Our trip is coming to a close, and I think that the title I chose sums up our spring break perfectly. Literally and figuratively. (Literally, we were on the roof and in the rafters and on ladders.) And on a more serious note, after we had our one and a half hour discussion and everyone got to share their feelings about the trip, I really saw how everyone had grown. Hence, the figurative meaning behind ‘such great heights’. No, some of us might not have changed completely, but I think we all admitted that there were many parts of this trip that were out of our comfort zones, whether it was traveling with people we didn’t know well, doing something that we knew we might not be good at, or trading in spring break for 8-to-3 workdays. And yet, with a lot of determination and a lot of encouragement from each other, we managed to overcome everything and rise above what we thought we were capable of. And that was probably the best thing about this whole trip.
Now onto what we did -and didn’t- accomplish yesterday. Turns out ‘finishing touches’ was a bit more elaborate that I had previously thought. Once again, I’m bad at terminology, only now I can’t go back to the worksite and ask for technical terms, so just hang in there. Use your imagination. Anyway, unfortunately the shingles didn’t arrive until after lunch, so the morning was spent doing little things like nailing strips around the bottom of the house which would help attach the siding. We also spent a great deal of time cleaning the site. And we made some startling discoveries: a rusted mattress frame, an animal skull (which has yet to be identified), a sweatshirt with weeds growing through it, and a slug (which has passed on now, thanks to Zink). But that’s okay. Cause slugs are pretty nasty little creatures. I’m not even sure what they are, really. Maybe some type of worm? In the class Cnidarian or Nematode or something. Whatever. Not important. Back to the house.
Along with the shingles, we had one minor little setback that I don’t think was exactly planned. Zink was going around the house putting up sheet metal on the trusses, but the inspector came and he and Dennis (the Habitat Head Honcho, as I like to call him) went head to head (or hat to hat) about how plywood needed to be used in a certain place instead of OSB. I was trying to eavesdrop, but if you’ve ever tried to overhear someone else’s conversation while using a nail gun and a screw driver, you will understand why this was kind of unrealistic. And plus there was a lot of grunting and harrumphing, which doesn’t really translate all that well to English. So…..basically, we made a mistake that had to be corrected. Mr. Zink was not happy, since everything he’d done that morning had to be undone, but he got over it and together he and Justin worked on fixing the mistake.
I got to do a lot of exciting things yesterday. I’ve never really used power tools other than a screwdriver when I was like 16, so Joanne gave me a little tutorial on the nail gun, and Sam helped me nail the OSB to the trusses on the ceiling of the porch. This involved me holding the nail gun above my head. REALLY REALLY REALLY bad idea. Good news is that I didn’t drop it. Bad news is that my hand got tired pretty quick and I almost did. But other than that, me and that nail gun made a fantastic team. I wish the same could be said for the screwdriver. This had to be held above my head also to put some plastic stuff up, but I couldn’t get the screws to go in. So Joanne made me practice on the wall in front of me. Finally she had to go get this attachment which held the screw so that I could put it in straight. It was probably made for like little kids who are learning to use a screwdriver. Not 19-year-olds pursuing higher education. But whatever. Even with the baby tool I had some problems. Joanne was being very patient, but finally she said, “I’ve never fired anyone, but we want this house to get done before the dedication next year.” Joking, of course. (I think.) But I laughed anyway and practiced some more, determined not to give up. Finally with Sam and Jessica’s encouragement I got it. So the screwdriver and I are on better terms, but I’m kinda relieved that I probably won’t see one again until I come back next year.
Then the most exciting part: SHINGLES! They finally did arrive after lunch, and so a bunch of us climbed on the roof and starting using the bump gun. Which was a blast. Meg, Kristen, and I made an awesome team. Believe it or not, we finished the entire roof (besides the center part) in two and a half hours. It was amazing. And only ONE of our shingles was a little off. So I was very impressed with our shingling skills.
Finally, we had done all we could, and it was time to go home. We said our goodbyes and stopped by the Habitat office to pick up some super cool t-shirts. Then we headed back to the house, where we had tacos and nachos and brownies. It was another great meal.
