8/31 Our life in Quincy

is good. We're planning a family picnic today at Jan and Tim's. We're going to swim in the afternoon (including Gus) and then eat. It will be so much fun because we always have fun when we're together.

Yet, I received two emails from national Red Cross asking for me to go to the Gulf Coast to help with disaster mental health. Do I want to go? Hell, yes. Can I go? No, damn it.

My job is still too new to allow me to be gone for two to three weeks. I would go without pay (like I did with Katrina/Rita/Wilma in 2005), but it's the newness which makes it impossible. Plus I'm still down three staff and we're all doing extra duty.

Yeah, my back is an issue too. Can't really see me living in a shelter at the moment (unless I absolutely had to).

But I can't get the people out of my mind. Although the news is focusing on New Orleans, I know the same thing is happening in Mississippi. My friends are staffing shelters, even though there's a mandatory evacuation. They'll be there until the end. And they'll be working up to 20 hours a day.

Yeah, I'll definitely have fun today--but the Mississippi Gulf Coast won't be far from my thoughts.

8/29 Three years

Three years ago today Katrina hit. And people are still trying to rebuild their lives.

Now Gustav is on the way. Let's keep the Gulf Coast residents in our prayers.

8/28 Busy

Time is just flying by. The class at QU went well again last night. And work is extremely busy, but I love it. Just wish I felt better. Next Tuesday will go to St. Louis to the neurosurgeon. Hope to hear something that will help.

Gotta run. Gussie needs me.

Okay, I'm back. Talked to Genia in Biloxi. She's in charge of the Harrison County evacuation shelter. And the coast has a mandatory evacuation coming up tomorrow or the next day. Sure wish I could be there helping. They are definitely in my thoughts and prayers. They don't need a repeat of 2005.

We do have our own drama and adrenaline-producing stuff going on in my current job too. Guess that's why I like it so much.

3/19 I'm done

The day started out sad but ended up great. I went to my empty house and put the trash at the curb. Then I went to work, talked to my boss via phone, and turned in my computer equipment and phone. Sad.

Following that I went to a board meeting where the Interfaith Disaster Task Force gave me a gorgeous pottery bowl, made from Mississippi mud. It is fantastic, and I will always cherish it. I promised not to use it for popcorn. :) It came from the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum and was made by a local artist.

Then I went back to my house to put the trash can back near the house and saw that the painters had been really busy already. It's like it's not even my house anymore.

I joined the casemanagers and some other staff at High Cotton for lunch. It was a really nice celebration, and they gave me a lovely piece that has two pictures of the staff on it, and an Irish blessing. I will cherish this as well.

So now I'm back at Caroline's doing laundry and starting to pack up for my trip tomorrow. I'm looking forward to picking up my dogs since I haven't seen them since Saturday.

Oh, I almost forgot. Last night was crazy fun. Our card-playing group met for the last time (with me in it). After we played for a few hours they brought out this HUGE wrapped box. When I opened it, I noticed there were many smaller presents inside. Genia explained the significance of each gift--most of which were hilarious. The one that made me cry is a gorgeous calendar with pictures of Biloxi's Gulf Coast. They also gave me Biloxi t-shirts--one has three drunk frogs on it and it says "Toadally Wasted." Funny. I also got a round pillow that says World Poker Tour on it. Made me laugh, but I'll use it. I got a beautiful glass frog wind chime. And a CD with some memorable pictures on it. Genia also knitted a lovely scarf for me so I can ward off the northern cold. One of my favotie gifts is a placemat with three Care Bears on it. Each one bears a name--Caroline, Genia, and Lorena--and it says Best Friends. I'm going to frame it and hang it up.

What a great group of friends I have. I'm such a lucky bug.

3/18 On the truck

Everything is out of my house. Everything, that is, except the tons of dog hair left behind. Oh my. And to my embarrassment, there's plenty of dog hair being transported to Quincy too.

But the wonderful news is that my stuff will be delivered on Friday. Yes, this Friday. My shipment was last on, first off of this truck. I'm beyond pleased. This means I won't have to take a day off from work without pay in order to be there for the delivery. The cable guy is coming Friday too. Other than having a huge mess, I should be good to go. The phone is already turned on, and I'm calling water and electricity tomorrow to get them in my name. Got a text message from my niece Kris today with the necessary phone numbers.

Things are progressing. And I'm anxious to get going. It's going to be hard to leave here, but I can't wait for the next chapter to begin.

2/28 Can't sleep

The dogs woke me up at 4:30 to go outside. They came right back in and went to sleep, but not me. I haven't been able to go back to sleep. My mind is just racing--so much to think about, so much to do. I have to put the finishing touches on my presentation for tomorrow. There are going to be around 300 people there, and we are talking about the importance of funding case management. Some federal folks will be attending, and it's vital they hear us.

Then of course there's all I have to do with the house and other items to get ready to move. I'm so excited, yet know there's a lot of work ahead of me--not the least of which is driving to Quincy with both dogs. Last time I drove to Quincy in August, Q was six months old and I didn't have C yet. Now Q is one and C is 18 months. They'll take up the whole back of the car, plus I have to take at least two suitcases, a big bag, dog food, toys, water, computer case, purse, and a dog crate. Oh my. I have no idea how I'm going to get everything in the car. But I'll do it. Everything always does work out, even when it seems impossible. I just want to have enough room in the back of the car so the dogs can at least move around for the 12-15 hour drive.

Lots of fun things to look forward to also--I'm going to be home for Easter. Plus family members are arriving on the 9th. I love to show off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Besides the devastation still in evidence, there's incredible natural beauty. It'll be fun to have them here.

2/19 Grieving

It's funny how diverse we are culturally. It shows up in millions of ways--how we treat the common cold, how we discipline our children, and how we grieve, for example.

Today I attended a Mississippi funeral. The deceased was an elderly woman whose one goal was to get back into her home before she died. It didn't happen. Her death saddened an entire community, but her dying without her home also saddened those of us in the long-term recovery field.

Her caseworker is a dear friend of mine, and is suffering greatly. We wonder how we could have done thins differently. Could we have made a difference in whether or not this matriarch was able to return home.

Too late for those second guesses. We need to move on, and ensure this doesn't happen to any other people on the coast.

Ah, but this began with a sentence on diversity. The deceased left behind a huge family--four children, many grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. What a beautiful legacy. And the church was full of other relatives and friends who loved her.

Throughout the service you could hear wailing coming from one or more of her daughters, and one very close granddaughter. It didn't seem odd or out of place at all. And I thought how wonderful it was that folks can express their emotions so readily. That if someone wanted to scream and cry they did so.

If someone did that in our German Catholic community back home, people would think they'd gone off the deep end. We stuff our big emotions, and in my family especially we cover them with jokes. How I would have loved to have wailed at my Mom's funeral. She died way too young and it was more than sad.

Right now, I want to scream as well--for several reasons--not the least of which is grieving for my job and the jobs of others. Grieving for the clients whose homes are not yet rebuilt. Grieving for the 11,000 families still in FEMA trailers.

Wishing things were different.

So I stuff my emotions, and soldier on. Looking for a new job, a new home, a new life.

Just as sh!! happens, so does grace. Grace happens. That is what I'm counting on.

2/17 Having fun and I won

First of all, for those who couldn't get to the video--it aged out. Just go to wlox.com and do a site search on Krystal Allan. The video I'm in does show on the list. It's the one with the name Donald Powell in it.

Yesterday was a really good day. After a nice relaxing breakfast, and a few moments of enjoying the surf breaking outside the windows, we took off. Genia, Caroline and I went to Niceville where Caroline used to live. We saw the condo she still owns, plus her previous homes--all lovely. We met up with her friend, BJ, and got haircuts. (She's a retired hair stylist.) Went to lunch at Camille's at Destin. It was a quaint little spot with great sandwiches. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Afterwards, BJ had to leave, and the three of us drove to Grayton. It's a beach village with trendy little shops. Bought a few cards and that was it. As we were walking back to the car we heard some awesome bluegrass music coming from a bar. We peeked in, and it was a live band, so we sat for a few minutes and listened to their last two songs.

Driving home we stopped at a fish market to get red snapper for everyone's (but me) dinner. The parking was weird and Caroline got the car stuck on a median. So I "unstuck" us while they bought the fish. We do have pictures of both driving incidents. I just don't have the connector with me to get the pictures on my computer. Will upload them when I get home. Pretty funny! Poor Caroline.

