Home Again!

We closed up the camp at Trinity Pines at the end of the week and headed for home on Friday morning. We had good driving conditions for the most part and made good time and arrived home on Saturday night. It was good to be back, even though our time with MDS in Texas was a good experience . After two months away it was time to get back home and connect with family and friends once again. On Sunday the family was home and we all had a good time together . We got reaquainted with Jayda, and Hailey was happy to be able to play here again. She didn't have any trouble remembering us.

The girls brought supper and we celebrated Shaun andHailey's birthdays and instead of cake we had trifle for dessert. Shaun and Hailey shared the job of blowing out the candles and licking the whipped cream off of them before we could enjoy the delicious dessert.

This morning I got to help with Hailey's birthday party that Amber held at the church and caught some pictures of the action.

It is good to be back but at the same time we are anticipating our holidays in Palm Springs. We will be flying out on Tuesday evening and spending two weeks there with friends and family, as well as some time on our own. Stay tuned for pictures from there.

Final Shots

It was an amazing transformation. The house was cheerful and bright and had lots of living space when it was finished.

The opposite end of the kitchen

Another part of the front room

A before look at the ceiling

An after look
The homeowner and his wife were thrilled with was had happened right before their eyes. He kept telling us that if we had stopped at the water heater it would still have been enough, it was more than he could dream of . They both expressed their thankfulness MANY times and were just beaming when we had the home dedication.

The Kitchen and Front Room

Before

after

The front room before

and after

The Bedroom

Before..........................

and after........................................

The Bathroom

Before...........

and after...................................

Our Second House

besides the new build, we did a major rebuild as well when we were down in Texas. This house had taken some damage during the storm and the homeowner had done as much repairs as he himself could with the money he received from FEMA. When Kerry met with him and saw the house for the first time, it looked like this from the outside. The owner had worked on straightening the foundation and fixing the roof. Inside the house was gutted. The ceiling was out, the walls were bare down to the studs, and there was no running water and only one electrical circuit, enough to run one heater. The eaves were open and birds could come and go at will. When we started we didn't promise him much but we would do what we had time and money for. All he asked for was a hot water heater. He said that would be a great start, and as the project moved along, he was thrilled at what was happening. He worked along side our volunteers everyday and so it was a good experience for them as well. The next couple of posts will show before and after pictures.

The house before we started work on it .

The outside of the house with it's new coat of happy blue paint.