My first "A"

Well that's 24 down and 104 to go. That would be college credits. This past week I wrapped up my first actual (not culinary school) college course. It was called communication fundamentals. I certainly picked up some good pointers from the class and enjoyed it for the most part. I am definitely getting more out of the chats in my current writing course than I did on the communication chats, but the discussion boards for communication were great.

I had 20 credits transfer from culinary school, and I need 128 to graduate, and there are about 50 in my actual program. So I basically need like 41 more general education credits after I finish the classes I am already enrolled for. Intro to Literature and Principles of Contemporary Mathematics start next week, Intro to Psychology in mid April and US History part 1 starts in early June. Anyone who has some suggestions that you think I would like, please let me know.

Also if you know of places I might be able to find some financial aid, please let me know. I have applied for our district scholarship and will be applying for one from my home church, but if you have ideas, please send them my way. I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I tackle this college adventure and that I am able to find some funding sources. I will keep you updated as we go.

I believe my cohort (not real sure what that is) starts in September, and I will have to go to the campus for a few days at the start of that, but otherwise, a majority of my education will be done online. It is a style that I like. Very fast paced, however I can work at my pace and can finish classes nearly twice as fast as traditional classroom style.

Blessings on you week. Tune in soon for a blog about the new building on the YLM campus.

Fun with Viviana and her family

One of the things Kristine wanted to do when she was here was to see Jorge, Elvira, and the girls. We decided to have a bbq one night when Jorge came to pick up Elvira, so the girls came from the sitter's and we had Carne Asada, homemade Mac-n-Cheese, Baked Beans, and Biscuits. As usual, I spent most of the time playing with the girls, especially the goddaughter Viviana. It is so awesome how she just smiles all big when she sees me and always wants to be in my arms. Granted, she likes anyone to hold her, but I feel special when I see that smile. There are a few pictures below, including some that Camila (she is 3) took. She wanted to get involved in the action and got upset when she couldn't, so I tied my camera around her just in case she dropped it and she went to town. Some of them weren't too bad. Have a great week.

Vivi chillin' in my chair

Vivi meeting bear

All the girls hanging out with me

Just the girls, it was hard to get Vivi and Camila to look at the camera at the same time

One of Erin that Camila took. Not bad

One of Chata and Kristine that Camila took.

My favorite picture in a long time. Viviana getting a kiss from Bear.

WildFire

Ahh, spring is in the air, and what better place to be than outside? Our spring started out a little frustrating last week because we ended up having to pour a slab on Friday that we were going to build on Saturday. All week, as Erin and I took materials to Horizon City to build a house for a lady we worked with at Thanksgiving, she told us she had people to help pour the slab. Well, we showed up with a load on Thursday afternoon, and the area hadn't been touched yet. We came back to the mission, grabbed Felipe and Genaro and went back out to Horizon to level the ground and set the forms. We showed up Friday and Mayra had some family there, so we all started busting out the slab. We had hoped the 50 mile an hour winds would help dry it enough so we wouldn't sink the next morning.

It wasn't completely dry the next morning, but it was workable. Just didn't want to hit it with the hammer, and we scraped a little off, but it was a fantastic slab for making a nice square house. The group had sent some extra money down because they had 14 people, so we were able to do some extra things for the house. Erin and I talked with the leader Dari, about if they wanted to do anything more, and we all felt that paint and a tile floor would be fantastic. Dari said they had some money left in the budget for that, so we were able to make it really into a home for Mayra and her 3 children.

Team Chicago, as I called them earlier in the week was up to the task. In just 5 days they did the full build, 3 coats of paint including the primer on both inside and outside, tiled the floor and still had time for some extra curricular projects we will talk about later. They were a blast to work with, and maybe now I have an excuse to go visit a city that I have never been to. Enjoy the pics and have a great week. OH! and the name of the color of the outside is WildFire. Mayra picked it and Dari started singing Wild Fire, you make my heart sing, and then the rest of the week, every time I looked at the outside I screamed, WILD FIRE!!!!!

Team slab

Erin and Kristine's job was to smooth the cement with the 2x4. I feel we used a lot of the materials for the house on the slab, so I wonder how they do the slabs because the materials are normally not there.

Look at that beauty

So good, I signed may name to it. Erin did too, but that pic didn't turn out great.

OH BOY. WHAT A SLAB

Standing the wall. Josh and I gave each other a hard time all week, so it was his birthday at Andale thursday night. Even though his birthday is really in January.

I have a picture of that level bubble as well.

Erin prepping her roof cuts

Team sheetrock. Notice the shorts, how about that snow up North?