We had a marvelous meal, and Aunt Webbie loved it too. Pan seared red snapper, baked potatoes, salad and garlic bread. Yum. Tonight they are having steak on the grill. I'm making grill potatoes and asparagus. Yum again.

Last night we played cards again, of course. I did indeed whup Genia's butt. I won at both spades and Spite and Malice. The first night was Genia's, last night was mine, so tonight must be Caroline's turn.

Right now Caroline is sitting on the deck, alternately reading and watching the surf. I'm in the living room doing this, and watching the surf. Genia is upstairs in our bedroom, reading and watching the surf. Aunt Webbie is working on Sudoku--which I'll do when I'm done here.

As you can tell, we decided today was going to be total relaxation. No "have to's." Just enjoy the beautiful ambience of Navarre Beach and our lovely temporary home. Tomorrow it's back to reality, and I don't really want to go there. Sigh.

1/31 I can talk about it now

Due to an abrupt and unexpected funding cut, my program has been terminated here in Mississippi. Most of our staff received their RIF (Reduction in Force) letters today. They received two months notice so will be laid off after March 31. There are five us staying on until the end of June in order to finish out the necessary administrative tasks.

I closed on my house April 13 of last year. I should have known that Friday the 13th would not bode well.

This program termination isn't the fault of anyone in our company. It's purely a funding issue. So I can't feel bad about all the good work we've done. But I can feel bad about all the work left to do. Luckily there are other agencies rooted here in Mississippi who will continue the work.

We really want to stay here to finish, but it's not to be. My company came here from Texas for what we knew would be a limited time, but we certainly didn't expect the abruptness of this. It is gratifying to know that we did what we could and that other good companies will stay until it's done.

So, like many others here, I'm job hunting. And will chronicle the travails of doing so. Also, I have to look at selling my house because the three jobs I'm looking at are all in different places. Gosh, I really love it here, but I know I can be happy wherever I end up. God is so good to me, and always has been.

So tonight I'm thinking of our clients, still struggling to put their lives together; I'm thinking of our staff, and all the energy and passion they've continually put into their jobs; and finally I'm thinking of me and wondering what life will give me next.

Please pray for all of us.

11/30 Still more pics

Quincy fitting in a tight spot when we were putting up the tree


















My house


















A sad saloon in Bay St. Louis


















A familiar sight--No Trespassing sign and desolation.

11/29 More pictures

Some of the live oaks that died were sculpted beautifully by an artist with a chain saw. (Yes, they are really called "live oaks.")





















My beautiful kids.

11/27 Photos

A series of pagodas on a fishing dock.


















And the Hard Rock guitar at the casino.


























King Neptune lost his arms in the storm.























Finally, here's a Katrina Cottage--many of the survivors are given that after the FEMA trailers are removed.

More photos later.

11/18 Bill Moyers on PBS

Bill Moyers did a wonderful piece on the Mississippi Gulf Coast recovery, or the lack of it. This is the written piece, but the TV show was both wonderful and extremely sad. This describes eloquently why we will be working here for a long time.

11/3 Busy day

Jan and Tim got in on time last night and got to meet three of my friends. And my dogs were very happy to have new folks to attack with love.

This morning we took Quincy and Cookie to the kennel and then drove along the Mississippi Gulf Coast toward New Orleans. Jan and Tim both seemed to enjoy the beauty of the coast while being saddened by the devastation.

We decided to drive down south of New Orleans to the end of the Mississippi River. The drive was too sad, full of refineries and poverty. So we happily decided that the French Quarter was the place for us. We walked for hours, and drank for hours too (or so it seemed). But it was a very enjoyable day. And Tim got thrown a lot of beads because of his willingness to expose his breasts.

Jan and Tim both just went to bed, and I'm going to head to mine soon. We laughed at how old we are.

I'll miss having my puppies with me tonight.

9/22 The storm didn't come--yet

We're very grateful that the tropical depression did not turn into a tropical storm. I still have the 10 AM conference call--I guess there might be something else brewing for next week. I'll find out.

Here are some pictures from young Paisley's birthday party last week.















I tried to post some pictures from the dumpster diving episode yesterday but they were sent bitmap for some reason and I can't change them to jpg or gif, so they won't post. I'll try to figure out something else.

9/21 It always changes

The caseworkers can't move today because their new offices aren't finished. So we have utter chaos here in the old state office. The only constant here is that things keep changing. :)

Because of the approaching tropical storm we are extra busy today. I'm sneaking a few minutes while munching on a sandwich. This will be my first tropical storm since moving here. I'm so grateful it's not a hurricane. So many people haven't recovered from Katrina. There are thousands of folks still living in FEMA trailers--much of the country doesn't realize that.

I'll be so happy to stay home with my pups tonight. I have flashlights and batteries and a radio that you can crank up, so I'm prepared for some power outage. I don't really expect much of anything to happen where I live, but we all know it's better to be prepared. The advisories call for 40-50 mph winds and some coastal flooding. I'm eight miles from the coast, so I have my fingers crossed on that.

Will have another conference call tomorrow with a guy from the National Weather Service. He was most helpful this morning.

Keep your fingers crossed.

9/17 Dinner Impossible

Robert Irvine, the chef from Dinner Impossible on the Food Network, is cooking dinner for volunteers and staff at the Salvation Army place (called Yankee Stadium) in Biloxi. I went there for a while and it smelled awesome. But my dogs had been alone for 5 1/2 hours and I needed to get home. Drat!

But the primary foods were meat and seafood; at least what I saw and smelled. There was a tremendous seafood gumbo being prepared, and I saw ribs and chicken. It will be on TV during the Christmas holidays. That will seem funny because we were all sitting there sweating. :)

Prior to that I had another function to go to and they had baklava. Omigod, I love that stuff. Luckily it's always cut in little pieces since it is so rich. Had two of them.

Got a lot done at work, but problems keep popping up. Guess that's the nature of the job. Lots of stuff going on. This Friday the caseworkers move to their new location, and next Tuesday I move to mine. There will only be three or four of us in the state office in the future, since our case managers and construction folks are stationed at the camps now. It will be quiet. No excuses for not getting my work done--well, except that I'm not in my office all that much. :)

Oh, Quincy did fine for the time left alone today. I figured out that Cookie is the destructive one--chewing cords and my clothes. And poor Cookie had an accident in the crate today. That really surprised me. Anyway, tomorrow they're back to Doggy Day Care. Hooray.

9/15 Saturday, beach, mud

This morning was good. I picked up Genia and we went to breakfast. Then we got "the girls." Q and C were both happy to see Genia--she's a real dog person, so they love her.

We took them to the beach and the dogs had a ball. Genia kept Cookie and I played with Quincy. I'd bought a 25 foot training rope, so Q was able to play in the water until she was exhausted. Great fun!

Today was Mississippi Gulf Coast clean up day and the beaches were just full of people picking up trash. The good news is that there were plenty of people and not a lot of trash.

Last night I had to leave Genia's party abruptly when my shoulder started hurting pretty bad. Today it felt okay again, until after I got back from the beach. Then it started hurting again. Can't wait until it gets back to normal.

It sucks being old.

9/12 Busy

Today I got so much work done that I feel great. Well, also I worked until 9 PM last night to catch up on email.

I think I'm going to put the dogs in the kennel overnight on Friday since I'm invited to a party at Genia's. I always have to leave early to get home for the puppies. But this time I want to stay later. I'll make it up to the pups by taking them to the beach the next day. Genia said she'd go with me as I've never taken both dogs before and don't know if I could handle them. It's hard enough just having them both on leashes normally, but near the water would probably be impossible. It should be fun.

Both dogs are absolutely dog-tired. (Clever, huh?) They fell asleep around 8 so that means they'll be up before 6. Guess I should get to bed soon.

9/2 Hurricanes, etc.

Am getting ready for church and looked at the Hurricane Center of NOAA online. I hadn't even heard of Hurricane Felix and it's already at Cat 2. Looks like it's heading for Mexico and turning north for Texas. Of course, the path can change drastically. I'm keeping my colleagues in south Texas in my prayers. Sure hope this one dies out before it hits land in Mexico. But there's slim chance of that.

