Saturday, September 2, 2017

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2007. We took Mattie to the Swedish Embassy that weekend. It is very close to where we live, in fact I pass it daily with Sunny. That particular weekend the Embassy was having an open house. There were all sorts of activities for kids, and in front of the Embassy they put this GIANT chair on display. Mattie climbed up into it, and I snapped a photo. Back then taking a photograph required a digital camera. Cell phone technology did not have built in cameras yet. Like people travel with a wallet, I never left our home without my camera. It was always in my purse, and I am glad and lucky I made that decision. 

Quote of the day: Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are. ~ Arthur Golden

I woke up this morning disoriented because I did not get a good night sleep. NOT unusual for me. But at 3am this morning, our home phone rang. Living in DC, it is not unusual for this to happen, because at times people press the intercom buttons outside our building at all hours of the night to get admittance to our complex. If you should press our unit's number, then our phone rings. So we have learned the hard way.... DON'T answer the phone unless you hear someone we know leaving a message on our answering machine. 

It never dawned on me that on the other end of the phone was my mom. Nor did I check my cell phone at 3am. My cell phone is always on my nightstand when I sleep but it is kept silent, otherwise, we would be hearing noises throughout the night. Any case, when I woke up this morning, I saw messages, emails, and texts from my mom. She sent me this photo. 

At 11pm on Friday, my parents were evacuated from their house. Why? Well look what was outside their front door! The photo above was taken by my mom as they were pulling out of their driveway. My parents are experiencing the worst natural fire in LA City history. Because of intense temperatures (over 100 degrees) for over a week, vegetation can burn. In this case, the winds did LA in, because what started with only an acre burning, quickly turned into 5,000 acres because embers were blown by the wind. 

You can see the foothills burning, and my parents and 250 other homes had to be evacuated. My parents are staying at a local hotel, but they are shaken up, and had to leave in a rush. Therefore have VERY LITTLE with them. The fear is that their home will be destroyed. 

Even a freeway was affected. This is the 210 freeway, and it had to be closed down, for obvious reasons. 

There are literally over 500 firefighters battling this blaze. They are true heroes in all of this because so far there have been no human casualties. 

This is NOT an unfamiliar sight in LA.....helicopters carrying buckets of water to put out the blaze.

My parents took this photo today. See where the smoke is? Well this is where my parent's house is located, on the hill with the smoke. 

Clearly we have been worried about my parents today, but it also made me assess what I would need to grab if such an emergency happened to me. What would be my plan? What items in our home would I need to have with me? This is a vital question to answer, because in an emergency you have little to no time, and you aren't thinking clearly. So forethought on this is crucial. 

When Mattie was battling cancer, this is how I lived my life. In constant crisis. At a moment's notice while home Mattie would get sick and would need to return to the hospital. I learned quickly that whatever I needed had to be in one place and it had to be accessible to go! In a way, with many of my personal items, I still live this way. The crisis maybe over, but the crisis is a part of me. If you asked me to get out of our home now, I would be all set. But I would still need to give thought to sentimental items I would want to take. 

At the moment, my parents are at a hotel and are safe. It is my hope that tomorrow we get more information about the status of their home. But I learned a lesson... if the phone rings in the middle of the night, I will answer it regardless. 

In the midst of this crisis in Los Angeles, today was Sunny's 6th birthday and we couldn't let this day pass. Of course Sunny was very concerned because my whole morning routine was off. So he was on edge. 

Since Sunny is a rescue, we do not know his exact birth date. On September 2, 2016, we picked up Sunny from his foster home. Therefore we have deemed today his birthday. It's hard to believe he has been with us for a year. He has filled up our home and hearts. Mattie always wanted a dog and I think he would be happy to know we honored his request.

I bought Sunny a doggie homemade cookie yesterday at the pet store in the shape of a cupcake. Clearly he LOVED IT!


SUNNY FACTS:

1. He is a border collie mix
2. Was born in South Carolina and abandoned on a highway
3. LOVES, LOVES Food
4. Favorite activities: long walks, hugs, attention
5. Friendly with all dogs and people of all ages
6. He is my VELCRO dog (attached to me at all times)
7. Favorite Treat: Bones
8. Rarely barks, but when he does, it is quite a sound!
9. Deposition: calm and gentle
10. Can't take a walk without hearing "what a beautiful dog" or "can we pet your dog?"