The Herrold Collection: Vacation Part I

On the first leg of our trip we stopped off in New Orleans. It is only about a 4 1/2 hour drive from Sugar Land and we wanted to get the vacation off early so on Saturday morning we headed out bright and early. After we checked into the hotel we went to Mother's for lunch. It was recommended by so many people. In fact, when President Bush came to check on the hurricane this is where the mayor brought him for lunch. It's just a little dive. Nothing fancy at all. You go thru a line cafeteria style, but oh is it ever worth it. Absolutely delicious. I highly recommend it!

Next, Big D and I argued about what we should do. He wanted to just go walk around the French Quarter and eat, see some sights and hang out. I really wanted to do a city tour. The tour was pretty pricey, but I ended up winning and then had to worry if it would be worth the money. He wanted to make sure the girls saw the famous sights of New Orleans. While I wanted to do that too, I really wanted to see the hurricane area and see how things were progressing.

If you are anywhere close to New Orleans, you MUST go on this tour. It was heart wrenching. I cannot even find the words to tell you the devastation that still exists in the Lower 9th Ward. Here are some pics I took. Look closely at the writing on the house. In the days after the hurricane, rescue crews would come by the house and identify their group, post the date and then post how many bodies they found inside. If this doesn't grab at your heart nothing will.

I also fell in love with Brad Pitt. I am amazed by all he has done for these people and really not received publicity for it. Yes, he might have too many kids and Angelina is a little odd, but what he has done here is astonishing! Here are some pics of the houses his organization has put up:

The next pic is an abandoned house. Look closely at the roof. This is where the homeowner had to break thru the roof to climb on top to avoid the floods. We all remember the images from the news of people standing on their roofs, but seeing this in person really made an impact on us.

I could go on and on about what I saw, but I'll stop. Just know that these people are still hurting and are in need. I was so moved that I am praying about a possible mission trip to help them. I have a friend who is doing a family mission trip in August to put on a VBS while they are there. Our church doesn't currently have anything scheduled to go there, but I would love for you to let me know if you know of any future trips. I would also love it if you go too!