We're Surrounded!!

First of all, thanks for all of your emails, phone calls and prayers. I'm sorry if I haven't gotten back to you yet. I'm okay. My family's okay. And there is no extreme danger right now.

But it is crazy here! Crazy! I can't explain in words what it's like. At first I didn't believe it would get this bad (even made light of it)... but it did. The Orange County (arson) fire is very close to my house, now closer to my parent's. We can also now see the San Diego fire making its way north to us... it's a huge blaze in the distance. I came to my parent's house tonight to be sure they were okay. I couldn't believe what I was seeing as I was driving toward their house. So, I got out and snapped some pictures with my mom. These pictures were taken about a block from their house. Keep in mind that they don't capture the intensity of this fire at all!

Several friends have been evacuated and if it keeps up, my parents will most likely have to as well. The good news is that the winds have died down, so it's more likely that they won't. I've had one friend who lost his home in this fire. The damage it's done is just unbelievable.

It seems that everyone is in a state of shock right now; it's all people talk about and think about. It's sad really. However, as cynical as I am about the OC, it's been cool to see the community pull together in this. Some of the rescue centers are full, so people are even opening up their homes to complete strangers. Seriously, thank God this isn't worse than it is. It's definitely horrible to lose a home, I'm sure, but at least the people have remained unharmed. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers.