Extreme

This past weekend, after nearly 12 years of marriage, my husband stayed out all night for the first time ever. I was surprised when I woke up early Sunday morning to find that the sun was up and his side of the bed was still undisturbed. Okay, now if you're curious, I'll tell you that he was participating in something very, very cool.

But first let me back up a bit. There is a family in a neighboring town that we know has been in need. Although we don't personally know the young parents very well, two of the teenage kids go to our church. They are a very sweet family with four biological children and nine adopted children! The problem came when Hurricane Ike flooded and seriously damaged their home more than a year ago. The entire family (with the exception of one of the older sons who is serving in Afghanistan) has been living in temporary housing, most recently in a small travel trailer.

Last week we found out that this wonderful family had been chosen to receive a new home from Extreme Makeover Home Edition! We are thrilled for them! Our entire community has been buzzing with this news all week long. The family has been sent away on vacation to Disney World in Florida while construction began last week.

I'm sure you've figured out by now that my husband served as a volunteer at the construction site. It was such a neat experience for him. He took a late nap on Saturday and left home around midnight. After signing in and picking up his blue shirt and hard hat, he got there to discover that they were slightly behind schedule. He and some other guys that we know went to our church (which is only a block away from the construction site) to keep warm and get some sleep for a few hours before going out to work. I thought he might come home sometime during the night before I got up for church, but when I called at 7 AM, he was still busy working. It was a very cold night, especially for where we live, with temperatures in the low 20s. Chuck said it was much better after the sun came up! He worked straight through until noon and then rested for most of the afternoon and evening on Sunday. Oh yes, and he did get to see Ty Pennington just before leaving that day!

Here are a few pics of Chuck in his work gear. He looks a little lumpy because of the multiple layers of clothing. :)



I took these pics from our church parking lot. You can see the large cranes in the background at the work site.

Tomorrow will be an incredibly exciting day. It's reveal day! We're planning to go out there early and get a spot in the crowd to wait for the family to come home. We are both absolutely giddy about seeing the family come home to their wonderful new house!

Yesterday Chuck and I went by the site and hung out for a few minutes at the spectator area across the street. The house is looking pretty amazing. I can't believe how quickly the work gets done. Here's a sneak peek at the new home, as it looked yesterday. Everything will be completed by tomorrow!


(The house is more than 6,000 square feet!)

The episode is supposed to air on ABC sometime in March. I will be sure and post a reminder with the date so you can tune in to see this sweet family get their dream home! I know it will be a great episode, and those of you with a special interest in adoption and/or foster care may especially be interested in watching this one.

Until then, here's a link to the builder's website if anyone wants to see more pics and read about the family:

http://blushieldsextreme.com/

So exciting!