There’s a new life chapter in 2024 (not that I had a choice).

As many know, I had a horrible house fire, due to a bad extension cord, on January 18, 2024, which killed five of my beloved dogs and destroyed most of my house. Two survivors included a dog that was going back to her original owner, so now it is just Snoopy and me.

A week before my husband and partner of ten years had moved to Las Vegas. The decision to move suddenly was his, but I’m okay with it, and we are trying to work on that new reality in light of the shared devastation.

While I rebuild, the community has been extremely helpful, knowing I’m rebuilding alone. I’m usually the one fundraising and donating to others, so it’s been quite an adjustment to allow myself to receive,

I did create a public Amazon Wishlist, which I’m maintaining, to indicate things that I will need to rebuild in a rental (hopefully nearby). The plan is to stage things in the rental and use these things in the interim while my house is cleaned and renovated. The professional estimates are that my move back will be sometime in mid to late 2025.

I feel a lot of love and will remember this as I hopefully continue to make a difference for Vallejo and other communities I belong to. The tremendous emotional support I’ve received will forever give me joy to think about while I live this nightmare of losing so many precious souls and members of my family but for a few minutes during which I might have been able to save them (or in which I could have also lost my own life).