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Dear Friends,

Right now I write to you from New Orleans as we shoot our season finale, but my experience here will be written in my next entry. This blog shall be about the snowy island of Rhode Island! What's funny is that it is so warm here that I've almost forgotten how cold it was there!

We've done a lot of Extreme Makeover Home Edition houses in the snow this year. I'm happy to say we are done for a while! No more long underwear and layer after layer of clothing. The first couple of times, it was fun, but for a native Californiano, the novelty wore off fast!

All the photos are property from Eduardo Xol.

We had a great turn out of fans in RI despite the snow and the house was built without any problems. We invaded the neighborhood, as we often do, but the neighbors welcomed us all.



My 42nd (OUCH!) birthday was on February 19th. Ed Sanders, who is also father to my god daughter Lucia, invited a group out to dinner in my honor. We had a fantastic time. Here is the whole group at dinner.



Unbeknownst to me, the dinner was a distraction because back at our hotel, another party was being planed. The theme?? MEXICAN! As we arrived to the hotel and started walking towards the meeting rooms, I could hear " La Bamba " in the background. Many of the people on our show play guitar so EVERYONE who plays guitar was part of the group. It was the birth of The Extreme Team Band!

Everyone was wearing these little sombreros and they decorated the room. The party was organized by Michael Anthony and Krissy Lindquist. Here is a picture of the three of us having a great time!



All of the designers on the show came out to celebrate with me. Here is Didi, Ed, Johnny and I acting like four amigos having a good time! So funny!



What's a party without the senoritas! Some of my favorite ladies come out to join in the festivities. Here I am with Karin, Krissy, Rachel, Antonia and Carri wearing flowers in their hair!



Rarely do I get to have a bird's eye view of the limo as it pulls up when the family comes home, but this time was different. Here are the designers and the fans in place before the limo pulls up.



A big crowd showed up to greet this family. It's always a loud and emotional moment when they get out of the limo. Check out all of the production crew it takes to film these scenes!!



THIS NEXT PHOTOGRAPH was taken by Craig Bailey. Rarely has someone caught such an amazing moment like this one from our show on camera. You can see all of the genuine emotion we ALL share when the bus finally moves!



Well, a few days later I was on my way back to sunny southern California. We make friends along the way everywhere we go, even traveling through the airports! Here I am with a new friend and fan, Janell, who tends a bar at an airport I was flying through on my way back home.



I arrived to Los Angeles late on a Wednesday and would be on a plane to New Orleans the following Tuesday. I would only have time to take care of necessary business and turn right around. Over the weekend, while running errands, I drove through Beverly Hills when I saw a group of kids manning a lemonade stand. I passed it, then decided to turn around as I saw them waving their hands in the rearview mirror. They were raising money for a needy family in the area. A few of the kids said they were doing it because of how much they loved out show and what we did. Hopefully this is happening all over the country!

My next blog on New Orleans is going to be a fun one, and even though this is the last show of the season, it does not mean my travels are finished. I have some fun trips planned soon! Also, I will be changing the format of my blog in the coming months. I will be more focused on giving design tips to help you live a balanced life!

Until then, be healthy, happy and prosperous!

Eduardo