Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

Marrero Family - Camden, NJ

Doing Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was an experience that has forever changed our lives.  In the end, the Marrero's have a place they now call "home", a place with beds, food on the table, a sanctuary for each member of the family, and most importantly a new start.  But as with many things in life, it is the journey that defines the experience, not the destination

Going into an experience like this, you never know what to expect.  Are we going to be able to pull this off?  Will we have enough help?  What if something goes wrong?  But working with the crew from Extreme Makeover, our company, our trade partners, and our amazing volunteers, we accomplished everything we set out to do and more.  We are overwhelmed with both a sense of pride at having accomplished our goals and a deep humility at having been a part of something larger than all of us.

Our company was thrilled to help, giving their time and energy to work around-the-clock shifts. Our vendors and trade partners were lining up to give more and more time, services, materials, expertise... whatever they could. The amazing members of the Camden, Pennsauken, and South Jersey communities gave their love and strength to support the build for 7 straight days.

Of course, the experience was made that much more special because the patriarch of our family and the founder of our company, Jirair S. Hovnanian, was there to see it all happen.  As an immigrant to this country himself, he has always appreciated America as the "Land of Opportunity." Over and over, upon seeing the enormity of the task at hand, and seeing the success with which his family and his company were accomplishing it, he would remind all of us: Only in America.  Only in America could you rally 3,000 people to build a house in 4 days for a family who needed it.  Only in America could you broadcast the whole effort in a way that will inspire others to do the same around the country.  Only in America could you make something out of nothing, and give a family and a community a new start.

His undying love for his country is rivaled only by the pride he felt when he helped welcome the Marrero family home.  Little did we know, it would be his final act.  Jirair S. Hovnanian passed away 3 days after we moved the bus, but his lesson stays with us: if you work hard enough, dream big enough, and love strongly enough, anything and everything is possible.


Garo D. Hovnanian
J.S. Hovnanian & Sons

www.HOVhomes.com

Miller Family - Cheyenne, WY

Carter Brothers Construction received a phone call from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition asking us if we would be interested in building a new, healthy home for a family right here in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We were thrilled beyond words and petrified at the same time!

Cheyenne is a friendly, giving, and caring community, so Carter Brothers Construction knew there would be NO problem in saying: "YES," making the Miller family dream home come true. We even coined our slogan for the build... "Compassion, Teamwork, Community."

We could not have done this without all of our amazing volunteers! Thank you!!! All our 650 trades people, 200 suppliers, vendors and the 1400 volunteers who worked tirelessly, your support was tremendous.

We will always remember the friendships we made, the camaraderie we had and the experiences we shared, it definetly will last a lifetime!

What a Ride!!
-Lori Carter/Wife of the builder

Photography courtesy of David Larsen, Keith Turbitt and Shawn Hawkins

Camp Heartland - Oatman-Gaitan family - Albany, NY

All of us at Camp Heartland are overwhelmed and overjoyed by the generosity of ABC, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Alure Home Improvement, Clearpool Education Center, Miracle Recreation Equipment and hundreds of donors and volunteers. Our new recreational center, playground and upgraded cabin will greatly enhance the experience of hundreds of families affected by HIV/AIDS.

We are thrilled that our Oatman-Gaitan camp family has received the gift of a new home. Debbie is an incredible woman and I was pleased to nominate her.

Camp Heartland exists because of the generosity of thousands of compassionate donors across this country. To get involved please visit www.campheartland.org

One unique way to support Camp Heartland is through a partnership with Canvas on Demand. Thanks to them, anyone can share in this awesome experience and support Camp Heartland in a big way. The beautiful Mural "Four Seasons of Fun" that was created in our new Recreational Center by long time Camp Heartland supporter and renowned artist, Eric Waugh, is available as a canvas reproduction.

The canvases are amazing; they're perfect for a child's room, playroom or school. The best part is 100% of the purchase price will go directly to fund programs at Camp Heartland. To order a canvas go to www.CanvasOnDemand.com and click on the link. We really appreciate the support.

Thanks again for making a profound difference in the lives of thousands of children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS.

