Home

We are home.
We got back in around 11am.
It's pretty crazy.
Mud and stuff all over.
Our house is fine.
Two small leaks in the master ceiling but no damage.
Dump trucks, plows, up and down the street all day long.
Electric company, sewer company, back and forth.  Cable too.  Even after dark.  All their lights flashing.
I hosed down the driveway finally this afternoon.  We will still track in some mud from the street on the cars, but at least it will be a little less of it.
We can't park on the street because of the work crews and their big equipment.
Every single one of us is EXHAUSTED, and we don't have the worst of it like some of our neighbors do.

On a Better Note:

Meredith came over yesterday to learn how to do the crescent rolls.

We made the dough in the morning before she went to work, and then rolled them out and froze them in their dough stage after work.

Now they are ready for Christmas Eve dinner.

She did an awesome job.

Then we went over to their house for dinner.  She made sweet and sour chicken which was delish.  Watched some tv and then came home.  Little did we know what would happen in the next few hours.

Okay. Some thoughts.

This IS NOT us.  It is the LaConchita landslide on 2005.  But it was what was running through my head those 16 minutes from when we woke up till we drove out.  Remember:  we got woken up in the dark of the early morning.

A few things to remember:

1. Emergency crews, while great, just might not be on top of things or may have more on their hands than they can deal with.  Mother Nature can be so cruel.  SO, it is very important to know how to take care of yourself and to act quickly.  Only 3 of us got the notice to evacuate asap.  Some of our neighbors didn't even get a door knock because everything happened so fast that the emergency teams couldn't keep up with all that was happening.  Scary.  We were already at Josh and Meredith's when we started calling some of our neighbors to make sure they were okay and they were still in bed asleep and hadn't even been notified.  Duff, Mike, Josh, and Shaun made the decision to go back and help them get out.  I was kind of afraid to let them go because all I could think of was the whole hill coming down like the one a few years ago up in the LaConchita area and all the houses were gone and so many people died.  It was an avalanche of mud.  But they couldn't not go back.  So we gals prayed for them and the neighbors.  They helped several pack up and leave.
2. From the time we were woken up from a deep sleep in the pitch black early morning at 5:19am when we were told to wake up everyone in our house and tell them to get dressed and to gather all our important documents and be prepared to evacuate until we got the next banging and doorbell ringing and told to leave NOW, was less than 10 minutes. We pulled out of our driveway at 5:35am.  That is 16 minutes to wake up, process everything, act and leave.
3. In light of #2, we need to keep 2 identical lists--one upstairs inside the linen cupboard door and one downstairs on the inside of the stairs closet--that lists what to take in an emergency/evacuation and where it is. That way we won't forget anything and we will know what to do.  It was very difficult to think of what to grab.  If it is written down we can act on it.  I felt a mixture of being paralyzed and panicked trying to make decisions.They need to be made when everyone is calm and can contribute and decide jointly.  We had some differences of opinion on what to take and everyone was telling each other what to do.  There needs to be a clear list, and a clear leader.  Decide before an emergency.  Don't forget the 72 hour kits.  We walked out without them.  Not good.  But if it was written down we could have grabbed them easily.
4. We need a 72 hour kit for Darla puppy. (food, water, leash...)
5. Get two collapsible ladders.  One for each side of the upstairs.  Just in case we couldn't get out the front and we would have to go out an upstairs window.  And then practice.

More Bell Canyon Flood and Mud

I took these pictures when we went back in to get some clothes and toiletries.

This is Shaun standing on top of one of the mud slides.  At this point one of the tractors/skip loaders had already moved quite a bit of it so the city emergency crews could get through to work on our water and sewer.

 I tried to get this to show up.  Not too successful, but the water is still pouring out of the mud on the hillside.

Where that big boulder is.

 LOTS of rocks and boulders to navigate.

 Another slide. 

 A big cactus root base just upped and out of the soil.

 Our wonderful neighbors, the Horvath's home.  At this point the water has already receeded about 4 feet outside.

 The Conway's driveway and car.  This just isn't water--it is thick mud.

 This is a car from up the street that was picked up by the rushing water and carried down the street.  It settled inbetween a couple of trees in one of the front yards!

Notice how churned up this cactus ear is from being beaten through the boulders.

 Another view and another car.

 Working hard.

At one point this morning, it fended off the rushing mud and water so neighbors could drive behind it and try to get out.  Some were taken out in a pontoon type boat.  At one time, the plan was to take people out their backyard fences down the hill and then golf carts would drive them to the clubhouse for evacuation.

I don't know if that happened.

 Huge trees were down and broken up and landed wherever the water left them.

 What our street looked like with the rushing mud.

We had to drive out in this that was up over the curbs to the bottom of the cars with boulders and debris running through it.

Mother Nature placed this package so nicely.  Haha!

