too much

so last week was just a little more than i could handle. i was down & out with strep, B was out of town so i had to take care of Z by myself & on sunday we drove down to LA for my uncle's funeral. i wasn't aware of the fires that were starting all over SoCal. there was a small fire at the 15/215 junction that turned the freeway into a parking lot, so we ended up missing the wake, but at least we would be there for the funeral the next morning.

i met my mom, aunt & cousin in LA & we got rooms at the same hotel. the next morning as we were getting dressed my mom's friend called to let her know my mom's area of RB was being evacuated. i felt overwhelmed, i can't imagine what my mom felt. a few minutes later my phone rang & it was my neighbor from our SM house, she said our area was safe but the winds had knocked a tree over in our yard. i don't know how but my mom really held it together, maybe she was in shock.

we drove to the church & i saw family members i hadn't seen in years. it was sad that my uncle's death is what it took to bring us together. my mom even talked to my nana, finally. my aunt & cousin wouldn't, still, family dynamics can be so dumb!

after the church there was a huge funeral procession from La Puente residential district up to the city of Azusa then on the freeway over to Glendale. It was very strange to be guided by the cops & the way they protected the procession. the funeral was on a steep hill & Z jumped & danced on someone's grave.

after the funeral we left LA. when i got on the 15 the winds were really strong, then i suddenly came to a stop & was in a parking lot again. i was too far north to pull over, there was no where to go. i found out the 15 was closed due to fires. my mom & i called each other checking in as she wasn't sure if she could go home or what she would find. B was also calling trying to find out what he could on the news & the net.

my mom made it home about 4:30, she said they took back roads into RB. i later found out she wasn't supposed to be there, the area was still evacuated. about the same time the 15 opened up & i was moving. by this time i had a bad migraine & my legs were cramping from the constant gas/clutch/break. thankfully Z slept almost the entire drive - my saving grace!

only when i got home did i realize how bad the fires were. i can't imagine how it must feel to lose everything.