Very best wishes,

Neil Willenson
Founder & CEO
Camp Heartland

Noyola Family - Chicago, IL

This has been an amazing time for us. How do we say thank you? Thank you, thank you, thank you! We are so blessed. We treat the house new everyday. Nothing is taken for granted. The whole family loves their bedrooms. However, the beautiful bathrooms are also at the top of the favorite list. There is nothing more beautiful than to hear the sound of violin music coming down for the magnificent music room. It flows through the house. So, does the sound of the drums. Sometimes this is not so wonderful. The house is perfect. It is interesting to see how we all still stay on top of each other. Although the house is so much bigger than where we were. You can usually find everyone in one or two rooms. The boy's still sleep together. They love the idea of their own beds. However, they always end up on the full size bed, together. The same goes for the girls. It's amazing to see the bond they have. And it's so real. Through living in a not so great place, to living in this wonderful house, they maintain a special bond. We love how much the kids respect and take care of the house. Jo-Jo and Geno clean the floors on their hands and knees. Danny does his bathroom. All around the toilets. Patty keeps her room immaculate. As a matter of fact, she allows herself and everyone else very little time in there. So as not mess it up. That is a whole other blog. Marissa makes great use of the kitchen. She has made some awesome brownies and chili dip in there. Bianca is ever vigilant in trying to keep up the girls bedroom and bathroom. Although, she and Marissa tend to wander off and get lost in their books. The cold Chicago winter is coming to an end. We are looking forward to planting veggies and herbs on the green roof. Seeing the Chicago sky line from our 3rd floor is such a blessing. We love this city. We are so glad we committed to staying in the city. Our desire is to raise the kids to be the best they can be. At the same time we are eager to continue to serve the community around us. The kids baseball season is fast approaching. So we're ready. It is exciting to look forward to a future of endless opportunities. We have seen a huge miracle in our lives with this house. We can not help but to want to give back. Hoping, through our wonderful church, New Life Community Church, we will double our efforts to reach families through Operation Christmas Child and The Angel Tree Network. Before the house we always had the desire and we gave. It just seems like that desire to serve and give is so much greater. Unbeknown to us, when we we were chosen and surprised with the makeover, Melinda (Mommy), was pregnant! Yes, another Noyola is on the way. Another huge surprise. Trust us, it was a HUGE surprise. A few weeks after we moved in it was confirmed. So, after a few months of horrible, ALL DAY morning sickness, things have started to quiet down. Although, Melinda (Mommy), is on moderate bed rest now, she does feel better as far as the ALL DAY morning sickness goes. And if she has to be on bed rest, trust us. There is no better place to be on bed rest than in her wonderful bedroom. All the ultrasounds show the baby to be healthy. There are just some other complications that have come up. We are holding on to our faith. And we know that God has continued to bless us. So, in a little over 3 and 1/2 months we will be welcoming Chloe Cristabella Noyola into our wonderful new house. Danny asked us how we are going to explain this house to her. We think it's going be a very fun thing to do. It something else how this house came at the perfect time.

We have to take a minute and just say thank you again. Thank you to the whole Extreme Makeover family. The designers, the crew, producers and the whole staff. ALL of you. We fell in love with you guys. Not only because you were part of this dream come true, but because you were all so wonderful and real. Thank you ABC. Thank you Lock and Key Productions. Thank you to everyone at Disney. We will be back. It is a magical place that all should visit. Thank you to NORCON. You guys are stuck with us forever! We love you guys and can never express our gratitude enough. Thank you Harris Bank. Thank you to our neighbors. Big cook-out this year! Thank you Chicago! Thank you Carpenters Local 1. Thank you to our church family, New Life Community Church, especially all our pastors, Paco, Tony, and Mark and all the rest. Also, to all the churches that were praying for us. And a special, special thank you to our family, friends, and the merit school of music.

Thomas Family - Columbus, OH

The Thomas return to their new home.

Please click here to visit the M/I Homes website and help the Thomas Family.

