Roof Work, Reading, & Crazy Critters // Fairmont, West Virginia, 2022

Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a lovely morning, afternoon, or evening! Every year, my church sends a team to Fairmont, West Virginia, to repair local homes. This past year was my seventh time going! We had twenty people on our team this year and two different sites. At one, we put a new roof over one section, repaired a porch post, did some yard work, did minor cleaning, and even installed an above-ground pool. At the other site was more decluttering as well as repainting two rooms. This trip is always loads of fun, and I’m here to share with you how my week went and show some pictures, too!

P.S. click here to read about my 2021 trip and here to read about my 2020 trip!

P.P.S. For privacy reasons, I used initials when mentioning other folks on this trip:
– EB is my older sister.
– PS is her fiancé.
– ND is the other younger boy who was on this trip.
– ED, AR, and MM are other younger girls on this trip.
– For all the adults, I just used Mr./Mrs. with their initial unless there were duplicates.
Okay? Okay. Enjoy!

>> Saturday (Day 0) <<

We left the church (where the whole team gathered before departure) around 1:30-ish. I was in the car with my older sister (EB), her then-boyfriend (now fiancé!) (PS) and a couple, Mr. and Mrs. S. We listened to a worship playlist that included some of the songs that we would sing throughout the week since Mr. and Mrs. S were going to lead worship. I brought some freeze-dried mangoes for the trip but finished them within the first hour, sadly, but I was slowly getting more and more excited about the coming week as time went on. When we were close to the camp, PS and I tried to point out a house with a funny flag we saw last year, but they had replaced it with a rather inappropriate sign, which was disappointing… By 4:22, we had reached the camp we would be staying at, and I had finished unpacking. I started out in a separate room from everyone else because I wanted to have more space to organize everything, but then I felt super lonely, and my FOMO was setting in. My anxiety also started settling in, and I felt pretty miserable and wanted to go home. Yipee! At 5:35, I was glumly sitting in my room. I wanted to sit on the porch with everyone else, but someone was in my chair, and I wasn’t comfortable sitting anywhere else. I practiced a bit of ukulele and ate a Reese’s klondike bar that I had bought at the camp store (as well as a few Starbursts and Yorks that Mrs. S brought for the whole cabin).

Around 7:26, we finished dinner (I had a mega salad: bacon, cheese, olives, and tomatoes, as well as canned fruit salad and some sweet tea). I spoke with some of the younger girls on the porch about writing and books and such, and it was really enjoyable. At 9:44, we finished worship and orientation, and nearly everyone was showering. By now, I had talked to Mrs. S about moving my stuff into the room with everyone and expressing my anxieties about being alone and needing everything to be organized. I moved all my things into the room with everyone else, and we used the previous room (which was now empty) as a storage room where I could put most of my stuff and have it all organized. It all worked out in the end! PS forgot to bring a towel, so I gave him one of mine (I brought two shower towels and a beach towel); so I ended up having to use my other shower towel and my beach towel for showering. I sat on the porch and talked with one of the girls (ED), and it made me feel like I was really getting along with everyone, which made me happy. When I went to the bathhouse to wash up before bed, there was a big ol’ spider that spooked some of the younger girls, and I ended up grabbing it by the legs and flinging it outside. I returned to the cabin at around 10:40 and played ukulele a bit. I went to bed shortly after!

>> Sunday (Day 1) <<

I woke up at 5:11 AM and napped on and off until 7:00 AM. I finished getting dressed and everything by 7:32 and just had to read my devotion. I spoke with my older sister (EB), PS, one of the boys (ND), and his older sister (RD). At 8:26, I finished my breakfast (Lucky Charms, canned fruit, a hard-boiled egg), and it was really unsatisfying; I hate hard-boiled eggs and had to pass up the good-looking muffins since I’m gluten-intolerant. I left breakfast early because I didn’t have anyone to talk to. At around 8:50, everyone else came back from breakfast. We had quiet time until worship at 10:00, and in that time, I read a bit of the book I brought (Build Better Characters by Eileen Cook), played a game on my phone, and read a devotion. Worship was chill; I took some good notes and didn’t even need to snack on candies to stay awake. We had lunch almost immediately after, where I ate a mega salad, canned pears, and a burger patty with cheese. We had clean-up duty that day (we have to wash the bathrooms at night and clean up before/after meals). I helped PS take out the trash, and it began almost pouring as we walked back. At 12:53, we were chilling on the porch, and another church group was playing volleyball on the court in front of our cabin.

