The Jackson Family Online

Well we got Lydia off to kids camp this morning bright and early. Was fun to run into several people we knew who were also bringing their kids. Thankfully before we left Lydia realized we forgot to pack a shower towel for her…so we ran and purchased one…that could’ve been exciting, glad we realized it before we pulled out. When we left Lydia was having a great time and I’m sure she’ll have a great week. The weather looks perfect.

Lauren and I came home and I’m not sure if it was just because of getting up early or the boring straight hour drive back and forth to camp or what but we were wiped out so we both took a nap. Seemed nice:). Upon getting back up…I went back to cleaning…Lauren’s room is officially done…the wall stuff is hung up, curtains put back up, etc. I even had a brainstorm this weekend and ended up painting parts of both her and LYdia’s bedroom doors with chalkboard paint…I’m curious to see how well that works out. Could be a real pain to cover back up if it doesn’t but I thought the girls might enjoy being able to leave messages for each other on their doors…plus hey…it gives me the ideal place to jot a few notes too:). Lauren is really enjoying her art area in her room, I challenged her at her 12th birthday to do some art every day, doesn’t matter what but to do something…and today she made a nice watercolor picture…I love how the colors blend…she also created some modern art in her room…she loves that “5″ gum that comes in rainbow packaging…she’s been saving the gum wrappers now for a couple of months…so today she made the bottom of her fan (the base) a rainbow, gum wrapper art piece:)…it’s original and completely fits in her room, so that was fun.

We’re currently taking a break from the house cleaning and have rented a few movies…going to have a good cry with Marley and Me to start it off:). Followed up by a James Bond movie called Quantum of SOlace…we figured that would balance out the tears from the first movie.

Anyway…tomorrow it’s two rooms left to clean through…and then we go into St. Louis tomorrow night to see Annie…which should be fun and a unique experience. It’s so nice to have one child one on one for a couple of weeks…it’s definitely quieter:). I would say no one to bother but actually Lauren’s having fun trying to pester me…and I her:).

Hope your day was great!

Love,

Ruth

It’s been a good Sunday. A lot going on at my church…missionaries back in town, short term mission trip reports, baptisms, etc. all very good stufff and makes me feel glad to be a part of a church that is alive and well. Tonight was our first choir practice for our hundred year celebration and I’m glad to say that I think it went fine…I’m so used to dealing with middle schoolers and lots of attitude that it was very pleasant to not have that to deal with:). I spent the afternoon continuing to clean…and get Lydia packed for camp. One of our hammock chairs fell out of the ceiling this afternoon while Lydia was in it…so that added some excitement. Tomorrow morning we head out bright and early to get Lydia to camp by 9am where I’m sure she’ll have a great week. I told Lauren we would do all of our work around the house on Monday and Tuesday and then on Wednesday we can just do whatever we want together and on Thursday we’re going to Six Flags and taking David Gines along with us so that should be fun. Had a pleasant surprise today, found out that my sister Sue is coming down to Peoria later this week which is only a couple of hours from us…so when we pick up Lydia from camp on Friday we’re going to go ahead and go to Peoria and hook up with Sue and her husband and daughter for Friday night and all day Saturday…that will be a fun time I’m sure. And a great way to spend the Fourth of July!

Hope your Sunday was great! The weather here is definitely more tolerable…which is a welcome break.

Love,

Ruth

It’s been a very productive day today at the Jackson house…got Lauren’s room pretty much all put back together. I’m so thankful…she loves it. The closet area has helped so much…it’s amazing what using every inch of space does for making a room seem bigger. The yellow on the walls is totally Lauren and we had fun today getting cool picture frames today from Target to put a ton of pictures in from various vacations and events…it’s really quite a change for her…as she used to have posters up in every available space…she was ready for a change and I’m liking it too. So…I still have a long way to go on getting my house back in order…but one room at a time, a few loads of laundry here and there, etc. I’ve even been doing better about cooking at home:). The basement is my next big project after getting the house under control…all in good time. Next summer I’m going to have Lydia’s room done…the plaster walls need repair and paint, it’s amazing what some color can do. At one time I thought I might have it done in July…but I’ve decided to wait. By the time we get back from Michigan it’s only three weeks til school starts and I don’t want to spend that whole time working.

