The before...

...and after.

Here are some pictures from the property.

At least the canoe made it ok.

Jay's old room :(

This is my Dad's shed/work area



the trampoline and pool in the background

Boys moving what appears to be the washer or dryer.

An appraiser went up to the property today and things are looking pretty good. My dad said that they already got some money today and are getting the rest next week. The value of the house and the contents are all covered. Up to 20% is covered for the landscaping and avocado orchard and any kind of shed or outside area. He said they will also cover rent for housing for the next 2 years. My dad thinks they may take that money and put a trailer on the property and start building right away. They don't know yet. But everything is getting taken care of. The schools reopen on Tuesday for the kids.

Also yesterday when my mom and dad went to FEMA they were able to fill out a bunch of paper work. My mom said they got more done in 5 hours there than they would in months. My dad also has a friend who is talking him through the steps to take because he just went through this when his mother's house burnt down not to long ago. It sounds like they are getting a lot done.

Today the stake president called my dad and told him that the stake was holding a meeting for the 16 families in the stake that lost their homes. So they attended this evening and had a really great experience. The new apostle in the quorum of the 12 Elder Cook came and spoke to them. He let them know that the prophet is praying for them and blessed them that they would all feel peace in their lives at this time. He talked to them for a little while then shook each one of their hands. My dad said it was such a great experience and they feel so loved and blessed right now. They are so overwhelmed with everyone's kindness and love. Today they also were able to go to a park that the community had set up for the families to gather clothes and toys and stuff like that. They all sound very upbeat and positive right now. I asked my dad why they are this way and he said its because so many people are praying for them. So thank you for your prayers. My family and I love you all so very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The address where they are staying is

1431 Elva Terrace
Encinitas, CA 92024

Today they were actually able to go up to the property. I will post the pictures as soon as I get them. I was on the phone with them as they went through the rubble. Not much remains. My mom said it looks like a war zone. They found a bocce ball which they were excited about. Before the fire Jay and Nick moved my dad's truck and Jay's jeep to a graded out area next door so the cars were okay. I can't say the same thing about the old green van. But it didn't work anyway. In Jay's jeep he found a pair of shoes, Nick's flip flops, my mom's ipod, and some skate board wheels. There were still some smouldering spot's in the house. The chimney was knocked over. The foundation still stands filled with ash. Just a bunch of frames of things like the trailer, quads, golf cart, canoe... stuff like that. All the trees are gone. They said it looks like the winds were so strong that they pulled some of the trees out of the ground. A few skeletons of trees left. The pool is still there. A bench flew into the pool still in tact. They found tiles, nails, and other stuff like that. They talked to my neighbor who's house was untouched. He said there were fire fighters up there trying to do something but it got too dangerous and were ordered to leave. I wish I was there so I could explain more but that is what they told me. My dad has been at FEMA for a while so I haven't been able to talk to them since they scanned the property. I will report more later. Also there were 22 houses on our road and 11 burned. Thank you so much for your thought and prayers. Everyone is doing good.

This is Ashley updating for my family. Hopefully this will make it easier to get information about their situation right now. I don't know what everyone knows but I'm sure you all know that our beautiful log home (aka Uncle Tom's cabin) that we all love did not make it through the awful fires that are going on in California right now. The whole family including dogs, iguana, and bunnies are safe and staying with my mom's sister who lives in Encinitas. They are all being very positive about the whole situation. At this time no one is allowed back into Ramona. They are hoping that maybe on Sunday they may be allowed to go back up and see the property. The Target in Encinitas reopened today and they were able to go get some needed supplies. We are all so very, very grateful for every one's loving support. Its amazing how truly loved we are. They don't know much right now but whenever they get any new information I will put it up on this site. Also I am putting together a CD of all the pictures that I have of my family. I luckily had some here at my house in Virginia but if anyone has any pictures at all of my family growing up or whatever if you wouldn't mind sending me a copy that would be way awesome. If you have any questions let me know. My email address is aashton20@Hotmail.com