Oh, and last night I did my run on the beach AND I took my camera and got some sunset pictures! They are mediocre, though. And by mediocre, I mean you won’t be seeing it on a “Greetings from Florida” postcard anytime soon. I went by myself cause Meg had her blisters and Zink almost broke his ankle, but it was nice. I’ve been running four miles, so I thought I could do two and a half on the beach, no problem. This morning, my calves were telling me otherwise. The following measurement can be added to the unit conversion chart….4 treadmill miles= 2 beach miles. =]
And of course, we couldn’t let a day go by without games. So we placed LCR and charades. Which was verrrry entertaining, seeing as how some of the words were Tiger Woods, cockatoo, Shih-tzu, and paying taxes. We ended up staying up until almost 2, since this morning we didn’t have anywhere to go. It was a lot of fun, and I felt like we got to bond a lot more.
Today, the sun is finally out and it is WARM outside! Warm enough to go chill on the beach. So that’s what we are all currently doing on our last day. Tonight we will play sand volleyball and eat at Flounders. I can’t wait for that, either. And tomorrow, we will begin our trip home. I’m kind of happy to get back, but at the same time, I’m sad to be leaving. It has been great getting to know everyone and I look forward to keeping in touch with all the new friends I made!
It has been a lot of fun sharing all these memories…..hopefully whoever’s reading this enjoyed them!
Until next year,
Jess
It seems as though our work here is done.
At approximately 3:15 PM today, we left our work site for the last time. What truly started as a concrete slab is now a standing house; complete with walls, windows, doors, tresses, roof paneling, shingles, house wrap, and lots and lots of memories.
Please take note: This blog will be extremely long, detailed, and emotional. As this trip ends, I feel as though it’s important to share my experiences not only with those of you viewing the blog from home, but with my crew mates as well. This is kind of my send off to all of you as well.
We arrived this morning (a little late because Zink slept late…) with some disappointing news: the shingles hadn’t arrived, so we wouldn’t be putting them up ourselves. We immediately jumped into our work – cleaning up the site and getting rid of trash. K Dobbs found a skull under some rubbish, we also found a mattress that had rusted real bad and tons of other weird things. After some trash pick up, Justin and I went around the entire house (on ladders!!!) nailing pre-shingles to the outer ledge of the roof. This took almost all morning. The Habitat people brought us a great lunch that wasn’t PB&J!!! We had ham and turkey sandwiches, chips, sodas, apples, homemade chocolate mint brownies, and more! It was an excellent last lunch with our crew team.
After lunch, it was time for my “special teams” crew to assemble. By “special teams”, I mean people who are too chicken to get on the
Giving Chelsea that extra boost to staple that wrap in...
roof! This consisted of me, Jessica V., Sam, and Chelsea. It was our job to wrap the house. We got to go around the perimeter and staple gun wrapping to the house. We were not good at this – but we had a blast trying! And at the end of the task, we made sure that our little mistakes were totally fixed, but regardless it was a great time. We were loud, we were hysterical, we were distracting, we were the entertainment for the afternoon for sure! After we pre-wrapped, I cleverly said “Okay ladies, let’s see what else we can screw up before it’s time to go today!” to which our Habitat buddy, Steve, couldn’t hold back his burst of laughter from the roof above.
Jess V. and I next to our PERFECT window...
Next, it was our job to waterproof the windows. We went strip by strip, attempting to hold up the tape while holding back our laughter. At one point, Joanne, one of our crew leaders, had to come over and tell us to STOP HAVING SO MUCH FUN cause we were obviously going to screw something up. Joanne was joking, but we knew that it was probably going to happen. It did, but Jessica and I fixed our flub and no one knew better!
As we cleaned up shop, everyone got to sign the house and leave a special message for the future homeowners. I have to give credit to Mr. Zink as his message really summed up the trip: Enjoy, Make Memories, Stay Determined, We did!
After some group pictures, a couple failed attempts at our infamous High School Musical pose, and a trip to the Habitat warehouse to get some awesome t-shirts (I got two…), we arrived back at the beach house for the evening.
