Auntie 911

My Aunts came up from San Diego today with a carload of necessities and luxuries ;) from San Diego county. They carried in items sent with love from several aunts and cousins down South and everything was much appreciated. We were well fed and will be well dressed and even smell good thanks to all of them ;) My mom and her sisters worked hard to get this place in tip-top shape and then we toasted with margaritas while we enjoyed some burritos sabrosos and then got back to work! It was a little hard to get the cleaning done without water (yeah you read that right, we had some plumbing problems here) but those girls worked some magic.

Yesterday was a little rough. We are happy here in this beautiful home and in our false reality. It used to be that the drive out of the gates reminded us of our real lives and the fact that we are "those people" now -victims of disaster. But now the reminder is just outside of the door. Yesterday our friends, Cathy Ulrich, Maya Bowe, Amy and Mike Alpert, Ryan Zuelner, J. Steele, and Debbie Glum helped us move our things from the neighbors garage to the garage here. Everything we owned now fits in a one car garage, and it's only stacked about 3' high. And to make it worse, it stinks! And it stinks every time we open the door. It's funny how closely smell is linked to the memory. I bought a new hair product that I used in Thailand on our trip last spring and now every time I smell it reminds my of our adventures with the Kiehle's and, until this week, I loved the fact that my sense of smell could take me back there so quickly. Now I'm trying to pretend the smokey smell here is Yosemite Camping residue but it's not quite working.

Debbie Lombrano has been helping me sort through my jewelry. Oddly enough my costume jewelry survived but the real jewelry is in pretty bad shape. I am wearing the most expensive pair of earrings I own right now with my sweats and no make up because I had lazily tossed them in with the costume jewelry and they are in great shape. I figure I might as well wear 'em, what's the point of having them if I'm not going to enjoy them, right?

Now we are hanging out waiting for our left over Wood Ranch (compliments of "Fireman Paul") to heat up and then we will probably get to be early - don't know why we are all so tired :) And take on another day. Mike is looking forward to wrestling with his friends in the 2&3 yr old class room where he serves at church and of course the kids and I are excited to see our friends.

Thanks for checkin' in!