Rutledge Builders: Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Today was extremely (no pun intended) exciting, exhausting and emotional. A day we will never forget.

The day started with John catching a few hours sleep in the hotel from about 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Since the kids and I were there with him, there was no need for hotel security to awaken him! The kids had no idea he was there, but they knew he was coming when they went to bed and knew he had been there when they woke up. That made everyone feel good.

The crews put the finishing touches on the church overnight and this morning. At about 11 a.m. the builders handed the keys over to Ty so the EMHE team could start moving in to the church. Bryan and Jill donned their blue shirts and helped move chairs into the sanctuary.

There were so many people lining the street today for the festivities. There were volunteers, friends and family of the builders, members of the church congregation, media and spectators. It was so wonderful to see so many gathered to celebrate the fruit of many hours of labor by hundreds of volunteers.

Finally, around 3 p.m. the Walker family arrived at the church. Of course, their view of the building was blocked by that famous bus until the crowd roared, "Move that bus!" and away it went!

I was able to join John with the builder group and see first hand the family's reaction when the bus pulled away. The builder group stood next to the bus as it pulled away and were able to see the family's reaction from the front rather than behind as the crowd did.

After the Walkers had a chance to tour the new church, the builders joined them inside for a celebration. The kids and I waited outside, but we could hear the singing and feel the joy emanating from the building as they celebrated the new beacon in the community.

Then we all loaded up and headed over to Westwego where crews are finishing up the Usea's house for another round of "Move that bus!" tomorrow. John had to do some final taping over there. This was our first chance to check out the build in Westwego. What and amazing project they have going on there.

John's heart wanted him to stay there and help them finish up. But, I think his feet and his mind convinced him that was not possible. He really needs a good night's sleep. He has poured his heart and soul into the church and needed some time to replenish his energy before heading back to the church in the morning for some last minute touch up items.

I was very excited that we ran into Pastor Walker while we were on site in Westwego. We were able to talk to him ourselves. He was so grateful to John for his work and already has many plans for his new building. The services he will provide to the community are needed more than ever before. Now, he has an awesome new facility from which to continue his service to the community. What a wonderful, deserving man. He was already working on turning the gift he received just a few hours before into a gift for the whole community.

Well, everyone in our hotel room is asleep right now. That sounds like a good idea!! I have a ton of pictures below for you to look at.

Tomorrow evening we will celebrate with everyone who made these two dreams reality.

Thank you all who have read this blog for sharing in this wonderful journey with us. Thank you also to our friends and family for their love and support during this project. I'm not sure I would have made it through these days in New Orleans as a temporary one parent family without the help of John's parents and sister and brother-in-law and, of course, Jill. They all made it possible for me to keep my sanity (at least partially) through this and also to be able to be a part of the builder group today. It was a long, hot day, but well worth it!!

Don't forget to tune in to ABC at 8/7c on May 18 for the airing of the show!!

If I am able to get more pictures, I will post them in the days to come.

Good night!!

John and (R to L) Joe Schlenk, David Hall and Ben Poss from Deltec Homes

John and Dana Dugas from Dugas' Affordable Homes in New Iberia

John and EMHE Producer, Diane Korman

Finally ready!

Getting ready to hand over the keys

Mini-John

Bryan moving in chairs

Jill moving in chairs despite her bum knee

Waiting for the Walkers

The Rutledge Builders gang under the LSU flag

The builders leaving the celebration

The Usea's house!

The kids and I returned to New Orleans after a 57 hour LEAP test hiatus. I cannot believe how much things have progressed. I guess I knew they were moving along, but seeing it first hand is amazing.

By 9:00 Tuesday evening, the crews were laying sod, putting up fascia board, and continuing work on the interior. We even got to see them raise and fasten the cross above the front door. By the way, the front door is beautiful!!

The rain did not come to New Orleans as promised Monday night/Tuesday morning. They had postponed the pouring of the parking lot in anticipation of the rain. A group of volunteers told John they had prayed it would not rain, and it worked!! But, since the pour had been rescheduled, the parking lot did not get in until Tuesday afternoon.

Playground equipment has been installed in the backyard, and stairs to the front and side doors have been built.

John took me inside the church this evening. It is certainly a beehive of activity. Sorry, though, we can't give any details on the interior.

John got a few hours sleep overnight in the hotel room. His cell phone battery ran out, so he asked me to call the room to wake him up at 4:00 a.m. Well, being quite tired and a sound sleeper, John did not hear the phone. But, thanks to hotel security and a not too happy hotel operator, he was up by 4:15 a.m. I guess I can be persistent at times.

John's parents and Jill arrived around noon and spent a good part of the afternoon observing the work. They even got to catch some of the taping. John was interviewed on camera. Hopefully it won't be left on the cutting room floor!!

Lunch at the catering tent included true Louisiana fare - crawfish and gumbo. John was able to enjoy a few crawfish, enough to really want a crawfish boil when we return home.

The kids and I arrived in town around 9:00 p.m. We spent about a half an hour at the site to check on the progress and give Daddy some hugs. John is quite tired, you can tell just by looking at him. He thinks he'll be able to come back to the hotel and catch some sleep before the big day tomorrow. We will "Move that bus!" at 2:00 Wednesday afternoon!!

