Day 31 - Build Day Part 2 and Moore, OK

Kat and Austin with his classy painted-on bow tie

We had a second build day in Oklahoma City which was a relief for our bodies desperately trying to recover from the constant biking we do. My quads no longer feel as though they might bust through my skin (however I'm sure a few more days of riding will change that!) Today's build day was awesome because it was way cooler than yesterday was and we had a nice breeze. Today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday. We did the same type of work, caulking and painting, but we got so much done and the house looked great after we were finished. We also did a lot of picking up around the build site. There were bricks and plywood strewn around everywhere. We had to carry all the debris down the street to a dumpster where we hoisted everything up and into the dumpster. This feat was accompanied by exaggerated grunting and/or ninja shrieks. The site supervisors were amused by our antics. We are a very enthusiastic group of people! We had a lot of fun today!

JD and his belly AKA "Wilson"

Paint crew ready for battle

Are we working hard or hardly working?? We actually do a lot of hard work, although it may not seem like it from the pictures! Most of the paint got on the walls, and only some of it on our bodies! Austin had the most creative lunch today: pork brisket with barbecue sauce, cole slaw, and potato chips all stirred together into a delicious stew. 

 Mmmmm! "Just because we have to consume so many calories doesn't mean you have to do it all in one!" "...But it's all going to the same place!"

After we were finished for the day, a woman from the Central Oklahoma Habitat offered to drive us 5 miles to Moore, OK, the site of several devastating tornados that occurred in the beginning of May. The bus we were on, usually filled with laughter and chatter from my teammates, fell silent as we looked out he windows at the destroyed landscape and leveled houses. Piles of twisted metal and splintered wood were piled up in mountains along the side of the road. Our shuttle driver, Jane, tried to put into perspective what it would be like to lose absolutely everything in a storm. You would have no tables, chairs, utensils, not even a glass to drink water out of. She said more than 43 million tons of debris had already been removed, yet, as we looked around, it appeared as if barely any work had been done. The devastation was unreal. However, the more Jane explained it, the more it became clear that the people of Oklahoma are not the kind to collapse when disasters like this happen. They are ready to rise up and rebuild, after all, what else is there to do? Please keep the people of Moore and the surrounding areas in your prayer and be conscious about the little things that you may take for granted. 

The tornado's destruction

Jane, our shuttle driver

Tonight, we are just chilling out and getting ready for the 6 straight days of riding we have as we exit the southern states. Next is Texas and then New Mexico and Colorado. It's crazy that we will be in Colorado in less than a week! Everyone is really excited! This week will be tough, but I know we can do it!

Hey! I am still awake! I decided to write my blog a little earlier than usual tonight so I could stay awake for the duration of the post. Usually, I am so tired when I'm posting that I either fall asleep in the middle of it or I have no idea was I'm writing until I reread it the next morning. Last night, Kat caught me sleeping in the middle of a post: 

At least I'm not drooling! Again, thanks for reading and for putting up with my spelling/grammar mistakes. I'm not very good a typing on my phone! Love from Oklahoma!