*Photography courtesy of M/I Homes

Hi Everybody:

ABC, EMHE, Ty, Ed, Johnnie, Paulie, and Tanya...thank you again and again for the wonderful house you built for Jason, Kirsti, and their children!

How do you thank a whole community for doing embracing the blessing of a dream come true for Jason and his family? You want to do or say something grandiose, for sure, but there is nothing comparable that can express your gratitude for the generous, compassionate, caring deed, they have done for someone you love! MI Homes, you know how much we will always appreciate the beautiful home, not house, you, Showcase, and MI built.

New fond memories will be made every day for this family. You gave them a dream, facilitated a blessing, along with the EMHE team, and the community of Whitehall, Columbus, Ohio, and any and everyone across America, who helped, prayed, or contributed in any way to make this all possible. Every day, I thank God for bringing every one of you into our lives. It's like God's love, you did it just because, and that is undeniably the best testimony to your character, and humanity.

Mayor, Council members, the wonderful, great, patient, accommodating neighbors, Bob Schottenstein, Doug, Ken, Bob the builder, (oh yes he was there...hahaha) all the construction workers, contractors, sub-contractors, basement guys, retail establishments, landscapers, artists, children, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, LIMA COMPANY, Yolanda Adams, Whitehall Police, Whitehall Police Honor Guard, Whitehall Fire Department/Paramedics, Dr. Lubbers, Riverside Hospital Staff, 007, Mark, Katherine and Crew, Insight Cable Guy, the lady who made my comforter, Mercedes, Insight Cable guys, the Flag Lady, Mr. Held, Rollit for the new bikes, all the media people, especially the radio comrades, and National City Bank for hosting the account to help pay on some of the mortgage, (please help if you can, every penny will help Jason and Kirsti keep this blessing...smiles)!

And even though Marvis-Marie and I don't own the house, it's still our home! So, thank you Jason and Kirsti, again, for taking us in, and letting us share in this incredible journey. Thank you for letting us have a place to call home! Thank you Jason for not caring that Marvis calls you Daddy, and telling people that's my child! And you Kirsti, for the same, with her calling you Mommy...hahaha! I also appreciate your letting my son Roderick stay with us, and making us all an honorary Thomas! smiles...

I LOVE MY ROOM...I even get Jason to come in once in a while. Though it's "too girlie girlie" for him, he says he must leave within 30 seconds! Its still mind boggling waking up in this incredible bedroom, and this God-mazing home. Sometime, I just sit and stare at something. Sometime, I forgot I saw something already, and the newness reminders pop into my head.

I love sitting in the dining room, admiring Ed's flag. It always reminds me of others sacrifices. Especially all the troops lost during wartime. I hope and pray you always remember our men and women serving this great country, their sacrifices, giving their lives, limbs, and important time away from their loved ones, to keep you safe. Politics aside, please, please, pray for them, for they, like Jason did on 9-11, are just doing what they were called to do. Ed's flag is amazing, and a great reflecting piece. So is Jason's honor wall.

Every time I go by it, I look at the cross from Ground Zero...and the flags...

I think of Will, John, and their families, and thank God for their miracle; Jason's miracle; and the miracle of all survivors from that day. I am just so truly thankful for all the men and women like Jason, who risked their lives. I think of those who lost their lives through selfless sacrifice, or innocent happenstance, regularly. My prayer is that you don't forget them either. Say a prayer of thanks for their bravery, courage, and senseless loss. It reminds me, as Jason says, they were Mothers, Fathers, friends, sons and daughters, to someone, they are missed, and that wall rekindles the grief I feel over them. It also gives me hope, that when tragedy strikes, God sends His warriors, and sends more warriors to save the fallen warriors. It's just "pray" it forward thankfulness, for heroes, like the men and women from 9-11.

It makes me even more proud, and so happy for Jason that he can display his remembrance wall, for all who come to see...and think...about what happened, and the good and bad of it all. He is humbled by that wall. I am guessing, but I sense the emotion attached to that wall for him. Manly man that he is, it's even more touching and heart wrenching, to think about the memories he has from that day, that he still holds inside, in his private thoughts. There is pain in his eyes, yet there is faith and joy. It's so great to see him so happy, and proud of his house.

