Today I celebrate the 2 month mark of the day that I started working for Habitat for Humanity in Monmouth County! I have learned a lot in the two months that I have worked here. I have learned how to work in an office environment. I have learned a lot about the art of conversation, which is needed when you meet a ton of new people each day, which I do each week when new volunteers come. Among other things, I also know how to build and put up headers, successfully cut in when painting, and what the difference is between J channel and F channel. I know how to put up siding, soffit and facia. I have also learned that you can't breath or talk near a generator. This is a great deal more than I knew when I first started.
I remember my first day on the work site. It was a cloudy, rainy day in Sea Bright. I was told to arrive at the work site and find Dave Hinton who would lead me that day. I had heard Dave's name many times before because Dave is a Habitat crew leader, board member AND he goes to the same church that I go to. I was SO excited that I was going to be on the work site and meet some of the construction guys that I had been hearing about. Plus, it was my first day on site! This was something that I had been looking forward to for a long time.
I ended up being on the Sea Bright Site for only half an hour while they attached the last of the roof truces. I remember feeling totally useless as I tried to remove a nail from a board with no luck. This was obviously a task I was given to keep me busy and I couldn't even do it! Honestly, it was a little dis-heartening. I knew that I wouldn't be a construction pro my first day, but I hoped that I would be able to take out a stupid nail! After they finished with the truces, I went with Dave to a house in Leonardo where I met Jack and Norm. I could not have known that these two guys would become friends that I would work with every week. Thankfully, at that house we were painting. I knew I could do that; I regained confidence of my abilities.
At that point, the house in Sea Bright was just bare bones. You could see right through it with nothing in your way, not even the walls were framed out yet. Since I have been here, I have been to sites in Sea Bright, Leonardo, Port Monmouth and Union Beach. Of all of these places I have spent the most time in Sea Bright. I love the Sea Bright site. It is my happy place.
A little bit of history for you:
Sea Bright was one of the towns that was greatly impacted by super storm Sandy. Below are a few images that come up if you Google "Sea Bright, New Jersey".
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| Ocean Ave. (the main street in Sea Bright) |
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| I go to this Dunkin' Donuts everyday before work |
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| The supermarket in the background is where I often go to get lunch |
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| Damage to a home in Sea Bright |
The Sea Bright site we have been working on is right between the ocean and a river, so when the storm hit, it was hit on both sides. The house was demolished because it was not structurally sound after the storm due to severe water damage and sand damage. The house was completely covered in sand and there was a 5 ft high dune of sand in the owner's living room. The home belonged to Leslie Morris who lived in the home for 17 years and raised her kids there.
Lowe's is a big donor to Habitat for Humanity's and for their anniversary together, Lowe's decided to partner with Habitat and build a house in the middle of Times Square. The house that was built was Leslie's. Once it was constructed, it was then taken back down and brought back to New Jersey to be built on her property and on a raised foundation.
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| The house in Times Square! |
Today we finished putting insulation in the house. Looking back at old pictures from my first couple of days at the Sea Bright site, I get a little emotional. It has come so far. Now it looks like a home. You can walk through it and see what is a room and what is a closet and a bathroom. You can see where the plumbing is for the sink in the kitchen and the washing machine in the mud room. You can stand in the dining room where their dining room table will be and look out of the sliding glass doors and see the ocean and imagine them sitting there together at dinner enjoying the view. Little by little the house came together and it will soon be a home. I get chills when I think about it.
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| The Sea Bright home 2 months ago. |
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| The Sea Bright home today. |
I am so proud to be apart of the building of this home. Every header I put in and piece of siding I nail up and every nail I remove (which I am now an expert at and can teach volunteers the easiest way to do it) gives me joy.
