Back in LA (Sarah)

This past week was one of the best weeks I can remember. We worked hard, played hard, and put blood, sweat, and even a few tears into the house!! One week was not enough for me to be down there. I could have stayed another month. I knew the experience would change me, but I am actually shocked that it has changed my mentality to the degree it has.

First off I would like to say that I am so proud of each one of the 15 people that went down from Deutsch. All 15 of us worked so hard, and I heard very little complaining. Most of us are comming back with bruises, sore forearms, battered thumbs, and a new respect for how hard construction is. Each one of these 15 people are amazing, and I feel like I am a better person for meeting each one of them. Colleen, Craig, and I were were prepping the house for siding, and Craig pointed out how impressed he was that there was a very limited amount of estrogen considering 13 of the 15 people were women. We all worked so well together, and smiled and laughed our way through it.

We finally finished the roof on Friday morning. The last few shingles and nails were a great accomlishment. Megan, our supervisior, said she was shocked how fast we worked, and didnt think we would get any where near to siding the house, BUT we actually started siding on Friday after lunch. During the lunch break we ran into a sheriff from the town at the local crawfish shop. He told us he just got approved for a house from habitat. He lost everything in the storm. He and his wife (who also happens to have a brain tumor) were in the process of adopting a child and they had to put it off because they have no home. When we said how sorry we were for him, he replied "oh no, dont be sorry it's okay, we will be okay becuase of people like you who come down and help". I cant imgaine losing everything and having the high spirits that these people have. This man has faced more hardships in the last 2 years than I could ever imagine, and he was still smiling. These people are so strong!

Leaving the house on Friday I was extremely sad. I wanted to stay, I wanted to do more. One week was NOT enough. There is so much that needs to be done, and I dont think I have done enough. I would love to go to Alabama and help with relief efforts there from the tornado that hit Thursday. Maybe I will be a Megan, and go back to Mississippi in a month and not come back to L.A. All I know is that this will not be the last of my habitat experiences.

I hope that the memories and inspiration of the people in Biloxi does not fade fast. I want to remember their strories and their strength. This experience will last forever. Thank you Kathleen and Colleen for organizig this trip.

Sarah.

Nielsen DMA #160 (Mel)

It’s late Friday night, I’m dead tired, bruised and a bit sore………and I have never felt better!!!

I have had such an amazing time with and am so proud to be part of Team Biloxi. Everyone worked incredibly hard, but also paid attention to every detail to ensure that Miss Lisa will have a safe and beautiful place to live.

It’s one thing to read about Katrina’s path of destruction in the newspaper, it is another to see it first hand. There is no photography that can accurately depict how bad the damage is, but even with such destruction, the resilience and humor of the people of Biloxi is remarkable. They are so appreciative of the effort that people put forth to help rebuild their city. As Colleen wrote earlier, we have been thanked and blessed and hugged by so many people for merely doing what we should be doing in the first place.

I will remember this experience with pride and with gratitude.

I will also remember that Mole Skin is like the best invention ever (thank you, Diane)

And that 52 is a special number.

And that it is a nightmare to drive nails into a ceiling.

And that the Queen/Ten is probably the lowest hand you should bet on in Three Card Poker.

It has been quite a trip....

Good Night from The Edgewater Inn...

Rosann's recap of our week in Biloxi

A dirty, bruised, battered, tired team Biloxi has just finished its week helping Miss Lisa build her new house in D'Iberville, MS. She'll be living next door to "Miss Peaches" in a cute little neighborhood just down the store from Crawdaddy's grocery/luncheon (best hushpuppies EVER!) where we met Sheriff "Chunk" (he's also living in a FEMA trailer and waiting for his Habitat application to be approved so he and his wife can move into their own house...)

We worked reallym really hard this week, and I learned how to work about 3 different types of saws (some while high up on a ladder,) how to 'wrap' a house to get it ready for siding, how to get a room ready for dry wall, and how to use a hammer the right way!

No surprise that we're a focused, energetic and efficient group -- the housing inspector said it was 'the best Habitat house he'd seen so far!' We've all done a great job, but it's on the drive in and out of work every morning we're reminded of the overwhelming destruction this area suffered: debris absolutely everywhere, beautiful white sand beaches littered with relics from people's homes, church crosses and flagpoles bent into twisted angles everywhere. Despite all that, the people here have shown nothing but unanimous support and thanks to all volunteers like us in the area. It's hard not to well up in tears everytime we're thanked and hugged by total strangers. Going home with warm feelings towards this special group of new friends who I've experienced this week with....I'd can't imagine a better week of work! Rosann

Last work day (Colleen)

Well we just finished our last work day. Hard to believe that we showed up to a few frames nailed up - and left a house that is about to have the final siding put up.

I think the most amazing thing has been how may times all of us have been thanked. I think I've teared up about 15 times this week. Today I was in the little convenience store/crawfish shack. We were all wearing our fabulous I Build Biloxi T-shirts that our design guys made for us - and a group of policemen saw the shirts. They loved the t-shirts so we went back to the work site and brought them one back. I don't think I've ever been hugged so hard. He was also about 6'3" and said his nickname was Chunk - so you can imagine! But he walked to the site so he could personally thank the entire group for coming down here and helping them re-build. We've heard a million times that if volunteers weren't down here helping, nothing would ever get done. He and his wife lost everything and are also about to get a Habitat house. President Bush was here yesterday - unfortunately, I don't think he ever hears that side of the story....

