Sponsors At Last

It's amazing how good it makes you feel to give.
When Justin and I got back from Haiti, we decided to sponsor one of the girls at HOH. We had decided on Charlene because of many reasons: she was the first girl to really accept me, she has some great facial expressions, and she's super cute. I couldn't wait until we were officially sponsors so we could buy her gifts and clothes, send letters and pictures. A week went by after we contacted the director of the orphanage. Then another week. Then three weeks. Finally last night we got the information packet in the mail. It was like Christmas!
Along with sponsorship information and payment slips, the packet included a picture of Charlene and her story of how she came to HOH. Needless to say, it was a heart-wrenching story. Her parents were poisoned, and her aunt and uncle were the ones who brought her and her sister to the orphanage. Sister?! Christmas came again! Patricelande, one of the little girls at the orphanage, is Charlene's sister! Justin's parents expressed interest in sponsoring one of the girls, so naturally, we're going to recommend Patricelande. When we go down in July, we'll be able to bring gifts to both girls.

A Friend for Kevin?

This morning started off like any other- I hit the snooze button three times before dragging myself out of bed, stayed in the shower for far too long, and had to physically push Kevin off the bed in order for him to wake up to go outside. (Yes, he sleeps on the bed now.) Once I let him outside, he starts barking. Not unusual. So I stick my head out the door and tell him to come inside.
More barking.
So I go outside in my fuzzy slippers with the spray bottle, prepared to scare him into coming inside.
More barking. (Please keep in mind it's 6:00 a.m. and the sun hasn't even come up. People are still sleeping, and I'm pretty sure a barking dog is going to aggravate the neighbors.)
As a last resort, I walk into the grass with the spray bottle, ready to give him a quick shot of water in the face. And then I see he's actually barking at something. (Those of you with dogs know man's best friend frequently barks at imaginary things.) There is something in the bushes of our neighbor's house. Probably a bunny. During the summer, they have a whole family of bunnies living in their kid's playhouse.
Not a bunny. I saw a bushy tail. A squirrel? The body looked too big for a squirrel. And suddenly I had all these visions of foxes and skunks. In an instant, I imagined what would happen if it were a skunk: Running to the house, Kevin barking his little head off, Kevin getting sprayed, me giving him a tomato juice bath with a clothespin on my nose... Turns out, it was nothing to be afraid of. The neighbors had gotten a puppy. It was hard to tell since it was still dark outside, but it looked like it could be a Siberian husky.
I woke up Justin to tell him the exciting news. His response: "I wonder if they named him 'Justin.'" For those of you unfamiliar with the background, the husband in the family behind our house is named Kevin. Unfortunately, we had already named our dog Kevin when we found this out. A little strange, but we thought it was hilarious. Not sure how our neighbor's feel about it...

I Left My Heart In Haiti

We're home! Ok, so technically, we got home two weeks ago. I've been busy! I knew traveling to Haiti would have an effect on me, but I didn't think it would consume me once I returned. Justin and I are addicted.

So let's back up. The trip was amazing. We had great weather; got projects done quickly and still had time to bond with the girls. Here are some pictures of our trip:

While we were there, two big events occurred. The groundbreaking for the new medical clinic occurred on Saturday, and the foundation was poured (by hand!) for Patti's school on Wednesday.

On one of the days, we got the opportunity to take a trip up the mountain to the Baptist Mission. We got to ride through the "upscale" area, look out over all of Port-au-Prince, and got to eat extraordinarily green "ice cream".

Despite the fear of tarantulas and the constant bite of mosquitoes, we loved it. When we returned home, I couldn't get Haiti out of my mind. Why couldn't we bring all the girls home with us? Why couldn't we do more to help the community? Why doesn't everybody know what's going on in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere? So we decided to move forward. We're going to sponsor one of the girls at the orphanage. I'm continuing Lynde's great example by holding my own Soapfest. We're helping build/paint the bunk beds at church. And, last but not least, we're going back! The moment we stepped on US soil, we were ready to turn around and go back, but yesterday, we made it official. We're going in July to help assemble the bunk beds at HOH!

