Playing Catch Up (May 24th)

So, I haven’t written in a few days and that is for two reasons, one good and one bad. First, I have been so crazy busy and exhausted I simply haven’t had time to sit down for more than a few minutes to even reflect on the past week! Second, my laptop was stolen in Chapel Hill. Soooo, that means my posts may be a bit fewer and farther in between than I had originally hoped. But other than that, this summer has continued to be amazing. It seems like I have been with this group of people for months, not days. Together we have already biked until we no longer know what a “normal” butt feels like, built homes for more than 15 hours, and made fools of ourselves in innumerable ways.

We spent several days this weekend in the place I will forever call home: Chapel Hill, NC. Luckily, I was able to see some of my roommates from this year and enjoy some sweet showers from at our house, which involved cramming 3 tall young men and me into the passenger seats of Amy’s mustang. I also saw some of my other good friends who even came and cooked for our pot luck dinner! Thanks so much to you all. You are awesome and I love you!

On my first build days of the summer, I continued to learn the art of vinyl siding. I even learned how to use a new saw, though I can’t remember the name. It’s the one that you push on straight lines with a spinning circle blade. Yea, that one. I also got to hammer in some tar paper to help waterproof a roof. The sun was really hot up there! But an afternoon shower cooled us all off. We all really felt a sense of accomplishment when we saw the tangible results of a hard day’s work. Some of our group even had the opportunity to see a dedication of a completed home. I did not attend, but I heard that it was extremely touching and the new home owners even played songs and provided food for their guests.

True to its name, with Chapel Hill came the start of the rolling Piedmont. The last two days have been really tough. Everyone is sore and exhausted. Yesterday we completed a 84 mile up and down ride into Winston Salem, and some long gradual hills rounded out a 63 mile ride this morning. A nasty headwind prevented us from getting up much speed, which added to my fatigue. But, after some delicious meals, once again we were all up and at them when we got into Taylorsville tonight, where many of us rallied up a fierce few games of Knock-Out in the church gym.

And now, introducing (in brief):

Ray Antonelli

Ray is probably one of the people I’ve gotten to know the best so far this summer. We rode together today and often play cards or have good conversations in the evenings about everything from childhood obsessions about lemurs or airplanes to discussions about families, people, school, or simply sharing our perspectives on today’s society.
Ray is a hard worker with a big heart and even bigger smile! He grew up in Pittsboro, NC with his parents and sister Rayanne (all of whom I met briefly in Chapel Hill!). His dad and sister work at Nice Price Books in Carrboro, NC, which is very close to where I lived this year. Spending time in and working at a bookstore is one of the many jobs I aspire to have one day. I don’t think there are many things cooler than working in a book shop- so many stories, so much knowledge.

Ray will be a senior next year at NC State University where he is studying biochemistry. He hopes to go to medical school in the years following undergrad to become (possibly) a primary physician (though it is the scientific parts of medicine that most interest him). And with his baller MCAT scores and GPA, I have no doubts he will be successful. And so cheerful is Ray, in fact, that he has picked up the nickname “Sunshine.” And indeed, I believe he brings a Ray of sunshine to our group each day.