Flood and Mud on Bell Canyon

We had a little break in the rain and decided to see if they would let us back on to our street so we could check things out and grab some clothes and toiletries.  They really didn't want to and told us if we went we were on our own.  We went anyway.

So far, our house is okay.  You can see where the mud, water, and debris came up into our driveway, but didn't make it to the house.

Others were not so lucky.  So far, 4-5 homes are red-tagged and may be a complete loss.

 

This is water and thick mud.  These cars were picked up and carried down the street and stopped here.

Look how high it is.

We have heard that we can go home maybe tomorrow or Friday.  We have some electricty for now, but no water or sewer.
They tell us another big storm should hit again tonight just like last night.

We have been evacuated

we were woke up this morning at 5:15am by the police ringing and banging on our front door.  We were told to wake everybody up in the house, gather our important things and be prepared to evacuate.  The rain had compromised the hill in front of our house and there was a chance it would come down.

Duff woke up Mike and Adrianne down stairs, I went and got Shaun and Christine up.  In that short amount of time, (literally 10 minutes or less, it felt like less) another officer came back to the house and told us to get out NOW.  It was bedlam.  As calm as we tried to be we were kind of panicking.

By the time we gathered just a few things we could think of and left, we could hardly drive out of the neighborhood.  Our street was a muddy river with rocks, trees, mud, branches, boulders all over.

We are at Josh and Meredith's waiting.  

A Christmas Story ( a really good one)

(This is from an article in Meridian Magazine by Bill Freeze.

I post this because it strikes a cord with me and I want to look back on it during those hard times to give me perspective.)

The loss and devastation inside the Provo Tabernacle.

but look at the middle of this picture.  A burnt out frame laying in the rubble and ashes.

For most viewing the interior it was a total loss…and then yesterday a fireman removed one of the many pieces of art work in the building…it is the building’s only survivor…a picture of Jesus Christ. The fire had seared the picture all around the frame and most of the picture…except the figure of our Lord and redeemer….He somehow survived.

Isn’t that really the message of our Christmas season? When we are downtrodden, heartbroken, sick, poor, miserable…when all seems lost…that little child of Bethlehem that came into the world over 2,000 years ago is still with us. His message, mission and life are eternal and when the flames of death attack us he survives and saves not only himself, but all of mankind.

(ps:  the firefighter on the left in this picture is Clay Starnes.  Just found out.  Thanks Raechal.)

Just To Remember...

I am really bothered by the Provo Tabernacle fire.

Even though I don't live there, I have always loved and admired this building.

Natalie and Robert graduated from law school there just this past April.  It was the perfect place for the ceremony.

 Beauty.  Pre-fire.

 Look at the picture just inside the front doors.

There is more to this story, but it is the only thing that survived the flames.

 Helpless.

Gutted.

Makes me feel queasy.

Kelland

Have a fantastic day, Kell.  Glad you could be home for your birthday this year.  The army will be luck to have you!  We send our love and hope you have a perfect day to celebrate.

We love you!



Joy To The World

It hasn't stopped raining all day.  We are loving it.  Church was very good.  So many lessons and program on the birth of the Saviour.  This time of year is a time of reflection and gratitude.

Cozy afternoon and evening.  Fire in the fireplace. Roast chicken dinner.  Shaun made a yellow cake and Adrianne made some chocolate frosting.  Christine went to Josh and Mere's with Madison K. to have a girls movie night.  Darla is zoned out in front of the fire.

I am hoping to finish the four gospels this week before Christmas.  I set a goal to do that this year.  I took the prompt from a friend who shared with me that she does it every year.  I'll report back on my final progress.

The Wrapping Has Started!

 I started wrapping on Friday.  Thursday too, for the packages that went in the mail.  I only started wrapping early on the last few years.  I don't know why I didn't do it before.  But I used to save it all up for Christmas Eve after the kids went to bed and Duff was putting things together.  I like it much better this way.  Lots less stress.

And these are my favorite tools.

I love them.  They make wrapping so much easier.  And more fun too.

Oh, and I love Costco ribbon.  And tulle wrapping ribbon from PaperMart.  PM is online and has lots of fun things.  Check them  out .here.  Oh and paper from the booth at Swiss Days.

Adrianne made me some tags.  She was working on some gifts for her vt ladies and was using my stamps.  I haven't used them in a while.  They turned out very cute.  I should get into that again.....?

Christmas Warehouse at Angel Stadium

Last Thursday after school, the 17th, Christine's lacrosse team went to Angel Stadium in Anaheim and did a service project at the Christmas Warehouse that they sponsor.  They organized and categorized all the toys that will be given away for Christmas.  It was a great project and she had a really good time doing it.  The warehouse is located underneath the bleachers and she loved getting to see some baseball things behind the scenes.