep and vitamin B-6 shots are undoubtedly worth it as we are using time we would normally be snoozin' to be-bop around this beautiful, bustling city of 20 million people spreading the Lord's love. Yee haw!

We have visited two different churches in the few days since we arrived, both small by American standards (around 60 or 75 people) but huge in Spirit by any human gauge -- the congregants are so welcoming and warm! This morning, Danielle and Louisa shared their stories about how God has protected them in their lives (a local friend translated into Arabic), and afterward we all sang a song ("Amazing Grace") to the church, distributed cookies and hot tea, and prayed for people in need of intercession. That we could travel 5,300 miles across this vast planet and find a pocket of family here in N Africa -- it's just like the song says: only by His amazing grace! It reminded us of that part of the Book of Revelation, which Lynn read during the service:

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'" (Revelation 7:9-10)

We also visited a gorgeous park here in town. It's a spacious oasis of towering palm trees, fountains, and rolling hills amid an otherwise parch, sandy desert, and as you can imagine, folks are eager to go outside and enjoy the cool breezes once the sun goes down. We all feared the language barrier would be difficult to surmount, and indeed, only about a third of the people we meet speak English well enough to converse, but guess what? It turns out that a big smile and a friendly hello are universal. We have been both humbled and exhilarated by the open arms and open hearts we've encountered here.

We've also met some food we really lurve (aka love). Shawerma was an instant favorite; it's a sandwich of either chicken or lamb wrapped in a tortilla and pressed panini-style so it's piping-hot and toasted. We also ordered dessert for lunch today (because we didn't want to make the same mistake we did yesterday in eating so much shawerma that we didn't have room for dessert) in the form of fruit salad (figs, apples, bananas, and mangoes) topped with ice cream, milk, and strawberry syrup. We are STILL jittery from the sugar high.

Speaking of dinner, ours is about ready so I'm signing off. (Fresh mangoes we bought at a corner market are beckoning like a siren song.) Please continue praying for us as we manuever crazy traffic, difficulty with the language, and not enough sleep -- we can definitely feel your support from here.

Much love to y'all!

Trip to San Diego is just as fun as being there.

My flight wasn't as "adventurous" as my friend Jen's is. Then again, things that happen to her don't usually happen to normal people, and she's extraordinary.

I sat next to this lady that was reading "The Shack." She's at the beginning of the book, so I had to try REALLY hard not to give away my favorite scenes! She's on her way to see her son graduate from Marine boot camp, and hasn't seen him since he left over 3 months ago. Just listening to her, and seeing how excited she is going to see her son, I started picturing her running onto the marching field to hug and smooch her "boy", and maybe give a squeeze to his cheeks. To all my military family and friends, did your mom embarrass you on the marching field when she saw you? :-)

For 13 weeks, the military have trained and molded these boys to fighting men, and then in one day Mom can tear that down to her baby boy again. The final and ultimate test to see if the training stuck.

That's just righteous!

Old mill in Arkansas

I was looking through all my pics and reminicing, and found some that I forgot to post when I got back to Austin. When I was driving down from St Louis, I decided to go through Little Rock, AR. I read about this old mill in Little Rock that looked interesting, so I went to check it out since I had the time. I found out that this whole thing is a "sculpture" replica of Pugh's Mill, an old working mill in the 19th century. To me, it looked like I stepped into a Hobbit book, and felt tall when I walked through the mill. Definitely too small to live in it.

You'll never know what's around you, unless you really look.

I miss road trips...

This is starting to become a "what Leona loves" blog site. My last few blogs began with "I love..." And, to not disappoint:

I forgot how I miss and love road trips, until I had to road trip to San Diego from Austin, TX recently. So many trivial questions came to my mind as I drove, and it was like de ja vu. I remember asking those same questions when I was driving around the country as a travel nurse. Just a glimpse:



What's it like to live in a small town, with population <3000?

Why do small towns all have water towers with the town name on them? Definitely couldn't see a water tower with "San Diego" on it when you drive into San Diego, even if it was on Mount Soledad or Mount Helix.