And there's a tropical storm off Baja California, plus another one in the Atlantic. Things are heating up. So far everything looks good for us here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. But you never know....

My pups are having fun playing with their toys. But I have to wash my bedspread a LOT because that's their favorite playground. This is just like having two toddlers. Except they can't really talk. Except Quincy reminds me of Lassie. She does communicate. She'll bark and go to the door, so I know she needs to go out. She'll bark and put her nose in the empty water bowl, so I know to fill it up. She'll bark when her toy goes under furniture and I'll know I have to get it out for her.

The cool thing is that she'll come to wherever I am, bark and wait for me to follow her. Of course I often say, "What is it girl? Is Timmy in the well?" Aren't I original?

Gotta run. (Oh, the pups slept until 6:38 today. It felt like I was sleeping in.)

8/29 Early early day

Got up at 4 AM, picked up Heather and Mark at 5:15 at their hotel in Gulfport and we made our way to the Gulfside Assembly in Waveland. The church itself is completely gone, but God made a perfect cathedral for us. The sun rose over the eastern part of the Gulf as we gathered together, to commemorate the second anniversary of Katrina. Most religions were represented--many Christian denominations as well as Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist. The service was inspiring and I felt such solidarity with everyone there. It was so worth getting up that early.

Afterward we went to the Waffle House for breakfast. It's the only restaurant open in that whole area. And it was absolutely delicious. Following that we had a staff meeting in Long Beach, and had lunch there with the case managers. Then 30 miles to Ocean Springs for our last meeting at Camp Victor before the hospitality portion moves to another not-for-profit. Got a lot accomplished.

Left there at 4:50 PM and I was knackered to the bone. Stopped at the grocery store, since it's a ton easier to do without dogs. :) Can't wait to pick them up tomorrow evening and bring them home. I really miss Quincy, and am dying to get to know Cookie.

8/28 Cookie

Yep, that's her name. She is absolutely adorable! Such a sweetheart and so loving. Or maybe that was the anesthetic. :)

She and Quincy had a great time in the back of the SUV though, and I think they'll be great friends--sisters even.

Unfortunately neither one of them are home with me. I worked until just a little while ago. My boss is in town and we had lots of meetings. So Q is spending two nights at Doggy Day Care, and Cookie is staying at the vet's. She's got to be kept quiet for 7-10 days, and Doggy Day Care would definitely rip out her stitches. She'll get to go there during the day beginning next week.

For now, I'm beat. I have another long day tomorrow. Have to get up at 4 because we're going to a sunrise service in in Waveland, MS. Tomorrow is the second anniversary of Katrina. And Waveland is the first place Katrina hit in Mississippi. Waveland, Bay St. Louis, and Pass Christian are still virtually leveled in many spots. It could have happened yesterday by the looks of things. So sad. So much to be done. I'll report back on the service.

7/17 Lots of traveling

Drove over to Bay St. Louis today for a luncheon. Found out that the reason I was invited was because they wanted me to be on the Board of the Hancock County LTRC (Long Term Recovery Committee). After talking it over with my boss, I said yes.

Am also going to work with the Red Cross on developing two VOADs for Hancock and Harrison County. I'm on the state VOAD board, but we want to have local ones too. (VOAD=Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster).

I'll definitely be staying busy, but I just love this work. Today at the luncheon they talked about all the people who are still living in FEMA trailers two years after the storm. Their faces are haunting.

7/8 Lots of good stuff

Yesterday my friend Genia called and said, "Let's go to the Beau." That's the huge casino right at the end of I-110, with a great view. So Genia, Caroline, Cindy and I went and had a ball. In the beginning I complained because they just wanted to play the penny and nickel slots--not my thing. I said if I win big on the penny slots I'll just be pissed it wasn't on a dollar machine.

I sat down at a nickel slot and within 5 minutes won $400.

No more complaining about the cheap slots.

I put $300 of it away and proceeded to lose the other $100 but it took me four hours to do it. Not too bad.

We're going to take my friend Gerri there when she visits at the end of the month. (Hi, Gerri.)

Today Q and I went to the beach--a deserted spot where she could run until she dropped. We played fetch for quite a while and got in the water too. But it was quite hot in the sun so we only stayed for a little less than an hour. On the way home I stopped at Walmart and bought her a small plastic pool. She loves it, and it was a lot easier cleaning the sand off her this way, instead of carrying a 40-pound wiggling pack of puppy to the bathtub.

She's napping now after her big workout, and I think I'll join her soon.

It's been a good day. I'll end it by cleaning out my car after the sun goes down.

7/3 What magnificent storms

The thunderstorms are magnificent and majestic. Lightning flashes and huge black clouds roll across the sky. I love thunderstorms.

ONLY...they're supposed to continue tomorrow. The one day I was supposed to do something with new friends, we have 60% chance of continued thunderstorms all day. So I'm praying the weatherman is wrong.

The plan is to meet people at one of the Gulfport beaches around 4 for a picnic and then stay for the fireworks at 9. Hope it all works out, but it doesn't look too good right now.

6/28 More conference

I'm at the Hurricane Conference again today and tomorrow so need to hurry. Spoke to the Mississippi governor yesterday...he surprised me by walking by me and touching my arm. I knew who he was because he was surrounded by state troopers. So I blurted out something appropriate. And he replied.

Last night I got elected to the board of directors of Mississippi VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). It's a good organization and will be good for my agency (and for me). Last month I got elected to the board of IDTF (Interfaith Disaster Task Force) which is another wonderful organization. These two things will be enough and will keep me busy. My job encompasses a lot of things, and community involvement is one of them.

A colleague from the Red Cross invited me to a beach party on July 4th. She's invited a lot of single people to just hang out. We're having a carry-in meal and will stake out our spot for fireworks. Sounds like fun. I'll be gone so long that evening that I'll have Q stay all night at the kennel, since she couldn't last that long at home without going out.

Gotta run.

6/24 Ice

The best entertainment for Quincy in the house is a piece of ice. She pushes it along the linoleum and it moves fast, far, and randomly. Then chases it to begin the game again. It is so cute to watch. Plus it gives me a few minutes to do something else, like fix my breakfast which I'm going to do in a few minutes.

Then we're going to the beach to play in the water. I hope we have as much fun as we did last Sunday. It's going to be another hot day and it's usually cooler on the water.

I love Biloxi. Besides the obvious attraction of the Gulf of Mexico, the casinos themselves are beautiful (if you like gambling, and I do), the homes and architecture (left from the storm) is lovely, and I could go on...but the most fascinating thing about the Mississippi Gulf Coast is the population. I know I've said it before, but the people on the Coast are the friendliest I've met anywhere. Having lived in many places and traveled to even more, I've seen the gamut of "welcome-ness," and the Mississippi Gulf Coast wins hands down.

You can converse with prince or pauper and you'll get the same sense of welcome. In a million years I would have never chosen to live in Mississippi. Now I can't imagine living anywhere else. (Okay, that last sentence was hyperbole for effect. I can imagine living elsewhere. It's just that right now, I don't want to.)

6/19 The best work day ever....

I got up at 4:30, took Q with me to Camp Victor where I left her with Jon and Pepper (his Dalmatian). Doggy day care didn't open until 8, and I was at CV before 6:30. Jon said he would get someone to take Quincy to Pampered Pets for me, so I was able to leave her in his office without a worry. I then went to the dining hall for a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee. After that it was a meeting with my team. I'd asked for 12 youth to work with. Instead they gave me 13 youth and five adults. Not too bad for my first time leading a work crew, huh?

80% chance of thunderstorms. I drove my SUV and waited in the rain for the bus to arrive. Right before the kids got there the rain stopped and didn't come back until about 20 minutes after we stopped working. Amazing.

We worked at a client's home on Davis Bayou. A gorgeous setting. It was grueling work at times, but so rewarding. Afterwards the client took some kids kayaking while the rest of us sat in the shade and watched--and enjoyed.

These kids were absolutely amazing. No complaints, no arguing, nothing but positives. I loved working with them, and will do so again on Thursday. Tomorrow I have a board meeting I need to attend, so I'll be in office mode.

Probably the neatest thing that happened was when one of the adults said, "You know if you just scrape the ground a little you can find some of their things buried in the dirt." And she was so right. I'd heard that hurricanes did that, but hadn't really experienced the results. But we dug down 1/2 inch to an inch and found all kinds of things. They found two of the wife's rings, the husband's class ring, grandma's rosary. So we're going to play archaeologist again on Thursday. Can't wait.

