Ben Comes to Town

Lowehouse finally made his visit down to DC and brought Mykell with him. We had a great time with them. Here are some pictures from their visit.

Ben, Mykell, Lizzy and I in front of the Lincoln Monument

Lowehouse

Ben and Mike seeing the sights. Ben and I both bought that good looking coat Ben is wearing

Ben with our cute ladies

Gettysburg with Momma and Papa

My Momma and Papa came to town over Conference weekend. We took a trip up to Gettysburg. It was our first time up there, and we had a beautiful day. We took our time and saw almost all the sights. It is somewhat of a tiring tour and takes a long time, but we made it through it.

Dad, Momma, and Lizzy at an outlook point overlooking the battlefields of Gettysburg

Dad, Momma, and Lizzy atop a monument at Gettysburg

Momma and Lizzy (in her stylish glasses) hanging out

Me and my sweet Momma

Dad being a loon

Like father, like son

Lizzy and I in Gettysburg

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

Lizzy celebrated her birthday today. Here are some pictures from her celebration. I threw her a surprise birthday party with a bunch of our friends. I think she loved it! For her birthday, I got her an apple laptop with a fun little carrying case. I figured it would be helpful with her going back to school. I think she liked it.

Lizzy with her new Apple Laptop

Lizzy and her Skor Birthday cake that I made for her. L to R: Scott, Katie, Kimberly, Lizzy, Lindsay, John, Jessica, Lizzy G, Mike, and Elaine

Lizzy blowing out her birthday candles

Lizzy and Jessica G, the birthday girl, and Katie at the party

Grandma Beverly's Birthday Party

Lizzy was able to go back to Salt Lake City to celebrate her grandma's birthday party. Everyone gathered at Roz and Roger's for a catered feast on a lovely August night. Grandma looked beautiful, of course. She is our role model for living it up (and for staying active - she is the buffest eighty-year-old out there!)

Lizzy and the Birthday Girl

Grandma, Tommy, Silje and Lizzy

6 month old Tommy

Emma and Silje - favorite Ellison nieces

The famous "Moby Dick" tongue (all the Ellisons can do it)

Birthday Wishes

Three Blondies - Tommy, Lizzy, and Willy

Beautiful Girls

Post Katrina - New Orleans

After Katrina, the already inefficient 2-tiered health care system in New Orleans, needed rebuilding. Hospitals, health clinics and other medical facilites needed rebuilding. Doctors had left the region because of the devistation and impact the hurricane had on their business. Our department was tasked with working with the region to help rebuild the health care system. I was able to travel with Secretary Leavitt to New Orleans on several occasions. The first time was in February 2006. The devistation was unbelievable. Progress had been made, but not much. Windows were shattered everywhere, garbage piled on every corner, businesses with boards in the windows and not open for business. In the hardest hit areas, homes were literally lifted off their platforms and set down in their neighbors front yard, or on top of their neighbors home. Boats were in trees, cars on top of homes, the devistation was horrific. Here are some pictures from my travels down there in May 0f 2006. This is many months after the hurricane, you can tell the progress is slow.

Cars piled up under the freeway. There is a several mile stretch of abandoned cars that sits under highway 10. It is incredible to see so many cars that have been found with no one claiming them.

The Superdome

The levee that broke that protected the 9th Ward. The neighborhood to the right of the levee is the neighborhood that the following pictures come from.

There are markings on all of the homes. You see the date 9/15, the date the home was inspected by 4 k9 dogs, and reinspected on 10/08. You can't see the markings on this one, but they also do a marking indicating how many were found in the home, and how many of the found were dead. It is very sobering driving through the neighborhoods seeing the number of people and animals that were killed.

Yes, that is a boat on top of a destroyed home

This home was picked up and put down on this car

If you look closely, you will see the platform blocks for the home that was once here. You can also see the front path and steps. The home that was once here is the white home you see in the distant background. This property was on the first block by where the levee broke.

Looking accross the street from the previous picture of the home that had been moved. This is a picture of the new levees.

There are interesting signs all over including this one