There are no water towers in towns so small that it's the size of one or two blocks.

This may be the first time I've ever seen (insert city name here), and am amazed, but for everyone around me, it's just another day at home/work.

Never stop at the rest stop in the middle of California's desert dunes. Stinky.

Who can I call while I'm driving through West Texas?


This makes me want to be a travel nurse again, just to experience it again. But, I won't until the Lord says "Go". Lord, I'll wait.

A "friend"-ly visit

I haven’t written in my blog for a while. (last Thanksgiving) I’ve been trying to think of what to write about, and a few of my friends gave me some ideas: make it a non-travel blog, write a different journey, write about my experiences in Texas/Austin, about life, etc. So, be prepared to see interesting trips, silly and trivial thoughts, and whatever comes to my mind. Since it HAS been a while since I last written, there’s a lot I need to update you on, but I won’t bombard you with it all at once.

Recently, my friend Kerrie made it to Austin, TX, on her way to San Diego, and I’ve been touring Austin with her for the past week or two. I don’t have any pictures to share, since I’ve been to most of these places, and I also forgot my camera. I’ll steal some of her pictures once she downloads them, and share them with you.

We went to Barton Springs Pool which is a natural spring, and as cold as the Pacific Ocean. Well, the temp of the ocean in San Diego (60’s), opposed to in Vancouver area (40’s). It was nice. No waves, we were able to float and chat, and stay cool. The difference was that instead of seaweed floating on the water, it was moss. LOTS of moss. There was a point where there was so much moss floating around us, that we attempted to move to a more clearer area. Still moss, but not as much. Afterwards, I took her to lunch at an awesome place called Austin Java. GOOD food.

One of the things that Austin has besides independent coffee shops/restaurants, live music on every corner, and a health-y atmosphere (almost everyone jogs here), they are famous for their largest urban bat colony. Yes, those rat-looking creatures with wings. The bat colony made a home under one of the bridges in downtown area, and every night at dusk, the bats fly out from the same spot of the bridge in a black/grey ribbon. I took Kerrie to that bridge to watch, and the whole side of the bridge where the bats come out from under it had people lined up at the railing to watch. Austin also has a park at the bottom of the bridge for people to sit and watch from. When it was dusk, the bats were punctual. They dumped before they flew out, and it was “potent”, as Kerrie described it. We watched 3 ribbons of bats coming out from under the bridge, and came together as one big ribbons as they flew higher. They didn’t fly above us, so we were good. The stench was not as bad, and we didn’t get any of the guano (bat poop) on us. Neither did the observers at the bat park.

The next outing we had, we road tripped to San Antonio. This is the second time for me, and the first for Kerrie. We went to the Alamo and The Riverwalk. The Alamo tour had a LONG line, so we just took pictures of the Alamo, and then spent the rest of the day at the Riverwalk. We took a boat ride tour of the Riverwalk, but most of the time just window shopped and caught up on what was going on in our lives since we last saw each other in San Diego.

Right now, we’re just relaxing at a Coffee shop, and enjoying a sunset view over Lake Austin, while playing on our computers. This is a day of rest for both of us. Be ready for more stories. To be continued….

Leona

Back in Austin

This is a VERY LATE blog I drafted, but forgot to send. ooops. Be on the look out for more late blogs. :-) (sheepish grin)


Hello again.

I'm back in Austin, TX. I made it safely. I stopped at Branson, MO for a couple days to visit my friend Vicky that I met in Seattle last year. Since she's from Branson, I got a personal tour of Branson. We went to a show called "Dixie Stampede" with singing and horse riding performances. Dolly Parton started it in Tennessee at Dollywood. We also went to an attraction park called "Silver Dollar City" with craftsmen making basket, glass blowing, candy, candles, etc., AND (most importantly) there were a lot of water rides to cool off with. :-)

Later, we went to a Go-Kart park, and rode go-carts with my friend's grandkids. It was so much fun. Drive figure 8's 3 stories up, and come back down for 15 mintues. (pictures will explain it all) Vicky's brother also owns a pizza parlor just north of Branson. She has been talking about her brother's restaurant for so long that I had to taste his pizza. VERY GOOD, but hard to find if you're not a local.