So, tune in tomorrow!!

John's friend, Michael Farley

The front entrance

The cross is in place

When I talked to John this evening and asked what had happened today, he really wasn't sure. It took a few people to answer that question. The day was just a blur to John. He was able to sleep for 2 and a half hours this morning at the hotel, and I'm sure that helped some.

Let's start with 1:00 a.m. Monday. They were setting cabinets. Since then, the granite tops have been installed, they have painted the interior, set the toilets, installed light fixtures, installed the access ramp, and graded the yard. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

The parking lot is ready to be poured when Mother Nature cooperates. The rain that has been falling all day here in Shreveport/Bossier is making its way into Baton Rouge and should be in New Orleans in a few hours. Looks like the parking lot will have to wait until tomorrow.

They are working on installing the flooring this evening.

Sounds like everything is on schedule for the big reveal on Wednesday! I know I can't wait. I'm sure everyone who has been working on the job can't wait either.

One day of testing down for Jackson, one more to go before we head south again. We should have quite the train traveling from here. John's parents and family friend, Jill, are heading down in the morning; the kids and I will leave early afternoon, and the Stewarts will start that way after work and school. I hope that everyone has a safe trip.

Remember to check out the pictures at www.extremeneworleans.com.

I'll check in again Tuesday evening!

It is warming up in New Orleans, finally. John was able to catch a few hours of sleep Sunday morning.

Around noon, the crews were working on decking the roof. On the inside, they were waiting for inspections so they could move on to insulation. By this evening, they were hanging sheetrock. They are hoping to have the house dried out and ready for trim and paint in morning. They will be working on shingles and siding tonight.

Wow, what progress!! I think I could actually hear John smiling on the phone this evening. The stress level has definitely decreased. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Today was Emma's third birthday. We were able to catch up with John for a celebration. The crew from West Contractors joined us and sang to Emma. Thanks, Bubba, for keeping the wind from blowing out the candles while we sang!! Then we finally got to dig in to the flowered cake that survived the trip from Benton, moving into and out of two hotel rooms and Emma's knee smooshing the cake box!! Emma was so glad it was finally her birthday. (Abbie is also quick to remind us that her birthday is in five weeks.)

After the birthday party, the kids and I headed back home so Jackson could take the LEAP test starting Monday - well, part of it anyway.

I can't wait to get back down there Tuesday to see how close they are to finishing. I will get updates from John each evening so I can keep posting the blog, but I might be a little short on pictures.

Be sure to check out the blog and pictures on both builds at www.extremeneworleans.com. The pictures are incredible - they even have arial shots!! Deltec is doing an AWESOME job of recording this entire experience.

Until tomorrow...

Decking the roof

Happy 3rd Birthday, Emma Grace!

Another cool, but wonderful day here in the Big Easy! (OK, nothing about this project is easy, but it is Big!)

Overnight, the pilings were finished and the concrete was poured. By this afternoon, the subfloors were in place and they were placing walls and stocking the roof trusses. I can't wait to see how far they are by tomorrow.

John was able to catch some sleep this morning at our wonderful room at the Intecontinental New Orleans. We owe them a BIG thank you for the donation of a room for the duration of the project. Now John has access to a comfortable bed and a hot shower if he can get away long enough. If not, he does have a trailer on site. (Thanks, Bryan and Paige!)

The kids and I visited the Aquarium today while John rested. Then we caught up with Uncle Bryan, Aunt Paige, and the Stewart girls and visited the site this evening to check on the progress. The kids enjoyed donning the famous blue EMHE t-shirts. I was even able to put on a hard hat and get onto the site for some close up pictures - but not too close. John took a few minutes and came down to say hi to all of us.

We saw signs of the arrival of our great volunteers from Shreveport/Bossier. We noticed the West Contractors trailer, the brand new Port City pump truck, the Air Systems van and a Shreveport Fire Department t-shirt or two. I also talked to Willie from Bill's Air and hopefully gave him good directions to the site to drop off the HVAC duct work. Although I didn't see them, I think Philip and Brandon from Garison Electric were here today too. What great support we got from our friends when we put out the call for volunteers!!

This has truly been an awesome experience so far. It has been amazing watching this all come together. Everyone involved in the project has been so kind and supportive and thankful. This is an experience I know we will never forget. We've made so many friends from across the country.

Thank you to Deltec Homes for giving us the opportunity to participate in this project.

One last note - Many of you know that John's uncle, Jack Bond, passed away last Sunday. John was already here in New Orleans and was not able to come back for the service. Jack helped us get on our feet when we moved to Shreveport five years ago, and we are very thankful to him for that. We will miss Uncle Jack dearly. But, we know we have a guardian angel up there watching over us and this project. As John's niece, Ashlynn, said, Uncle Jack is up in heaven making sure that those boards don't fall on anyone's head since they will be working fast. We just wanted to say thank you to one very special volunteer.

More tomorrow!

Putting in the sub-floor

John in the yellow shirt and the LSU hard hat

Getting the walls in place

Stocking roof trusses

The builder coalition banner