profound thoughts from nirvana...

i've been listening to a lot of nirvana lately and there's one line from one song that is just...i don't know, hitting me. and it makes me ponder.

"come, as you are"

simple as that. it makes me wonder...what if everyone came as who they are? or how about this. what if...prepare yourself for this...we loved and accepted each other in that? hmm...

the gang...

all 15 of us...

carolling @ jackson square...

last night a bunch of us went to the 62nd annual carolling in jackson square. super cold, but definitely fun.

snow...

i've been hearing a lot about the crazy amount of snow up in the northwest this week and figured i'd put up a picture of the snow we got down in NOLA. that's right. it snowed. it was fun watching people react to it. you could hear the school kids screaming with joy and there were a ton of adults just standing outside, staring up into the heavens. pretty magical.

tis the season...

well, it's christmas time at the yellow house. it is, afterall, the most wonderful time of the year.

turkey bowl 08'

today we had our first annual turkey bowl at octavia street park.

=

po-boy festival

yesterday was po-boy fest on oak street. wall to wall people, tons of po-boy stands, and lots of fun art stands.

a balcony of hipsters...

tons of people

typical new orleans art...be nice or leave!

flipping through the playlists...

music is an interesting thing...kind of like a universal language. definitely my favorite language. my favorite thing is when you connect, and just drown in the melody, the lyrics, the song, the album. do you ever find that certain songs just match your life sometimes? i do...

i tend to make playlists that go along with life at the moment. i've got a playlist for basically every major event or period of time for the last, oh, i don't know...five years? it's interesting to flip back through all the old titles...almost like flipping back through pages of a journal. old playlists and old songs bring back old memories. it's great.

what i'm listening to now...blue shutters...which consists of:
one way road, five times august
chasing pavement, adele
fire, augustana
title track, death cab for cutie
geraldine, glasvegas
give a little bit, goo goo dolls
stellar (acoustic), incubus
83, john mayer
champagne supernova, matt pond PA
if you leave, nada surf
turn off my heart, rich price
publish my love, rogue wave
oh my god, whatever, etc., ryan adams
ruthless, something corporate
drama summer, the starting line
sentimental spell, five times august

the latest haps...

well...it's been a busy last few weeks. a few saturdays ago, we got my new room all framed in. this week, a friend of ours has been working on the electrical...and there's talk of starting to sheet rock next week. i am super excited! many thanks to everyone who has put time, money, and energy into this project!

in other news...halloween was last friday. we had a great time hanging out in the front yard. kiddos that came around got to dig for candy in a kiddie pool full of shredded paper and yummy treats. parents enjoyed a hot drink stand we had set up. it amazed me how many people came by!

also...this week has been one with a few departures. tuesday, christian headed back to australia after spending six months with us. and this morning alex headed back to the northwest to finish up some schooling. seriously guys, you will be missed.

bouncy houses and new rooms

i've been up since 6 this morning, even though we got yards done yesterday. but waking up early today was more than joyful for me. you see, today, a friend from the community and i set up and will take down 3 bouncy houses to earn a little extra cash--cash that the community has decided will go towards building my new room in the basement of the yellow house. in late august, the carlson's so graciously moved around their upstairs so that i could move in with them and had the idea to actually build me a room in their basement, which has been down to studs since Katrina. little by little, things have been getting done. first, my bed got moved into the temporary room upstairs. then, the space where my room will be downstairs got cleared. and next week...well...the building begins!

i feel so incredibly blessed to have people down here that really want me here...enough that they'll build me a room. not that it took that for me to know they loved me :) but every time i think about it, it just feels more and more shocking. i'm so grateful for the carlson's, and the community as a whole for their eagerness, willingness, and longing to do this project.

so with saturday half gone, and a few hours before we go to take down the bouncy houses, i'm still finding myself reveling in the fact that these people...communitas...are so tangible with their love...even for one of their own.

seasons and such

if you know me well at all, you might know that forest gump is one of my favorite movies. mostly because of the music. you know that song, turn! turn! turn! by the byrds? well...its in forest gump. i mention this because the song talks about seasons...how to everything their is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. lately...the idea of seasons has really resonated with me...the changes that come with them and all. they've inspired me enough to make them part of me and portray them in my art...

in my life...there are a few changes going on. my time at starbucks has ended because i came upon a better opportunity. starting this week, i'll be nannying for one of our neighbors. i'm SO incredibly excited to be able to hang out with kids as a job again. i've really missed that. i've also started tutoring one night a week...which kind of takes me back to my days at Youth Outreach in Newberg. I think of all the things (besides friends of course) that i miss from the norhtwest, YO is one of the things i miss the most. but these new opportunities are allowing me to act on things that make me me...who i am at the very core of my being.

