by laura beth

Today Kenny and I escaped the heat and headed to Border's bookstore. I got a gift card for an early birthday gift, and Kenny had a gift card from last Christmas. Those, along with 2 coupons, bought us these books: Getting new books is always fun. Although, I was going to get Kenny The Stars for Christmas. Oh well. Thanks Elisa and Aaron & Christine!

Some of you may not be aware of the crazy fires going on here in Southern California. We are fairly close to the Orange County fires, but not nearly close enough to be in any kind of danger. We knew about the Montecito and Sylmar fires, but hadn't heard about the Anaheim/Yorba Linda area one. The morning it started I had planned to walk to the farmer's market. I walked outside and immediately took in smoke with each breath. I assumed it was drifting from Sylmar, as the sky was clear. The winds were crazy though and by the time I got back, the sky was all smoke. Then the ash started falling, covering everything, including the inside of the moho. I am more familiar with wildfires in Eastern Oregon where few, if any, structures are threatened. It was bizarre and sad to think that the ashes falling on my head could have been someone's photos, clothing, or furniture. So far there have been no reported deaths. Here are some sites to check out if you are interested in helping out victims of the fires:

american.redcross.org
unitedwaysocalfirefund.org
barackobama.com
goodwillsocal.org

On a happier note, we had went to yet another birthday party on Sunday. McKynzie turned 3 on November 13 and Madison is turning on 7 on December 2, which is also my birthday (she calls me Birthday Twin). They had a joint party at Pump It Up, which is a place full of giant inflatable bounce houses and obstacles courses. Aunt Debbie came from Texas and we all went to Grandmas afterward. It was a great day.