Working Vacation

The past two months have gone by in a flash. The holidays few by, I've been incredibly busy at work, and I volunteered to help with a large project at church in my off hours. It's hard to believe it's the middle of February already. Where did the last two months go? I think it's time to slow down and take a much-needed vacation. Thank goodness we have one planned for next week.

Pastor Chad sent out an email to a couple church members back in early January regarding an upcoming mission trip. I've always felt compelled to share our blessings with others, and recently, I felt like we just weren't doing enough. Hearing stories from people who have spent a year in Nicaragua or a semester in Honduras sparked something in me. They came back changed- more mature, more worldly. I didn't feel as though I could pick up and move my life for several months to a year, so that got pushed to the back of my mind for a while. Thankfully, PC changed those plans on January 5. Justin and I decided to go to Haiti for a week long mission trip.

Emotions I've experienced since saying yes: nervous, elated, scared (there are tarantulas and 6 inch long cockroaches down there!), proud, excited and impatient. Now, a week before we leave, I'm finally ready. We purchased our DEET and toilet paper, gathered together our sheets and towels, and stocked up on batteries for my camera. I just need to work on my Creole a bit before we leave, and I'll be ready to go.

Behind the Dust and Drywall

From the moment our Realtor opened the front door of our home, I knew it was the perfect house for Justin and I to start our lives together. I also knew I wanted to demo the kitchen as soon as the funds presented themselves. It's not that the kitchen was in terrible shape or was disgusting or even hard to navigate. It was just old. The appliances, cabinets and counters were original to the house. For appliances, 23 years is an awfully long time. We immediately purchased a new dishwasher, refrigerator and stove. New appliances made the kitchen much more livable. But the chipped, scratched counters and dated, off-white cabinets just didn't mingle well with the brand-new black appliances. (And that awful pink, tiled back splash!)

Replacing cabinets and counters seemed like the best course of action. On Saturday, September 20th, we found our new cabinets, ordered them two days later, and immersed ourselves into a huge, messy job. Replacing the cabinets? Well, naturally, that means we'll have to replace the floor. So we ended up gutting our kitchen down to drywall and backerboard. This could not have been done by just the two of us- I lost enough sleep as it was. While I did enjoy wielding a sledge hammer and pry bar, we couldn't have completed the demo portion of our project without the help of so many (Paul, Jess, Andrew and Matt). Once our beautiful new cabinets had arrived, we had a boat-load of help putting our kitchen back together (Paul, Matt, Helen and Megan). Thank you so much! Two weeks later, our granite counters were installed, and things were looking pretty darn good. Tiled back splash, trim and under cabinets lights were needed to give it that final pop. Finishing touches over the past two weeks have resulted in a gorgeous kitchen I am proud to call ours. Plus, we put our blood, sweat and tears into making this kitchen uniquely ours. It is truly a work of art.

Heels and Toes

When I first started knitting in November, my ultimate goal was to knit socks. I must admit, I have a thing for socks. They can have patterns or images, multiple colors or solid, plus, you can mix and match! Toe socks, knee socks... Yes, indeed. There is something mighty special about socks. So when I was told that I too can knit socks, I was incredulous. Me? Knit something I can wear? This must be too good to be true. Even so, I imagined one day I would achieve my dream. After a potholder, coin purse, six foot long scarf and baby booties, I would like to show off my newest creation.

Many thanks to Lynde for believing in me! (Plus showing me how those tricky double pointed needles work!) Now if only I had two....

Making Me Hungry

I would like to announce the debut of some excellent pictures of some tasty colored rooms. How are rooms tasty colored? Well, I will tell you. When Justin and I picked out paint colors for the guest bath, master bedroom and master bath, we didn't intend to lean towards.... edible names. It just happened.

Here we have the master bathroom- it flows into the picture in a creamy Hot Chocolate shade of light brown (although, the image does not do it justice).

The master bedroom is baked in a smooth Banana Creme Pie yellow.

And the tastiest transformation- the guest bathroom in a warm Hot Fudge. You would think from our color choices we like dessert, wouldn't you? Well, yes. I could live off ice cream.