Anyway…otherwise nothing too big here…it’s incredibly hot…we had tickets to go to Six Flags tonight to see David Crowder and just decided we would rather stay home. This is the time of year in St. Louis when it’s too hot for anybody to be outside, I don’t even see people jumping in their pools…they’re like bath water about now. Tomorrow we’re supposed to get a little break and go from the high 90’s to the high 80’s…what a cool down:).

Carol, you asked about when I would be in the Colorado Springs area…I will be there from Monday, July 13th-Friday July 17th. I’m hoping to take in the Garden of the God’s, Pike’s Peak, the Flying W Ranch and who knows what else…I also just enjoy meandering, shopping on my own where I can take as much or little time as I would like. I enjoy being able to eat when I feel like it and have whatever strikes my fancy at the moment. I love vacations with my kids as well, but nothing like going someplace and only having to plan and think for yourself…for a few days a year that seems incredibly refreshing to me. And then we’ll be at Family Camp the following week. I’m hoping that I can get my pictures printed off from the last year…I need to cut them out and get caught up on my scrapbooking this summer!! I just added over 600 more pictures from my last vacation…ugh!! Not that I’ll use them all but still…wow it adds up. That’s not a complaint…I’m grateful really, grateful for the beautiful moments I’ve been able to have with my family in the past year.

Anyway…tomorrow is church…I’m starting to lead our church choir for a special event in August it’s our 100 year celebration…it’s no big deal, a couple of songs, a couple of practices but something different for me…should be interesting.

Hope your day was great!

Love,

Ruth

The girls and I went to see the movie “My Sister’s Keeper” tonight. I had read the book so I knew what it was about…knew it would be a tear jerker…knew the subject matter would strike close to home. Lydia really didn’t want to go for that very reason. But we went anyway…although the air was back on at home it takes awhile to cool down a house that isn’t even registering on the hall thermostat and I needed some place cool to sit and relax, the movie theater seemed to make sense. So…we went. The room was full of women and a few men who either were just very brave to go or got dragged along without realizing what they were getting in for:). Without giving away too much of the movie…you really should go see it…the main theme running through the whole thing is about when it’s time to let go. Kate’s sickness effects the whole family in different ways, and her fight to stay alive and even more so the mom’s fight for her child to stay alive is powerful…each person in the family plays a role and the sickness doesn’t leave any member uneffected. In one scene Kate who is a teenager going to a dance, probably the only guy girl moment she will even have…comes down the stairs feeling beautiful to meet her date and all of the women in her life are busy snapping pictures and in the chaos she walks over and asks her dad if he thinks she’s beautiful. It was a heart stopping moment…I knew my kids felt it…I surely did…every girl no matter what age needs to hear from their dad that they are beautiful, every daughter craves that attention from their dad. Later in the movie she gets one special day to go with her family to the beach even though she “should” probably be in a hospital. And I was reminded of the few good moments we had in the last month of Mark’s life…the family times, going to church as a family, going out on a date limo ride and all, going to a school function to cheer Lauren on, even just sitting together and watching tv together. I will always be grateful that Mark’s last days/weeks were spent at home. For some I think they wondered if that would be a good idea…if the girls as young as they were would be tramatized by the fact that their dad died in our home…but in truth it was the most beautiful way to end and gave us precious moments to collect in our hands and put in our hearts, things to hold on to. In watching the final scenes…even though for some I know they’ll be upset because the ending doesn’t exactly match the book in a fairly significant way…still…the final scenes were profound for me. Everybody in the theatre was crying…you could feel it, but you could also sense that they were some who were holding back deep gut wrenching sobs that were threatening to come out, maybe I say that because I was one of those people. I could have very easily gone there…but obviously didn’t want to in that setting. The girls and I sat there in the movie theatre when the movie was done…were literally the last people to leave. I appreciated the fact that they didn’t try to make too much sense of the loss in the movie…and when Lydia cried at the end and asked me “Why did dad have to die?” I honestly told her as I always do…”I don’t know…” oh I can tell her benefits, people’s lives that have changed because of his death, I could try to make up some reasons, tell her about the circle of life or something…but the truth is I don’t know, no reason is ever going to make me say…”Ahh…so that’s why.” At least not on this side of life. The movie gave me and the girls time to talk about deep issues…and maybe for some they would’ve just not gone to the movie, wouldn’t have wanted to go there mentally and emotionally, but for me I always tell my girls…I would rather feel pain, then to feel numb. It’s o.k. to cry, it actually purges the system. So…our house was down to a balmy 93 degrees by the time we came home from the movie…currently 87…slow but sure it’s coming down…and I find myself awake, thinking at 2:42am about it all. Remembering every detail, especially of the last day of Mark’s life. How the day was spent, what was said, how I felt, the physical contact we had…running it through my brain, I’m not sure what I expect to find…some moment, some touch, some hidden message, I have no idea. I do recall Mark going to the side of the hospital bed and laying on his side which was something he hadn’t done in a long time because of pain…but something he always did when we were in bed together…and putting his arm out in a way that was so familiar…I remember realizing that he wanted me to lay beside him or at least that’s what he seemed to be saying…he was past talking at that point…I didn’t want to put him in worse pain and yet I did start to lay down beside him…but in reality he didn’t stay in that position long enough for me to even do that so he didn’t die like they would’ve make it look in the movies…We didn’t die in each other’s arms literally…and yet in that simple action…I know that’s where his heart was and easily I know that’s where mine was. And he just stopped breathing…the hospice nurse had come and before she gave him his final doses of pain medication to calm him down so that he could drift off she had a final talk with him. I’m sure she must have been letting him know that this was it…I don’t know what was said, we were all asked to leave the room briefly…I wonder though…what did she say, what did he say…at that point without a doubt he had to know this was the end. How does that feel? I mean I was in the room but I wasn’t the one saying goodbye, wasn’t the one leaving. I think about any words that were left unsaid…what else was there to say…I”m not sure, but I guess because I’m a word lover…that’s the path my mind travels. We knew we loved each other…what else is there to say, to express…how is it that life all comes down to three little words in the end.

