My worst post ever...

Well, one of my worst fears came true at 1:15 this morning...our home caught on fire. We were awoken by the smell of smoke and the screeching sound of our WONDERFUL smoke detectors.

First things first, Gabby wasn't there. She was spending the night as her grandma's house. THANK GOD.

Gabe & I inhaled a ton of smoke and my throat is still burning :( We don't smell too pleasant, either! ;)

Smoke was everywhere. It was terribly thick and you could barely see through it. We couldn't see the flames of the fire because it was in the wall behind the fireplace. We called 911, and the Ridgeland Fire Department and Police Departments were there in less than 10 minutes.

They said had we just been a few minutes longer, the fire would've gotten in the attic and swept through the insulation and we'd of had MAJOR Loss. They were able to contain it very quickly - they did a wonderul job with the fire, and with consoling Gabe & myself. We can't thank them enough for saving our home.

There is fire and water damage in the living room, some slight water damage in the kitchen ceiling, and some fire damage in the attic. There is smoke throughout the entire house, which makes it "un-livable" as the fire department puts it.

We are staying with some very generous friends, who didn't even mind that we called them at 3:20 this morning to tell them we needed a place to stay! (THANKS PAUL AND LIZ)

We don't have any idea when we'll be able to get back into the house, but we're hoping it's not too long. Gabby is on "extended vacation" at her grandma's house and she's having a blast and, of course, is none-the-wiser that anything is wrong, and we'd like to keep it like that.

ServePro - a company that specializes in the cleaning of of fire and water damage - was at the house this evening setting up de-humidifiers, fans, filters, etc...to help with the smell. They will have to send every piece of clothing we own, every linen, every curtain, etc - to the cleaners, to be de-smoked.

Our furniture will either have to be deep-cleaned (by the pros) or replaced. Even our electronics will have to be taken apart (again, by pros) or replaced.

This has been quite a shock to use. We are in disbelief that it has even happened. If anything, PLEASE let this be a reminder to you to INSTALL A SMOKE DETECTOR IN EVERY ROOM, HALLWAY, KITCHEN, etc...

EDIT - lots of you have asked about Dylan (our German Shepherd) and he's fine - I apologize for not including him in the original post. He got out of the house quickly and we put him in the car, where he watch the fireman work. He's at his grandma's house now.

EDITING AGAIN - for those of you asking how the fire started...
We can't say conclusively, yet The fire department and fire inspectors both have it narrowed down to either 1. some electrical wiring around the fireplace or 2. the old wood that was underneath the fireplace. (our house is probably 70 yrs old, but we've only lived in it 2 yrs and 3 months)

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers, keep em coming!
And, of course, you know I can't make a blog post without a picture involved...though, these aren't the normal, fun pics I usually post :(