Monday, March 10th

We woke up with a scare this morning. I went to let Preston out of the 5th wheel and he couldn't stand up or walk. He was trembling when he tried to get up. The first thing I thought of was a snake bite. After running him to the vet ($200), it turns out he has an infection and allergic reaction in the pads of his feet! He's loaded up on meds and sleeping it off. This past Saturday we had a lovely family, the Barker's, help us move a lot of things from one storage to another and finish up the brush cutting. I have a picture but couldn't get it to load on the blog. No news on John's health. He'll be having more tests soon. Please keep him in your prayers.

March 5, 2008

We had a lovely day yesterday. We met with a friend from San Francisco that we haven't seen in a very long time. Bob Potts had the missing tomato soup recipe along with 50 more great recipes. He also brought some of his favorite cooking utensils for me.
Preston thinks he has found his long lost swimming pool. He jumped into this fountain container that was full of rain water after our walk. HE LOVES IT!

March 3rd 2008

It's been over two weeks since I last posted. A lot has transpired since then. Some good news, some not so good. We have been praying for my brother-in-law Frank who is being tested for cancer. Then we get the news that John's cancer has also returned. It set us back emotionally for the past few weeks. The doctor is trying to determine where it is, then how best to treat it.
No definitive answers yet. Yesterday two architects from Rebuild Central came to our property. They will be helping us with designing the new house. It's hard to get the old house out of my head. The wind is incredibly strong today. The animal pen blew over during the night. Tigger and Preston were in the 5th wheel, good thing. Sam is moving my new laundry room with the tractor.

February 18,2008

Another week has passed with little progress. The weather has been crazy. One day it's 80 degrees and kids are in their pools, the next it's 32 degrees and we have snow in Ramona. Nick and I took advantage of a gorgeous day Saturday and went to the local mountains. We bought two sleds in Julian and found enough snow to have about 200ft to ride down the hill. I hope this week is better.

February 11, 2008

Hard to believe that almost a week has gone by since my last update. Some progress has been made! FINALLY. Our scope of loss is finished. Now we meet with a mentor to learn how to present it to our insurance company. We have been given the opportunity to work with an architect for free. That would be a tremendous savings if it works out. Sempra Energy has approved our request for a grant. Nick's fire victim's scholarship application is complete and mailed. The 5th wheel is livable and only cost about $500 to repair. Our new storage container is here. THE SUN IS SHINING AND THE FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING!

Nehemiah 8:10 It is time to celebrate.....The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Friday Feb. 8, 2008

These seven strangers are from Genentech. They were in San Diego for a convention last Thursday. Several groups volunteered to drive to Ramona and clear burned ground cover. They stayed all day and not only chopped wood and cleared brush but got rid of the burned up yard equipment. It's not so nasty around here anymore. The goodness of people helping us is so uplifting. We also got a call from two architects that may do our plans for free! We meet next week.

Our church has started a prayer devotional for lent. I was led to the book of Isiah. When I'm feeling forgotten or discouraged I can recall today's reading. Isiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. How comforting.

February 4, 2008

The heavy rain has come again and along with it the MUD. It's a good thing we left the concrete slab intact. Our neighbors are trudging through swamps to get to their mobile homes. Many of them are returning and living on their property. We've had another slow week. One good thing was that we finally got our 40ft. storage container. Now we have someplace to put things. I can start collecting the belongings we have spread out everywhere. There's a kitchen store going out of business at the mall. Tomorrow we're going to take down the shelving. The owner said we can have it. Isn't that great?