G's Wedding!

So, I wanted to do a post about Jeanna's wedding (affectionately called "G" by Annea and I), but I've waited until now until I got some pictures.  I did not take pictures myself as I didn't want to worry about anything other than being the matron of honor and being of service to G.

But, it was so lovely.  It poured rain early in the morning, so I think we were all a twinge worried, but it cleared off and was nice and sunny for the ceremony with a cool breeze.  Later, the wind picked up and got really chilly, but we were mostly inside for the reception.

Jeanna and Kyle Hardesty

The wedding coordinator also did all the flowers and decor.  Everything turned out just lovely, especially the bride's bouquet.

The pretty ceremony location.

Her fantastic dress with her gorgeous train.  The dress is a story in and of itself.  Annea, G, and I went wedding dress shopping and when G tried on this dress, Naynay (her affectionate nickname) sprouted and tear and that was that.  That had to be the dress.  But, G still had plenty of time and went out on her own again and found another dress that she bought after being somewhat manhandled into it.  It wasn't nearly as pretty, needed cleaning and repairs.  G decided to go for the original dress after all and ordered online.  She recieved a completely different dress!  Finally, with Kyle's helped they returned and re-ordered the RIGHT dress through a more reliable company.  It was a perfect fit, with only hemming needed.  Alls well that ends well. :)

The entire wedding party plus parents.  I don't have one yet of just the wedding party, but we sure look nice don't we?

A very lovely, passionate kiss, which is saying something for this rather shy couple that avoids even mild forms of PDA like the plague. :P

Anna, Monica (both the groom's sisters), me (matron of honor), Annea (maid of honor)

Jeanna with her new in-laws.  I just love this picture because its so joyful. (Evidentally something hilarious was going on)

Jeanna, her groom, and bridesmaids.

I walked out with Andrew, a young man I knew from 3rd grade.  It's a small world.

My handsome hubby, although a little tired.  He played cello for the quartet and had the early morning shift as well.

My lovely sister and her hubby, Derek.

Me bawling my eyes out after we gave our toasts.  We love you sooo so much G.

Photos in the getaway car.

Isn't she just the cutest thing?

And sealed with a kiss.

My own lovely wedding was one year ago and one day.  Another post of that coming up as we did snap a few pics of the occasion.

Haiti flashback and some news . . .

This was the sunset from our beach view on Montrouis, Haiti. This was taken by Leif Andersen the first evening we were there.  Such a beautiful place.

Since coming back from Haiti, there has been some awesome news about certain members of our group that I have waited to tell about till the most opportune time.  I have been given the go-ahead so . . .

See the lovely lady with the long turquoise t-shirt hugging a girl with the really tall gentleman behind her?  Some of you know them.  They are Leif and Heather.  They have decided to adopt Elvy, one of the orphans.  She is the one being hugged by Heather. :)

Leif and Heather do not yet have children of their own, but they fell in love with Elvy and by the last day that we were there, they knew they just had to make her their daughter.

Elvy is 9 years old and from what I understand of her story, her mother already had too many children to try and feed, and Elvy was left to fend for herself on the streets.  Dina gave her the opportunity to join the orphanage.  Elvy is one of the sweetest and most kind hearted children you'll ever meet.  She is extremely helpful with the younger orphans and has the most stunning smile.  She's such a beautiful person, I was overjoyed that Heather and Leif couldn't leave her without coming back to get her permanently. :)

Here's a close up picture:

Elvy in on the right holding onto her new mommy.

When Heather and Leif asked Dina if they could adopt Elvy, they sat down and asked Elvy if she would like to go home with them.  I guess she broke down into tears she was so happy to be given a home.  It was absolutely darling watching them as a family when Dina brought Elvy to take the trip with us to the airport on our final day.  They hugged and kissed and were seriously the sweetest mental picture of the entire trip.  Many tears were shed when they had to say goodbye, not knowing exactly when they'd be able to come back.

She started to call them "mummy" and "puppy" the day they asked for her and the language barrier seemed to pose absolutely no problems in their ability to communicate their love for each other as a family.  (Elvy doesn't know any English yet, and Heather and Leif know very little Creole or French)

Now, I'm sure Heather and Leif are getting their fair share of annoyances with paperwork and whatever other complications an adoption affords.  I'm praying that everything goes smoothly and quickly so that they can go get Elvy and bring her home.

I'm so thrilled for this family and we all as a group were overjoyed to hear their news.  I've been bursting at the seems for a while now, so it's lovely to be able to share their story.  Not many go on a mission trip with a mind to adopt. ;)

If I could talk to Elvy now I would say "Congrats Elvy for finding a new family.  You couldn't ask for better, more loving parents!"

Shopping . . .

I went shopping today.  I don't normally have enough money to buy coffee, but I needed shoes for the wedding coming up.  I needed something cute, a higher heel (I'm short), yet compatible with walking on grass.  Here's what I got:

If there's one thing I ALWAYS love shopping for it's shoes, because my feet are perfect and literally look good in anything. :P  One of the few body parts I say that about . . .

