Pray for Rain and Safety

www.startribune.com/10072/rich_media/1171231.html

When Matthew and I were married in 1999 we had zilch for moola, not that we're rollin' in it now, but I'm talking groceries being charged on credit cards. We also had this wedding to plan. I did not want to plan a wedding, it's not my thing. Matthew and my mom did most of the decision making. I just wanted real flowers, I wanted to get married at FCC and I wanted a honeymoon. That's it! I sooo did not care about the dress and the colors and the DJ and the party etc, etc. Too much stress! It all turned out wonderfully and the day was super, thanks to my mom and Matthew.

The honeymoon almost didn't happen though. We had this great big fancy trip planned for the BWCA on the Gunflint Trail in Northern Minnesota. We wanted to spend our time together in the woods but be comfortable too. We decided on Gunflint Lodge. We ended up not being able to afford the whole honeymoon package. I was bummed but knew we'd go someday. Matthew surprised me though and figured a way we could go for a couple days at least. Yeah! It was so much fun and even though it was probably the shortest honeymoon in history Gunflint Lodge became very special to us. We were able to go again when Isaiah was two and we decided we were going to make the Lodge our yearly family spot as soon as we could.

This was our year! We have a whole week planned for July and my mom and dad are coming too. We wanted the kids to have some special memories of a summer vacation with Gramps and Grammy. They agreed to come along, it didn't take much convincing.

We heard last week about the start of the Ham Lake fire. The link above shows the damage that's been done so far. The winds changed yesterday, surprisingly, and really messed up the plan to stop the fire. Apparently only 5% of the fire is contained and under control. No lives have been lost which is THE most important thing. The entire Trail has been evacuated. It's about a 60mile road which has only one entry/exit point in Grand Marais. Essentially Gunflint Trail is a very long dead end road. Besides Gunflint Lodge, there are other lodges and businesses that make their living along the trail not to mention the homes and cabins that have been destroyed. Please pray for rain and the safety of all the firefighters. Some buildings and homes have outdoor sprinkler systems for this very purpose, those systems are working for the most part.