This is a word that I hear on the news all the time. Not a word that is in MY little world. It was a sunny afternoon and I was sitting in my office catching up on work. Well, lets be really honest – I was on Facebook thinking about work!!
A thread popped up in my feed about a fire that just broke out about 35 minutes from me due to lighting. That is on the other side of town, nothing to get panicky about. Continue scrolling Facebook, resisting heading over the Amazon to purchase the boxwood wreath that I had been eyeing up. I then noticed that the thread about the fire had over 80 comments on it. My nosey nature opened the thread and started reading. People were talking about pre-packing belongings into laundry baskets and leaving by the door. Other women were photographing their cupboards and contents of their home. What?? What is hell is going on.
I called the husband who was on the Coast and expressed my concerns. He suggested going for a drive around the area to check it out but everything is probably fine, no need to panic. I load up the kiddos and off we go. We head up 97 towards Williams Lake and 10 minutes into our drive we meet her. The mountainside is on fire. We turn around and head home. There is a voice message on my phone from family who live in my neighbourhood that they are leaving and call immediately.
This is where things got surreal.
What to take? I have always joked with clients that “if you house was on fire, you wouldn’t think about your expensive flat screen – you would want your photo albums”. I can now personally tell you how true that statement is. As I am doing a pass through my home, after all of our pets and their needs were safely packed in the car, I didn’t once think about my $900 pair of diamond ear rings, my Tiffany’s bracelet and necklace or even the half dozen or so antique pieces I have accumulated over the years. The only thing I could think of were the photos and hard drives that housed my children’s story.
I quickly pulled the photo of my oldest who proudly pulled herself up to the coffee table first time, the photo of my youngest eating the paint brushes when she was a year old. I grabbed my baby books, my family snaps and any other photo of our life that couldn’t be replaced because of time. I only grabbed a small handful of clothes that were laying beside my bed because I was not taking up valuable space in my now full car with any item that could be easily replaced. Not once did I think about that pair of ear rings or our large t.v.
I can now, more than ever, say – if you are ever considering family portraits (with us or any photographer for that matter) but are being held back because of the investment please remember that while it seems expensive now, they quickly because PRICELESS.
To any of my Cariboo clients, if you have lost any of your photos purchased through us, we will replace your order free of charge. Stay safe.
Corrie Lindroos Photography
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