the next adventure is...

2 Years Ago Today

2012-01-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 2 years since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. I'll be going back at the end of February and I can't wait to see my friends and the progress that's been made since last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lj0ILVefZQ

So much to be thankful for

2011-11-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

Dirty Dash

2011-10-26T21:22:00.000-06:00

Such a fun race! I highly recommend it!

Chau

2011-09-19T21:19:00.005-06:00

See you later New York. I LOVED my trip!

Brooklyn

2011-09-18T21:04:00.025-06:00

Tim and I walked the Brooklyn Bridge and went to Grimaldi's pizza. It really was worth the wait. So delicious!

On the way back over the bridge, I ran into a good friend I hadn't seen in a couple years. He was 20 minutes from a surprise proposal to his girlfriend. What are the odds I'd run into him in New York, on the Brooklyn Bridge, about to get engaged?!

Central Park

2011-09-17T20:44:00.021-06:00

Saturday morning we took the little girls to the Central Park Zoo. It was so fun to watch the girls run from exhibit to exhibit. Liv thought Sadie was so cool, and Anna was a sweet little doll.

The walruses were so funny. The big one sounded like he was burping at the little one.

In the afternoon we went with Kristi-Lynn and Brett to their ward picnic in the park. Turns out half of their ward went to my high school. It was fun to see old friends.

Girls Weekend

2011-09-16T18:13:00.009-06:00

Part of the reason I went to New York was to spend time with 2 of my old roommates. Kristi-Lynn lives in Manhattan with her husband and darling little Sadie, and Sarah lives in Baltimore with her husband and two sweet little girls Liv and Anna. Sarah came up for the weekend and we decided to do a girls night out on Friday without the kiddos. We met up in Times Square, bought tickets to Mama Mia, then headed to Shake Shack for more burgers, fries, and shakes. So delicious!

Love these girls!!!

Feliz Cumple to Me

2011-09-15T21:44:00.014-06:00

New York style birthdays are the way to go! I started out my day here:

Then did a little bit of shopping. My brother Tim and I met up and had my new favorite hamburger here:

I've been craving them ever since.

Then, thanks to my wonderful parents, I got to enjoy this:

Dipity-do and Wicked Too

2011-09-14T22:34:00.009-06:00

I got to meet up with Mars and her adorable little Eli today. We started at Dylan's Candy Bar (in honor of our candy runs back in junior high). Ralph Lauren's daughter Dylan started this amazing 3 story candy store.

Then it was off to Serendipity for lunch and famous frozen hot chocolate. Holy cow, those are AMAZING! Worth every penny!

After our goodbyes I went to see this for the first time. So magical!!!! I loved every minute of it!

Harry Potter Can Sing.........and Dance........

2011-09-13T22:36:00.002-06:00

Who knew? From the halls of Hogwarts to the Broadway stage, Harry did a pretty good job.

China Town, Little Italy, Central Park, and the Whole World

2011-09-12T22:12:00.000-06:00

I met up with my friend Nick today. We shopped in China Town, ate lunch in Little Italy, then walked through Central Park looking for street performers. We didn't find any. A man asked if I wanted to take a bike tour through the park claiming "The best price in the whole world!" I called him out on the statement. He laughed. I laughed. He said he meant the whole world inside the park. I love New York!

9/11

2011-09-11T22:02:00.002-06:00

When I planned my trip to New York, I didn't realize I would be there over the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Due to heightened security, we weren't able to go to ground zero that day, but it was still a neat experience to be in the city. We watched some of the ceremony on TV before we went to church and at church were able to hear about some of the experiences of those who were living in the city 10 years ago. No one will ever forget where they were when they first heard about the twin towers. It's amazing to think about where we have come as a nation since that day. I'm proud to be an American.

I'm a Mormon

2011-09-10T21:54:00.003-06:00

It's easy to spot Mormons. Especially when it's a group of young single adults having a barbecue at Morningside Park in Harlam.

It's also easy to spot them wearing the BYU and Utah garb to cheer on their respective teams.

Fun first Saturday in New York.

Contagious

2011-09-09T21:48:00.001-06:00

Probably not the best movie to see the first night in a crowded, dirty city. Actually, probably just not the best movie to see period.

Nueva Nueva

2011-09-08T21:35:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure why I always think that taking the red eye is a good idea. But at least it got me to New York.

You Are Loved

2011-04-07T06:44:00.011-06:00

Some photos from my trips to Haiti

Crazyness?

2011-04-02T18:22:00.003-06:00

Xavier had organized a clinic today at the orphanage for the kids from the village. A few of them showed up yesterday and we had to turn them away. We were worried that it was going to be a mad house and that adults would be upset that we wouldn't treat them, but it really wasn't too bad.

Xavier did a great job of setting up the benches better to create a barrier and had communicated well that we would only see the first 100 kids. Once we got our system going, things ran pretty smoothly and we were able to see all the kids that came. Hatian babies are BEAUTIFUL! We saw 3 or 4 babies that were just a couple months old. It was a little bit overcast for part of today so it wasn't nearly as hot as yesterday. We passed out toothbrushes and toothpaste to everyone that came through today because the institute had donated so many. We also bought a lot of the paintings that Xavier, Maxon, Silvestre, and the kids had done. Xavier is really doing a great thing there. He teaches kids how to to the traditional Carribean art in a small school in his home. After the earthquake there were 20 or so kids that showed up without anywhere to go. So he and his wife took them in and started Poor Children's Orphanage. They keep it going through the proceeds from the artwork and donations from people. Xavier makes sure that all the kids go to school as well. He is a good man.

Poor Children's Orphanage

2011-04-01T18:11:00.001-06:00

We headed up to Mont Rouis today to do a clinic with Poor Children's Orphanage (we're helping them pick a better name) and deliver all the supplies we had collected for them. We saw a lot of kids and staff, probably around 40. It was pretty chaotic, but we got the job done.

The children there are beautiful! After a successful clinic we headed to Club Indigo for the afternoon and to spend the night. Back in the 70s it was a Club Med and it was a beautiful and relaxing break.

We brought our 4 interpreters (Big Mac, Lesly, Matt, and Stevenson) with us and it was so fun to watch them. They had never done anything like that before and had never gone swimming. We tried to teach them to swim. It was pretty entertaining. I met a famous Hatian poet at dinner and his wife (who is from Argentina). Super nice couple.

Farmacia

2011-03-31T17:46:00.003-06:00

We did one last outreach clinic up in the mountains today. I triaged for a little bit (in Haiti I'm apparently qualified to be a nurse) and then spent the rest of the time in the "pharmacy" (small room in the school we were set up in with a table full of drugs we had brought). I'm getting pretty good at reading doctor's handwriting and writing "1 fua pa dua" one pill a day. I also got to actually be a nutritionist (finally using my degree) and give counceling to one lady with diabetes and a lot of high blood pressure patients. It's hard to councel on what to eat because, like the woman with diabetes said, they don't get to choose what they eat, they just eat whatever is available. It's heartbreaking really.

