{ Inferno.}

The view from our back window yesterday{this was taken by geoff vaz}. Saddest part of it all is it's the Ranch burning up  
{We do not live at the ranch  D is the general manager for the LDS Church ranches..}

and D was in the thick of it...

We had all been up there to start with 

after church yesterday we walked in and looked out the window we were having hurricane catergory 1 winds which never happens like that here that bad....

we saw smoke and D said lets go make sure that isn't the ranch burning up.....

so we drove to the ranch and what was happening was beyond anything he probably imagined or hoped ever would happen fire was racing in a serious inferno across the grass! 

I have to admit I loved being involved and I guess in my next  life I'm going to be a storm chaser:) 

I also loved watching D in manager mode,

I tried to keep the kids quiet and under control and 

Despite the destruction, the chaos, the insanity of the force of winds pushing the fires for those three hours flying around the ranch talking with the emergency crews and watching the droves of people showing up to help was pretty incredible D kept saying "I gotta get you guys outta here" 

then another 1/2 hour would go by but after three hours the kids were getting kind of scared and we had run into the previous ranch manager so I took his truck and the kids home. And he jumped in with D.

{Funny part we were so close to the fire at one point just beyond the fence D opened the door to talk to the fire fighters to tell them where to go...anyway the ashes and smoke poured in and the kids ducked to the floor saying

"get as far down as you can and cover your mouth and nose" 

we learned this in school" 

{I was smiling and thinking well I guess if we had a fire at home they might know what to do}

Anyway I got home the phone rang constantly..friends and family wondering what they could do or what was happening..and then

Waited out the night for what news we could and worried about everybody fighting it! D came home just after midnight for a few hours and then went back out before it was light again....

Today they will see the damage done....

WE ARE SO THANKFUL 
 the cattle, the horses, and the houses are all standing and survived.....because they just as easily could have gone up too....So that is a big blessing....

THANKFUL also for the many many people who showed up with equipment, brooms, water trucks, tractors and food and all the fire fighters. D said it was amazing how many people came to help and how freaky it was in the dark working, driving where they've never had vehicles on in some places, walking and brooming it out in some spots.... 

Thankful

On the way home we could see fires burning on the horizon and knew something else was up too....

found out when we got home that the city had fires surrounding its edges and moving fast and whole neighborhoods ready to be evacuated insane! It too was contained late last night.....

Seriously it was all a little eerie

Hurricane strength winds

and fires blazing on two horizons...

#1 I need to get good 72 hour kits ready meaning to do it forever but if you think it can't happen where you are think again

kind of what we all do isn't it....

But this is reality...  

and nobody is completely prepared for disaster.....

Today they will see what path the fire damage

took of the ranch and what was destroyed he has an amazing hard working crew past and present and

many prayers were answered for the safety of all.
Not quite what we thought would be a nice quiet Sunday night.

----------------------------------------------

So Its been quite the week:

Stitches for K2 

Stitches for me, then they got infected so antibiotics for me

the 6 hour flu? nasty think your going to die flu 

for M, K, L and Me

constipation for K2 not fun! tmi i know but it was so sad!

and then the trials, fire & wind

this

Inferno

we call life.

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
― Mother Teresa

onto another week..hopefully slightly less eventful ....