This home, is more than walls, floors, and furniture. It's also a place to think about good people, who did great things, and still are doing great things for the freedom of all people. It's a new beginning for a young family; hope for a better life and a better future.

Marvis-Marie aka Wonky, loves her Elephant room...so does Hansum...they still call it that, we all do...hahaha. She and Hansum, aka, Jason Christian, still say "Move That Bus" on a regular, lol, and are always saying "I love my new house." When people come by to see the house, they are anxious to go show them that Elephant Room! hahaha
It's funny the details they remember, and when they see pics of the old house, they talk about it getting torn down, and how much they love the new "green" house, and yep, the Elephant room! They still love the slide, and their closet, (it's their secret hiding spot. lol...they have their "club" meetings in there too) They play in the Elephant Room for hours, reading the great books; playing with the puzzles; riding the "sip n spin"; and they love to slide, slide, slide!

We all love the house!!!! (Kirsti still dances into the kitchen singing, "I love my house", and we love that she loves cooking some terrific meals in that great kitchen) How could we not love this house??? It's an amazing, beautiful, wow house that God built with love. Love from strangers, who are now friends, neighbors who are now like family! I pray God will continue to shine on you all with many many blessings for what you did for the Thomas family.... our new family, everyone who helped: EMHE family, Whitehall Family, Builder Family, Community Family, and everybody who assisted in some way, big or small!! GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!

Now, in true Aunt Theresa form, I must go get a tissue, from my beautiful, charming bathroom; yeah, I'm the crier...but they are happy tears.

We love you all forever, truly we do!

Theresa, Marvis-Marie, and Roderick Golden, from The Thomas Family!

Koepke Family - Campbellsport, WI

First off, THANK YOU!!!!! : )

We could not be more thankful. We appreciate everything that you have done for us. You are all a blessing from God. We love the house so much and so does everyone else in the neighborhood and pretty much the whole state it seems. We are making a lot of new memories in our new home that we will never forget.

All of us really like our new bedrooms and our own bathrooms. We are taking very good care of them. Derek dusts and straightens his Packer shelf everyday. Mitch is our lawn man. He enjoys doing those things. We really wish Dad (Matt) was here to share and be apart of these new memories with us, but that does not stop us from going on with our lives. We know that he is here with us all the time and watching out for us. Lets just say he is supervising. We still think about him everyday and we will never forget him. You all did a great job at reminding us of him everyday. We remember him every time we walk into a room in the house. In Derek's room we see all the Packer things and remember the times Dad would watch the Packer games with us. We look in Jayna's room and see the pictures of the girls' horse and remember when he would go to horse shows and watch the girls ride. Take a look at Mitchell's room and we remember the days when Dad and Mitch would go hunting and bring home their deer to show us. Then we walk into Johanna's room and see pieces of the old house, the one that we all grew up in together and made so many memories with Dad. Ones that we will never forget. Mom's room has our old mirror from our dining room that you would look in every time you walked passed it. Then our family room. We look in there and see the most wonderful pictures of our family that our friend had taken just a few months before Dad passed away. We can still remember that day and how much fun it was being together as a whole family. We also remember Dad when we walk over to the Dundee Mill Park. We see it and think about how much he loved being over there and working on it with his friends. You all did an awesome job on it. It couldn't have been done better. He would definitely approve! We wish we could have said bye and thank you to all of you, but we understand you are very busy helping so many other deserving families in need of help. We just want to say thank you again for everything you have done for our family. We are so grateful and overjoyed! Thank you again!

Thank you and God Bless You,

The Koepke Family from Dundee, Wisconsin
Chris, Derek, Jayna, Mitchell & Johanna

Update from Ed Sanders

Wow, what can I say friends. To say that I am shocked would be an understatement. I am totally blown away by the love and support you guys have all shown, not only at this blog, but my own personal blog. I have had so many emails, wishing me well and a quick safe recovery.