Also, some of the teachers were asking if we could somehow help them with a school food program. They said so many of the kids come to school but can't learn because they are just too hungry to pay attention. Hopefully we can get them in contact with a "food for the poor" type program. We were up in the mountains and the ride up was really beautiful. Because of the deforrestation, there is a lot of errossion, but someone has come in a taught the people terracing. It's amazing to look across to the other side of the mountain and see crops moving up the mountain on terraces. There were also a lot of vegetable gardens and cows. It's good to see that they are able to produce food in large quantities.

Bath Time

2011-03-30T20:51:00.003-06:00

Today Emily, Jordan, Miriam, and I went out the warehouse at Medishare hospital to help organize. I can't remember the last time I've been as dirty as I was today. There were about 15 Hatians working so we all teamed up and moved dirty boxes all over. There was rat poop everywhere and cockroaches. My hands and arms were black by the end of the day. We had a lot of fun though. A few of the workers spoke some English so that was fun to be able to talk to them. We took a break for a minute and a few of them danced for us. Madness (yes, that is his actual name) did quite the booty dance. He also has a brother named Fitness. I don't think they know what their names mean in English. The power has been out at the guest house for most of the afternoon. We also ran out of water to our bathroom on the 3rd floor last night and this morning, but it really wasn't that important that we were clean before going to the warehouse. Luckily the tank got refilled so we could shower when we got home. Tomorrow I'll be going out to another outreach clinic. They were going to announce the election results tomorrow night but it's been postponed until Monday. Something about false ballots I think. It's probably better though for us because from what our interpreters have told us, most of the people want the pop star guy to win, so if the former first lady wins they will all think that a scandal happened and there will be rioting.

New Life Children's Home

2011-03-29T17:07:00.003-06:00

Bekah and I went to New Life Children's Home to do a caregiver's school to some of the workers there. We taught nutrition, dehydration, the Heimlich maneuver, positioning and stimulation, etc. New Life has about 100 kids and it is a beautiful orphanage.About 20 of the kids have disabilities. It's really a great place. It's a large compound with beautifully painted buildings, all the kids have beds, they are raising chickens, fish, and rabbits to eat, they have a vegetable garden, and a water purifying system.There is a nice kitchen and guesthouse and all the buildings have tile floors and electricity. You can tell that everyone there is there for the right reason and there is no shadyness going on with funding or supplies. It's really a peaceful place. If anyone ever wants to volunteer in Haiti, you should look into going there. It's $35 dollars a day to stay there and that includes breakfast and dinner. Anyway, we met a girl named Sarah there who is doing a lot of the administrative things right now. She is great. She was living in Florida and lost her job teaching school, so she decided to come to Haiti and work with disable kids for her church. She told us about and tent city they went to visit and had found out there was and orphanage in the tent city.There are 24 kids and one lady on some property with a little bit of barbed wire around it.Half the kids didn't have pants on and the orphanage is just one bigger tent with lots of little tents around it for the kids. When they showed up with food, none of the kids had eaten all day, and apparently they ate the leftover chicken soup for dinner the next day. Those kids wouldn't have eaten for 3 days had they not brought food. They are trying to convince this lady to move to some property they have closer to the town next to their church where they could have access to water and they could get them food. But for whatever reason lady doesn't want to leave her property at the tent city. So sad. I had never even considered that there would be tent orphanages. But with all of the people displaced, it makes sense.

On a happier note, Big Mac went to the embassy this morning to try for his 3rd time to get a student visa. He got it!!!! We are all so happy for him. He will be staying with Sandy and her family and go to Salt Lake Community to study physical therapy. On our way home from the orphanage today we drove through City Soleil. Up to a couple years ago no one ever went through there because of the danger. Apparently all of the head gangsters that used to live there are either in jail now or have died. I guess things in Haiti are actually improving. They will be announcing the election results on Thursday night. The two candadits are a Haitian pop star and a former first lady whose husband didn't help the country much when he was in office. This should be interesting.

Outreach Clinic

2011-03-28T16:12:00.004-06:00

We woke up again at 3:55 to our wonderful friend Rooster. At 6:30 we were off to a clinic up in the mountains. A paster that Kathleen knows put together a make-shift clinic so that the people up there could be seen. Before the earthquake there was a clinic that serviced 50,000 people. But it was destroyed so all the people in the community now have to walk 12 miles if they need to be seen. We saw 100 people today and gave them the medications we had. Mostly head aches and stomach aches, rashes and fungus, and lack of nutrients. I wish I could speak Creole. Becca was doing some counseling with some of the workers at the school. One of them said, "Our government doesn't support us the way yours does. What can we do to sustain ourselves withour our government?" With as much as we complain about our government, at least we don't feel that way. Tomorrow I'm going to an orphanage with 100 kids to do a caregiver's school to the employees.

Rousier

2011-03-27T16:03:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure what time I woke up this morning. The sun wasn't up yet but the roosters sure were as well as all the other birds and dogs. I think it may have been around 4:30. I'll try to get the sounds on my camera. We went to church at the building at Petion Ville like we always do. There are 3 wards that meet there and they are full! There was barely enough room in all the meetings and classes. I love seeing so many faithful saints. I can't understand anything they are saying but you can definitely feel their love. Rousier is a new member of 3 months and he is amazing. He speaks English pretty well. He said when he was younger he got lost from his parents (I'm not sure if that means he actually was lost or if he was abandoned) and some US military found him and took him to the base. So he was raised around a lot of English speakers. He's 26 now and he said he had been praying for a while to find a church. One afternoon he woke up from a nap and felt like God was telling him to go outside. So he did and there were 2 missionaries. He was baptized 3 weeks later.

We made it

2011-03-26T18:54:00.003-06:00

At the Las Vegas airport

After a red eye flight to New York and a full flight to Port-Au-Prince, we made it safely to Haiti. Everything went much smoother than last year as far as flights are concerned. We unpacked and sorted all the supplies we brought...................what a sight! Who knew that 15 people could pack so much stuff! It's really hot. It's really humid. It smells like pee or burning trash. I love it! As we drove to the Healing Hands property, there was some signs of improvement in some areas. But other areas look just the same as last year. Lots of rubble. So many tent cities. Only the tents look battered and torn. Sad. I'm excited for church tomorrow. The members always bring me a lot of hope for Haiti.

That's a lot of Stuff!

2011-03-24T10:36:00.004-06:00

My friend Dave Nelson caught word that I was going to Haiti and wanted our stake institute to turn it into a service project. He worked miracles and in just 1 week this is what was donated:

Just in case you're wondering what all that is:

2 large first aid kit

1 small first aid kit

166 bars of soap

123 toothbrushes

12 tubes toothpaste

6 floss

3465 vitamins

2 bottles of lysine

4 bottles of liquid children’s ibuprofen

7 bottles of liquid children’s cold and cough

2 bottles of liquid children’s acetaminophen

3 bottles children’s chewable acetaminophen

2 bottles children’s antacid

4 bottles pepto bismol

2 boxes pepto bismol

2 boxes extra strength anti-gas

47 tubes antibiotic ointment

21 tubes hydrocortisone cream

2 tubes antifungal cream

180 Band-Aids

2 boxes dressing bandage

9 boxes gauze pads

7 boxes rolled gauze

4 rolls waterproof tape

2 rolls paper tape

1 adhesive wrap

2 bottles natural tears

1 bottle rubbing alcohol

14 bottles hydrogen peroxide

2 bottles hydrogen peroxide wipes

15 washcloths

6 hand towels

38 bottles hand sanitizer

2 bottles liquid hand soap

11 boxes wound care supplies

14 AA batteries

1 yoga mat

1450 sandwich bags

3 bottles iodized salt

1050 latex gloves

1 box oil colors

1 box water colors

3 boxes crayons

48 colored pencils

1 box markers

1 miniature foam basketball

1 bottle raspberry hand lotion

5 pairs athletic shoes

2 pairs flip flops

6 ace bandages

4 forks

4 knifes

4 spoons

192 baby wipes

1 bag full of sample soaps, lotions, etc.

