A Weekend to Remember

A lot happened a year ago this weekend! For one Rick and I were celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary and two there was a huge forest fire pretty much across the street from our house...it was scary but it all turned out fine, praise God!

Today Rick and I are celebrating year 17!  I just finished making a layout about our 17 years for the American Crafts blog dimension challenge!

American Crafts supplies
Paper: Picking Pansies, Tickled Tulip, Firefly Festival, and Snapdragon Soiree (Dear Lizzy collection)
Specialty Paper: Glitter
Ribbon: Lively (Dear Lizzy collection)
Flowers: Springhouse Croqueted (Dear Lizzy collection)
Thickers: Rockabye (foam)
Buttons: Glitter

Other
cork and DMC embroidery floss

Here are some dimensional close-up...

I raised the frame around the entire layout and also added some foam dots

to the back of the 17 to give it a little pop!

I lifted the flowers a bit to give a little shadow.

I really wanted the I love you.  I adore you. to be a focal point in the corner

so I added some foam dots and then gently turned in the corners.

The next layout was for the Summer 2010 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker.
It`s about the forest fire from last July 18th.

pattern paper:  Many Thanks and Goodbye from the Letterbox collection (American Crafts)
cardstock:  brown dot (BoBunny)
letter stickers:  Rockabye (American Crafts)
buttons:  Letterbox (American Crafts)
pearl brads:   Letterbox (American Crafts)
jewel brads:  Letterbox (American Crafts)
stamp:  clocks (Maya Road)
embroidery floss:  DMC


Journaling from layout...

2:00 ~ My husband and son were about to leave to go kayaking on Lake Okanagan when they noticed a lot of smoke.  There was a small fire burning behind Gorman’s Mill so they decided to postpone their adventure.  The flames grew and very shortly after the blaze began chemical bombers were flying over our house.  We did not feel threatened as the wind was blowing in the opposite direction.

4:00 ~ The fire soon became very large and the canyon below the fire where we live filled with smoke. Chemical bombers began flying over our house every couple of minutes; it was soon becoming a losing battle.  The heat and winds became very intense and we could hear explosions in the distance.  4:25 ~ Many helicopters now arrived at the scene; they were passing over our house and water from their bags was raining down on us.

The fire was steadily climbing up the mountain towards Glenrosa where about 11,000 people were being quickly evacuated from their homes.  The children were getting nervous and began packing their much loved animals – a rabbit and two guinea pigs.  My husband and I kept everyone calm reminding them about the huge highway that separated us from the inferno; the same highway was now closed.

5:30 ~ We prayed that God do a 180 with the wind as praying for rain seemed beyond reality.  We found out later that the bible camp in Glenrosa was praying as well.

6:00 ~ Suddenly there was a strange calm about the air as the winds completely stopped.  The children and I were in the backyard cheering on the helicopters to show our support while hubby was on the roof watching, like a lookout.  Being concerned about the mill he decided to ride his bike up our street.  He soon returned home to report that a frantic neighbour was running down the street, screaming “my backyard is on fire”.  The wind had changed.  A friend fighting the fire at the mill said it was like the wind changed and hundreds of little fires started across the highway in an instant.  We heard sirens and a loud speaker “this area is under IMMEDIATE evacuation”.  Our fears were intensified when we realized that we only had one way out and that one way could be surrounded by flames in minutes.  I had packed nothing.  The girls rushed their animals into the van while I frantically grabbed what I could…a bible, my first scrapbook, and a quilt.

6:30 ~ We were in the van driving away in complete shock; the road heading towards the lake was jammed with traffic.  Everyone including police cars and fire trucks were trying to keep from getting blocked in.  Looking back we could see the fire engulfing trees next to the traffic.  We sat in silence for a moment, prayed aloud, and cried a bit.

7:40 ~ Finally we arrived at my sister’s house in Kelowna.  We hugged and cried, and the only thing that was said for a couple of moments was “your house, your house.”  Followed by, “wow you all stink!”

8:30 ~ We were traveling to my parents house in Chilliwack.  A trip that would normally
take three and a half hours took seven as we traveled the long way because of the highway
closure.  We arrived just after 3am.

Three days later we were traveling back home.  We drove along the now opened highway
a little more slowly than usual to see the area where the fire had jumped across.  I
hadn’t cried for days until I saw a sign that a mill worker had put up it read “welcome home
Westbank.”  We drove down Gellatly Road and saw a house burned to the ground.  A minute
later we were sitting in our driveway thanking the Lord that we were home safe and sound.

*****
May your weekend be filled with love, love, love!
Blessings,