I have to admit that when I nearly cut my hand off I was scared out of my mind. Number 1 was because of my wife being three months pregnant at the time with triplets, number 2 was because I thought my television career was over after nearly twenty years and number three was because I thought my favorite hobby of building furniture was done and dusted!

So after nearly two hundred stitches and a whole lot of therapy, oh yeah and a couple of needles filled with quaterzone I am slowly on the mend. I never knew how painful it was to inject a scar with quarterzone. It kind of feels like someone is cutting your hand off all over again with a blunt saw. The reason for the quarterzone was because my thumb and finger are literally being pulled together because my scar is so long and is going diagonally across my palm from the base of my thumb to my little finger. Doctor Lubbers said that it was either that or face more surgery. Well to be honest the thought of facing more surgery with more therapy scared me as much as the accident itself, so I chose the quarterzone, but after he started I so wish I had chosen the surgery because the pain, was like nothing I can describe.

The accident was over two and a half months ago and Doctor Lubbers is so surprised at how well my rehabilitation is coming on. Personally I am still stunned that I have my hand let alone the fact that I can still move it.

It really has put into perspective how quickly things can change for the worse when you or someone you know has an accident. Since my accident I have slowed down a lot and enjoy everything in my life, because some of the people I have met in therapy are not as fortunate as me and my heart goes out to them.

If you guys want to find out more on how everything is going with the injury and the upcoming arrival of the triplets and how my life is going to change, go to www.edsanders.net and click on In his own words.

Once again friends, thanks so much for all of your support for me over a very scary time in my life.

Be safe and be lucky Ed x x x

Riggins Family - Raleigh, NC

Q & A with Homelife Communities Regional President: Don Mead

Pre-planning:
Once we said yes, the rip cord was pulled and the race was on! We appointed 2 project managers, 1 to over see the build and one to oversee the volunteers. From there the house was designed with help from our architect, engineers and the Extreme Makeover designers, a building schedule was created and we started recruiting vendors. Preparations for marketing, signage, food, tents, restrooms, volunteers were being developed at the same time. There were an awful lot of long nights. But the reward of seeing the family come home was worth every second!

Our next step was pulling the team together. On a Sunday afternoon, we had a big meeting, told he subs what we were doing and introduced them to the family using their application video. From there, the recruiting, although massive, was easy. People wanted to help this deserving family.
We work with some great vendors. We knew they would step up to the plate. Last summer we built a home to benefit the Duke Children’s Hospital and were able to donate $90,000. That project and the Extreme Makeover for the Riggins are only possible because our employees and trade partners believe in giving back to the community. We also saw a tremendous amount of support from the City officials, inspections department, policy, fire and the community as a whole. The entire area got behind this and made it possible.

A couple of moments truly standout in my mind from the build. I think one of the things that surprised me was how long someone could actually stay awake! The good Lord takes care of people and can make the impossible happen. Seriously though, I remember sitting in the sun room after the furnishing had been installed. I watched as our guys were taking care of the final punch items and it just hit me. We actually built this home in 94 hours! What an impact this would have on this family’s life. Another moment was when Ty took William, Sr.’s hand and ran it over the stone on the front of the house. Although he was blind, he could see what the house was made of. That was very emotional and will stay with me forever.

The Riggins have absolutely become our family. We have gotten to know them personally and love them very much. We will be partnering with them at Building Together Ministries to help mentor the children, spend lunches reading; we’ve committed to replacing the HVAC system of the building this year; we plan to help out in their Christmas store and to help supply the retail store as well. Our vendors and trades have also gotten to know Linda and her family. Big things are to come from this relationship. It’s only just begun!

A couple more things to add…
First, I just want to thank everyone who was involved, from the subs and trade, to the volunteers to the Red Bull girls who brought us power drinks at 3:00 in the morning. It was AWSOME!!! This has been a life changing experience for everyone involved. Linda Riggins and her family are a true inspiration and example of what good citizens are all about. I encourage, no challenge, each person reading this to go out and do something good for someone. You may not even know them, but take the time. Build a ramp, fix a roof, weed a garden, help someone put groceries in their car…don’t let this be a passing thought. Take action on it. Life is full of should haves, change that and make it full of that felt great!