1 pair scissors

1 bundle of pencils

1 bag if Q-tips

6 travel wet wipes

½ bottle Bayer low dose aspirin

Paper/plastic plates, bowls, cups, utensils

6 oz almonds

1 bottle shampoo

A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated. I leave tomorrow!

Back to Haiti

2011-03-08T16:13:00.007-07:00

I'm headed back to Haiti at the end of the month. If you'd like to send anything along to the people down there, here is a list of what we are hoping to take with us:

2011 Haiti - Utah County Medical Team

Items Needed by March 18^th

Thank you for your interest in our humanitarian trip. Many people ask what we need this year and the following list is certainly not comprehensive so if you have something else in mind – ask the person who gave you this list or email Katie Walther at krwalther@gmail.com with your questions. We have plenty of quilts thanks to many wonderful quilters and scouts but we are in need of the items on this list.

Money is always the number one thing we need. We are able to purchase prescription medications and take them with us. We will be purchasing antibiotics, asthma medications, deworming medications, sulfa and antifungals. If you would like to make a donation, give it to any member of our team or use the email above to make arrangements to send it to us. Every donation is significant – never underestimate the power of many doing a little bit to help.

Bathroom scale
Children’s vitamins
Hydrocortisone cream or ointment
Antibiotic creams or ointments (Neosporin, triple antibiotic, etc)
Gloves – disposable latex
First aid supplies – gauze, band aids, tape, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol wipes, alcohol, etc.
Children’s chewable acetaminophen

San Valentino

2011-02-13T22:09:00.003-07:00

While serving as a missionary in Argentina, we met a man named Erminio. We loved Erminio. He was a tall, slender man in his 70's that walked with really fast, small steps and extremely good posture. He didn't see well so we ordered him one of those gigantic copies of the Book of Mormon. Man did he love that book. He would carry it around everywhere, telling his friends and neighbors about it and that they should let us come teach them. What a gem.

After a few lessons with Erminio, we decided we would teach him about the 10 commandments, specifically that we are to pray only to God and not to Saints. The lesson was going great, until we brought up Saints. Erminio got a concerned looked on his face. He went into his bedroom and brought out a small picture of San Valentino, and with all the earnestness in his little heart began to share his testimony to us of San Valentino, and how whenever he prays to him, he can get any woman he wants. Just in case you forgot, Erminio is in his 70's. And he just told us if he prays to this saint he can get any woman he want. Wow.

Well, I looked at my companion and we started giggling. Then the giggling turned to uncontrollable laughter. I know. Not the most mature response. But really? Really Erminio? Did you really just tell us that? He asked what was so funny and I made up some excuse about how we were really tired and something earlier had happened that was funny, etc., etc. I'm not sure if he bought it. Then my companion asked if she could use his bathroom. Great. Now it's just me and Erminio. After some awkward silence and me hoping he didn't pray to San Valentino right then and there, my companion came out. We ended the lesson and left.

Every Valentines day I can't help but think of Erminio and wonder if is still praying to San Valentino.

Valentine Poetry

2011-02-06T23:27:00.005-07:00

Best Valentine I've ever received. Ever.

(inside)

....You make me blush

I go hush hush

and turn to mush

when I see your hair so lush

my ♥ starts to rush

Provo Tabernacle

2011-01-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

The Provo Tabernacle burned down. So sad. It was such a beautiful building.

It makes the roommate pictures we took outside of it extra special I guess.

This is incredible!

We did it again this year

2011-01-02T12:00:00.002-07:00

All growing up we always got pajamas on Christmas Eve. When we started going on missions that tradition kind of died. Last year we decided to resurrect the tradition and THIS was the result. I don't know if you can top matching footsie pajamas with glow in the dark rockets on them, but we kept the tradition alive this year anyway. Pretty good if you ask me. We also got the parents and guests involved.

Oh, and for roommate Christmas we couldn't resist either :)!

And don't forget about the 2nd annual sibling Norwegian sweater picture.

Living in HD

2011-01-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last May I decided to get LASIK and it has changed my life! Seriously. Best thing I have spent money on in a long time. Dr. Harrie did a fantastic job! Can you imagine in just a minute and a half per eye you can have perfect vision?! No more blurriness when I get in bed or wake up in the morning. No more sleeping in contacts when camping. No more wondering if I'm putting some disease in my eye when I'm in a third world country. And the best part about it?...........My vision is so sharp and clear I feel like I'm living in HD!

Ooooops. So sorry

2010-12-31T10:50:00.003-07:00

So I may have taken a small hiatus from blogging. Not on purpose. Believe me, I've wanted to post. But, well, I don't know..............I guess I really don't have much of an excuse. But I promised a friend I'd play catchup on the last 3 months (and really the last year-let's be honest, this hasn't been my best blogging year). So get ready for more regular posting :)

We Are Family

2010-09-21T00:29:00.010-06:00

I won a photo shoot from Aynn Thurman to help support "Donate a Day for Danger." Aynn did an INCREDIBLE job. You should check out her website. I love the photos and I love my family!

This

2010-08-28T20:47:00.005-06:00

is what it is supposed to look like.

But this will have to do for now.

Hebgen Lake Montana

2010-08-07T14:00:00.014-06:00

I took a couple of my roommates up for a weekend trip with my family to our cabin at Hebgen Lake, Montana. It had been way too long since I had been there and Lizzie and Ash had never been to Yellowstone. So we showed them the sites and they even got to see things many tourists never get.

Here's the view from the deck at the cabin. Love it!We went into West Yellowstone and looked at shops. And no night is complete there without stopping at the Playmill for a show.Some of the hot geyser waterI've been going to Yellowstone for years and have never seen a bear. But this year we saw a black bear............
............two baby grizzlies......
........and mama grizzly.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
The girls. It was pretty windy!
We got lucky with how much wildlife we got to see.
Morning Glory

Vancouver, the one in Washington

2010-07-17T15:44:00.023-06:00

Last weekend two of my roommates and I took a much needed break and went to Vancouver Washington. Ashley's family was nice enough to put us up and entertain us. It was a PERFECT weekend! We took a detour after being picked up at the airport to check out the Portland Temple My cute roommates. Yes they are fun size. Our first full day Ash's family took us boating on Lake Merwin. It was SOOO beautiful surrounded by all the pine trees. And it was almost 100 degrees that day so the cold water was very refreshing. Getting ready to get pounded on the tube Friday we drove to Cannon Beach Haystack Rock What can I say, we like to jump Saturday we made the trek up to Seattle Feeding the seagulls at Ivar's Pike's Market Space Needle We scalped some tickets and were able to see the Mariners vs. Yankees game The Mariners were losing 1-0 for most of the game until a grand slam was hit in the 8th inning! Some people were too tired to walk back to the car after all the excitement

Il Divo - Hallelujah

2010-06-19T11:17:00.000-06:00

한국

2010-05-18T07:41:00.012-06:00

My brother Tim is studying in Seoul, Korea so my other brothers and sister-in-law and I decided to go visit him.

