In the Event of a Fire

Yesterday there was a grass fire close to my apartment complex. So close, in fact, that the power went out, and a man came through knocking on doors, telling residents they should be prepared to evacuate "if it comes to that."

This was, understandably, a bit frightening, especially since my building faced away from the fire, so if it came close, I wouldn't know right away.

Still, it got me thinking about my stuff and what I would be sad to lose. Obviously being alive and healthy is worth more than anything I own. I have renter's insurance, and I doubt I would truly miss any material possessions should a fire come and burn down everything I have.

But there are things I do consider invaluable, and, if I did have time to grab a few items before fleeing to safety, here's what I would take: 

[In no particular order]

--My violin. This was a Christmas gift when I was a freshman in high school. Sure, I could buy a new one, but this gift stands out in my mind as one of the best, and I would be devastated to part with it.

--My wedding guestbook. On each picture-filled page are signatures and well wishes from those who were there to celebrate our special day, and I don't think it could be recreated.

--My wedding scrapbook. On the morning of my wedding day, my mom presented me with a scrapbook that contained pages made by my closest friends and family. She had secretly mailed and/or given pages to my bridesmaids, my high school friends, my Oklahoma friends, my cousin, my aunt, and my sister, and my mom had done a few as well. It included photos from every era of my life thus far as well as bridal shower pages and events leading up to the wedding. I teared up as I opened it and looked through the unique, creative pages, and this is something I would definitely grab as I ran out the door.

--My engagement ring (if I wasn't already wearing it). The diamond itself holds special significance to us and would be horrible to lose.

--Finally, I would put on my purple Pumas (featured in this post), the book I'm currently reading (Bonhoeffer [so I have something to do while I'm watching my apartment burn down]), and head out. 

{note: I used to be one of those people who, when asked this question, said, "First, I'd grab my Bible!" But let's be honest. In the event of a fire, where I could only hold a few precious items, I really don't think I would. I can always buy another Bible, though I'd have to start over with my underlinings and notes in the margins.}


Oh, and if he wasn't already ready to go, I guess I'd get my husband too. I suppose I consider him pretty irreplaceable. 


Who can resist this face?

Or... this one? 

That's what I thought. Irresistable. 
You know you'd grab him too...in the event of a fire.




P.S. So, I posted this, and then I was reading it back over, looking for typos and such, and realized that most of my irreplaceable things are wedding related. For some reason I find this interesting. I think Jordan has more items of sentimental value than I do--knives he's gotten from his grandpa and such. I do have a scrapbook from my college years that I would be sad to lose, but it's currently sitting at the bottom of my closet, buried in a box underneath another box, which is underneath another box. So I didn't really consider that an option. 


P.P.S. I'm not sure why/how the above is relevant. I suppose just my lame attempt at another disclaimer (sorry, Audra), though it's unclear even to me what I'm disclaiming. So never mind.