It’s going on 26 months now…I don’t always realize anymore when the 5th of the month rolls around and yet I know Mark’s final day will stay etched in my mind for the rest of my life. I want it that way…I remember thinking that I wanted to make sure I remembered every detail, I had already memorized what Mark looked like after many years of being together…and yet I remember that day taking in his face and even things as simple as his toes…and to this day and probably for forever if I want to or need to I can bring up every detail of his body to my mind…I haven’t forgotten what his hands looked like, his eyebrows, everything about him. I’m not trying to be over the top here…but I knew that he would soon be not in my view and I needed to make sure that even when he was gone I could still bring him back at least in my mind. Tonight Lauren scratched an itch the same way Mark would’ve and even something as simple as that…is something that is permanently in my brain…amazing…she has no recall of him doing that…but I do and told her so.

One of the main things that I left the movie feeling grateful for is that we were at peace in the end. I think a lot of people die fighting…fighting to live…doing that next procedure to try and get at least a few more days to stay here. In some ways I felt then as I do know that we came to peace with Mark’s death here in our home at a time when others were still praying and believing and confident that God would heal Mark here. And I leave that to those individuals and God…but those are the people who struggled the most afterwards when it was all said and done. Up until Mark’s surgery I was fighting…I was giving Mark the pep talks…telling him we were going to make it through this…I mean even with just one lung the doctor’s assured us that he could still have a good life…thinking about it now I’m amazed at how oblivious I was to all of the consequences that would’ve involved…but thankfully Mark’s surgeon had enough good sense after the surgery to tell us there were no other options…he could’ve dangled radiation in front of us…given us some small glimmer of hope for a little more time…but when asked what he would do if this was his spouse…he was honest. I’m grateful now as I was then that we came to peace with it all. And in watching the movie tonight I was again amazed at the ludicrous nature of some who believe that if the sick person just fights a little more they can hold death off…granted I’m not a lay down and die kind of person, and I’m not encouraging that…but in a society that tries anything to avoid death…I’m incredibly grateful that I didn’t spend Mark’s last days “fighting it”…Peace comes in accepting…doesnt’ mean I have to understand…but somehow I knew better than to fight. For a person like myself that’s nothing less than miraculous…that had to be from God.

