Here is the floor plan. This bus is going to turn into an actual home.
So we've actually taken care of that for you. What do you mean?
Today is a big day. We are surprising a very deserving mom with something massive. I've
talked a lot recently about giving back because I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't have the
support of amazing people in my life and I want to be able to pay that forward. A few weeks ago, we
surprised Ahmen who went through cancer and turned her pain into a beautiful book of poetry and I
know that so many people have been through so many ups and downs this year. It's been a wild ride,
but there's always, always hope so. I hope that's what you take from this. This is Alicia's story.
Hi Sunny, my name's Payton And I'd like to nominate Alicia Black as your next hero.
This mom is so amazing. She gives so much back to her community so I want to share our story.
Payton met Alicia when they were both volunteering for a charitable organization called Mama's for
Mama's, which supports mothers and caregivers in need with ongoing support for various poverty
related struggles, which is obviously a cause that's close to both of their hearts as new moms.
I met a very pregnant Alicia, her husband Josiah, and their little chihuahua named taco.
They didn't exchange numbers because they were these modern day hippies.
They traveled around in a Volkswagen van for a while
and they'd park it on their family's property and they gave me an address and said if the
light is on, come on in. We connected like we had known each other for many years and they
actually surprised us by telling us three days after their daughter was born on February 26th,
that they named her Payton so she's my namesake. It was like having a sister I never had it.
Did they know that the cause they're volunteering for it would be a cause
that Alicia would need so much this year. So fast forward to June of 2020, Josiah actually
tragically and suddenly passed away. It was a huge shock to all of us, especially because Alicia lost
her best friend, her partner, her husband, her soulmate, the father of her child, and actually
the father of their second child. So when Josiah passed away, Alicia was actually already a couple
months pregnant so we knew that this was going to be really challenging because how do you go from
having that support to not having that support? How do you explain to your child
where their father and what happened to him and how do you raise two kids on your own?
With her second baby due on New Year's Eve, Payton reached out to ask for help to make
Alicia's wish of honoring her husband's legacy, a reality, something they've
always dreamed of doing with their family. So Alicia actually bought a Thomas bus that
she's going to slowly turn into a tiny home for her and her family, which was always her and
Josiah's dream and so I thought it'd be amazing if we could do something for her there to make
this Christmas really magical and especially the birth of their second child really magical.
And here we are. So for the last couple of weeks, we've been putting together a
plan because obviously the bus isn't in the best shape right now, but we have a Christmas miracle
to pull off. So not only is this going to be a home for Alicia and her family, but it's also
going to be an Airbnb that she can actually rent out and generate an income from and share her
love of travel with other people to continue on their legacy, which is really, really cool and I
definitely cannot do this by myself. So a lot of people in the community have come together in a
time where we all feel isolated, we absolutely are not so let's get to it. Let's get to the plans.
Let me see, I'm so excited. All right ladies, let's have a
look. Here is the floor plan. Oh my god.
So obviously, as you enter, stairs over here and then you walk into the living room and then
moving along into the kitchen. So we'd like to do a Smeg or some sort of retro fridge in there,
it kind of suits the vibe of the space. That's awesome.
And then wrapping around here, giving them a washer and dryer.
That is crazy. Yeah.
It's a full house. It is.
Yeah. That is nice. What do you think?
It's amazing. She's going to be blown away. Thank you guys.
Is it her vision? Yeah, this is everything come true. This
is luxury compared to where they were living. So now that you guys have this visualized,
now you can see our design concept. That's incredible.
That's the concept. Wow.
So we'll work around that. That is wild.
She been through so much this year. Oh my God, oh man. Guys,
this is blowing any expectation I even had. Its amazing, its an actual home. When you're out on
the road and even in the Volkswagen van, it's still a van, they're still staying at friends
and family. This is a place for her to raise her children in and make memories in that and I think
that's going to be the most incredible thing. Well, I can't wait to get started. Plans are
underway to completely convert this bus into a home and an Airbnb, but that's going to take a few
months and I will share the whole transformation on this channel and in the meantime, this baby
is coming any minute. So we're working with Mama's for Mama's, which is the organization
that Payton and Alicia volunteer with to make sure that Alicia has all of the essential.
So this feels super a full circle, so how did this all come to be with you guys connecting?
You know, Mama's for Mama's is that whole... the sense of belonging is the strongest predictor of
mental health. Yeah.
That's why we were born, in that connection, in that piece of reaching out to your neighbor to
make sure that they're okay and they have enough not to compete or compare or whatever. So my heart
exploded when I got to see this whole thing come back to where we began which is the three
of us just looking out for each other. So I know you've rounded up a lot of
essentials. What are we putting in the bus? Oh my God, well there's a lot and I hope it fits.