Hi Glen

La Changa (The Monkey) climbing all around the roof to move the curves of the rafters

Team roof, notice the start of the WildFire

More of team sheetrock

This is the only picture of the "Drywall fit on the first try dance". It will be gone forever in 24 hours.

Erin was tired, so I told her to grab a seat and help set the first few pieces of tile.

After she rested on the tile, it was time to dig the electric trench. See videos below.

Some of Team Chicago called it the little Rio Grande, I said it sure looks like it. NO water.

I didn't pull enough wire to reach the box underground, so we went to macgyver mode

She is really trying hard not to freak out because a Cubs shirt is touching her. She hates tar more than she hates Satan, but I think the cubs may be in between.

A nice welcome mat was included in the gift basket from the group.

They also got her some purple flowers that really matched well with the WildFire. There is us all together. What a great group. And they made Mayra's day with all the extras they provided.

I was playing air guitar all week on brooms, trim boards, roofing felt, rafters, etc., and Erin managed to get the only picture. GRRRRR!

We have been making up a lot of dances lately, and this is Erin's I dug the trench dance.

A video of her digging the trench

Dusty Trail

Lots of changes are going on to the mission buildings this year. You may have read about our goals to revitalize the buildings on mine or Erin's blog, well #3 where I live has been a recipient of some improvements. First about a year ago, Erin and I put down a new tile floor to replace the carpet that was damaged by the dogs. Then a few weeks ago, it received a new roof. The bathroom remodel was talked about just a couple blogs ago, and then this week, since Kristine is here, we knocked out the task of painting the living room. Kristine is our summer volunteer from last year and she came down for a relaxing spring break from school. Also, this afternoon, a couple from Albuquerque is putting some new tile on the bathroom floor. I will post pictures of that later. Tonight we are having a barbecue and tomorrow getting materials ready for the group that arrives on Friday.

You may recall that I have a lovely goddaughter now, who is growing so fast. It is awesome that every time I walk into the office, she smiles at me and wants to come be held by me. I have a feeling that pretty soon her "nino", easier for babies to say than padrino, is going to be wrapped around that little finger. There are some pics of her with her "nino and nina" below. Have a great week.

Erin and Kristine relaxing in the newly painted living room

It's called dusty trail, and it really matches the colors of some leaves on the couch pillows

I have a picture like this when she is little and she just stayed on my stomach, now I have to kind of hold her there.

With her "nina", we almost got one of her beautiful smiles.

On her special seat.

The week of the wind

You may recall that we were going to be working in Juarez last week, building a house near Cristo Rey with a group from Michigan State University. Nearly every day was very windy, gust of over 30 miles per hour. It made for some difficult times in our construction, but the group was great and they managed to finish the house in 4 days. Friday for them was spent at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, while Erin and I got caught up in the office a got ready for a visit from last summer's volunteer, Kristine.

It was a really fun week, filled with both laughs and challenges. The biggest challenge was the wind, but a close second was our slab. Because of the area it needed to be, or whatever, it was very not level, almost 8 inches difference in height from one corner to the other. Following the lead of one of my favorite television shows from my youth, we "macgyvered" the area and now that it has drywall and siding, you really can't tell from just looking at it. We invented several "happy dances," the first one being a creation of mine that I called "the drywall fit on the first try" dance. One of the members in the group, Michelle, was doing a great job at applying joint compound, or sanding, so I said she needed to do an "i'm gangster" dance, so she made that one up on the spot. More dances followed, even one from Pastor Martinez.

Enjoy the pics, I will try to put another blog up this week with some pics of my goddaughter Viviana, since she has grown since the last set from her baptism. Have a great week.

Looking from the street, over the slab and the neighborhood

Wall framing

Siding

More siding

The hill we had to go up the first couple days until we parked off to the side of the compound.

Of course when I fell going up it, someone had their camera out

Erin leading the cut team

setting another wall

Standing the walls

It was so windy, we actually had to hold the walls up while the others were being built

The men

The ladies

Surprised look.

James was being security just in case

Finished view from the top

Shot of the entrance

Rosy's son Johnathan, holding a sign that says el door-o stop-o. I'll tell you the story sometime.

Team drywall

Driving some 10 inch nails through my "magyvering" Don't tell the inspector. :)

Another view of team Magyver

Co-leader Abby giving the family a quilt made by members of her home church

Co-Leader Andy giving Armando the keys to his new home.

Yup, it works

The group, family, and some members of Cristo Rey

And there is Pastor Martinez doing the house is done dance.