Welcome to the Tri-State!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition has come to town. It's actually very exciting and so well deserved to the family that they're helping out. I believe they were the highest nominated family in the shows history with well over 25,000 nominations.

The media coverage on this event is completely insane. Every local source is covering the event 24/7. The over pouring number of volunteers has reached their maximum capacity and it's impossible to let every one help who wants to help! It's an incredible feeling to know there are so many local people willing to help out a family in need but hopefully it's not just for some tv time. Their help shouldn't end with the final "Move That Bus" and hopefully something great will happen for the entire community when the project is complete!

I have the Very Rare and Very Limited opportunity to actually volunteer & work on the job site. I didn't realize what a big deal this opportunity was until my email & cell phone started to blow up just moments after I told my MOM!

Here are the details:

My company, particularly my store has donated the heavy construction equipment being used on the job site to demolish the home, dig the new foundation & relocate the swimming pool. My Salesmen have been working feverishly with contractors & producers to ensure this process goes quickly, smoothly and most importantly safely! For "our" generous contribution to the "Extreme Makeover" project, we have been offered to go back stage and contribute our volunteer services.
At first I wasn't going to participate! I have no real desire to fight the crowd and particularly "work" on my beautiful Saturday morning. I also found out the no one else was planning on attending this event to volunteer, which I didn't blame them either. Then , my guilt started to set in! Remember when I told you about Skinny remodeling my bathroom? Turns out, his wife "Polly" is probably the shows biggest fan....NO LIE! She went online to volunteer moments after it was announced the show would be coming to the Tri-State area. Because of the overwhelming online volunteer responses, unfortunately, she didn't hear back from the producers. That wasn't going to stop her for long. You see, she is a school teacher & I'm sure you noticed.....It's Summer Time!!!! Her schedule is very permitting to do just about anything she wants and she WANTED to spend the next week as a volunteer!

It would be very easy for me to say that "Polly" is by far my biggest "tree hugging, save the planet" friend. She is always talking about making her "carbon footprint on the planet" and she makes me want to "reduce, reuse & recycle". So, how could I turn down the opportunity to really help her do something that she & Skinny were so passionate about? The answer.... I couldn't! When I asked her if you wanted to volunteer with me on Saturday her first reply was "Sure....that are we doing". She didn't even know what she had just volunteered for & it could have been cleaning port-a-johns......... but she was on board. It was at that moment that I knew I made the right decision, because she was such a good person! When I told her it was for "EMHE" she was practically speechless. So now I find myself waking up at 6am Saturday morning to go work my butt off with these two "Make the World a Better Place" friends of ours and you know what..... It feels pretty damn good!

My Salesmen have told me the atmosphere and comradely on the job site is completely indescribable. Everyone is willing to help do & contribute "whatever it takes" to get this job done. I'm telling you now. ...... if some happy ass, just pulled an all nighter volunteer tries to hug me & sing kum by ya my lord by a campfire......I'm packing up my paint brush & headed to the nearest Starbucks to hide in the bathroom stall while sipping my Chai Tea Latte.