We left for nearly the entire afternoon. We visited our “host families” (the folks that we would be helping for the week) and visited one of our hosts from past years. We made a stop at Dairy Creme Corner (a yearly tradition), and I got a Peppermint Patty avalanche, which I ended up regretting. However, I started my period that day, so the cramps/backaches from that helped me ignore the lactose cramps! Everything was great 😃😃. We also went to Walmart (another tradition, so folks can get things they forgot or don’t have). On the way there, PS made us listen to “Through the Fire and Flames,” an intense heavy metal song that he joked I should learn on the ukulele… yeah, no thanks. At Walmart, I was mainly with RD and had to vigorously track down some of the stuff I needed, but we found everything, thank goodness. I bought gluten-free Oreos, command clips (to hang some things around my bed), gallon-sized Ziploc bags (with which I could organize my clothes for each day), a tank top (because I was sweltering the night before), then gum and tissues.

When we got back to camp, I reorganized my little area with the stuff I bought at Walmart, but I had to stop in the middle of it because dinner had started. For dinner, I ate a mega salad and the innards of an Italian hoagie. After dinner, PS, EB, and one of the adults (Mr. M), and I, emptied the ice bins from the kitchen, then PS and I did the trash. We just sat and chilled until worship started. Prayer on Sundays is a big prayer session where we pray for each team and their work during the coming week. After worship, we had a team meeting and discussed some details about the next day (our first day of work). When that was done, I went back to reorganizing and ended up rearranging my entire suitcase. At 9:34, I went to the bathhouse to wash up before we had to clean the bathrooms. I got into bed around 10:30 that night and ended up washing up after we did the bathrooms, which was not a good idea. I braided my hair before bed (to keep it off my neck/back), and the tank top still felt a little hot, but it was better than a t-shirt. Then I went to bed!

>> Monday (Day 2) <<

I woke up at around 5:00 but actually got out of bed to get ready at 5:30. By 6:09, I was dressed and ready and just had to read my devotion. I tried to get my morning drink (MUD\WTR, a natural coffee alternative), but I didn’t mix it well enough and added half-n-half instead of regular milk, and it just didn’t taste very good… For breakfast, I ate grits with cheese and butter, Lucky Charms, and bacon. At the work site, I removed a bunch of debris from underneath a back porch, loaded a truck with said debris, ripped shingles off a roof, and even leaned partly off the roof to knock out the gutter, fascia board, and soffit. I got a ton of dirt and grime all over my arms because I was lying down to remove half the stuff, and I even got some fiberglass on my stomach from when I knocked out the gutter. We had lunch around 12:00, and I ate a ham/cheese sandwich with a gluten-free bun and a strawberry bar. We sang a song, went over a devotional after lunch, and then returned to work. The rest of the afternoon, I helped out on the roof, and we ended up being late for dinner… oopsie. I ate meatballs, a mega salad, and canned pears for dinner. After dinner, I took a quick shower, then waited on the porch until worship, periodically eating my gluten-free Oreos. By now, I had hit around 11,000 steps.

For worship, we went over Romans 8:1. It was really insightful, and I took a lot of good notes. We finished around 8:27, then had our team debrief. After the meeting, EB taught PS some baton tricks, and some of us chilled on the basketball court. I wanted to buy a Klondike, but some folks from another church were meeting on the store porch, and I didn’t want to disturb them. For some reason, I really kinda missed my mom, and I ended up texting her, then calling her. I told her about my day, talked about past Fairmont trips, and even spoke briefly to some of my siblings. I was carrying my ukulele around because I was going to play it if I couldn’t call her. After I hung up, I talked with EB, PS, and ND a bit, and E was trying to figure out a song on her ukulele. I ended up getting my Klondike at 9:50 and missed washing up because I was too busy eating it. I chatted a bit more with EB, PS, and ND before going to bed around 10:24.