-Don

Farina Family - St. Meinrad, IN

*Photography by BC Baggett

Well, we have been in our new home for almost six weeks now and have not changed a thing. The Designers did such a great job with the whole house! I loved the fact that when we walked into our home for the first time that there were pictures of the kids everywhere! All the small details that you would put into a home yourself, were already there for us.

So, how has life changed for the Farina Family? We have so much more time to spend together as a family now. Steve no longer has to worry about coming home right after work to tackle another job on the house. He usually comes home to take over the kitchen from me, since he says that I can't cook! I will admit that he is a much better cook than myself so I let him cook and I have to clean up his mess!

The kids love their rooms! Bryan has discovered that if you line up his tree house full of cars and push them down the slide that they do make it into the bathroom. He has the ultimate ‘camo room that will easy grow with him. I am very glad that his room is downstairs and don't have to worry about him falling down the stairs in the middle of the night.

Summer's room is a big hit with every little kid. I wish that I I would have had a room like hers when I was little. Summer only has to come out of her room when it is time to eat. She has had a few friends spend the night and they sleep in her own person front room.

As for miss Laci, I have had to do some shopping in her room! This little girl of mine could go four months without wearing the same outfit twice. She is all about fashion and has fashion shows every weekend.

Steven and I get to retreat to the master bedroom at the end of the day to relax in the best bathroom on earth! I really wish that I had this bathroom last year when I spent so much time lying on the floor. Ty made sure that if my cancer ever came back that I would have the coolest bedroom and bathroom to enjoy, since that is where I would spend a lot of time. I even have a couch in the bathroom!

My Relay office is the room that I have been in the most. I start everyday in that office and end my days there too. I will be reminded every day that I sit in there just the reason that I was put on this earth!

I would like to thank Cher Reed, who is just like a sister to me, for nominating us. When she brought the application over she said that it would probably never amount to anything, but at least she would know she tried. That makes me want to do a whole lot more for others.

Thank you To Kerstiens Homes & Designs for accepting to take on the biggest and craziest project that they have ever done. Our lives are changed forever. Without the kindness of your heart, we would not be in the best home that we are in. Thank you for buying the Shady Inn and tearing it down so we could still have a yard! Our new home is well built, strong, and everything that we could have hoped for. Thank you Kerstiens and FC Tucker for raising money to pay off the mortgage and property taxes for ten years! I can't believe that we are going to be able to pay off our medical bills and build a savings account again! Thank you to all the contractors who volunteered to work with their competition to build a great home for us.

Thank you to everyone who took time out of their lives to come down to watch, work, and walk at the Relay. Thank you to the American Cancer Society for putting on five back to back Relay For Life Events. My story could not have been told without the ACS. I hope that everyone who came out for Relay got hooked and will be back with their own teams year after year.

Thanks for all of the cards and letters from perfect strangers that sent their best wishes!

Last but not least, THANK YOU Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for coming to St. Meinrad and changing our lives for the better. The whole cast and crew were so nice and down to earth. We had the best time in Disney and the best week of our whole lives. Thank you for doing what you do, touching lives and making things so much easier. I look forward to watching many more years of EMHE and am honored to be on of the Extreme Family's.

Love, The Farinas:
Steve, Shawna, Laci, Summer, and Bryan

Pauni Family - Logan, Utah

Photography by Russ Dixon

Hey!

My name is Siu Jane and here are my feelings throughout the show.