(Oh, we had 360 kids this week, an absolute rarity. Normally our volunteers are 18 and older. This is kind of fun though.)

6/18 Stormy Monday

A weird day. Had a doctor's appointment this morning. Nothing wrong, just needed to find a local physician.

Left Q for 3 1/2 hours at home and she did fine.

It's been storming all day and I feel bad because we have 360 youth from a synod up north. They're here to work all week, and most of them were probably working outside.

There's a 60% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow too, and that worries me. I'm supposed to work with the kids Tuesday and Thursday, and we're working outside near the Gulf. I'm excited about getting out of my office, but know I'll complain about sore muscles.

Q has some stomach problems this afternoon--I think it's from drinking salt water when she was swimming in the Gulf. Hope she learns, for both our sakes. :)

6/17 A wonderful Fathers' Day

First of all my brother, Joe, wrote a funny and wonderful tribute to Dad on his blog. His blog started as a blog to make fun of other ones--mostly mine. But it's turned into so much more. It's a place where he honors (and teases) everyone on their birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. We all love it! If you want to check it out, be warned that there are tons of inside jokes. Some of which I don't even understand because I've been gone so long from Quincy. :)

Today's been good in other ways too. Q woke me up at 5:30--nothing different about that. I lazed around a bit (nothing different about that either). Then cleaned up the dining room and emptied four more boxes. Afterwards Quincy and I went to the beach. We went to Ocean Springs because it's not as crowded or "touristy" as Biloxi beaches. I knew Q wouldn't go into the water (after watching her yesterday--loving the swimming pool but refusing to go in the Gulf).

Then I saw a young couple with two big dogs. I asked them if Q could play and their dogs teach her to go into the water. Before they could even say, "Sure," she was chasing the other dogs into the surf. She ended up swimming like a fiend and seemed to have a great time. I know I did.

Rachel and Kevin both work at USM Gulf Coast Research Facility, right on the water. What a cool job. He's a toxologist and she's a biochemist--and from Stevens Point, WI. A nice surprise.

The dogs (and us) played for over 90 minutes. It was a great way to spend part of the afternoon. I know I'll see them again. Nice folks.

On the way home Q slept (of course), and I talked to my kids on the phone. A nice treat for me. Jill, Todd, Kayla and Hunter were in Santa Monica having lunch and then were going to take a bike ride along the path that runs by the beach. Sounds like fun. Rob and Beata were napping. That sounds like fun too. (Hope "napping" wasn't a euphemism for something else.) :)

Anyway, it was super talking to them. Miss them all so much. Beata and Rob are going to try to visit sometime this summer. In November Jill is flying to NC to spend time with Rob and Beata. Maybe I'll drive up so I can see all of them at the same time. I'd love that so much.

Guess that's enough for today. Nap time, and then more work. Love to all.

6/16/ Q is 4 months old

Can't believe how time flies. We ran a bunch of errands today and then went swimming at Paula's house. It was a riot.

On the way there, Quincy and I stopped at the beach to play a while. We played fetch, but I was surprised that this labrador retriever didn't seem to want to get in the water. I got in, but she wouldn't follow. However, by the time we got to Paula and Tommy's house, it had changed. Q loved swimming, almost as much as I did. We played for a few hours. She didn't swim the whole time of course, but got out frequently and also enjoyed lying on a raft a la Cleopatra. When we got in the car she fell asleep immediately.

We're invited to go again tomorrow if we like, but I think I better stay home and get a little bit of work done. But for now I need to doctor up the scratches on my arm. Oh yeah, Q got a little scared in the beginning and I paid the price.

6/15 Posting while lunching

Peanut butter sandwich and Campbell's "Soup at Hand" Velvety Potato Soup. Not as bad as it could have been. At least it's filling and will last me until dinner.

Q was thrilled being back at Doggy Day Care. She flew out of the car. Looked like a dog version of Superman. Really cute how much she loves it there. No rules; just playing and spoiling and treats. Just like a kid going to Grandma's house.

So much work to do here. I've lost our office manager and am doing much of that work because our deputy is off for several days. In the future I'm hoping for an admin asst to help us out. We'll see if that pans out.

There are major changes in the offing and there's a lot of organizational work to be done in preparation. I believe things will go well; and am praying to that end.

As I was driving to work today I thought again about how much I love the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I don't think I've seen more beautiful beaches in the continental US, and I've seen a lot of them. If we don't get any major storms this year, the recovery phase will keep going full bore. This past week, they planted at least a hundred big palm trees along Beach Boulevard. The new ones add so much to the ambiance. This place is gorgeous!

Plus, I've decided to finally go to one of the casinos. Was going to wait until I have company because I really don't want to go by myself, but I want to go--so will. There are some beautiful casinos here in Biloxi. Haven't really noticed the ones in Gulfport and points west...but I'm sure they're nice too.

Okay. Done eating. Back to work. Will pick up Quincy about 5. As happy as she is to get to Doggy Day Care, she's even happier to see me. That's a good feeling. (I must get my camera connected to the computer to charge it up, so I can take pictures.)

6/8 Another Quincy

Just found out that a group from Quincy, IL is coming to Camp Biloxi. They'll arrive tomorrow and stay until next Friday. I'm so excited to meet some folks from home.

Today was a really good day. I spent most of the morning at a client's home--at least their property. They are living in a FEMA trailer because their home was completely destroyed. BUT their land is right on the Gulf and is so picturesque and perfect. It's exactly what I would picture the Gulf Coast to be like. Lots of live oaks, a dock leading to the water, a catamaran tied to the dock. Everything is perfect except they lost everything else.

It will be my privilege to work there the week after next with 12 youth from the midwest. I'm looking forward to it, even though I know I'll complain about sore muscles.

Tonight was great too, with another group of youth. We formed a partnership with Youth Build, an organization that trains youth in construction jobs. These youth will then volunteer for our construction projects, but Youth Build will pay them. It's definitely a win/win/win situation. We had a BBQ with this group tonight. Most people are still there because there's a DJ, but I had to leave because Q was in her crate and I don't like to leave here there for longer than 3-4 hours. Her bladder still doesn't last a lot longer than that.

I'm looking forward to being home with Q for the weekend.

5/31 Off to Chicago

I've been up since before 5. Q had to go out, and usually we go back to sleep, but I kept thinking of everything I had to do before I left town. I'll work until 3 or so and then catch a plane for Chicago. This is the weekend for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk and I can't wait to be with my sisters, nieces, and friend. This is always our special weekend every year. We don't need to check in until 1 PM on Friday so Friday morning we will go to the Designer Outlet Mall, where I always buy lots of Christmas presents. Since I'm flying, I'll either have to buy a few small things or convince Jane to take them back to Quincy in her van where I can pick them up later. In any case, the most important thing is that we'll be together. We'll be in a hotel Thursday and Friday nights, then camp out on Saturday during the walk, then a hotel on Sunday night as well. Everyone is so tired after either walking or working that it's hard going home on Sunday. It will be much easier on everyone to spend some time in a pool and/or jacuzzi. Shoot--I forgot to pack my swimsuit. Also forgot my Avon Crew hat and my jacket. Yikes. Guess I'll make a trip home before going to the airport.

Jane, Jan, and I always do the Avon Walk together. Jan walks the 40 miles, Jane is a team leader on the medical crew, and I'm Operations team leader working in Incident Response. This year our friend Deb is working on the medical team, and nieces Kris and Beth are walking with Jan. Kris is Jan's daughter so this will be even more special for them.

Quincy will spend the long weekend at doggy day care (and boarding). If she's the only one being boarded the owners will take her home with them so she doesn't have to be alone. That's wonderful.

I forgot to blog yesterday--the past few days I've been in non-stop meetings and this is the first time I've been at my desk since a few hours on Monday. We've been busy going to the Long Term Recovery Committee meetings in the three counties that we cover. It's been really interesting and I've learned so much.

5/28 Memorial Day

Most people are off today but not the Mississippi and Louisiana branches of my company. Why? Because the staff voted to have off on Fat Tuesday instead. Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday and is of course Mardi Gras. They celebrate it all over the Mississippi Gulf Coast and is not just a Louisiana thing. I look forward to seeing the parades and such next year, and it will be nice to sleep in my own bed after the shenanigans, and not have to pay for a hotel.

