Jazz Funeral and Mrs. Monti

What an amazing week in New Orleans! It was filled with tears, frustrations, memories, anger, hope, fun, friendships, and work. It is a week I will never ever forget!! We began the trip remembering two of our fallen Hokies who had both spent Thanksgiving breaks giving back to the people of New Orleans. Stack went to New Orleans with me and James the Thanksgiving of 2005, right after the storm devastated New Orleans, and Leslie spent her Thanksgiving in New Orleans during the Thanksgiving of 2006. It was only right that we spent our Thanksgiving 2007 remembering these two amazing individuals who touched our lives so much! On Monday morning, we dedicated Mrs. Monti’s house to these two amazing individuals, and I was overwhelmed by the love and thanks she had for us, a group of young students whom she had never met. In the New Orleans tradition, we decorated umbrellas to celebrate the lives of our lost friends, and we danced to an AMAZING jazz band to show them our love. We cried and danced and hugged and cried some more. Mrs. Monti led a life time of service, so it was perfect to dedicate her house to Leslie and Stack who were also both committed to service. Her house was complete with a framed picture of Burruss and a precious note from her granddaughter that said: Welcome home grandma. We planted orange trees in her backyard with Hokie stone memorials to Stack and Leslie, and I know they are in a very meaningful place. Her home looks amazing, and I know that she is thrilled to be moving back home. Her home was in the same neighborhood as the first house I worked on in 2005. We spent all day gutting, working through maggots, found a dead dog, and discovered how awful a refrigerator smelt when it dumped open after being flooded. The home was completely rebuilt, and it was such an awesome feeling to know I helped that amazing couple move back into their home! The dedication was definitely the highlight of the trip, and there is no where else in the world I would have rather been last Monday. Check out this story: Remembering Stack and Leslie