INL "Jefferson" Fire

Last week, Tuesday, the Mud Lake/Terreton area was threatened by a fire burning a total of 170,000 square acres.

1 p.m. Thursday Update:

"INL Fire Chief Eric Gosswiller told Local News 8 the Jefferson Fire was started by a human. The fire watch level on Tuesday was high, but still about two weeks away from critical. Gosswiller said they were surprised the fire happened when it did. The chief said this is the largest fire the site has ever seen. It also spread faster than any other fire they've seen. Flames at the site grew to lengths of up to 20 feet. Normally, flame lengths are about 12-15 feet."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was home with my kids and watching Maya, whose mom works at the site.  She called me at 4:15 and told me about the fire, but it was headed towards Idaho Falls.  Thirty minutes later she called me back and said she was coming home NOW because it was headed toward Mud Lake and they were going to be closing the roads.  If that happened she'd, have to come home through Blackfoot!  Luckily she made it home. 

I talked to Ron, not long after that.  He wasn't worried about anything.  He thought I was crazy for wondering if I should be packing bags or something!  His only concern was the power going out.  So I filled up everything I could think of with water.  Then the kids and I went for a little walk out back to snap a few pictures.

Right about this time, Ronald tried calling me back and told me the fire was now straight south of Holdaway's (only a couple miles straight south of us!)  He was headed down to his "weeks" pivot to get his hay out of the way.  They had just cut, baled, and stacked it only a week ago.  And the fire was head right towards it!  It didn't take long at all for the fire to reach him, with winds up to 45-50 mph!

Here are a few pictures of the smoke, when the fire was directly south of our house!

 (I couldn't tell you how many miles though)

Ron was out till almost 1:00 AM fighting the fire.  When he got to his hay field, the stacked hay was fine.  But the smoke was so thick and black that he couldn't see the flames coming off the straw stack only 15 feet away!  He got semis lined up and they hauled the hay away before any damage set into the hay..  FINALLY the winds died down a little and changed directions. Instead of blowing Northeast, towards us, it starting going to the south.  There were rumors that the fire crossed the interstate and was threatening to cross highway 33.  You can see where it crossed just into the median of I-15, but it never jumped 33.  If it had, it would have been BAD!! Ron says it would have burned clear up to Island Park!  They had the highways closed for a few hours due to the smoke, but it wasn't long before they reopened.   For the most part, we were all really lucky!  The fire stayed out in the desert, but came RIGHT up to all our fields.  Here are some picture of the aftermath, they were all taken on SUNDAY!

It burned all the grass and sage brush so there is nothing to hold the sand down. 

When ever it blows, this is our view:

nope, those aren't clouds!

Luckily, our house is out of the line of fire! hehehe

His field on the other hand, is dusty dusty dusty! Its like its in the middle of a smoggy city!!

This is the straw stack:

Just the view out the window!  You can't see ANYTHING!

Whats left of the potatoes-He has a spud field right next to the hay.  This is what they look like about 100 ft into the field.

This is what they are SUPPOSED to look like:

What's left of the sage brush and grass. 

 We took the 4-wheeler out there a couple days ago, when the wind WASN'T blowing. 

I can't believe how far you can see of just SAND!

The field was even still smoking on Sunday

All in all we are good!  I'm grateful to have great friends to stay up with me and talk until Ron finally made it home.  I knew that since he wouldn't answer his phone, he was too busy to answer-or just sick of getting calls! All I wanted was updates!! 

Its amazing what mother nature can do!  I've never been so close to a natural disaster.  Its amazing to see it first hand.  It really puts things into perspective.  We try to control everything in our lives, and it doesn't matter how hard we try, there are still things out of our control! 

CRATERS OF THE MOON

My Dad has always wanted to take us girls to Craters of the Moon.  We've never been very interested in it.  Its only about an hour away from my house and I still hadn't been there.  Ron's been, and has said it's a fun place, but we've never gone as a family! Well, Dad finally got us there and we had a blast!

We got to "hike" down into all these little caves.

Can you see the opening??

I can't believe we went down there with our dinky little flashlights, flip flops, and broken toes!!

Phil, Camille, Bridger...in there somewhere

MY HERO!

Ron did most the cave packing BOTH our kids!

Me and Dianna

Posing like a Princesses.  Madilyn did the entire last cave by herself! She did GREAT!  She would even tell Ron to watch out for the cracks so HE wouldn't fall! 

Climbing out!

The last cave had skylights all the way through it. Here we are sitting on top of one, Dad ran back down in the cave so he could get a picture of us on top!

Hiking Inferno Peak...LONG STEEP WALK!

This picture doesn't give it any justice!

I tried sitting on the hump of the tree but it was SLICK! I kept falling down!

Mom and Landon stayed at the parking lot while we hiked up the peak.  Landon LOVED playin the in rocks and dirt! What a boy!

...but Madilyn wasn't far behind him in the dirt department!

It was a lot of fun!  Next time I'm taking a REAL flashlight, and better shoes.  Camille got some fun pictures of us inside the caves, so you'll have to check out her blog if you want to see them.

(HINT HINT: update your blog Milly!!)

4th of July Weekend!!

So I'd have to admit, I was pretty disappointed while making plans for the forth because it was on a SUNDAY! What the heck! How can you celebrate on a SUNDAY! Not to mention, my Dad was flying in on the 3rd, so we weren't going to be able to celebrate with my family, like we had planned. BUT it turned out perfect!  We had three days of celebrating!! 

Mom and Dianna drove up from Utah on Friday so they could spend an extra day with us!  We got everything ready.  We grilled steaks and had a fun BBQ outside as soon as Phil and Camille got here with Dad and Bridger!  Then we went and sat RIGHT UNDER then Hamer fireworks! 

