Thousands of people were left with only the clothes they were wearing, their homes destroyed, and many were left without jobs, food and fresh water. But people have responded, and it is amazing. More than 13,000 volunteers (as of yesterday) have flooded into Joplin from around the country, and many more have sent money or donations of clothing, food and water. 

Lindi, our friend Kirstyn and I drove up to Joplin today to volunteer with College Heights Christian School & Church, one of the main coordination and distribution centers currently operating. Unless sent with an organized clean-up crew, volunteers aren't allowed in the destroyed part of the city, and since we opted to stay and help with the relief effort distributing food and other necessary goods, we didn't actually see any of the physical horror the tornado left in its wake. Nonetheless, we saw hundreds of storm victims come through the center, and their grief was apparent. At the same time, though, people were still laughing and talking. 

When we first got to the center, I actually teared up at the number of volunteers working tirelessly to help those affected by the tornado and the rooms upon rooms full of donations of food, water, clothing, medical supplies, paper goods and toiletries. The gym of the school was full of tables upon tables of men's, women's and children's clothes and shoes. There were tables lining the rooms and hallways overflowing with canned food, bread, shampoo, toys, fresh produce, pallets of water, diapers and baby formula, toilet paper, blankets and so much more... and as we walked through the school, there were boxes and bags lining the hallways to still be gone through and sorted by the volunteers.  It was stunning. 

The three of us worked "Personal Shopping Assistants"-- we were matched up with families that came to the center and led them through the maze of rooms to help them select what they needed to survive over the next weeks. The place was jam-packed full of people trying to maneuver heaping shopping carts through the hallways, but everyone was so gracious to each other. People cried, and told their stories and hugged each other as they picked out soap and canned green beans and toys for their children. 

I miss volunteering. I used to volunteer a lot, in high school and in my first years of college. It's something I really enjoy, and I think I sort of forget about how it makes me feel until I'm in the middle of it again. Lindi and I spent a good chunk of Sunday and Monday nights huddled in our tiny downstairs half-bathroom with our two (very distraught) cats, and I am so grateful that we were not harmed by one of the many tornadoes that touched down in the central U.S. and that we were able to help those that were. 

For those of you who wish to help, you can donate money, blood, materials or time. I believe that the two greatest needs at the moment are funds to help with the relief effort and volunteer time. Many of the centers are experiencing problems with the amount of donations and not having space or volunteers to handle the materials. For those of you in the area, here are some volunteer opportunities: 

All of the photography and style were done by the talented ladies at Dottie Photography and Dottie Creations. I love it. 

My parents came to visit this past weekend for Lindi and my graduation (eee!) and they, like my sister, are on a gluten-free diet. We wanted to make something sweet for them to snack on while they were here, and Lindi found this very elastic recipe for cookies that turned out very yummy and a little like sweet granola bar cookies. It's based on this Tahini Cookie recipe from All Recipes, but we mixed it up a little! (For anyone who doesn't know, tahini is a little like peanut butter, but made with sesame seeds. It's used in most hummus recipes.)

Gluten-free tahini cookies

6 tablespoons tahini

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups quick oats

1/2 cup sliced almonds (or other nuts of your choice)

3. Drop the mixture by heaping teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet about two inches apart. 

         

4. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. 

6. Enjoy! 

 

(Linked to here!)

Yesterday we got together with Kathryn and Kevin to do an engagement session, and it was so much fun! They are such an adorable couple. 

I will say, however, that when he is not sleepy, he looks more like this: 

We love him so much already. 

Love! 

The black and white photo, from a 1950 Life magazine, by Nina Leen. 

The hairpins, from R.A.D Expressions on Etsy. 

The vintage-style swimsuit, from LUCKYPRLforMIA on Etsy.

The Turkish bath towel, from AllOrganicTextiles on Etsy. 

The size 6 Blue Bombshell sandals, from Belle Jar Vintage on Etsy.

The ocean trinkets locket necklace, from RoseAndRaven on Etsy. 

The serenity ring, from happygolicky on Etsy.

So, I had never even heard of Polyvore until I stumbled across it yesterday. I never knew how people made collections of stuff like this without painstakingly saving photos of every item they liked, cutting the items out and repasting to a Photoshop background. This was fun! I really love this color pink (it's one of my faves to wear) and I love slightly vintage-looking clothing and accessories. 

I have a confession to make. I LOVE tattoos, especially black and white tattoos, but I don't have any and honestly don't think I ever could. I do, however, love looking at photos of other people's tattoos. 

This is one of my favorite tattoos of all time, of a Mucha painting. Lovely. (From here.) 

And I obviously really like back tattoos. For instance, tattoos of trees and plants. (From here.)

And birds! (From here.) 

And black line tattoos of things like cameras. (From here.)

Do you have a tattoo? I'd love to see it! Just link in the comment section.