Any relatives and/or friends are welcome to visit during Mardi Gras.

The reason I'm writing now during my work time is because of something that just happened. I was working on my computer and Quincy was eating. (She's with me today because the doggy day care is closed on Mondays, so I bring her to work with me.) All of a sudden she started choking, trying to cough but unable to do so. I said, "Sandra, come here please." Sandra is the deputy coordinator and is next door to me. She's also someone who Q loves passionately. Sandra said she heard urgency in my voice. I did remain calm, however.

I did one abdominal thrust on Q, and could hear the food being expelled into her mouth. She of course chewed it and swallowed it.

Guess how I knew what to do? It's amazing. Yesterday at Walmart I bought a little book about Labrador Retrievers. And it showed how to do abdominal thrusts on dogs. I don't even know if I did it right, and will check the book tonight. All I know is that it worked. And I'm so grateful. (Thank you, God.)

Q is my companion and family member. I do appreciate her, but it takes something like this to make me realize how much.

5/21 Americorps and Habitat for Humanity

Even though yesterday was Sunday I had to work a little bit. We received an invitation to go to a special Americorps and Habitat joint celebration. Although it wasn't easy to drag myself out of my house, I'm so happy I went.

It was the last day of the national Americorps week and the first day of the Habitat Buildathon. Habitat for Humanity International is building 20 homes this week and it's a huge deal. Plus it's a celebration of the fact that they just built their 1,000 and 1,001 home in the Gulf. You're probably familiar with Americorps, the government program that allows young people to give up to a year of service in the US. VISTA was there too (Volunteers in Service to America).

Thousands of people filled the Gulf Coast Coliseum, and lucky me got to sit in the reserved section so was in the second row. The talks were mostly by Americorps members and Habitat volunteers and were so impressive. I can't begin to tell you the emotions that welled in me, and wish I'd taken notes so I could more accurately represent what happened.

I'd encourage all young people who may not know what they want to do with their lives to check out Americorps. The youth were exuberant about the experience and the travel.

What a great job I have!

4/19 Silent Auction

Am sitting in my hotel room waiting for our IT department to call me. My Blackberry and my laptop are both experiencing problems today.

Last night went out to dinner to Pappadeaux with many LDR state coordinators from all over the place. Of course there weren't many vegetarian choices in a Cajun restaurant but I had a really good salad, baked potato, and of course fresh-baked bread. Delicious.

There was a silent auction yesterday to benefit National VOAD and I made a few bids. I got a small umbrella from the Humane Society and the piece de resistance--a framed poster of Hurricane Katrina. The beauty of it though is that it's made up of tons of very small disaster pictures. From far away it looks like a regular picture. As you get a bit closer it looks like a puzzle. Close up you can tell what it is. Can't wait to hang this in my office. BUT have to get it home. Will go to a MailBoxPlus to ship it. Hope it's not horrifically expensive. It's sure lovely though.

Also bought a beautiful piece of pottery that looks like it's antique. But it's freshly made by a Navajo artist. So lovely and will go perfectly in my living room. Love to all.

4/18 A touching, moving day

It started after breakfast with some keynote speeches from Japanese members. To hear them talk about what they've learned from us over the years about how to mobilize volunteers was very moving. And a few of them were choked up when they spoke about the Virginia Tech tragedy. I found it so touching that I got teary-eyed too.

Then so much information all day about disaster work. I'm in sensory overload. Tonight several of us are going out to dinner, but it will be for business. All the agencies that also function as affiliates of the national Lutheran Disaster Response.

What was cool for me is that I saw so many people I knew from when I was at Red Cross HQ in DC and also people I worked with during the Florida tornadoes.

This is a valuable week for me, but I can't wait to get home. So much to do.

4/16 In Albuquerque, NM

It's just as cold here as it is in Biloxi but should be 70 tomorrow. That'll be nice. Back home there were horrible thunderstorms on the Gulf Coast.

Great to be here but the timing is bad. Wish I was back home--with all the stacked up boxes and my little puppy. It was hard taking Quincy to the kennel for a few nights, but it had to be done. I acted like it didn't bother me so she wouldn't sense I was upset. As it was, she happily went with the tech. Just like sending your kids to kindergarten for the first day.

What a blessing to be in my own home!!!! A new washer and dryer are being delivered on Friday and I hope to have some guys out to give me an estimate on the fence. Then I need some yard work done--and fire ant hills removed, but after that I'll need to stop spending. At least until something else pops up.

And to the world news...it's unfathomable how humans injure humans. 33 people dead and we'll never know why. I have a feeling someone at this conference will address the issue. And I wouldn't be surprised if some attendees left to help deal with the aftermath of the tragedy. This conference is NVOAD--National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

4/14 Spoke too soon

The puppy had several accidents in the house. And we have such a nice big yard. Guess it was too good to be true.

Closed on the house yesterday. (Thank you, God.) I am thrilled beyond belief in my little nest. Quincy loves it too. She has a huge crate that she can grow into, and sleeps in there at night and when I'm away for a while. So far I haven't left her for more than a few hours. What a blessing that she can come to work with me occasionally.

Next week I'm in Albuquerque on business and she'll be in a kennel. Makes me sad, but I know I'll have a good time.

Just took a pair of pants to Kim's Alterations because a seam had unraveled and she charged me one dollar. I love this place.

Thunderstorms and tornadoes are everywhere so I can't stay on long. Unfortunately we have a celebration barbeque in 45 minutes. I'm afraid that it's going to be an indoor event. But that's okay. As long as the tent doesn't blow away, we'll be fine. It's to celebrate a big undertaking with Habitat for Humanity International. We'll be working on a big project with them for two years and it's awesome. So many people will be served, and that's what it's all about.

Am in my office because, although my DSL is turned on at home, my equipment is outdated. (Oh, my brothers would have a field day with that line.) UPS won't deliver until Monday and of course I'm out of town. Bad timing on my part, but that's life.

Next on my agenda at home--besides putting stuff away--is getting a fence and getting someone to work on my lawn. It looks like it's been sodded but is very uneven and mostly weeds. There's also a big fire ant hill in the yard and they'd kill Quincy if she ever got into the hill.

That's it. The storm's here. Love to everyone.

4/4 Working from home

I've already accomplished so much and have a trash bag full of "stuff." Also, on a personal note the moving company will deliver my furniture April 13 or 14. This is great because originally it was supposed to be the next week and I'll be in New Mexico then. The best news is that it's only going to cost $388 more than it would have cost to ship it to Quincy; 750 miles for that price. Not bad, huh?

As I'm going through all this material, I'm re-reading the information about Katrina's impact. It's so much more meaningful to me since I now live here. Perhaps I'll post some of the statistics when I get a chance.

4/2 More...

The best news is that my nephew is home and fine. Luckily it was something they could fix right away.

Work was so, so, so busy. I wasn't able to get to my planned work until nearly 5 tonight. I decided to work from home one day this week and one day next week so that I finish some tasks that are overdue. There are some really wonderful people working for our company. I feel so blessed to work with them.

Just got some good news from my realtor. The tenant in my house will be gone by Good Friday. They'll have the house cleaned on Saturday, so I will definitely be able to move in on Tuesday, April 12. Well, I won't have any furniture yet, so will probably wait several days before I move in "for real." But I'll be able to take some of my stuff over there and clean out the RV to just essentials. This makes me smile.

Oh, and we had more than 3 1/2 inches of rain when those thunderstorms came through yesterday. Amazing.

4/1 No April Fool's joke!

I need to build an ark. Fast. I'm afraid this RV is going to float away soon. Let me start at the beginning.

Woke up at seven. After my shower I drove to Coffee Fusion (near my new home) to check out the coffee and breakfast fare. It was good. Ate a nice breakfast then went to the grocery store to stock up. As I arrived at my car it started raining and my phone rang at the same time.

The rain wasn't bad, so I said hello to my sister, Jan, as I loaded up my car. Sat in the parking lot to chat and the rain started pouring. Finally I started driving when the rain seemed to let up a bit. Got to the drawbridge over the back bay and the rain became a deluge. I was still talking to Jan and finally realized she wasn't there.

