Day 8 - First Build Day!

Waking up early this morning was no easier than any of the biking mornings.  Going out last night certainly didn't help, but not having to pack up and clean the house was such a relief.  Sadly I really hurt my heel running around UVA's campus last night, so it was an especially nasty surprise to wake up and hardly be able to stand on it.  I was quickly noticed limping around on the hard wood floors in the sorority house, receiving a lot of questions.  If you want details, just ask--I've now told the story a million times.

We all biked over to the build site then split up into groups because they needed us all over.  I ended up doing a bunch of odd jobs rather than one task all day, but it helped make the time fly by.  I dug a hole, put staples in the ground to hold down ground cover, put up house numbers and painted handrails.  It was incredibly hot out at the build site and I couldn't wait for lunch, but afterward 3pm completely snuck up on me.

Derrick's mom was so generous and brought a ton of food and fresh fruit along with a blender to make everyone smoothies after the scorching hot build day.  They were absolutely delicious, and I made sure to get more than one.  After fueling up, I had to get in my other fix--coffee.  Emily acted as tour guide yet again and we set off in search of coffee and Clif bars prior to dinner and prior to showering.  My search for both ended in success!  I basically bought the running store out of Clif bars and then got coffee at a place called Shenandoah Joe's, a local coffee shop and roaster.  After pining for coffee for at least a week, my tastes were fully satisfied.  And they even had little coffee drippers!  In retrospect I wish I had gotten one because I have yet to buy any memorabilia, but I have plenty of time ahead.

A B&B alum Whitney (now I forget her last name) made us a ton of food that was all fantastic.  We ate outside on the porch and spread out in the front yard.  Like all meals, there were absolutely no leftovers.  The night ended with several rounds of Thumper filled with lots of mistakes and lots of laughter at my leader's apartment in Charlottesville.  What's the name of the game?!?! THUMPER!!!!