Donate a Day for Danger

2010-05-01T14:47:00.005-06:00

On both of my trips to Haiti, we had one of the sweetest interpreters working with us. His name is Lesly Danger and is a complete angel. He is so humble and is a hard worker. He helps support his family (parents and younger siblings) and was trying to get a degree at the university when the earthquake hit. School was canceled and Lesly's hopes for the future were put on hold. Brooke Frost, one of our team members this year, came home and couldn't stop thinking about Lesly's situation. She and her husband have decided to take Lesly into their home for the next few years and put him through school here in Provo. They need to get all of his paperwork taken care of and then the goal is for him to take one or two semesters at Nomen Global Language Center so he can pass the TOEFL and then do 4 semesters at LDS Business College to receive an associates degree in business. This is going to be somewhat of a financial strain on the Frost family. It will cost about $25 a day for Lesly to be able to attend school. So they have started a foundation to raise money to help pay for Lesly's education, one day at a time. Click HERE to see the website and read more about Lesly. Just think of the impact we could have in the life of this young man if we all just contribute 1 day to his education.

Loved It

2010-04-26T13:26:00.006-06:00

At least 15 years of friendship + Balboa Island + Newport Beach + Waves + Good food + Movie night + Motherhood + Hot tub + Amazing friends + Santa Monica Pier + Lots of laughing + Sunshine + The Getty + LA Farmer's Market + More good food + Memories + Shopping + More laughing + Ferris wheel + Sweetest car ever + Strengthened friendships = A perfect weekend!

Pictures

2010-03-24T19:48:00.004-06:00

I went through and added pictures to the posts I did while in Haiti so you can check those out. And here are a few more pics.

Too cute! Some boys after church. This was an all too common scene. It just made you so sad everytime it rained at night to think of the people living in tents.Don't you just want to take him home?! They colored for hours. Working hard. The royal palace. So cute. Bubbles. Michael's pants kept falling down. One of the thousands of tent cities. Time to eat. The babies I fed all day at Miami. All three in one incubator. The ER at Miami Hospital. Dusk at Miami Hospital. Third floor roommies. The men on the trip.

Wings of Hope

2010-03-22T15:56:00.004-06:00

3/22
I went up to the orphanage Wings of Hope this morning. All of the kids there have disabilities. They were adorable. There was the cutest little girl who sang songs in English for us. Tonight we are going to have a big end of the trip party with all the employees here at Healing Hands. They have been so good to us. We have been very blessed to have a house to stay in that has running cold water, electricity most of the time, and internet. And the kitchen ladies feed us so well at breakfast and dinner. Compared to what we see when we go out, we are living in luxury. The night before last we felt a tiny earthquake. We think it may have been in Cuba. The poor people here though, they are already terrified to go back in their homes if they are still standing, and every time the earth shakes just a little, they relive the terror of the first earthquake. Me with some of our interpreters. This is how much water came out of our shower.

Wonderful Sunday

2010-03-21T20:19:00.004-06:00

3/21
Today was such a great day! We got up early to leave for the Miami Hospital at 6:30, only our driver was late so we left at 7:30 instead. I spent the day (about 10 hours) feeding 3 premie babies in the NICU who share an incubator. The first was Julienne. She was the only one of triplets to survive. She is 13 days old and now weighs about 2.5 pounds (she came in at 1.5 pounds). These babies were so tiny. One was able to drink her bottle, very slowly, but she could do it. The other 2 were fed through feeding tubes. Vivian was the nurse in charge of the NICU and she was great. She really welcomed Sue Ann and I and made us feel useful, wanted, and a part of the team. We were running out of diapers and the shipment of more wasn't going to come until tomorrow. Then miracle of miracles, a girl walks in with some friends and bags full of premie size diapers and clothes! They had told Target that premie babies in Haiti at this hospital had nothing to wear so they cleared their shelves and sent down anything premie that they had. They came just in time. A little boy that had come in the other night with pneumonia was being worked on a lot today. Being Sunday, a few church groups were there. They stood over this baby boy and sang and prayed for him. I'm not sure what they were saying, but I think they were trying to cast out whatever it was that was making him sick. At the same time, some guys walked in with shirts on that said, "Scientology Volunteer Ministers." Kind of ironic that they were at a hospital, but go figure. A little girl came in today who was a recent amputee. She was told they were going to have to amputate her other leg as well. She was hysterical. It was so sad to watch. Also, the lady from the other night that they were going to take off life support was finally taken off today. I'm not sure why they waited so long, but they did.

Indigo Beach

2010-03-20T19:29:00.005-06:00

3/20
We spent the day at Indigo beach. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day. It was a great break from the work we've been doing. And we got to boost the economy a little bit. We drove by the outside of City Del Sol. The tent cities out there were pretty sad looking. Just sheets and plastic strung around sticks. I'm scheduled to go back out to the Miami University Hospital Tents tomorrow for a 12 hour day shift if they need us. We'll see how that goes.

Miami Hospital

2010-03-19T18:06:00.004-06:00

3/19
I survived the 12 hour night shift at Miami hospital last night. Think MASH unit, only with white tents instead of green. It was an interesting experience. I had a hard time feeling useful, but I tried to stay busy helping in the pharmacy, holding and feeding babies, and playing with kids until they fell asleep. I played with the cutest little girl. She was probably 8 or so. It was a long, humid night. It poured all night long, then started again in the morning. It definitely was not this humid last year. A 14 year old boy was there last night with his mom. She had surgery, but didn't come through okay. They had her on life support, but no brain activity so they were going to pull the plug. They decided to wait until today so that their church group could come to say goodbye and help figure out what to do with the boy. The only family he had was a "cousin." Sad. When we first got their last night, a local church was there singing with the adult tent. Everyone was singing alone with smiles on their faces. It amazes me every time to see people smile and wave at you even when they are lying in a hospital bed, many of them knowing they will never walk again. They are such a strong people.
We are going to the beach tomorrow. I think we all need a good break and it will be good for the first-timers to see the beauty of Haiti, not just the suffering. Hopefully we have good weather.

CDTI

2010-03-18T16:32:00.004-06:00

3/18
Went out to work at CDTI Hospital today. I actually got to be a nutritionist today. We found everyone that had either diabetes or high blood pressure and I talked to them about their nutritional needs. Only problem is, how do you tell someone what they should or should not eat when you know they really don't have much of a choice. Going out to work the night shift at Miami hospital right now so I don't have much time to write.

