If you have been reading the "My Sister's Dream Home" series all along, you already know that my youngest sister and her three boys were qualified as a Habitat for Humanity partner family more than two years ago. On June 26, 2010, their home was open to the public in a dedication ceremony, and they were presented the keys to their very own home! What follows is my recap of that day's events (with photos furnished by my sister, Jean and my mother, Sandie -- Thanks, ladies!).
The family, friends and neighbors who gathered to enjoy the day's festivities were greeted by a slightly new version of the sponsorship sign that was on site before the official build had even begun.
The crowd was large and full of anticipation.
As we waited for Tami and the boys to arrive, we were asked to move back, back, and back again. "What is this about? Why do they keep moving us?" Many wondered.We learned pretty quickly what all the fuss and moving was about. What is this we see?
"O-oh the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street, Oh please let it be for me!"
"O-oh, The Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street, I wish I wish I knew what it could be!"As it turns out the wagon delivered Theodore, Arthur, Tami and Jaylen to their new homestead!
That's right... The Wells Fargo Wagon traveled all the way from Texas to Indiana (thanks to the wonderful folks at the Wells Fargo Mortgage office in Greenwood for making this happen) in order to escort Tami and the boys to their home. Talk about excitement! The authentic replica stagecoach even hung around for a couple of hours and gave rides to guests and neighbors.Once the family was safely transported by stagecoach to their new home, the ceremonies began with words and dedication gifts from Rhett Cecil (Exec. Dir. HFH JC), and Mike Gorman (construction supervisor).
Tami received a family bible, a framed key to her home and a fancy-schmancy tool box filled with all the essentials. She was also welcomed to her new home by none other than Charles Henderson, the Mayor of Greenwood! (Pictured below greeting Tami with a hug and dressed in his casual attire, having come to the site immediately after the city's annual summer festival parade)
After the presentation of gifts, Msgr. Mark Svarczkopf from Tami's church (Our Lady of the Greenwood) prayed over and blessed the home and family with holy water.
After the presentation of gifts, Msgr. Mark Svarczkopf from Tami's church (Our Lady of the Greenwood) prayed over and blessed the home and family with holy water.And finally Tami was given an opportunity to thank the volunteers, neighbors, friends and family who helped to make her dream home a reality.
I'd like to tell you that I only cried when Tami spoke her heartfelt thanks, but the truth is I was in tears when the stagecoach rolled up. It was a beautiful, emotional, lovely, wonderful, delightful and hot day. I don't have the words to express how grateful I am for every single person who made this dream possible for my sister and nephews. To the family who graciously donated the lot, to those who volunteered their time to build this home, and to every single person behind the scenes who provided support, encouragement, food, prayers and love. THANK YOU! It is because of your kindness, dedication, hard work and prayers that my sister's dream home is a reality today!
XO
Jodi
And that was just about the extent of our Friday work. We left with the knowledge that the appliances and various landscaping elements would be delivered later in the day, and would be installed on Saturday. I didn't get to the work site on Saturday morning, but I did receive a text message that the afternoon work was called off... because all the work was done! D.O.N.E. Done! The house is ready for my sister to move into! WOO-HOOO!
Coming up next: Dedication day on June 26! I must remember to bring along a box of tissues, because I'm sure they will be in high demand. And I promise that once I've managed to wipe away my joyful tears and gather together my thoughts, I will write all about the events of the day.
My last entry concluded that I was looking forward to working indoors this week, but that didn't happen. Instead Tami and I were set up in the front yard with sawhorse upon sawhorse of interior trim that needed painting. We spent our morning painting trim, moving pieces aside to dry, painting and moving still more, and eventually applying a second coat to all the same pieces. It was a tedious job, and we really could have used the help of a radio, but we had a great time doing the work together regardless.
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The best part of our trim painting extravaganza was that we were joined mid-morning by a couple who have just entered into the beginning stages of becoming a partner family with Habitat for Humanity. They were eager to work on whatever tasks they were assigned and they are looking forward to one day earning partner family status for themselves and their five children. It was wonderful to meet this couple just as they begin their relationship with HFH... eager, hopeful, helpful, and as excited for my sister as they are for their own future.