Group hug at the end of day 4
Tonight we had nachos and tacos for dinner and then spent a good 90 minutes closing up and reflecting on our work. It was so great to have everyone sit down and talk about their experience. They were all so different and we all got even closer. Laughs, tears, and hugs were all shared.
I said at the beginning of the week that I expected a lot of change, not only in the others, but especially in myself. I’ve seen so many great things and I know that I’ll have some memories that will never fade. To each person on this trip, I want to share how deeply you’ve impacted my opinion of Maryville students as a whole once again. I was lucky to be coming on this trip, knowing ALMOST everyone at a very personal level. I wouldn’t have changed that for the world.
Nurse Pam – thank you for heading the hot mess express. You made this trip so much fun and so lighthearted. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for us. It’s been amazing.
KQ – I’ve only heard you tell me about this trip for four years…and it took me until now to make it happen. Thank you for all of the encouragement and support. This opportunity was priceless and I know that it’s because of your’s and Pam’s hard work and dedication.
To my newest friend, Carly, I want to thank you for the amazing one liners throughout the trip. Once again, I’ve met another person from Red Bud, IL that is amazing! They raise some great people there! And your knowledge of 90′s music makes me like you even more!!!
Sam – I have to apologize for the fact that I gave you three tours at Maryville and didn’t remember. I hate that feeling, but I got to know you so much better on this trip, and I hope that makes up for it! You set the bar high for hilarity when that little fish made his way to your “heart” on the first night. Thanks for making me breakfast throughout the week and for helping with my laundry.
To my very first screw up buddy, LeAnne – I was SO excited to see your name on that list for this trip. You were one of my best Capture the Flag teammates, then became an excellent volleyball teammate, and now, you’ve given me enough laughs to last a lifetime. We got to play our short game of beach volleyball: short, but sweet, and it was LEGIT!
Dur Der Dur, Jessica VanCleave! I don’t think I have laughed so hard while working in my entire life. We screwed up: a window frame, a large nail stuck in a knot (at least 7 times), a house wrap, and at LEAST seven pieces of window tape. We are awesome. Thank you for the “Heart Joel” signature that will forever be left in the rafters.
Ashley – I am so impressed with how much you have grown since being one of my freshmen last year! I am so glad that I got to spend more time with you on this trip. You are going to do some amazing things – just keep that string cheese handy!
Lauren – same applies to you. Since I met you during seminar last year, I’ve watched you come out of your shell so significantly! Thanks for having some very significant conversations and for teaching me the best way to hold a nail EVER.
Jess H. – I will always strive to beat you in our “name that tune” competition – however; since you can branch out past Boy Bands and Blonde Pop Stars, you will probably beat me. You too, have changed so much since seminar, and I’m very proud.
Chelsea – I’m very glad that you finally got to go on this trip. I remember you trying to go two years ago when we had seminar together and two years later, you made it happen. You have come so far and I was so excited to see you branch out and be that social butterfly again. I’m very glad that you were here!
John, John, John…I love watching you lead in action. You have so much energy and enthusiasm, and it’s amazing to see you get work done! You will always be my first freshmen, and I’m glad that you continue to make me proud.
Zink – words cannot describe how amazing you’ve made this trip. I was hesitant to see what would happen, but I couldn’t be prouder of you this week. I truly feel like a proud older brother right now and I am going to hold you to the standards you’ve set for yourself this week. Make me proud, Macaroni and Cheese head…
Meg – I am so proud of everything you and I accomplished this week. We got dirty, we went outside before making sure that our hair was perfect or that our clothes matched, and you dominated that roof like no other. I’m glad we got to spend this time together and enjoy a relaxing spring break away from St. Louis. Next stop – South Florida for the Backstreet Boys Cruise!
K Dobbs – I look to you for so much inspiration regarding this whole process. I can truly say that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. Thank you for giving me that final push and the confidence needed to know that this trip would be worth any concerns I may have had. I’m honored to have been a part of your senior habitat trip!