I started off for Austin on Wednesday, stopped in Little Rock, AR, and then made it into Austin today, this afternoon. I'm staying with a couple of friends for the night before I can move into my apartment. I'll send pictures of my latest travel once I have them downloaded.

Leona

Downtown St Louis

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Back to Austin I go.

Hello again, all.

My assignment ended this past week, and I'm packed and ready to go back to Austin, TX. There wasn't an assignment available for me, and Austin was an "If all else fails" option. I have my license in Texas, and a great rapport with the hospital I worked at. I'm also considering settling in that area, and travel from that point. Maybe. I do miss my friends there, and I can still tour some areas that I missed before I left. Traveling the way I have has taken it's toll since I don't have some anchor in a city. I love San Diego, and I miss everyone there, but it's the most southwest point in the country (and expensive to live there). I use my parents' address for my mail, but other than that, I technically have no "home". A transient nurse. Austin is more centralized than San Diego, and I don't have to live in snow for the winter (just heat and humidity). I still have hills to hike (and maybe bike), and Town Lake and Austin Lake may not be the Pacific Ocean, but it'll do.

I have a week to kill before my apartment in Austin is ready, so I'm leaving today for Branson, MO for a couple days, and then I make my way to Austin via Little Rock, AR. I should be in Austin by Thursday late afternoon or early evening. I'll stay at a friend's house that night before heading to my apartment on Friday.

Of course, with a week off, I went to visit my dad's side of the family in Michigan this past weekend, and found out a lot from them and my dad, and also where he gets his "quirkiness" from. It's a hereditary thing. I also got to visit my great aunt Irene (my grandfather's sister). She's a feisty and funny lady. Though she may have Alzheimers, she's still has a quick wit. I also met a lot of my dad's cousins. I miss them already.

I'll stay in touch with everyone. If there are any changes on my end or any adventures, I'll share them with you. After my trip to Branson and Little Rock, I'm going into settling mode and won't be traveling for a while until the Lord says it's time to go back out. It's been fun. I enjoyed visiting my family and hopefully will be able to go to the east coast later. I hope everyone enjoyed the pictures and e-mails I sent of where I've been. It was fun to share it with you.

It's not over yet. Just a break.

Leona

Missouri Botanical Gardens

(This blog was started on my birthday, but I didn't get to finish until now. Sorry)

Hello, all.

Happy Birthday to me!! This Thurs (7/19th) was my birthday, so for this birthday weekend, I went to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Really beautiful. It has multiple gardens, in different forms and culture themes. There's a dome-like warehouse that houses plants from the rainforest, and waterfalls set around the area. They also have a large beautiful Japanese garden, larger than the Japanese Garden at Balboa Park. This weekend must be a busy wedding weekend for the Botanical Garden. I saw 3 different weddings set up for the weekend. It would be nice to marry with a garden as your background. I'll send pictures to you soon.

The end of my assignment is coming fast, so I'll be touring one last time around St Louis.

Leona

Heritage Day in St Charles

Hello all,

I never knew St Louis was called "the Gateway to the West," or why until I moved up here. This was the last TOWN Lewis and Clark stopped at before venturing into the unknown west. On May, St Charles celebrated Heritage Day which the re-enact that time, and how they lived and dressed when Lewis and Clark's expedition came along. Yes, and I apologize, it took me this long to download my pics and share them.

Those involved in the re-enactment made tents and fire pits as would have back then, and had a lot of homemade products made as if in the past. Really cool. I saw a lady making plates and platters from clay, and baking them under the sun. They also had buffalo burger and other "fixin's" as would have eaten during that era. Boy, technology has made us lazy.

Be on the lookout for the pics.

Leona