I'd been chatting about the downpour and the drawbridge and the back bay and how pretty it all was even though I could barely see, and the whole time we'd been cut off. Called her back and she was laughing. Seems we'd been talking 29 minutes already when cut off. I described the drive and how the roads were getting flooded--different from home where we have storm sewers in the streets. By the time I got to Beach Boulevard the water covered my tires halfway. I started laughing, albeit a bit hysterically.

Finally pulled off Beach and drove a little north on the peninsula to Pass Road. Thought it would be better, but it was worse if anything. Jan was laughing at me because I was still doing this excited, nervous laughter. And was afraid to stop because didn't know if I could start up again. When I got to the RV park it was deep water, but I managed to pull into the park. There was a guy--looked like he was playing in the gutter, something we loved to do as kids. Turns out he was working on clearing a small drain in the road.

My driveway is a tiny bit higher than the road, so it's not badly flooded, and the door to the RV is only about two feet from my car door. Still I got soaked unloading the car, even with an umbrella. I'm so happy to be back in my little nest. I unplugged my computer, but the connection is wireless so am still able to get online. Right now we seem to be in a little lull, but we've had several different thunderstorms pass through so I don't know if it's finished yet. Wow--what an adventure!

Got some bad news from Jan too. One of my nephews is in the hospital. Hopefully he'll go home today. I'd written up all the details and then realized they were private and I wouldn't want to do anything to embarrass him. I'm praying everything turns out okay.

3/27 Whoops

Just checking in while I eat my lunch at my desk and noticed I didn't blog yesterday. That's unusual. But I'm staying pretty busy.

Besides lots of work in my office yesterday, I drove over to Camp Victor. It's about 15 or 16 miles from my office. It was a good visit and I got a lot accomplished. Had lunch there which was great. They almost always have a vegetarian entree, and always have a neat salad bar. Spoke to the site director, the assistant site director, a long-term volunteer who does a bit of everything, and a newspaper reporter. The reporter loved the tour and the building. I basically tagged along for the tour because I want to learn everything I can.

While in the warehouse I found two tables that I'll be able to use for my home office. That's great and will save me some money. Of course, they aren't mine, but will serve me well while I work for LSSDR--hopefully for a long, long time.

Today the management staff and I went over our hurricane response plan. Hurricane season starts in June, so we have lots of planning to do in a short period of time. But this is a great group of people and I know we'll get it accomplished. (No, I'm not just saying that because some of them might read this.)

Tonight there will be no working from home. Why? Because I'm a reality show junkie and American Idol and Dancing with the Stars are on tonight, that's why.

3/25 Sunday miscellaneous

Miscellaneous Musings:

Went to 8 AM services at Christus Victor. Since I was awake anyway I decided to go to the early one. Pastor Terri introduced me and had me stand. More than 100 people in the church were volunteers from Camp Victor and so it was good they could associate a face with my name. As I sat back down it really hit me about the enormity of this job. I just looked up at the cross and thought, "Help me."

In my travels today I drove along Beach Drive four times. There's a huge speedboat race going on and the roads and beaches are full of people. I could see from the road though and each speedboat had a helicopter right over it. How cool is that?

As I neared Keesler Air Force Base a C130J flew right over me. That thing is as huge as a small village.

I passed a clearing where a church used to stand. The people were having worship services near a big wooden cross they'd put up.

Our motto at work is Semper Gumby, standing for Always Flexible. Don't know who made it up, but I heard it from Henry, a retired Marine. I love it.

Went shopping, got my nails done, bought food and clothing. Went out to breakfast after church. Everyone is so friendly. We just chat while waiting in line.

Met some people from Luck, WI who are volunteering here.

Have been working on my taxes. Am almost done with my federal ones. Will get a nice refund this year--that's because I had CPI take out more money than I needed. I'm a terrible saver and didn't want to be caught unaware with a high tax bill.

I know there's more, but I'm tired.

3/24 Saturday

I slept late--8 AM. This is the first morning I slept until it was light.

After my shower I went to Joy's for coffee and a bagel. Then down to the Gulf. I walked for 40 minutes then took a drive around the peninsula. Past all the many casinos, but through small, devastated neighborhoods too. The difference between the two is astounding.

Now I'm doing laundry and will soon start on my taxes. I won't finish them right away though because I'm going to PetSmart to buy some puppy "stuff." Then to a late lunch/early dinner.

Living less than a mile from the beach is AOK with me. Wow, what a blessing!

3/23 Friday again

Tomorrow will be pretty boring since I'm going to be working on taxes. I think I'll have Turbotax going on my personal computer and a movie DVD going on my work one. Should keep me awake anyway.

Got a lot done today. Then went to lunch at Camp Biloxi with Sandra and Maria. Afterward we drove out to Woolmarket where we checked on a warehouse operated by IDTF (Interfaith Disaster Task Force). Since Woolmarket isn't too far away from my new place we drove by there on the way back to the office.

It was such a beautiful day that I left work at 4:30 and walked around the RV park a little bit.

There are boat races on the Gulf this weekend. Maybe I'll stop there. It will remind me of the races on the Quincy bay. :)

Oh, I got an email and everything is set with my home loan. Can't wait.

3/21 Now it's really Spring!

I'm so excited. My brother, Jeff, is coming down to work with a group from his church. They're coming toward the end of September for a week and will help with rebuilding the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Isn't that awesome?

When he first approached me about this a few days ago, I told myself not to get my hopes up, but they are really going to do it. They'll stay at Camp Biloxi because it's only about a mile from my office. I'll be able to go to the mess hall every night and have dinner with him. We provide a place to sleep and all meals for our volunteers. A lot of staff have meals there as well. I went there for lunch today in fact. They had baked chicken, mixed vegetables, homemade rolls, broccoli cheese soup, salad, and cake. So I sure didn't have to eat much for dinner tonight. (Ate a pre-packaged bean and cheese burrito.)

I spent time at FEMA today to get my packet so I can sign up for a FEMA badge, but I'm afraid they gave me the wrong one. They gave me the one for staff instead of an affiliate agency. So I'll go back tomorrow, but luckily it's less than a mile away. Our office is really centrally located for Biloxi. Too bad it's a little distance from Camp Victor but that will get better once the bridge gets rebuilt.

3/20 It's SPRING!

I hope that means warm weather for my relatives and friends back in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri. And I'm still hoping for snow for Beata in NC. :)

What a day I had. First of all I found out that the Director of Case Management and the casemanagers/caseworkers read this blog. At first I laughed, and then I got scared. Had I said anything nasty about anyone? Had I been negative at all about this job? I don't think so, because I tend to not write negative things, but also because I haven't felt negative about this job--except for the great amount of work we need to do. I could work 24 hours a day and still not be finished. That's something I need to watch out for. People in disaster work tend to overwork and to not count the cost. Our staff is so wonderful that I want to make sure they're here for a long, long time. So get out of that office and go home.

At some time I'll explain what the caseworkers do and how they relate to whether we rebuild a home or not. It's pretty interesting.

Let me tell you about the rest of the day. I didn't get much office work done. As soon as I'm finished with this, I'll make dinner, then sign off my personal computer and sign back on to the work one. (Yep, it's a laptop too, and I can connect to work via a VPN--a virtual private network.)

Even though I didn't get much regular work done, it was a superb day. Ken, the PR guy from our corporate office, visited from Austin. It was so much fun listening as people told their stories. An elderly couple came to the office. They both carried themselves so proudly, even though they are in their 80s and lost everything for the second time in their 59 year marriage. Ken interviewed them and their caseworker joined us. It was so cool hearing about how she is their "guardian angel." Their house, in Pass Christian was picked up and moved into their neighbor's yard. It was a house they built 51 years ago. Poignant, but with a happy ending. Their caseworker is getting another religious building group to put down the foundation and do the framing. Then we will come in and do everything else.

Then we took Ken on a grand tour. Several of us went and it was well-worth the time. I met some homeowners where our volunteers were working. Oh my--it was the coolest thing ever to see folks working hard, most on their spring break from college. Following that we went to two brand new homes that we'd built. The owners, a father and daughter, gave us tours of their homes. They were both fantastic, and were well-furnished and obviously well-loved homes. The dad had a shrimp boil for the volunteers last year, and he said he's going to have another one this year and I'm invited. Well, I found out that you don't have to have seafood to love a shrimp boil. I can have corn and other vegetables boiled in that good tasting sauce. I'm looking forward to it.

