Paul DiMeo

Lexington, NC

2010-02-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-11-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-20T23:17:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-01-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

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.

West Chester, Ohio

2008-10-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight airs the 2nd build of the season.

I believe it is one of the best rooms I have ever done, of course with a lot of help.
I had the good fortune to work with a great muralist - her name is Andrea Frangiosa.
Andrea and her team helped me make my room come to life.
The room was so great I asked Andrea and Beth (one of her assistants) to help me out with the rooms for 3 boys when we were shooting in Toledo, Ohio. I can’t tell all of you how wonderful it is to be able to travel around the country and meet folks like Andrea. As wonderful it is to meet the families that we build homes for, the time we get to spend in their company is very little, but the time we get to spend with the locale men, women, and children is great.
(I just hope the people helping me don’t get sick of me asking for their help.)
If you need a muralist here is the number to Andrea’s gallery…
Created Illusions by Andrea Frangiosa – 513-871-1222.

I know that I have written about this before but it is so important to me to be able to thank them. To Patrick Morningstar, Aaron Scotts, Richard and Ashley and all those who have given their time to help me make rooms that begin with an idea and end with a child coming home to one of their dreams I thank you. It truly is the best part of my week!
But then everyone that has helped me knows that.

Back to West Chester, Ohio. We wanted to build a Cincinnati Reds room for Christian, the only boy in the Akyers family. Christian is a big fan of the Reds.
The help I received from the Cincinnati Reds organization was unbelievable! I went down to the Great American Ballpark and got to live out a dream that I think every lover of baseball has. The coolest thing was that they let me throw out the first pitch at a game. It just does not get any better than that.

Scott Dallis of Dallis Homes was our builder for this week. I have become good friends with Scott. He is the silent warrior type. He also is a big Ohio State fan and me being a big Penn State fan will make for some fun texts this fall. Can’t thank Dallis Homes enough for all they did.

Until next time.
Paulie

Start of a new Season

2008-07-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Who would of ever thought that we would be having a 6th season.
We are under new direction this year and I am very excited to get started.
The last 2 years our goal was to build one home in each of the fifty states. This year we will build homes for heroes. All different types of heroes.
We begin our 6th season in Poolesville, Maryland. A great little town about 40 miles north of Washington D.C.
I am writing this blog the day after we “Move that Bus” so the last seven days are very fresh in my mind.
With the help of Classic Homes of Maryland we built a home for a family of 15. That’s right 15! Fourteen children and a wonderful mother, her name is Felicia Jackson. Felicia made a promise to her sister Cassandra that if anything were to happen to her that she would take care of her children. Felicia stayed true to her promise and now is raising 14 children that ages range from 5- 19. Four children of her own and ten that were her sisters. The Jackson’s were living in 3 hotel rooms. For me to tell you more would be giving away to much of the story, so you are going to have to wait for the show to air.

The help I received this week came from Patrick Morningstar and his family. Now Patrick was just stopping by the build sight to drop off some wire for the welder that we have. He asked me if there was anything else he could do. I have always been one to ask for help when I need it and I really needed it. I had 4 beds to build and some other things.
In the end Patrick cancelled his camping vacation with his family to help me build the 4 beds for the youngest Jackson’s. I can’t thank Patrick and his 13-year-old son Kyle enough. Their generosity is what this show is all about. I only wish I could pack him on the bus and put him to work when we arrive at our next destination.
I have a friend forever.

New Orleans

2008-04-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, Season 5 of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has come to an end.
It was a fantastic year.
The good news is that there will be a season 6.

The last show of the season took us to Louisiana.
We were very lucky to have 17 of our wonderful builders from all over the country come down to Louisiana to make what we set out to do happen.
The main builder was Deltec Home.
They gave us not just a house but they also built a church.
It should be a great season finale.

To all the builders and their men and women that made the build possible “Thank You”!

Now on a different subject…
Having spent 2 weeks in New Orleans it is apparent that as a country we have dropped the ball on getting the people who are doing the work the MONEY they need to help get the families in New Orleans back into their homes.
I did get a chance to stop by and talk with a wonderful non-profit organization called St. Bernard Project.
I have written about St. Bernard Project before in my blog.
This group is really making a difference.
The St. Bernard Project has already built 100 homes for families in New Orleans.
So they can continue to get more homes built for families please consider sending a check or going down to New Orleans to work with them. They can use the help.
Check out their web sight www.stbernardproject.org and do what you can.
They know what they are doing and they are doing it.

You may ask what I will do with my time off?
Plant tomatoes, make music with my friends and relax.

I will try in the future to be better at blogging. We will see!

Wow 50!

2008-02-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

Well, we have 4 states left to complete our 50 state tour that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition set out to do 2 years ago. The goal was to build a home in each of the fifty states. We are just about there!

I just got back from the Martinez’s family in Albuquerque. What a wonderful family. Their faith is so strong they are able to overcome so much and give even more.