Back to Notre Maison

2010-03-17T17:27:00.005-06:00

3/17
Went back to Notre Maison this morning to deliver supplies they needed. The kids look great there. A bunch of volunteers from Minnesota showed up. They have been here for a week and are going home tomorrow. They wanted to say goodbye to the kids before they left. We drove through a part of town that was hit really hard by the earthquake. People were out cleaning up though. Foreign aid groups are organizing Haitians into groups, giving them t-shirts, and paying them to clean up the city. What a wonderful idea! One of the workers here said that probably over 300,000 people have died from the earthquake. Official reports are somewhere in the 200,000s but he said there are so many people that no one really knew about before the earthquake, that there is really no way to know for sure how many people are gone. As I talked to one of the interpreters, we talked a little about the earthquake in Chile. He talked about how the earthquake in Chile was bigger than the one in Haiti, but that the buildings here just weren't built well. Then he said, "There are still so many bodies in the rubble. Sometimes they stink." This has just become a part of life here in Haiti. I feel like it is no longer earthquake relief, it's just Haiti relief now. Things will never go back to how they were.

Becoming a pharmacist and a CNA all in one day

2010-03-16T16:01:00.005-06:00

3/16
I was assigned to the tent clinic today to work in the pharmacy with Daryl and Stew. We have more medications than we know how to store. It is amazing how many medications were donated. We'll probably take some of them over to Miami hospital to fill their shelves as well. I was running supplies down to the tent and Amanda asked if I'd help her dress some wounds. Sure. It was a lady, frail as can be with three bed-soars, one deeper than anything I've ever seen. She hardly has hair and is wearing a diaper. She's 27 years old. Her brother and boyfriend are with her, carefully caring for her. Amanda says her wounds look pretty good, consider the conditions. Only the smaller one on her ankle is infected. I ask if there is any way they will heal. She says no, but at least we can clean them and hope she doesn't die of sepsis. This woman probably has AIDS. They said she got sick about six months ago. Her brother showed us a picture of her. She was BEAUTIFUL! Healthy, beautiful hair, shining face. In just six months she has become what we saw today. Her face is still beautiful. She has kind eyes. But she is so weak. As her brother carried her away when we were finished she looked at me and waved, trying to force a smile even though you can just see by her face how much pain she is in. It was her way to say thank you.

Notre Maison

2010-03-15T18:22:00.005-06:00

3/15
Got up early this morning to got to the orphanage Notre Maison. There are about 40 kids there right now. About half have disabilities. They were so stinking cute. Very well taken care of, happy, and they have enough food. While we were there 2 Chaplains and a couple other soldiers from the US Army came and dropped off some supplies.

Mikel was a cutie. He would just dance and dance to the tape they had playing-classics like "This Little Light of Mine," "The Lord said to Noah," "Onward Christian Soldiers," "If You're Happy and You Know it," etc.
When using 98% DEET, how many applications are too many? Hopefully the consequences aren't worse than malaria.
Schools have been canceled, potential until next year. The neighborhood by the orphanage decided to organize their own little school. They have about 150 kids meeting each day so they have something to do. It's great to see people trying to make the most of the situation.
A bug just flew up my nose.
There is a turkey outside that competes with the rooster. They make noise all night long. Usually the dogs drowned them out though.
Sorry about all the random thoughts. I'm having a hard time remembering what we've done since my last entry. I blame it on the DEET. Some of the boys at Notre Maison showed me how good they are at writing

Count Your Many Blessings

2010-03-14T16:44:00.007-06:00

3/14
Last night felt just like my first night in Argentina-hot, sweaty, dogs barking until the wee hours, roosters crowing, but somehow you eventually fall asleep.
We got up and came to church. The people are so strong. I just wanted to cry I was overwhelmed with the spirit they have. So many members! We met Margerie who has AMAZING English. The church just hired her as an interpreter/translator. She told us the members are strong. They are still paying tithing and fast offerings and fulfilling their callings. The church is helping the members who lost homes rebuild temporary structures if they have property. Members with homes have taken other families in with them. Every 2 weeks the church sends more food supplies to them. They are all taken care of! Isn't the church great?!
Sad story-back in December one of the bishop's here had his 3 year old son kidnapped. A lady walked into primary and took him. They later received a ransom note for 150,000 g (about $4,000). But then the earthquake happened. They found the lady who took the boy, but they have no idea where the boy is.
On the way to church we drove through one of the thousands of tent camps. I don't think I've ever experienced such a thick stench. It's amazing to me that people can survive these conditions. But the Haitians know how to survive. They are fighters. I guess the government has given the people in tents an ultimatum that they have to be gone by the end of the month. They aren't helping them relocate, just telling them to leave. Don't they think if they had somewhere to go, they would have left already?
I'm so impressed with the members (I'm sitting in church right now). They are truly a family here. And such quality people. They are hard working, compassionate people. You can just feel so much love from them.
At the end of relief society, a sister shared a quick testimony of how blessed she feels. Her home was broken in the earthquake and her little boy was inside doing his homework. Right where he was was where it was broken. But he was fine.
They had testimony meeting today. Before they began, the counselor reminded everyone that a testimony should be about what God has given you. There was never a break in someone sharing their testimony. The closing hymn was "Count Your Many Blessings." Imagine seeing a huge congregation of Haitians 2 months post-earthquake singing that song.

Sprinting

2010-03-14T16:36:00.004-06:00

(I'm trying to keep a journal with me and when internet is available I'll copy it in here-I'll have to post pictures when I get home. Sorry if the entries aren't very coherent)

3/13
I didn't think I was going to make it to Haiti today. My flight out of Salt Lake was delayed an hour and a half, cutting my layover time down to an hour and a half. But then bad weather in New York had us circling for 20 minutes, we sat on the runway for another 30, and then 10 minutes to get off the plane left me sprinting from the Delta terminal to the American Airlines terminal. I got to the counter with 5 minutes to spare, but luckily the flight was delayed 30 minutes. So after sprinting through security and then to my gate, I actually got on board (after they opened back up the gate for me) and made it to Haiti. My bags weren't as lucky though. Hopefully the come tomorrow.
Haiti so far is mostly how I remember it. It smells a little stronger though. It was crazy driving to Healing Hands though and seeing the damage from the earthquake. Some buildings appear untouched while right next door is completely demolished. People seem like they are trying to resume life. There are all the street vendors out, clean-up is taking place, and repairs and going on.
It's really hot. Not much else to say about that. Hopefully we can sleep. We're going to church in the morning. it will be great to see the members and find out if the work has been moving forward with the earthquake.

T-Minus 3 Days

2010-03-09T10:31:00.004-07:00

I leave on Friday for Haiti.

Thank you so much for everyone that has donated supplies and money. I am very grateful. I'm not sure how much access to the internet we will have while I'm there, but there is going to be a mass email sent out with updates sent through two of the team member's phones. Let me know if you want to receive those updates by sending me your email.

I'm heading back to Haiti

2010-02-19T16:41:00.003-07:00

I'm going back to Haiti again with the same group I went with last year (Healing Hands for Haiti). We leave on March 12th and come home March 23. Since the earthquake I've had a lot of people ask me how they can help the Haitians. Below I have a list of supplies that we are collecting to take down. If you have access to any of these items, please let me know and we can figure out how I can get them from you. If you would rather donate money to help pay for getting these supplies down to Haiti, interpreters while we are there, transportation to and from clinics and orphanages, etc that would be great as well. Please don't feel obligated to any of this. I'm sure many of you have already donated to Haiti. I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of this opportunity. Thanks for your love and support.

