A Nation in Need

Here is just a little plug for a cause that is dear to my heart. As you may know, recently the country of Haiti was rattled by a devastating earthquake that has left thousands dead and millions without homes. This kind of natural disaster is bad anywhere, but particularly so in Haiti because it is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and as such lacks virtually any kind of earthquake proof buildings or the ability to respond to large-scale disasters. This recent occurrence has caused the world to suddenly focus on this poor nation, but my family and I have been involved in helping Haiti for more than a decade now. In 1998 my mom went down to Haiti with a group of doctors and nurses from her work on what was the first medical/humanitarian mission that launched the organization Healing Hands for Haiti. Healing Hands is a non-profit organization that specializes in rehabilitation and prosthetics for the many Haitians who have amputated limbs or other disabilities that make day-to-day work difficult. The organization also operates a medical clinic, physical therapy, care-giver classes, and offers aid whenever possible to outreach clinics and orphanages. I had the privilege of going on two humanitarian missions for Haiti, once in 2003 and again in 2005. These were life changing experiences for me. I did not know what poverty looked like before I went to Haiti. It changed my outlook on all of the luxuries and conveniences that I used to take for granted.
I can't even imagine the devastation that exists in Haiti now. I have been sad to hear of friends that have been hurt or died because of the quake. The compound where Healing Hands operates was hit pretty hard, too. Currently, my mom, dad, and aunt Susan are down in Haiti with a hospital task force. They will assess all of the damage and formulate a plan for rebuilding.
It is really disheartening what has happened in Haiti. Recovery will certainly take a lot of time and hard work, but if there is one thing that I learned from my own experiences with the Haitian people it is that they are resilient. As in the days of Toussaint Louverture when the slaves united and rose up to claim their independence from the French, Haiti will find strength in unity to overcome this crisis. My thoughts and prayers go out to my friends and family in Haiti. If you are inspired to donate to the cause or just want to learn more about Healing Hands please visit their website http://www.healinghandsforhaiti.org/

Update on the Princess

Princess Hailey is nearly a month old. My how the time flyeth! Hailey continues to grow each day. She is getting better at sleeping at night. She's up to 4-5 hour stretches now! The hard part is keeping her awake in the evening so that she isn't so wide-eyed and alert at nighttime. She loves her baby swing and she's working on perfecting those little smile muscles. The Lord of the house is becoming quite proficient at changing diapers. The Lord and Lady of the house are so happy to have such a wonderful little bundle of joy in their home.

The Royal Steed

Every knight must have a faithful steed and so it is with the Windsor family. Summer Breeze is a 14-year-old flaxen (this does not mean mutt, dustin!) chesnut mare. The lady of the house came upon the horse a dozen years ago. She didn't have very much to barter with, but she could afford the sum of $201.12 at the Spanish Fork Livestock Auction. The bond was instantaneous. Horse and girl practically grew up together. Ashley and Summer championed many competitions together and have traveled many trails. Eventually, Ashley found Summer a home at a barn where she could serve the community by giving therapy lessons to disabled kids. The adventure is not over yet, though. Ashley has plans to breed Summer to her Aunt's gallant stallion, Alex, in hopes to get an offspring to raise and train for her own offspring to ride and enjoy as much as she has enjoyed riding and growing up with Summer.

Release the Hound

Kloey Joe Windsor is our esteemed royal hound dog. She is a purebred basset hound that hails from the lineage of Circleville. We adopted her as a six-week old puppy in July 2008. She loves all people, chasing balls, and chewing on raw-hides. Her ears hang well below her nose and double as a blindfold when she's sleeping in the sunshine. The Lady of the house has to follow her around with a towel a lot of the time because Kloey is an expert drool-flinger. She has a deep, melodious bark and paws that rival the size of a Great Dane's. Despite some of her crazy antics, Kloey is a beloved member of the Royal House of Windsor.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye: A Princess is Born

On December 29th, 2009, Hailey Michelle Windsor was born. She weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and measured 21.5 inches long. She is our first and we were ecstatic to meet her since she was 9 days past her due date. We brought her home on New Year's Eve. She has been a ton of fun (Day and Night, if you know what I mean).