"Ring of Fire"

On Monday morning at 2:00 AM 75 mile per hour winds woke me! I then nudged Rob to go and make sure our patio furniture was not going to blow through our windows. That is when he saw the flames. He then got into his car to see how close the fire really was. Seeing the Firemen rushing to attach their hoses was a big clue to start packing. We quietly tried to get all our valuables and necessities together before waking the kids so they would not be frightened. Too bad that they were woken up by the blaring of Police Sirens and a blow horn telling us to leave our home immediately, that this was a mandatory evacuation. The kids were soooo scared. We left the house at 3:00 Am with 3 days worth of clothes and sweet Colby! We went to the church with all of our other ward members. We are okay, our house has not burned. The air quality is awful and our home is covered with ashes and soot. We sent the kids to stay with my parents in Orange County. They are now having fun at Disneyland while we are Volunteering at our Stake Center. Our Stake center is now an evacuation center/shelter for those who have been evacuated or lost their homes. We have been working non stop and have been sleeping a little. Rob's assignment was to be in charge of "The Animal Check-In Station". Just call him Noah! I got to be an assistant to the Disaster Preparedness Representative. I held a clipboard all day, took notes, and looked busy! It has been an experience! It is so awesome to see so many people banding together to help one another. The donations and people willing to volunteer has been overwhelming. We will keep you posted.