Feelin' HOT HOT HOT!

Fire, fire everywhere...and not the kind you cozy up to in your fireplace! Yes, it's true, Southern California is ON FIRE! The sun looked like a crazy red ball of flame today - that is, when you could see it! - and everyTHING and everyONE smells like an out-of-control bonfire. There are PILES of ash all over, and its falling from the sky...at one point, Tyler even pointed out the "snow" and noted it must be getting close to Christmas! (They must be teaching Santa and Snow at Christmastime in preschool, because he hasn't had snow at Christmas since he was, what?, 3 or 4 months old.) I actually took some pictures of the ugly yellow-orange smoky sky today, but I'm having trouble uploading photos, so stay tuned. (Those of you staying tuned for the pregnant ankle pictures, I'm working on it!)

So Jay and I were batting it back and forth, and we figure it's one of two things, but either way, Heavenly Father is ticked! He's sick of seeing his temples and churches surrounded by protestors, as we see it, (I'd say synagogues and mosques, too, but no one seems to be touching those...I guess it makes good sense that people who insist on political correctness are die-hard politically correct themselves, because it wouldn't look good for them to turn on people who aren't popular scapegoats!) and so now He's decided to step in.

Enter fire, fire everywhere, and here are our two thoughts: either He's keeping the protestors at home (so they can breathe without inhaling ash gasping for the breath they use to shout) so He doesn't have to watch His children ridicule His children, OR He knows that the media is covering NOT petulant children right now, but instead heroic firefighters, fire reports, and evacuation warnings.

Either way, I'll take smoke and ash any day over grumpy "CIVIL RIGHTS" protestors (I say that tongue-in-cheek, of course) sticking bigoted signs in the temple lawn.

Quick disclaimer: I'm sorry to any and all who have had to evacuate and or have lost their homes, just as I'd be if the fires weren't preventing protestation...I'm only thankful for the littlest bit of silver lining available to a member of a church facing public ridicule for encouraging their people to vote their conscience and support a cause. I don't mean to be trite or unfeeling here, so if you're about to comment and tell me how awful I am for welcoming some respite from the protestors, please know that I mean no harm and am not intending to add insult to injury. I hope those with homes in the path of the flames have the blessing of fire insurance and had the quick thinking to gather together their most precious possessions, or at least THE most precious possessions: their family members. Best of luck to them all.

But back to the point...at 6:15 now, the smell is lessened, less ash is falling, night is coming on, and it's time for me to bathe the kids! Have a great weekend!