retreat...

the women spent the beginning of the week retreating in Mississippi. it was a good time of relaxation, fun, crafts, and getting to know each other better. there was also a lot of good time spent down by the lake...just pondering life and God's beautiful creation.

home...FINALLY

we left florida yesterday at 9am and arrived home a little after 2:30. there wasn't a whole lot of damage. some small trees down...a little bit of siding coming up. but the biggie...no electricity. back in seattle, this would be fine. but down here, it is HOT. no electricity means no air conditioning, which led to one sweaty night. this morning i got up around 8. still no power. so we all ate breakfast out on the stoop. it's different stooping in the morning. not good or bad...just different. :)

after breakfast, clean-up started up again. we got plants and lawn furniture out of the basement, inside furniture off of blocks, etc. when it's hotter inside than out, this is not a pleasant chore. but around noon, the whirring of the air conditioner became music to my ears. the power is back!

later today, we found out that ice and MRE's (meals ready to eat...what the military use when they are in the field and can't cook) were being given out downtown, so we piled in the big white van to load up for the next storm.

closed...

good news. we've heard from our one neighbor that stayed that there was no flooding on our street. that is AMAZING, because even in regular rainstorms, this isn't generally the case. as of right now, the city is still closed so that damage can be assessed, power lines can be fixed, roads can be cleared, etc. that means we are still in florida, hoping and praying to be able to get home soon.

evacuated...

we left last night at midnight and finally arrived in pensacola, fl at 9:30 this morning. that drive usually takes four hours. there was a lot of traffic. but we all got here safely, and are a little more rested than when we first arrived. i never knew preparing a house for a hurricane was so insanely busy. the storm is supposed to hit tomorrow afternoon-ish. obviously we'll all be watching and waiting...

please pray for our city.

the latest...

quick update: with contra flow starting tomorrow, we won't be able to drive east. SO...we're taking off tonight...mid-night. heading to florida. more news to come later...

evacuating...

Gustav is now at a category 4. Needless to say, we're evacuating to Florida tomorrow. I appreciate everyone's calls, emails, texts, and prayers. Please know that preparing for a storm is hectic and that there are a lot of things to do. I need to establish with everyone that no news is good news. I'll try to keep this blog updated, so check back if you're interested.

too close for comfort

Friday is August 29th...the three year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. That's one of those events where people remember where they were. I was in Kansas, counting my blessings that I wasn't any closer to the Gulf. But I remember being sad, feeling pain and grief for the city...a city I'd longed to go to for years.

I was planning to put off a post until Friday, to tell you how NOLA has come a long, long way, but that she and her people are still pretty devastated. I wanted to tell you how even amongst the PTSD and the buildings, shops, and homes that are still empty, we are overjoyed by the little comebacks; the streetcar on Carrollton up and running, finally. A neighbor just about to move in to a house they bought the day before Katrina but never had the opportunity to sleep in. We even rejoice over potholes being filled.

But at the moment, I'm thinking about Gustav, the latest storm headed into the Gulf. Conditions are just the same as they were three years ago, and the storm has a lot of similarities to Katrina. They are predicting it'll be here by monday evening. One of our neighbors is already borded up and headed out.

We all knew there would be other storms eventually. But the city hasn't exactly gotten over the last one. I went to fill up on gas tonight, and the lines were ridiculous. I went to get some cash from the atm...same story. Anyone can see that the people are a bit nervous, sitting on the edge of their seats watching "the cone". Will Gustav come right for us? Will it turn? Will is dissapate? Will our city be spared from another beating? Being so close to the anniversary of Katrina, I think we're all a little on edge...

back to school...

"back to school. back to school. to prove to dad i'm not a fool. i got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight. i hope i don't get in a fight. ohhh, back to school. back to school. back to school. well, here goes nothing." -Billy Madison

That's right friends. Next Tuesday will be my first day back to classes after taking spring semester and the summer off. I'll be attending Delgado, a community college in New Orleans in order to finish up my associates degree. And honestly, I'm kind of excited to take a few classes.

In other news...
I got back from the Northwest a few days ago. It was great to see so many of you! Moving into our new place hasn't quite happened yet...so we've been crashing in the other houses in the community (thank goodness for them!). It's nice to be home!

moving...