Our builder in Albuquerque was “Atrius Home and Communities”. They built us a beautiful adobe home. But this was not their first time working with us, they have built a total of 3 wonderful homes for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Thank you Steve, Darrell, Tom, Travis and Kyle for a wonderful week. You guys are the best.
I wish you luck in getting the contract to rebuilding the block we took down.
The city of Albuquerque would be fools not to use Atrius Home and Communities.

I got to learn about “Par Core” that week in Albuquerque. Had a blast jumping all over the build sight and even downtown Albuquerque.
Thank you Derrick and Jarret for the lesson on Par Core. It was a blast!
Also, a big thank you to Dennis for helping build the Par Core room. I could not of built what we built with out your help. Some day in the near future we will go fishing.
Until then god bless and stay safe.

Right now I am on a plane headed to Wilmington, Delaware.
Tracy is sitting next to me with her new little boy - Felix. It’s always a good week for me when Tracy is here, we always have fun working together. Felix is 2 months old and can already hold his head up. He looks like he is having a good time.

Wilmington is about 15 miles from where I was born. It will be nice to see old friends and my family while we are in town.

The day we bring the family home “Reveal Day” in Wilmington I will turn 50!
WOW 50!! What is fifty supposed to feel like?
I feel the same as I did yesterday or last year or 20 years ago for that matter.
In my travels I have had the opportunity to meet many amazing people and though I have talked about our “Make a Wish” girl, Megan Richardson before I would like to say a few more things about this wonderful girl.
Meghan has such a love of life and I am in awe of how an 11 year old can have so much wisdom. I thought at fifty I would have that, but it still eludes me. So I will learn from her. Thank you Megan.

Here is something that is exciting. Preston and I are trying put together a road show that will give us a little more freedom to do the things that we have wanted to do. I am sure music will be a very big part of it. That’s all a can say on that right now, but will keep you posted.

Well that’s it for now. Till next time keep a plumb bob in your toolbox.

100 Houses, 100 Families

2007-11-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

Wow, 100 houses, 100 families. Who would of thought?
It still amazes me each and every week that we are able to do what we do.
Lots of changes have happen since the Powers family in Santa Clarita 4 ½ years ago.
One of the biggest changes is the number of volunteers that come out and help us. If you are one of the many that have spent time on our builds, I can’t thank all you folks enough. We could not do what we do without you. Thank You!

The TV show you see on Sunday nights has never given justice to what happens in 7 days, 168 hrs, and 10,080 minutes. It is hard to fit it all into a 1-hour show.
I wish everyone had the chance to experience just one of our weeks.
It is so cool to see what we all can do when we work together. It changes your life.

The biggest thing that I have learned these last 4 1/2 years from being on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is that it’s not the disability that one may have (because we all have them), but it’s the will to work through that disability, the will to not let that disability be the reason for one not to do what one wants to do.
That is courage. It makes me so proud to have been in so many of those courageous peoples presence.

As for the many men and women that I have traveled with, that I have shared laughter and tears with, I thank you. It has been a great ride. TV is a very funny business. People come and go on the production end of things and rightly so. Folks need to move on build their careers.
But the foundation that this show teaches us is like no other, lessons that we will never forget.
That I know.

Lets hope we can do this for another 100 families.
That’s it for now.

On the Road again...

2007-09-06T21:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things just fall together perfectly. So goes the build in Pennsauken, New Jersey.

Now maybe I’m a little partial to the area because I was raised about 15 miles away across the Delaware River, but the family, the builder, the community, even the weather, made for a perfect week.

Our family – the Marrero family – consists of five boys and a dad. The family has done without many of the things that we tend to take for granted.

Our builder – J.S. Hovnanian & Sons -- is a family owned and operated company.
Peter and Steve Hovnanian are two of the most gracious builders I have ever met. They are really good people.

Volunteers from the community of South Jersey came out in great numbers. We were never more than a few feet away from someone handing us water or a cold towel to wipe our brows…this means a lot when the weather is in the 90s and humidity is 100%.

Our week began at one of my favorite places -- the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. I lost several games of “hit the gofer with the hammer” to a little girl named Sam (yeah, I know the game has a different name but I just can’t remember it).
I was able to bump Ty around in the bumper cars and I felt a little sick from eating way too much cotton candy. Tanya’s two boys, Caden and Cullin, were with us this week too. It’s always nice to witness kids seeing things for the first time.

We also visited Shriver’s on the boardwalk which is famous for its saltwater taffy. It’s been on the boardwalk for about 100 years so be sure and check it out if you’re ever in Ocean City. By the way, my favorite flavor is licorice.

The Morrero family lives in an apartment located in Camden. The city is, without a doubt, one of the toughest cities in America. From drug problems to murder, the city has a lot working against it but things are not all bad.

Like Richard Thompson says in one of his songs, …“down the darkest alley is where you will find the brightest jewel”…. That would be the Marrero Family when it comes to Camden.

Now I can not reveal all that happened because you’ll need to watch the show to find out. But I can tell you this much, the Morreros are one of the greatest families I have had the honor of meeting. And I’m not the only one saying that. It seems everyone who met them felt the same way.

I don’t know their last names but the gentlemen that helped me this week -- John, Carlos, John and Howard – I want to thank them all.