>> Tuesday (Day 3) <<

I woke up at 5:40 AM, absolutely freezing. The temperature had dropped overnight, but I’d rather be cold than hot, so… I was all ready by 6:14 and just had to read my devotional. I didn’t get my MUD\WTR that morning. Breakfast was at 7:00, but we had clean-up duty, so we had to be at the dining tent by 6:45 to wash the tables and set out the salt and pepper shakers at each table. I sat on the porch with almost everyone else before breakfast and felt some soreness from being on the roof the entire day before and even had some bumps on my knees from kneeling. It was really cold and misty, and I woke up literally shivering. But I was very happy about it; I got to wear a hoodie! At 7:59, everyone had finished breakfast (I ate two servings of scrambled eggs, Lucky Charms, ham, and grits) and was preparing to leave for the work site. I realized that the tip of my nose and ears were sunburnt that morning, too. At the work site, I was on the roof all day again, where we drilled in the rest of the OSB that replaced some dead wood and temporarily removed some siding to rip off the rest of the shingles. Before we put on the rubber roofing, we drilled in these giant foam sheets. Fun fact: that day was the first time I had ever used a drill! I ate a ham/cheese sandwich, grapes, watermelon, and a strawberry/banana sports drink for lunch. After lunch, we began applying the rubber roof. We glued it on top of the foam sheets using this instant cement stuff. It was more of a two-person job, so EB, another girl (MM), and I were just watching (and occasionally helping) two of the men apply the glue. Because I was just sitting there, in the hot sun, after not taking my multivitamins for the past few days, I began to feel really exhausted and weak. I got off the roof to fill my water bottle but found Mrs. S and asked if I could take a little rest. Some folks were heading back to the campsite early, so Mrs. S had me leave with them.

Back at the camp, I took a shower, and Mrs. S even gave me one of the protein balls she had brought. I just chilled and ate some snacks until dinner, which was at 5:30 PM. I ate a mega salad, broccoli, a grilled chicken leg, canned peaches, and ice cream for dinner. By the time dinner was over, I was slowly feeling worse. I was drowsy, “out of it,” and felt overall icky. I returned to the cabin and rested, even dozing off a bit, but it didn’t help that much. One of the female chaperones, Mrs. D, got me a Gatorade to drink, and during worship, we went over Romans 8:2, where I took notes, forcing my brain to focus and think. Both of those helped a bit, too. We finished our team debrief at 8:49, and some of us teens played Catchphrase. I played for about fifteen minutes, but my head really hurt, so I just watched. I ended up going to bed at 9:53 after Mrs. S told me I should get to bed earlier to try and rest myself adequately before tomorrow.

>> Some Fun Photos <<

>> Wednesday (Day 4) <<

I don’t know when I woke up, but I was completely ready by 6:11 and just had to read my devotion and pack my bag for the afternoon/evening since it was our half-day of work. I felt completely fine after some good sleep. By 6:33, I finished my devotion, and it was super misty outside, making it look cool. I did some Bible journaling until breakfast at 7:00. For breakfast, I ate two servings of grits, Lucky Charms, a banana, and some bacon. After breakfast, we helped one of our hosts empty a truckload of brush that was initially delivered to a farm, but the cows were allergic to it, so it just went to the burn pile at camp. We left for the work site after that. I went to the second, smaller work site with PS, RD, Mr. S, and Mrs. D. We were just painting. There was a bright red room to which we were able to add the entire first coat of primer in the morning. While painting, we sang a few hymns to pass the time, including “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and “In Christ Alone,” two of my personal favorites. We finished the room just in time to return to camp and leave for our afternoon/evening off.

I rode with EB, PS, and Mr. S and Mrs. S again, and we ate lunch on the ~30-minute drive to Tygart Lake, where we would spend our afternoon. We listened to a Foreigner acoustic album, and I actually liked a lot of the music. Tygart Lake Adventures is an obstacle course situated on Tygart Lake. We went there last year for our day off, which I loved, but I was on my period, so, unfortunately, I had to sit on the shore and find something to do while everyone else had fun. I felt super left out and frustrated and was not enjoying myself at all. I wanted to try some Bible journaling to see if that would put me in a better mood, but I didn’t end up doing that. Mrs. D invited me to stand in the shallow water with her and another female chaperone, Mrs. R. We chatted for the last half of our time at Tygart Lake, and it was a really nice conversation. We left around 5:00, and I went back up to the main building a tad early with Mrs. S and two of the younger girls, AR and MM. I bought my older sister and me some souvenir t-shirts and a sticker for myself. Our whole team soon regrouped, everyone changed into normal clothes, and we left for Texas Roadhouse, where we would eat dinner.