I also bought my first maxi dress.  A few years ago, when I first heard the term, it made me think of feminine products.  Lol.  But I guess it refers to "maximum length" dresses.  I'm naturally diminutive (as I mentioned earlier, in case you had absolutely NO idea ;) so I didn't think they'd ever look good on me or not be too long.  I have tried on maybe 2 with the stretchy bandeau top, yeah, not flattering and kinda gave up.  But these days, they've become so popular that they have expanded the styles and lengths.  The small actually IS considerally shorter than the medium, thank goodness.  And I found one that actually flattered my  . . . decolletage.  So here IT is:

I also bought another light blue print dress that is so soft and flowy.  If the weather is nice, I'll be wearing it for the bachelorette party and hopefully be taking pics there too, so you'll see it.  Lastly, I bought 4 tank tops, because what gal can get enough of those? :P

All in all, it was a good day.  One of my books is rather promising, the heroine being red-haired and a fairy, unbeknownst to herself at this point.  Shopping is always fun, coffee is always tasty, and then relaxing and eating an artichoke really topped it off (butter sauce dip?  yes please).

I think I will head back to my book for now and count my many blessings in life . . .

Passing the time . . .

I hate to just go on about my summer off and make everyone else jealous, but that's all that really going on right now.

So how am I passing the time?

The internet.  I spend quite a bit of time reading blogs, facebooking, discussing things with various fb groups, reading news articles/articles that really should be called opinion, etc. :P  The internet contains so many fascinating things to do.  But, after a while, my eyes and brain get tired of looking at the glowing screen and I must change it up.

I read.  Let me just say that libraries are the best invention ever, especially interlibrary loan.  It's really too bad that my fave books happen to be everyone else's faves and I always need to return them before I've finished, or I rack up fines.  I have $3.40 in fines so far, so you can tell which option I often choose.  Right now, I'm reading a fairy fantasy novel, it's alright, not like Tolkien or Rowling though.  I have a couple other fantasies that I'm going to start soon, hopefully they're more entertaining.  I've read several books about Christianity, once I'm STILL waiting to get back, because it's huge and I couldn't finish it, even while racking up several days of fines.  It must be a pretty popular book. I've read some Elaine Pagels, Paul Tillich, James Carroll.  I usually only read the books that are on religious topics that interest me, but I haven't been disappointed so far.  Paul Tillich is pretty difficult to wade through, though, so philosophical . . . I read a few books on Haiti before leaving and have been borrowing books from my sister's rather extensive collection.  I think I'll be borrowing Lords of the Rings from her soon once I'm done with what I have.  So many books, so little time.

I cook.  Today I dug out my pasta maker and tried it for the first time! :D  I made wholegrain/white fettucine, and the noodles turned out so delicious tender.  I made a stroganoff sauce with lots of mushrooms and onions to go with.  It was declared good by the ultimate food critic (Micah), but with the recommendation that I put cutlets into it next time as his mother does.  *sigh*  Just can't win can I?  ;)  In my defense, I was going to anyway, but don't have any on hand, so he will have to get some for me.  I will attempt ravioli at some point, just to make my hubby happy.  He loves him some ravioli.  I love exploring tastespotting.com for all the best blog recipes as well.  The pictures are to die for and you can literally search for anything and find tons of options. 

I swim and fast walk.  I'm not into exercise, but as my girth slowly expands, it is a necessary evil.  I fast walk and watch TV in the exercise room and then swim whenever Micah has the time to go as well, cause let's face it, it's always better with someone else with you.

I netflix.  I finally broke down and got netflix.  I've got Nanny Mcphee Returns coming next, I'm pretty excited about it.  The instant play is nice, but I'll be stopping that once they start charging extra for it.

I shop and run errands.  Don't we all.  I went shopping with BFF Naynay the other day for some cute bachelorette party items for "G", our other BFF.  Speaking of which, G's wedding is only 12 days away!  It should be a blast, as long as I fit into my bridesmaid dress . . . :S  And even then, at least everyone else will have a blast.  Lol.  I exaggerate . . . maybe.

Anyway, this is how I pass the time.  I'll take pics of making ravioli when I get to it and pics of the wedding and bachelorette party too, of course! :D  Bye for now, lovely readers (or handsome, if you prefer).

A little more Haiti . . .

I found this touching video/slideshow about Haiti done by an artist in the area who paints pictures specifically of Haiti to help people remember that our work there is not yet done.

Home from Haiti . . .

Whew!  What an experience.  I arrived back home to my favorite place in the world last night.  I was so relieved to climb into my bed.  It feels luxurious now, wonder how long that will last . . .

I now I have the summer off to prepare for school, relax, and perhaps start an etsy shop for jewelry (been debating this for a while). 

Will I go back to Haiti?  Definitely, if I have the money.  I don't know if all of the loving and generous people out there would be willing to help me again and again if I go each year, but perhaps I'll be able to wing it every other year or something.  The projects we started need to be finished, and more projects need to be started.  I need to learn Creole, because I would like to prove to be an invaluable asset. ;)  Knowing just French was only about as useful as I expected, but it was a whole lot of fun talking with random people who knew it. :P  And, I can always get around.