So…I’m awake, I”ll soon go back to bed…we’re definitely sleeping better than last night which is a relief. I debated about whether I should even type anything or not…I’m not sure if I just needed to talk it out with God or what…I don’t want to just put this stuff on a blog for no reason at all…and yet when I get woken up and have these feelings and thoughts mulling around in my brain…it almost seems like God wants me to get up and write it out. Who knows…I have no idea how long my life will be…I’m hanging on to Mark’s final moments in my heart and mind…I’ve told them to my girls and yet if I was gone tomorrow…if there is no written record of it all…they might not know.

So…I feel compelled to close with this thought…Lauren and Lydia…just in case you ever read this entry years from now, or even this week…you need to know…your dad thought and still thinks each of you is beautiful, he was and is so proud of you…and misses you terribly, I know he’s in heaven so many would think that missing can’t be a part of that experience but I feel accurate in describing it that way tonight…I sense that he is so eager to hold you in his arms again…to tell you of his love…and even though he’s gone for reasons we don’t know…there will be a time and a place where we will somehow reconnect and it won’t be like any time has even passed.

O.k. now I”m going to try and go back to bed…I need to get my house back in order tomorrow…the yard looks good…my car is empty and cleaned thoroughly…the house…well now that it’s getting cooler…is going to get my attention in the next few days. I want to be more mindful though…today Lauren and I went grocery shopping and she was really into it, even made up the grocery list…she’s wanting to cook with me more…which means that I need to actually cook more than my norm…I want to be more aware of those moments. The girls and I are incredibly close really…we only have each other, I mean we have great friends and family…but still we are a unit…we three. I want to make sure I’m memorizing, soaking in every moment with them as the years go by so quickly. Tonight Lydia and I were talking about “Music Therapy”…and I’m curious to look into it further…might very well be something that she is interested in doing in her future. Kind of combines her tender heart and care for others and her love for music…we’ll see. She’s really looking forward to having me as her music teacher this next year…

ANyway…bed is calling…

Ruth

Our air conditioner is working again…Praise God! It was just the capacitator…whatever that is…I guess the battery type thing for it to run on. At this point…I would’ve paid a hefty price just to have cool air again so it was a relief that it’s back in service for a minimal fee.

I’ve been feeling a little like Joseph lately…how he somehow found favor with people that were not Christians…I have neighbors that are incredibly good to me…one set of neighbors watered my plants while I was gone, and not only that put up a basketball hoop up in my driveway for my girls to play with, cemented it in and all…and then refused to accept a dime from me. And my old neighbors that take care of my cats and mail while I’m gone are incredible as well…when they found that the air didn’t seem to be working they literally took in our two cats to their cool home with their two dogs even though the man of the house was allergic to cats. And did it all very graciously and were honestly just concerned for our welfare. Both of these sets of families for all I know are not Christians, I haven’t known either family for a long time…haven’t had major life moments with them but for whatever reason God has worked it out where somehow me and my girls have found favor with them. Reminds me of Mark and his last employer before he died…I will always know that was a God thing…he had only worked for this national company for 3-4 months before being diagnosed and was pretty sick the whole time. Mark wasn’t an expert in the field…didn’t go into work trying to be somebody…just showed up and tried to do his best everyday…and somehow when Mark got sick they were good to him beyond belief…I still marvel at the things they did for Mark and even after he died for me and the girls. Not because they were fellow Christians, frankly I’m not sure any of them were…but somehow God worked it out that he found favor with them. I find that very interesting…I mean I know of Christians who wouldn’t go as far as some of the above people I’ve mentioned to sacrifice for us…they are genuinely good people…I hope and pray that somehow I will be able to help them or at least plant a seed for them to come to Christ. Sometimes good people are the hardest to reach…do you ever find that to be true. I mean honestly very little on the outside would change if they did come to Christ…

Anyway, God is good…I write on this blog for a lot of reasons…

1. I have many thoughts and they have to go somewhere…:)

2. I want my kids to be able to know me now and later if something every happens to me…I want them to know my thoughts, my struggles, my victories, my concerns, etc.

