5 Times...

This year marks round number 5...

5 times the friends,
5 times the work,
5 times the sweat,
5 times the cuisine,
5 times the memories,
5 times the laughs,
5 times the love...

I honestly cannot imagine my life without this trip every year. I look so forward to it, that life seems to revolve around the beginning of August. Since last year, I have moved across the country from Chicago, the place that I call home.

Two weeks prior to the trip, Erica and Genie Skyped me into the Orientation so I had a chance to say hello, express my excitement and meet all of our new participants. My excitement surged. Last year I promised and I have since kept my promise to rendez-vous with all of my friends, family and loves, down here in our favorite place. I was able to come in a few days early, to enjoy the last few days Trip One was down here, and see Caroline, Jennifer, Genie, Adrienne and her family. My parents came in to spend another few hours with me, before the Trip 2 arrived. When we all were finally together, on Sunday, we picked right up, as if we'd all never been seperated, chattering, swimming, and getting to know all of the new people.

Today is Thursday, and the bulk of us have left with Tony for a tour of the 9th Ward. The rest of us are here, finishing the little bits of work we have left and blogging. We have taken tens of thousands of books, and leveled them, according to reading level, labelled them with colored dots and letters, and shelved them in an actual library!  This is so very exciting to know that the children, who start school next week, will have a giant, carpetted room, with big fluffly couches and chairs to come into, and get lost in a world of books.

Much like last year, when we spent all week leveling books, periodically someone would yell out the title of a book that sparked a memory from their own childhood, or just something that made us giggle:

"Mr. Popper's Penguins! I remember reading this with my Dad at bed time!!"
"Chicken Soup With Rice! Who remembers the cartoon starring Carole King??"
"Tyler's Shy! HA, no he's not!"
"I Am A Duck!"
"Do Unto Otters!"
"The World's Biggest Baby!"
"The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!"
"Raging Hormones, The Unofficial Guide to PMS!"
"Why War Is Never A Good Idea"
"Quotes From Women! This book is almost a thousand pages, looks like women have a lot to say!"

Most of the time, I felt that this banter bonded us together. Finding such a commonality in literature... Almost like an unspoken, secret language. And, quite honestly, I feel as though laughter is the glue of humanity. If you can't laugh, or even crack a smile, you're missing out on a huge part of life.

Truthfully, after 5 years, this might be what I look forward to the absolute most, year after year: The laughter.

I think it's safe to say that I'm addicted to New Orleans, and our Service Projects. I cannot imagine one without the other, whatsoever. And I like it this way.

<3 Always... 5 times!