I'm out of control.

I'm sitting at Jenny Wiley state park. Phenominal weather we're having today. :-)

cheers.

en medias res

I am left questioning a lot of things after what I've seen and experienced in the past month. I can't believe that it was a month ago that we were finding out whose staff we would be on for the summer - it seems like just last week, and at the same time I have formed some amazing friendships that I think might just last for a long time. I have met so many incredible people (and a few less than savory characters). I know my way around to all the work sites and have a pretty baller pair of green overalls that fit just right (even if they are super long) that I bought for $5. Today I felt the wind in my hair and had fun washing a 3/4 ton truck named Duchess with Joe.

Then I thought about the last time I showered.
Saturday.
Morning.

So I'm off to shower now, even though I don't want to - just for everyone else's sake. My day off starts around 4 pm and I have no clue what I'm doing. Someone please visit me soon. It'll be fun and I'll bathe. We won't go to the movies, but I might let you tag along in a sketchy looking van as we drive through 3 towns in 5 minutes or we could go fishing or shopping or to the city. Your call.

We could always go to the Dairy Bar, get a deep fried oreo sundae and play "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" on the jukebox.

If you can't visit at least send me a postcard. I am collecting them. And showing them off. I love mail.

cheers!

2 second update

I'm still alive. We're working out the kinks this week. Bluegrass tonight. More later.

cheers!

eventful day

Today was super busy. I'm too tired from driving a lot today to write more now, but I just wanted to say that mountain dogs are so cute. Except a guard dog that we met today - perhaps the most frightening thing I've encountered (other than coal trucks barreling down the mountain roads in my lane) since I've been here. Which says a lot about this area or about the German Shepherd - you decide.

Missing all of you. Send me mail and I'll send you something back!

cheers.

Hot breakfast

I'll just paste something I had typed earlier, since I don't have time to update now. Alrighty then. We are in Martin County, Kentucky! The group, consisting of Ruthie (Center Director), Bryan (Finance Coordinator), Mary, (Operations Coordinator), Joe (Supplies Coordinator) and myself (Volunteer Coordinator) arrived yesterday evening after an adventurous drive from Jonesville, VA.

On our trip here the group got separated and when we finally caught up with the first two vehicles, we expected them to start their engines and pull out to the highway. They didn't. One reason was because the engine for the van was already running and the other was because the keys were locked inside. After half an hour, Joe, Mary, and I managed to get into the van without breaking anything. That was an epic win.

We got here without much more delay and met with Murrel, the head janitor. I'll talk about the facility that we're staying at later. The rest of the evening was filled with moving in and eating dinner at a local diner (I love, love, love their juke box and its crappy selections).

Sunday we slept in and it was glorious. For the first time in a few weeks, I received a solid night's sleep. After we woke up, I took a cold shower (can't seem to get hot water to work in the women's showers) and we set up our office. After several unsuccessful attempts to reach contact people from the churches that will be at our center weeks one and two, we all jumped in the van and headed into town. Riding shotgun is a privilege that we are all starting to loath, since whoever takes shotgun has to get out and unlock the gate at the school's driveway for the vehicles to get through and then relock it after they have passed through.

We went to the closest laundromat (it's in a town named Inez, where the Martin County center was last year) and then realized that we were short several quarters. Who knew it would cost almost $2 per load? (Hint: not us) Mary and I walked to a nearby Dairy Drive-In and I was able to get two dollars in change there. Then, we headed to a gas station where we got a few more dollars in quarters and I got a few bottles of Ale8. We ended up having to send someone to pick Bryan up from a fast food place about a mile down the road, but they got more quarters there and we were able to do our laundry.


After that we got pizza for dinner and ate a deep fried oreo sundae. It was totes delish.


This is where my prewritten entry ends and the summing up begins:

Monday was filled with errands and visiting homes of people who have applied for ASP's assistance. We accomplished a lot and things are looking good, but Ruthie has a to do checklist entitled "Before Pool Party" that is pretty long. It's everything we have to get done before we can go to a pool party with other ASP staffs tomorrow. I think we can do it. Also, I really appreciate her task minding - it really helps to see our goals set out for me. With that in mind, I need to get back to work, since it is now a reasonable hour to call contact persons.