We all enjoyed the sandwiches, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and a literal load of sweets provided to us by the church sponsoring the day's grub. I was grateful for the break and especially thankful for the delicious food, since I'd only eaten a small muffin for breakfast. (Stupid move on my part!)
The last task of the day was to properly clean all the painting equipment. The only problem was that Tami's house didn't yet have running water. Tami headed to her sweet neighbor's house and begged a few buckets of water so we could set about our task. While we worked, a pair of plumbers finished hooking up the city water to Tami's house, so our last couple of buckets were straight from the spigot of her brand new home - WOO!
I started off the morning as the unofficial pneumatic nail gun operator on a siding crew determined to get the back of the house completed. In the meantime, a crew of painters were employed on the north side, even as the last bits of siding were being installed there. A third crew of brave souls worked on the front of the house, finishing the siding on the gables.
Mid-way through the morning my crew's siding work had slowed a bit while precise cuts were being made for the pieces around the windows. Soon thereafter, extension ladders were leaned against the house so the gable could be sheeted with Tyvek and the siding installed. It was then that I dismissed myself from the siding crew. I'm not so great with ladders.
I admit I did a bit of standing about in the afternoon... a small crew of painters took over the work on the shed, and the mass of muscled men had embarked on a friendly game of "who can finish first" with the siding on the back and south sides of the house. I fetched a few refreshments for the guys, visited with my brother and his youngsters (who stopped by for a peek at the progress), and then busied myself cleaning up around the site. Before long the final pieces of siding were installed and we called it a day.
Cinder block crawl space; floor joists and sub floor; exterior and interior framing; ceiling joists, rafters and roof decking; plumbing, electrical and HVAC; windows and exterior doors; shingles and siding and paint; and drywall... in just four short weeks... and it has all been accomplished by volunteers! Simply amazing.
The first order of business was to ensure that the windows were plumb and true before nailing them in completely. A team of volunteers from a local church was quickly employed with this task. The second order of business was to install the exterior doors, and that work was also quickly accomplished. Even as that work was completed, teams of builders were attaching the gutter boards to the 
We relaxed for a bit as we enjoyed the sandwiches, chips, cookies and fruit provided to us by a neighborhood church. Then we quickly amped up the work again... and soon the siding work was in full swing on the front, back and north side of the house!
Right out of the gate the carpenter-types headed to the roof to complete the previous week's work on the ceiling joists. My non-carpenter cohorts and I were put to work carrying the roof trusses/rafters to the north and south sides of the house. The carpenters then dragged those boards onto the roof and began installing them.
Once the trusses/rafters were in place, the roof decking needed to be installed. The carpenters hollered out the plank size they required, and we runners relayed their need to our cutters (Mike and Sam) who cut the plywood to size. Then we walked the plywood to the house and handed it up to the carpenters. This was more difficult than it sounds. Houses are tall-ish, and though I'm 5'7", the weight of the plywood, combined with my relative weakness, made hoisting those sheets heavenward a good deal of work. Thankfully the guys up top were understanding. They even cheered my efforts every so often to keep me encouraged!
As soon as the rafters were up another crew of volunteers busied themselves with sheeting the gables and wrapping the exterior walls with Tyvek.
We dodged a few sprinkles throughout the morning, but it really began to fall just as lunch was delivered by the congregants of a local church. As we dined on delicious BBQ pork sandwiches in the rain, lead carpenter Mike commented that "it would sure be nice to black it in today" (meaning apply the felt paper to the roof). After lunch I was asked to begin cleaning up the work site by taking tools and power cords to the trailer. As I did that, several brave men climbed back up on the slippery wet roof and blacked it in!
When I left the site there were just a couple of guys in the house cutting out the thresholds and preparing to install the framing for a few pocket doors. It was a very productive day, even if work was cut a bit short due to rain.