Back to Jersey

I don't think it is possible to describe the excitement I feel that I am heading home tomorrow. It has been just over 5 months since I have been in New Jersey and seen my family and friends. I have missed aspects of home a lot since I have moved to New Orleans (as I have discussed at length in my blog) and I think it will be a good "recharging" moment for me to be around the familiar for the holidays. I plan to take it in as much as possible because I won't be back until my YAV year is complete in August! I have already made a list of places I need to eat which include but are not limited to Wawa, somewhere that sells a decent bagel, Conte's and the Bent Spoon.

There will not be much to report while I travel home so I think my blog will take a little hiatus as I enjoy some quality family time! I will resume posting as usual in the New Year (can you believe 2014 is almost here?) Thank you again to those of you who have been following my blog and supporting me in various ways throughout my journey here in New Orleans. I wouldn't have made it this far without you and I look forward to seeing some of you during my time home!

Happy Holidays!

Lesson from the Journey: I have some very talented roommates. Below is a picture of the GORGEOUS Secret Santa gift I received from Kalyn that she painted! An owl holding a sunflower aka two of my very favorite things...what could be better?

I am obsessed to put it lightly!

Feliciana Retreat

Us YAVs got some quality R&R this weekend at the Feliciana Retreat Center located just north of Baton Rogue. We arrived Thursday evening and spent the next two days without cellphone service enjoying each other's company and being away from the city. It was the first of three retreats that we will have throughout this year and set an awesome precedent. We were broken up into three committees for the retreat - food, spiritual and fun. I was on the food committee which meant planning and preparing the meals. Let's just say we definitely didn't go hungry - from pasta to brownies to fajitas to cheese sticks to quiche we were eating well in the woods!

We also had intentional time for spiritual activities which included praying in color, singing hymns, reflecting on bible passages and lighting an advent wreath (that Colleen so awesome constructed). The rest of our time was spent learning how to play dominoes (we all got obsessed while simultaneously finding out how competitive we all are), playing cranium, reading books, napping, writing, canoeing, decorating ornaments and my personal favorite - swinging on the porch swing outside. It was the perfect balance between scheduled activities and being able to relax on your own. The no cell phone thing was also SO nice. Not having to answer to anymore for two days was just what I needed!

Our log cabin at the Feliciana Retreat Center

The amazing fire that Colleen kept going the entire time we were there!

Decorating ornaments! Layne looks so pleased with hers 

My Mardi Gras beads ornament

Who doesn't love coloring? Our wooden Christmas scene...like my green faced elf?

Dominoes game! It's actually really fun to play and we all got super in to it!

Canoeing with Alex and Kalyn on the lake

Lesson from the Journey: There is something about being in nature that allows you to "stop and smell the roses" - appreciate yourself and those around you.

Hump Day Blues

I knew that there would be times during my YAV year that I would feel lonely, disconnected and distant from family and loved ones. It is during the holiday season and the approaching of Christmas that I have felt this feeling most heavily. Change is never easy, especially in regards to changing the physical proximity of your support system and other familiar things. I have found myself having to face my fears, doubts and insecurities on my own more than ever before. I am not meaning to say that my family and friends don't support me - that is far from the truth - but there is a difference in supporting someone who is far away and experiencing, living and doing things that are vastly different from the things that you are. Pile on top of that the space that this year has created for me to self reflect and truly figure out who I am, which has brought up darker things that are not always easy to talk about and face, has resulted in this year often times feeling very heavy.

I have been told by various people in various ways that the next years of my life are going to be filled with transition and I will in many ways even be defined by these transitions. I can attest to these transitions first hand. I have transitioned to a new city, living with new people with a new daily routine, new responsibilities, new food, new ways of defining my friendships and keeping in touch and most importantly I have been transitioning in adulthood which I have been so fondly referring to as the "real world". Transitioning into this new phase of my life has come with a lot of resistance on my end (I mean who doesn't want to just keep life simple?) After talking with my site coordinator this week she had me to come to a very important realization. Moving on to adulthood means letting go of our childhood, and in essence a lot of our innocence and the simplicity that comes along with that. In reflection of this statement, I have come to realize that there are many events and memories that I hold onto very tightly in order to keep myself in this safe place, the safe place that connects me to my childhood. In order to fully move on and grow up and become an adult I have to let go. Letting go requires working through the pain of some of my past experiences but by working through these events, I can make space for new joys, adventures, failures and learning experiences. Who knew growing up was so hard?

