Guess who I am??? Scroll to the bottom and see... :) (I really just wanted the wig)...more pictures to come, I am sure!

I have a new blog over at my Mac site and I don't feel like transferring it to here so check it out there and leave comments! :)

So ever since I got back from Hawaii I have been getting more and more excited about LOST. And when I took all the pictures of the locations on Oahu, I knew what I wanted to do with them. I figured the best way to visualize LOST in these locations was to compare the shots. So this week I have had some time (a little too much actually...) and I have started doing just that. LOST fans, enjoy!

Did you guys catch Pushing Daisies last night?? I actually did not since all the fire stuff was still going on and I was at Tom & Tracey's house but I do have it recorded at home so I will be watching it very soon.

But I just thought I would point out something that my friend, Kristy Gill, noticed about the show. We are thinking that one of the writers is probably Mormon because.....last week one of the characters was named Wilford Woodruff (which I laughed at and had to explain to my friends why) and this week one of the characters was named Lemuel. Also this week they made reference to a They Might Be Giants song ("Birdhouse in your Soul" - Anne and Kim - remember the actions??) and while that is not totally a Mormon thing, I think the only people I know that like TMBG and that song are Mormon. ;)

Anyway, just another incentive for you guys to check it out!

We are finally back home and feeling so blessed that we have a home to come back to! We live in Rancho Bernardo and we were evacuated by the wildfires on Monday morning. Here’s what happened: On Sunday afternoon the air was dark and full of ash. You couldn’t go outside without getting ash on your clothes and in your eyes. We were instructed to run the air conditioner because we have an infant so we stayed inside, ran the air and went to bed with me planning on having some friends over the next day because school was cancelled due to air quality. At 5:45am a neighbor that works at the hospital with Tom knocked on the door to let us know that they weren’t mandating our evacuation yet but that the fire was getting close and his family was packed and ready to go just in case. We sat in bed watching the news debating what we should. Should Tom go to work? Where would I go? Well, at 6:00am they had a press conference announcing mandatory evacuation of our neighborhood, we were instructed to get out as soon as possible. So we grabbed our suitcases and threw in some clothes, grabbed some food and our valuables (which only includes important papers and pictures since we don’t actually have money) and jumped in the car. As you can imagine everyone else was trying to evacute as well so the roads were packed! Take San Diego traffic at rush hour times 10 at least. We decided we would go to my old roommates house, she lives an hour north in Riverside. However, fire had the I-15 freeway closed so we had to find another way. It took over 4 hours to get to her house because traffic was so slow.

I was a little emotional as we said a prayer upon leaving our house but I really was just optimistic thinking that our house would be fine and we just needed to leave for a little while. The scene was something out of movie. The sky was so dark and black. At one point Hayden asked me why the sky looked orange because we were close enough to the fires that there really was an orange glow to everything. It was 9:00am but it looked like dusk where you need your headlights on. As we finally got far enough north to be past the fires we could see blue sky in front of the car and dark gray behind us, it was very surreal.

My friend Janae was so awesome to put us up for two days with no notice at all. I literally had to just call and say “Ummm....we’re on our way to your house is that okay?” They opened shelters at the high schools and at Qualcomm stadium but I just can’t imagine going to a shelter with the kids, especially Alyssa! Not to mention the fact that they kept having to move the high school shelters because new fires would break out or spread and the high schools were evacuated. So we spent two days with Janae and then this morning we got up at 4 and we drove back to San Diego and I dropped Tom off at work and spent the day at Marnie's while she was at work. Luckily the kids did pretty well and we had a few new toys we picked up yesterday. Then this afternoon they announced it was safe to return to our house.

Our house is fine, there is quite a bit of ash in the garage and around the doors and such but I really can’t complain knowing that just three miles up the road there are hundreds of homes that no longer exist. It’s a very humbling experience and makes you stop to count your blessings. I was “inconvenienced” for three days and some people have literally lost everything. I am not sure if any of our ward members were affected but we don’t think so. However, there are hundreds in our stake who have lost their homes. At this point I am not sure what we can do to help out but I am sure there is something. In the meantime we are instructed to conserve water and energy and to stay inside. I’m not sure when the schools and such will reopen. I’m on the activities committee and we were in the middle of planning a Halloween party with the Rancho Bernardo ward, the area most hit with lost houses, so we aren’t sure what to do now. Do you continue with the party for the kids to have some normalcy? Or does that just seem to trivial given the circumstances. We are trying to think of a way to maybe do it as part of a service project.

I’m sure you’ve heard various details on the news. More than 550,000 people evacuated (that’s more than during Hurricane Katrina), more than a 1000 homes lost, thousands of acres burned at least a billion dollars worth of damage. And the worst part is that the fires aren’t out yet. It’s being compared to 9/11 but fortunately there have not been very many fatalities. Everyone is evacuating very quickly and things are well organized. A lot has been learned from the past. I am sure I am only beginning to understand and learn all there is to be gained from an experience like this. Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers from so many. We’ll keep you posted. If you want to find out what the addresses of houses that were lost you can check out the list on CBS8.com.

