Fire in my hair... says Eden

This is one of those weeks that I never want to relive nor wish on anyone. I have a nightmare running through my head, but this is a dream you can’t wake up from.

In short, a bottle of cooking spray combusted with the heat of the oven and our gas stove. The explosion caused a flash flame which filled our entire kitchen and then left the can in flames.

It all happened so fast and is unforgettably vivid and yet such a blur. Eden was standing about two feet in from of the oven and got the worst of it. I keep imagining the loud pop, whoosh of the fire, and the booming flame from the corner of my eye. At first, I had no idea what happened and instinct kicked in to grab Eden and throw her in the sink. Austin was sleeping upstairs and awoke very confused, surrounded by smoke, the alarms going off, and the deafening thuds and screams. In seconds he was downstairs putting out the fire as I ran Eden to the bathtub. At first I thought Eden may have been okay, just scared. She let out one big scream and then was quiet after that. I think she was in shock and didn’t know what was going on. Her face slowly got redder and redder and her hair was burned, but it wasn’t until we got to the hospital that blisters started to appear and the damage became more clear.

She was unbelievably good with the ER docs. She was responsive and let them check her eyes, ears, breathing, BP, temperature, and burns. It wasn’t until 10 doctors later that she because defensive, tired, and just wanted to go home. We spent 2-3 hours in the ER before Eden was discharged with second degree burns, mostly on her face. She has one good burn on her left hip and two fingers that got hit. How she escaped with only that, is a miracle.

That all happened 6:00, Tuesday night. We went back to the doctor on Thursday for them to assess her wounds and follow up. They tried to debris her face by wiping with a wet gauze. As they did, her whole forehead and nose peeled off. I’m sure it was painful and she didn’t like that one bit, so we chose to sedate her the next morning to finish the job.

Friday morning, Eden went to the operating room and was all cleaned up. The worst part was trying to console her beforehand. Austin took her in with the doctors and watched her go to sleep and then we waited for about a half hour while they did their thing. We came back to a bandaged, sleepy girl with a very rosy face. It’s just raw flesh now. It took a good hour for her to wake up from the anesthesia. She did really well, but that was rough too. She wasn’t very fond of all the cords, bandages, and connected things, but at least we were with her. And I take it back- the worst part was getting discharged. The nurses were walking circles as if they were the ones on anesthesia. We were so ready to go home and having an incompetent nurse was a trial of my patience. Austin missed school that morning to be with us so I was duly stressed for him too. But we made it and Eden’s frown quickly turned upside-down when she heard that we were going home.

Now, it’s just a matter of time. As miserable as Eden probably is, I think it’s hardest for Austin and me to watch her go through this. As long as I’m not touching her face or caring for her wounds, Eden is mostly happy and her normal self. She told me she was going to tell all her friends at church about the fire in her hair and the scary oven.

Even though I said it has been a nightmare, I can’t believe how truly blessed we are and were. The miracles are countless and the angels around us are tangible, both the seen and unseen. I have no doubt that we had divine protection and are seeing God’s hand in this whole ordeal.

I don’t even know where to start with the blessings-

For one, I am ever grateful that this happened here, in the states, where we have a good hospital and reliable, quick care just 10 minutes from our house. It would have been a completely different story had this happened in St. Kitts, where we had the same kind of gas stove and oven. I’m also so grateful that we have a car that works and that Austin was home when this happened. Our neighbors were here to help call maintenance and shut off the gas- what a help given it is a new home and neighborhood. AND... we have insurance- both renters and health. That's a relief. 

Below are pictures of our kitchen and the aftermath. As you see the pictures, you'll see that we didn't just get lucky. 

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The culprit and a hard lesson learned: never leave this stuff close to an open flame. Or on your oven.

The first burner I tried wouldn't light; there was extra gas in the air from that. There was an open flame from the burner that was on plus the oven. All that made for a bad combination. 

This door to our basement was shut, but the smoke covered the back side that was closed. It almost looks like an earthquake happened; there is debris all over the basement floor from the house shaking.