On door knock day we all got ready and prepared as if we were really gonna get it. We still weren’t sure so we kept pausing before we made another move. LOLs. Things running through my mind like how am I going to be if we really get it. Whats going to happen to us, Etc. I heard the megaphone and immediately jumped up and headed for the door. All of sudden everything around me was quiet and all I cared for that moment was to get out of the house and meet Ty and the designers. There was so much energy in me and between my brothers and sisters we couldn’t believe this was happening. We couldn’t keep still. Arriving in the Virgin Islands brought back memories from home (Tonga). We were back in an island and immediately felt at home. We immediately noticed reggae things around us and I got even more excited because we love reggae stuff!! Being on the yacht was very relaxing. We were served everything. Something we never had done for us before. The scenery was beautiful and waking up was like a dream. I still can’t believe we were given that vacation and that it really happened! Returning from the islands and driving up to see our new house was just too much. I started getting sick in the limo. As we turned the corner and hearing the crowd just made my gut drop to the floor. I was close to the door and suppose to be the 3rd person out but I held myself back. I just wasn’t ready to see this new big house and my old house no longer there. As soon as I hopped out of the limo and saw my immediate family standing there with posters and cheering us on, I immediately felt better and happy to see that they came out to support us. “Move that bus” came out of our mouths and just as we said the bus moved. When I saw the house it just hit me. Like I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I wanted to run up and touch it. It looked unreal. Everything around me just went silent and still. I looked at my family and they all had different expressions. I ran up to hug them and celebrate that we finally got a boost closer to the American dream my parents always wanted us to experience. I just wish my dad was here with us to experience it all. I’m so grateful for the community and for ABC for making our Amercan dream come true. I wake up every morning and thank the lord for surrounding me with such a good community. I love them and everyone who helped out. Words could never express how thankful and honored I am to have this given to my family and I. Thank you again and much love.

Sincerely,
Siu Jane A I Pauni

Whats up?! This is how I felt throughout the life-changing event that we were a part of. On the first day I was feeling a lot of emotions at the same time, but I was surprised more than anything. It didn’t sink in that we were really going to be on national televison. Not until we got home and settled in did it really sink in but still to this day I wake up and still look around for a little bit and then I’ll be like, oh yeah, I
live here. So yeah, that was how I felt about that but what I think was the coolest thing was that now I could go around and say that I was in the family that went to the Virgin Islands & was apart of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!

Sincerely, Joe Pauni

Yo! My name is George.

I don’t have enough words to express how I felt. Surprised, relieved, excited, and sad were some of the feelings I went through during this life-changing event! From door-knock day to reveal it was crazy! Emotions were flying. At one point we would be way happy, but then just like that, we would be crying! Ex: from getting out of the limo to finally looking at our new house. At the end of the first day I was exhausted, happy, and tired of crying, but at the beginning, I was excited, pumped, surprised and very relieved!! Then through the week I was sssooooo happy! There wasn’t a time where I was sad. Or not happy! Every time was so tight! Even when I was crying I was still happy. Cuz we had so many things to do! Ex: we swam, snorkeled, listened to music, danced, or just kicked it on the front of the boat! Through the rest of the week I was kinda confused. I had to keep reminding us that we finally got to the Virgin Islands. In the end, I’m just grateful
for the opportunity to go through this life-changing event! Thank you again!

Sincerely, George Pauni

Ilaise here!

Today I think that everyone was going through so many feelings for the first begging hours of the day! Not only before we got it, but before it was feelings like:
-Excited
-Scared
-Hyper
-Nervous
-Happy
-Weird and so many other feelings! We all started jumping up and down and then just stopped and looked at each other when we found out about our upcoming vacation. We really had no idea of what and where the Virgin Islands were. All we knew was that we got to go somewhere while Extreme Makeover: Home Edition builds us a new house that we could come home to!!!
So once we got to the Virgin Islands, we really didn’t know what to think or do because, it would be kind of like a first hand experience. Because we really didn’t know what to do, but sit there and enjoy what life and that trip has to offer! Then we did what we did, which was to just enjoy life. It reminded us of home and where we’re from, Tonga. So we swam, ate all we could eat, and just enjoyed the week to the fullest!!
During “Welcome Home Pauni Family”:
Now we’re back and just can’t wait until we finally get to see the house!! So, once again, all of the mixed feelings I felt in the beginning are back. We all are just so excited and can’t wait or know what to expect of how our house will look like! Throughout the whole experience we really couldn’t believe that this was really happening to us. Mostly now we all just get to live in a brand new house with lots of love put into it. My mom doesn’t have to stress over bills and everything else. I mostly think she is now just worrying about the kids and their futures now!!
During “Move That Bus”:
Now we’re in front of the house with the whole community and all our friends and family!! I am so excited and not really knowing what feelings we were all going through just really happy to be back and ready to start a new life in our new home!
Now we’re chanting "MOVE THAT BUS" as one. I am really anxious about the whole thing...so the bus moves and every one in the crowd is on the floor, in the air, hugging each other, sharing tears of joy and happiness.
As for life now:
Now we’re just as before, 1 big happy family but we’re just in a better living condition! "Together Forever" from the beginning till the end! Now life is greater than ever for ex: living conditions, bills, business, life as we knew it and all the rest!