I have dealt with times of frustration, because of the severity of the poverty and sickness in this place, with Americans, Christians, even my own religion.  I have had the joy of knowing that I helped directly many people who needed it.  I have experienced the pain and suffering of another people closeup and personally.  I have enjoyed the pleasures Haiti has to offer:  the ocean, the breeze, the trees, the fruit.  I have also endured an astronomical number of mosquito bites, sweat, and exhaustion. 

And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Haiti always seems to get the short end of the stick in this world.  They are willing to work hard, but have no jobs.  They are extremely committed to their respective Christian faiths, yet are accused of being a devil-worshiping country hence why God's wrath on them caused an earthquake.  They are happy and cheerful, despite the number of orphans, sickness, and a 45 year life expectancy.  They find ways to enjoy and get the most out of life, despite their country being the poorest of all the Americas.  In short, these people are inspiring in their own right.  They have a good future, if only we can help them find it.  Haiti is a very special place.

I am not an avid photo-taker, but many people on the trip were/are so I'll be posting highlights of Haiti now and then when I get ahold of some of their pictures.  I will be warning those who don't want to see the huge spider, so don't worry. : P

It is time to move on for now and blog about my rather mundane life.  But before I do, I must give a shout-out to our group.  First to my wonderful roommate, Amy, who is so eager to learn and grow as a person.  She's only 15 (I'm pretty sure) and has such a big heart and such an inspiring work ethic.  I must also acknowledge Justice, my other close companion on this trip, we shared electronics, a bag, and even food.  She's absolutely a wonderful person and would carry the backpack despite me asking if she needed a break. : P  She is extremely thoughtful, honest, and hardworking.  She was such an asset.  I hope to be able to go on another mission trip again with her.

I also want to recognize everyone in our group of 38.  We all managed to get along quite well and get a whole lot done.  They are all such wonderful people.  Thanks to Howard, Nicole, Nyron, and Jean-Claude for being such wonderful leaders.  Thank you to Mitchell, Scott, and Leif for all the laughs.  Thank you to Sharon, the sweetest and most energetic lady on earth who always mended us back into health with her expertise and special oils. ;)  Thank you to every single person.  We would not have made as much of a difference without each of them along.  What an amazing team.  I hope we can do it again.

Goodbye for now Haiti!  Hellooooooo SUMMER! : D

Last Full Day in Haiti (Day 10)

I finally got the few pictures from my camera onto this computer now, so I have those to show you all.
Today was our last full work day. We kept busy trying to hurricane-proof and paint our two buildings. They get 100 mph winds here so I've heard. It has been pretty windy most evenings and it's thundered every other day with some rain. So, I believe it. :P It was a sad goodbye we said to everyone. Dina, the lady who runs the orphanage, was especially sad, and several children teared up, making the rest of us tear up as well. We did not get everything done that we had wanted, but we made some very good progress. The next project will be fully filtered, running tap water for the orphanage, and then improving the kitchen side building (which is rather makeshift).
As I'm typing, lightening is flashing across the sky. It's about 10 or so miles away according to the thunder. Last evening, we watched a thunderstorm rage out at sea. It was nice getting the bird's eye view.
I will miss Haiti the country and the people here. I will not miss the mosquitos, the humidity, or the cost of food at the hotel. :P I hope to come back to help with the next trip, but I've got to learn Creole before then. I can communicate just enough to realize just how much I need to know Creole. This will be my next project I suppose, as well as trying to come up with the funds. We have started a very specific mission field and it would not do to not be able to see it through to completion. Though I know the work needed will never cease.
Tomorrow morning we leave early and I'll be back in Seattle in the evening. I'm looking forward to seeing my husband, cat, and family.
On a side note, I will be a long term sub in a new high school this next year. I'm teaching full time, French 1 and 2. I've got all sorts of plans up my sleeve. 'm really looking forward to it.
Enjoy the pictures, and till later everyone.

Me and two of my favorite little girls.

They LOVED their balloons.

They haven't learned the art of smiling for the camera yet.  They are still very precious though aren't they?

Mmmm, coconut milk.

We spent a large amount of time washing brushes and pans, the old-fashioned way. 

This little guy came in seriously dehydrated with some sort of infection to boot.  We revived him and I fed him pureed peaches with a tongue depressor.  He was such a cutie pie.

Here he is again with his grandma.

Saying our farewells . . .

House number 1.

House number 2.

Head of the orphanage, Dina, cutting the "red tape", or in our case mosquito netting decorated with leaves.

Entering her new residence.

Dina and the little girl on the right are tearing up.

Last picture taken.  This was the one day I wore a sleeveless top.  I regretted it.  I put on bug spray 3 times and still got bit.  It also stung having so much bug spray on.

 
Au Revoir Haiti.  Nous te garderons toujours dans nos coeurs.  A la prochaine!(Goodbye Haiti. We will keep you always in our hearts.  Till next time!)