This is a picture that makes me cringe. That stuff in the sink is Eden's hair. I wanted to cry pulling it all out. The clumps in the bathroom were much, much larger and made me feel like I was holding a chemo patient. It's amazing how different a person can look without eyebrows, eyelashes, and thinned hair. :(









The heat from the fire bent the blinds of our two kitchen windows. I was standing right in front of these blinds at the trash can,. I can only attribute my safety to a heavenly bubble. I don't even remember feeling heat; not a hair on my head was touched. I'm telling you- garments really do keep you safe and offer not only spiritual, but earthly protection. As much as I'd rather be in pain instead of Eden, I am so glad that nothing put my pregnancy at risk and that I was able to take care of Eden.

Even though it's not noticeable in all places, the clean up crew said that soot covered the ceiling all the way to the front door. 










This amazes me. Look closely and you will see slashes in the shirt Eden was wearing. It's as if an animal clawed at her chest and arm. Her shirt obviously was ripped to shreds, but somehow she free from harm in those places. It just doesn't make sense.

 

I hardly recognize my little girl anymore. It's almost hard to remember what she looked like a week ago. But beauty is born from the ashes and I am touched by the overwhelming support and kindness that so many people have offered us. The many, many prayers and fasts in our behalf are felt and realized. Eden looks great, all considering. She is healing well and puts up with any pain like a trooper. She is such a strong girl, and made stronger by the healing power of Jesus Christ. I am eternally grateful for the Priesthood and that Austin was able to give her a blessing of healing in the hospital. That power is real. 

The love we feel from all our friends, family, and even strangers is tangible. We can't thank everyone enough. Our ward has already taken care of a week of dinners despite us being new; maintenance at our apartment has checked on us every day to make sure we are okay; we have been flooded with messages; and are seriously so, so blessed. 

Get this- we got a message from a resident who treated Eden in the ER. We hadn't met him yet at church, but he said we looked Mormon and saw our '801' zip code (from Utah) and bet that we would be in his ward. Sure enough, he was right! Even more ironic, Austin replaced him in the tutoring council at BYU. Small, small world. And a wonderful one. He and his wife are so kind and had us over for dinner tonight. 

How goes the story of Job? He lost all and gained back double of everything he had. Eden is having her own Job experience. If anything valuable was lost, it was her blanket. You know, HER blanket- the one that is never too far and that she can't sleep without and is pretty much her best friend. Well... grandparents are awesome. Low and behold, now Eden doesn't have just one...

... but TWO new blankies.

Moving to Maine

Our time in St. Kitts has come to an end. I like to think that we finished our two year mission. Leaving there felt just like leaving the mission, Austin said. Our last Sunday in the branch was Easter- a memorable day and wonderful time. Of anything that we will miss, the branch is at the top. Eden has made lots of friends at church, as have we, and we have learned much from the people there. Having such a small congregation requires that each member steps it up and gives their all; it also requires them to be strong and completely devoted. I admire their innocence and pure testimonies and will miss the strong spirit found among them. 

We were fortunate enough to meet Tricia and welcome her into the church. She has become a good friend and will be a great asset to the branch. Eden often speaks of how daddy baptized Trica :) 

Though this isn't everyone, we tried our best to get a group picture. Cheese everyone!

 And how could we forget the Mango tree? President Foreman, the Elder's Quorum president that Austin served under became the new branch president just a week before we left. He was one of the first to welcome us to the branch and was the last to say good bye. 

Did I mention that it was Easter? Eden will tell you all about it :)

(If the movie doesn't work, click here: https://goo.gl/photos/CrTtEPRGY2sBPhwk7)

Turn up your volume and name that tune! Eden loves singing... and dancing... and the piano.

(If the movie doesn't play, click here: https://goo.gl/photos/jXEZcfwZiv9iaHRKA)

This was one of the last sunrises we saw from our room. Good bye ocean view and penthouse apartment. You were good to us. 

And good bye St. Kitts. Though I may not miss you, I can't say I regret our experiences and the time on the island. I am a completely different person- for better and worse- and it is where Eden grew up. 

Leaving was insane. It's a different kind of difficult to move with everything you need in suitcases. I don't know what I'd rather: nothing and luggage or everything and a moving truck. We ended up with 5 checked bags, 6 carry-on's, a stroller, and a car seat, plus Eden and her backpack. Thank goodness Eden can walk! I sure wasn't much help being so pregnant, so Austin was Superman handling all that on his own. I will add that we were blessed in every way as well. 