3. I want to keep in touch with people that I love and care about over long distance.

4. I hope my writing encourages a few.

And probably many other reasons that are too much for me to try and list…

But probably the ultimate thing though is for me to trace the goodness of God through the dailyness of life. The irony…this blog started because Mark was diagnosed with Cancer…not a normal event to start tracking the goodness of God for most I would think…and yet…it was the perfect time for me to start…I was desperate to know, to be able to trace it, to feel it, to understand God’s unchanging nature and the fact that He is good everyday, every moment, every year, in every situation. For me today…that involved getting cool air in my home…for me everyday that involves knowing that I’m never alone.

Are you tracing the Goodness of God…if not start…if you don’t you’ll be amazed at how quickly you forget things that He has done. I just don’t want to forget…

Can you tell I’m back into the groove…:)

Ruth

Growing up in Michigan I’m tempted to think that air conditioning is an option…a comfortable option but none the less…an option. Let me just tell you in the St. Louis area…air conditioning is a basic necessity and we’re having a whole lot of sweat going on at my house currently. I have every window open and have even borrowed my neighbors fans so that I currently have six fans going and basically we’re still in a hot house. I’ve called the air conditioner people and been told all of their normal hours are full for today and tomorrow but for a small extra fee (yeah right…) they can come out after hours, They asked if I wanted to do that…to which I basically said sure…we definitely can’t continue as we currently are for very long. I am so grateful that my bedroom is in the basement…o.k. enough whining:). I was glad to see that for the most part my plants survived…that was the first thing I looked after this morning in the early morning hours…I haven’t even unloaded my car or gone through my mail or email but my flower beds are all weeded:). I’m an odd bird I admit it. My green beans and cucumbers appear to be the only casualties of this vacation…oh well.

So…today is going to be all about getting the house back in order. Lauren’s room looks great and she’s really happy with it. It’s very sunny yellow, very welcoming. Lydia is off to a friends house already swimming…which actually makes things easier for me to get some stuff done at the house. If I feel especially ambitious tonight I’ll probably mow…thankfully that’s a fifteen minute job.

So…the trip was really good…we made a long drive from New Orleans to Savannah, GA. Where it was very hot so I was really glad that I had arranged for a trolley to cart us around to see all the historical sights, we would’ve never made it had we walked. And then on the spur of the moment and because of the heat we decided to go out on a boat closer to the ocean to see the dolphins and that was a really good experience. It must have been the right time of year because we saw a ton of them and lots of baby dolphins too. Then we made the trek to Myrtle Beach. Went to the Boardwalk on the Beach there…which is shopping, food, rides, IMAX, etc. had a relaxing afternoon there…did some crucial souvenior shopping…o.k. maybe crucial isn’t the word but it seemed like it at the time:). Then we made the drive to Hatteras Island, North Carolina. I was happily following my GPS navigation system and didn’t realize that it was going to lead me to take two different ferries. Come to find out you need to have a reservation for the ferry or you have to wait a significant amount of time…I Had no reservation…but to drive around to where we needed to go was going to take 5 hours…so we waited and had an ocean cruise (o.k. maybe it wasn’t quite as luxurious as all that:) without me even planning on it. It all worked out, Jim and Amy were able to get the key to the house and we had a great week with them hanging out at the ocean. Hatteras Island is fairly unpopulated so it was like we had out own private beach…amazing. Lydia especially enjoyed the ghost crabs…(NOT!). We picked up shells everyday, went to Kitty Hawk to see where the wright brothers first flew, bought our own kites and flew them on the sand dunes there which was a great experience, took in a couple small museums, ate great food, relaxed at our house and overall had a great week. It was so nice to stay in one place for a week and to be able to come and go as we pleased. I think for all of us it was a great time. After that week we drove up to Philadelphia…that was an interesting drive as we drove through tunnels under the ocean water as we drove up from Maryland to Delaware. I loved the city of PHiladelphia. It was the perfect order for our trip, the city was quiet, clean, easy to walk, the weather was mild, breezy, and we all enjoyed the history, the aquarium, and the Ride The Ducks ride. I know it sounds crazy but if you haven’t ridden one of those rides you need to…the guides are absolutely hillarious! I was really impressed with how touched Lauren was with the Liberty Bell…the concept that all people were given freedom in America, no matter what your race, what you look like, how rich or poor you are, etc. deeply moved her. I have a feeling it strikes a chord in her heart because she often feels like a misfit. She was moved to the point of deep emotion. Which kind of surprised me…but their is something about standing in Independance hall and realizing that this is where the Declaration of Independence was signed by men who were literally risking their lives so that all could be free. I could easily go back to Philadelphia some day…good food…good atmosphere, great history, etc. After that we drove on to Hershey, PA which was an awesome way to end our trip. The girls loved Hershey Park, Lydia rode almost all of the rollar coasters and we soaked up every minute of that day, were there before it opened and walked out after it had closed. Yesterday was a long drive home…but yes Danielle was driving while I texted (that’s for you Lori:)…and Danielle drives a little more speedy than I …so we made good time:). We were even able to hook up with her sister Lisa in Greenville on the way home which was nice.