Madilyn and Landon loved them!

Landon kept trying to reach up and touch them!

Then Monday, Menan, Ron's hometown, celebrated THEIR fourth of July.

Ron really wanted our kids to run in the races and do the booths.

Landon racing!

We didn't realize how good Landon did!  We should have stuck around to get prizes!  Looking at the pictures he came in first place!!

Madilyn getting ready for her race!

She on the other hand, was too busy scoping out the competition to even run!

 I think she was dead last!!

Then we took the kids around to the booths!

 Here's Madilyn's version of fishing:

Pick your fish, grab it with your hands, then put it on your hook!

Try it!  You'll win every time!!

Landon even got to try it!

Check out these stylin' glasses she won!

Picking out the next prize!

Just hanging out waiting for lunch!

Sharing a FUN DIP!!

It was a great weekend we had lots of fun with the WHOLE family! 

All my sisters were there!

Family Pictures

Since we can only get my side of the family all together only once a year, we took to opportunity to get a family picture taken.  Ron thinks were crazy, but what can I say. 

 WE LOVE PICTURES!!

We were lucky, Allison's boyfriend Tim took the pictures for us...but I personally think eventually he'll end up in them next time ;) hehe

 

Allison and Tim

Mom and her 4 girls! 

 Allison, Brittney, Mom, Camille, Dianna

Daddy's Girls!

The whole family!

Ron, Dad, Phil

Mom, Camille, Bridger

Brittney, Landon, Allison, Madilyn and Dianna

A special thanks to Tim, for taking the pictures and for all the men (RONALD) for cooperating with all these demanding women!

Swimming Lessons!!

I got Madilyn into swimming lessons this summer. 

We went to Hibbard Fishies and she LOVED it! 

30 mintues just wasn't long enough to swim!

I'd recommend it to anyone!  She takes everything VERY slow (maybe a little too slow for Madilyn) but I liked that.  Madilyn is confident and is still not afraid of the water.  They really focused on blowing bubbles under water.  That was the main infaces, just getting them used to being under, and getting their faces in.  It would be really good for kids who ARE afraid, or are younger.  She offers the class to kids as young as 6 months-its a parent/child class.  I'd actually really like to get Landon in next.    For Madilyn though, I do wish we had been able to spend more time working on floating, and actually swimming.  But I am happy with the results.  I know she's really to start learning the techniques...hopefully we'll get to do more at our last lesson! 

Just a BAD night!

The scariest thing happened here last night.  I had just gotten the kids in the tub, Ron was out working in the garden, and I was about to start on the dinner dishes.  The power kinda flickered and went off but came right back on.  I was standing at my kitchen sink and I heard the weirdest loudest humming/zapping sound and then the power went OUT. From the look on Ron's face in the garden I knew it was SOMETHING.  It was kind of stormy so I thought maybe he saw lightning touch the ground.  I ran outside and asked what on earth it was (okay, maybe I didn't use those words because I was so freaked out by it), but I got out there just in time to see it for myself.

The power lines were zapping!

Right in front of the house!

It was a HUGE ball of...

light? 

(It reminded me of the bug on The Fox and the Hound when he's going across the power lines.)
Just much much
BIGGER, LOUDER, and FASTER! 

 It scared me so bad, I ran in, got the kids out of the tub and out of the house because I didn't want them to be inside when it started the house on fire. 

 Okay, so maybe I over reacted, but I had no idea what caused it, and it was so close to the house that I could just see it traveling to the house and then who knows what. 

BUT it was all because of a wind gust blowing the wires causing two of the lines to touch each other, then it ended up tripping the breaker down at the sub station. 

We finally got the kids bathed and put in bed, the dishes done, and the fish tank cleaned.  I went to sit on the couch and talk to Ron while he messed with his fish before we went to bed, when I wasn't paying attention and ran RIGHT into the couch!  BREAKING my toe! It was seriously the 2nd worst sound of the night.  I sat on the couch in agonizing pain (okay, maybe I'm over reacting AGAIN!) when Ron asked, was that your TOE NAIL!?!  Nope, pretty sure I just broke my toe!

Man, you never realize how much you take for granted until you can't use it, from power to a stupid little toe!   xc

SUMMER LOVIN'

Until the end of last week I was HATING Idaho. 

 SERIOUSLY HATING IDAHO! 

 I hate that winter has to last so stinkin long! 

I love the snow

(now that I don't have to drive 35 miles in it

ONE WAY everyday to get to school/work). 

 I love that we actually have seasons like spring and fall!  I love the change. 

But the wind is OBNOXIOUS!

And that fact that it wouldn't get over 68 degrees was seriously killing me. 

I've realized I'm still used to having 8-9 months of SUMMER not 8-9 months of WINTER.  I hate feeling trapped in the house, building fires to keep the house warm, putting plastic on the windows so you can't enjoy the little bit of sunshine we do get during those LONG WINTER MONTHS! 

 But the last couple weeks have been

 HEAVEN

 for me! 

We've been able to spend our days outside for the most part. 

We LOVE

...the swing set

...our walks/bike rides around the school

...playing in the sprinkler

...doing yard work

...gardening

...laying out and attempting to get a tan

...being able to walk wherever we want to go (church, library, school)

Today I even cleaned the outside windows...which lead to "pressure washing" the house.  ANYTHING to stay outside and enjoy the sun while we have it!!

We're loving this summer weather and hope its lasts THROUGH October!! 

 (I know I know...I'm still in Idaho...but I can at least wish!)

*NOTE: Ronald is not included in the "WE"

The 8-9 months of Idaho Winter is in his blood!