weekend home from college

At least that's what it feels like!  Working hard, and finally getting a chance to come home for the weekend, lounge around on mom and dad's couch, get good counsel, laugh about "remember when's", eat good food you normally don't get and catch up on life!

It's really good to be here.  After the earthquake, Greg and Cathie (clarification: Greg and Cathie and all the photos of where we are right now are NOT OMS, but CSI International) were forced to leave the guest house where they had lived for 13 years and where I had always worked and stayed.  While a new orphanage is being built (pictures below) they have moved into the upstairs of the current orphanage, and have turned the upstairs into housing for teams.  Right now there is a team of 16 across the hall, 20 little girls and their care-workers downstairs, and us all staying in the same house.

Lily, as you can imagine, is in heaven.  They have a real live playground that she is obsessed with, Cathie made her ice cream sandwhiches, 20 little girls to play with, someone caught a trantula...really everything a 2 year old girl needs and more.

I've also had the chance to catch up with some old friends, some of whom lost their homes and family members in the earthquake and are now living near to CSI's clinic, orphanage, church and guest house.

Spending time with good friends is always such a gift, especially friends who have been a part of our lives for over 10 years and who understand our lives in a way that many cannot, having lived in Haiti and raised their girls here, etc.  We're feeling blessed!

Something you may not see at other airports...guns, with luggage tags taped to the barrels, being brought onto the plane.

CSI's gorgeous new Hope Orphanage...almost finished!

 Lily LOVES the new little girls rooms, and kept running from colored room to room, making us all "spin spin!"

Lily continues to be more comfortable with the Haitian staff than the American visitors...trying to jump in and work alongside of the national construction workers

Lily is thrilled with this tarantula, or "crab" as it's called in Creole.  She had it on her bed earlier today and I just couldn't take it anymore.

 out on the "gator", visiting some old friends.  You may recognize this family (Vilner family) as one I wrote about after the earthquake that killed their 14 year old daughter...It was great to see them and to see lots of smiles and to laugh together, something we were unable to do last time.

Lily and the "Hope" girls during recess break...Lily is the youngest of them, but quite the center of attention and still very prone to directing everyone :)

 Lil's first time on a trampoline