So…now we get ready for Lydia to go to church camp on Monday. I’m looking forward to some time with Lauren one on one. And I’m also looking forward to getting our air conditioner fixed!! I need to tackle my basement…which actually right now is probably the coolest place to be in our house.

We made lots of great memories on our trip, memories to last a life time and it was so nice to have Danielle along. I’ve now been to 43 out of the 50 United States and the girls have been to 36. Pretty good for only being age 12 and 10. Our next venture out of state this summer will be to Michigan…time to visit family, and my solo trip to Colorado Springs…I’m looking forward to that and glad it’s in a cool environment:).

Hope you’ve had a great couple of weeks! Summer is fast flying by and we’re enjoying every moment…already having dreams occasionally about school…don’t really want to go there in my mind just yet:).

Love,

Ruth

It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged…either had no computer access or no phone signal or was just having too much fun in real time to take time to stop and post. The trip has been great. We are currently on us70 making the final trek to get home tonight. Been a long drive from hershey,pa. Will be nice to be in our own beds tonight or at least I hope so. I’ve been told that my air conditioner has stopped working. In st. Louis this time of year that’s definitely not good news, so…we’ll see… I figure it can’t be any worse than my freezer last summer…(oh the memories). I’ll write much more later but wanted to assure you that all is well and we are almost home!
Love,
Ruth

Today started off with me again getting ready first…and having my computer time, it just works out better that way and then I wake up my two girls for a swim…They have to get their swim in so it’s best to do it first thing. Then we went walking…wasn’t sure what to have for breakfast…so we ended up with Haagen Daaz…decided we needed some real food after that so we ended up getting Chinese all within one hour’s time…have to tell you we all discovered real fast that mix doesnt’ work real well on the digestive system, throw in some walking, some heat and humidity like you wouldn’t believe and wow, it was a good thing I planned an air conditioned bus tour for us this afternoon to a plantation:). Our tour guide was incredible, 58 years old and I think he’s lived in New Orleans everyday of that 58 years. It was amazing the info he told us today about every subject area imaginable. And the plantation we saw…can I just say we sure don’t grow trees like they do down here in Louisiana. Their Live Oak trees are amazing, the branches literally growing where they touch the ground, I could just picture children playing in them…myself reading a book under them etc. wow the south sure has a certain draw to it I’m not drawn to the swamps, the alligators, snakes, bugs, etc. but wow the plantation houses, the trees, the water…amazing! Upon getting back into New Orleans we walked some more. We were told last night that Royal St was a good street to walk on so decided we better do it before leaving in the morning…found a wonderful restaurant that was inside but open to the outside and it was wonderful. Then we walked to Lafayette Square to take in a free concert…amazing music, in fact on just about every street there is some kind of music going on and it’s all good! My girls have done amazingly well…we’ve walked and walked and walked and the heat and humidity are out of this world and they’ve done relatively little complaining Praise God! Souvenior wise Lauren was happy to find a beachy sundress, and a rainbow ankle bracelet. Lydia picked up a book about plantations..and has already read it all:), along with a short outfit that is best described as completely New Orleans style, purple, green, and colorfully bright, and she got a Hard Rock cafe hat…which sure came in handy on that first night walking through the down pour:). For me…picture this tonight I was carrying a bicycle…one for my flower bed at home all through the streets of New Orleans, it has three basket areas where flowers can go. I know whenever I look at it in my flower bed I’ll remember this night…and that’s something that I want to keep with me forever. I doubt I’ll ever be back to New Orleans…but it has been good and I haven’t had one moment when my safety felt in question.

