I have now completed Week 2 of this job! I know that doesn’t really sound like a lot of time, but to me it flew by faster than a Blackbird. Honestly, the days all seemed to melt together (probably due to some form of dehydration). But following will be a short day by day look at my second week!

There was some weird overlap between when I wrote my previous post and when I’m writing this, so the first day of this grouping is actually Friday the 7th. The most notable thing that happened that day was that a group of us (Trash Can, Pigeons, and Mutt) went to Point Pleasant, West Virginia. They wanted to go because the region is known as a cryptid hotspot and I wanted to go for the historical events in the region (which slightly overlap with the cryptid claims). The drive was horrendous, it took us almost 3 hours each way. We unsuccessfully tried to avoid toll roads and got to experience the pure panic of scouring for 75 cents among 4 people. Once we made it to our destination, we walked around to look at all the cool things like museums, statues, and antique stores. At the time I didn’t realize, but we were actually walking on the banks of the Ohio River, so I’ve seen Ohio with my own two eyes! It really does exist!

The following day I finally got to go to the local Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and by local I mean one hour away. To start the day, my GPS wasn’t working so I had no idea of when I needed to leave or when services actually started, so for some reason I justified it in my brain that I should leave at 7:30 in the morning. Why? I could not tell you. But before I could leave… my car battery was dead!!! I had left a light on in my car for 4 days without realizing it, so Trash Can, Pigeons, and I tried to jump it. It took an embarrassing amount of time and the help of a Park Ranger, but we did it! I made it to church, an hour before the building even opened, so I sat in the parking lot like a lost child in a grocery store. Eventually people started showing up, and everyone was extremely kind! It felt comforting to be back in a house of God after a long work week. After the service and potluck, I somehow got roped into doing special music on the 22nd (what was I supposed to do, say no????).

On Sunday, I can say was arguably the best day of the week! It was my 21st birthday!!! And my mom, brother and sister, a wonderful lady from my church, and my boyfriend all came to visit!!! It was so nice getting to see a touch of home at my camp and spending time catching up with everyone! Everyone except my boyfriend had to leave after a while, so we spent the rest of the day hiking! I finally went to New River Gorge National Park, and goodness, more like New River Gorge-ous!

Alas, the work week had to begin again. We all were growing really tired of brushing out the trail, but it needed to get done. There was a light at the end of the tunnel though! The shipments of gravel and lumber had finally come in, so we could begin construction of the causeway! We had to keep on using the weed-eaters, hedge trimmers, pole saws, and clippers for the first 3 days. All of us were exhausted, mentally and physically, it’s strange how the mind just learns to turn itself off for really long periods of time. Hours would pass by in what felt like 15 minutes (which is nice when you want the work day to end, but slightly concerning when you don’t know where you are or what time it is). By Thursday, we were given the clear to help build the causeway! Our spirits were rejuvenated and our bodies trembling with anticipation. We loaded up on shovels, garden hoes, sledgehammers, and rock sticks! But… turmoil struck again… there was miscommunication somewhere in the chain, so we actually didn’t know what we needed to do. We worked around aimlessly doing little tasks, hoping that it would be helpful in some way. I spent a while helping Badger Milk measure and cut the lumber for the causeway, which was a lot of fun! So if anything is wrong with them, it is quite literally my fault. But, after the long work week, I finally made the drive home and got to sleep in a bed and now am helping around the house.

I feel like I’m getting comfortable with my living situation. I’ve grown to like the snake that hangs out in the showers (we’ve named him Tom). My Circadian Rhythm has finally been mended, and I sleep when the sun goes down and wake up when the sun rises. Despite my car being a mess, I know where to find everything so I can be ready for the work day. And I’m developing deeper relationships with all my crew members (they’re all a joy to be around).

So, until next week’s update; thank you for following along my rambling, thank you to everyone who has sent me cards and birthday wishes, and thank you for all the prayers!