Hello Everyone!!!
its only been forever since I have been a blogger! Its been a really busy year and has ended up with a Life Changing event of moving to another state. I started this post way back when and saved it to draft. Now I have a better computer I think I can start writing again about stuff that has been going on in our life,....which lately has been a lot.
The year started out the same as most other years with lots going on. Teresa Jo and I went the last 2 weeks in January to visit Eric, Nicole, Jase, & Jayla in Hawaii! Was a perfect vacation ever with her and we just had too much fun! Little Jase is at a perfect age to have fun with and he was such a little cutie in all we did! Many fun memories made and was very hard to leave!
Then it was back to reality for us and when we returned home we went on a few smaller weekend trips throughout the spring and summer. In the fall (September) I went to Scotland with several friends from Paradise for 3 weeks. What a trip of a lifetime we enjoyed and so thankful I was able to go and see the beauty of that country. To top off the wonderful time there we went for a whole week to Denmark also and visited Patti Elkerton's very close friends there too. They were most gracious showing us all over the countryside of how beautiful their country is. It was just so marvelous I was in amazement the entire trip. It totally changed me in so many ways and I couldn't take enough pictures because I thought I would forget what I saw if I didn't keep taking picture after picture.....over 3000 I took. lol.. I know it is overload.....but it was part of my experience and memory. Never do I want to forget all that I enjoyed.
After we got home, it was pretty close to October and we started into our fall routine of getting ready for colder weather etc. We thought the hottest part of the year was over, which it really was, but little did we know that the hardest day of many was about to approach into reality.
November arrived and with my thoughts of how far behind Christmas shopping I was amazed me that I felt like a bad Grandma for running all over the place all year long and not being better prepared for December. So I was starting to get a game plan in place and was working on a quilt for a friend that I had drawn a name for this year. Was almost done with it when the Firestorm hit on November 8th, 2018. We only had about 5 minutes to get out of the house with the cats, and what little we could grab and remember to scoop up and run out the door with. I never thought it would burn the entire town, our house too, as when we were leaving, I looked in my sewing room and told myself," I'll be back, don't worry, we'll be back!" I was so very wrong. it is totally gone and we will probably never forget that morning for the rest of our lives.
Took us 3 hours to get down the hill to safety of Chico. We slept in Mack's truck the first night and after that we were fortunate enough to live in a condo for several weeks before we decided to go to Arizona after we realized there was nothing else we could do even if we stayed there.
So on November 29th we traveled to Arizona with our 2 cats and 2 cars and arrived late that night at David and Irene's home. They have a little studio apt behind their home that was available for us so that is where we have been staying since then.
Before we left Chico I was given a sewing machine from a good friend in Bend Oregon that was able to send it down to me via other friends too. She was so very generous to send me such a beautiful sewing machine, brand new, an material, and scissors, and all the extra stuff you need to start fresh sewing again. I was so very blessed by her generosity and love.! thanks Eileen!
Then before we left California, I went up to say good bye to TJ and good close friends in Siskiyou. A quick 4 day trip and celebration of Thanksgiving. Missed Macks Birthday but called him. I got to see everyone and it all went according to plan and smooth no problems or upsets. So thankful I got to go and the Turkey TJ cooked on the Barbecue turned out the best I have ever had! She really did fantastically on the entire Dinner, being her first Turkey she ever truly cooked on her own and all I did was tell her how to do it! Greatt visit and just a fun trip all around!
So this is Part 1--of our exit from Paradise and all the energy I have tonight to write. Maybe tomorrow night I will write more of some of the events that have happened since getting here to AZ., and the crazy stories of the people I personally know and their exits from the fire. I just don't have the energy tonight to revisit the emotion of that day. It really was kinda horrifying for everyone that lived through it.
God was Gracious to us all and we came out on the other side alive, and Thankful to be alive. All the other material things are just stuff...and although some can't be replaced we can remember and write it down from what we do remember.
Hugs & Prayers, BJM (I'll follow-up very soon) thanks for listening!
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