Much more later.... probably.


cheers.

Contact info

Here is the phone number for my center:
(606) 395-1199

and our mailing address is:
Appalachia Service Project
Martin County Center
General Delivery
Warfield, KY 41267

Please keep in mind that the phone number is our office phone, so business comes first and we won't always be around to answer it. Also, we don't have an answering machine yet, so if no one answers, try back later.

I would love to update more now, but we're about to have a meeting and then I have phone calls to make to groups.
More later.

cheers.

Quick link

Here is the site for the school I'll be living at this summer. It's a new school and we have limited access to the facility. Still.... yeahhhh!


cheers.

Less than 48 hours

Tomorrow morning we have to wake up early and head to Johnson City, TN. We've been in Jonesville, VA for training, so going to a city will be a welcomed change in scenery. At the end of the day, we'll head back to Jonesville for a talent show (I'm doing the mash-up invented by Miss Jordan Johnson -- check her out on reverbnation) and then we will get to sleep in a bit on Sunday. Sunday morning we will have a commissioning service and that afternoon we'll head out to Martin County, Kentucky.

While I will have access to my phone and (most likely) service in the city, I won't be using the phone much. Training has been pretty intense and we still have a lot more to learn tomorrow. I'm the volunteer coordinator for my staff, so I get to know all about what's up with groups before they arrive. However, it means a lot of paperwork and first impressions. This will be a good learning experience and I definitely feel like my major can be helpful in these aspects.


There are a lot of people playing that stupid chord progression G - D - Em - C (which is what the mash-up is) in the room that I'm sitting in... so I am going to head out. Besides, it's after 11 and I have to be ready for the day at 7. Wow - life has changed -- I'm considering 11 a late bedtime and all other sorts of things.

cheers.

Training....

So this is just a quick update to say that I made it to Jonesville safely and we're in the midst of a pretty intense week of training. Our schedules have been packed with stuff to do and I've met a lot of great people.

As for this summer... I'll be in Martin Co. KY in a town called Warfield. I am on a five person staff and I'm pretty excited about how the summer will turn out.

More later.

cheers

There should be a reality show about The Trifecta of Occasional Goodness. Just saying.

cheers.

Another adventure...

So...

This time last year, I was traipsing about Europe (Poland and lower Scandinavia) and this time last week, I was saying "aloha" to Hawaii.
Now, I'm about to embark on a completely different type of adventure.

While the other trips were both educational and fun, they weren't faith based and they weren't rooted in a cause that I have been interested in for years.

This summer, however, I have had the wonderful opportunity to serve as summer staff for ASP.

ASP is a home repair ministry in the Appalachian mountains. I've been volunteering a week of time with them since 2003. For more info on what they're doing/how to get involved, visit asphome.org

I'll try to keep this short, since I still have to finish packing and getting stuff in order - if you want to send me letters, mix CDs, bandanas, or anything else for the next week, you can mail it to:

ASP Jonesville HSC

P.O. Box 250

Jonesville, VA 24263

I'll have a more permanent summer address in a few days. Don't send mail after the 2nd or 3rd, since I'll only be in Jonesville until the 6th. If you feel you must call, you can reach me at (276) 346-3377, if I don't have cell service. If I do, I will let you know. You can always attempt to reach me by email or facebook message - I'll check when I get a chance, but it's not guaranteed to be a top priority.

Ok, I do not like blog posts like this that are more information and less fun stuff, so I'm off... I will be filling out forms and watching Chuck until I head to Fuquay to get milkshakes from Cookout with friends who I haven't seen since I was 20. :) Then when I get back it's more packing, repacking, and loading the car.

I will now attempt to update via my beloved iPhone (which will be just a regular cell phone this summer, as I'm guessing 3G isn't widely available in the mountains). Keep me in your prayers!

cheers.