i cant believe this is our last week here and we will be heading back to already Denver friday morning after breakfast!!  time has gone SO fast. while there are people and things i miss back in Denver, I'm not sure that only a month here has been enough for me. 

 we are still working hard during the week and enjoying our free time on weekends to check out nearby attractions.  Liz and I compiled our pictures so far, and between the two of us we have over 900 pictures!!  That's only us two- several other people on the crew have been snapping away as well.  We will definitely have to sit down and weed out the junk before we show anyone a slideshow presentation of our trip!

  I'm really happy with my experience here and the work i've gotten to do.  I love to change things up and keep variety in my life, so I usually jump on opportunities that will provide that for me.  I''ve gotten to work on 3 different homes, which were all at very different stages of the recovery/rebuilding process.  Miss Annette's house is still being painted, but its getting close to being finished. Today I got to install kitchen cabinets and they are looking sweet!!  Last week we worked on a totally different house where we were taping and mudding drywall for a couple days.  I can't say either one of those is really "fun"...mudding is actually quite an artform and by the third day i think i FINALLY got the hang of it!  AAAAAAAAAND Miss Paula's house is just days away from being complete and she will be able to move in by the end of the week.  *clap clap clap*  its all really exciting!!!!

 Dan and  I also got the opportunity to spend a night in Gulfport, MS (about 30 mins from Bay St. Louis) to work with another volunteer group.  our initial project was to "map trails" that have been covered by Hurricane debris at a wildlife refuge. They really just wanted us to walk the area and see if we could find remnants of an old trail, take some notes, and map it out so in the future another crew can come in and define the trail.  Fortunately for them, Mile High style doesn't mess around, so not ONLY did we find the trail, we also got down and dirty and did some debris removal, corridor clearing, and busted out some simple trail work in the day and a half we were there.  It was really nice to see another town and new scenery and of course really awesome to be in the middle of a forest doing trail work and feeling like i actually knew what i was talking about! :)  (props MHYC)   I did have some reservations about being totally invested in what we were doing though....i understand that victims of the disaster need a natural refuge like a walking trail in the woods to maintain some beauty and simplicity in the destruction around them, but it was hard to emtionally detach myself from the homes i had been working on in Bay St. Louis.  I couldnt seem to justify the priority of the trail, which is just going to be overgrown again in a few months if no one maintains it , when there are peoples HOMES to be worked on.  But, in any case, I'm really glad i got the chance to go.  It also made me realize how AWESOME we have it here at St. Augustine.  Both the living and working conditions in Gulfport were a little more hardcore than we have it and it really made me appreciate what i've been given.  

  I am really greatful for this experience and SO glad i decided to join the team.  I'm really bummed that there are only 4 days left,but I'm sure there is another door waiting to be opened to another amazing life experience.  And if there isnt one, maybe someone will be nice enough to offer me a really cool job starting in March....hint hint :)

  i might not get a chance to write again before we leave, but be prepared for lots of stories and pictures when we get back to town.  i miss you all and cant wait to hang out!!

:)