And We Wait....

We are tired. But cannot sleep.

Joel stayed at home and worked from the home office today. It's nice to have him around. We were running dangerously low on diapers so Alyn and I ran to Missoula for a quick trip to Walmart around noon. The smoke seemed worse in town than it did out here at the time. 

On our way back out to Lolo, we saw some crews setting up a fire camp just north of Lolo on Hwy 93. I've never been this close to anything like this so I'm learning so much!

We decided we should stop at the Fire Info tent to see if they had any info as we hadn't heard much at all this morning. 

The Lolo Creek Complex Fire (which started out as two small fires late Saturday night - from lightning) had ran out of control late Monday afternoon. Monday morning it was around 200 acres and Monday evening around 5,000 acres. The high temperatures, low humidity and wind gusts made this fire just rage out of control. The National Weather Service said this morning that today would be a 'carbon copy' of yesterdays weather. (not what we wanted to hear)...

Here is the map that I took a photo of around 1230pm today.

You can see the fire (red) and the arrows point to some of our friends' homes in the area. If you look close enough you can see little squares on the map. Each square represents one mile. 

(RIGHT NOW: the red fire area is estimated to be way closer to the tip of the Luhmann/Boretsky arrow)

As the day went on (regular school day, Scentsy work and Joel working) we started noticing the change in the winds. (which of course can be different right at the fire but it was very concerning for us)  One half mile up the road, the Sheriffs and fire crews were giving mandatory evacuations up Sleeman Gulch.  

The high temps and winds from today made the fire blow up again and now they are saying it is around 10,000 acres! Tonight, Joel and I decided to start packing the car with the things we want to save. The only things left in the house that need to be packed is our clothes and extra blankets. (I'm not going to lie... there was about 30 minutes this afternoon when I got that pit in my stomach that we might have to leave and leave it all behind)

We watched the planes and helicopters fly above us to drop retardant on the mountains about 2 slopes back. What I love most about this fire is the sunset... look at the glow behind the smoke!

We have not received an evacuation notice from the Sheriff's Department... so we are still at home.
Waiting...
Praying...
Not a single blade of grass or needle of tree burns without Our Father making it. The town of Lolo, the city of Missoula and many other towns of peoples far away are seeing His glory tonight. The prayers are being lifted up. He is AMAZING!

Please continue for safety for all the crews and the peace for all evacuees.

XO.
Jari

Wildfire

Tonight we are having a sleepover. Our dear friends had quite the scare this afternoon as a wildfire started just behind their home and they had to evacuate. As you can see in the photos below taken from Chad's facebook page, this would be quite the sight. 

Their home is the one in the photo above - and you can see it to the right of the blue house in the top photo.

As we got the call that they were being evacuated and needed a home to stay, we, of course, welcomed them with open arms. Our casa is their casa any day!

I can't imagine what they are going through. We sat at the dining room table and enjoyed some late night cocktails... Mango Daiquiri's to be exact. With pineapple rum... YUM! - - something to calm the nerves.

We also discussed how fast these wildfires can happen when it's been SO DRY and SO unusually HOT for western Montana this summer. We were talking about how they were evacuated and what if, heaven forbid, their house burned down... How do you deal with that? What do you grab? What do you leave? How do you know who to call? How do you get your 'stuff' back? Where do you go?

It really made me stop and think "wow, we need to get our ducks in a row!"

When it comes to fires, it can happen so quickly. Joel and I live snugged up to a mountain and if lightning struck the side and started a fire, we would have to leave immediately. There is one way in, one way out here. My family is very ill-prepared when it comes to a situation like that. 

Here is a checklist of items that you should have ready to go, in a small fireproof box or somewhere that you know EXACTLY where everything is at.

• Social Security cards

• Driver's licenses

• Credit cards

• House deed

• Vehicle titles

• Marriage license

• Birth Certificates

• Insurance policies

• Home inventory list/photos - Click here to learn how to make this list.

• Health insurance cards

• Prescription medications

• Important personal computer information downloaded to a hard drive

• Valuable jewelry, guns, 

• Photographs

• Home videos

• Items with sentimental value, such as wedding dress or baby keepsakes

• One week's worth of clothing

• Pets with ID tags, carriers, and pet food

Prepare to Evacuate
►Dress to prevent burns – sturdy shoes, cotton or wool clothing, long pants,
gloves, and a bandana to protect your face.
►Contact your neighbors and tell them about the fire.
►Park the car in the garage, facing out with windows closed and keys in ignition. Do NOT leave the vehicle running!
►Close the garage door but leave it unlocked. Disconnect automatic garage doors
in case of power failure.
►Place documents and mementos inside the car in the garage. Don’t forget home insurance information, your address book, the computer hard-drive, prescriptions and eyeglasses, cell phone charger, extra car keys, and credit cards. Take personal items and clothes for minimum of five days.
►Confine pets to one room or inside pet carriers.
►Leave a note in your home with contact information.


