Lexington, NC

I’m flying home from Lexington North Carolina and I am watching Meryl Streep in the role of Julie Childs. I think that Ms. Streep would have been or could be a wonderful designer. Ms. Streep knows a lot about details and it is in the details I think that we find ourselves. It’s the little things that we do that tell others, show others, and allow others to see who are.

Theresa Christie is a schoolteacher. She was teacher of the year. She has 3 children and a wonderful husband. Theresa also has stage 4 cancer. Its in her colon and has spread to other parts of her body. She is receiving chemo to slow the cancer.
Now as sad as this story is, and it is sad, it also is a story of hope and that hope lies in each of us.

It’s been 2 months since I wrote the few paragraphs above. It’s been so hard to finish this blog. I don’t know why. Of all the builds and stories this year I find the Christie family’s the most difficult to write about. Maybe more than any other story this has touched me the most. I will let the editors of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition tell the story as they do so well. So, please watch.

Tracy and Ed were in Carolina with me this week. Ed and some of his volunteers built a beautiful dinning room table for the family made from the old porch. Tracy took care of the Brittney’s room; she is 12 and loves Paris and dancing. I took care of the twins McKalla and McKenzie their 5 yrs old.
We had some help this week, Jewel and Ty Murray stopped in for a couple of days. Jewel sang a beautiful song called Hands. She truly has the voice of angel. Ty Murray did a lot and all within 8 seconds ;)

Just let me say again that being in that beautiful living room with the Christie’s and Jewel was an experience I will never forget.

On a last note: To the wonderful 3 teachers that helped me all week Christy, Christy, and Crystal I can’t thank you enough.

Just got back from Miami County, Indiana...

Just got back from Miami County, Indiana.
Hallmark Homes built a beautiful house for the Cowen-Brown Family.
We went there because of their 12yr old daughter Kori (that’s I-ROK backwards) she suffers from an immune deficiency disease. Their home was a mess with mold and other problems that not only put Kori in the hospital but two of her brothers. Kori has had about 17 operations to remove polyps from her sinuses and throat.

A few years back while Kori was at the hospital she met a little girl Alyssa who had leukemia.
We had Alyssa with us all week long; she has been in remission for 4 yrs and is one of the coolest 11yr olds that I have ever met… I like someone who puts me in my place.
The photo is of the two girls… Kori has the blonde short hair and Alyssa has the long brown hair.

After Kori met Alyssa and other kids at Riley North Cancer Center she started raising money for cancer research. I think Kori was 8 when she started raising money.
She has raised over $35,000.00 dollars!

I spent a morning with Alyssa and David Cook from American Idol at Riley North Cancer Center and meet some of the kids on the second floor were they go for different kinds of treatment.
A long with Alyssa these kids have more heart, more wisdom than most people of any age. They talk about goals and how important it is to work towards achieving those goals and having that be the battle, not the cancer. That my friends is called wisdom.
When you talk to the Doctors and Nurses they are the first to tell you how wonderful it was having Kori there to give hope to the kids.

Also, this was the first build where I had the chance to work with Xzibit. I had such a great time with him. He had great ideas and kept me laughing the whole week. He was very committed to doing the right thing for the family. That’s all you can ask for.
I hope I get the chance to work with him again.

Alyssa , Sam, Christina, and Randy thank you so much for your company this week. Alyssa I have already hung your tree in the house. I love trees!!!

St. Paul, Minnesota

Just got back from St. Paul, Minnesota…
I seem to say each week how wonderful it was to be part of a project so cool, but this week was especially great because I got to be part of a story with some very old friends. We all know what its like when we get together with old friends, you just pick up where you last left off.
This week our special guests were the Muppets and Sam Champion from Good Morning America.
Sam was very cool, and to see him do his job is amazing. If you think what he does is easy, think again. His show is done “Live” and Sam never seems to miss a beat or stumble over his words. Plus, he has to get so much information out quickly; I just don’t know how he does it. He was great to work with and he had fun joking around with all the kids that came out to volunteer. I hope he comes back to help again.
Let me get back to talking about “Old Friends”… well, Sam is a new friend but what Sam and I had in common was our old friends, The Muppets… Kermit, Fozzie, Pepe, Rizzo the Rat, Animal, Statler and Waldorf, oh the Swedish Chef, Bobo, Sweetums, Bunsen and Becker, Crazy Harry, Sgt Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken and her friends, and Miss Piggy! That’s right even Miss Piggy come out to help.
I was 11 or 12 yrs old when I first met Kermit the Frog on our TV set back in Philadelphia. From that time forth Kermit and me were friends, Kermit didn’t know it but I did. We all can relate to the fact that there are those that help us through life that we never know personally... for me it’s the likes of Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, The Band, the Dead, The Beatles, the Muppets, you get the idea.
Now a few years ago the Muppets helped us out on a couple builds and we all had a great time. I forgot how they have the ability to open my heart up like… well, like an old friend.
One of the best moments for me this week was when I was asked by the Muppets to play the piano for them while they sang “Just One Person”. Those of you who know me, know what it meant to me. It truly does not get better than that.
I will miss my old friends till I see them again, and then we will pick up where we last left off and smile and laugh again. There are many rewards to my job, none better than the fact that I can make music with my friends… old and new.
And to my new friends that helped my old friends and me out this week, I will miss you too.
Also, I want to thank Pride, Cory, Mike and Lauren and all the other volunteers for the wonderful work they did in making the Day Care Center come to life.
And that’s all I am going to say about that!

