This week I did a lot more trim stuff. I used a jigsaw to cut sink holes. Hung cabinets. I learned a lot. Today was just cleaning and landscaping. I think the preschool thing made it a long week, ready for the weekend.

We have been doing our individual project- a garden for a preschool. It was fun, but exhausting, working with 150 little kids (not all at once). It's just one of our americorps fullfilments for the year.

All the americorps have been doing interior trim this week. Matt and I are professional closet-installers now. Some baseboard.
We went on a Habitour today. For potential donors, telling the homeowners stories.
Saturday I just found out I have off, so Justin and I are driving down to LA.

Today was a huge letdown. It's raining here, and there's still a storm watch, so we are still at the hotel. Unfortunately we still had to get up at the usual time, 5:30, and go down to the buses. They were making last minute decisions, we ended up going to another casino to take a big group picture with the Carters. That took an hour and a half. Then we went to a baseball stadium with a big tent and ate breakfast. They finally decided the sites were closed and we had to go back.
But I just won $7 on slots!
I found a litte blurb about the family we were rehabing for-
The water from Katrina "messed up everything we had." Eugene and Patricia tried to ride
out the storm in their house, but the water got so high they had to leave. The water was up to
his neck when he tired to walk outside. They made their way to the railroad tracks, which were
on higher groud, and followed them to a school where they took shelter.
He was really nice, always smiling, and made the work a lot easier to do. The hardwood floors we put in looked really nice with the off-white paint we used. Everyday, he'd come over to help a little, and he looked really pleased with all the stuff being done.
Next year, the build is in Indonesia. It has been a great trip, a little bit of nccc again.

i'm pretty tired, but really quick, just wanted to say that this week has been rewarding, but exhausting! I'm finally getting enough sleep. (it's hard when you're staying at a casino vs. a hotel, or a fema tent, or whatever).
I have been doing a lot of finish work that I haven't done before- laminate floor, tomorrow, i will do baseboards. tomorrow we are supposed to be finished with the house, but we'll be cutting it close. I hope we are able to, because there's also some sort of dedication ceremony, and it would be nice to have it done.
today there was also a tornado watch, but nothing really happened.

So today was just painting for me, nothing new, but I liked it a lot. We are rehabing a home in gulfport, in a neighborhood of about 40 other homes being rehabed. We met the homeowner, eugene, and some of his family. They are all very very nice.
Yesterday, at our commencement, Garth Brooks and Trisha yearwood showed up. And of course, jimmy and rosalind. Jimmy gave a very good speech. The rest was kind of corny.

It's been a week, but I can't think of anything too new that I learned during it.
The exciting news is that right now, I'm in Biloxi, Miss. in a Casino! I feel like I'm in Vegas.
We will be fixing up some houses over here for the Jimmy Carter build. But work doesn't start til Monday. Tomorrow, we'll probably go over to New Orleans. I will be able to see it and compare from last time I was there.
Hopefully I'll keep getting free internet here, and be able to post a bit more.

the rest of the week, I learned quite a bit now that I think about it. We sheathed the roof today. Before that, there were a lot of details that had to be done- putting up the barges (white 2 x 6 trim), putting up the starter boards (plywood on the very edges of the roof), putting plywood under the California "hips". I have become a lot more confident with the skil saw. I am Cut Girl.
I like working with measurments though. It seems like myself and the other americorps all have varying amounts of different qualities- Matt has all brawn/"monster" and no finesse, I have finess, but no brawn, Joel has some of both, David has none of either. So it all works out!