We had a reservation but sat outside for about ten minutes; I think we were early. When we finally made it inside, we waited for about 5-ish more minutes, and some of the men discussed how they would celebrate birthdays. One of the men (Mr. BB), AR, and myself, had birthdays in July, so they decided they would have us all be celebrated that night. I sat in a booth with PS, my older sister (EB), and Mr. JB. I had the All-American cheeseburger (with no bun) and a loaded baked potato (but I could finish half of it). I also drank two whole glasses of raspberry tea. We sang the Texas Roadhouse happy birthday song three times, once for AR, another for Mr. BB, and the last for me. We got to sit up on the saddle thing as everyone sang. I left feeling super full and tried to doze off, but it didn’t work at all. We returned to camp around 8:45, and I changed into my jammies (a tank top and shorts) but put on a hoodie since the temperature had dropped (and we weren’t allowed to wear tank tops…). I put on socks and sandals (yeah, fight me about it) and played volleyball with MM and some folks from another church group. After that, I practiced some ukulele, then sat on the porch with almost everyone else. There were a few conversations here and there, and I realized that my right ear (which was still sunburnt) began peeling (gross). While on the porch, I grabbed my ukulele again and even sang “Riptide” (with some of the other girls joining in at the chorus). I washed up, then got to my bed at around 10:13. I was all ready to get to sleep at 10:30, but a little critter spooked one of the younger girls, resulting in some of the men coming in to see if everyone was okay, then duct taping any holes in the floor and walls. We ended up going to bed at around 11:00 that night.

>> Thursday (Day 5) <<

I woke up at 5:50, despite my desire to wake up closer to 5:30, but I was able to get all dressed and ready by 6:26, so it wasn’t terrible. I ended up getting my MUD\WTR this morning (I put creamer and honey in it) and then read my devotion. For breakfast, I ate Lucky Charms, a banana, and tried a new combination with my grits. Rather than my typical cheese and butter, I tried brown sugar and syrup. I hated it. I can still remember the taste, and I don’t like it. At all. I got a second serving of grits and put butter and cheese in it. For work, I went to the smaller work site again with Mr. S, PS, and ED. We put on the second coat of primer, and I hand-primed the bottom half of a small closet in the room. We went back to the main work site for lunch, and I ate two hot dogs, a sandwich, some chips, a strawberry bar, watermelon, and some potato salad. Everything but the sandwich and strawberry bar was provided by our host, who wanted to express his gratitude. We went back to work, and I put primer on the top half of the closet, then began “cutting in” with grey paint on the bottom half of the main bedroom wall. Once we had mostly finished cutting in, I started rolling the first layer of grey paint. We left for the campsite at around 4:40, and I was exhausted. I closed my eyes and rested on the way back, but I couldn’t actually fall asleep for some reason. However, it did help me feel a bit more energized. We returned around 5:11, so I didn’t have time for a shower before dinner at 5:30, so I just closed my eyes and rested on the porch until then.

I ate a mega salad, green beans, canned fruit, and mashed potatoes for dinner. I finished my food quickly, then took a shower, but there were two gross insects in the shower stall, so I had to shower with the inner curtain (out of two curtains) folded open… no one else was in the bathhouse, luckily. I also forgot to bring my shoes with me to the bathhouse, so I walked back to the cabin in my socks. I chilled on the porch again until worship at 7:00. For worship, we went over Romans 8:3-4 and sang “Yet Not I, But Through Christ In Me,” one of my favorite worship songs. After that, we had a short team debrief, then headed out to Dairy Creme Corner. On the way there, EB, PS, Mr., and Mrs. S, and I listened to some Tom Petty as well as “Brandy” by Looking Glass. All five of us were in a silly, giggly mood and were laughing almost nonstop on the way there. While listening to “Wildflowers,” by Tom Petty, EB, PS, and I did a fun little synchronized dance with our arms. I got a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup avalanche at Dairy Creme Corner but couldn’t finish it. When we returned to camp, EB fell out of the truck, right onto her face, and immediately, Mrs. S and I began laughing rather than checking if she was okay, naturally. I wanted to take a picture of the super starry sky and ended up lying on the basketball court with ND and ED. I did get a really cool picture in the end and even saw a shooting star for the first time. I washed up around 10:30 and went to bed around 11:00.