Mel and I have a ghost in our room. Friendly we think....the doors mysteriously open and shut. The other night the balcony door opened and the fog rolled in - setting offf the smoke alarm at 3:30. The day before the inside bolt somehow fliiped over and locked. The owner had to kick our door down so we could get in. Then yesterday - when those horrible storms passed through, it blew our balcony doors open and soaked the whole side of our room - unfortunately including all of Melanies clothes and her suitcase.....so we've been hanging her clothes off the balcony. But even the guy who came to suck all of the water out of the room thanksed our whole group for coming down to help.....

We were lucky that all we had were tornado warnings after seeing the news when we got home - although I will tell you that Sarah and I were racing to get the last roof shingles on when it turned into the final scene of caddyshack with 30 mile an hour winds, thinder and lightening and rain coming down in buckets. Needless to say, being on a roof in a storm is a liitle scary. I don't think any of us roof rats had ever moved so quickly....carrying a metal hammer and climbing down a giant metal ladder in a storm is not a good thing.

Everyone tells you this will be a life-changing experience - but until you do it, you can't explain it.

This group of 15 has been amazing. I've never seen people work so hard - and also everyone has been so great about driving around packed in a van - eating crap, being bleeding, sore and tired. I also don't think I have laughed as hard as I have this week. I'm so proud of our Team Biloxi - and we got glowing reviews from some pretty hardened construction workers - a true sign of accomplishment.

I will look at my purple, internal bleeding thumb for weeks to come and smile about how I was able to, after putting in 500 nails, slam the hammer into it on the last day, then announce thirty minutes later "this is how I did this last time" then promptly do it again to the amusement of Craig and Sarah.

Sitting at a desk next week is going to seem very cushy......Off to the shower to try and sandpaper the dirt off of my body...
-CK

I HEART Biloxi! (Joanna)

Wow! I can’t believe we only have one more day left on the job site. This week has been incredibly challenging and rewarding at the same time. As the week is coming to a close, I am finding that I am really going to miss: slinging a hammer, nailing shingles to the roof, sawing 2x4’s, snapping chalk lines, securing wall studs, riding in a crowded van with 15 sweaty construction workers, hearing Dave request “Pigio”, eating every lunch at Subway, dinner at “CiCi’s Pizza”, Ms. Lisa and her fantastic stories, Megan and Mr.Bill, wearing a backpack instead of a purse and boots instead of 3-inch heels, sushi at the Beau Rivage, the Mississippi Department of Health (not), seeing a “Waffle House” every ¼ of a mile, and most of all…the lovely Southern drawl.

I feel so proud of myself and my team when I look at how far we have come. Day one many of us couldn’t be trusted with a hammer and now we have built a sturdy, dry roof, installed windows and doors and nailed a stud ☺

What I have learned this week is worth every blister, bruise, and even my shot for Hepatitus A (I’ll explain when I get back). Thank you for all of your love and support (both financially and motivational). Biloxi will always have a special place in my heart- mark my words, this will not be the last house I build!

All clear of the tornados (Craig)

Hopefully you weren't checking weather.com today, because if you did, you would have seen that there were (and still are) tornado watches in our neck of the woods. Well, it's 6pm, we're all showered, and we're all still alive. Right at the end of the work day, the rains rolled into D'aiberville and drenched the work site. It was fun to run around in the pounding rain and through the muddy, puddled ground while picking the power tools off of the soggy work tables. The timing couldn't have been better since we had just finished 99.9% of the roof, leaving only three shingles to be laid on the roof's peak. Otherwise, we spent all morning laying 1,837,892 shingles on both sides of the roof. Not sure what the girls were doing with the interior all day (see their blogs tonight), but we are damn happy to finish the roof. When the rains came down, we were safe and dry inside the house that is starting to look a lot like a real house. I'll post video as soon as I get a chance. The progress we've made this week is crazy, and so very fulfilling. Ms. Lisa has been with us each day watching her house mature, and getting to observe how excited she is to own her very first house is worth all the sweat and beers this week has produced.

Here are a few thoughts that the group will always remember, and if they don't make sense, come ask us in the hallways next week and we'll explain:

- Pigio is the hottest drink in the south. Ask for one next time you're at Hollywood Park.
- The Ship Wreck Suite is SuuuuWeet!!!!
- Colleen's lucky number is 666.
- Beah Ravige, our home away from home.
- Rosanne is the first person to learn how to hammer with her inner thighs.
- Our group has single handedly supported the following items: Heineken Light, Mole Skin, and Suave Handy Wipes.
- The band at our next office party will be Ro Sham Bo.
- "Open Says a Me" lost Tricia $5.
- Hepatitis A shots are only available in strange neighborhoods on the outskirts of town.
- Elvis loves the Edgewater Inn.
- Dave is now addicted to CiCi's cinnamon buns and isn't going to drink tonight...maybe.
- Girls puff.
- Rental car cleaning deposits are an ominous investment.
- Aged corndogs on a stick are a local delicatassen.

That's it for now. We're staying-in tonight to play games and eat pizza while the president kisses babies and tornado warnings expire outside the Edgewater Inn. I hope you all are having a great day wherever you are, and we'll see you in a few days.

our evenings out - TRICIA

So - yes we work hard during the day, but at night we venture out to see the local color.

Wednesday night we went to the Julep Room which was a dirty little hole in the wall. We ended up hearing one of the best Blues / Southern Rock band called "Ro Sham Bo". Of course it didn't take long until the entire Biloxi Team was crowded onto the little dance floor.














Thursday night brought us to "The Shed" for some good 'ole Southern BBQ. YUM!





Standing in the looooooong line to get food.




Who let the Vegetarian in?




That's where the water level was during the flooding