SO…tomorrow we head to Savannah, it’s quite a drive, we’re going to leave early and push hard. Not many stops hopefully. I’m glad I have Danielle to help drive. In fact truthfully, Danielle has just fit in perfectly with our whole vacation….and I think she’s enjoying herself too:).

Hope your day was great. And no the fire damage doesn’t seem to be too significant to the hotel…mainly just the exercise room which is such a bummer because I like to use the exercise room everyday…NOT!:) The whole event was more comical than anything.

Love,

Ruth

Had a great day in New Orleans yesterday. It’s not very busy here at all…I guess tourism isn’t what it used to be preKatrina. So…we walked through the French Quarter, took in Bourbon St. (probably not something I need to do again…but hey). Saw a beautiful cathedral and shopped through the French Market (Lauren found a beautiful sundress that she’s real happy about, and the guy selling the stuff was over the top complimentary, a great salesman so she left feeling like she was on cloud 9:). We took a Hurricane Katrina tour which was good…educational, it’s one thing to see it all on tv another to actually see the houses, see the markings left behind by the people who were searching and rescueing or counting the number dead. It’s bizarre to see how neighborhoods even this many years later are still suffering…And we were shown the canals where flood walls gave way causing most of the problems, and where salt water coming inland has effected the trees, etc. We took in Fat’s Dominoes house, the City Park which had amazing Live Oak trees, and were even shown where Brad Pitt and his family live when they are in town:). And it was all from the comfort of an air conditioned bus so that was nice. New Orleans is definitely hot and humid.

After coming back to the hotel we had to evacuate as our hotel was on fire…that was a new experience…but all is well and in the mean time we got some pictures and memories that we won’t forget anytime soon:). Went to dinner with Danielle’s aunt and a friend which was a lot of fun…they both have lived here a long time so they had a ton of stories and the place they took us had wonderful food and live entertainment. Danielle’s aunt is in stage 4 cancer so I was glad she had a chance to connect with her…we ended the evening by walking back across the down town area to eat dessert at Cafe De Mundo…umm, delicious. We’ve done a lot of walking, feel like we’re fairly acquainted with the area.

Today we’re going to walk some more and then take a tour to a plantation called Oak Alley. Then tonight I saw a free concert in Lafayette Square so we might walk down and check it out. Who knows…tomorrow it’s back on the road for a 10 hour drive to Savannah. I’m not sure that I’ll ever be back to New Orleans but I have enjoyed the visit. I’m thankful for God’s protection over us, and His peace. God is good.

Love,

Ruth

I drove on the world’s longest bridge yesterday, very interesting…in Louisiana. We made it safe and sound to our hotel in New Orleans without too many turn arounds (thank you GPS). Had a great time walking along the river front, taking pictures was fun, the weather was nice and we just had a great time meandering. Decided to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner…by the time we came out and had to walk about a dozen blocks to our hotel it was raining…as Lydia put it, it was somewhere between sprinkling and pouring:)…after a block or two the intensity had picked up and without sounding disrespectful of a truly awful tragedy we were having our own authentic hurricane experience…o.k. I’m exaggerating a bit:). We were four seriously wet people…to the point where when I stepped off of one corner right into a puddle (my glasses were not exactly giving me high visibility at the moment…) and a stranger at a table under an awning looked and smiled I knew we looked crazy. It reminded me of the amused expression that used to cross Mark’s face from time to time. When we walked into the hotel everyone gave us a wide berth…but I have to tell you it was hillarious and we all had a good laugh about it and snapped a few more pictures. Dry pajamas never felt so good!

Today we’re going to walk down Bourbon St., take in the French market and go on a Hurricane Katrina tour and see the damage that still exists even today. And then we’re hooking up with Danielle’s aunt for dinner if all goes well. We’re having a great time so far and I’m so grateful for the protection that God is giving…God is present and it’s good to experience that in new ways. Sometimes I have to step out a bit, have an adventure to really experience God in this way.

Anyway, hope you’re having a great day!

From New Orleans,

Ruth