"God, be with John & Diane.  Be with and bless every member of this precious family.  Bless, protect and let prosper everyone seeking shelter in that good home of theirs.  -Amen"

A DIANE UPDATE 01/15/06

So , it's late, and I've just drank too much coffee, so I decide to dink around on the e'mail and read your site. There is a note to all who read it about our family and the countless others who are sharing the same challenges in life. Thank you so much and I'm glad that you shared it.  I guess an update would be nice.
Not much has changed.  My in'laws finally got power to their FEMA trailer so now they can turn on the lights and use the fridge.  It is in their front yard, they are vowing not to rebuild but still living there. Good thing is that the trash has been hauled away so it smells a little better there. I guess its hard to leave a place you love. My father in law who also lost their fishing camp in Hopedale, has decided that it''s probably in Cuba! He has only a few pilings left and the boatshed is gone too. It was a roughly made shed, but it did have and electric lift to keep his little flat boat out of the water.  Anyway, he had started to make another lean-to or shanty of some sort so at least we can go fishing on the bayou and do some crabbing. He's the kind of man of 75 who has to keep busy. The whole community down there was wiped out, maybe one or two camps made it through the storm. We made that our summer spot of fishing and swimming in the bayou as the children were growing up. He had built a huge wharf  with a  rope so the kids could swing out over the bayou and drop in.  It may be gone, but our memories will remain.  My husband's sister and her husband are still living in our garage and it get smaller every day. They had applied for a SBA loan way back in Oct. and even though they have qualified ,, the red tape involved is incredible! Hopefully it won't be long and they can close on the house that they are buying. They will remain with us even after because they are buying a home that was flooded, but only 2 feet . Much of the work has been done but there's lots more to do before it will be ready. Crazy!!!  Kids are fine ,, John has been home alot in Dec. but the traveling cranks up next week.

Thank you for all your prayers.. 
-Diane

A DIANE UPDATE 03/28/06

I thought it only fair to send you a note to give you an update since I have been able to keep up with you on your Blog thing..It has been nice to read , entertaining and enlightning. The note about your Dad most recently really got me though. I loved him, and your whole family for that matter, and I have told you that before. He and your Mother always made me feel so warm and welcome in their home. Those are some of my fondest memories. I still have a letter that your Dad wrote to me when I lived in Houston sometime after I was married. He wanted to meet John and told me that he prayed for us.
Coming from my family , that meant the world to me.
My father never went to church with us . He worked hard and did his best though. He lost his battle with cancer a year ago . Funny thing,, the last 2 years of his life he went to our little church every week. He became the one who would get there early and put out the food, turn on the heater and make the coffee. He was an icon who was always there. He would attend all the functions and bake things .. When he was too ill to drive, he would get all dressed up and wait for his ride. So , it's not in our time that someone decides to be a follower, but Gods. I think ,,,,anyway, its how I have accepted it .. The last several months of his life, he had a peg-tube and could only take nutrition that way because he couldn't swallow. He tried real hard to accept it and live that way but it was too hard. Not even a glass of water could he have. He gave up knowing the consequences . He was ready to go home. The last week he was in a hospice facility. He knew that when he would die t here. It was a beautiful new place and they took excellent care of him. He too wanted me to take him out. It was so sad...We had his service at our church in Chalmette and it was a surprise to see all the people that I didn't know ,come .. I miss him.
We have been busy, after the storm. We finally got a new roof . The yard looks better and we have moved our chicken yard. We have geese and 1 duck that we rescued. My in-laws who were living with us now live in a Fema trailer in fromt of their gutted home in Chalmette. My sister- in law and her husband just moved out, but are living in a travel trailer in the driveway of the home that they are renovating very close to us. Like across the street.Their home in Chalmette also gitting a sitting for whatever will happen there.
Mike Roberts has been down twice with groups form his church doing work on the area. Its been so good hanging around with him. He will be moving to Pensacola in June ,, job transfer I think " DS" for the churches. Keep in touch if you can

-Diane