Good night!

Just to keep you all posted on the situation down here in San Diego...

I am back at work. The mandatory evacuation was lifted for Solana Beach so we are all back to the office. Which I am very grateful for...I was kinda going crazy from boredom at home.

Tom also had to go back to work today. So Tom, Tracey + kids came back down from Riverside this morning, dropped off Tom at work and then came over to my apartment where they currently are. They haven't let people back into the Rancho Bernardo area yet but they are assessing the damage now to see if they can let people back into their homes. So for now poor Tracey has to try to entertain 3 kids at my "no toys" apartment. At least there are movies, I guess! We are hoping that they will be able to get into their house tonight. Otherwise it is going to be a sleepover at Marnie's! :)

That is the latest. I will keep you updated to changes.

You girls are all amazing!!! Last night felt like Christmas around here. Sawyer is going to be the best dressed baby around. Thank you all so much. These are honestly the cutest boy clothes ever. What a great idea and how lucky am I that you used it on us? Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Well I wanted to finally get on here and write about the morning Sawyer was born but the little man is not cooperating. We'll see how far I can get.

Contractions started about 5 am when Ellyn decided she should wake up for an hour or two. So I only had one or two an hour and I thought I would go in later in the day. At 8:30 they started to get really strong but were still 10-15 minutes apart. I called upstairs to my mom and told her that I thought we were probably going to have a baby at some point that day. I started to try to get ahold of the two girls (married no kids) that were going to watch my girls. Later I found out that they had gone on the youth temple trip. I finally called my neighbor and she very graciously accepted responsibility for my children (she felt guilty because we had been playing cards till after midnight the night before).

I got the girls up, fed them breakfast, started a potroast, got in the shower, and realized I had probably waited a bit too long. Even by the time we got to the hospital my contractions were still about 10 minutes apart but they were REALLY strong and when the Dr. checked me I was 5+. So he informed me that there would be no epidural and I spent the next hour in huge amounts of pain, hoping I would pass out and they would have to find some other way to get Sawyer out. But no, all 10 lbs. 2 oz. arrived while I was at least semi-conscious. My mom and my friend April were there and they were great. April made sure that Mike knew as soon as possible. It was actually pretty cool. April's husband, Jeff, is Mike's 1st SGT but he had to come home for a surgery (he was one of the first injuries to the squadron). So he called down range and in the middle of a mission they announced over all the radios that Mike had a 10 lb. baby boy.

So that's the story. I left the hospital the next day (they pretty much stick you in a room and forget you anyway) and now Sawyer is an absolutely spoiled rotten little boy. He is so cute and so sweet and his sisters and mom and dad and grandma adore him. He's finally asleep so I am going to hit the hay. Thank you all again- you are wonderful. Tom and Tracey, I'm sorry you have to be out of your home. I know that has to be hard. Buffy- could you please send me your mom's address? That was so thoughtful of her. I love you all. Love, Brooke

I talked to Tom last night so as far as I know they are still in Riverside with their friends and ok. Looks like their house is ok from what I have seen on the news.

My office is closed again today. It is in Solana Beach which is a mandatory evacuation area. Rancho Santa Fe is still on fire and it is only a few miles east of Solana Beach and it is heading towards Del Mar. My boss Michelle is trying to find out how we can go help a rest home that has been evacuated. I will probably go help her. Just waiting on details for where to go and how to help. My friend Michelle's family was evacuated from PQ last night at 12:30am - they were staying until someone knocked on their door and told them they had to go so that must have happened (found out from another friend). I don't know where they are now but I am guessing they probably went to a hotel.

It is pretty crazy and easy to get frustrated with the news when they don't show the area you want to know about but they are doing their best. Everyone I know here is safe and their property is safe as well. Hopefully this will end soon and things can get back to normal.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Tom and Tracey have been evacuated. They are heading up to Riverside to stay with a friend that lives outside of San Diego. They are being advised to not use their cell phone so if you try to call them they may not answer. They are safe and pretty much stopped in traffic as of the last time I talked to them an hour ago. From what I can tell on the news, their house is still safe although it is getting pretty close.

I am home from work today as our office is closed because of the smoke, loss of power and fire risk to some of our people's houses. No wind or smoke in Mission Valley. Kinda eerie when you watch the horror that is happening in North County and it looks like a nice perfect San Diego day outside my window.

My friend Michelle and her family are close to evacuating. Her sister who lives in RB has already been forcibly evacuated. Pretty crazy situation. If you want more info about it you can view that HERE.

Just wanted to let you know that the Stinchfields of San Diego are fine.

