This picture is a little expantion on my last post (At least part of it) . . .

Why would the recent fires in SoCal concern me? I guess it's because even though I don't live down there any more, I still feel a little like a SoCal girl.

I had called my dad a couple of weeks ago in San Clemente and talked to my step-mom. She made a comment that her brother and his family had to be evacuated, but they were fine (they live in Malibu, he works at Pepperdine). Of course I asked, "Why? What's going on?" She told me about the fire up there, and that pretty much started it.

The following day was the worst.

I woke up on Monday to hear one of the cable news channels talking about a fire that had been burning in Orange County. When they mentioned the 241 tollway, Foothill Ranch, and started calling it the Santiago fire, I knew exactly where they were talking about.

The fire was burning in my old backyard.

I grew up in an area that used to be El Toro . . . now the city of Lake Forest.

I found out my HS was being used as an evacuation point . . . the fire had burned up to Irvine Blvd./Trabuco Road bordering the old ET Marine base . . . to the east it burned within less than 2 miles from where my dad and step-mom used to live in Tustin Ranch . . . it burned towards Cook's corner which is a motorcycle hangout and hole-in-the-wall place that I last visited with my best friend about 5-6 years ago . . . it burned Modjeska Canyon where the wildlife and bird sanctuary (went there on a great outing with my Kindergarden class) and forced the evacuation of my step-mom's other brother . . . burned through Hangman's Loop where I used to run in HS with the cross-country team . . . lastly, it burned up towards Santiago Peak, the same one I could see from my bedroom window every day from the time I was 5 until I was 18.

Thanks to all the wonderful firefighters, it didn't finish going up the mountain and down the back . . . directly to where my mom lives in Temescal Valley.

Basically, parts of my childhood were going up in smoke.

The above picture was taken by my best friends in-laws from their house (I know it's a little blurred). They live about mile down the road from my HS and about 3-4 miles away from the Marine base . . .

On top of that, Hubby's cousin and his family were evaced in San Diego, they closed I5 where my dad and step-mom live because of the fires at Camp Pendelton, and don't even get me started on what happened in Lake Arrowhead (another place that's dear to my heart).

So that's why the fires got under my skin . . .

Tomorrow I'll talk about a happier subject . . . MY NEW JOB!

Where is it at? You'll never guess . . .

Wait for it . . .

STARBUCKS!!

In fact I'm enjoying an eggnog latte right now because it was the only way I was going to get through writing this post.

So, until tomorrow . . .