This is already so long. There's so much other news but I guess it'll wait for tomorrow.

3/17 Happy St. Pat's Day

There's a parade in downtown Biloxi, but I went into work for several hours and now am doing laundry and packing for my move tomorrow. Am moving into an RV temporarily, until my house closes next month. So this will be another adventure, I guess.

3/16 I'm glad it's the weekend

Even though I'm going to put in a few hours tomorrow I'm still glad it's the weekend. Today was just as busy as the others have been.

I took a tour through one of the heavily damaged neighborhoods. There are 200 houses in this neighborhood and we're going to rebuild 175 of them. It's a project that may take up to two years, but we're so excited about it.

Also, I went to Ocean Springs late this afternoon to see Miss Ruby's house. She's an elderly woman who uses a walker and sometimes a wheelchair. Her home was completely destroyed, so we built her a new one from the ground up. Tonight they're having a housewarming for her. I got a sneak preview of her home and it's adorable.

These things make me feel good about what we do.

3/15 Staying busy

Started with an 8 AM meeting with John and at 8:30 we left for a meeting with the Executive Director of IDTF (Interfaith Disaster Task Force). Guess I'm going to take John's place on the board. Then lunch with Mike from Lutheran Disaster Response in Chicago. (I'm getting a lot of free lunches out of this job.) Afterward I had a Managers' Meeting, which went well. But I wasn't able to cover half of what I needed too. Normally they only meet every two weeks, so I'm going to call some special meetings to get stuff done.

At 3 had a conference call with my boss in Austin and the other state directors from Louisiana and Texas. We worked on the the evacuation plans. Wow. So much to think about. I have 50 staff and usually around 400 volunteers, plus tons of vehicles and equipment. This is going to take a while to finish, but will be very valuable. Hurricane season starts again in June and lasts through November. Never know what Mother Nature has in store for us.

Worked until around 6 and now I'm sitting here eating and typing. :)

3/14 Home inspection

Started off with a morning meeting with John to pass off the "almost final" stuff to me. Then went to the luncheon with the mayor of Biloxi to celebrate how much work has been done. The room had hundreds of people in it. I don't think the mayor will recognize me if we meet again. :)

At 2 I went to my house for the home inspection. I followed the guy around so I would know everything about the place. Afterwards the inspector said, "I don't think I ever had a house where I didn't write anything on the comment page." So needless to say I feel really good.

The house was built by Adams Builders and apparently they have a really good reputation. Yay for that!

Tomorrow I have lots of meetings and a conference call with the Senior VP in Austin, my boss.

3/13 Me in a jet!

This is me in a C21, commonly called a Lear Jet. John and I went to Keesler Air Force Base, just a few miles from our office. We met with Chaplain (Captain) Mike Howard and got the grand tour. We saw a huge flight simulator for the C130J. Amazing. Then to a hangar where we saw the C21. Even though the one I was in is a very tiny plane and the C130 is gigantic, they have exactly the same control panels. So they have pilots requalify in the smaller plane. Plus they use them to transport VIPs. I met some great guys there, including some other chaplains. The chief one is a priest and is retiring next month. What a nice guy. But I really liked Mike. As part of the tour we went by the base housing--more than 2/3 of the houses had been destroyed by Katrina. Only 600 are currently in use. More than 2/3 of ALL the buildings on base had been damaged also. But the post is coming back...one chaplain said you can hear kids playing now, and that's such a hopeful sign. Oh, and I kept getting introduced as a Special Forces Mom. :)

John and I stopped for lunch with his wife OkHee. She made a great salad in their RV. When they leave Sunday, I'm moving in. It's a new-ish one that is quite large. I think it will be nicer than my hotel room, so I'll stay there until I can get in my house. Plus I can have my puppy there when I pick her up.

After lunch I had a meeting with two of my senior staff members to discuss our Evacuation Plan. We have to refine it because hurricane season begins again in June. So there's lots to do. Thursday I have a conference call with Austin about it, and another meeting after that.

Tonight we had a dinner meeting with a married couple who travel all over the US teaching construction classes to volunteers and staff. They're here for a week to help us catch up with our estimations. So it was fun meeting them over a Chinese buffet.

Tomorrow I'm going to a luncheon with the mayor. So tons of other people will be there too, but I'll still have lunch with the mayor. After that it's time for the home inspection on my new place.

3/12 Another good day

John and I traveled all over the Mississippi Gulf Coast today. Had some good meetings. Went to FEMA and will sign up to get a FEMA badge so I'm able to get access to places in case of another disaster.

Went to dinner at John and OhKee's tonight. Amazing what you can make in an RV. :)

I'm going to move into their RV when John moves out. That way I can save a little money for the company until I can get into my house.

Talked to my mortgage guy today, and everything's a go even with the new price on the house.

I'm really tired tonight, so will turn the computer off early.

3/11 A full day

I started by going to Mass at Our Lady of Fatima in Biloxi. Standing room only. Must be because some churches still haven't been rebuilt. I enjoyed it. The next two weeks I'm going to Lutheran churches to be introduced to the congregations.

Afterwards I drove to Gulfport and had lunch at a Cracker Barrel. Then went over to Ocean Springs and toured the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Beautiful. Walked out to an old fishing pier. But there's even damage there. Most of the pier is gone and will be rebuilt. The visitors center is devastated and visitors are greeted in a large trailer instead. The campground is closed because there are FEMA trailers and RVs for people who have lost their homes and haven't rebuilt yet.

Following that I stopped at Mocha Moose for a frozen mocha drink. Delicious. Then went to Walmart for a pedicure and manicure. Felt great after that!

Then out to my house where I took a drive by picture. The tenant's truck is in the driveway and the house appears smaller than it really is...but at least you get an idea of what it looks like. It's dark red brick with white vinyl siding around the upper windows and soffits (is that how you spell it?). There's no second story; the upper windows allow a nice cathedral ceiling in the small living room. As you can see, the neighbor on one side is close, but there's much more room on the other side of the house.

Yesterday I talked to Rob, Beata, and Jill. Today I spoke to both my sisters. It was nice!!

3/10 I bought it!!!!!!!

I'm really happy. After talking it over with Rob, I realized that I wouldn't be happy with any of the older houses, and the other new ones were either in neighborhoods I didn't like or were way above my means. I love this house and will post a picture as soon as I can.

PLUS--I'm in the Biloxi Sun Herald. The article is a quarter of the page. Took that much room for my picture--big butt. :) Will try to post the article. And was on the news last night on the local ABC affiliate but I fell asleep about 5 minutes before it came on. I heard it was good. Sigh.

3/9 An exciting day

Right now I'm waiting for the news to come on so I can see our ceremony. The newspaper was there as well as the local ABC affiliate. I'm so glad I didn't put on any mascara today...cried....

The ceremony first of all honored John McRae. He's such a good man, a retired Army chaplain. When he was called by a friend to do this job he said he could give it a few months. Well, he's been doing it for 10 months. Finally he's going to be able to go back to Maryland and be with his family. His wife OkHee is here and only bought a one way ticket. She's riding home with him in the car to ensure he actually makes it.

The staff gave John beautiful gifts, but the real beauty was what they said about him and how they feel about him. It was very touching. Around 30 people attended the ceremony. They also had this awesome symbol made--it's hard to explain. But a staff member named Tony climbed a dead water oak tree (dead from the storm), and he cut off a piece of a limb. The tree has been determined to be 500 years old. Amazing enough, huh? Then he burnt our company name in it--Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response. It was put into a base, and on the base it says "Turning Tragedy Into Triumph." On the side it says "John McRae May 2, 2006 thru March 9, 2007." Next to it is another sign, "Jerilyn Dufresne March 9 thru ___." I get to keep it in my office. What an honor.

What a moving symbol of what we do here--the 500 year old tree has been here long before we came, but we're here now and will continue to be here until we're no longer needed. I'll post pictures Monday when someone gives them to me.

It was awesome today. People who are here because they feel God has called them to do this work. It's a privilege to work with them.