We kind of went a little crazy. We've got this giant stylized nest.
We got this little teepee, we have blankets and we've got sheets and we've got Haven mattresses.
Mattresses, everything. Anything you might need for a baby,
so we've got a wipes warmer and we've got all the fancy things that most people think they don't
need, but it's really nice to have. Amazing. Okay, well let's do it.
Let's do it. Rock and roll.
We're all set. Alicia has no idea. She thinks she's just filming a day in the life of a
mom with Mamas for Mamas and they're on their way so here we go. Hit the lights Mr. Winter.
Man, I feel like I could go into labor any second now. Oh my goodness. Oh, I'm going to cry.
Stop, I can't. Oh my gosh. Look, it's my house. Oh my goodness, how sweet. That's so nice. Hello.
How are you doing? I started crying the second I saw lights. I'm
like, oh my god, it's my house with lights on it. Okay, so you don't know me. I'm Sunny. So
you have an amazing friend in Payton. I have the best friend in the world.
You have the best friend in the world. I know, I know.
And she has nominated you as a hero so we have some very special surprises for you today.
Oh my gosh. You want to come with me?
Sure. Okay. So we have stuffed this bus-
Oh my gosh. With all of the essentials.
You guys are so sweet. So it's got everything you need to make it a home
and I know that you have some plans for this bus. What's your dream with the bus?
This bus is going to turn into an actual home. All of these seats are leaving
and there'll be a bedroom at the back. There'll be a bathroom, a kitchen bunk beds, the whole nine
yards, all those Instagram things you've seen. So we've actually taken care of that for you.
What do you mean? We're going to do the whole thing.
No, you're not. Yeah we are. Yeah we are. Are you okay?
Oh my god. So this is what's going on here.
So Payton has been working really closely with us and we have a whole team in this community
has been incredible. And we are going to turn this into a home and I think it's your Instagram dream.
I'm going to show you what we have planned out, okay? This is the whole floor plan.
Oh my gosh, it's so cute. Yes. We have Katie and Kara who are going to be doing
the whole transformation for you. So basically you're walking into the entrance right now.
This is the living room right here. The living room and then there's
a bedroom, kitchen. Kitchen. Oh my gosh.
We're trying to get your dream tub, so. My dream tub.
Your dream tub. So yeah, it's all laid out, all going to be done for you. This is going to be
the kitchen and this is going to be your Bohemian hippy dream. And I know you have
your second baby due any second now. Any second now. This might do it.
This will probably do it too. I think this might do it. So this will
be your home and you don't have to think about it. You don't have to worry about it. And we're also
going to get it turned into something that can generate income for you as well as an Airbnb.
We've got all that covered. Oh my goodness.
Yeah. How do you feel? I feel like I can't breathe. I don't know.
Like Holy crap, I don't even know what to say right now.
What would Josiah I think about all this? Oh my god, he'd be running around outside
not able to contain his body. He wouldn't be able to stay in this bus, he'd have to walk
around outside going like, "Whoa, whoa." That's all I can hear. It's like, what?!
I've never seen a community come together like this. That's been the most amazing thing to-
Neither have I. So that just shows you how loved you are
and how much people want you to have what you want and overcome what has been a really hard year.
Thank you, I really appreciate it. And so we're going to basically document the
whole thing coming together. Heck yeah.
You don't really truly and honestly don't need to worry about anything.
But I can't swing a hammer if you want. Oh my God. You guys are amazing. I don't even know,
I have no words, I have no words, I have no words. That's so great.
I had three contractions during that. Oh my God, you're having attractions right now?
Yes. Okay, coffee.
Three of them. Okay.
So there you go. It did it. It did it.
I got so excited that... and it's probably going to come today.
Oh my god. It is really strange timing. Very strange timing.
Very strange timing, but beautiful timing. And of course, of course it did. Of course it did.
I know. This is hilarious.
Like a year's worth of events right now. And you know what? It's perfect timing.
End of 2020, see you later. Bye 2020. You see lights? Do you see lights on
the house? I can't handle myself right now. I feel really. I just feel blessed. I don't know
what else to say. This is unbelievable. I can't handle my feelings right now. We've just dreamed
of getting a bus and I can't handle that it's going to actually get done by someone who knows
what they're doing. If I did it, it would look, I mean, it would look like I did it.
Wow, that was a lot. That was a magical day and this year has been tough,
but I hope this reminds you that even in the darkness, there's light. There are real
life angels in your life and you are never alone. Subscribe because you could be next.
And if you want to nominate yourself or someone you know to be our next hero, do it at the link
below. Thank you guys so much for watching. Happy holidays. I'll see you in the next one.