I've come to realize lately that I've become complacent here. I'm so used to seeing drug deals, homelessness and blighted properties that it all seems to run together into this long string of everyday events. This morning that all changed. I was driving down a familiar street in the neighborhood and just through an intersection the truck in front of me stopped for no apparent reason. Then from around the driver's side I could see and man and woman in the road and before I could figure out what was going on, he punched her in the face and she was on the ground.

Now, I know that stuff like that goes on, but I've never seen it happen, let alone happen 15 feet from me. The truck swerved around the couple and so there I sat, wondering what to do. The woman started to walk away and the man was still yelling. To be honest, my biggest concern at that point was whether or not he had a weapon on him. He moved off to the side of the road and I drove past, still in shock. I thought about calling the police but they had both moved on by the time I looked in my rearview mirror.

The whole thing still seems surreal, but it has caused me to think a great deal about the neighborhood and all that goes on here. My last post was about the Saints and how it has brought the city together, and it has, but that temporary, earthly thing cannot make the changes we need to see in this neighborhood. This has been a wake up call to remember to pray, pray, pray. Would you join me in that prayer for the redemption of this neighborhood?

Last night I suffered through the cold and wind (somewhere in the upper 30s) for the Saints homecoming victory parade. It was so worth all the shivering and somehow I managed to hold still long enough to get a few photos. Above is my favorite. It's Head Coach Sean Payton with the Vince Lombardi trophy with the throngs of people in the shadow of the Dome. I must have taken 600 photos during the 3 hour event, but this one tops them all in my book.

Drew Brees (QB #9) got a little distracted by some beads and never turned toward where I was standing. I found a spot on the second level of a parking garage next to a photographer from the Times-Picayune. I wish that I had made the decision to rent a telephoto lens, but I guess we all live and learn.

Head Coach Sean Payton will surely have sore arms today for all the trophy waving he did, but I've never seen someone so proud of something. It was an amazing sight. They are still waiting on actual estimates of how many people turned out but it was hundreds of thousands and the crowd continued to grow thoughtout the evening. Many are saying that the numbers top those of any Mardi Gras ever. New Orleans sure does know how to throw a parade and have a party! Once again, I'm so proud to be a part of this city!

It's been a full and busy few months here in New Orleans. I was able to make it home to Iowa for Christmas before the rain turned into snow, but I spent a few nervous hours in Atlanta wondering whether the flight would be on time.

The first few days were great. The temps hovered around 35 and I could manage that, but when they dipped...no...dropped, below freezing, well, I don't handle that well anymore. We spent a good deal of time just staying inside and hanging out. While that may seem boring to some, I think it was just what I needed to rest and relax before heading into this busy year.

Unfortunately because of all the bad weather in Nebraska and Kansas, we were unable to make it to Kansas City for a family Christmas but my aunt, uncle and cousin were able to spend a few days with us on their way home.

After returning to New Orleans I was back into things full-swing right away. I began work on our upcoming newsletter and when we were almost finished making edits the decision was made to change the format and how it is printed. Cost of printing was our biggest reason and we are able to save a great deal by doing all of the printing in-house. The above photo came out of a photo shoot for the newsletter and is by far one of my favorites.

So, for the last week or so we have been printing non-stop and stuffing, stuffing, stuffing. We had two wonderful teams in this past week that helped us get more than half of our 12,000 stuffed and ready to go. So when you see the new newsletter, I hope you like the changes, but please, feel free to let me know what you think works or doesn't work.

The other big news in the city, in case you haven't heard (is that even possible?) the Saints are Superbowl champions! I know, I know, you may be a bit confused because most of you know I am a Colts fan. That hasn't really changed, I do still love my Colts, but I couldn't help but jump on the bandwagon to cheer for the Saints this year.

It is amazing (and utterly chaotic) to be a part of this city right now. Not only is it Carnival season (which leads up to Mardi Gras) but the Saints have won and the city is just electric with excitement and pride. I looked all day yesterday for a newspaper and finally got my hands on one via a coworker.

But the main reason I have cheered for the Saints is because of what it has done for this city. This season has brought the city together in a way that I've never seen. It has brought joy and pride back to New Orleans and has given people something to hope for again. I think it is a great reminder of what the true "saints" (Christians) should be doing in this city. I know that God has still has big plans here and it is still so exciting to be a part of it all.

Below is Evie, the daughter of some church friends celebrating the Saints win.