THANX 4 ALL YOU‚VE DONE FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART TO THE HAIRS ON TOP OF MY HEAD!!

Love Ilaise Pauni

Well, before I begin I want to thank my Heavenly Father for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings. I’m also grateful for this beautiful home we were blessed with. Words really cannot explain how I felt that first day when Ty called our name from the front of our yard. I was sooo nervous waiting to hear the result whether we won or not. I just wanted to hear an answer already because the anticipation was killing me. Whether the news was good, or bad, I just wanted the result right then. But, as soon as we heard Ty’s voice, we all gave shouts but also shouts of relief! Alot of pressure, headaches, and sacrifices were lifted from my shoulders that day and the same went for my family. As we got to talk with the designers and the cameramen I could fell their love and concern for my family. They really wanted to help us! It was on our vacation that I realized not only did they care, but they meant everything they said! That was the first vacation my family ever had! This vacation meant a lot to my family and our relationship with each other. To see the community show their affection towards us was overwhelming. If only communities around the world would always show love for each other such as this wonderful show has showed us. The world would be a more beautiful and happy place to live in. I have learned a lot from this experience and also grown a lot. It has made me more aware of what people are capable of when we work together. I am so thankful and these words I’ve written and the sentences I’ve put together, is the best way I can tell all of you about my feelings about the show. But, it still won’t fully explain my emotions and gratitude about this lovely and wonderful show!

Hailame Pauni

On the first day I was nervous when we were waiting in the kitchen. When I was outside and saw Ty with the producers, I was so surprised to see them. When we finally got to the Virgin Islands, we just felt welcomed, especially when we got on the yachts. We met our captains and we were all excited. When we got back from our marvolous vacation, we drove up to the house and heard all the yelling and screaming!! We then saw the house, and it was like my dream home.

Thank You so much for the house, help and all the love in it.

Thank You!
Latu Pauni

On the day that we found out that we won, my butterflies were about to come out of my mouth! I was hoping for the best but, I was prepared for the worst. We really weren’t expecting to win, so we were just clowning around and making fun of each other. But all of a sudden, out of nowhere we heard Ty’s voice calling us!! It wasn’t real to us! We ran out like someone behind us were trying to kill us!! I ran straight to Ty and threw him! It was just soooo overwhelming. As soon as we left the house in the limo everyone fell asleep tired from not sleeping the night before. We knew nothing about the Virgin Islands when we were there. While on our vacation we were sooooo happy!! It was the first family vacation we’ve had ever since Jimmy was born or even before then. Listening to Reggae, swimming, and snorkeling all day long was the perfect vacation for us!! During the vacation all we could think of was our house. When we saw the video of our house being torn down, it was very emotional. You just couldn’t see it because we were sweating so hard from how hot it was. Everyone was so nice to us traveling and staying in certain places that we felt like celebrities. I wish we were able to Thank Everyone for what they have done for us! Coming home was a dream come true waiting to happen. It was hard for me to sleep the night before reveal. I just couldn’t get it out of my head!! When we were on our way to the house in the limo we were listening to music to get pumped up for the big reveal. As soon as the bus moved I thought I had a heart attack! I was sooooo shocked and amazed! My favorite room is the DANCE ROOM! I’m in it every day!

I just hope everyone that had to do with everything and helped knew (really knew) how THANKFUL AND HAPPY WE ARE!!

THANK YOU,
Spencer Pauni