CSF Katrina Trips: We made it...at long last!

Greetings family members, friends, and anyone else reading this post...

This is not Rebecca Lehmer, as the name may suggest, but rather a mere fill-in in her absence. (We miss you Rebecca!) This is Amy Brown reporting on the events so far of CSF's Spring Break 2008.

Well, we have safely arrived in Slidell, LA, a suburb of New Orleans. After 24 hours of van travel, we are, to say the least, exhausted. But mostly in high spirits as we embark on CSF's 5th trip to the South to participate in Hurricane Katrina relief work. The team this year consists of 26 hopeful workers, 11 women and 15 men. It is worth noting that this is perhaps the first major CSF event with a majority of males. We'll be split up into two work teams, one flooring team and one painting/finishing team, while Amanda and Leah will be staying back to cook for the rest of us. I don't think we have our specific assignments yet, but we'll find out soon enough.

The trek down from the north was fairly uneventful. We passed through too many states than we could keep track of, hit a couple of rainstorms, and lost all feeling in our behinds as we bumped down the highways. Kudos to our valiant drivers who made sure we were safe as we drove all night Friday and all day Saturday. The ride was broken up by periodic stops to fill up the vans and stretch our cramped legs, besides that there's not much to report.

While it may be below freezing in our hometown of St Paul, it is a balmy 74 degrees at 8:30 this evening in Slidell. Our dwelling for the next week is a refurbished limo rental place, that has been used as volunteer housing since the hurricanes hit. While forced to sleep on couches, air beds, and the floor last year, we are living it up on bunks this year. It is a cozy little building with a pink common room filled with seven plush couches, two tvs, and several tables. The kitchen is sizable, the bathrooms adequate, and the company wonderful.

Here are a few pictures to visually represent the trip so far...