Suggest you all visit this website and view Gov. Romney's meeting with Bob Shaffer today. Dad/Kenn

So I went to the grocery store on Thursday and there was a sign for a 5K on Saturday. It was for the Madison Free Dental clinic so I call my friend that I run with. It was only 10 dollars so we decided let's do it! This morning I wake up and yeah, it poured all night and was still raining. It was windy and cold!!!! We went and the 5K was still on.... I guess 100 people had signed up for it but only about 25 people showed up and it was all girls. We started running and it was hailing, raining and windy throughout the whole race. Anyway, the path was not marked very well. It seemed to be the first year that they did this 5K. The sign got turned and well we ended up running 5 1/2 miles by the end of the race instead of 3. Well Kaycee and I did the 5 1/2 miles in 37 minutes which is great. We were really proud of ourselves. We got t-shirts, gift certificates, and such. It was a fun experience all in all, but it was still FREEZING! We are going to look into doing more together around this area.

Thanks for playing my game, we had a lot of fun with it. One of these days I'm going to dress her in some of Danica's old clothes and pose an identical picture so we get a really clear idea of how much they look a like! I"ll throw in one of Hayden also because certainly all my children are "Stinchfield's." Here are the answers:
A: Danica
B: Alyssa
C: Danica
D: Alyssa
It was about 50% who got it right! Way to go!

My boss, Michelle, asked me to make some covers for the binders she uses to hold all the information for our big "Train-the-Trainer" workshops for next year. She said she wanted something fun and colorful. So I decided to do something I thought was fun.....and here it is! :)


The part of Indy is played by the trainer for the workshop, Bill Stinnett. Wilhelmina Scott is played by Michelle and Data (I don't know his name in this movie) is played by Tommy, the office dog. Fun, huh?

...to check my Mac website for new blogs - here are my most recent posts. They are a lot prettier on my Mac site so check them out there too! Link is on the right --->


Fionn Regan: A few nights ago as I was trying to go sleep my favorite late night man came on the TV - that’s Conan O’Brien for those of you who don’t know. I figured I could watch him for a while and see what hilarity his writers had come up with. After the guest interviews (which I do not even remember), they had the musical guest. Conan introduced him at Fionn Regan from Ireland. After he performed I got on iTunes and bought his CD...first time I have done that in a while.

So for those of you that like music from Snow Patrol, Damien Rice, Iron and Wine, or Ben Gibbard - I am pretty sure you will like this. Plus he kinda looks like a leprechaun!! :) I have the song he sang on Conan linked to this entry on my Mac blog if you want to hear it.

Let me know if you like it!


Pushing Daisies: Now this recommendation I am so excited to give because I think a lot of people will love this new TV show.

I hadn’t heard much about it until yesterday when Michelle and Aimee Montoya told me all about it and made me watch the show.

It is SO good! I really think it will be one of my favorite shows on TV. The show is on ABC Wednesdays at 8pm PST.

So here’s the plot: The main character is Ned who has a special talent. He can raise the dead! But there is a catch - if he touches something that is dead it comes to life but if he touches it again it will die forever. Ah - but another catch - if he doesn’t touch the newly risen dead thing again within one minute someone or something else will die to bring balance to the universe. Ned owns a pie shop where his waitress Olive is totally in love with him but he does not return her affections. Instead he is in love with his childhood sweetheart Charlotte, nicknamed “Chuck”. Ned also works with a private investigator Emerson who found out about his secret. Emerson convinces the cash-strapped Ned to help him solve murder cases (and collect the hefty reward fees) by raising the dead and getting them to name their killers.

In one of the cases Ned finds that his sweetheart Chuck was murdered on a cruise ship. He brings her back to life to solve the crime but when he is reunited with her, he can’t send her back to death. But now he can never touch her again or she will be dead for good.

The whole show is very fairytale like and quirky. If you like Tim Burton films like Big Fish or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or something like A Series of Unfortunate Events, you will love this show!!

The show is also narrated by Jim Dale who reads all of the Harry Potter audio books. A definitely storyteller’s voice.

So if you are interested, and you should be, check out this great show so that we can all enjoy it in the future. There have been three episodes so far. If you would like to catch up, you can watch them here. Remember new episodes Wednesdays at 8pm on ABC!


Knitting?: My newest hobby: Knitting!

Or at least I am going to try it out. I was at Wal-Mart the other day with Michelle and Marisa searching for Halloween goodies when we found ourselves in the sewing and crafts section. I had an urge that I really wanted to make something. So I skipped over the full on sewing machine and all that is involved there and went for the easier option - knitting.

I remembered a scarf that Buffy made for me a few years ago and realized how much I really like it. I thought that if I could make scarves like that for myself it would be totally awesome! So I bought my very own “Teach Yourself How To Knit” kit and a ball of yarn.

I started to experiment the other day and, although I felt like an old spinster at some moments, I think I got it ok and will be able to do this! Nice little thing to do while I watch my shows. Wow - I really do sound like an old spinster!

So wish me luck and maybe you will be getting a scarf for Christmas!

We just got this great 6 seater table off of craigslist.com for only $125. We thought it was quite the steal. Anyways, we have also decided to getrid of Wazowski and keep Sully. 2 dogs was getting to be a little too much for me and I felt it would get alot worse when the baby comes around. Wazowski also was a little too ADD for me to handle and felt that it would be a good idea just to keep Sully since he is a little calmer and easier to handle.

Either he is dancing to music on itunes, or he is beating up on Peter