I
was so thankful for this 3-day weekend. Columbus Day. It allowed us to really
settle down, figure out what was ahead, and REST. I remember taking a nap that Saturday. Sleeping was still very hard for all of
us. We did enjoy the buffet breakfast
the hotel offered. I couldn’t even use
the mini-toaster in the hotel room for fear of smelling smoke when the little
crumbs fell on the burners. I know – it
seems petty, but that smell was very distinctive and it seemed like it followed
us around. We went back to my in-laws
house that afternoon to look through some things that she and my father-in-law
had grabbed the afternoon of the fire.
It all smelled so badly. Most
things ended up in the trash or in bags to go to the restoration company. There were a few frames and such that were
already molding so I couldn’t even take the pictures out. My jewelry box was there but almost every
necklace was knotted in ash and insulation.
I tried to pull out the few I could to be cleaned. The smell was
everywhere still.
After
getting back to the hotel that evening, R pulled out a small bucket and a large
envelope from her school bag. She said
the buckets were at every concession stand at the football game the night before
and the counselor at her school handed her the envelope on Friday afternoon. Both FULL of cash and gift cards. We cried. R was so emotional that day, which
made me even more emotional. This
outpouring from the community was simply immeasurable.