The wonderful thing about our imagination is just that. It’s ours.

Lena, Illinois

Flying back to LA after bringing the Stott family back to their new home.
It’s a beautiful farmhouse out on Route 20 outside of Lena, Illinois. Lena is a small farming town about 2 hours west of Chicago and its beautiful. Farm after farm with some growing corn, some growing soy. The one right across the highway from our build was a dairy farm. Adam the dairy farmer gave me a tour. It was very cool. Saw big cows, little cows, farm cats, and all kinds of animals.
I think I would like to be a farmer when I grow up.

This is a special story about a woman needing a bone marrow transplant and getting help from a stranger, a man by the name of Tom Wilhelm. Tom donated his bone marrow in 2004 outside of Denver and it saved the life of a mother with leukemia in Lena Illinois, and that’s all I’ll say about that.
You’ll have to watch the show to get the rest of the story. It’s a great one.

Celebrities have been coming out during the builds to help us out, and this week it was David Duchovny. (You all know him from “X Files and Californication”) David was great, a lot of fun and eager to learn. And in the end really helped me with my project. That’s really all you want.

Our builder this week was Rick Hasken. Rick and his team were amazing.
We had such great folks working with us all week… there was Todd the electrician, Gary “Guarantee” our roofer, Uncle Dave, Uncle Doug, they were Lauren’s Uncles. Lauren really helped me out this week with my big project. Thank you Lauren. Anthony was one of the leads on the build and he was so much fun to work with he was always smiling. He was like finding a lost friend, he just made me laugh. I will miss him.
All in all it was a great week.
The folks in the Midwest are some of the hardest workers I have ever come across.
OH YEA! And some of the friendliest!

Prince George County, MD

Had a great week in Prince George's County, Maryland building a house for the Tripp family and a school in the northeast section of Washington D.C. This is to date the largest build we have done. The Tripp’s house was about 2800 sq ft. and the school was 6200 sq ft. So a grand total of the two was about 9000 sq ft. In the future I would just want to be part of one of them. Each build, the house and the school deserve complete devotion. It just spreads you to thin.
That aside let me tell you about the school. It’s called the “Fishing School” yet it has nothing to do with fishing. The name comes from the old saying… “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish he can feed himself for a lifetime.” That is such a great saying and so true.
Mr. Tom Lewis is the creator of the Fishing School, he is in his seventies and has been battling cancer for sometime now. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Mr. Lewis and the students of the school. I am a better person today having met Mr. Lewis. He has a saintly quality about him that you can’t help but be touched by.
The idea behind the school is to give city kids a safe haven to come to after school. While at the Fishing School wonderful teachers tutor the kids in all kinds of subjects and the kids also get a hot meal. The Fishing School works with the kids regular city schools so they can together do well for the students. The success rate of the children graduating the Fishing School is a wonderful thing to see.
Mr. Lewis gives all the credit to his faith in God and meeting him renewed my own.


After the build I took the train up to Philadelphia to visit my folks.
My parents are my heroes.
But watching the ageing process unfold before my eyes is a very difficult thing to witness. My heart goes out to everyone who knows what I am talking about.
I know that dying is just a part of living and that sickness and disease is a part of life.
I just don’t know why!

THAT'S A WRAP ON SEASON 6

THAT’S A WRAP ON SEASON 6! WOW! HOW TIME FLIES.

WE FINISHED OUR 25TH HOME OF THE SEASON IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA AND AS I SIT ON MY PORCH IN LOS ANGELES, CA. WATCHING THE HUMMINGBIRDS GORGE THEMSELVES ON THE LIQUID SUGAR WE REFILL DAILY I REALIZE ONCE AGAIN IT HAS BEEN SOMETIME SINCE I LAST WROTE TO YOU ALL.
SO TO RECAP, IT WAS A GREAT YEAR. A YEAR ALL ABOUT HEROES AND THE WORK THAT THEY DO TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

TO ALL OF YOU THAT WORE A BLUE SHIRT AND VOLUNTEERED YOUR TIME AND YOUR PRODUCTS I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH.

