this is the first street elise and i drove down when we arrived in new orleans on february 2006. this photo doesn’t speak much to most people, but it’s reminds me of the place i arrived to then, and how far we’ve all come since.

i live in new orleans now, in the upper ninth ward. i drive to st. bernard parish every day to work, fixing plumbing on houses being rebuilt by a new non-profit giving grants to homeowners to rebuild. i enjoy my work and am fulfilled by the purpose. i can’t really imagine doing anything else right now.

i have a family, we eat together every night and watch out for each other’s needs. it works. there’s a little baby, almost four weeks old now, birthed in our bathroom. there is love that ties us together. something about family…