Yep, it's true. Moving day is coming quickly. And although we're only moving down the block, packing is still crazy. Having lots of good friends to help, though, is awesome! Times are busy these days. This week, we have to pack and move all our stuff to a friend's basement. This weekend, I fly out to Portland for a conference, then up to Seattle to visit family and friends for a few days. When I get back, stuff will make it to its final destination...our new flat! And then the unpacking begins... :)

a quick update

I've just sent out my second newsletter of the year. The first one may or may not have gotten to some of you. If it didn't, I'd love to email it out to you. Just let me know :)

In other news...I spent the last week in Kansas, playing the role of maid of honor in my older sister's wedding. It was beautiful. Now that I'm back in NOLA, life is back to normal. In less than a month, we'll be heading to conference, and then my roommate and I will be moving down the block to a new flat. We are stoked.

One Year Ago

One year ago this coming Friday, I got on a plane with this crazy awesome group of people and headed for New Orleans. I originally wasn't planning on applying for, let alone actually going on the trip. But somehow, I ended up on that plane.

Throughout the few days I spent there, my heart was broken time and time again for the city and her people. I never imagined myself living in a big city. In fact, I always thought I'd end up out in the sticks.

But here I am, one year later, writing this while drinking iced tea at a local New Orleans cafe. I love living in this city. I love living with the community I live with. I'm thankful for those days spent here one year ago.

T.I.N.O

It started raining at 6:30 yesterday morning. Thunder and lightening...a great storm. I love sleeping through storms. Around nine, I looked out my window. Water was halfway up the tire of my jeep. You couldn't see the streets. You know that saying TIA...this is Africa? Well, T.I.N.O. This is New Orleans. Maybe the pumps were turned on, and just couldn't handle the 6 inches of rain in 2 hours that we got. Or maybe the pumps were off, being repaired, during hurricane season, by the way. Who knows. Either way, water is just something we deal with. Move your car to high ground, then maybe wade around the neighbor hood to see if anyone else needs help. Thanks to one of our neighbors, none of our cars were flooded.

This is the side of our house. Water came right up to the bottom of the steps.

Here I am...in the middle of the street.

One of our neighbors biking the neighborhood.

Cars decorated front lawns so they wouldn't get flooded.

There was so much water...and even a current.

This is a main road...Jefferson Ave. It was also flooded. You can see the water coming over the side of the neutral ground.

Flood waters deep enough to kayak in.

By 1, the flood waters had receded. We were able to make it to the creole zydeco & tomato festival. By then, the sky was blue, and it was hot as hell. The french market was packed with people.

This is New Orleans.

imperfection

so i've been reading in luke lately...and i've been picking up a little nugget of truth over and over again. theres a special place in god's heart for imperfection, for screw ups, for mistakes. somehow, he finds a way to make it beautiful.

just for laughs...

this ones for julie & sandra...and a few others. :)

augustana!

on monday i got to see one of my favorite bands of all time, augustana, play at the house of blues. it was an amazing show. and thanks to adam, i got a set list...AND i got to meet all of the band members...AND get their autographs. such an amazing night...

swamp tour...

just last week i went on a swamp tour. we got to see real alligators in the wild. pretty cool!

on our way to the swamp...goofy faces!

andrew and i on the boat...

an alligator...lured with delicious marshmellows! why marshmellows? because alligators live in marshes! haha...

the captain of the boat told me this is the dock that forest gump's shrimp boat crashes into when forest jumps in the water to see lieutenant dan

i go to witchita...

a couple weekends ago, i was in kansas, seeing my sister graduate from college. way to go girl!

thoughts for the day...

it's a cool morning, sitting in the shade of some trees next to the mississippi river. the breeze is slight, the water moving just enough to crash lightly on the rocks...music to my ears.

things i'm loving lately:
a full gas tank
the shade & low humidity
peace & time to myself
leather journals
laughing
clean laundry
painting
stooping

comics from the sunday paper
sweet tea lemonade
weezer

the neutral ground...and pirates

the neutral ground is a coffee shop we visit quite often. it's an interesting place...lots of quirks. a cat named bob lives there. and lately, there have been dogs visiting. also, there is live music. every night. one of my favorite nights is uke night...when a bunch of people that play the ukulele come and play. my favorite uke song? the asparagus spear. that's right...it's a song that teaches you how to dance the asparagus spear. basically, you stand with your arms at your sides and be as still as possible. as you can imagine, it's...fun. :)

here's a clip from a musician we heard a few nights back. he's singing "the pirate song".
enjoy!

catching up...

it's been a busy past couple weeks. some of what i've been up to:

the art museum...

jazz fest. i got to see santana and the neville brothers...

& hanging out at the fly...