If Time Allows
►Cover windows and other openings with fire resistant material.
►Shut off propane or natural gas valves.
►Remove excess gasoline and barbecue propane tanks from property.
►Attach garden hoses to spigots.
►Fill trashcans/buckets with water & place them where firefighters can find them.
►Place a ladder against the house opposite the approaching fire.
►Move combustible deck furniture inside.
►Close windows and doors to prevent sparks or smoke from blowing inside.
►Remove curtains or drapes.
►Turn on each room light and porch lights to make the house more visible.
►Move stuffed furniture away from windows and walls.

Evacuating
►Let authorities know of neighbors who might need assistance evacuating.
►Use pre-planned routes, away from the approaching fire front.
►If you are trapped by fire while evacuating in your car, park in an area clear of vegetation, close windows and vents, cover yourself with a blanket or jacket and lie on the floor.
►If you are trapped by fire while evacuating on foot, select an area clear of vegetation along a road, or lie in the road ditch. Cover any exposed skin. Avoid canyons that can concentrate and channel fire.
►If you are trapped by wildfire inside your home, stay away from outside walls. Close doors, but leave unlocked. Keep your entire family together and remain calm. If it gets hot inside, it is much hotter and more dangerous outside.

After the Fire Passes
►Check the roof immediately for sparks and embers.
►Check inside the attic for hidden burning embers.
►Check the yard for burning woodpiles, fence posts, or other materials.
►Keep the doors and windows closed.
►Continue rechecking your home and yard for at least 12 hours.

This is a reality for most of us in my area. It's time to get prepared folks. I know I will be! 

Please say a prayer for our friends' home and the hundreds of homes in the path of this fire. Lift up the firefighters and crews working through this heat that they will all be safe. Pray that The Lord will send some much needed rain our way.

XO.
Jari

(most content was found at www.fireready.com)

I Believe In Miracles

Many of you know our story of how we grew our family.
Many of you do not.

I will tell you the story... but first, I want to tell you that EVERY child is a miracle of God.

I'm going to give you the short version and if you want me to go into detail, I can do that later.

When I was pregnant with our first baby, Arly, during the end I started having high levels of protein. Then came the high blood pressure. The last week of carrying her I had gain 14 pounds... YES, in ONE week! How is that even possible!??! One morning at work, all of a sudden, I couldn't see. My feet turned into icicles. I called Joel, he took me to the doctor and my blood pressure was something crazy like 200/120 (seriously... HIGH!) They induced me right then and there. Pre-eclampsia is nothing to mess with.

Two years later, I was ready to deliver Alyn. I had developed mild Toxemia... still high proteins and high-ish blood pressure. We induced about 2 weeks early and her delivery was super quick.

Now we were busy parents! Two sweet, healthy baby girls almost exactly two years apart!

During my 6 week check up after I had Alyn, they decided to check my protein post pregnancy. They found a TON of protein so then started my journey of seeing Internal Medicine doctors who advised us that we should be done having kiddos for fear that my kidneys couldn't keep up with the pregnancies.

Now that was a tough pill to swallow. In all honesty, I think we had decided already that we were done but you know when someone tells you that you can't or that you shouldn't makes you want to do it even more! Rebels... aren't we?!?

When we moved to MT from SD, I started seeing a nephrologist so we could take a closer look at what was really going on? Was this something that was pregnancy related? Did I just dump lots of proteins my whole life? The only time they check them is when you are pregnant. Anyway, I did lots of testing - first every 3 months, then every 6 months and then annually. They checked my kidneys by ultrasound and LOTS of blood work. They were always functioning well... but what's up with the super high levels of protein?!? We still don't know.....

What I do know is that during this transition in our lives, we learned about Jesus. We were saved and by His grace, I started to 'heal.' Wow! <---- a whole story for you later! :)

During my next visit, my protein levels started to decrease. After 2 years they were almost to the 'normal' range! I asked my OB/GYN if it would be ok if we could have another child and he said "I don't think so" He said it wouldn't be a good idea. I was crushed. I started to pray and pray and pray. I prayed that the Lord would bless us with another healthy child and that I would be healthy enough to carry, deliver and love my children forever.

I found a different doctor. I now have the most wonderful, friendly, Christ loving woman as my care provider! She is the most positive and laid back person and she was amazing! She prayed with us during our visits and right before delivery.

So yes, you guessed it, we were blessed by The Almighty Father and were given this sweet angel, Avin Janes.

She has forever changed our lives. She has us ALL wrapped around her chubby, stubby little fingers. We can't get enough of her. She was the easiest pregnancy for me and the delivery was great.

I know that life is only given by The Lord. I'm forever grateful that He chose us for the girls we have. I pray that He will continue to bless us with allowing us to have at least one more. He is perfect. And amazing. And miraculous. I believe in MIRACLES.

Speaking of miracles.... Look at sweet Elly Grace. My lovely friend gave birth to this miracle at 28 1/2 weeks on Tuesday. She is 2 lb 12 oz and doing great! God is AMAZING!

Please pray for her health and to grow quickly so she can go home! We love you Elly Grace!

XO.

Jari