Medical Equipment
Crutches, wheelchairs, walkers, canes
Crutch tips, crutch tips, crutch tips
Corner seats
Car seats
Braces, splints (usable)
Casting materials
Bandages,
Band-Aids, wound dressing supplies
Burn bandages, burn creams or ointments
Gauze, eye patches
Medical tape
Ace Wraps
Liquid Hand sanitizer
Medications (Cannot be expired!) And CANNOT be prescription
Multivitamins (adult and children’s)
Prenatal vitamins
Over-the-counter medications
Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen (adult and childrens)
Antibiotic ointments
Cold medications
Hydrocortisone cream, benadryl cream, Caladril lotion
Powdered baby formula, protein powder
Zip lock baggies – small size and snack size
Office Supplies
Paper (lined, copy paper)
Pens, pencils, envelopes
Note books
Thumb tacks
Sticky notes
Paper clips, staplers and staples
Hanging files and folders
Medical chart folders
Sharpie type markers, highlighters, dry erase pens
Chalk, erasers
Misc. Items
Cloth diapers w/ pins or Velcro closures
Small hand tools
Small power tools
Screws, nails, staples
Pool supplies (bromine)
Pool float devices
Therapeutic Toys – BEACH BALLS,RHYTHM INSTUMENTS, SOFT BALLS

MSNBC Article

2010-01-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

MSNBC Article

What can you do for Haiti

2010-01-24T22:16:00.012-07:00

Last March I traveled to Haiti with Healing Hands for Haiti. (If you want to see a few posts from then, click HERE). The devastation from the earthquake has hit close to home because many of those people became my friends. Many of them have lost loved ones, have lost their homes, and have no idea what the future holds. I finally received an email two days ago from one of our interpreters who said,

"thank you for thinking with me i'm still alive but i'm homeless no job see the way you can help me out if you want call me at this number sincerely big mack." Me with Big Mack

The response from the world to this tragedy has been truly moving. A lot of people have been asking me what more they can do to help. Honestly, I don't have the answers. I don't know what the solution is (or that there is one). But I do have some suggestions. Immediately the biggest need is funding for the organizations already down there.
You can donate to the LDS church humanitarian relief fund by clicking HERE (100% of donations will go to Haiti)
You can donate to the Red Cross by clicking HERE
With a disaster like this, it will take years for recovery. Once the acute problems (surgeries, broken bones, cuts, infections, etc) are treated, long term recovery will become the focus. I worry that the world will begin to forget Haiti in a few months. Many people have lost limbs and will need prosthetics, wheelchairs, crutches, rehab, etc. To read more about this issue click HERE. This is what Healing Hands for Haiti's mission is.
You can donate to Healing Hands for Haiti by clicking HERE
If you have access to medicines (especially antibiotics), medical supplies, wheelchairs, crutches, etc. please contact me. We have a team leaving on Wednesday and then another one hopefully leaving in march
One of the founders of Healing Hands for Haiti, Dr. Jeff Randle has been keeping a blog while he has been in Haiti treating the earthquake victims. To hear his personal account click HERE

Christmas PJs...................yes, we did

2009-12-25T21:40:00.003-07:00

Yes, those are spaceships. And yes, there are glow-in-the-dark stars on them :)And you gotta love the Norwegian sweaters

More Balti Please

2009-12-05T13:13:00.018-07:00

The day after Thanksgiving I took the most PERFECT trip out to Baltimore to visit one of my best friends Sarah and her adorable little family.

Inner Harbor Olivia-So Stinkin CuteSunday was such a beautiful day! We went to this amazing park.Little strawberry cupcakeThe Harbor Who doesn't love a zurbits?Fort McHenry Thanks Sarah, Jon, and Olivia! I can't wait to come back out!

San Diego- I love these people

2009-12-05T13:07:00.006-07:00

Halloween Flashback

2009-12-05T12:28:00.001-07:00

Oh how I love the 80's

Wedding Bells

2009-10-27T23:29:00.005-06:00

Eric and Erin tied the knot this past weekend. Everything was wonderful! Here are some of my favorite pics.

La Jolla Cove

2009-10-08T00:55:00.008-06:00

The Cove

Gross

A little chilly today

I hate birds

Surfers

Parasailer over Black's Beach

I heart fall

2009-10-08T00:35:00.007-06:00

I love this family!!!!

2009-10-08T00:29:00.002-06:00

I wish you all had the opportunity to meet this amazing family. They are such a perfect example of the joy that the gospel brings to families. They are INCREDIBLE and huge examples to me.

So close to the border but no time to cross

2009-10-08T00:27:00.002-06:00

San Diego Temple

2009-10-08T00:16:00.004-06:00

Why is it that every picture you take of the San Diego Temple looks fake?

My Birthday

2009-10-08T00:05:00.005-06:00

I had my birthday while I was on my first round in San Diego. It was a good day considering I was working all day and I was with people who 2 weeks before I didn't know. It felt a lot like a mission birthday. Thanks to everyone who called and sent texts and emails. It really was a birthday to remember. The carne asada fries I ate for lunch. Me with Melanie and Heidi while I log a baptism. It was also the birthday of one of the girls being baptized. After the baptism Duff ran out and bought a cake so we could celebrate for 10 minutes. Everyone really made it a great/unique day. I'll never forget it.

USS Midway and Coronado Beach

2009-10-07T23:54:00.006-06:00

We had a few hours of free time one Monday so we went on a tour of the USS Midway.After an hour or so we decided to take off and go see Coronado

Nayeli

2009-10-07T23:44:00.005-06:00

Nayeli is probably one of the cutest little girls I have ever met. I wish I could bring her home.

My home away from home

2009-10-07T23:40:00.003-06:00

I recently moved to a new house in Provo. But I've actually spent more time in the apartment in San Diego they are putting me up in. I'm not complaining though. It's a pretty sweet set-up. Here's the Cali home.

Sunny San Diego

2009-10-07T23:36:00.002-06:00

I'm helping with a project for work that just happens to require that I spend a lot of time in San Diego. It's lots of work, but I'm learning a ton and meeting some incredible people. I spent the first 3 weeks of September here, came home for a week and half, and now I'm back. I'll try to catch up on what's been going on for the last 6 weeks or so of my life. Enjoy!

A New Sister

2009-08-24T23:14:00.002-06:00

My brother got engaged last Saturday to a fabulous girl. I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. Welcome to the fam Erin! Click HERE for the engagement story.

Provo Canyon Half Marathon

2009-08-10T23:38:00.005-06:00

My roommate talked me into running the Provo Canyon Half Marathon last Saturday. I'm not really sure why I said yes, but I'm glad I did it. It definitely was an experience and a pretty big accomplishment for me because let's be honest, I don't love to run. I realize that half marathons aren't that big of a deal (as my brother put it, "What's so great about a half marathon? People run 13 miles all the time.") It was a beautiful run though and an experience I'll never forget. So how did I train for it? Well, let me play out for you the entire experience:

-5 weeks before the race: I decide I should probably start running. 5 miles run. My knee hurts.
-4 weeks before: Try running again. Only do 4 miles because I ate too much crap the day before. Decide to eat better.
-Later that week: 5 more miles. Feeling good. Only stopped because I was bored.
-3 weeks before: 8 miles done! And I feel great! I can do this
-2 weeks before: I went to New York and didn't run
-The week before: 9 mile run. I wanted to do 10 but lost that mental battle. Oh well.
-Rest of the week: My knee is a little sore so I decide not to run again before the race, but I do play some soccer.

