Flashback

I had the worst feeling last night.

I could hear the wind, rattling the awning over our back porch and knocking things over. It was warmer than it has been (as it always is when we have these Santa Anas). I knew that at least one fire was already burning at Camp Pendleton. And it literally made my stomach turn to think that this could be another month of wildfires for us, two years in a row.

Luckily (for us), there aren't any fires anywhere near us at the moment. But I hope that all our friends and family members in Southern California are okay, and that nobody has had to evacuate. Honestly, having to evacuate last October while 41 weeks pregnant was one of the scariest and most emotional moments of my entire life. Not only did we have to pack our lives into the backs of our cars, but we had to try and anticipate what we would need to take care of a newborn (and being first-time parents, that was no easy task). The thought of losing the nursery, which was all decorated and ready for Nikos' arrival, was too much to bear. I am just so thankful that we were safe, our home was unscathed, and that we had a healthy baby boy a few days later (literally-- we evacuated on Monday, returned home Tuesday, I went to the hospital on Wednesday, and he was born on Thursday).

Still, I could do without the high winds and dry weather. A fire-free October would be great, wouldn't it?