And last, but not least, Justin…I am so lucky to have gotten to spend this week learning so much from my best friend. I feel like I was spending time with a completely different guy on this trip – and it blew me away. I kind of think this is what “Camp Justin” is like, if not even a higher extent. Watching you jump out of your shell and take charge is amazing. Even though I HATE Mao, sitting back and seeing you take the lead for this game makes me so happy. Thanks for helping me “do work” on that house…paneling, ladder-ing, whatever it may be, it was great having you teach me so much skill.
Good work, Habitat crew. Thank you for an amazing week and I can’t wait for our reunion up ahead!
Looking good in our awesome Habitat shirts!
So I have decided that I’m definitely a morning blogger. Which makes sense, because I am a morning person. And because I am a morning person, it stands to reason that my blogs will be more entertaining. But I probably shouldn’t say that. Because if I do, and my morning blogs aren’t better than my night ones, then that would be a huge disappointment to the million people that are reading this.
Yesterday A LOT was accomplished. I wish I could tell you exactly what, but everyone was doing different things at once, and I just know that I was doing a darn good job nailing on the roof. =] And so were Zink and Meg, who were my roof buddies. I have never been afraid of heights, so I loved being on the edge. And besides, it was only an 9 or 10 foot drop. So if I fell, there’s probably a 75% chance I wouldn’t break anything. Those are some pretty good odds, I think. So I wasn’t worried about it.
Before I get into anything else, forgive me for not knowing any technical terms other than caulk and…..well, that’s it. I haven’t spent near as much time learning the names for what I was doing as opposed to learning what I was supposed to be doing. And that’s the more important part, anyway. After everything was nailed down on the roof, we began unrolling black felt stuff* and putting in these little nails with colored disks* around them. It was a lot of fun. Pam got to use an air compressed thingie* that shot the nails out a lot quicker than we could hammer them in. I was jealous.
Anyway, on the ground, people helped wrap the window and door frames with stuff* so that they could be installed. Some of the girls also started nailing some chunks of wood* above all the walls. It really doesn’t sound like a lot, but all we have left to do today is put on the ‘finishing touches’.
After we finished up with everything on site, we went to the dedication for the house that the Maryville Habitat Crew built last year. A bunch of people involved with Pensacola’s Habitat were there, as well as the family living in the house, and they had a ceremony planned complete with programs and all. Even though I didn’t go last year, it was still great to see and hear all of the gratitude everyone in that room had not only towards the Maryville students that had came last year, but also those of us who were currently there.
In the evening news, Meg and I went for a run on the beach down to the boardwalk. It was beautiful on the way there, a little chilly on the way back. And plus poor Meg got two huge blisters on her toes….so I felt kinda bad. We saw a beautiful sunset, too, but we didn’t have our cameras. =[ Then we had a delicious dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, and McGuire's leftovers.
Of course, after dinner, we had to have game night. Last night's game of choice was Apples-to-Apples. Up until last night, I don't recall ever losing a game. But I tied with Lauren, and then I lost the tiebreaker. Sad day. So now Mao is my new favorite game, even though I haven't won it yet. There's always time.
Oh, and this morning I got some fantastic sunrise pictures. Although you'll just have to take my word. Because all of my lovely pictures are on my camera. Whose cord I did not bring. And whose memory card does not fit into my new computer. So you are temporarily out of luck. But I promise I'm not lying.
Now we're off to our last day of work at the site. I'm super-excited but really sad that it's almost over.
And here is a list of the translations for the terms used above in italics. I discovered them today...=]
black felt stuff- tar paper
little nails with colored disks- soft nails
air compressed thingie- bump gun
stuff- liners
chunks of wood- deadwood
Well, it actually ended up being SuperFreak, but when we THOUGHT M.C. Hammer’s song was playing on 107.3 The Groove, it was pretty exciting.
Three days down, the house is becoming more and more complete as we move along, and people are still excited! We spent a good majority of the day working on tar paper, windows, doors, and other things that required me to be either on a ladder or on the roof.
I do not like the roof...or pictures of me trying to get on the roof.