IT’S VERY HARD IN 43 MINUTES {THAT’S HOW MUCH TIME WE HAVE TO TELL OUR STORY IN A ONE HOUR SHOW} TO GIVE THE TIME TO ALL THE FOLKS, BIG AND SMALL ALIKE THAT MAKE OUR SHOW SUCH A SUCCESS. I PROMISE IN SEASON SEVEN TO POINT SOME OF YOU OUT ON A MORE REGULAR TIME FRAME.

THERE ARE MOMENTS IN OUR LIVES THAT WE WILL NEVER FORGET…
THE BIRTH OF A CHILD, THE DEATH OF A FRIEND, THE KISS FROM A LOVED ONE, AND SINCE THE SOUL DOES NOT KEEP TIME BUT JUST RECORDS GROWTH IT JUST TAKES A MOMENT FOR AN EVENT TO ETCH ITSELF INTO OUR MEMORY. I AM SO LUCKY THAT WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT I GET TO SEE THE HUMAN RACE ON ITS BEST BEHAVIOR. THAT BEING SAID, THERE ARE SO MANY LITTLE THINGS THAT HAPPEN DURING THE WEEK THAT HAVE TOUCHED MY LIFE. FOR ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE ETCH YOURSELVES ON MY SOUL I THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.

SO NOW I HAVE I THINK ABOUT 8 WEEKS OFF. WHAT TO DO????

FIRST, FIX THE KITCHEN DOOR. MY WIFE KELLY HAS BEEN ASKING ME TO DO THIS FOR ABOUT 3 YRS. PLUS A FEW OTHER PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT ON HOLD SINCE I HAVE BEEN ON THE ROAD.

THEN… JAZZ FEST!
KELLY, ME, MY DIRECTOR GLENN “GT’ TAYLOR, HIS WIFE JEN, MY BOSS ANTHONY DOMINICI AND HIS WIFE GEORGIA, ARE HEADING DOWN TO NEW ORLEANS TO HEAR SOME GREAT MUSIC.

ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT TRAVELING AROUND THE COUNTRY WITH SUCH A GREAT CREW IS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO FORM A BAND.
MY DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - BROTHER DAVE LANDRY IS OUR BASS PLAYER, BROTHER ED SANDERS IS OUR HARP PLAYER AND SING LIKE AN ANGEL, OUR EX. PRODUCER “THE BOSS” - ANTHONY DOMINICI IS OUR LEAD GUITAR PLAYER AND LEAD SINGER, OUR STORY PRODUCER - SISTER MARLA ROBERTS IS ONE OF THE MANY SOLOIST THAT KNOCKS OUT OF THE PARK “BE MY BABY”. THEN THERE IS THE BEAUTIFUL TRACY HUTSON - SISTER TO ALL - AND COVERS THE SHERL CROW TUNES, EDUARDO XOL OUR LATIN BROTHER SINGS SOME ORIGANALS THAT HE WROTE,
OUR BROTHER ON DRUMS - JOHN “JB” MARTZ (THE “JB” IS BECAUSE HE LOOKS LIKE JACK BLACK), BROTHER ADAM SALVATOR ON VOCALS AND ACOUSTIC GUITAR, TEAMSTER BROTHER DONZILLA ON GUAITER AND VOCALS, LAST BUT NOT LEAST OUR OTHER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY BROTHER COLIN “THE TUBA” DONAHUE AND I PLAY PIANO AND ORGAN AND SING ALL THE GRATEFUL DEAD TUNES.

WE COVER…THE GRATEFUL DEAD, ROLLING STONES, WILCO, RONNETTS, HOWLIN WOLF, THE BAND, SHERL CROW, NEVILE BROS., SPRINGSTEEN, CREEDENCE, AND MANY MORE.

WE ARE COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU. GET READY TO ROCK!

WHAT WOULD WE DO WITH OUT MUSIC???

LOVE PAULIE

New Year

I just noticed I have not blogged since October. Sorry about that. I finally had some time to sit down and write a few words to let you know what has been going on. A lot has happened since I last blogged... the holidays, new years and we have a new President!

Stayed home for the holidays, which was really nice since I am always on the road with the show. Thanksgiving had friends and family over for the big Turkey dinner with all the fixins! We love making the whole feast.
So for Christmas we went to my brother-in-laws home so they could do all the cooking.
It was great having a few weeks off just to chill and regroup. I spent most of my time on the golf course or hanging out at home with my wife and dogs.

Well, I have been back to work since the first of the year. Was just in El Paso, Texas. It is going to be a great show.
The family is wonderful. I had a great time in El Paso. When we had a little down time I got to play some music with my friends on the crew, that is always a blast.

I am off to another town will update you soon.