>> Friday (Day 6) <<

I don’t know when I woke up, but I was ready by 6:17 and just had to take my vitamins, read my devotion, and get my MUD\WTR. My stomach still hurt after the ice cream from the night before, but I was violently hungry, so I was a little confused as to what that was about. By 6:43, I was completely done and ready to go up and clean the tables for breakfast at any moment. I finished breakfast around 8:00 (grits, Lucky Charms, a banana, and bacon) and had to take off my hoodie (it was that hot already). I went to the main work site, where I did some minor cleaning up (and a few minutes of napping…), and most of us, girls, helped install an above-ground pool for our host’s son. At lunch, my best friend, Lydia, and another boy our age (SD) drove down to join us and spend the afternoon/evening in Fairmont. Lydia and I shared chips (since they’re too salty for both of us). I also ate my sandwich, a strawberry bar, and a two-bite brownie, which ended up upsetting my stomach. After lunch, Mr. JB, Mrs. D, my older sister (EB), SD, and I left to visit with another host from the past years, and I was so tired I ended up dozing off for 10-15 minutes while chatting. It helped me feel a lot more energized, though. The host gave E and me coasters and bubble gum lollipops. When we were done visiting, Mr. JB dropped Mrs. D, EB, and I at a flower nursery so we could buy some flowers for one of our hosts this year.

After we drove to the smaller work site, dropped off the flowers, and visited a bit, we returned to camp, and I took a shower immediately. I chilled on the porch with the other teens, then Lydia and I bought a Heath Klondike, even though I’m pretty sure she tried to persuade me not to… I braided EB’s hair, then we went to dinner. I ate a burger patty with cheese, potato salad, a hot dog, pudding, canned fruit, and a mega salad. I helped PS take out the trash, then he, RD, and I mopped the kitchen. We had our evening program, where there was a sermon, some hosts and folks shared their experiences throughout the week, and we sang some songs, including “Days of Elijah,” one of my faves, and the classic: “Country Roads.” After the program, our team got a group picture with both of our host families, chatted a bit, then went down to the bonfire. I got some fun photos of the fire, ND and PS “grittied” around the fire, and some of us set up the picnic table so we could take our “album photo,” which became a tradition last year. We had to pause our fun to clean the bathrooms, but we returned to the fire and took quite a few photos on the table. I got back to the cabin around 11:01 (no curfew since it was the last night), was really sweaty, and hadn’t washed up or packed. I ended up just going right to bed at 11:13.

>> Saturday (Day 7) <<

I woke up at 5:30, got dressed, and washed up, then immediately began packing up. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long, and our whole team left the camp quite quickly. On our way to Cracker Barrell (where we would have breakfast), we convinced the adults to stop at the gas station across from the restaurant, Hardee’s, so we could take a picture there (another tradition from last year). When we arrived at Cracker Barrell, I checked Twitter quickly and confirmed a rumor that ND had spoken of about the Minecrafter, Technoblade’s death. It was very surprising and almost unbelievable. At Cracker Barrell, I ate thick-sliced bacon, egg whites, and a bowl of tropical fruit. I also had a caramel latte, but it really upset my stomach… After eating, I explored the cool gift shop and bought two stuffed animals for my little siblings, two magnets for my mom, and some rings and bracelets for myself. I’m actually wearing one of them as I write this. I probably dozed off a bit on the way back, and we soon arrived back at the church where both of my parents were waiting to greet us.

>> Some (More) Fun Photos <<

>> Quotes of Fairmont 2022 <<

“I like my sunnies; they fit my face, and they make me look snazzy.” – one of the girls, (CW)

“My citizenship is in Heaven.” *mic drop* – PS, in response to us being told that we’re not American if we don’t like hot dogs

“All the shingle ladies, all the shingle ladies. All the shingle ladies, all the shingle ladies. Put the roof up.” – PS (to the tune of “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé)

“I hope I can be that nice someday.” – AR
“You can start today!” – ED

“‘My name’s Blurryface, and I care what you think.’” – PS, singing
“Are you sure?” – one of the girls (ES)

“I’m different from other homeschoolers… I’m just better than everyone else.” – ED

“Banana worship!” – ND