AWBama Blog 2

We woke up to a thunderstorm this morning and the only alarm clock we needed was the crack of thunder. The wind and the rain were overpowering the morning, like a monsoon. The rain was relentless all day. Here’s a little bit about the area we’re staying in: There are three communities-Winfield, Guin, and Gu-win. Gu-Win is a portmanteau between Winfield and Guin. Apparently, if someone is from Gu-win, you’re not supposed to tell anyone that that’s where you live. You have two choices: Winfield or Guin. We met the Habitat contractors, Greg and Mary. They were very funny, especially when Greg joked, “We have a first aid kit for those that get injured and a shovel for those that don’t make it.” Greg and Mary took us to see the house that we will be disassembling and also to the house were will be working on outside. Thanks to the rain, mud was running red from the clay and made for a very messy time. A local restaurant, Dinelli’s, provided us with a free lunch. It was much appreciated and was just one of the many kind acts provided by the locals. Lunch consisted of delicious pizza and pasta. After lunch, we went to the Pastime’s Theater’s production of “The Best Pageant Ever.” It was a nice little play, even though some of our participants decided to take a power nap during it. To kill time after the play, Teressa took us to shop at Abby Nicole’s. It was a quaint store full of this and that. Some of our participants decided to take advantage of the opportunity and indulge in some retail therapy. The food never stops coming down here in Alabama. We had even more food at the church potluck. We had some of the best fried chicken any of us had eaten, loads of casseroles, homemade vegetable soup, and the southern class of sweet tea. After dinner, members of the church community entertained the guests with Christmas performances. We had individuals come up and thank us for working on the home and coming to the community. They were grateful to have us there, and of course, we were grateful for their warm hospitality. We had a little reptilian invader in our dining hall tonight. We caught the lizard that our wildlife scientist Sean believed was an anole. We met the Board of Habitat for Humanity and they were extremely kind. We talked with them a little bit and got to know more about their chapter. More food was consumed… We decided to play the Apples to Apples game that we bought at Wal-Mart earlier today. The winning participant was Emily, even though she probably cheated. The best combination of cards was repulsive, chunky and distinguished. We are all very excited to head over to Tuscaloosa tomorrow morning. We know we will be humbled when we drive through the areas affected by the 2011 Tuscaloosa tornadoes. We will also be touring a fellow SEC school, The University of Alabama. Roll Tide?!