3/8 So much going on

Today we visited Camp Biloxi. Totally cool, just like Camp Victor, but very different. I love that the camps are different. Victor is self contained in a 52,000 square foot converted warehouse. Inside are all the bunkhouses, kitchen, mess hall, distribution center, and warehouse. At Camp Biloxi it's not centralized. People live in containers that are like big trailers. The kitchen is currently in a huge tent, but will be moved to a permanent structure. There are spaces for 27 RVs as well. Both camps are really big, and very well organized.

We also talked about the plans for the big ceremony tomorrow. John had the idea to have a "passing of the torch" so that people would know when he's bowing out and when I'm taking over. The media will be there, and all staff will wear their Lutheran Disaster Response polo shirts. I'm quite excited about this. I'll report tomorrow night about how it went.

Because of a tragedy in the selling agent's personal life, I'll hear tomorrow whether they accept the offer or not. Keep your fingers crossed.

3/7 Made an offer

Couldn't help myself. I made an offer on the house. It's in the north of Biloxi out in the country. Yet I'm only 10 minutes from the Gulf and 20 minutes from the office. I'm thrilled. Made kind of a low offer, and I don't know if they'll accept it.

The place is only 18 months old. Brick, 3 bedrooms, two bath. Master bedroom is big. The other rooms are small. Nice sized back and side yard. Will post pictures if they accept the offer. Couldn't find a condo that I could afford (and that was in a good neighborhood. But these houses are just right and in a nice area.)

Work was good. Drove with John to Long Beach, MS to meet with a pastor, then stopped at a great pizza place for lunch. Tomorrow I'll be going to Camp Biloxi for the first time. (Yesterday's visit was to Camp Victor.) Am really looking forward to the visit tomorrow.

3/6 Survived the second day

So much to write about. First of all I got to work at 7:30 because I was awake and anxious to get started. At 9 there was a meeting with someone from Habitat for Humanity. We have several projects going on with them which are quite exciting. Then at 9:45 a meeting with the president of a neighborhood association where we are going to rebuild nearly 100 homes next year. Yep. And that's only one project. I'm amazed at the scope of work my organization does. (Yep, my organization. I'm already feeling like a full-fledged member.)

Later we went over to our camp in Ocean Springs for a tour. Again, I was amazed. This place houses 200 volunteers at one time, as well as a distribution center, kitchen, and dining room. Such a dedicated group of people. Many of them are from other states and are living here as staff members. Others are volunteers from all over the US. Even five people from other countries. We ate lunch there and it was amazing. They had veggie corn dogs too. And I ate two of them. Yum.

At one, my realtor picked me up and we looked at houses. No condos are available. Well, one is, but it's in a rough-looking neighborhood. I found two houses that I really liked. One is in Ocean Springs about 1/2 mile from the Gulf, and the other is in north Biloxi. We'll look at a few more tomorrow.

The devastation is still everywhere. Many people are working hard to rebuild, but others either don't have the resources or the inclination--or maybe both. My heart just hurts for all the damage and loss.

Now I'm tired. G'night.

3/5 Back at the hotel

Just returned from a very pleasant dinner at a Japanese restaurant. John (the guy I'm replacing) invited some managers to join us, and it was fun AND delicious.

The day went by quickly. There are so many appointments, meetings, and meals between now and when John leaves. Lots of things are on weekends and in the evening, but as things progress I'll be able to take time off during the week to make up for it.

My office is really nice. The whole place is nice, but because it's so new it hasn't been decorated yet. That will be fun to work on with other staff.

Gotta run. Have more clothes to unpack.

3/5 First day on the job

I'm really excited about going in to work, and woke up well before the alarm. My room is still a mess. No space to put everything away. Guess my little SUV held a lot after all. Only problem I'm having is that my back is very sore. Nothing serious, I'm positive. Just muscles that are unused to carrying heavy boxes and tubs. A few days of rest should fix it. And we all know how much I love taking it easy. :)

When I talked to John last night he said that the Deputy Director is expecting me at 9. Omigod, I'm having such a hard time waiting until then. At least tomorrow I'll have a key and will be able to go in early if I wake up early again.

There's just so much to do, and I'm anxious to get started.

3/4 In Biloxi

Yeah, I'm home. At least in my temporary home. When I arrived it was still too early to check in so I started exploring. I drove all along the coast from East Biloxi to Gulfport. Is it possible to feel both despair and hope at the same time? I think it is, because that's what I felt. Still so much devastation. Even though it was mostly commercial on Beach Drive, it's still so very sad. Yet, the signs of people cleaning up and rebuilding are everywhere. So many volunteers are here, and there are signs all over thanking them.

Then I drove through some residential neighborhoods and felt the same two emotions.

Finally was able to check into my hotel. The room is small but wonderful. A bed, two nightstands, TV, bureau, table, three chairs, kitchenette with stove, refrigerator, microwave, and a full-sized bathroom. I should be fine here for a month.

Spoke to John MacRae, the guy whose position I'm taking. He has strept throat plus has to have a root canal tomorrow. So I won't see him tomorrow morning. Am meeting with my deputy director and a few other staff. Then will meet my realtor at one. Finally, John set up a dinner for tomorrow night with a few of the managers. I'm looking forward to it.

Gotta run. Must go to the store to find "stuff" for dinner tonight. Love to all.

3/3 In Montgomery, Alabama

I left Rob and Beata's home around 9:30 this morning and drove for nine hours. It was really a pleasant drive, good weather, and no complications. Right now I'm at a Holiday Inn Express in Montgomery, and tomorrow the trip will be easy--three or four hours.

The orientation in Austin went by so quickly--so much to learn and lots of paperwork to complete. Everyone was really nice, and I am psyched to begin this next adventure in Biloxi. Tomorrow I check into an extended stay hotel, and can stay there for 30 days which is what I need because it will take that long to close on a condo or house. My realtor is picking me up Monday afternoon and we're starting the search. I'm really excited about the possibilities.

The other day the Red Cross emailed me and said they really needed mental health people to work with tornado victims in Alabama and Georgia. Had to decline, even though I'd love to help.

While driving through Georgia so many memories flooded--I'd lived there for seven years, and passed by many towns I was familiar with. I called an old friend while passing through. Carolyn and I met in 1978 and were best friends for two years before I moved back to Quincy. We've stayed in touch over the years, and it was neat talking to her.

Enough for now.

2/28 Offer on my condo!

I am beyond thrilled. My realtor, Patti, called last night and said I have an offer on my condo. The woman's old condo will close on 3/31 and mine will close shortly thereafter. I'm now printing out the 29 pages of legalese to read on the plane.

Wow. This is excellent--to get an offer on the condo the day before I leave for my new job. I'm one lucky bug.

This morning Beata will drive me to the Raleigh airport. On the way we're stopping at Panera Bread so I can buy her a birthday breakfast. It will be fun to just sit and chat awhile before I leave.

Flying to Austin today for orientation, then will fly back to Raleigh on Friday night. Early Saturday I'll begin the drive to Biloxi. Am psyched.

2/24 Details of new job

I spoke to Jan on the phone today and she said I'd been kind of cryptic about my job. Now that it's official I can say more. The company is LSSS (Lutheran Social Services of the South), based in Austin, TX. It's a not for profit associated with the different Lutheran denominations. They provide many social services in Texas including disaster relief, foster care, adoptions, group homes, adult day care, retirement homes, and more. In Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi they provide disaster services only (and it includes case management). I'm hired as the State Coordinator of Disaster Services for Mississippi.

With the Red Cross I've been doing kind of first responder work. With LSSS it will be long-term recovery work. We muck out houses, clean up, rebuild, and build from scratch. We house hundreds of volunteers in camps in and near Biloxi. I think there will be around 50 staff (at least that's what the Louisiana coordinator told me). I'll find out next week.

I'll be in a hotel for up to 10 days, and then will move to an apartment temporarily. I've also got a realtor who is already looking for condos for me. It's odd--everything used to be so cheap there, but now it's more expensive than up north because there's still a lack of housing. Apartments are so expensive that it will definitely be cheaper to buy a place. One downside is that the prices may go down as more places are rebuilt. Another downside is that homeowner's insurance is extremely expensive. We'll see how everything pans out.

Won't be long now.

2/15 A Big News Day

I got the job. In the middle of talking to Beata on the phone, I took another call. It was David Y. from Austin offering me the position. I asked for a few things, got a yes on one, a no on another, and a maybe on the third. They want me to start March 1.

Will call him back tomorrow with my answer. What will the answer be?

I really don't know yet.