Yep, that's 5 times running. I'm crazy, maybe stupid, but I finished the race, and that was my goal.So the morning of the race came along
4:00am-Hit the snooze button. No one should be awake right now
4:05am-Hit it again
4:10am-Get up, get ready
4:30am-Head over to Bethany's
4:50am-Arrive at Riverwood's, take a picture, get bib's, start to get cold
5:15am-Get on bus
5:47am-Bus hits sign
5:50am-Get off bus, get in line at porta-potties
5:55-6:30am-Freeze our butts off
6:30am-Wonder why the race isn't starting
7:15am-Finally start running
7:15-9:00am-Feeling great
9:01am-Knees start hurting really bad but there's only 3 miles left
9:38am-Cross the finish line

Boston

2009-08-10T23:27:00.007-06:00

I got up early Monday morning when I was in New York and caught a bus to Boston. I LOVED Boston. I don't know what it was about that city, but I loved it all. I spent the day on the Freedom Trail. Once again, I didn't get the greatest pictures because I was by myself for most of it, but oh well. Sam Adams. Holocaust Memorial. Streets of downtown Boston. Paul Revere. There were some street dancers that were awesome! This little guy was in training I guess. After their show I caught him practicing. Pretty good if you ask me.

New York

2009-08-10T23:15:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago I got to go to New York to visit my old roommate Kristi-Lynn and meet her cute 9 month old Sadie. We had a ton of fun just hanging out. I've been to New York a couple times, so we didn't need to do a lot of the touristy stuff. It was a great, low-key weekend. I didn't do a very good job of remembering to get my camera out, but we really did do a lot of great things! Thanks Kris! Friday night we went to a free concert in Central Park by the Philharmonic Orchestra. But half-way through it started to poor and people just scattered. Saturday we explored the city a little. We went to Washington Park and people watched. It was a pretty warm day so there were sun-bathers out anywhere they could find grass or somewhere to put a lawn chair. And there were a bunch of people swimming in the fountain! Who needs to pay for a pool anyway?! We tried a couple times to win Wicked tickets at the lottery, but just didn't have any luck. Oh well. One day I'll see that play. On Sunday we walked along the Hudson and then let Sadie play on the swings. She is such a doll!

I love my job

2009-08-10T23:14:00.003-06:00

I absolutely love my job. I really can't complain about any aspect of it. Sometimes I wonder how someone can actually get paid to do what I do. And to make it even better, sometimes I get to have experiences I could only dream of having. One of those experiences happened this week. I was invited to attend a sacrament meeting with all the newly called Mission Presidents and their wives. Also in attendance were many of the Seventy, eleven of the Twelve Apostles (President Packer was ill) and the whole First Presidency. Talk about feeling overwhelmed! As we began to sing the the sacrament hymn, I was truly humbled by the words. Imagine being surrounded by such great men sing the words of the second verse:

As now our minds review the past, we know we must repent; The way to thee is righteousness-the way thy life was spent. Forgiveness is a gift from thee we seek with pure intent. With hands now pledge to do thy work, we take the sacrament.

Can you imagine?! These men and women of God, including the Prophet himself, singing about how they need to repent. It really does put into perspective that the Atonement works the same for everyone whether you are the Prophet or just an average person.

Albertson's Parking Lot Fair

2009-07-26T17:29:00.006-06:00

To our great delight, this ghetto fair pulled up to the Albertson's parking lot and we just couldn't resist going. Don't be deceived by this picture...there were only 5 rides and this many booths. The sizzlin' scrambler. The ferris wheel looked like it went ridiculously fast. But it didn't so we faked it.

Strawberry Days

2009-07-26T17:12:00.006-06:00

We got our cowboy gear on and went to the Strawberry Days Rodeo in Pleasant Grove in June. So fun! Wild Cow Milking Just trying to fit in Bull Riding

Last few days in Norway

2009-07-26T17:01:00.004-06:00

It's been awhile since I posted, I know. So I'm going to try to catch up on the last month and a half. We finished our Norway trip back in Oslo. We took a ferry ride and went to a ton of museums. One thing I wont miss about Norway is peeling shrimp :) If you look close this little guy has hundreds of little eggs tucked in his legs.

The Rest of the Week at Skei

2009-06-01T13:40:00.013-06:00

We took day tours everyday for the rest of the week while we were at Skei. Wednesday we headed off to take a boat tour of one of the fjords. On or way there we stopped in a small town and met some trolls. Then we headed off and crossed an old wedding bridge. Back in the 1600's they used it to have weddings. At the beginning of the bridge was a rock called a "wedding ring." The middle was carved out and the bride would have to crawl through it before she could be married. If she couldn't fit through they figured she must be pregnant and her head would be cut off! I thought I'd give it a try and the good news is that I made it through. On the boat tour we saw tons of waterfalls (because it had been raining all week). These are "The 7 Sisters Falls". Directly across from them is "The Wooer." Legand has it that the 7 Sisters are all single and the Wooer keeps trying to marry one of them. But they all keep rejecting his proposals so he has turned to alcohol for consolation, hence the bottle in the rock. On the drive back to Skei we took a mountain pass and we got a surprise at the top. Oh how I wish the sun would come out. On Thursday we hiked a couple miles through beautiful landscape to another glacier. It used to be really big, but has shrunk a lot in the past few years due to global warming. I love how the ice in the glaciers appears blue. On Friday we spent the day in the life of Norwegians back in the day. We saw old buildings and churches and learned how the Norwegians survived before modern technology. In a 300 year old church there was a 200 year old mummified codfish hanging from the ceiling. Because the rope he is hanging from is made of natural fibers, it acts like a barrometer and predicts the weather. They just look to see which way it is facing. On the way back to Skei we stopped to look at the fjord pony. They were specially bread to go up and down the mountains of the fjords. They have really sweet manes.

Skei I Jolster

2009-05-31T14:16:00.004-06:00

Monday night we arrived up in the western fjords in Skei I Jolster. We spent the week here going on day tours to different villages and glaciers. It was pretty cold and rainy but we saw some pretty incredible scenery. On Tuesday we started the day by going to a tiny little village that sells old used books. They had 10 different book shops all right in a row. This is probably my favorite picture of the trip. We also went to a glacier.

A Few Days in Bergen

2009-05-31T13:26:00.006-06:00

Bergen is a very touristy port city. We got in Saturday afternoon and stayed until Monday afternoon. We did some sight-seeing while we were there but didn't have the best luck with weather. We went to Edvard Grieg's home, took a ride in a tram up to a lookout point, walked around the port, toured a castle, and went to an aquarium. I also got to see my friend's little sister who is serving a mission right now. She spoke in church on Sunday and then we ran into her on Monday in a shop. This is a wolf fish. Super ugly and they don't even taste good.Sister Engebretsen.

Off to Bergen

2009-05-31T00:14:00.004-06:00

We drove 8 hours to Bergen last Saturday. It was a long drive but super pretty. It was probably the nicest weather we had had so far on the trip. Too bad we were stuck in the car but here are some pics we took along the way.

Thanks Bente and Arne!

