Pocatello just had an Extreme Makeover! It was the coolest thing ever and Devin got to be a part of it. Thanks to some connections to Rockwell Homes, the company chosen to build the home, Devin was hired to be a Production Assistant for the full week! He worked at least 10 hours a day and usually got home after midnight. Here's a picture we took of him one night; we missed him, so we went to see him at the site.
He got to work with all of the crew, and he had a great time. He said Ty Pennington is just as crazy as he is on the show, but he wasn't there very often until it was time to film. Ed was there all of the time, though, and I saw him working on some really cool projects for the house. Most of the time, Devin just drove little cars around emptying garbage and delivering water, but it was a great experience and helped him earn money for his mission, so we felt very blessed. I think his favorite part was demolition, but he didn't get any pictures of it. He said he was always too busy to take pictures (except for a few during initial construction), but I volunteered one day, too, and took a few.
Here's the best picture I got of Ty Pennington. This is when they were filming the Move That Bus scene. In the other picture Ty and Ed are throwing a pillow to someone to carry in the house. I was standing facing the sun, though, so it's a crappy shot.
The house is beautiful, and it's amazing that they can build a home like that in 4 1/2 days! It's in the middle of our historic university neighborhood, and they did a great job of making it fit in and stand out at the same time!
Here's a picture of our friends Joe and Michelle Winder: Joe is the brother of one of the main guys at Rockwell Homes of Idaho Falls and the reason Devin was hired.
Rockwell is a great company. They paid for the building costs and offered to pay for the family's property taxes for 20 years. Last year they did their own version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They built a home for a needy family in two weeks. They are very generous. They pay for many missionaries to go out every year.
The family chosen is a terrific family we know from our stake. Her name is Jane Marshall and she is a single mother with 9 children. She found out that she had breast cancer a couple of years ago and while she was recovering they had a house fire that left it uninhabitable. They have been living in a tiny apartment in back and in tents pitched in the backyard for a while and have used the insurance from the home to pay bills and live on, so they basically had nothing. The oldest son dropped out of high school to help earn money. The kids are very smart and musically gifted; Sophie played in the ISU Symphony last year as its youngest member. ISU gave 8 of the children full ride scholarships (the oldest is married), which was very exciting. They are a terrific family, and I'm so thrilled for them!
At the unveiling everyone was surprised to see Kylie Minogue, who looked and sounded fabulous. I only saw her on the news because I didn't want to fight the crowds, but Devin got a few pictures.
She sang "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" repeatedly while they got footage for the show. My friend, Michelle, asked me if I knew who she was, and I told her of course I did! I had her album back in 1988 when I graduated. Do you remember her remake of "Locomotion"? It's kind of obnoxious, but they still play it! I can't believe she's that old and still around! That's ancient! :)
Devin and I had a great time! Del signed up to volunteer, too, but there was a computer glitch that deleted the names of all of the people who had signed up online, so they never scheduled him. He wasn't too sad, though, since he's pretty busy with his own makeover projects.
It was so fun having this project in Pocatello, even though they blocked off the streets and the park for a while. After it was over, Michelle asked one of the security guards who travels with Extreme Makeover if he was going to be happy to go home. He said he wasn't and he wished he could stay. He said that the people in Pocatello were so nice and he really loved this community. He has been keeping in touch with the Winders by phone. I think he's probably lonely traveling from place to place. Jane Marshall said that some of the show's crew members told her that this is their favorite place that they've worked because of the people. They were blown away at the number of volunteers they had sign up. They had asked for about 2,500 and got about 3 times as many as they needed. That was really nice to hear. On a lighter note, Gene Dutton, a friend of ours, asked a guy on their crew what he liked best about Pocatello. The man told him he was amazed that the women in Pocatello are so beautiful! I thought that was funny! It's the good, clean living! And the fact that everyone who went to look at the house got all dressed up, hoping to be on camera!
The show will air during the new season, probably the end of October or first of November. When you watch it, look for Devin!
We're now officially taking bets on the location of Devin's mission! (Just kidding! :)