I am beginning to think that the events that I have been lucky and blessed to experience this year are not important because of the tangible work- building houses, working with volunteers, volunteering at the animal shelter, being a personal shopper at First Presbyterian Church - but that these experiences have the most meaning in the lessons that they teach me. I have found that these past four months have slowly but persistently been opening me up to more willingly learn about myself, without judgment, from the world around me and the people I meet. I have never really looked at every experience as an opportunity to learn and grow and change. It's an exhausting task that requires self awareness, honesty with yourself and most importantly the openness the learn and accept the way things are and the way you are. But it is more often than not that the most challenging tasks are the most rewarding. It is these thoughts that I try to keep in mind as I miss my family and friends. I am trying to turn my sadness, loneliness and grief into an opportunity to learn more about myself. This is not easy (sometimes I find myself just wanting to lay in my bed and just feel sorry for myself) but I think that through awareness I can get to a place where I can find peace with the struggles I face with being on my own. Bring it on.

Why end on a serious note when you can end on an adorable one? So I will leave y'all with this priceless picture of this baby boy and his dog napping together. I think it might possibly be one of the cutest things I have ever seen. You can view all the adorable pictures by clicking here.

Lesson from the Journey: Learning about yourself is hard but worthwhile work.

Elves in Lafayette

This weekend the YAV house made the two hour trip to Lafayette to help the First Presbyterian Church distribute Christmas baskets and decoration to families in the area. They were very grateful to have 8 willing volunteers to help sign people in, organize them and be their personal shoppers. I had an absolute blast and the 5 hours we were there was a whirlwind of picking out baskets, deciding between Christmas wreaths and getting an amazing arm workout - the time honestly flew by. We even got to wear elf hats while we worked!

Alex and me rocking our elf hats!

My role was to be a personal shopper which means that as families were called I would look at the baskets they needed on their list, help them decide on which basket to choose and show them all the Christmas decorations we have. The families were so impressed by all the choices of baskets, the organization of the ministry and the fact that they got to have personal shoppers! I felt so blessed to be a part of such an awesome project. The waiting area had cookies, coffee, hot chocolate, magazines and a kid's station - every part was really well thought out and executed. The church was explaining to us that they had been collecting baskets and Christmas supplies since August and had already begun making baskets for Easter. In addition to the hundreds of baskets that they had for the families that day, they were also making an additional 200 baskets for case workers families. How incredible is that?

This room was filled with baskets for newborns through age 10! Every basket had a stuffed animal and books along with other goodies clients could preview through the clear wrapping. 

This room was called the Room of Abundance (kind of sounds like its out of a Harry Potter movie, right?) and was filled with Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, lights, garland, ornaments, stockings....you name it!

Wreaths and flower arrangements that clients could choose from!

More baskets! 

I felt so much joy helping families pick out baskets for themselves and their loved ones. Many families expressed how much this meant to them and how these baskets were making their holiday season. It was truly rewarding to be a part of bringing joy to these families Christmas'. I received countless hugs and even shed a few tears! I felt completely in my element engaging with the families and helping them out - it was a truly beautiful afternoon.

I truly think that this is what the holiday season should be about. Of course it's important to spend time with your family and friends - exchanging gifts, singing songs and enjoying each other's company. But I think its especially important to give that joy to families and individuals where that is not a give in. Holidays have given me some of the best memories but can often times be the darkest time of the year for others who don't get to enjoy the luxuries that I am lucky to have. I think spreading true holiday joy - with complete strangers - is the one of the most meaningful and powerful activities you can partake in.

My beautiful YAV family with our silly elf hats on. 

Lesson from the Journey: Before heading to the church, our YAV house and site coordinator stopped for lunch at a farm to table restaurant called the Saints Street Inn where I had a delicious burger dubbed the Manburger - grass fed beef, bacon, manchego cheese, avocado, this amazing mayo and topped with a fried egg not to mention paired with these to die for hand cut fries. Nothing like a delicious meal before a rewarding afternoon.

Manburger

Westbank Adventures

This past Tuesday, Project Homecoming packed into several cars and made a trip to the West Bank. For those of you who might not be familiar with New Orleans geography, the West Bank is the area on the other side of the Mississippi (the East Bank being New Orleans). It is counter intuitive because the West Bank is actually south and the East Bank is actually north but in relationship to the Mississippi it has been dubbed the East and West Bank. I haven't spent much time on the other side of the river so it was nice to branch out and explore with the wonderful people of Project Homecoming.