2009-05-31T00:02:00.002-06:00

Here we are outside of Bente and Arne's house just before we left last Saturday for Bergen. They were such amazing hosts-so fun and friendly. Bente made sure to keep us well fed. They are such great people. Bente got mad at me for not being able to speak Norwegian, but I know she loves me anyway ;) .

Bye Uncle Knut

2009-05-30T23:49:00.003-06:00

We said goodbye to Uncle Knut. I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to see him again. But I love this picture. He is carryin his chess set. He is so addicted to that game. I love it!

Silvia and Terie

2009-05-30T16:49:00.004-06:00

Friday night we went to Cousin Silvia and Terie's house for dinner. A couple of their kids (Maria and Will) were there too. It's been fun to connect with our family here. My dad has done a great job sending Christmas cards and keeping them updated on who we are. They all say it's great to finally meet us. After dinner we sat around chatting and singing. So fun!

Family Reunion

2009-05-30T04:21:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday we had a big family reunion dinner so that the family could meet "their American cousins." It was so funny because we just awkwardly stood in a line as they came in to greet us. I felt like we were in a wedding line. A few people spoke some English so that was fun. Here's a video trying to capture the moment.

My Grandma’s Eyes

2009-05-30T04:15:00.003-06:00

This is my dad's cousin Ingyard. I just love her! We couldn't really communicate, but she was just so loving. She kept saying how I have my grandmas eyes only different coloring (my grandma had dark brown hair). Ingyard is such a doll!!!

The Knutsen Farm

2009-05-21T04:51:00.007-06:00

Yesterday we drove out to the farm my grandma lived in until she was 13. This is the church where my grandma was christened.We also went to the graveyard where my great grandparents and other relatives were buried. My Great Grandma Karethe was born in April 1880 and my Great Grandpa Karl was born in September 1882.

Uncle Knut

2009-05-21T04:43:00.003-06:00

Knut is my grandma's baby brother and the only living sibling. He looks EXACTLY my grandma. It's crazy! He is such a stud. He'll be 89 in August. The first day we met him he told us we should get on the internet and use Google translate so we can communicate better. He stays up super late at night watching soccer and playing chess on-line with people in China. He loves cracking jokes and is a little bit sassy. I love it!

Bente & Arne's

2009-05-21T04:31:00.004-06:00

Tuesday we drove out to Porsgrunn where my Grandma grew up. We are staying with my dad's cousin Bente and her husband Arne until Saturday. They don't speak English but she is a fantastic cook! She even has a walk in fridge. There son Jens-Arne is 30 and lives about 5 minutes from here. He has cerebral palsy and is a fighter. He is super independent and speaks English amazingly well and has been pretty much our only link to conversation. We've had a lot of fun talking with him and playing Uno. This is Bente's house. I now understand why my Grandma's house was decorated the way it was.

Garmin

2009-05-21T03:54:00.002-06:00

I'm a little behind. Sorry. On Monday we looked around the city a little more and then headed out to the country to Cousin Frank's. Garmin has become the eigth member of our family on this trip. He/she (that's still under debate) is the GPS we've been using to get us around. So far Garmin has gotten us lost more than anything. She does speak many lnaguages which is fun, but it took us 2 and a half hours to get to Frank's when it should have only taken an hour. We ended up on some country road that was not made for the van we are driving and we had to cut through a farm. Let's just say the farmer was shocked to see us come through his back yard. When we asked him how to get to the golf course he just laughed and said "20 miles that way." We eventually made it. We went to the golf course's country club for dinner and ate deer. It was pretty good. They topped it off with strawberries and icecream and then we went back to Frank's for more dessert. We eat at least 5 times a day here. I think I'm going to explode :).

Syttende Mai (May 17th) - Happy Constitution Day

2009-05-17T16:25:00.009-06:00

Today is Norway's Constitution Day. It was quite the celebration. We walked to the palace this morning to watch the Children's Parade. Something like 190 schools were represented at the parade.

The King and Queen

Streets of downtown Oslo

We ate dinner at my with mt dad's cousin Evelyn and husband Arne, their son Thomas and his family, and Cousin Frank

The sky at 10:15pm tonight

Vigelandsparken and randomness

2009-05-16T09:45:00.010-06:00

This was the view from my window this morning..................at 5:30. Yep, 5:30. The sun came up around 4:30 I think and then woke me up. The sun "goes down" around 10:00 pm but it didn't get completely dark until midnight. I think I like having so much light, even though I am so very tired.

My brother and I went running this morning at Vigelandsparken park. When went back later as a family to check out all the sculptures. I guess many years ago the city of Olso contracted a famous sculptor to fill the new park with statues. He said he would on the condition that no one could see his work until he was finished. They agreed. On the day of the unveiling the city was SHOCKED to find out that all the scultptures are NUDE! Haha. It was a very concervative time and he was a very forward thinker. It caused a lot of controversy, but no one cares anymore.

"The Little Bad Angry Boy"

The other little bad angry boy

And this little kid made my day. Who knew you could ride a razor scooter before you could walk?!

Back to the Motherland

2009-05-16T01:00:00.002-06:00

That's right. The Vogeler Clan is in Norway. It should be quite the adventure. I've never seen so many blonde people all together. This is my first time traveling to another country where I don't stick out. They just assume I'm from here. That is until they realize I don't even pronounce my own name right. No, but it's a beautiful country. I'm excited to get out and see more of it.

Bye Bye Puppy

2009-05-15T05:39:00.002-06:00

After 14 years of being the best dog ever, we said goodbye to Zeus on Wednesday. My brother Eric is a way better writer than I'll ever be so here's a link to what he had to say about Zeusy.

Highlights from Haiti

2009-04-17T21:47:00.013-06:00

I had big plans to post all about Haiti. But that obviously didn't happen. So here are some of my favorite pics.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T13:08:00.005-06:00

Click HERE for an amazing Easter message.

General Hospital

2009-03-22T11:08:00.016-06:00

Probably the hardest day in Haiti was going to General Hospital to work in the abandoned children ward. They had maybe 10 cribs in a tiny room and at least 25 children staying there with new one's being brought in every day. Because of the poverty and starvation in Haiti, children are abandoned and left to die. Some are found by strangers and brought to the hospital. If they don't have disabilities the hospital can usually get them place in an orphanage. I'm not sure what happens to the others. Everything about it is heartbreaking. I know the pictures are pretty disturbing, but they don't even do justice to what it's like there. You have to add in the smells and sounds and the looks on faces.

The staff there can barely keep up with feeding and bathing so there isn't a whole lot of time given just to love. Talk about the risk of dying from failure to thrive. There was a little boy in the crib by the door with big, longing eyes. I went over and stroked his face. He put on a huge smile when I did that. So I started scratching his back and he just giggled and laughed. He was so starved for affection and it felt so good to him that all he could do was laugh.

B

2009-03-20T06:38:00.004-06:00

B is seriously one of the happiest kids I've ever seen. He lives in an orphanage and has some physical disabilities, but they don't stop him. His best friend also has some physical limitations as well as mental ones, but B doesn't care. He loves life and wants to make others just as happy as he is.

My new boyfriend

2009-03-09T17:17:00.002-06:00

His name is Elsu. He told me I'm beautiful and that's all it took. Oh, by the way, he's 6 and lives at an orphanage.