I do not like the roof. It is not fun and I have zero balance. However, I did get on the roof. I did not do anything on the roof but attempt to get up and walk around – but a person knows when they don’t like things…
I can’t decide which part I like less, though. Obviously, I didn’t like being up on the roof, and I didn’t like trying to get down from the roof, but I really didn’t like the fact that EVERYONE decided to watch me and talk about the fact that I was on the roof…and take pictures, of course.
I found my new favorite tool yesterday – the palm nailer! This invention SHOULD have been introduced to me on Monday…but I’m glad that I have found out about it now because it makes life so much easier. LeAnne and I rocked the palm nailer for a bit, then Jess V., Justin, and Chelsea joined the party. It was awesome.
We put up the windows yesterday and that has been, by far, my favorite task. Les asked Justin and I to tackle the first window, and it
Justin and I got to put in the first window on the house. This was amazing!
was so exciting!!!
After work, we went to the dedication of the house from last year. We got to meet the family and some of the Habitat people. Kristen got an amazing t-shirt for coming to 4 Habitats with Maryville and Carly, Lauren, Ashley, and Justin got hats for being at 2. It was amazing to see the final product being used after considering what we started with. Plus, the family was so welcoming and friendly. Of course, Zink made a new friend and she showed off her MJ moves at one point too.
KQ’s sisters made an amazing dinner for us – meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, and lemon cake! It was awesome and we all really appreciated it. After dinner, we played a REALLY long game of Apples to Apples. I knew it was going to be an amazing game when I pulled the Backstreet Boys card; but then Justin trumped everyone with Helen Keller. I was so tired last night that I completely forgot to do this – but we’re headed out to our last day at the site. I’ll make sure to keep you all posted when I get back.
Everyone "hanging out" after day 3!
Okay, technically that’s the word of the day for yesterday. I was so tired though last night that I didn’t get a blog entry in. Or maybe I was just too full from the delicious meal i had at McGuire’s. Either way, you’re getting this entry a day late. However, I didn’t want to leave out any of the technical stuff we did yesterday. And sitting here in a silent house right on the beach watching the sun rise (for the first time I’ve seen it since we’ve been here), I can’t think of anything better to do.
Which brings me to the hurricane straps. They are the difference between building a house in Missouri and building a house in Florida. We did a bunch that were on the floor Monday, but the hardest part came yesterday, when we had to nail the hurricane straps down on the upper part of the wall and the trusses. There’s a lot that can be said about nailing 17 nails through a single piece of metal. One, that house isn’t going anywhere-not today, not tomorrow, and definitely not in a hurricane. Two, the angle you have to be at to get some of the nails really hurts your wrist. There’s no way to be ergonomic about it. And three, there wasn’t just one hurricane strap….there were like 100. So it was a loooonngggg, not entirely comfortable process.
But we got it done, and with enough time to climb up on the roof and start nailing. That was the fun part. Nurse Pam taught me all about having a low center of gravity (shows you what one and a half semesters of physics have done for me…haha) and I learned how to be right at the edge of the roof without falling off. Despite the steep slope. I found it much more comfortable than doing the hurricane straps. Shows just how much I don’t like them. =]
So the house is really moving along. Like if there was a hurricane and I was looking for a place to seek shelter, this house would definitely make the cut. Four walls, a roof, a million and one hurricane straps. It’s hard to believe we’ve done all of that work in 2 days.
Oh, and I looked at the floor plans for the house yesterday. It’s really nice. There are going to be 3 bedrooms, one of them being a master suite, a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, some storage closets, and a laundry room.I didn’t look that big when we first got there and saw the slab of cement, but now it seems pretty decent-sized.
The weather for today is supposed to be nicer. The forecast is sunny and 58. Yesterday was FREEZING! Like, I would have had a better chance of getting a sunburn in St. Louis. It was cloudy, windy, and like 40 degrees. I’m a cold weather person, but it just shouldn’t be cold and cloudy in Florida. If this keeps up much longer. Florida’s going to have to take the oranges off their license plates and find a new state nickname. The Sunshine State just won’t cut it anymore. =]
And that’s all I have to say for now. I’m sure there will be more info coming later.
