Marathon Dad

Congratulations, Dad, on running - and finishing the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC yesterday!!!
After training for what seems to my mom like an eternity, Dad and a few running buddies made the trip to DC on Saturday morning. The marathon, refered to as "The People's Marathon" began at 8 am on Sunday.
We don't know how he does it, but at the age of 57, we sure are proud of him - and hope that he will take a break now!
Great job, DAD - you did it!!
Oh, and sorry for the tiny pic - I swiped it from the marathon website, and this is as big as it gets... he looks good, though!

Fire Map

http://www.sdcountyemergency.com/newsreleases/102320077_1800hrsA_Evac_FirePerem.pdf

The above is a link to the most recent fire map, released at 6 pm this evening. This is the best news we've had all day, because we live in the green- the re-opened area.

To us, this means that we are out of danger... that tonight, we can go to sleep and not have to get up to look out the window to make sure the orange glow hasn't crept any closer to us. It means that we can sleep, not having to worry that the phone may ring, telling us that we have to get out in the middle of the night. It means that I can now stop thinking about which posessions mean the most to me, and making sure I have them ready to go at a moment's notice. It means that now I can stop thinking, planning, thinking, wondering, thinking, and doing.
This means that the chaos is almost over - for us at least.
For me, the stress is subsiding, and I can start to breathe a little easier - thanks in part to the wind clearing our air!
But as I can now take the focus off of myself and my family, I am starting to grieve. I not only grieve for what we just went through - the not knowing - the wondering what would happen and where we would go if it did. I grieve for all those who just weren't as fortunate as we were. Those who will go back home, only to realize that their home isn't there. I grieve for the families in the stadium and evacuation centers... for the little kids who are still sleeping on floors and stadium seats with only the clothes on their backs. I grieve for those who have lost more than I could ever imagine.
Please pray with us for those who are still displaced, for those who have lost their homes, and for those still in the fire's path of destruction - for their comfort, courage, and strength to face what is to come.

The next morning...

I took these pictures from our bedroom balcony at 8:00 am on Monday, Oct. 22, 2007.
After a long night of relentless winds, we woke up to this. It proceeded to get worse throughout the day, just like the fires. By the end of the night, our air quality was terrible. It was raining smoke and ash, and we were under voluntary evacuation.
Today, the fires aren't much better. The one closest to us in Rancho Santa Fe is still out of control. The winds have shifted, however, and our sky is a bit clearer, but the air outside the house is still unbreathable. The beach just to the south of us is under mandatory evacuation, so we know it's a possibility that we will be forced to leave, however, we are staying put for now.
Why? For the most part, it's because there's nowhere to go! Basically everything is on fire, or covered in smoke and ash. Hotel rooms are booked well into Orange County, and if we go east, we will have to go WAY east to get away from the fires.
Today will be pivotal, depending on what the winds do, and if they can get the Witch fire under any control. Our local authorities called today very "volitile and crucial."
I am hoping that we can stay here in our home, even though the air quality is very bad, and will be for the next few days. The kids are comfortable here, and even though we're getting stir crazy because we can hardly open the doors - we don't want to have to go to a hotel somewhere or to an evacuation center with two toddlers.
I just wanted to post an update, and will do it again tomorrow - hopefully with good news!

Fall Sunday

We're trying hard to pretend it's fall here, but the truth it's hot, dry, and windy - thanks to the Santa Ana winds.

I thought today would be a good day for the whole family to get into the Steeler spirit, too. We all dressed the part, but the look on Luca's face pretty much sums up how we felt after the debacle we watched happen in Denver. We can only hope that next week, they'll give us something to smile about!

On another note, we are all coxsackie free and feeling much better now. We found out that another little girl from our church got it, too, so it was probably picked up by Luca in the nursery.

We missed 2 weeks of church, 1 week of preschool, and are glad to again be back into the swing of things!

1st Night...

... in her "big-girl bed."

After much reluctance to allow my baby Bella to transition from her crib to a bed, Keith and I caved when she started to insist that she was "too big for her red bed now."

Her feet did actually touch the end of the crib - when she tried - so we decided to go ahead and convert her crib to the full-size bed.

It really wasn't that simple, though. With a new bed comes new sheets and bedspread. With new sheets and bedspread comes new curtains. With new curtains comes new wall hangings, and on and on.

Her new room isn't totally done yet, but we really wanted to get the bed part overwith. I'll post before and after pics when it's done, and fill you in on her first night in her "big-girl bed!"

Pumpkins!

Today, we visited Stu Miller's Pumpkin Patch in Encinitas. The kids were glad to get out of the house - since Luca was diagnosed with the coxsackie virus (a.k.a. "hand, foot, and mouth disease"), we've been stuck at home. The little guy was miserable for a couple of days, but bounced back pretty quickly. Since it's so contagious (thanks, My Gym), we missed church this weekend - his pediatrician told me to keep him away from all kids. We did manage to go out to dinner for my 32nd birthday on the 6th, so it wasn't a total bust.
Since we drove by the Pumpkin Patch last week, Bella hasn't stopped talking about it. Keith was off today, so when she got up this morning, it was the first thing on her mind. It wasn't until we got there that I realized that it was Bella now that wasn't feeling very well. She had a runny nose and glassy eyes, and then I saw them. The dreaded sores on her tongue! AAHHH!
We cut our visit a bit short and when we got home (after driving through KFC for mashed potatoes for lunch) I realized that she had a pretty high fever. It was off to bed - without resistance - for a nap.
So, this virus really stinks. The kids don't want to eat anything because their mouth is so sore. I'm now all stocked up with Jello, Pudding, Yogurt, Ice Cream, and potatoes to mash for the next few days. No preschool, no My Gym, no small group, just homebound - again!
We did manage to grant Bella her pumpkin patch wish, though, and got some pretty cute pictures, too!