There is one other gentleman I had the chance to work all week with a man by the name of Mr. Garo Avesian. He is 65 years young and is originally from Armenia. He has been in this country for 12 years and when it comes to fixing something – whether it’s a squeaky door or burst water pipe - I think Mr. Garo is the “MacGyver” of fix it.

I also want to thank the people from Pro Audio - Dale, Michael, Kevin and Val, for making a boy’s dream come true. I could not of done what I did with out all of them.

I must also acknowledge the Tyson Chicken company that really made a difference this week. They donated 20,000 pounds of chicken to St. Johns food bank and filled the family’s freezer for a full year. Remember to buy Tyson chicken next time you’re in the grocery store!
Be sure to watch the show and see first-hand what an incredible week we had. The memories will certainly live on for me.

Before I sign off there is one more thing I would like to talk about… New Orleans.
With the second year anniversary of Katrina having come and gone, the fight to get people in proper housing still goes on. If you’re wondering what you can do to help out, please donate to this incredible charity out of New Orleans at: www.stbernardproject.org/id2.html. So far approximately 70 families are housed thanks to the incredible determination of the organization’s founders Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenberg and the phenomenal 2,500 volunteers.

Well, that is all for now - thanks for reading.
Paul

Welcome to My Blog Page

2007-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, so here we are, starting the 5th season of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Its taken that long for me to get a website up and running. I will do my best to entertain you with both fun and educational stuff. If I have learned anything in the last 5 years, - and oh I have - it is that almost everything we need to know we learn at a very early age, and then spend the rest of our lives relearning it. The things I want to share with you all are what you don’t get to see on Sunday nights.
Let’s start with a little personal information. I have been blessed with a wonderful family, wonderful friends and wonderful teachers, some who have taught in the classroom and other who haven’t. But what I have been mostly blessed with is a wonderful wife who encourages and supports me being a kid.
I guess that means expect lots of pictures, because this typing thing is a pain. It seems that the person who invented the typewriter just threw the letters down and how they landed was what they went with. As I learned from Lance Varden, brail makes much more since.
So here we go. I am on a jet headed to Hawaii to begin what I hope will be a great build for a deserving family.

What a family. What a place. Trade winds… If you have never felt them you should. More than any place else in the country outside of New Orleans, being in Hawaii is like being in another world. What an abundance of life from the plants to the birds to new land evolving right before you very eyes.
The Akana family is a loving, giving and full of life family. Their commitment to helping others less fortunate than themselves is an inspiration.
Met our contractor – Jeff Proster from Brook Field Homes. They sure have a job in front of them. This will be our biggest build to date; Jeff is doing this build for all the right reason.

Not much time to sightsee, but I heard I am going to the Volcano National Park for a field trip to check out the volcanoes for my project. I am building a “Volcano Room” for Maka.
Maka is an 8 years old boy who loves volcanoes. It seems that our show since the pilot has always embraced theme rooms. If you remember in the first show with the Powers family from Santa Clarita I took the back end of an old pickup truck and turned it into their sons bed. Bedrooms on our show have never been the same. This bedroom is no different except the fact that instead of trucks its volcanoes. So off to Volcanoes National Park, which is on the big island of Hawaii.
Volcano National Park is one of the coolest places I have ever been. Volcanoes, lava, the very stuff that when you were a kid and your teacher would show pictures in class you would say ‘that’s cool”. As far as the eyes could see was lava. These lava fields are all over the island, and walking on them is not easy. There are those times in life you see things that really humble you. This was one of those times for me.
Now whenever we take a field trip we take a cameraman - Scott, an assistant cameraman - Phil, a soundman - Todd, and a producer and on this field trip we took our location manager - Milan. Thank god for Milan, he hooked us up with all the stuff we needed for our hike - flashlights and water, etc. Remember on any hike or walk to always take enough water. Milan also got us a Park Ranger to guide us on our three-mile walk to where the lava flows through tunnels underground and pours out to the sea. I have seen this on TV, the steam, the waves crashing on melting rock, but to be there, in person, well let me say if you are ever lucky enough to go to Hawaii make sure you go to the big island to visit the Volcanoes National Park. It was very cool.
Look up Ranger Andrea. Tell her I said, “Hello and thank you.”
And remember to bring water.

So how do you make a Volcano?
Get a dozen cans of spray foam and some wire lathe and back it with paper (the kind you would use to stucco) build a frame that resembles a volcano and get to work.
I had wonderful help this week on my project. Two talented local Hawaiians, Junior and Douglas, worked 12 and 14 hr days and never even balked. I also had my friend and the show’s scenic artist – Nancy.
Nancy has been our faux finisher, artist extraordinaire since the beginning of the show. She makes all of us look good. “Way to go Nancy, you’re the best.” But I would need more than a paragraph to talk about Nancy and this typing thing is starting to get to me.
We have a tent, called the Art Tent where all the magic happens thanks to the efforts of many talented people.
A big thanks to all the volunteers in every town; I have made some wonderful new friendship and met some amazing people along the way.
And to all those other “kids” that have helped me over the last 49 years I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Life is to short not to live in the moment.