We took a bus to the airport in St. Kitts; it took a bus to haul all that luggage where we needed to go! Talk about a workout- Austin carried all 50 pound suitcases from our third floor apartment to the bus and unloaded again at the airport. What a relief when everything was checked! The biggest relief was finding kind people to help when we arrived at Charlotte, NC. Austin asked these two girls for a cart and directions, but when they found out that we had 13 pieces of luggage, they took the liberty of finding a warehouse cart and loaded our luggage for us. They even escorted us through security and checked our bags again after customs- which wasn't supposed to be allowed since we had an overnight flight. That was a huge help! It let us stall enough in the morning that we were able to grab a little breakfast at the hotel. AND we had two of our carry-on's checked too, so we were basically hands free. Ah! 

This was the first time that we booked a hotel for our overnight flight. Austin has always graciously offered, but I'm so stubborn and cheap. It was totally worth it. As you can tell, Eden thought so too. She could have stayed up all night playing with the phone and pushing buttons on the tv, but we were hungry and wanted warm food so we walked next door to the Waffle House for an authentic, 10pm Southeastern experience. North Carolina was surprisingly warm, but not inside! B-rrrr!

We had a good time, but no wonder people are so overweight. Wowee. Poor Austin didn't agree with the food either. Good for the palate doesn't mean good for you. He spent all night after eating there on the toilet. We almost thought we wouldn't make our morning flight, but again... blessings. 

From North Carolina, we flew to DC and then to Maine. DC was beautiful! I can't imagine anywhere more green. The earth was covered in trees with dots of nice looking property. We even saw the Washington monument and Capitol from the plane. How neat! One day, we will have to go back and really tour. 

This is Maine:  

As Austin says, it's full of nothing but white people. Ah... America! It's good to be back. Though I didn't realize I was holding my breath or really stressed in St. Kitts, it felt as though a huge load had been lifted once we got here. Even Austin will like Maine- I told him he would because the toilets in the airport had automatic toilet seat covers that replaced themselves with the touch of a button. Me? I'm just happy they have restrooms everywhere we go now. And Eden? She's just happy no matter what.

We were fortunate enough to be blessed with wonderful friends. Lyle and Joanna Hickman picked us up from the airport and let us stay the first two nights at their place while we got settled. I'm convinced that JoAnna is right up there with Mother Theresa. Her name might just be listed under the definition of charity in the Bible Dictionary if you look close enough. Without her, we would have basically nothing. She single-handedly furnished our house. She got us a free kitchen table, free couches, free desk and chair, free mattresses, and mostly free rocking chairs. That just left us to finish the rest at Goodwill, DollarTree, and Walmart. Thank you America. After finishing up the kitchen, bedding, and odds and end items I think we were right around $300 (and that is including the toys that Austin bought for Eden. Boy is he a sucker!) :) 

That's not even the best part. We have groceries! Real food. Fresh- not rotten or expired- healthy food. There is no explaining the satisfaction of buying two loafs of good-for-you whole wheat bread for the same price that I would pay for one Wonderbread quality loaf gone stale in St. Kitts. As for Austin- he is back in business with cereal and real milk. How did we survive the last two years?

PS. Don't we look good in clothes?

Sam's club and Walmart aren't the only fun places we have found. There is a cute little park in our neighborhood that Eden has fallen in love with. It's even more fun because Daddy has been around to play with. Weee!

Did I mention how cold it is here? Hehe... colder than we are used to. But it is SO nice not to sweat! It only took a day before Eden was convinced that a coat is a good thing. 

So here we are on our first day in Maine:

The Hickman's took us to this cool place called Two Lights. It is home for two lighthouses, hence the name. And the platform we are standing on? It's rock. You'd think it was wood, but nope! Oh, and did someone say waves? This is no Caribbean Ocean, people. 

For Austin's last day of "summer vacation" we took a little drive and visited a place called Fort Williams. It was freezing. And all part of the fun. Eden was a doll with her coat. She looks more and more like Austin, especially with her hood on and  hands in her pockets. 

So, Fort Williams: it's a huge park with another lighthouse. This one was really neat because you could walk right up to it. And it's super old- commissioned by George Washington. Pretty cool, eh? The next few pictures are all of us at Fort Williams. It'll be worth going back when it's warmer. Eden couldn't wait for another park, but we were basically walking through a cloud and everything was wet. And frozen. Including us by the time we were finished. 

I suppose you can call us Mainers, at least for the next 4 months.