We crossed over the beautiful Crescent City Connection Bridge that links the two banks and headed to Cafe Hope. Cafe Hope is a restaurant that mentors young adults ages 17-23 in the restaurant and hospitality industries while also teaching them useful life skills to carry into adulthood. The food was absolutely delicious and it was rewarding to be supporting such an awesome establishment. I ordered the shrimp and grits which was prefaced with warm bread and honey butter. Have I mentioned yet how amazing the food in New Orleans is? This was no exception. If you want to read more about Cafe Hope, click here.

Cafe Hope! Anna Leigh and Emily's hand reaching for the amazing bread and honey butter

I ordered a Coke and it came in a mason jar! 

After our hungry was satisfied we headed to Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. It was a cool 75 degrees and perfect for admiring nature. Our walk began with dense oak trees but as we continued, the dense trees thinned out and eventually opened up to a beautiful open marsh land. My roommate and wetlands extraordinaire Colleen, gave a presentation on the condition and importance of the wetlands especially in Louisiana. It is not often in the forefront of my mind how crucial the wetlands are to the safety of the city and how much of a buffer healthy wetlands can be during a storm.

I thought this tree was so beautiful with the exposed roots...you can't really tell from this picture but I could almost stand upright under those roots!

Valentina goofing around on the trail!

Our crew listening to Colleen talk with a view of the beautiful marshland.

As you can see from the sign, this Cypress Tree is over 200 years old! Colleen explained it was strange that loggers over the year kept the tree but it's still there and as the sign says..alive in 1812!

Anna Leigh and I showing two ways to wear the Project Homecoming sweatshirt...I'm sporting the preppy shoulder wrap and Anna Leigh is showing off the sweatshirt around the waist look. What's your favorite?

The wetlands in our area are essential for helping reduce storm surges. Replanting grasses can vastly improve harmed areas in just a matter of months. Salt water erosion has been harming the wetlands at an alarming rate and many trees have suffered due to the inability to tolerate high salt water levels. The statistic that stood out to me the most, however, is that Louisiana loses a football field of wetlands every hour. It is very scary to realize how much our society and culture has been hurting the land. We also learned that 51% of the continental US is in the Mississippi Watershed. That means that every bit of fertilizer, oil, paint, sediments, anything that finds its way into the Mississippi River will eventually end up in Louisiana and eventually in the Gulf.

This is a map that shows the extent of the Mississippi watershed and demonstrates how everything drains right into New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico!

It was so nice to get out of the office and experience nature. Although there are a lot of harmful things happening to the wetlands, I feel so fortunate that I am able to learn about these problems and be aware of them. Colleen is a real advocate for "everything little thing matters" and I could not agree with her more. These problems in the wetlands feel so overwhelming but if every individual can do the little things, they can add up and make a big difference. I truly, truly believe that.

Lesson from the Journey: Spanish moss is absolutely beautiful.

It's December Already?

The past week has been a whirlwind of traveling, visitors, food comas, laughing, and celebrating. I spent my first Thanksgiving away from my family and although I missed our usual traditions of hiking and my grandma's cooking, I had a great Thanksgiving in the Big Easy. My college friend came to visit and we spent the entire week eating amazing food, seeing the sights and listening to music. I guess you can officially say I am a local since I was knowledgeable enough to show someone around! I got pretty good feedback on my tour guide skills as well.

I took my friend Vinny to get a Huge Ass Beer on Bourbon Street upon his arrival...this one is 32 oz. but the biggest beer comes in a giant plastic bottle and is 70 oz!

Our hotel room view... we had a great view of the Mississippi River and the Crescent City Connection Bridge.

The Thanksgiving Day Parade that happened right on Canal Street!

After Thanksgiving Dinner we went to the Howlin' Wolf and saw the infamous brass band Rebirth play!

It is currently 75 degrees today in New Orleans and it is December 3rd. DECEMBER 3rd PEOPLE! The weather here is crazy and I am not sure if I will ever get used to its indecisiveness. I head back to New Jersey in 16 days (where the weather will be more consistent I am sure) and I would be lying if I said I wasn't crazy excited to see my family. It's been just about 4 months since I've seen them, which marks the longest that I have ever been apart from them. I can't wait to spend some quality holiday time with all of them.

Lesson from the Journey: For Thanksgiving dinner I ate a restaurant called Ralph's on the Park which overlooks City Park. They had a three course prefix menu for the holiday so I naturally knew what I was ordering 3 weeks in advance. I knew that the blue crab beignet appetizer was going to be delicious but I never imagined it would be quite possibly the best thing I ever ate. I think everyone and their sister should eat one of these bad boys at least once in their lifetime. Delicious.

BLUE CRAB BEIGNETS PEOPLE!