Hawaii 09

Some pics from our trip ....

Bella was excited to be at the Old Lahaina Luau.

My sweet little boy.

My sweet big boy and his "sweet" shark tooth necklace.

Jason and Zeke playing in the hot-tub.

Bella showing off her pretty awesome jumper.

Matt, ever the diva, and his beautiful wife (and my favorite sister), Rachel.

Bella in her pjs with her favorite Hawaiian flower.

The house we stayed in.

Brother and sister love.

Uncle Dave hanging out with Bella in the hot-tub.

Jonah and his totally awesome teal tank top (yeah - that's Bella's)

Papa Jon enjoying some shaved ice.

Zeke and Jason also with their shaved ice.

The fam.

My honey.

Mele Kalikimaka

Thanks, Papa Jon and Nana Sus, for the awesome Christmas present!

Aloha 'Oe

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The Best Thanksgiving Holiday EVER!

T-4 days!

Animal Activism Gone Awry

Many of you know that my daughter, Bella, LOVES all animals with a fierce passion. Not just dogs and kittens, but giraffes and zebras, elephants and penguins, birds, fish, whatever; if it breathes and is not human, she adores everything about it. I am convinced that as soon as she finds out meat comes from animals, she will pledge to be a vegetarian.

Now, for my point. This morning at breakfast a nasty fly found it's way to the kitchen table. I think that flies are the most disgusting creatures alive and I hate them from the depths of my soul. They should not exist. So, naturally, I start swatting at the intruder.

All of a sudden Bella screams, "STOP!" I turn to her and ask what's wrong. This is her reply:

"He's just lost and trying to find his family. You need to leave him alone."

Are you kidding me?

Halloween 09

J the "Crypt Keeper"

The Fam

Bellsy the "Nice" Witch

A few pics from Halloween. Hope you had as much candy as we did. :) Thanks Nana and Papa for taking us over to Balboa Island for trick-or-treating!

Downstairs

The Office (sans Michael Scott)

Guest Room

Music Studio (Most Important Room in the House for Paul)

Kids Play Room

Back of House and Driveway

Bedrooms

Mom and Dad's Room with the "BabyMakertm"

The little kids room

10-year-old Jason's room

When you walk up to the house, it looks alot like this...

As you walk in, the formal living room is to your right...

....and to your left is the dining room, which is attached to the kitchen (below)

1819 Santa Barbara Street

This is our new front door for all the people who have wondered if we have a new home...as you can see, this one is NOT burned down to the ground.

Mama's Lil' Cowgirl

He likes to wear mom's red shoes, Bella's fingernail polish, and he picked out these boots at Target the other day. Is he trying to tell me something?

Pumpkin Patch Kids

So, it's been a VERY long time since I've published anything. No excuses. Just haven't done it. Anyway, we went on a preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch last week so I thought I'd put up a couple of the pics. Hopefully, I'll continue to post. Or maybe not. Unless it's Facebook, I have a feeling nobody really cares anyway.

Pictures from the Fire

I know it's been a month since the fire, but this is the first chance I've gotten to download some of the pictures to give you all an idea of what our house looked like in the aftermath.  Don't be too depressed, though.  We are doing great and we love our new house.  I will post pictures of our new house soon.

KSL News Story

For those of you who are interested (and haven't already seen it) click on this link to see the story that KSL channel 5 in Utah did on our home burning down in the wildfire. It will give you an idea of what everything looks like now. I will try to post my own pictures when I get a chance. Thank you for all the love and support. We wouldn't be doing very well without all of you! http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=6493268

Our Home

We have just learned that our house did not make it through the fire. We cannot get to it yet, but we have been informed that there is nothing left. I will post as I have more information. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I am sure there will be miracles that come out of this tragedy.

Update

The fire spread like crazy last night. Over 30,000 people have been evacuate with another 20,000 in warning areas. Our bishop saved his home last night with the help of about 7 or 8 other brave souls from the ward and the firefighters. My last post was about our home being safe, and we are just hoping and praying that is still the case today after last night's outbreak. The fire in only 10% contained and they predict another night like last night, so keep on praying. This is the most horrific thing I have ever seen.

SAVED!!!

Against all odds, and through major prayers and faith and serious dilligence by our firefighters, our house was saved! Paul snuck back up (which was not smart - but whatever) to our house about an hour ago to find a sea of black. Everything is gone around our house - trees, neighbors homes, fields, everything. The only thing standing is our house and a neighbor to the right and one to the left. The fire came down our driveway, up to our rose garden, into the backyard, and right up to our front porch, but the house is still standing!!! Paul said our home looks like an island. Thank you, thank you, thank you to every amazing firefighter who camped out at our house and hosed it down (with our garden hoses, apparently). Thank you for the prayers and fasting of protection. Thank you for the clothes, and the house to stay in, and the bedding, and everything else our friends have provided for us.

We still don't know when we will be able to get back into our house, and we will definitely have some major cleanup, but at least that's better than starting over from scratch.

Jesusita Fire

Just a quick update. We have been evacuated for yet another fire. As of right now, the fire is burning to the west, east, and north of our home and heading southeast. It has burned homes on the top of our road, but I do not believe it has come down far enough to reach our home. We will let you know as we have more information. Pray for us as we had to evacuate quickly and leave basically everything behind.

The Interview

So we are currently searching for a new landscape foreman since we had to fire our last one for stealing from the company.  On the way home tonight, Paul was telling me about the people he interviewed today.  The conversation went something like this:

Paul and Deb discussing boring interview stuff ... blah blah blah.

Paul: Oh, and the guy is currently working as a bus driver.  Pretty weird, right?

Jason (from the backseat):  Is he fat?

Paul: He's pretty big.

Jason: Is he bald, but with a little hair?

Paul:  Yeah.

Jason:  Is he Mexican?

Paul:  Yeah.

Jason: Does he have two tattoos?

Paul:  Uh ... I didn't really notice.

Jason:  But he's fat, and Mexican, and bald with a little hair, and the hair he has is, like, black, and he drives a bus?

Paul:  Yeah.

Jason:  That's my school bus driver!

What are the odds?

A Decade

So, I was recently informed that my 10 year high school reunion was coming up in May.  I would say that makes me feel old, except I'm married to someone 6 years my senior and all our friends are, on average, 5-10 years older than me anyway, so I guess it had to come eventually.  Apparently, the planning committee for our reunion even has a blog www.altahigh1999.blogspot.com.  

Anyway, my question is this:  Who (of my high school class of 99 friends) is planning on attending this reunion?  I'm thinking about coming to Utah for it, but only if I know there will be some old friends there to connect with.  Anyone, anyone?  Bueller?

Stirring Up Wishes

As many of you know, the Make A Wish Foundation has a special place in our family's heart.  After Jon Paul was diagnosed with Leukemia for the second time when he was 11, he was able to have a wish fulfilled by the Make A Wish Foundation.  Currently, Make A Wish is involved in a competition to have a wish sponsored by Betty Crocker.  The chapter with the most votes will win and the Utah chapter is neck and neck with Wisconsin.  So, they need your help (even if you don't live in Utah)!  Click onto this website:www.StirringUpWishes.com and vote for the Utah chapter of Make A Wish.  You can vote once every day, and they really really need the extra push to get in the lead.  Please take a minute to do this ... they are an AMAZING foundation that bless so many lives.  Thank you!

A Good Family Night